James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1879

49 wicket-keeping), and batting. I say cgualbr important, and yet in reality there are fewer elements of Inc]; in either bowling or fielding than there are in batting. Surely excellence in two of these departments is agood starting-point for a successful campaign, and yet we are very apt to think all will go well if we get together a good batting Eleven, and let the rest take care ofitself. After the extraordinary match between the Australians and a. strong M.C.Ci team at Lord’s. my sympathies were entirely with the visztors during their stay here. I looked at it purely from a cricket point of view, anti I considered that their excellence in bowling and fielding would have a very good eficct upon our cricket. Had the Australians been beaten in most of their good matches (for those against “ odds” I put out of account alto- gether), we should have heard some such complacent remark as the follow- ing: “ You see, after all, when it comes to the point. that good batting holds its own nntl more. What is the use of working array at bowling, and having all the bother of fielding, and knocking your hands to pieces taking the wicket? No, no! Get plenty of professional bowling, and make yourselfa good bat, and all will be right.” Now, however, the tables are turned, and I think every real lover of the game owes a debt of gratitude to our Colonial visitors for the lesson they hare taught us. Here we have seen a team consisting of four or five really gootl bowlers, two very good wicket- keepers, and eleven first-class fields, ua'th (as it was first thought), only two or three good bats, winning match alter match in grand style. Their butting has talren care ofitselt', although no doubt they have improvctl vastly since they arrived in England. Such an example as they have set us should be followed by all cricketers, but more especially by schools, and it is upon this point that I am desirous of saying a te\v words. First, as to bowling. Such command of the ball, such variation of pace, such accuracy of pitch and direction as we have secll exhibited by Spofforth, Garrett, Boyle, and Allaii, cannot be obtained, sav'e by continual practice and real hard work. There is no time more favourable lOl‘ this neeessaryr practice than the period ol' school liie. There can be no doubt that of late years the art of bowling has not beerr practisecl at‘ Schools gener’all)‘. I can- not name a single good bowler, except A. G. Steel, that has eonie from our public schools for some years. Small, and what are called private schools, not unfrequently supply the University and County Gentlemen Elci'cns with their best bowlers. \Vhy is this? Is it because too many bowlers (professionals) are brought down to the schools eacli year? I fear- thisis one cause, and that which was meant to stimulate has really destroyed the bowling ele- ment. Is there all ever-increasing dislike to the “ grind ” of bowling? Here again I must say “ Yes.” Tire love of taking things easy has increased woe- lully the last feiv years. Do the professionals who are brought down to bowl ever show boy's how to bmvl ? do they encourage them to continual practice ? “ Never ” is a strong answer to make, but I doubt whether it would be far from the truth. I believe Stephenson takes some trouble at Uppinghaur in coaching bowling as well as batting, and the result is that for the last five or six years the (17:51ng school bowling at Uppingham has been decidedly better’ than that at other schools. Though the old adage may be, and is, true of abowler. “nnrt'itur', no/zfif,” yet by’ careful practice and cunstzmt daily work most boys can attaur to a fair and useful pitch ofprolicicncy. I sincerely hope that the lessor! of this season, as tauglit us by our Colonial visitors, will be learnt by» our schools, and] am not without great hope that the next few years will see a very great improvement among our young bowlers As to‘ fielding, every boy in a School Eleven should be agent! field, anti the majority wry gaud fields. They have the advantage of continually fielding in the same place, of knowing the ground thoroughly (no slight advantage on many