254 



♦ KNO^A^LEDGE ♦ 



[September 1, 1887. 



innings. But, on the other hand, the eleven might be so 

 strong, and oiaposed to such moderate bowling strength, that 

 the chances for the 1 1 players, the not-out chance, and the 

 chance for extras, might be represented by 5 in G, i in 5, 

 ■2 in 3, 2 in 3, 5 in 8, 3 in 5, 3 in 5, 1 in 2, 1 in 2, 1 in 3, 

 and 1 in 4, for the eleven players ; 3 in 8 for the " not out "; 

 and 4 in 5 for the extras. Then the chance of a perfect 

 innings would be represented by a fi-action whose numerator 

 would be the product of the numbers 5, 4, 2, 2, 5, 3, 3, 1, 

 1, 1, 1, 3, and 4, while its denominator would be the product 

 of the numbers 6, 5, 3, 3, 8, 5, 5, 2, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 5— which 

 is evidently 1 in 2,400 (all the first set of numbers cancelling 

 against numbers or parts of numbers iu the second set). 



It must be quite common for the chance of a perfect 

 innings to be less than one in a million, so that in a match 

 of four innings it would quite commonly happen that the 

 chance of a perfect innings would be less than one in a 

 quarter of a million * Often the chance of a peifect 

 innings in a match is less than one in several millions. 

 Very seldom, indeed, can the chance of a perfect innings be 

 so large as one in 4,000 for an innings, or one in 1,000 for 

 the match. It always seemed to me about as likely as this 

 that during some of the matches played against the Aus- 

 tralians a perfect innings would come off, because the 

 Australian eleven has had bowlers and a wicket-keeper who 

 might be safely trusted to make a good average also with 

 the bat, and when England had to select elevens to meet 

 them, it was de.sirable (especially during their first three 

 visits) to select bowlers of the same quality. At the wicket, 

 Mr. Tylecote among amatem-s and Pilling among pro- 

 fessionals could always be expected to make a good score 

 with the bat, and, although Sherwin is in that respect not 

 their equal, yet it has more than once happened that he has 

 got into double figures even against the powerful attack of 

 the Australian eleven in 1884 and preceding years. As for 

 bowlers, though it is customary to say that the Australians 

 are ahead of us in the combination of bowling and batting 

 strength, I cannot think that any five among all the 

 Australian teams would in this respect surpass Messrs. 

 AV. G. Grace, A. G. Steel, C. T. Studd from among our 

 amateurs, and Ulyett and Emmett from among professionals, 

 while to these five ten more might be added, of scarcely 

 inferior quality,' from the elevens of Nottingham, Yorkshire, 

 Lancashire, Surrey, Gloucester, Kent, and Sussex. With 

 elevens made up so as to have no " tail," the chance of a 

 perfect innings is greatly increased. Yet I shoiald imagine 

 that no two elevens have ever met whose chance of giving, 

 in the match, one perfect innings has been equal to much 

 more than one in a thousand. Such encounters, also, ai-e so 

 few and far between that the small chance in any given 

 match is not made up by the number of trials. Taking all 

 the cricket matches placed year after year, and a fair com- 

 putation of the average chance of a perfect innings in a 

 match at not more than 1 in 100,000, we cannot wonder if 

 season after season passes without a perfect innings being 

 recorded. For, counting thii-ty weeks in the cricket season, 

 and suppo.sing twenty matches going on daily of the kind 

 which we are considering, each lasting three days, we only 

 get 1,200 encounters in the year, so that there might be 

 expected one perfect innings Ln rather more than eighty- three 

 years ! 



So far as I can learn there have not been more than two 



or three perfect innings before that of last year, and there 

 has never before been a case in which every item of the 

 score exceeded fifteen. 



* Although four innings are not played in every match, we may 

 fairly set against the chance of four full innings not being required 

 the chance that when this happens one innings on the winning side 

 will be exceptionally large. JIanifestly (for example) if one side is 

 beaten in a single innings,'there is more likelihood of that innings 

 being a perfect one than it four innings, all perhaps of nearly equal 

 value, were played out. 



CURVES IN BASE-BALL PLAY.* 



1 1 K great curves, as recently photographed, 

 are shown in fig. 1. In explaining these 

 curves, E. J. Pringle says that the picture 

 represents two kinds, an iir-curve and an 

 out-curve, and there are two methods for 

 using e.ich of them. One is to start the 

 ball in a direct line for the home base and 

 the curve will cany it to the left of the base. Another is 

 to start the ball in a direct line for the batsman and let the 

 ball curve over the p'ate. The latter curve, however, is 



Fig. 1, — iN-cuRVES and Out-cubves Passing the Home 

 Base (as Photogbaphed). 



not safe unless the pitcher has a good command of the ball. 

 The in-curve is much the best, provided the pitcher is 

 expert enough to use it. 



The incurve and out-curve are probably the easiest of 

 the pitcher's curves, while the drop and the rise ball are the 

 hardest. The diffeient curves now in use were discovered 

 by different persons, but all pitchers are now perfect in 

 them. 



Arthur Cummings was undoubtedly the first to discover 

 the out-curve when he pitched for the Stais of Brooklyn 

 back in 18G9. It was then that he suddenly found that he 

 could strike out batsmen when he pleased, and he al-o 

 noticed the ball curve, but why, he did not know himself 

 He practised hard, and finally found that it was done by 

 a certain curve of the wrist and the way the b.ill was held. 



To throw the outcurve : The ball should be grasped 

 firmly with the first two fingers of the right hand with the 

 thumb on the opposite side and the other two fingers close 

 in the palm of the hand. Use the underhand throw, and 

 carry the hand forward midwa)' between the shoulder and 

 waist. When the ball is released the palm of the hand 

 must be turned exactly upward, the fii st two fingers pointing 

 as near straight as ])OSsible. 



When the ball is thrown (fig. 2) it can be released either by 

 drawing the thumb back or by turning it over to the right 

 and allowing the b;ill to roll around the side of the fore- 

 finger, and not off the tip. A neat way of getting a grip on 



Fig. l'. — Throwing the Out-cubve. 



the ball is to catch the middle finger on the seam of the 

 ball. By so doing one can cause the ball to rotate more 



* From the A'em York San. 



