Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/81

 if you stand properly and play straight, you ought to be able to keep the ball from hitting your wicket."

Then he would show me how to hold the bat so as to use it freely; give me guard according to the side of the wicket he bowled; place my feet in the proper position, and impress on me the need to stand upright. For months, for years I might say, I had to be content with simply stopping the ball, happy if I could keep it away from the wicket.

"Keep your left shoulder well forward, and get over the ball," he kept drumming into our heads; "until you do that, you will never do any good. And keep your eye fixed on the bowler, and never lose sight of the ball from the time it leaves his hands. There must be no playing or hitting wildly."

I did all that in my own mind as conscientiously and persistently as any boy works at anything he loves; but somehow I could not make the progress I longed for. Too soon would come a ball on the blind spot, and I was beaten. I should like to be able to say that I had no difficulty in learning, and that proficiency came to me much easier than it comes to other boys. The reverse is the truth. I had to work as hard at learning cricket as I ever worked at my profession, or anything else. Very quickly I learned that there was no royal road there, and that if I wanted to be a good cricketer I must persevere. I was fortunate in having a good tutor, and a strong gift of perseverance; that is as much as I can say to students of the game.

For the next two or three years I had to be satisfied with short innings in family practice games. The rule was, fifteen minutes each to the senior members, five minutes to the juniors or more if time allowed; however, I had plenty of fielding, and worked hard at it. E. M. kept us busy in that way; and as Mr. Cave's wood and the quarry were in the direction of long-on, it