IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR 'BOWLING' OR FOR PROJECTING THE BALLS USED IN THE GAME OF CRICKET
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Holroyd at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th April
1873.
I, JOHN HOLROYD, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR 'BOWLING' OR FOR PROJECTING THE BALLS USED
IN THE GAME OF CRICKET," to be as follows:-
:-
My Invention has for its object to produce an apparatus capable of
taking the place of a qualified "bowler" in the game of cricket.
In my said Invention the cricket ball is placed in a cup or holder
carried by an arm, which is fitted to move in a horizontal or nearly
horizontal plane partly around an axis, the ball in its movement
describing the arc of a circle, and being projected as near as may be in a
straight line or tangent on the movement of the said arm being arrested."
The said axis is carried by a supporting frame or standard which is
suitably formed to be fixed in or to the ground, and the inclination of
the said axis from a vertical position, or the height of the said axis from
the ground is made to be adjustable in order that the height and

page_text: direction of delivery of the ball may be regulated, and for the same
reason the frame or bracket which carries the said axis is fitted to
swivel upon the aforesaid supporting frame or standard.
The necessary rapid movement of the impelling arm which projects
the ball is or may be imparted by means of springs of vulcanised
caoutchouc, one end of each spring being connected with the said arm,
the other ends of the said springs being held by an arm projecting
from the aforesaid frame or bracket. When the said impelling arm is
drawn back a detent engages with a notch, or with one of two or more
notches. When the ball is to be impelled the said detent is withdrawn :
from the said notch.
The movement of the impelling arm is checked and arrested at the
end of the stroke of the said arm by means of a buffer spring, or of two
or more such springs, or a strap or band of leather or other elastic or
partly elastic material may be employed in lieu of the said buffer spring:
or springs. I prefer to cause the ball holder to rotate during the
impelling stroke of the arm in order to impart rotation to the ball. In
an arrangement which I have found to be suitable a band pulley is fixed
on the axis of the said holder, and a cord or chain fastened by one end
to a fixed point, and by the other end to a spring passes around or
partly around the said band pulley, and imparts the required rotatory
movement to the said holder.
I also prefer to employ an arrangement to push the ball out of the
said holder at or near the end of the stroke of the impelling arm. This
I may effect by means of a pusher acted upon by a spring which is kept
out of action by means of a trigger until the arm strikes the buffer
spring, when the movement of the end of the said buffer spring will
effect the release of the pusher.spring. The release of the said pusher
spring may also be effected by the momentum of a weight acting upon.
the said trigger, or of a weight acting directly upon the said pusher.