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56 lower boy cricket, spot the boy who had cricket in him. Such a boy need not be taken away from his surroundings, but there are sundry hints that may be given him. If he is a fast bowler and is left to himself he will probably overbowl himself; it may then be possible to prevent this. I have known many an instance of a boy of fourteen or fifteen, a bowler of natural spin or break and very fairly accurate; but at seventeen or eighteen what is he? A bowler with tolerable length, but the spin and break are gone for ever. He has been overbowled, or perhaps he has got into a bad habit of bowling beyond his natural pace, or he has bowled in practice and tried tricks, or got into careless ways; all this may have been prevented by kindly advice, but in many cases this advice has not been given and a good bowler has been spoiled.

It is true of matured cricketers that temperament has a great deal to do with success. We all know cricketers whose play at the nets gives one hope of great things in matches, but the result falls far short of the promise. Such a boy wants encouragement, but not very much