James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1879

31 the tel) oftlie 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- memarial been enacted that the left shoulder should be kept well forward and the left elbow naturally up. I do not think that the most hypercritical cricketer cmt sayv anything in disparagenlcut of this ancient rule. Modem cricket has indeed failed to supersede or- find a flaw in the judgment of the past out this point. Try the experiment of playing with a Straiglit and upriglit bat and the left shoulder ll] my other" position, and you will realise the impos- sibility. Keep yourselfas upright as possible to allow yourself the full benc- fit of your height, and your attention rii-ctctl on the actions of the bowler. It is impossible to have such a gootl siglit of the ball, to judge of its length, or to watch 01' allow for’ any brcalt 011 its course, if the head be low in the atti- tude cramped “He gets so well mw' the ball " is pcrlmps thchighcst praise that caii be bestowed on a batsman, and to deserve sucli distin ion itis nece sary that the adn’cc just given be carefully studied. The act!“ tion ofcoiisi, tently straight and upright play is, as I have before said, by no means an cas)’ task, but, it" onlyin contrast to the many that fail, itAis worthy ol' an effort to be om: ot‘ the succ ‘u! aspirants. with due attuiitioii to the fol’egoinghints‘ 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 or) mathematical grounds, of facing the hall with an upright hat; inasmuch as a greater— amount of the Surface is thereby presented to the ball than is possible in any deviation froni the upright position. It is this same fulld'ace of the hat that forms the original groundwork of the long SCO)’ it is the same straight hat that enables a hit- ter to defy at times the att. k of the bowler, and to some freely from balls that would soon dispose of a cross-player, Much depends on the accuracy of the eye, and much on the judgment with which a ball is timed, but, beyond all, I think it will he acknmrlcdgcd that the great Secret of batting, both in so far as it affects defence and hitting, consists in mcutuig the ball with the full force of the bat. Let me recommend young player;therefore, lo grounrt 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- ing may enable you to outlive the attack Only be careful, whilst seeking to acquire the art of straight play, to (OllO\\' the rules giver). With the bat held tirmly iii the hands ; to avoid shrinking, or any but decisive movements, as with strict practice perfection will sooner be attained, and an uncertain and vacilla- ting style will inevitably cause the hat to deviate from the perpendicular line, to the probable diseonrfiture of its owner. I have jnSt Spoltclt of the benefits of nun/171g the ball with the full face of the bat. It was advisedly that I usetl the word meeting, am! to make myself more intelligible, I may explain in r- self to mean meeting in the most active sense, as opposed to allowing the bat passively to await the impact orthe ballt Some batsmen consitlcr themselves fully recompensed if they can dispose of a goetl ball by the simple process of allowing the hat to protect the stumps. This may possibly be a happy result for the rank and file of the game, but I am desirous of appealing at the same time to the “upcriorolhcers, and I do not thin]; that this policyot offensi\ve de- fence in cri ket is SUfllClCn'tl)l\‘fl1uCCl. In some instances, of course, there are balls which require every eflort of the batsman to meet at all, but there are, beyond doubt, hundreds of others that this passive sty'le'ot' defensive batting allows to escape unpunished. To blocl: a shooter or stop a hailer, can as easily" be accomplished in a resohitc as in a hesitating manner, while, in the one case runs will accrue, and in the other, runs may never come. Play rigorously, then, and when you “ play ” a ball, play it confidently and with a resolute