Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-22
HANLON'S SUGGESTION MEETS
WITH SUPPORT
CRICKET STROKES EFFECTIVE
Expert Discusses Possibility of Mas
terinq New Game by Adopting
Methods of Batsman in English
National Game
BY Capt. E. v. E. Neill

In California very little appears to
be known about the English national
game, and taking this into considera-
ton many will find it hard to under
stand why Ned Hanlon, the well known
manager of the Brooklyn Nationals,
stated that the spit BALI might
easily be mastered by resorting- to the
style of striking that is INDUCED in by
the batsman in cricket. Eastern ball
players have plenty of opportunities to
study the cricket hit for in that part
of the country the English game has
many followers who have become so
proficient that teams like that of Phil
adelphia have been able to give players
from across the big pond a good go.
To those who thoroughly under
stand the two games it is not hard to
notice the great similarity that exists
between them. For some unknown
reason many people in these parts have
come to the conclusion, that cricket is
a very "slow" sport, affording very
little interest to lockers on, but this is
quite erroneous. The Australians have
taken it up very keenly and if there be
any sporting people that are hard to
please these surely are the ones. That
it does fulfil all wants is amply shown
by the attendances that line up to see
two really good teams hook up. 1t is
no uncommon thing for between thirty
and forty thousand people yelling their
heads off and roofing like mad for one
or other of the contestants. Surely this
is proof ample as to it's excitement
propensities. Most of those people who
have the above mentioned idea con-
corning cricket, when questioned will
inform one that they have only seen
the game played by novices of the most
"novicey' class, and as cricket Is a
game requiring tremendous practice to
be even fairly good it will be easily
seen that to pass comment under the
circumstances is far from just. ei
Cricketeers Like Baseball
In Australia where big efforts are
being made to introduce baseball and
with very fair amount of success, it
is the cricketer who forms the person.
mel of all the teams, and the way those
fellows can swat a ball is a sight for
sore eyes. One thing about their bat
ting is worth noting and Invariably
strikes Americans watching their pet
game on the other side of the world Is
that the cricketing baseballer is able
to keep his hits on the ground, and is |
hla IN rlann with !
accuracy. 1t was not until quite re-
Gently that their pitchers mastered the
curves, but 1t was not long before the |
swatters got hold OF them and they
batted them in much the same old
manner. In order to explain how this |
batting is so effective an outline of
the foreign game might help the doubt |
full brigade.
In cricket the pitcher is termed a |
bowler. He throws with a straight |
arm movement and causes the ball to |
strike the ground before 1t reaches the |
batsman. The curve in the air is thus
done away with but the curve that
the ball does when it touches the
ground is very much more pronounced |
and very much more difficult to neg
otiate. To demonstrate this fact all
that is necessary is to pick up a bill
lard ball and throw 1T on to the table
giving 1t sharp twist when 1t will be
found to go off almost at right angle.
This is the principle that governs the
whole OF the cricket bowler's art-for
art 1t surely is. AS in baseball the
speed that can be acquired is tre-
mendous. ~
Cricket More ExactIng
In cricket there are many more ways
for batsman to go out than In base,