Success in this place depends almost entirely on natural gifts, and
there are two distinctly different methods of first-class fielding
in this place. One is the point, who seems nearly to have solved the
problem of perpetual motion, and bounds about everywhere, rushing in at
one ball and right in front of the wicket to the next, but whose first
position is closer in than more stationary fields at the same place.
The other variety of point stands a yard or two further from the wicket
and is more stationary, and his specialty consists in being a grabber
of every ball within his reach. The right way of standing is shown
in the figure opposite. There are plenty of good fields at point who
stand differently from this, but we are trying to teach those who are
not good fields, and we think that this figure is a good position. The
important point to observe is that you can move quicker when one foot
is drawn a little behind the other, and Carpenter and other good fields
used always to stand thus. Some critics would say that point ought to
stoop more, and no doubt some good points do. Each must choose his own
elevation as far as this goes, but we feel sure that a great many balls
go over the point’s head when he stoops very much, and that on the
whole the figure shows the best stoop. The stationary and the restless
both have their merits and both have their characteristics. The tall
man with a long reach nearly always adopts the stationary position, and
no hit is too hard for him to face. Of course he ought to stand ready
to start quickly, but his business consists in covering as much ground
as possible from very nearly one position, and he must have a good
aptitude for getting his hand in the right place to stop the ball.
[Illustration: Point.]
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account