James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1875

8 accuracy on the part of bowler to acltnit of scoring, is advice that would -seem to be supe�uous. But patience tliroughout an innings of any duration is a virtue of great 1 10 arity among batsmen. Tak , e , oare of the st · 11 mp s , and the 1·uns will take care of themselves, is an axiom that cannot be contradicted .. Consistent ca-re f1�om first to last will do more in . the long run than impa­ tience or desire for fast scoring. Remember, mor-eover, that it is not bad bowling that wants the least caution, and do n.ot despise it, as some batsmen are too prone to do. To under-1·ate a foe is weak ness, and should always be avoided. One last hint to the young beginner and I have done. Do not play with a bat too heavy for your strength. I think a bat should not exceecl for any young · batsmen 2 lbs. 3 oz., or evan · 2 lbs. 2½ oz. It is this overweight that cripples many a promising player, and prevents him · not only from doing himself justice in the present, but mars his utility in · the future . • • ' • CHAPTER II . � • A FEW WRINKLES ON BOWLING. BY JAMES SouTHERTON. �HE great aim I have alwa ys . h a d, and obviously that which should be the aim of everyone with any pretension to bowling, is to try and vary the pitch, pace, and break of the ball without the knowledge of the batsman. Perhaps thiq preliminary advice may appear st1perfluous to many ,vho read it, but there will also be many who are not so blessed in the matter of experience. There a1 .. . e many bowlers w}?.o have failed to learn the secret after a long apprenticeship, and hence the advice may not savour so much of a platitude to some. Of course the old stagers learn one's style, and on gro11nds, st1ch as the Oval, that do not help . the bo,vler, it is difficult to break through the defence of the many professional batsmen whom one has to meet perhaps :five or six times during the year. There are exceptional instances whe1·e it almo&t becomes an inpossibility, but still I bowl every ball with the ho p e of getting the best of them, as I am sure that every man is to be got out v;ith a good field to help. There is no batsman s o . good as never tomake a mistake, and there are ve17 few who have the patience to play a persistent bowle1· wi t hout , a momentary devi&:tion _ from the right path. I compa1 ..e bowling to fishing. You must have plenty of ground bait, and the g1-ol1�d bait in c:ricket i� to continue to give . the batsmo,11 al1nost b11t not quite every kind of ball that he wants. V{hen he hits at a ball ,vell and freely he is on the feed. and then is the bo,�·le1·,s time to drop a ball very like the last in appearance but with slight difference of pitch, break and spin, u.nd one of the field ts ,·ery likely to play the part of the man with the lancli11g net. As au instance of this theory I may say that sometimes I hs;\ ,, o bowled some of tha best men in England ,vith a ball that a schoolboy cot1ld ha,·e