Cricket for Schoolboys POINTS OF TECHNIQUE THAT MAKE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21648, 5 December 1935, Page 5 (Supplement)

Cricket for Schoolboys POINTS OF TECHNIQUE THAT MAKE

There are numerous cricket enthusiasts coaching schoolboys who, unwittingly, do more harm than good to promising bowlers by placing emphasis on length for too long a period during training years. Length is undoubtedly the foundation of all successful bowling, but once length has been acquired—and that should not take more than complete concentration for half a season —various points of bowling guile must b? learned. To bowl without cunning but with excellent length, is more likely to play a good batsman in than to get him out. I feel that this point cannot be over-emphas-ised in New Zealand where clever medium-paced bowlers are rare and I blame the" lack of proper coaching of young players for this scarcity. Ask any good batsman what type of bowling gives him most delight and I am certain his answer will be: "The medium-paced bowler who bowls every ball in more cr less the same place and who can do nothing with the ball, straight 'up-and-down' stuff. Every schoolboy should try to develop some guile with the ball apart from learning to bowl a good length.* Among poor batsmen a tear-away bowler of the "straight, up-and-down" type may secure wickets cheaply but it is inevitable that that bowler is I

storing up trouble for himself. When he meets a good batsman he Will be mercilessly punished and made to feel utterly impotent. Guard against that unpleasant day by practising tricks df spin, swerve, flight and change of pace. In this article I will deal with a few of these, but before doing so I must add that it is better to be able to do one or two things really well than to be a "Jack of all trades and master of none." Swerve is the easiest trick to learn and although I do not want to over-emphasise its value I consider complete knowledge of it an essential for every bowler. There are dozens of boys who will tell you

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that they hold the seam between the fingers for one ball and across the ball for another and that they are successful, but what they fail to realise is what they are doing and they have no intermediate stages of the grip in using the seam of a new, or fairly new, ball as a rudde? for swerving. As I mentioned last week, study will prove that it is remarkable how only slight modification of xhe action or grip will completely alter the style and type of ball. Regard the seam of the ball as the guiding principle and then the art of swerving is better understood. Keep the seam upright and pointing in the direction of the intended swerve and apply to it slight back spin. This is executed by holding the ball with the first two fingers along either side of the seam and supporting the grip with the thumb underneath. Slight modifications of this grip may suit different bowlers, but it must be essentially similar. If the ball is swung straight over with the arm when it is held in this position no swerve will result. The art of swerving is in turning the hand slightly either to the right or the left at the moment of delivery. Thus if the hand is turned as for an off break with the palm towards third man then the ball will swing

away. Actually this action is almost natural with most bowlers and tne modifications of it should be tried. The in-swinger is more difficult to bowl as the action of turning the hand inwards is not natural and requires practice to. secure perfection. To bowl the in-swerve carry the arm over very high, brushing the ear—and turn the hand inwards to point the seam in the direction di fine leg. Do not turn the seam too far in bowling the in-swerve and remember that it is best obtained when bowled reasonably fast. Practise these, two types of swerve for long periods and you will find it additiohally interesting if you paint, the seam of the

ball white so that you may watch the flight and spin of the ball carefully. It is also of great assistance to have a friend practising with you so that there is always one player watching from behind the batsman's wickets to report on results.

All swerve bowlers should be able to bowl a straight ball. Bowl it without any change of action. This is easy. Instead of holding the seam between (up and down) the fingers hold it at right angles to the fingers and bowl with exactly the same action and the ball will fly perfectly straight. Do not bowl off or leg theory with a new ball. Bowl at the wicket all the time. The shine and sharp seam of a new ball are too precious to waste with balls off the wicket which the batsman does not have to play. There are some interesting points that I would like you to to study with a friend when practising. Some actions merely produce a 1 steady swerve or swing from halfway through the flight. Others produce the late swerve or swing, one of the most deadly weapons used by any bowler. The ideal swerve is the one that- starts late and swings from on, or just outsidfe, the leg stump and knocks the off stump out of the ground. The action pictures on this page of the great English test bowler, Maurice Tate, give a glorious example of the trunk action and arm action for the execution of medium- and fast-medium swerve bowling. Tate could bowl the late swinger to perfection and at his best could produce a ball which swung in from leg so late that it was practically a fast leg break. I spoke of the value of the swerve. This is cultivated by correct action. Deliver the "ball with plenty of vim and concentration on wrist flick. Always carry the arm high. It is undoubtedly easier to'bowl the out-swinger by carrying the arm low—practice will readily show this—but the ball produced is not deadly as it 'makes a gentle curve instead, of an abrupt change of direction which is deadly. Do not use it often if at all. The heavier the atmosphere the greater

be the swerve. On a damp wicket with heavy air a great swerve bowler can be almost unplayable. It is most difficult to bowl the ball that starts for one side of the wicket and finishes on the ether. This must be the result of a very long and careful practice. However, be content with a reasonable amount of swerve at first. Practise change of pace without noticeable change of action. The best change of pace is the subtle rather than the abrupt type. Of course if you can specialise with the abrupt type so that you can suddenly produce a fast yorker on the leg stump you have achieved an ideal. The greatest bowlers —Spofforth, Barnes, Grimmett, for instance—bowl- a complete over of differently paced balls and the spectators scarcely see any4if« ference at all. The spectators, however, see the batsman worried aitd at sea. Slight alterations of grip and work of the wrist give thip type .of change of pace. Holding the ball firmly for one ball and on the tips of the fingers lightly fo? another produces one good change. Cutting the fingers across the ball produces a good slow change for "a faster bowler —that is, bowling tba off break action after faster swerv* ing deliveries. Medium-paced bow* lers may also try to acquire the slower ball secured by using a leg break-action—the ball slips out ol the back of the hand instead of being flicked out of the wrist Thil takes much practice but is most effective. Next week I will enlarge on this small section of the bowler I art by dealing with flight, spin, style and tactics.

In future, no children's con* tributions will be accepted unlew they bear a statement from tu® head teacher of the school _ attended (or., during school holidays, from a parent! that to tn bert of nis knowledge they M® the unaided and original work the cHild concerned.