James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1882

H I N T SO N B A T T I N G . 2 5 that an evil habit will be escaped andmuchafter -labour andpain be spared to the youngbeginner. M yowntheory on the best position for a batsman In o wpropose to state , with the feeling that it has enjoyed, at least in some degree , the benefit of success . Stand then , I say to the young student , with the right leg quite firm , the right foot just inside the crease , and the toes just clear of a line drawnfrom wicket to wicket. The advisability of having the right foot just inside the crease is obvious , as thereby the length of reach is greatly extended, but caution should none the less be exercised not to overstep the limits , as in the present age of efficient wicket-keepers , like the three P.'s -Pooley , Pilling , and Phillips -the end would soon come, and stumping is, at the best , an unsatisfactory death. Again, the adoption of a guard nearer the wicket is inadvisable , as , though a better defencem a ybe gained in someinstances , yet this is morethan counteracted b y the reduction of the reach, the consequent impedimentin the way of forward play , and lastly , the greater facility given to the bowler to drive youback into your wicket. The right leg should be kept, as I have already stated , quite firm , as in default of this provision it will readily be seen that thebalance canhardly be maintained, or at least that the batsman can be so well prepared for a forward or retrograde movement, or so ready for an emergency. The right leg mustof necessity form the ' pivot ' to regulate the movementsof the batsman, as on it depends most of the offence andno small share of the defence. In the method of placing the left leg and foot there are innumerable varieties and eccentricities . For myself I prefer to place the latter about a foot in front of, and nearly at right angles to , the heel of the right foot. Thus, in the main, the ruling principle mustbe that the right leg should be firmly planted and represent a stout support for the batsman , and given this provision , the use of the other must be greatly subservient to the difference of play , and be ruled chiefly by the discretion of the player . The batsmanin the diagramnearly realises m yidea on the subject of position , with the reservations already mentioned. The youngbeginner will do well to frame his play according to this model. Fromm y own experience I have always found it to m y advantage to hold the bat half-way up the handle, and this happy medium I recommendfor 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 ad- vantage, as the bat is not so well nor so firmly grasped, and the powerof 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. D onot beat the air with your bat , as is the manner of some, in unseemly flourishes , nor waveit high over your head after the fashion of other still more pantomimically inclined performers . Refrain , too , if possible , from wasting your energy in waggingthe bat, if I may so term the irritating practice so often witnessed during the delivery of the ball . As a rule these eccentrici- ties are the unmistakable signs of nervousness or impatience , andthese two defects will prove the ruin of the young cricketer . Decision , above all things , is a strong point in the armour of the batsman, and one that m a ytend to render him shot-proof . To hold the bat in what is termed the pendulum fashion , in my opinion , gives the greatest scope for freedom of play , without in the slightest degree diminishing the powers of defence . I disclaim any notion of egotism in the statement ,