THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 27, 1937.
SECRETS OF CR
SOF CRICKET SUCCESS
STROKE-MAKING IS ONE THING:
JUDGMENT IS ANOTHER
them. How is it that when one sees
STAR BATSMEN OF GRACE'S PERIOD good county batsman, be generally
WOULD BE STARS TO-DAY
THE DRIVE AS CHARLIE BANNERMAN DISCERNED IT
(By J. C. DAVIS)
Sydney, October 28.
a
has the correct focus in this matter?
It was brought to mind last week while watching Mr. G. L. Garnsey's colts playing a Marrickville team at thes Sydney Cricker Ground No. 2 A 16-year-old boy named-Colin Pinch, from Wollongong, was batting with Victor Jackson. Back very many years one's mind was turned to picture Victor: Trumper at the nets.
The boy Finch had the concentration and phelgm of a matured cricketer. He defended with the bat as straight as a perpendicular line, as though he were In every stroke, de- fensive or otherwise, there was wrist
When he tried the back-cut he stepped
a
& Grace
MAKING the strokes is one thing in batting. It is an accomplishment
that may in time be come almost mechanical. Determining to use the power No dead bat effort about it right stroke to the right ball at the right moment is another. It is judg-across with the right foot and the wrist ment that ripens with experience and continual thinking and observing he favoured the drive he moved for- It often spells the difference between batsman and batsman, otherwise ward a bit, the bat swept through close on a level as executants.
The following, written by W. G. Grace a few years before he died, fits present-day cricket so aptly that you who read may smile as you recall time and again having seen a bowler without an outfield, pegging the batsman down to defence.
"One thing I have particularly noticed," wrote W.G., "is that the modern first-class batsman does not attack the bowling nearly as much as we used to do. Nowadays the sight is too often witnessed of an ordinary good length bowler literally playing the batsman in.
"In the pavilion and the Press, this bowling is invariably des
So- cribed as 'to good to hit." and-so was keeping such a mar-1 vellous length that the batsman could do nothing with him, and so on. Not a bit of it. He can be hit all right by one quick on
his legs, and not necessarily a KEPT ONLY TEN FIELDSMEN Jessop. In fact, when he is! bowling that fine length is just
IN HIS EYE
the very time to dash in now. "A good drive, my boy and then, and hit him to the Charlie. "But it would have boundary. If you don't get the a better one if you had stepped best of him he is sure to get the ball” you out.”
TO OPEN HIS FIELD BY ATTACKING
2
It was one of the cricket philosophies
to
of Charlie Bannerman. He used jump in to the ball and hit it on the of with a velocity not often sEER DOW.
BE ONE OF THE BEST This was the man who scored 164 re tired hurt in the first Test ever between England and Australia. It was rank- ed by contemporaries, on both sides as one of the best innings ever played.
clicked the bat on to the ball. When
to his left foot and the follow-through was just the right thing. Even a Ne- ville Cardus would have seen no breach of the canons in the batting of this boy.. He played all his strokes with con- fidence, never hesitated and looked star în miniature.
a
YES, WHERE WHERE DID HE LEARN THESE RUDIMENTARY GOLDEN RULES IN BATSMANSHIP AT HIS YOUNG AGE?
Victor Jackson may have be:*
ex-
perimenting with his strokes. He probably was He made one beauty on the back cut that hummed like a flash of lightning to the pickets-perfect în others when out of position, through a everything. But he tried one or two sort of two eyed stance effort. So good a batsman ought not to do that, even in Wednesday cricket, with its entice-" ments to turn on the fireworks.
WHAT HOBBS COULD DO
SO MAY YOU
Some very old-time batsmen believed Habits grow upon one in cricket. in the young player pegging his right foot down and never shifting it. Some When they are bad they become one twitted W. G. Grace about this tough and obstinate said rule, which, of course, the great man been did not observe. In his own batting footwork played as important a part into as it has done down through the years in all the best of each period to the
One of the most successful batsmen The boy was puzzled. Then present champions.
the modern world has admired is Jack' Charlie showed him what he meant. far as he was concerned, in giving ad-
“W.G.," however, explained that, so Hobbs Much of his success was due to The boy hesitated and said he hadvice of that character it applied only to
a perfect technical mastership. His feet been told not to move the right foot. shifting the right foot back to the leg always seemed to be placed in the right position for the right stroke to be made "Why?" asked the mentor. Helside. If you see a novice batting the with what seemed to be the truest pos
first thing he does is to move back to thought he might get out stump-leg from the stumps when he is playing sible precision. Alliet with his natural
fat the ball. That is what “W.G. "I made a lot of runs one way demned naturally jand another in my time," said Again let me ask you to watch Doa Bradman, Stan McCabe, W. H. Pons-Charlie to the lad. ford, and others of the elect. By at had more than ten men in the field; A common weakness among Sydney tacking the length bowler they make in mind when I was batting. him open up the inner field-sending never one or two out in the deep. The great batsman of Grace's time would-be great thought."
The ablest batsmen to-day do just
what "W.G." said they did in his time It was sound then. It is sound now. It will be sound always.
to-day.
"A point about Dick Daft's play. which was common to most of us in those days," added "W.G." "was that he paid practically no heed to the wic- ket-keeper. This was not due to the stumpers being less accomplished than they are now. One reason why we were more often out of our ground than batsmen of the present day was be- cause bowlers rarely had men in the deep field. Of this negligence..... though nobody then thought it was ne- gligent you may be sure that mach batsmen as Dick Daft, my brother E M. and others took full advantage
GOOD STORY
A good story has
of Charlie Banner
er brother,
pus of
Charlie, on the
most brillian
period, the man
Englishmen in 1878 by the colour and vigor of his driving
Alick had been engaged to coach two sons of a wealthy Sydney sportsman. After a while the coachi was taken ill and Charlie Banner- man carried on the good work. One of the lads. with his right foot held rigidly inside the popping crease, reached forward with the left foot and made an off-drive.
ed."
"And I. never
grace of movement this looked ideal. It gave one a feeling of true satisfaction and pleasure. This was the Hobbs of his transcendent days.
A COMMON WEAKNESS
Now what was so marked in the batting of Hobbs can be assimilated to batsmen-not the stars is that many a successful degree by any average do not keep the left elbow up, hence they batsman of good eye-sight and cool gave the wicket-keeper 2 try to play the right, strokes to the ball watchful temperament
-(Continued on Page 21)
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when not in the right position to make
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