CONCERNING CRICKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21360, 13 June 1931, Page 4

CONCERNING CRICKET

A VETERAN’S CRITICISM AND ADVICE "Cricket Up-To-Date." By E. H. D. Sewell. Preface by Lord Hawke. With 2f Illustrations from photographs taken by the author. London: John .Murray. (7s, 6d net.) " The Game of the Season.” By Hugh de Sellncourt. With frontispiece. London: Chapman and Hall. . (5s net.) Mr Sewell’s “ Cricket' Up-to-date ” is an exhaustive study by a man who has played, coached, and written cricket for more than 40 years. The book contains chapters on fielding, bowling, batting, and captaincy which are undoubtedly sound and rarely touch controversial matters. Mr Sewell then pauses to ask what is wrong with English cricket, and why the Australians carried off 'the Ashes again, and in his chapters in reply gives cricketers at Home, and in some degree abroad, food for much thought. He condemns strongly and convincingly the effects of too intensive coaching methods, and also faulty coaching, which he finds all too common. “ Cases might be cited where the almost consistent failure of certain schools or county Xl’s to produce good sides is traceable to the coach or the captain who, iri some counties, has been known to stifle progress by his well-enough-meant but absolutely unsound counsels. There are men playing regularly in county cricket who are playing cricket the wrong way, and who therefore are not giving of the good that is in them. Their counties are not getting anythink like full value out of these. Faulty coaching and counsel is largely responsible.’' Being no destructive critic, Mr Sewell proceeds to give detailed advice to coaches, and adds for the learner’s benefit the instruction to “practise and go on practising and to think hard all the time," never trying to play a good length straight ball, anywhere but straight' and with a straight bat:— Hit like —— when you do hit, and play absolutely straight when you defend, since the whole secret of, defence is a straight blade, it being impossible to defend your wicket with any certainty with a crooked bat. The majority of slip catches are given from a crooked bat, due to the batsman not getting across enough in front of his wicket. In which connection shut your ears to all you hear and your eyes to all you see in print about not moving your legs in front of your stumps. To bat ‘properly you must move your legs in front of your stumps very often. On other pages of this downright, useful book the author deals with the good effects that are often brought about bv cricket legislation, discusses fully the LBW rule, gives 'a technical explanation of the spin, and shows that there are ways of getting Bradman out. His own reminiscences of the game make entertaining reading, and the illustrations are helpful. Lord Hawke, who has been a friend of the author for 38 years, has written an intimate preface.

Most cricketers will remember fondly Mr de Selincourt’s little classic of the game, “ The Cricket Match,’’ which Sir J. M. Barrie described as the best book about cricket or any other game that has ever been written. In “ The Game of the Season," comprising five stories and a postscript, he has returned to village cricket for the inspiration for some delightful sketches, perhaps the best of which tells how the Tillingfold XI meets Warwick Armstrong’s'side for a one-day match, and describes the manner in which every Tillingfoldian that day was a very champion of the game, and routed the Test visitors most completely. . These stories are humorous with a merry humour, but they have also the excitement, the anxiety, and the gopd rich passion of cricket in them, and can be read and re-read by the enthusiast. The volume is decorated by L. Illingworth. M‘G.