HOW TO LEARN BOWLING

Dunstan Times, Issue 723, 25 February 1876, Page 3

HOW TO LEARN BOWLING

- -o The recent defeat. of the Victorian cricketers by those' of New South Wales has called forth some correspondence (a perusal of which would be of benefit to the Otago players) in the Melbourne papers regarding the superiority of the bowling of the Sydney team over that of Victoria. A correspondent of the Argus signing himself “ Block,” makes the following suggestions regarding howling : The change in the Sydney play resulted from tho visit of Grace’s team. Coates had up to that tirae. accounted the best fast bowler Sydney. He made wise by.observation, came to the conclusion that fggt bowling was radically unsound, and it was easier to puzzle and perplex a batsman than to batter down his wicket. He commenced “ brain bowling,” following rules which wei-e established years ago in England; and other howlers, notably —Spofforth, Evans, and Tindal, seeing the wisdom and success of the change, followed suit. The improvement was such an established fact that after six successive defeats, the Sydney Mail in December, 1874, was able confidently to predict a victory, though the team sent down was without Evans or, D. Grcgorv. and was to fight on alien soil. That victory was obtained, and was the precursor of the two following. The Sydney Mail deserves well of the Colony. To teach the .yonng idea how to play, it printed in full Grace’s hints on hatting and Southerton’s hints on bowling. These articles were republished in pamphlet form by one of the Mail’s staff, and every cricketer in Sydney was thus able to avail himself of the best English experience. In the rest of this article the term “battery” bowling will be used to describe ordinary fast bowling. Fast bowling is a misnomer as the term is used now. Much of the bowling spoken of as slow or medium will travel as far as bowling apparently much faster. How to Bowl -—The object to bowl is to puzzle the “eye of the batsman.” So long as he can “ time the ball” and “play a straight bat”he is safe. Some four or five years ago, a cry arose in England—the batting is hilling the bowling, winch really, meant that fast or “ battery” bowling. had been mastered Patience, a straight bat, and fine turf had settled it This led to a more general adoption of “ brain bowling." The essential characteristics of any given ball bowled are spin, curve, pitch, and pace Evans, Allan, Coates, and Spofforth command all these. Horan, Boyle, and Tindal vary their pitch and pace, but have no spin, and, excepting Boyle, do not understand the curve ; their bowling is not “curly.” Spin.—A good ball has two motions, a forward motion to the opposite wicket and a revolving motion of spin; with the first motion only it would continue a steady course from the bowler’s hand to the mark aimed at, and it is easy to be timed. With “spin," immediately it reaches the ground there is a change of direction called “ the breakthe deflection may be to the off o’’ to the leg, up or down, and generally not only the direction but the velocity is altered by touching the ground, A ball with a good break is at least ten times as dangerous as a ball without break. This spin or break may be easily acquired by practice. The ball must be held with the fingers (not the ball of the hand), the fingers on the seam. At the moment of delivery a twist is given, and the hand must be made to follow the ball as the cue follows in a rolling stroke at billiards or croquet. I have seen Southernton’s hand still moving when the ball lias reached the opposite wicket. With practice the spin be comes mechanical. '-'Fast or battery bowling rarely has”-spin ; the strain upon the muscles "Of the arm and shoulder prevents the twisting of the fingers ; it may break on bad ground, never good ; here it is the ground, not the twist, which gives the break. The impetus in fast or battery bowling tends to destroy the spin, the impelling power overcoming the rotatory. An illustration of this may be seen any day on a howling green. In driving the bias of the bowl is destroyed by the pace. Our bowlers must at once learn how to spin. It is a mistake to suppose that any bowler can on a perfect turf break both ways ; but turfs never are perfect, hence the enigma, one break, and the most common one is given by making the fingers twist over the ball. The only illustrations of the other I can call to mind are Barnes and Hailes, who give the twist bv working the fingers under the hall, but understand alow lobbing howlers almost invariably give the under twist. Curve.—This must not bo confounded with pitch; Pitch is tho spot at which tho ball touches tho ground. The curve is the course it takes in tho air—the curl. This curve materially determines the after rise or course from the ground. Further, of two

lulls pitched on the same spot, tho higher the curve tho more puzzling to the oyo of the batsman. Fast or battery bowling has no curve; the ball travels in a straight lino, and is easily watched. Boyle, Tindal, and Coates are carvers, but the two first do not vary it sufficiently, and tho batsman soon masters any one particular curve. Coates uses an infinite variety. Variation of curves must be carefully practised. Pitch is an important point, and the old distinction between the length balls and not-lengths must be abandoned. Grace, Southerton, or Shaw never hesitate to put in a full toss or a pitcher, as it is called here. They, for variety’s sake, will even venture on a long hop ; and Evans, Coates, and Allan don’t decline to do the same. The batsman must never know what he is to expect. 'Tommy Horan’s Yorkers often come off as a diversion. Pace.—While variety is to be commended as in curve and pitch, fast bowling should be discouraged, for reasons already given. It is easy to play and fatiguing to the bowler. The Griffiths and Tarrants, the Jacksons and My mis, have given place to men who rely upon brains or devil, not on cannon-balling. W. G. Grace would probably make the fastest bowler in England: he carefully avoids systematically bowling fast. A hot one comes in occasionally to puzzle the batsman by the change, but that is all. As I said at the outset, with sedulous attention to spin, and practice in varying curve, pitch, and pace, we shall soon have plenty of bowler’s—they only want tuition.