CRICKET REMINISCENCES

Evening Star, Issue 16583, 16 November 1917, Page 6

CRICKET REMINISCENCES

ADVICE TO YOUNG PLAYERS. PLAY TO "THE GALLERY." In the halcyon days of cricket in Otago —in the back seventies and early eighties —when the names of Gibson Kirke Tuvton, Henry Haddocks, W. F. Downes, the brothers Godby, Henry Rose, J. P. Spring, F. H. Cooke, C. C. Kettle, I. M. Harris, W. G. Dixon, " Tal " Austin, W. D. Meares, George Millington (of Oamaru), W. T. Moore, A. Cargill, C. W. Rattray, Hiram Rhodes, E. Lathbury, C. C. Collinson, Jack Allen, Adam Glen, Laurie Reade, George H. Clark, " Bill " Hendley, George Paramor, W. Crawshaw, and Oscar' Haskell were household words among the votaries of the game, no men stood higher in popular esteem as allround players than the brothers Fulton (Jack and Fred), whose consistent plav—especially in the field—won manv a ha'rdfought game for Otago. "Jack'" Fulton, who gave up cricket when he joined the Government service, has long since passed over to the majority, as have Allen, Turton (brilliant but erratic in life as ho was in play), Maddocks, Downes, Hendlev, Meares, Moore, and Clark. Crawshaw turned up the game some years ago, as did Glen (employed in tho mechanical department ' of this journal) ; Collinson (hale and hearty) is to be found during the season among a coterie of enthusiasts who attend all the- principal fixtures in and around Melbourne, and. he fills a snug billet in the hails of the Legislature in the Victorian capital; about Haskell (who with Crawshaw constituted a brilliant pair of batsmen and fieldsmen, who in their day and generation were veritable thorns in the side of the opposing teams) we have heard nothing for many a long dav : and Fred Fulti n (despite his physical infirmity, due to an accident in a 'ilax-mill in Otago, whvii deprived him of one of his arms) is still in the flesh, domiciled in Napiev. and is always to be seen on the playing fields of that district giving the youngsters the benefit of his wide experience and sound judgment. His enthusiasm is contagious, and (though he will never acknowledge it) his "coaching" abilities are of the highest order. It" is from his ready pen and bounteous store of information that the subjoined article, contributed to tho ' Herald,' has been drawn, and we are hopeful that he will supplement it by narrating in his happiest view some of the incidents of past interproviueial matches in which he played a prominent and indeed, at times a glorious part. ******* Personally I desire to explain that I have been a cricketer on the up grade and down grade of proficiency for fully 50 years, and I offer this contribution "as a summing up of the views I have developed in the pursuit of my cherished sport. To compare the popularity of cricket and football is invidious; it is as unjustifiable as to compare high opera with musical comedy. In the- latter case the appeal is to the multitude, who largely lack the feeling of those distinctions 'in coloring in which the trained and inborn musical ear rejoices. Football appeals to the i.rdinary combative sense of all, ns they can readily follow the struggles of thecompetitors; but comparatively few are qualified by the senses of perfect sight and practice to appreciate in cricket the combinations of pace movements on which the progress of this game depends. This brings me to the point I wish to emphasise and elucidate. Cricket as a, sport appeals to two distinct types of supporters. The game itself has two distinct elements in its competitions. The primary sport in the game lies in the contest between the batsman and the bowler, aided by the fielding side. This develops competition in the play of every ball in an over. The ultimate" result of"the four innings, in toto, is sport of quite another order. The primary sport is followed up by the real cricket enthusiast. He must be gifted by Nature with good eyesight to appreciate all the risks and subtleties of the bowler and batsman. The reality of contest is to him an inexhaustible enjoyment for which he pavs willingly 'to the gatekeepers, and so supports' the finances of the game. The score-sheet is the essenti.il of tho secondary part in the game It finds its wnv to the Press and reaches a majority of readers who never go to a cricket ground, or at most to " tho big match." These get their cricket hastily, perhaps in the intervals of a men], and discuss it from the viewpoint of figures, but they are the multitude, and having seen nothin.tr of the play they are after reading the scores, eager to discuss them and to get mere detail of it--, kind of sport at second hand. Thus the surcessf.-l player often becomes a hero of the moment to he interviewed. Very pleading to the hero, but. Fnrcastieallv viewed, is not his time wa«t-?d. and is not his lee bcin-r pulled by the news hunter, who his probably limiten his enjoyment of cricket to the short resume of a came in the newspaper, for which possibly he has paid a copner to the publisher? Here we have the relative value to cricket finance, of the two classes of' adherents who follow the rame ; and yet I have no hesitation in dating my belief that 19 out of even- 22 players regard tho score-sheet as the essential part of tho game, and anoint with their ovations the man who "stonewalls." who takes no risks and comes out with a decent figure against his r.ame on the score-sheet But how about the spectator who has paid his "bob" or "tanner" to have some pleasure to have his senses thrilled ,-uid his pulse quickened? He is bound to be delisted by stonewall tactics, and he will bo tempted to look elsewhere for amu=em«nt But the spectator, as explained above" is the real financial supporter of cricket and is. from tho treasurer's point of view' 'the man :o hi catered for. He wants snort for his money, so let us consider what is sport. As a definition of _" sport" I should render _ it that, essentially, if. must be a competition m which tho rarticip-nts have equal chances, and in nood sport there should be a development, of the utmost skill to successfully attain a verdict as such. Clearly the verdict renuired is that of the looker-on Consequently captains should study to develop the competition side of the sport, as resulting from every ball bowled and every stroke played if they wish to popularise the "gate," and should .abstain from all tricky and' pointing tactics, which arc abjured bv spectators and the true sportsman. T'nfortunately such tactics are prone to obtrude themselves in cup and championship matches, which introduce a lot of rules and law points _ foreign to the taste of the man who is true to the pure snort of cricket. Now, let me appeal to all cricket prs to play for sport, to play "to the gallery," to use every effort that they can to make the competition keen and sjKirty ; and chiefly, T think, it rest.-, with the'fi'eldin-' side and their captain to secure this, ft is the part of the fielding side to get wickets quickly. To do this the disposal of the fields in placing them should a.im at deluding the batsmen if tho game is to be played, as it should be. at concert pitch. AVhen a, fieldsman has been allotted his place he must view his duties not individually or lazily, but as completing the combination with his neighbors on either i hand to assist the bowlers. He should set himself to study the striker, life force and swing, with a view to judging how far off it is his duty to stand. He. must consider the pace and travel of the ground, and adopt a distance to make it appear to the batsman that a run will be a safe thing if tho ball is sent in that direction. If he can then, whilst the latter has all his attention on the bowling, anticipate from his movements the aim /of the expected stroke he can gain unexpectedly a couple of yards on the batsman. He may, if he keeps his hands in good practice'to .field and throw quick and true—he may, I say get one or two wickets in a sportsmanlike way. For both sides will appear to the spectator to have equal chances" And, then, how about the spectators, the old adherents of the game? Well, every cricketer knows the thrill of a surprise wicket. I have known many and many who considered themselves cricketers by their score-sheet successes who stand unconcernedly in the field where the captain

I or bowler may place them, and seem to ' bo always prepared to see a ball get past them, and are constantly contriving that not they but someone else have to chase it. They never make an effort to cut in on the batsman's calculations, and when they stop a stroke without giving him a chance to make a mistake they consider their fielding satisfactory. Poor chaps! When they are not batting they are without interest in the game, whereas the good fieldsman is perhaps happier fishing for the batter and watching tn trap his every movement than he is when wielding his own willow. To sum up, I should say that every fieldsman should stand to " save the single " bv the barest margin after allowing that lie can gain ground whilst the batsman is aiming his stroke. No two fieldsmen near each other should be at the same distance from the striker, for if so they are liable to mutual collison and failure when a ball or catch goes between them. No two fieldsmen should stand in front or behind the other in a direct line from the striker, for, obviously, the farther man would not have a clear view of tho batsman, and the two both covering the stroke in one direction there must be another direction where the batsman gets the advantage of a more open field. Picking up in the field and quick, accurate, hard throwing in should be practised, studying to throw to the head of the wicket, remembering that it is always easier for the stumper to gather in a full toss than a half volley or ball to his too, for he has a clear view of the full toss and nothing sudden in change of pace to disconcert his handling of the ball. Hard throwing at all times demands keen "backing up", by tho field all round. The negligent fieldsman in this respect is as great, a kill-joy to the sport of fielding as is the " stonewaller " to the batting exhibition. It is quite unfair to the stumper at a wicket that he should have to go out of arm's reach of the stumps. In my opinion the wicketkeeper who runs away from his job at the wicket to field wide shots is degrading his fieldsmen, whom he should thoroughly trust to do their work in the department of backing up and again returning the ball to the wicket. What good is tho wicketkeeper when out of reach of his stumps? The bowler who short pitches his bowling is "no snort," for he tries to make a certainty that his bowling can't be scored off. He makes the batting slow and merely defensive, and has hardly a "possible" of getting a wicket, and'the batsman merely waits till loose ones come along to score safely. Such bowlers gain no assistance from the field, and still if they bowl long tallies of maiden overs they esteem that they should be kept on. The actual result is,' if slow to the tally of runs, not productive of wickets, and wears out the field by changing over and over again without sport or benefit to them. Batsmen in running their runs are equally unsportsmanlike when they do not make the most of their strokes and when they fail to "back up" for their companion's stroke; and how few, young players especially, turn sharp after reaching "the crease and take all the safe advantages of a start for the next run instead of taking a rest in tho crease to consider, when there would be no possible menace from the field if they gained three, or four yards whilst considering. I have mentioned a few of the more serious sins against the sport of cricket by men who fail to realise that they aro only half cricketers when they do not give and take chances. I trust there are many young cricketers who are coming on who may enjoy the game by playing it for the sport as gentlemen and athletes and as artists in the perfecting of their abilities in every department of the game. If it is taken in this spirit, the summer game will be greatly enhanced in popularity; and the appeal to spectations and bar-*, rackers in such active, nervy work, instead of slouching cricket, should "add greatly to the support obtainable for it from the public.