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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 19, 1938.
SECRETS OF CRICKET SUCCESS
LENGTH AND DIRECTION ARE VITAL FACTORS
ATTACKING BATSMAN'S
STRENGTH
SPOFFORTH ON BRAINS IN BOWLING
(By J. C. DAVIS)
Sydney,
U. S. WALKER CUP TEAM IS SELECTED
Page
munum, not score, but which the batsman felt his favourite stroke would send the ball to the boundary. The result was that three times out of four Spofforth's judgment proved cor- rect, and the batsman had to go."
New York, January 3. The United States Golfing Asso- ciation to-day named Francis Ouí- met captain of the Walker Cup team for 1988.
Veteran golfers named for the new team included Johnny Fischer, Johnny Goodman, Sam Reynolds, Horton Smith, and Charles Yates, Jr. Others named for the team included Ray Billows, Freddy Haas, Charles Kochis-and Marvin Ward. Don Moe and Thuffern Tailer were nominated as alternates.
man.
That trick so cleverly exploited by Spofforth was exploited by M. A. Noble, Hugh Trumble and George Giffen with success in their great
of days. Each
these bowlers secured over one hundred wickets in Tests against England. Believe it, too, they had to use wits as well as fingers and feet to outwit the great batsmen reigning in England in their times.
·LURING A BATSMAN
M. A. Noble was an adept at lur. ing a batsman who had a favourite "The most watchful bowler in square cut or cover. drive to de. this respect I ever met," wrote Mr.struction. He would leave third MacLaren, was F. R. Spofforth. Iman or' cover more or less open to had the pleasure of playing induce the batsman to focus on his IN these talks about success in cricket, one
been discussing batting mainly. I have em- of the best players in England were would be bowled for it, and the phasised, at the risk of being repetitious, the prin-taking part. I was forcibly im- batsman tempted. Finally he gen- ciples upon which sound batting must always pressed by the extraordinary clever erally swallowed the bait and was manner in which he employed every | snapped up in the slips or third stand. These are the use of a straight bat to resource of the bowler's art against man or at the wickets.
A case in which Hugh Trumble strokes that demand it, and the use of the feet in all the batsmen who faced him.
At that time Spofforth was, for was the trickster comes to mind. making position to suit the stroke. These are fun-big cricket, well past his prime, Leslie Poidevin was a young bats-
but his bowling that day showed man of high calibre and never lack damentals inflexible.
for what a long period he retained ing in confidence. In a match be
has once
with him in a match in which many favourite stroke. The wrong ball
י
HERE FOR A TIME WE MAY SWING ON TO BOWLING. a reserve of greatness. He seemed tween New South Wales and Vic- FROM THE DAY OF THE OLD TOP-HAT. IN CRICKET, TWO to sum up the limit of a batsman's ftoria in Sydney he went in on a BASIC ESSENTIALS HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED AND MAS-Power with uncanny quickness, and beautiful wicket, inspired with a TERED BY EVERY BOWLER WHO ACHIEVED RENOWN. THE he wasted no time in deciding upon feeling that his form was good-as the exact method of attack most it was. He promptly placed a ball, FIRST IS LENGTH, AND THE SECOND DIRECTIO
likely to get his wicket. I thought pitched a little farther
up than the square leg then, as I think now, that he was good length, to
perfect, and there was not a trick ward a trifle it was perfectly timed the greatest bowler the game has boundary-a daisy-cutter. With a ever seen. His length was always turn of the wrists as he played for-
It may seem supererogatory to mention these qualities in bow. strive to attain mastery. And yet, if you carefully watch the many ling. Their value is so obvious that every young bowler should
medium to fast-medium bowlers who exploit the seam for swerve with the new ball, you will discover that few, if any, have good.com- trol of their direction or length. The pity is that most of them are content to see the ball "do" a bit in the air oblivious of the fact that the striker may let it pass on.
All the great bowlers and bow- But Spofforth had not finished. lers who were on the fringe of He said there was another ingre- that class I have seen had culti-dient. It was BRAINS. And he vated precision of pitch, and emphasised it. We generally term precision in direction. F. R.it head-work. Spofforth was one example. He
SUPERIOR TO ENGLISH··
the
is classed by many who played In this section: of the bowler's with and against him. as the equipment I often feel that the best greatest bowler in history. Whe- Australians are superior to Eng- ther he was greater than Char-lish bowlers, largely because their lie Turner, or one or two others, task on hard, true pitches is may be debatable, though not more difficult. It is a case of neces- many are now left who could sity being the mother of invention. tackle the point from personal I have seen great Australian bowl- knowledge or observation of the ers closely observe the batsman, in pair.
studying his style and strokes, When he was last in Australia, think hard, and then apply immedi- in 1924, Spofforth, who was thenate action in the effort to compass about 71 years of age, still had a the dismissal of some troublesome most acute mind and good eyesight. opponent. As he watched an English match at the Sydney Cricket Ground and quietly discussed the game with old friends you got an impression that here was no aged man.
THE DEMON ON “BRAINS”
It was a privilege to ask him what he considered to be the main needs in a first-class bowler. He was watching Maurice Tate at the time. He replied:
Spofforth himself was a wonder in this direction, though I cannot speak much from personal obser- vation of him. He was well past his best when I once or twice saw him still had the bowling, though he run-up and action of a great bowl- er Charlie and Alick Bannerman and contemporaries in the field, Charlie Beal, were always singing "HE MUST BE ABLE TO PITCH the praises of Spofforth as the THE BALL WHERE HE WANTS TO, mighty bowler of brains and fight- THAT EMBRACES LENGTH AND ing instinct. Always planning to DIRECTION, HE MUST BE ABLE TO outwit some great batsman. This VARY THE PAGE AND FLIGHT, ALL THAT CAN BE ACQUIRED BY scheming, which Spofforth aptly PATIENT PRACTICE,” said the great termed "brains, --- must-have been man of the ball.
handed down along the line of "Anything else?" he was asked.great Australian bowlers, since "Yes," said the Demon, he must most of them possessed the trait. be BORN with a good arm for bowling."
MACLAREN'S STORT A Archie MacLaren has told the Spofforth hit the right nail on story of his once playing with Spof- the head. There is something in- forth, who was about twenty years definable in the arm that gives to his senior. It so well illustrated the ball distinctive flight and, above a characteristic in Australian bowl- all, something different in its move-ing of the best class that it is here ment from the pitch. Men who have quoted. The famous England cric- not this peculiar gift rarely realise keter was talking about the neces-- greatness in bowling against goodsity of a bowler studying the: class batsmen,
strength and weakness of the bats-
or device of bowling which was un- off known to him.
ro
the leg and middle stumps. Poidevin repeated that stroke. HIS TRUMP CARD
MADE HIS MIND UP "What is more, he seemed to have While the ball was being the knack of playing his. trump trieved Hugh stood still and in- card at the psychological moment. tently gazed at the young batsman. "ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE Then he ran his fingers through his METHODS WAS, AFTER NOTING hair. By the time the ball was A BATSMAN'S PET STROKE, TO ARRANGE HIS FIELD SO AS TO back in his hands he had made up |LEAVE THE STROKE OPEN.
his mind. With the right hand he "The Demon Bowler (an excel- quietly beckoned Harry Graham at lent descriptive nickname) would mid-on to move a few yards closer then produce the ball off which he to the bateman- himself thought the batsman could
(Continued on Page 21).
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