In February, 1828, Mr. Knight published his letters in defence of
round-hand bowling. There had been, in the origin of cricket, no law to
restrain the bowlers. About 1804, the batting acquired such mastery,
and forward play with running-in (as Nyren knew) became so vigorous,
that Willes and Tom Walker tried round-hand. This round-hand was
‘straight armed, and for a time (1818–28) did very well, till bowlers
took to raising the hand, even above the head.’ M.C.C. then proclaimed
an edict against all round-hand bowling. Mr. Knight proposed to admit
straight-armed bowling, which could not be called ‘throwing.’ To define
a throw was as hard then as now--a man knows it when he sees it; it is
like the trot in horses. Mr. Knight’s proposed law ran, ‘The ball shall
be bowled; if it be thrown or jerked, or if any part of the hand or arm
be _above_ the _shoulder_ at the time of delivery, the umpire shall
call _No Ball_.’
In one of the trial matches (Sept. 1827) it is said that Mr. Knight,
Broadbridge, and Lillywhite, all bowled high over the shoulder. There
are no wides in the score. When a man was caught, the bowler’s name was
not given. Lillywhite has thus no wicket to his name.
Mr. Knight’s law was discussed at Lord’s (May 19, 1828), and the word
_elbow_ substituted for _shoulder_. But Lillywhite and Broadbridge
bowled as before, and found many followers, till the M.C.C. passed
the law proposed by Mr. Knight. But the hand was soon raised, and the
extraordinary pace of Mr. Mynn (born 1807) was striven for by men who
had not his weight and strength. These excesses caused a re-enactment
of the over-the-shoulder law in 1845.
Lillywhite was now recognised as the reviver of cricket. His analysis
in 1844 and 1845 gives about 6⅞ runs for each wicket. Round-hand, with
a practical license for over-hand, was now established; but, as late as
1860, a high delivery was a rarity. The troublesome case of Willsher
ended in permitting any height of delivery, and the greatest of all
bowlers, Mr. Spofforth, sends in the ball from the utmost altitude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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