Page:Out-door Games Cricket and Golf (1901).djvu/76

Rh can come of this, and unless nature works some change, it is probable that such boy will never develop into a really successful bat. He will play an occasional fine innings, but cannot be depended on. On the other hand, as there are some billiard players who may be generally depended on to show their best form when they are far behind, so there are cricketers who appear at their best, the more important the match and the more critical the position. There appears to be some quality or gift in their constitution that can be pulled out when wanted like an organ stop. Nobody is more aware of this than the player himself. I believe nervousness in a greater or lesser degree is common to all, but it is certain that while this affects some boys and men so as to discount much of their skill, in others it hardly affects their play at all.

School cricket has every element of fun and enjoyment in it; the scoring is not too high, for the wickets are not always dead true; the hits, except in the school matches, are all run out, the spirits are elastic, and hope springs eternal in the boyish breast. The school hours