Advice to Cricketers

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23157, 1 October 1938, Page 14 (Supplement)

Advice to Cricketers

By W. A. (BERT) OLDFlELl>—(World Copyright Reserved)

Famous Australian Tills" t Of His Trai QUICK EYE NEEDED FOR WICKETKEEPING

\V7 ICKETKEE P ING aaturAX/. ally, has always been the , V¥ « most fascinating department of cricket to me from the first moment in my boyhood driys, when I felt the thrill of catching a ball in the gloves* Strangely enough, I did not keep wickets at school, being regarded there more as a bowler and batsman. It was not until I played junior cricket on concrete wickets covered with coir matting in the Western' Suburbs Churchea' Association in Sydney that I regularly occupied the position of wicketkeeper. That was in 1912. Though that team was well supplied with bowlers and batsmen, there was no 'keeper, and I asked to take the gloves. At first,. I hesitated-, because of the danger of 'the'concrete wickets; but in the end I consented. As the season progressed, I grew to like the position, and, gradually, there was revealed a natural aptitude for wicketkeeping. Jf. j Early Days Dufing my schooldays, I always carried with me a tennis ball. This provided me. with a source of entertainment on my walks to and from school. I . would constantly bounce; it on the pavement an.d against high walls, catching the rebounce. This, no doubt, helped to cultivate the quick eye which Afterwards proved the foundation of my success as a wicketkeeper.

This was great encouragement to me, and my keenness for wicketkeepl ing increased. Then I resolved to de- ; velop my-physique ([ always ; have avoided .Smoking and alcohol)* ' 'took long walksin-the early morning, did a lot of deep "breathing, and, to my great delight, ', was accepted in the company of a band of early morning cricket enthusiasts, the internationals, Warren Bardsley and • Charlie Kellewayj. /and several inter-State men in Dan* and Will Gullen and Frank Buckley, who then captained New South Wales Colts. What glorious memories I .have of those tMys! It was the first timfe I had rubbed ?, shoulders, with internationals, men Tyhom I had looked up to and' hero-worshipped. Youngsters the' world' over are like that. Heavy dew on the grass, or even 'frost's,''never prevented our keenness for practice. Often we would return home for breakfast with our boots wet through and the ball swollen like a Christmas pudding. ' Toward the end of the 1914-1915 season I was promoted to the first grade team and played in the last two matches, the first game being against Waverley club in March on our home ground at Wentworth Park. It was a memorable,occasion for me, as my first victim was the famous Svd. Gregory. He was caught behind after making three runs, and I felt that my baptism into senior cricket was more than satisfactory. Other internationals playing in that club match were Hanson Carter and Warren Bardsley. Alan Kippax, then a youth, also figured in the match.. ' Army Games But the World War now was raging, and I felt that a momentous decision had to be made. In September, 1915, I enlisted. My further experience as a wicketkeeper did not come until after the Armistice, when I was with the A.I.F. team. This soldiers' gide practised at Kennington Oval, where I first met that great English wicketkeeper, Herbert Strudwick. Watching

With experience gained in my junior days and the measure of success which I enjoyed: when playing that class of cricket, I was encouraged to join the Glebe District Cricket for which I was residentiary qualified. The matches there were played on turf. During the 1913-14 season. I had niy first game for the Globe Club in the city 7 and .suburban competition as a batsman, the match ,taking place on the historic' Sydney Domain, where the early • visiting teams played their matches against .New South Wales. I ipmember how excited I was at making 841 That score, no doubt, helped me to find; a place in the third grado team in the same year. • Jj- Miaw«y/through this season, my first |ona!nce came. The regular wieketHarold Frazer, was unavailfM# . v on«-Saturday, and I was asked K°j. VehlndSthe wickets. This I did and v succeeding in otomp®nd. catching one, hold the lth6 o2 the

f him, I quickly realised that my own [ natural style of 'keeping was more adaptable to his than to any other wioketkeeper I had seen. I then commenced to study him. ; ; Kelloway introduced me to "Strtiddy'' at the nets, and asked him whether he would mind giving mo a ,few hints.. The little Surrey man to ok me tola separate net and explained his methods or taking' different balls. He then asked mo to take a few in my own jjtyle. After I had taken about half a dozen balls he said: "Keep on as you are going;, you're all right." For. a moment or two I wondered whether ho was serious, but I must confess that the compliment gavo me much pleasure. Carter's Stance That was the first of many happy meetings I had with Strudwick. In the years that followed while wo were keeping wickets for our respective countries my admiration for him as a man and as a wicketkeeper increased. Throughout his.: long career as England's custodian of the stumps he was scrupujlously fair. I always regarded him as | the gentleman-wicketkeeper.

Returning to Australia with the A.I.F. team in 1920, I once more met Carter, whom I had not seen since our first brief acquaintance in my first senior game with the Glebe club when he was the opposing wicketkeeper. He was now captain of New South Wales against the touring side, and once again kept wickets in his inimitable style. Th'is was my first realisation that he belonged to a school of his own. He would take up his stance at the wiokefc about four feet away from the stumps, no doubt having in mind that he would from this distance benefit by a longer , view of the ball, and therefore would be able to follow its flight more accurately." Ho would squat in the same > manner that other small wicketkeepers do, and complete the movements with the same clever footwork and anticipation. In stumping from this stamce, as I reason, it would be necessary to make a step toward the wicket, which entails the loss of a certain amount of time. Possibly this has deprived him of victims whom he would have claimed with, a closer stance. Catch at the Wicket Again, in making a catch at the wicket, the angle of deflection of the ball becomes greater the farther it travels, and from this backward .position Carter would be called, upbn to make, more ground or reach farther for the ball. This, I contend, would have been avoided had he stood nearer to the wicket. Personally, I do not follow his technique, and cannot, therefore, subscribe to his methods. Still, my great predecessor succeeded in spite of what I regard as a violation of orthodoxy, which goes to show that excellent results can be obtained by different methods. Except in the case of Carter, I have not seen or heard of any wicketkeeper adopting this somewhat distant stance. Carter repiesented Australia in 21 test matches against England, 'and claimed 51 victims, made up of 17 xtumpings and 34 catches. The vociferous and acrobatic Duckworth came to Australia for the first time in 1928. Qjiite unlike his English predecessors, his loud, high-pitched appeals made him a centre of interest among Australian cricket lovers. His reddish, boyish face and his genial disposition made him a likeable member of Chapman's te/im. He went about his task on the field in a businesslike way, standing up with confidence to the difficult deliveries of Maurice Tate, taking Harold Larwood with enthusiasm, and skilfully 'keeping to Jack White. Ames and Cameron In this team of 1928 was Leslie Ames, destined to succeed Duckworth as wicketkeeper for England, four years later, as a member of D. Jl. Jardine's eleven. Without wishing to bo uncomplimentary. I would say that Ames appeals, tame more as a batsmanwicketkeeper than as a wicketkeeperbatsinan,'but there can be no doubt that, when the position was more or less permanently entrusted to him, he acquitted himself in fine style. He differed from Duckworth in that he played his part quietly (and was almost unnoticed; yet ho was effective. Compared with Duckworth,' he . was lethargic in his walk between wickets and in taking up his position. His taking of medium-paced deliveries, on the leg side, also differed, as he did not always cover the line of the good-length ball as other wicketkeepers do. By .induing the approximate height of the ball, he preferred to, as it were "feel" for it blindly. This means it would not be possible to effect certain catches which frequently are brought off if the orthoI dox method is practised. To me it would appear that the only virtue in the former method is, that it is less dangerous to the 'keeper. Ames, on the other hand, would move across to the line of the hall to take short balls pitched on the leg side, of which a longer view is obtained. One other wicketkeeper I enjoyed playing against was Horace Cameron, of South Africa. He came to Australia as captain of the "Springboks" in 1931, when, under the strain of leadership, he did'not perform with his usual brilliance. Tn that team, he had to contend with two or three very awkward bowlers, including "Sandy" Bell, the fast-medium right-hander, and the late Neville Quinn, a fastish left-hander. Both these players were then at their zenith, and were outstanding among the world's bowlers. In my long experience of wicketkeepers, English, South African, or Australian, and after considering all ! their merits, I must confess that I admire, most of all, Strudwick, because j of his. ability in all .circumstances and on all wickets, I