The Field of Sport

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 301, 4 December 1936, Page 2

The Field of Sport

| FROM FOUR TEST CAPTAINS 0 I WARNER, JARDINE, NOBLE. AND ARMSTRONG TELL 1 CRICKETERS HOW BIG SCORES ARE PUT ON THE BOARD. '•J ■ I _____ v SOME HINTS FOR EVERY KEEN PLAYER.

With hundreds of young cricketers keenly anxious to attain greater proficiency in the game, the. occasion is opportune to re•■call some of the advice offered by famous Test captains. Warwick jLArnistrong; M. A. Noble, P. F. Warner, and D. R. 4 Jardine are fmmong those who have put on record their advice, reminiscences hnd impressions. Here are some hints on batting ■*■ . . J ‘Y- First, listen to Armstrong, best known as the imperturbale *>lcipper of the Australian side which, with the devastating fast bowlMng of Gregory and McDonald, swept through English Test sides Home in 1921: “It is timing that counts. Keep the body as and easy as possible by perfect balance and let the arms &lo the hitting, with the wrists to finish off the stroke.” It is notable that other Test captains quoted also stress the appoint that a batsman should hold something back in reserve for the g purpose of correctly timing the shot.

I ‘‘Great batsmen posses that touch w|rhich is so apparent in great horse* ■men, the same touch that the expert of a motor-car or an aeroplane possesses,” adds Warwick Armstrong. L,J‘Watch any clumsy hitter who is with elbow glued to his side ' >nd his shoulders tied. . . His hitting is so small that the bat is brought to bear on the ball with a stab l>nd wriggle Of the body which sends Tthe ball no distance and is also ludic; »<ous to see. Keep the body as com* posed and easy as possible by peri tMect balance, and let the arms do the /hitting with the' wrists to finish oft a£.the stroke. "Nowadays we have too few batsj *men in first-class cticket who realljE ''drive the ball as it used to be driven blears ago, and the explanation is that many batsmen do not use the lef£ The line between the shouli Oers should be parallel with the line ’of the ball. Youngsters can easily am Squire this driving stroke, and it is a Wery profitable one. . . Learn to drive. “On first coming in to bat, it is an Excellent .idea merely to look at as jjjnany balls as possible of doubtful which are just outside the off Thus the pace of the wicket fig obtained and-the eye is accustomed ‘go the light”

»Use the Eye and Brain. Mr. P. F. Warner, captain of Eng iJish Test teams which won the Ashes £in Australia in 1904 and, 1908, is probably the greatest all-round authority ?®n cricket in the world to-day. &. “The first principle to instil in a (tyoung batsman,” says Mr. Warner, “is ifihat he must never move his right leg Wn the direct of short leg. He may it to jump out to drive or to Jjeut, or to play back, but never should move it away from the wicket. “The second principle is that a t • ftKraight bat is essential to success in ’’.patting; though I do not mean to say ’Chat the bat should be held straight ®>r'every stroke —for the cut* and the ijglill, for instance, are not made with bat—but what I mean is

that for defensive strokes, and, in 'Some scoring shots, the bat must be held straight. "The third principle is: Watch the ball. ... A minimum amount of movement is essential. "But when all is said and done, the real difference between an ordinary good batsman and a great batsman is that the latter knows just a shade sooner exactly what the ball is and is

not. . . A batsman must use his brains as well as his bat.” “Get a Sight of It.” M. A. Noble, who led the Australian team to victory in England in 1909, and who is still regarded as the greatest Australian all-rounder, tells batsmen to use their eyes from the moment they leave the pavilion. “While walking out, watch the ball as the 'fieldsmen throw it from one to the other; this is good practice for the eyes prior to facing the bowler. . . . Then, once the bowler begins to run to the bowling crease, watch the hand which holds the ball, and never take your eyes off it till the ball is released. In this way you will get' to know which spin is imparted to the ball, whether it is a fast, medium or slow delivery, and you will also have a much better chance of judging its flight. . . . Again, if you are at the bowler’s end snd he is an unknown quantity, watch his hand igust as closely, and watch the effect as it reaches the batsman. “Always stand as upright as possible. Provided this is easy and natural ,it gives you a better sight of the ball.”

Put This Into Practice. D. R. Jardine, captain of the English Test team that decisively beat Australia in Australia in 1922-23, is characterstically forthright on the question of stance. “In standing at the wicket the first essential is comfort—any stance which is uncomfortable is wrong. “There is one rule of batsmanship which is of very great importance. . . But while everyone agrees with it, too few put it into practice. It is simply to keep the head as still as possible from the moment the bowler is seen to start his run until the moment comes when the batsman has finished his stroke. “The reasons for this are obvious: the first concerns the eyes. It is essential to see the ball as well as possible. If the head is moving about, the eyes are not given a chance to focus properly. “The second reason is balance. The eyes may tell you what to do perfectly correctly, but if you are off your balance you will be unable to carry out the eyes’ message. It all sounds so easy, yet one of the first questions greaj. players ask themselves when they are out of form is: ‘Am I keeping my head steady, or is it coming up like Johnnie-Head-in-Air?’ ”