James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1878

nearly realises my idea on the subject of position, with the reservations already mentioned. The young beginner will do well to frame his play according to this model. From my own experience I have always found it to my advantage to hold the bat half-way up the handle, and this happy medium I recommend for adoption, as thereby you can control it as effectively as if held nearer to the blade, and the benefits incidental to the extra length are very important. To hold it higher in the handle neutralises this advantage, as the bat is not so well nor so firmly grasped, and the power of hitting at a ball with certainty is considerably lessened. Stand, then, in an easy position, with the bat held as I have directed, firmly, but not too stiffly, to admit of facility of motion, and await the attack of the bowler. Do not beat the air with your bat, as is the manner of some, in unseemly flourishes, nor wave it high over your head after the fashion of other still more pantomimically inclined performers. Refrain, too, if possible, from wasting your energy inwagging the bat, if I may so term the irritating practice so often witnessed during the delivery of the ball. As a rule these eccentricities are the unmistakable signs of nervousness or im­ patience, and these two defects will prove the ruin of the young cricketer. De­ cision, above all things, is a strong point in the armour of the batsman, and one that may tend to render him shot-proof. To hold the bat in what is termed the pendulum fashion, in my opinion gives the greatest scope for free­ dom of play, without in the slightest degree diminishing the powers of de­ fence. I disclaim any notion of egotism in the statement, but merely cite it as a practical demonstration that I always stand thus or guard myself, ■ with the top of the handle just above the belt, and the bottom of the blade almost on a level with the centre of the middle stump. Again, it has from time im­ memorial been enacted that the left shoulder should be kept well forward and the left elbow naturally well up. I do not think that the most hypercritical cricketer can say anything in disparagement of this ancient rule. Modem cricket has indeed failed to supersede or find a flaw in the judgment of the past on this point. Try the experiment of playing with a straight and upright bat and the left shoulder in any other position, and you will realise the impos­ sibility. Keep yourself as upright as possible to allow yourself the full bene­ fit of your height, and your attention rivited on the actions of the bowler. It is impossible to have such a good sight of the ball, to judge of its length, or to watch and allow for any break in its course, if the head be low or the atti­ tude cramped. “ He gets so well over the ball” is perhaps the highest praise that can be bestowed on a batsman, and to deserve such distinction it is neces­ sary that the advice just given be carefully studied. The acquisition of consis­ tently straight and upright play is, as I have before said, by no means an easy task, but, if only in contrast to the many that fail, it is worthy of an effort to be one of the successful aspirants.. With due attention to the foregoing hints on position and attitude, a candidate for honours will have much in his favour, but to reach perfection there is need of more devotion. The veriest novice will be able to see for himself the advantages, if only on mathematical grounds, of facing the ball with an upright ba t; inasmuch as a greater amount of the surface is thereby presented to the ball than is possible in any deviation from the upright position. It is this same full-face of the bat that forms the original groundwork of the long scores ; it is the same straight bat that enables a hit­ ter to defy at times the attack of the bowler, and to score freely from balls that would soon dispose of a cross-player. Much depends on the accuracy ox the eye, and much on the judgment with which a ball is timed, but, beyond all, I thmk it will be acknowledged that the great secret of batting, both in so far as it affects defence and hitting, consists in meeting the ball with the full force of the bat. Let me recommend young players, therefore, to ground themselves thoroughly in this essential before they enter into the competitive examination of cricketers. To feel that you meet the bowler with the best weapons at your disposal inspires confidence in your own mind, and this feel­ 5