James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annnual 1881

1 8 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL. borough were all , on public form , about on a par in point of merit ; and Charterhouse , though the eleven did a very fair performance against M.C.C. andGround, wouldpossibly not deemit a very high complimentif it were only agreed that they were better than Westminster . Uppingham, the nursery of such cricketers as A. P. Lucas, D. Q. Steel , and H. Rotherham, showednone of the strength which markedthe play of its eleven seven or eight years ago, andthere was no one likely to wear the mantle of any of the distinguished worthies just named. Amongthe minor schools , perhaps , mightbe mentioned for notice , Rossall , whose eleven are seldom able to comefar south , and therefore rarely meet with full justice . Theywere a safe side in the field , and one or two even were worthy successors to the celebrated Vernon Royle. The batting was sound throughout , but two wereespecially good; to wit, W. H. Bather and C. E. Browning, the former ofw h o mscored 204 and 148 in successive innings , in the first case against thebowlingof W a t s o nof Lancashire. Theevil of which we complained last year in the constant infringement of rule X., does not appear to have grown hideous enough to attract the notice of the legislators whomeetin solemn conclave at Lord's . A n dyet it is a glaring evil , and one with which the authorities of the Marylebone Club will have to deal very soon. W ecould ourselves mention more than one instance recently , in which umpires of admitted worth have , while granting that the rule with reference to fair bowling has been infringed , refused to use the authority vested in them, for fear of giving offence to their superiors . The fact is significant , and it will not be unworthyof the con- sideration of the cricket authorities what are the best means to rectify a growing abuse , either by arming more effectually the arbiters of fair and unfair bowling, or bymaking some enactment to prevent the increase of throwing. C H A P T E RI V. H i n t so n Batting B YW .G. G R A C E: FIRST let it be premised that , in myopinion , one hour of practical tuition in cricket will b e of m o r eusethanvolumesof theoretical instruction. It has beencleverly stated by someone or other that an ounce of mother's wit is wortha poundof clergy .' A n dwhile deprecating any literal application of theproverb to clerical interests , I think there is muchin its inference that m a ynot only be worthy of universal consideration , but of special connec- tion with the topic before us. Inbatting, indeed, as in every pursuit where science has to a great extent refined whatat first dependedmainly on the super -abundance of rough and uncultivated force , commonsense , and a reasonable amount of observation , will do much to promote success . There