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THE POPULAR EDUCATOR, 



Fig. 1. THE BATSMAN IN 

 POSITION. 



We come now to the practical part of the game, concern- 

 ing which a few hints will be useful to the beginner. A 

 good cricketer can only be made by practice, but it will 

 assist the learner to have right principles before him at the 

 outset. 



The Batsman, at starting, should stand in the position shown 

 in Fig. 1 his right foot firmly planted on the ground, and his 

 left in readiness to move freely 

 either to the one side or the other, 

 as may be required in striking 

 the ball. He grounds the end of 

 his bat at a spot within the pop- 

 ping crease, and about the length 

 of the bat from the wicket ; and, 

 in order that he may guard his 

 wicket well, he is entitled to ask 

 the umpire stationed near the 

 opposite wicket to give him the 

 correct line for the middle stump ; 

 that is, to inform him when his 

 bat is so placed as to cover this 

 stump, looking from the bowler's 

 ^5y end. He marks this spot by an in- 

 dentation with the bat, and is then 

 in readiness for the ball. One 

 ,^, general rule must be laid down for 

 playing either fast or slow balls. 

 If they appear to be coming straight 

 into the wicket, they must be 

 blocked, or stopped, and the player 

 should not attempt to strike them. 



In blocking, the bat is lifted only a short distance from the 

 ground, and the ball is struck downward, so as to bring it to a 

 dead stop if possible. For this purpose the handle of the bat 

 should be sloped well forward, by which means the front of the 

 bat is made to cover the ball, and prevent its rising from the 

 ground. Otherwise, in blocking, the ball may receive just such a 

 tip as will cause it to pass from the edge of the bat into the hands 

 of "point" or "cover-point," who will be on the look-out for it. 

 The position known as " the draw," which is engraved in our 

 second figure, is something between a block and a hit, partaking 

 of the nature of both. It is the mode of meeting a ball when, 

 after being pitched, it rises from the ground and is apparently 

 coming straight in towards the top of the wicket or the bails. 

 The bat is held straight before the wicket (Fig. 2), but the 

 surface of the bat, instead of meeting the ball full, is turned 

 slightly to one side, so that the ball, 

 when it meets the bat, is turned off 

 at an angle, and a run is frequently 

 the result. 



If the ball, when delivered, ap- 

 pears to be coming somewhat wide 

 of the wicket, the batsman may 

 play it freely, either by a " hit," a 

 " cut," or a "drive." But it is fre- 

 quently difficult to tell what line the 

 ball is really taking, for, if you are 

 playing against an expert bowler, 

 you will probably find the balls come 

 towards the wicket with a twist from 

 the spot at which they were pitched, 

 __ and, instead of pursuing a straight 

 tjj course, turning in to the stumps. 

 The great art of bowling, indeed, is 

 to be able to give this twist to the 

 ball, as well as to direct it straight 

 at the wicket. Nothing but prac- 

 tice, and quickness both of eye and 

 hand, will teach the young bats- 

 man to guard effectually against this danger. 



In striking, hit the ball, if possible, between the line of the. 

 fielders, or wherever you see the field most open and unprotected. 

 Strike low, so that you may 'not afford the opportunity of a 

 catch to one or your watchful opponents. Do not be too eager 

 to make rons ; let your object rather be to protect your wicket 

 as long as possible, waiting your opportunity for a good hit now 

 and then at a ball delivered with less care than usual. Do net 

 attempt a run after the ball is in the hands of one of the fielders, 



Fig. 2." THE DRAW." 



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Fig. 3. THE BOWLER. 



the 



otherwise the ball may reach your stumps before you can return 

 to the wicket, and you will be " run out." 



If practice is necessary to the batsman, it is still more essential 

 to make an expert Bowler. The learner should practise bowling 

 at a mark, either in a field or in an outhouse. He should acquiro 

 both the fast and the slow styles, for it is of the greatest service 

 in actual play to be able to vary the character of the bowling 

 to deliver a slow ball after a fast one, and vice versti. Nothing 

 is more embarrassing to the batsman than the uncertainty this 

 causes as to the kind of ball he is about to receive. The bowler 

 should acquire, also, the knack of twisting the ball in its delivery, 

 to which we have previously alluded. The ball should be held 

 in the fingers only, and not grasped in the palm of the hand. 

 It matters not whether the 

 style of delivery be " round- 

 arm," or " under-hand " that 

 is, whether with a swing of the 

 arm from the shoulder, or bowled 

 in the ordinary meaning of the 

 word. The learner should adopt 

 that mode which gives him the 

 greatest command of the ball 

 and its direction. The round- 

 arm style is more generally 

 suited to fast, and the under- 

 hand to slow bowling; but this 

 rule has its individual excep- 

 tions. A few years ago, very 

 little bowling other than in the 

 round-arm style was seen in the 

 cricket field. The under-hand 

 fashion was regarded with seme 

 degree of contempt. Now, how- 

 ever, it has come again into 

 vogue, and may be seen prac- 

 tised almost, if not quite, as 

 frequently as the more modern 



round-arm delivery. Fig. 3 represents the attitude of 

 bowler when about to deliver the ball in round-arm style. 



Next in importance to batsman and bowler, in the duties he 

 has to perform, comes the Wicket-keeper. His duty is to stop 

 the ball, if he can, immediately it passes the wicket, and, if the 

 batsman be not sufficiently guarded, or within his bounds, to 

 knock the bails off before the striker can recover his proper 

 position. He should also receive the ball after the fielders have 

 secured it, and it is his place to throw it at the stumps before 

 the batsman can complete his intended run. Therefore, the fielder 

 who may stop the ball, instead of throwing it at once to the 

 wicket, should deliver it as quickly as possible into the hands of 

 the wicket-keeper ; otherwise, if he miss his aim and the ball 

 pass, by the wicket, the batsman may run again, and make as 

 many more towards the score as if the ball had been again hit. 

 The hands of the wicket-keeper should be protected by padded 

 gloves, especially if the bowling be of the fast order. The 

 watchful and ready attitude of 

 the wicket-keeper are depicted 

 in Fig. 4. 



Balls which pass the wicket- 

 keeper should be secured by 

 Long-stop, who is stationed at 

 some distance behind him for 

 that purpose, as indicated in the 

 diagram of the relative positions 

 of the players, given in our pre- 

 vious paper. The other duties 

 of long-stop and the rest of the 

 fielders may be described in J 

 general terms. They must be on ~}? 

 the vigilant look-out when the 

 ball is delivered, that they may 

 catch it or stop it as soon as 

 possible, if it should chance to 

 be struck that way. Quickness 

 of eye, a firm hand for a catch, 



and good legs, the power to throw a ball straight to the wicket- 

 keeper, and judgment not to over-throio it, are the essentials to 

 a good fielder. Such a player is often able to render his side 

 quite as good service as either the expert bowler or the batsman. 



WlCKET . KEEPEB> 



