London Society Volume 21 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1872 Excerpt: ...of the bat. It would not be necessary to add a fourth stump; by making each stump one-fourth of an inch more in diameter a considerable effect would be obtained, and the unwieldiness of the four-stump wicket would be avoided. But, we hear it said from the anti-alteration party, this would utterly change the game; it would be quite impossible to play off-stump balls with a straight bat, and all the evils of crooked play and unscientific hitting would bo introduced at once. You would compel a man either to stand with his leg in front of his wicket, or to play across at balls that are straight for the offstump. This argument would be important if it was founded on correct premises; but we maintain that it is not. Supposing the change to make tho difference of three-fourths of an inch in tho breadth of the wicket, it would bo necessary for the batsman to play as straight balls thoso which now would miss the off-stump by threefourths of an inch. And how are they played? Mr. Grace, with his marvellous eye, can cut them to a certainty, or treat them as balls which would not hit the wicket; but by far the greater number of players play them with a straight bat to tho left-hand of the bowler, or towards long-off. Tho difference would be, that instead of doing so ex abundante cauteld, as at present, batsmen would be obliged to treat theso balls as straight, and to play them in the way we have described, under pain of losing their wicket: and we are confident that it would bo as much within the power of a player to guard his off-stump with a straight bat then as it is now. It would not be so easy, we admit; but our aim is to add to the batsman's difficulties. Against taking from tho breadth of the bat we have met with no sound argument; and we are not disposed to cont...