Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/114

92 length is often difficult to judge. Some first-class bowlers have done wonders by means of this device—among others, A. G. Steel, W. G. Grace, C. M. Wells, Briggs, Peel, and Tyler.

Fast bowlers, on the other hand, depend in the first instance upon sheer pace to get wickets. They cannot expect to make the ball break more than a few inches, inasmuch as the pace they put on the ball prevents, as already explained, the operation of finger-work. If their actions naturally cause the ball to break, so much the better. But only few are gifted with much action-break. A fast bowler may vary his pace; but not too frequently, otherwise he is liable to become a medium-pace bowler with a fast ball instead of what he ought to be—a fast bowler with an occasional slower or medium-pace ball. His great aim should be to keep a good length with plenty of pace. The faster he can make the ball come from the pitch, the more deadly will he be. Pace from the pitch does not always result from extra exertion in delivering the ball; it comes from spin imparted by wrist "flick," and from freedom of swing. Mold is an excellent example of this point.

Medium-pace bowlers are in a very happy position. They are able to a great extent to unite in their bowling the powers and advantages of the two other kinds. They have enough pure pace to justify their relying to a certain extent upon it—that is, they bowl fast enough to be formidable on that account alone. At the same time, they are not so fast but that they can use wrist- and finger-break. They can change their pace to faster or slower with ease and effect. But, on the whole, medium and slow bowlers have to exercise more head-work and judgment than fast bowlers, to whom within reasonable limits pace is everything. A bowler must find out for himself whether nature intended him to be fast, medium, or slow; and having decided upon the pace that suits him best, he must stick to his choice. It is never quite easy to gauge nature's intentions correctly, so some care and thought must be exercised. It is a good plan to consult an experienced cricketer on the subject. Boys have a decided inclination to be fast bowlers. Pace is evident, and more or less tangible. They naturally devote more attention to that kind of bowling than to slower medium. School authorities are strongly urged to have an eye upon young bowlers and keep them in the way they should go. Good slow and medium-pace bowling is rare among amateurs, and should be encouraged accordingly. It is a long time since a really good slow bowler came from the