James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1876

♦ 13 accuracy on the part of the bowler to admit of scoring, is advice that would seem to be superfluous. But patience throughout an innings of any duration is a virtue of great rarity among batsmen. Take care of the stumps, and the runs will take care of themselves, is an axiom that cannot be contradicted. Consistent care from first to last will do more in the long run than impa­ tience or desire for fast scoring. Remember, moreover, that it is not bad bowling that wants the least caution, and do not despise it, as some batsmen are too prone to do. To under rate a foe is weakness, 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 exceed for any young batsmen 21bs. 3oz., or even 21bs. 2£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. CHATTER HI. A F EW W R INK LE S ON BOW L ING . B y J ames S octherton . T he great aim I have always had, and, obviously that which should be the aim of every one with any pretension to bowling, is to try and vary the pitch, pace, and break of the bail without the knowledge of the batsman. Perhaps this preliminary advice may appear superfluous to many who read it, but there will also be many who aie not so blessed in the matter of experience. There are many bowlers wdio 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 grounds, such as the Oval, that do not help the bowler, it is diilieult to break through the defence of the many professional batsmen whom one lias to meet perhaps five or six times during the year. There are exceptional instances where it almost becomes an impossibility, but still I bowl every ball with the hope of getting the best of them, as I am sure that every man is to he got out with a good held to help. There is no batsman so good as never to make a mistake, and there are very few’ who have the patience to play a persistent bowler without a momentary deviation from the right path. I compare bowling to fishing, ^ou must have plenty of ground bait, and the ground bait in cricket is to continue to give the batsman almost , but not quite, every kind of ball that no wants. \'Jhen he hits at a ball well and freely’ he is on the feed, and then is the howler s time to drop a ball veiy like the last in appearance out with slight difference of pitch, break and spin, and one of the field is very likely to play the part of the man with the landing net. As an instance of this theory I may say that sometimes I have howled some of the best men in England with a ball that a schoolboy could have