W. G. GRACE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23362, 30 November 1937, Page 18

W. G. GRACE

BATSMAN • AND BOWLER A CRICKETER'S MEMORIES Memories of Dr W. G. Grace, the great English cricketer, are recalled by Lord George Scott in the National Review. He writes: — Without comparing him with more modern champions, W. G. Grace was for many years during the last three decades of the nineteenth century preeminent. He was universally regarded, and generally referred to, as "The Champion." I was a freshman at Oxford in 1886, and, owing to the kindness of M. C. Kemp, was allowed to play for his M.C.C. eleven against the University in the last match played that season in the Parks. I, therefore, played in what may be considered a memorable cricket match. I was only one of many undergraduates who had never before seen W.G. batting, and when he advanced towards the wicket I personally wondered whether he was really so wonderful as he was said to be. His Ehysique was splendid. He looked uge, and his large, dark beard gave him at first sight a dominating appearance, possibly lacking agility on account of his size.

When he was facing the bowling his methods appeared to be simple. He gave a considerable uplift to his bat in a bee-line from the bowler's arm to his wicket. The bowling obviously gave him no trouble, and it was delightful to see how, when playing back, he put such power into his defensive strokes that, if the fielders failed to stop the ball, it generally went to the boundary. The Parks wicket was generally a lively one, and I was personally more impressed by the way he treated the bumping balls than anything else in his play. When a ball got up high on his off stump or outside it, instead of leaving it alone he appeared to tap it down the ground, generally to the boundary, as if he could place each delivery as he liked. I had never seen anything like this before. It may be permissible to give my own first impressions of the great man's bowling. With rather a low action he seemed more to put the ball towards the wicket than to bowl in the conventional manner. I thought that his bowling looked easy for a quick-footed batsman, but he did what he liked with the batsman that day, and this was probably where Ihe snare lay. W.G. was said at that time to be the best change bowler in England.

I imagine that, given a fast wicket, he required a full-sized ground even more than most slow bowlers. And although he might be hit hard and even frequently, his knowledge of the game and complete control of length enabled him to detect any weak spot in the batsman's armour. He took nearly 3000 wickets in his time. Whenever I had the pleasure of seeing W.G. batting I had the impression that he considered that his bat was to be used entirely as a weapon of offence. It was almost unknown for him to leave a ball alone. Partly owing to his immensely powerful build, he could stand great punishment when he was hit by fast bowling on his body. A few days after one match he showed his chest to a friend in the pavilion on the county ground at Bristol. His friend saw what looked like six or seven black puddings round his heart. W.G. said. "Although I am 48 in a couple of months, I don't mind how fast they send them down to me. They can chuck them if they like; the faster they are the better. ""It's the slow ones I don't like. I never did. I knew how they ought to be played, but I was never quickfooted enough to get bang out to them." Although his best cricket days were before the googly was invented, W.G. inarnt to play cricket at the time when shooters were common, but shooters provided no terror for him. It is probable that he derived his supreme batting efficiency from his remarkable physique and immense power, which in turn made it impossible for him to be quick-footed to the same degree as Jessop, who could dash into the middle of a cricket pitch V any ba'l. Nevertheless, W.G. was, as a batsman, far nearer perfection than any man in the Victorian era: and there has never been anybody in the same category against fast bowling, for in his zenith he was a terror to all fast bowlers even on bumping wickets.