Page:The Bromsgrovian, 1883-06-08, New Series, Volume 2, Number 5.pdf/23



As hardly a day has passed this term on which I have not been present either at the games or the practice in the cricket field, I think I may claim to be heard when I venture a suggestion. Now it is only too painfully clear that whatever may be our shortcomings in batting and bowling, they are as nothing compared to the exhibition which we invariably make of ourselves in the field, and this certainly springs from one cause, and one only—a lack of real wish to improve, and consequent slackness of effort. It was the same story at Eton in years past. No one ever saw an Eton and Winchester match without remarking on the "dark blues superiority here even when they were beaten hollow at all other points. And the reason was that they tried and we did not. Unless the playground is occupied at every spare moment of the day by boys throwing catches to each other and "feeling the ball" till they are practically sure of holding anything which they can reach, we shall see bad fielding, catches dropped all round in games and matches, for as everyone knows a catch is never certain while there is nervousness, and nothing except familiarity will breed contempt for sharp chances and smarting fingers. Besides, as every cricketer knows, it is not a catch that stings, it is the ball that just nips the tip of the fingers or pounds the ball of the thumb to a jelly in revenge for being dropped. Be it well understood I do not call for any regulations on the subject. We have quite enough of them already, and nothing would be so fatal to cricket as the danger of its degenerating into a sort of school instead of the best of games. Let there only be cricket balls provided for volunteers, old and young, yea, even to the lowest depths of the first form, and every encouragement given to this department by those in authority, and I firmly believe boys will find, as all old Wyhehamists say they did, that batting and bowling are not the only interesting parts of the game, and then perhaps also there will be a public opinion in the school that missing a catch or letting a ball slip through a pair of greased fingers and legs is a disgrace, and the mark of a duffer. We have our punt about in the winter at all odd moments, so there can be nothing unreasonable in wishing that every time we come into the playground on summer evenings we could see the centre of attraction—a good half-dozen of cricket balls flying to all parts of the heaven, and not on the ground.

Yours truly, C. F. CROWDER.