James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annnual 1881

H I N T SO NB A T T I N G . 1 9 is no royal road to cricket ; and batting , above all , is an art that requires m u c hcultivation . ' I have remarked,' said Carlyle , ' that of all things a nation must first be drilled .' Ponder ver this , andconsider it in the light of a cricket precept . Above all things it is essentially necessary for a youngbatsmanat the outset to receive judicious tuition at the hands of a qualified drill sergeant . The necessity of acting upon this advice cannot be overrated . A habit acquired in youth of correct play will materially aid the aspirant , and will , believe me, never be lost ; while , on the other hand, an awkwardattitude or a peculiarity calculated to marthe execution of a batsmanwill take muchtime to eradicate , even if the habit be not formedbeyond the hope of correction . The gods themselves cannot undo the thing that is done.' Hereon I should like to base m y first word of caution to the young beginner . The acquisition of a good style and natural position is as easy as falling into a loose and ungainly attitude , and the onewill do muchto inspire confidence , while the other will always prove an obstacle in the way of excellence . Nothing is of such incalculable benefit to the student in the art of batting as the early adherence to the necessary principle of playing with a straight bat. It is in this special point that a youngcricketer must of all others seek earnestly to excel. It is the want of this essential habit , or the momentary neglect of it, that causes so manyexperienced batsmento retire with the fatal cypher attached to their n a m e s. igh Practise , then, first of all , the secret of straight and upright play, and you will have grounded well in the first rudiments of the art . I a mready to anticipate the argumentthat there are m a n ybatsmenwhohave gained fame without the acquisition of this principle . But I maintain that they are very exceptional instances , and that , despite the eccentricities of the learned critics who have advocated a contrary course with their motto ' Runsat any price ,' to play with a straight and upright bat is the point b y which youcan recognise , above all others , the accomplished and skilful batsman. To achieve this desirable end, constant practice is necessary and with increasing perfection will also be gained a natural position , which must be studied as only next in importance . On these topics it may possibly be argued that there can be but little to say that can be newor original . The subject , doubtless , is one , you say , that is by this time worn threadbare , but good cloth will bear muchpatching , and I would fain hope that in m yhands the garment will at least be treated practically , if not skilfully . On the proper position to be maintained at the wicket by the batsman, the doctors whohave already been engaged in the case disagree . O nthe one hand, Mr. Felix , of whosetreatise on the bat I think no one can speak exceptin terms of the highest praise , recommends, as the best atti- tude, ' to stand with your knees slightly bent , just enough to enable you to spring immediately into whatever attitude you may be required to go .' ButI amcompelled on this point respectfully to disagree with that ancient authority . The author of ' The Cricket Field ,' on the other hand, advises the adoption of an entirely different plan , and his recommendations m y o w nexperience induces m e cordially to endorse. Indeed, the latter writer has a very powerful case to support his side of the question . H emaintains that the knees should be kept firm and rigid , as it is only then that the muscles can be relaxed and ready for sudden action . In this respect , how- ever, much may be learnt by watching the attitude of a good batsman. Tom ymind the facility of acquiring agood position is a valuable gift , to which I cannot but think too slight importance is recorded . The following C 2