Harris was admired for ‘the sweetness of his disposition and his
manly contempt of every action that bore the character of meanness,’
and he chiefly bowled for catches, as did Lord Frederick Beauclerk.
Nyren is no great hand at orthography, and he soon comes to speak of a
Sussex bowler named Wells. This is apparently the Wills, or Willes, who
has more credit than perhaps he deserves for bringing in round-hand.
‘He was the first I had seen of the new school, after the Walkers
had attempted to introduce the system in the Hambledon Club.’ Willes
had a twist from leg, and Nyren thinks Freemantle showed astonishing
knowledge of the game because he went in front of his wicket and hit
Willes, and ‘although before the wicket, he would not have been out,
because the ball had been pitched at the outside of the stump.’ A man
might play hours on that system ‘by _Shrewsbury_ clock,’ but I doubt if
David Harris would have approved of Freemantle’s behaviour.
The student of the evolution of round-hand and over-hand bowling now
turns to the early exploits of William Lillywhite (_b._ June 13,
1792). Whatever Mr. Willes may have done, whatever Tom Walker may have
dreamed, William Lillywhite and Jem Broadbridge are practically the
parents of modern bowling. When Lillywhite came out, the law was that
in bowling the hand must be below the elbow. Following the example of
Mr. G. Knight, of the M.C.C., or rather going beyond it, Lillywhite
raised the hand _above_ the shoulder, though scarcely perceptible.
Lillywhite’s performances in 1827 caused much discussion among
cricketers and in the ‘Sporting Magazine.’ Letters on this subject are
reprinted by Mr. W. Denison, in ‘Sketches of the Players,’ London,
1846.[25]
The last great match of 1827 was between Sussex and Kent, with
Saunders and Searle given. Mr. Denison, reviewing the match at the
time, predicted that if round-hand were allowed, there would be no
driving and no cutting to point or slip. This of course is part of
Unfulfilled Prophecy. ‘Broadbridge and others will shew that they
cannot be faced on hard ground without the most imminent peril.’ As a
compromise, Mr. Denison was for allowing straight-armed bowling, ‘so
that the back of the hand be kept under when the ball is delivered.’
Mr. Steel’s chapter on bowling shows what the effect of that rule must
have been.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account