The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-08-19 00:00:00

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

CRICKET: —No.. IL

BOWLING. —Bowling in cricket takes precedence of
batting, in one sense; if we come to conaider that with-
out good science in this branoli of the art good cricket
could not be obtained. What finer sight. in manly
pluck, resolution, and game-cook spirit, than that of a
resolnte bowler facing a abated and cautions batsman.
The nerves braced, the muscles in full activity, the step
light, elastic, india-rubber like—the nothing-daunted air
with which he receives the ball after "that three run"
off the last masterly cut, the twist he gives the next,
the intelligence of the eye as he plans some new dodge—
the short-pitch, the shooting ball, and ah ! he has found
out it weak spot in that masterly defence at last; and
now, with the smile which victory alone can oall up, he
strolls up to his late opponent, and puts his hand upon
his shoulder, and says, softly, "You played a fine game,
_old fellow." Yes, bowling takes precedence of batting.
The quality of the science Baal/ is rarer; you see a
dozen good bats to one really fine efficient Clerk-like
bowler. Bottling of late years has undergone material
changes, and yet it would almost seem train the batting
of the pait year or so, that with pluck and eye to stand
the pace, the alteration has not been in favour of
wicket taking. When the round-hand bowling came in,
it was thought what with personal accidents, and the
damaging effect on the wickets, that it would militate
against the popularity of the game itself. But not so.
There is mettle in the true cricketer which induces or
disposes him to scorn the idea of accidents; he courts
it rather; he likes the Inmost antagonism, the mimiokry
of war; he looks upon slows as tame, fit for schoolboys ;
and even the schoolboys—heaven save the mark, and
reward their budding pluck—now say, in imitation of
their elders, "I like a good round-hand ball, P swift
one ; that's the stuff to make runs off." One thing is
certain, as one sees those youngsters stand up to halls
which if they took them in the heed wonld kill them
outright, one cannot help the reflection, that they
"are the stuff that won't ran away if in after life they
have to handle sterner stuff than cricket balls are made
of." The origin of round bowling, it is said, can be
traced to one of the Vothet sex; just when full skirts
cams in, before? crinoline—that excellent striker, and
shinner, and humbug—had made its debut upon the
sensation stage of the present day. Some girls, it was
said, be please the boys, or the boys to please tho girls,
hopped with a lucky chirp one day into the idea of a
masculine and feminine cricket match, and when it
came to the bowling, the lady bowlers couldn't manage
it under-hand, but made good round-hand practice, and
from that time forth underhand being held in poor
repute by the feminine sex, round-hand became the
fashion; although now again under-hand is so far
recovering its prestige that it holds about even hands
vritb its hunch-backed Mother round-hand. Unques-
tionably, unless the round-hand bowling is very good,
very steady, and true, more runs are made off it than
off good under-hand bowling. Clarke's bowling was
most effective; no man's more Co. His was simply the
old under-hand bowling. Do not misunderstand us.
Lobs ("bobs" they ought to be called) is a puny,
sneering, young weesened slater of round-hand. These
are not slows exactly, but a splenetic conceit to tempt
the vanity of unwary batters, and to catch them out,
or bail them, in that disgusting way that makes a saint
termer altogether against his will. Clarke's under-hand
bowling was fast and straight—fast balls must, to a cer-
tain extent, to be called really good halls. Yet Clarke's
was nothing more or less than good under-hand
bowling. The secret was that he was nearly always on
the wicket, with balls admirably, judioiously, we may
say, scientifically pitched. The pitch, the exact length,
did the mischief. He would seduce men in the most
artful way into forward play, and then of a sudden
pitch shorter, twist, and have him to • dead certainty
at slip. It is said ho could dispose of men in five
minutes who could stand before Lillywhite for half-an-
hour. Sorely it is a pity Clarke's secret should die out,
or a man here and therein every county onghtto follow,
or try to follow, in his steps. For if the batting is
killing to swift round-hand howling, surely something
like Clarke's under-hand is needed to break down the
batter's confidence, and place the game upon neutral
footing. To We true cricket the defence ought to be
varied and scientific, and the Attack bold and spirited,
artful and full of address; but if a system is to be pur-
sued which places material advantages and power in
the hands of the former, the latter will be cowed, and
then the spirit of the game will be shorn of its graphic
smartness. For the youngster we must say in bowling,
the ball should be delivered with one foot in, and the
other behind the bowling crease. In general the ball
should be pitched about three yards and • half from the
wicket for slow, four yards for middle, and five yards
for quick bowling, varying, of course, according to the
play of the batter. The ball should be held with the
main across, or so that the ends of the fingers touch it,
not too firmly, but yet Arm enough to have a good
steady hold; audit should neither be jerked or thrown,
but delivered with a sweep of the arm in an ow, free
attitude. In taking the run, before delivering the ball,
the bowler should start easily, and increase his pace as
he nears the bowling crease; the delivery should be
made with his hand as low as possible. The bowler
may make a ball twist after leaving his hand, by
holding the bank of his hand to the grown], and bring-
ing the thumb under at the moment of the delivery,
by this dodge the ball will twist when it touches the
ground. Take it as • rule, if a bowler, however good
he may be at practice, cannot vary his bowling, and
thereby make the bails fly, or catches given, dispossess
him, and let s presumed inferior hand take his place.
Many a match is lost in not observing this rule. When
men are good (batters we mesa) at round-band bowling,
by all means try under-hand, you thereby knock their
eye out, they tremble before the blows, and as soon
as they get nervous their career is ended.