THE CRICKET FIELD

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 16, 31 October 1935, Page 7

THE CRICKET FIELD

EXPERIMENTAL LBW RULE.

HOSTILITY LARGELY GONE.

(By “Mid-On”). Cricketers were frankly hostile to the new leg before wicket rule which the M.C.C. introduced as an experiment at the beginning of the season. Many of them still say they do not like it, but the opposition has largely broken down, and I think there is not much doubt that it will remain in operation for at least another season.

The rule, it was said, would ruin matches and spoil the art of batsmanship. At the beginning of the season many games were completed in - two days and the loss of a day was serious for the counties. But from what has since happened there does not seem room to doubt that the weather and the treacherous turf were mainly responsible for this state of affairs. Bowlers rubbed their hands with glee and declared that batsmen ' would be fat their mercy. Freeman, the Kent spin howler, even said that he would take as many as four hundred wickets, whereas his total is slightly below his average. On behalf of batsmen Herbert Sutcliffe said: “Off-side play will be discouraged because the attack will he concentrated on the off-side, and it is an elementary rule of batsmanship that no attempt must be made to force an off-spinner or an in-swinger through the covers. I believe that the rule will put an end to big scores. Tlie century will become a comparatively rare feat.” At the time this seemed logical, but it is significant that Sutcliffe is at the head of the averages, that he has once more exceeded two thousand .runs, and that there dpes not seem to have been any restriction in his strokes.

This is perhaps the most curious thing about the alteration. Watching the play one was not aware that any change had: taken place. Batsmen still continue to coyer their wickets with their pads, though they had to do this with more care and discretion than formerly. Further, all the trouble which it was said would be sure to result through doubtful decisions, has not occurred. The umpires, in fact, do not seem to have had any difficulty in carrying out the rule. Men have grumbled, as they have always done when they have been given out lbw, but with no more reason than in the past. Stylish Left-Hand Bat.

Denis Smith, a Derbyshire professional, 28 years old, has blossomed into one of the finest left-hand batsmen in England—possibly second only in the stylishness of his batting to Frank Woolley. He was a coal-miner, and played occasionally for his county from 1927 onward's but did not become a regular member of its team until 1930. He has scored over 100 runs in a season thrice. Last year he scored just on 1600 runs. One of his big scoies this year was 189 against Yorkshire, when he dealt rather severely with H. Verity. Bfit mere figures cannot tell the story of how he became a stylish player as well as a big-scoring one. There is power, too, in his attractive hitting. England’s selectors have already marked Smith as a representative playerJoseph Hardstaff, son on an old lest match cricketer, and now just 22 years old, has also, like Smith, made rapid development in the last 12 months. He first played for Notts when he was only 17. Until last year he was just a steadily-improving player. Then he made a big step forward, scoring.l9l6 runs in all first-cl&ss matches for Notts at an average of 42.57. As. he showed in his innings of 154 for Notts against the South Africans a few months .ago, young Hardstaff is now equipped with a good' range of excellently-made strokes and his judgment in P lckl JjS the ball to hit hard has matured. He has become much more enterprising than the average professional batsman. Hardstaff entered international class by his appearance for England in the Test against South Africa. At this point it ma, be remarked that professional batsmen who aie making big scores in a season when an experimental addition to the Icg-hefore-wicket law is helping howlers of offbreaks cannot be “stay-at-home p« y 61 James Langridge very competent left-handed all-rounder, is well known In New Zealand, as he was or some time assistant coach Auokk Cricket Association. He has pi y<l for England against the West Indus , and has been a reserve against Australia. He also toured India d ' Ce J in 1938-34 as a member of D. R. line’s M.C.C. team. But Langridge lias not quite the temperament for Eng an v Australia matches and possibly the fact that he was in the rumiingrioi the Test side last season contributed to lm having a slightly disappoint mg » although ho again scored ovei IA)U -rnns for Susses. Ho has scored owr 1000 runs a season every year from 1927 onwards, and has takei wickets in each of four of these seasons.

Paynter Again Unwell. Many followers of cricket in New Zealand have been wondering at the exclusion of E. Paynter from the English teams which played Australia m the first four test matches. News f rom England, however, throws light on the subject. Paynter lias received invitations to play in each of the matches, but lie-has been unwell, evidently a recurrence of the ailment he experienced in Australia, and has not been able to play. Many will remember his splendid effort in Australia during the fourth test match, when he left a sickbed in the hospital to make 83 runs and save England at a vital stage ol the game.