Tryout

“ FIELDING AND THROWING-IN. The future of Cricket lies less perhaps with reform of the game itself than with more adequate preparation for play, so that each part of each department of it may be better done—done with more skill, more enjoyment, more profit. And of all departments fielding needs most care and favour. It must become so good and so interesting as to be a pride and a pleasure, instead of—as it now is—a dulness and a drudgery. ”

“ You are in the game to act. Hurry up and do as your coach and trainer advise you. If you know more about the game than they do, it is time for you to quit. Hurry up and always block your inside man if you are playing on the line of scrimmage. Hurry up and get versatile. Do not be a machine player in your individual position. ”

“ It neither requires speed, nor agility, nor wit. The game is played by one boy resting his head against a wall and making a back, upon which the other jumps, who, when seated, holds up as many of his fingers as he pleases, and cries, "Buck, Buck, how many horns do I hold up?" The player who is leaped upon, now makes a guess; if he guesses correctly, it is his turn to leap, if not, the leaper leaps again. ”

“ Now in any game, when you have to meet a definite attack of an opponent—this necessity does not apply to a game like golf, or croquet, or billiards, since in such games you have to do the best you can yourself, without fear of active opposition—there is a golden rule, which has never been enough insisted on, and it is the rule that lies at the base of all we have said{242} about training generally, as applied to games. Practice is at the root of it, and the object is to get so familiar with the stroke dictated by the exigencies of the moment, that it is practically automatic. ”

“ If he misses, he continues to roll until he succeeds. If he succeeds, the one, into whose hole the ball rolls, runs forward, picks it up and endeavors to hit any other player from the position in which he picked up the ball. ”

“ Besides strengthening his muscles, increasing his wind, helping him in his confidence, sharpening his eye, training his judgment, adding to his speed, practice assists a player, on each occasion, to become proficient in the necessary art of stick-handling, and to regard himself and the other members of his team, as one well lubricated piece of machinery. ”

“ Even the ubiquitous fielders should not give free license to a passion for dodging.
Never attempt to dodge near your own goal. The worst player may perhaps check you, by accident if not by skill. When the ball is at either goal, no risk should be run in experimenting. Keep your wits about you, and look out for rear checks. ”

“ Our theory is that young player should be taught progressively a systematic squad drill, beginning with picking up and mastering the ball on the Crosse, until they know the principles of throwing, catching, checking, &c.; and that the twelve selected to play on a match should all play on one side at practice as much as possible. ”

“ It teaches one to bend quickly, to extend quickly; it cultivates pluck and patience and observation, since the wicket-keeper must stand firm and wait and watch each ball if he hopes not to be hurt.
Every cricketer—I would go so far as to say every ordinary human being—should learn and practise throwing-in. Dr. Grace says that the player “should practise picking-up and throwing-in underhand.” ”

“ When you have attended to them, you have done all that you are able to do as far as preparation for the struggle is concerned; you have determined to leave nothing to chance, and now you are at the wicket, and it is simply a matter of skill and luck whether you are going to perform brilliantly or indifferently. With all good cricketers, as with all good soldiers, drill and attention to little things have become a doctrine, and a doctrine that is worthy of attention. ”

“ Unless you succeed in taking this creature in, you will never succeed in capturing him. This is no open onslaught, as is the case in shooting and hunting. Strategy is your only chance, and the more deeply laid your plot, the greater is your chance of succeeding.
There is one element in the construction of this deeply-laid scheme which requires to be considered with an especial carefulness. The structure of the fly which is to be set before the trout on whose capture we are bent is an ingredient in the transaction the importance of which must by no means be overlooked. ”

“ This drill consists in throwing a ball against a wall, and catching it, with the following variations. It may be used for individual play, or for competition between two players, or as a game for large numbers. When used for large numbers, the players should be divided into several teams of equal numbers, each player throwing in turn for as many feats as he can perform without failure, each successful feat or play scoring one point for his team. He gives place to the next player upon failing. ”

“ You can play golf without having to go into training for it."
"Nevertheless, West," replied the head coach, "if a fellow can play golf without being in training, doesn't it stand to reason that the same fellow can play a better game if he is in training? That is, won't he play a better game if he is in better trim?" ”

“ I need hardly say that jumping off your feet for a high catch, and rushing in to a ball and patting it up in the air and catching it the second attempt, are all arts of first-rate practitioners.
Safe Hands.—Your hands should be on the rat-trap principle,—taking anything in, and letting nothing out again. Of course a ball has a peculiar feeling and spin off a bat quite different from a throw; so practise accordingly. By habit hand and eye will go together: what the eye sees the right part of the hand will touch by a natural adjustment. ”

“ It is certainly a misnomer to call these races a trial of speed. They would more properly be known as a trial of skill in horse-jockeying, of attempts to deceive the bystanders—in a word, a perfect gambling-shop. ”

“ That practice of this kind or indeed any sort of training will not be worth while, is a fallacy that has been exposed at the beginning of the chapter on Training. Even if Cricket led to nothing at all, training would{213} still be as useful as most things that we attend to. But Cricket can make one fitter for all-round activity, and proper practice and training must make one fitter for Cricket—fitter in skill, fitter in endurance, fitter in every way. ”

“ We have often let balls through and failed to practice what we preach; but we feel that if we had our goal-keeping life to live over again, we would insist upon special practice; and with a month’s such training, we believe we would defy anyone to put the ball in. Of late, however, there has been encouragement shown to dangerous throws at goal, such as the throw from the shoulder; and notwithstanding that these methods of play have caused accidents, and have made several good players give up playing altogether, they are still in vogue. ”

“ More than twenty times both the pursued and the pursuer glided by him, just without the reach of his oars, until he thought the best way to view the sport was to remain stationary, and, by watching a favorable opportunity, assist as much as he could in taking the victim. ”

“ If one or more players succeed in crowning the chief, each successful player has a second chance before the sides change. The side that succeeds in oftenest crowning its opponent's chief wins the game. The limit of the game is usually placed at six trials for each side. ”

“ In my own case, thanks to careful guidance, I was early taught to keep my wicket up, never to hit recklessly, always to play straight or good-length balls with force, and if possible away from the fielders. Habits of that kind thoughtfully cultivated will not desert you in first-class cricket. Great scores at cricket, like great work of any kind, are, as a rule, the results of years of careful and judicious training and not accidental occurrences. ”

“ When your adversary is bearing his men, and you have two men in his table, say, on his ace-point, and several men in the outer table, it is to your advantage to leave one man on the ace-point, because it prevents his bearing his men to the greatest advantage, and gives you the chance of his leaving a blot. But if you find that you can probably save the gammon by bringing both your men out of his table, do not wait for a blot. Eight points is the average throw. ”

“ Practice will reveal the secret of running in; only, run with your hands near the ground, so as not to have suddenly to stoop; and, keep your eyes well open, not losing the ball for an instant. In fielding, as in batting, you must study all the varieties of balls, whether tices, half-volleys, or other lengths. ”

“ Now, in a school Eleven, running notches can be practised with security, because with mutaal dependence; though I would warn good players that, among strangers in a country match, sharp running is a dangerous game. ”

“ Similarly, he may capture any player on team B who ventured forth before he did, but must be on his guard against any who came out after he did. Stepping over the side lines while being chased is equivalent to being caught ”

“ The distance was a hundred yards, and the weapon was to be used without a rest; the target, a board, with the customary circular lines in white paint, having the bull's-eye in the centre. The first trials in skill commenced with challenges among the more ignoble of the competitors to display their steadiness and dexterity in idle competition. None but the common men engaged in this strife, which had little to interest the spectators, among whom no officer had yet appeared. ”

“ Traveling in that rough country after dark is not attractive to one who is not looking for trouble. So I mounted my 15 horse and began to occupy myself with observing game signs and incidentally thought of the camp-fire and kettle.
It is interesting to notice how strangely the element of luck will enter into a sportsman’s experience. One day, after hunting faithfully from early dawn until evening without success, I concluded to vary the monotony by shooting at a mark. ”

“ Let these same players take half an hour's practice every day for a month, and they will find an improvement in their fielding such as they would have hardly deemed possible. The only feasible way of obtaining practice is for some one to hit the ball to you from all sorts of distances, varying from 10 yards to 70, as this range will include different kinds of chances, from "slip" catches to catches in the long field. ”

“ The competitor will stand at and behind the scratch, facing as he pleases, grasping the weight by the handle, and shall throw it with one hand. Touching the ground in front of the scratch with any portion [54] of the person, before the weight alights, shall make the attempt "no throw," which counts as "a try." Letting go of the weight in an attempt shall count as "a try." Each competitor allowed three trials, and the best three men have three more trials each. Each competitor shall be credited with the best of all his throws. ”

“ After men have thrown in the open for a sufficient period, they should proceed to the next stage: This is the stage of throwing in a cage or from behind and over obstacles. There are three distinct phases of this feature of the training: (1.) The thrower sees the target but must throw over an obstacle. (2.) The target is invisible; the thrower is aided by an observer and a periscope; the observer notes the fall of the grenades and gives directions as follows—"So many yards right or left" or "Shorten or lengthen so many yards." (3.) Actual throwing in trenches. ”

“ To score hundreds and to have a big average of anything over 20 or 25 ought to be in the power or capacity of the few, not of the many; as it is, the fact that any fool is able to get runs simply means drawn matches. ”

“ The first result of a course of study of such wars and battles, and practice with such problems, was a skill in decision a little like that developed in any competitive game, say tennis, whist, chess, poker, boxing, and the like—whereby any action of your adversary brings an instantaneous and almost automatic reply from you, that you could not have made so skilfully and quickly before you had practised at the game ”

“ By universal consent, cover-point, mid-off, extra-cover, and third man are the three posts where ground fielding is all-important; they get catches, often very warm ones, but on these four men lies the responsibility of stopping, if possible, all the cuts and off-drives, the commonest and hardest of hits ”

“ In learning to catch, the first thing, of course, is to acquire a correct style, that is, an approved position of body, hands, and feet, the best manner of catching a ball, the proper place to stand, how to throw quickly, and the best motion for throwing. ”

“ When the nearest point is reached—and one learns by experience to judge by the demeanour of the game when they will permit no nearer approach—the opportune moment must be seized; the first barrel put in smartly on the ground, and more deliberate aim taken with the second as they rise. ”

“ Yet, when you think about it, you will perceive that the advantage a checker has in not having a ball to manage, is often counteracted by the fact that while he has to act on the spontaneous impulse of the moment, in the majority of cases, the dodger can pre-determine his dodge, and have the advantage of the start. ”

“ Progress will show in your averages. They will creep up a few points at a time. It will be a proud day when you "break" three hundred. Eventually you will shoot consistently in the four hundreds; and that is about as far as you will go unless you devote yourself to the target game, and confine yourself to its lighter tackle and the super refinements of its delicate technique. ”