James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1882

2 6 L I L L Y W H I T E ' SC R I C K E T E R S ' A N N U A L . but merelycite it as a practical demonstration that I always stand thus on guard myself, with the top of the handle just above the belt , and the bottomof the blade almoston a level withthe centre of the middle stump. Again, it has from time immemorial been enacted that the left shoulder should be kept well forward and the left elbow naturally well up. Ido not think that the most hypercritical cricketer can say anything in disparagement of this ancient rule . Modern cricket has indeed failed to supersede or find a flaw in the judgment of the past on this point . Try the experiment of playing with a straight and upright bat and the left shoulder in any other position , and you will realise the impossibility . Keepyourself as upright as possible to allow yourself the full benefit of your height , and your attention riveted on the actions of the bowler. It is im- possible to have such a good sight of the ball , to judge of its length , or to watch and allow for any break in its course , if the head be low or the attitude cramped. H e gets so well over the ball ' is perhaps the highest praise that can be bestowed on a batsman, and to deserve such distinction it is necessary that the advice just given be carefully studied . The acquisi- tion of consistently straight and upright play is, as I have before said , b y no means an easy task, but, if only in contrast to the manythat fail , it is worthyof an effort to be one of the successful aspirants . With due atten- tion to the foregoing hints on position and attitude a candidate for honours will havemuchin his favour , but to reach perfection there is need of more d e v o t i o n. T h everiest novicewill b e ableto see forhimselfthe a d v a n - tages , if only on mathematical grounds, of facing the ball with an upright bat; inasmuch as a greater amountof the surface is thereby presented to the ball than is possible in any deviation fromthe upright position . It is this same full face of the bat that forms the original groundwork of the long scores ; it is the same straight bat that enables a hitter to defy at times the attack of the bowler, and to score freely from balls that would soon dispose of a cross -player . ver 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 be acknowledgedthat the great secret of batting , both in so far as it affects defence and hitting , consists in meeting the ball with the full force of the bat. Let m e recommendyoung players , therefore , to ground 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 feeling may enable you to outlive the attack . Only be care- ful , whilst seeking to acquire the art of straight play, to follow the rules given, with the bat held firmly in the hands ; to avoid shrinking , or any but decisive movements, as with strict practice perfection will sooner be attained , and an uncertain and vacillating style will inevitably cause the bat to deviate from the perpendicular line , to the probable discomfiture of its owner. Ihave just spoken of the benefits of meeting the ball with the full face of the bat. It was advisedly that I used the word meeting, and to makemyself more intelligible , I mayexplain myself to meanmeeting in the most active sense , as opposed to allowing the bat passively to await the impact of the ball . Some batsmenconsider themselves fully recompensed if they can dispose of a good ball by the simple process of allowing the bat to protect the stumps . This may possibly be a happy result for the rank and file of the game, but I a m desirous of appealing at the same time to the superior officers , and I do not think that this policy of offensive