STROKES BOWLERS DO NOT LIKE, 
“the batsman whose right foot is practi- 
cally A FIXTURE.*'' 
things — to push forward at almost any 
ball with left elbow and left shoulder point- 
ing straight at the bowler, while movement 
of the right foot was usually limited to 
raising the heel as the batsman half pushed, 
half swung himself forward. These very 
correct batsmen only moved the whole of 
the right foot when cutting a ball, and then, 
possibly, only for one kind of cut. Of course, 
they had to get a move on their right foot if 
they dashed out to hit a ball, but I fancy 
that such enterprise was rather discouraged 
by the best judges of style. This type of 
batsman might make a century without 
seriously annoying a bowler, simply because all 
his strokes were framed on a standard model — 
once supposed to comprise the whole of bats- 
manship, but now recognized as nothing more 
than a section of the art of batting. 
An important section, I admit, for on good 
fast wickets, and against most bowling, 
punishing strokes in front of the wicket offer 
the easiest and best method of collecting runs 
off the majority of balls which deserve to be 
hit. And on normal wickets against bowling 
too fast to break to any appreciable extent 
forward play pure and simple is the best 
method of defence, especially if, as should 
always be the case, it is aggressive enough to 
" play ” a ball for one or two runs if the 
fieldsman misses it. With batsmen whose right 
foot is practically a fixture, the bowler has a 
sort of implied understanding, so to speak. A 
ball of a certain length must be played — one 
more or less over- pitched may be driven, 
and a convenient ball on the off is likely to be 
cut. On the other hand, balls which pitch 
an awkward length and “ do a bit ” are worth 
a wicket. This is quite understood by both 
parties, and until comparatively recently 
325 
was so universal in every class of cricket that 
a bowler felt really hurt if a batsman dared 
to make effective departures from long-stan- 
dardized strokes. 
This feeling is not quite dead yet, and some 
of my readers will doubtless be surprised to 
learn that in order to bring it to perfection 
within the breast of a bowler, the first thing 
a batsman must do is to move his feet. One 
reads a lot about batsmen opening their 
shoulders with tremendous effect, or using 
their wrists in marvellous style ; but many 
writers on the game seem to forget that a 
man’s feet carry his shoulders, wrists, and all 
the rest of him, and that unless his feet, are 
placed in the proper position no batsman will 
bother a bowler. The point T want to make 
very clear is that foot movement must 
accompany and precede every other action 
incidental to making a stroke, except the 
preliminary lift of the bat. Ordinary ob- 
servers miss this vital point because their eyes 
are fixed on the bat. This gives them a 
perfect view of wrist, arm, and shoulder 
action, but foot movement impresses them no 
more than the foundations of St. Paul’s would 
interest a spectator who was admiring the 
dome. 
Yet the correct movement of the feet is so 
all-important that 1 
will make a special 
effort to explain it 
by means of a 
simple illustration. 
Stand sideways 
against a wall with 
the left foot and 
the left shoulder 
touching the wall. 
Then try to lift the 
right foot. It can- 
not be done, simply 
because the weight 
of the body is 
thrust on that foot. 
It follows, there- 
fore, that the first 
thing a batsman 
must do who in- 
tends to use his feet 
properly is to get 
his weight off the 
foot he wishes to 
move. The merest 
turn of the upper 
part of the body 
will do this, but the 
practical point is 
that when it is 
!i'£ 
“FELT REALLY HURT.” 
