The most important fielder is thought by many cricketers to be the bowler, nor do we wish to disparage the judgement of anyone prejudiced in favor of that opinion. But our belief, reached after deliberate thought, is that the wicket keeper who performs his arduous duties successfully, does greater service for his side than even the best bowler. Like the catcher in base ball, his position is one of danger, leg guards and gloves must be added to his outfit to prevent accidents. Even with these, only a man with a cool head, a correct eye, and a safe pair of hands, should attempt wicket keeping. He is almost an “unknown” in American cricket, but if we do not err, Vint of the Irish team, gave some free lessons in the art which will prove most advantageous. In Lockyer’s era the backstop was a factor which modern cricket has abandoned. He was the support of the wicket keeper, whose hands he saved from many hard blows, unnecessarily dealt him by cannon ball bowlers. He it was who performed the drudgery of a match.
Illustration: No. 4--THE HALF FORWARD BLOCK.
“Among the advantages of cricket are the means it affords for physical improvement, the opportunities for bringing rich and poor into friendly communication, the inculcation of gentlemanly feeling, and the principles of mutual charity, good will, and moral harmony.”--_Wisden._
The advent of the fast bowler has been the chief means of changing the wicket keeper into a back fielder, he has at the same time given the opportunity to the aggressive batsman. The chief object of the fast bowler has been to frighten the timid batsman, and drive him to the tent. If he has been the Simon Pure article, he has fulfilled his mission, and even the crack batter has failed to score heavily. But has he not oftener through bumpy ground and wrong pitch, for the faster the bowling, the less control the bowler has over the ball, given the other side the victory? Let not this be considered a plea for the back stop, for he belongs to an almost forgotten age, but it is rather to put a brake upon the “demon” bowler. It is asking too much of a wicket keeper to stop every wild attempt of the machine bowler, or be abused by his side. Speedy bowling, under wise control and supported by prompt and efficient fielding, has distinct advantages, but with slow fielding it is a menace to its own eleven, and has been the means of increasing the score of the adversary, who need not display even good batting to accomplish the result.