BODYLINE BOWLING

Southland Times, Issue 22486, 23 November 1934, Page 7

BODYLINE BOWLING

RULING BY M.C.C. COMMITTEE. AMENDED LEG BEFORE RULE. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, November 21. The Marylebone Cricket Club Committee has issued a statement in which it says it considers that there is evidence of cases of bowlers directly attacking batsmen on various occasions last season. Consequently, in order to remove any misunderstanding as to what constitutes a direct attack and is therefore unfair, the committee has ruled that it consists of persistent, systematic bowling of fast, short-pitched balls at a batsman standing clear of the wicket. The committee is instructing umpires that any action to prevent this type of bowling will be strongly supported by the committee. The committee decided by a large majority to give a trial throughout the 1935 season to the following amended leg before rule: “The striker is out if with any part of his person, except his hands, which is between wicket and wicket, he intercepts a ball which in the opinion of the umpire at the bowler’s end is pitched in a straight line from the bowler’s wicket to the striker’s wicket or is pitched on the offside of the striker’s wicket and would have hit it.”

The present leg before rule reads: “The striker is out if with any part of his person he stops the ball which in the opinion of the umpire at the bowler’s wicket shall have been pitched in a straight line from it to the wicket and would have hit it.”