James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1883

H I N T SO N B A T T I N G . 1 3 deserve such distinction it is necessary that the advice just given be carefully studied . The acquisition of consistently straight and upright play is, as I have before said , by no means an easy task, but, if only in contrast to the manythat fail , it is worthy of an effort to be one of the successful aspirants . With due attention to the foregoing hints on position and attitude a candidate for honours will have muchin his favour , but to reach perfection there is need of more devotion . The veriest novice will be able to see for himself the advantages , if only onmathematical grounds, of facing the ball with an upright bat ; inasmuch as a greater amount of the surface is thereby presented to the ball than is possible in any deviation from the 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 fromballs that would soon dispose of a cross -player . Muchdepends onthe accuracy of the eye, and muchon the judgment with which the ball is timed,but, beyond all , I think it will be acknowledged that 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 merecommendyoung players , therefore , toground themselves thoroughly in this essential before they enter into the com- petitive examination of cricketers . To feel that you meet the bowler with the best weapons at your disposal inspires confidence in your ownmind, and this feeling mayenable you to outlive the attack . Only be careful , whilst seeking to acquire the art of straight play, to follow the rules given, with the bat held firmly inthehands; to avoid shrinking , or any but decisive movements, as with strict practice perfection will sooner be attained , and an uncertain and vacilating style will inevitably cause the bat to deviate from the perpendicular line , to the probable discomfiture of its owner. I have just spoken of the benefits of meeting the ball with the full face of the bat. It was advisedly that I used the wordmeeting, and to make myself more intelligible , I mayexplain myself to m e a nmeeting in the most active sense , as opposed to allowing the bat passively to await the impact of the ball . Somebatsmen consider themselves fully recompensed if they can dispose of a good ball by the simple process of allowing the bat to protect the stumps . This maypossibly be a happy result for the rank andfile 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 defence in cricket is sufficiently valued . In some instances , of course , there are balls which require every effort of the batsman to meet at all , but there are, beyond doubt, hundreds of others that this passive style of defensive batting allows to escape unpunished . To block a shooter or stop a bailer can as easily be accomplished inaresolute as in a hesitating manner, while in the one case runs will accrue , and in the other , runs may never come. Playvigorously , then, and when you 'play ' a ball , play it confidently and with a resolute movement, with both arms andwrists acting in concert , as if you had some other idea than mere passive occupation of a beleagured fortress . Whenyou hit , hit hard ; when you block do notbedeterred from infusing vigour even into this movement . Somuchfor what I maycall the first rudiments of scientific batting . There are other points which may affect the student who has mastered the early lessons and succeeded in gaining a knowledge of batting as well as a sufficiency of confidence to enable him to experimentalise on his ownbehoof . I a m not going to enter into a description ofthe three kinds into which , I have read , straight balls are divided , as I cannot but think that this is a line of instruction of but little practical value . It is practice , and, as I have previously remarked, the aid of a good example for imitation , that will do most to form a successful batsman. Indeed, no more useful lesson can be derived in the study of batting than the sight of a skilful batsmanat work. The willing scholar will learn muchto do, and more still to leave undone, from the example of a good master . H e will be, as it were, initiated into mysteries that were previously beyond the pale of his compre- hension . He will , if he love the game, take up readily the position , be quick to comprehend the exigency of each movement, and with increasing perception , gain increased knowledge as well as the confidence incidental thereto . H e will