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Across the line -- (of batting shot) in which the bat swings across the path of the ball, rather than along it. Risky, since it requires expert timing to make good contact.

AGM -- See Annual General Meeting.

Agricultural shot -- See Cow shot.

All out -- The batting team is said to be all out when ten of its eleven batsmen are dismissed. The eleventh batsman cannot continue without a partner, and is recorded as 'not out' in the scorebook.

All-rounder -- A player who can both bat and bowl, or occasionally, both bat and keep wicket. (Bowler-wicketkeeper all-rounders are a rare breed.) Strictly speaking, a true all-rounder would be worth his place as a specialist in either role, although such players at Test level come along very infrequently. As a guide, an all-rounder's batting average ought to be at least equal to his bowling average. A true all-rounder can bat at number 6 (See Batting order), thus giving the side the 'ideal' balance of five bowlers, six batsmen and a specialist wicketkeeper. I.T.Botham (b.1955), who scored 5200 runs and took 383 wickets in 102 Tests between 1977 and 1992, was the last to fill this role for England.

Annual General Meeting -- A requirement under English law of any private members' club, at which accounts are presented, officers elected and the club's policy decided for the year to come.

Appeal -- The fielding side's invitation to the umpire to give a batsman out, answered with an upraised finger or a call of 'not out'. Any member of the side may make an appeal, but if the fielding captain feels a batsman has been given out wrongly - for example, a catch not taken cleanly - he may withdraw the appeal and reinstate the batsman.

Arm ball -- A finger-spinner's delivery bowled without spin, in the hope of deceiving the batsman into allowing for turn that does not come.

Ashes -- Test series between England and Australia are played for The Ashes. In 1883, Australia beat England at The Oval for the first time in England. This led an English sporting paper, The Sporting Times, to publish a mock obituary of English cricket, which concluded with the words, "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." Accounts vary, but the 'body' was in fact a bail (or two, or a stump) which had been burned by "certain ladies." The ashes were placed in a tiny, goblet-shaped urn only four inches high and the urn was presented to the Honorable Ivo Bligh (later Lord Darnley). In his will, Lord Darnley bequeathed the urn to the M.C.C. Nowadays, the urn itself is kept permanently in the Long Room at Lord's, but the side that last won a Test series between the two countries is said to hold The Ashes. In the event of a tied series, the holding country retains The Ashes. After the present series, The Ashes will next be contested in the Australian summer of 1998-99.

Aunt Fanny -- See Bush, Frances Jemima.

Average, batting -- The total of a batsman's runs during the period for which the average is calculated, divided by the number of his completed innings, i.e. the number of times he was out in that period. An average of 40 is considered proficient, 50 outstanding. D.G.Bradman (Australia) averaged 99.6 in Tests.

Average, bowling -- The total of runs scored off a bowler in the period to which the average refers, divided by the number of wickets he took in that period. A proficient bowler will aim for an average of less than 30.

AXA Equity and Law -- See Competitions, domestic.

Backing up -- Backing up: (1) Non-striker's action in walking up the pitch as the bowler bowls, in order to be ready for a quick run (similar to 'taking a lead' in baseball.) As the ball is in play at this point, he risks being run out if the bowler spots him out of his ground, although some batsmen seem to regard such a dismissal as unsporting conduct on the bowler's part, rather than sloppy cricket on their own. (2) Fielder's action in taking a position on the opposite side of the wicket from the fielder throwing the ball, in order to prevent overthrows. Its absence is the principal cause of recrimination within club second XIs.

Backward -- Fielding position prefix indicating 'slightly behind square' - usually used only as backward point or backward square leg.

Bad light -- The cause of several near-riots in Test match crowds. The law makes provision for the umpires to suspend play if, in their opinion, there is a risk of serious injury to the batsmen due to poor visibility. Recently, however, their concern appears to have been more for the batsmen's wickets than their safety, hence the spectators' disgruntlement. Many one-day matches are now played under floodlights; first class playing conditions do not at present allow this, but moves are afoot to permit their use as a supplement to natural light in Test matches. Indeed, floodlights have been used to keep the teams on the field during Australia's 1997-8 series against New Zealand and South Africa.

Bad luck, mate -- Remark made by the batsmen in the fielding side to a dismissed opponent who, in trying to hit a good-length ball through the covers with his bat at an angle, has been bowled off the inside edge of the bat.

Bails -- The two pegs that are held horizontally in grooves at the top of the stumps. The bails and stumps together comprise a wicket. Please see this diagram for a graphical representation of the wicket.

Ball -- (1) Constructed of a cork centre wound with string, with a cover of polished red leather, a cricket ball weighs 5.5 oz. At most levels of the game, each innings begins with a new ball, whose gradual softening and loss of shine cause its behaviour to change as the innings progresses. (2) A delivery from the bowler.

Ball tampering -- Currently out of fashion as a topic for cricketing debate, but much in vogue following England's Test series against Pakistan in 1992, in which a ball was changed by the umpires without explanation, and South Africa in 1994. Ball tampering takes two main forms, both of which are illegal. Some bowlers use tools or their fingernails to raise the seam, thereby making it more likely to swing. More recently, bowlers have damaged the surface of one side of the ball, making reverse swing easier to achieve.

Barmy Army -- England's hardcore travelling support on winter tours, readily identifiable by their red faces, bare, invariably sunburnt torsoes, beer bellies and what might loosely be called singing. Recent (March 1998) events have given them a problem, in that their signature chant relies heavily on the scansion of "Atherton's Barmy Army". They - alone - must be disappointed that Adam Hollioake will not be succeeding to the captaincy, since the only other likely candidates, Alec Stewart and Nasser Hussain, don't scan nearly so well. They may be able to do something with Ramprakash in a couple of years, though.

Bat -- The wooden paddle with which the batsman defends his wicket and scores his runs. The law limits its width to 4.25 inches and its length to 38 inches, although such a bat would be too long even for a batsman of six foot five. There is no limit on weight, although most bats weigh between 36 and 48 ounces. The blade of the bat has a flat face, slightly rounded at the edges; the back is shaped so that the blade is only about an inch thick at the shoulders, but swells to form a hump about six inches from the toe. This corresponds to the middle or 'sweet spot' of the bat, where its hitting power is greatest. The handle is made of as many as 12 pieces of cane, with rubber leaves to provide springing. The quality of the handle can make a huge difference to the feel and performance of a bat, so much so that most makers offer a 'reblading' service, where a cracked or worn-out blade is replaced, so the batsman can continue with a trusted handle. Many modern handles are oval in section, which allows the batsman to judge the correct position of his hands more easily than a round handle. The handle is wound with string and covered with one or more tubular rubber grips, according to the batsman's preference and the size of his hands. Replacing a grip is a job akin to fitting a tyre to a tractor wheel - only much, much harder. Do not try this at home.

Bat-pad -- Fielding position close in on off or leg side, too close to catch a well-hit ball, but ready for one that hits the edge of the bat and rebounds from the pad.

Batting order -- The order in which the members of a team go out to bat. A batsman is referred to individually by a number, according to his position in the order. Numbers 1 and 2 open the innings (number 1 faces the first ball), number 3 comes in at the fall of the first wicket, and so on down to number 11, who comes in when nine wickets have fallen. Typically, numbers 1 to 6 are specialist batsmen, the wicketkeeper bats at 7, followed by the specialist bowlers. Top-order (1,2,3) batsmen have to be adept against pace and the new ball; 4 and 5 will often be the two most attacking batsmen, while 5 or 6 may be the best place for a 'spin specialist', who is most useful when the ball is older and the slow bowlers are in action. Below number 6, specialization ceases to matter, and the order is decided on a linear scale of ability. C.R.Williams had one outing at 8 this season, but otherwise seldom bats higher than 10.

Batting shots -- See Block, Chinese cut, Cut, Drive, Edge, Flash, French cut, Glance, Harrow drive, Hook, Late cut, Leg glance, Lofted drive, Pull, Reverse sweep, Slog, Square cut, Sweep.

BBC -- British Broadcasting Corporation. Presently celebrating the 75th anniversary of its inception as the British Broadcasting Company in 1922, the BBC became the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1924. It is not, as is commonly believed abroad, the broadcasting arm of the British state - witness the Conservative government's fury that the BBC dared to report the civilian casualties in the US raid on Libya in 1986. The BBC's domestic radio and television services are funded not from taxes but by the 100-pound annual licence fee paid by owners of television sets, and by revenue from sales of programmes abroad, titles such as BBC Good Trousers Magazine, and tickets to fights over Teletubbies dolls. (The BBC is to be commended, incidentally, for its philanthropic action in helping Mike Gatting, Ian Botham, Andy Moles and Merv Hughes on a new career in childrens' entertainment at the end of their playing days. For those who have no idea what we're talking about, this picture probably won't help.)

BBC TV provides live coverage of all the Test matches in the English summer, although with annoying interruptions for such trivial events as Wimbledon and Royal Ascot. (How can a two-minute horse race take up 20 minutes of TV time? It gets more preamble and post-(non-)event blather than an entire day's play, and all for a load of walking dogfood, for heaven's sake!) Ahem. The BBC also covers the later rounds of the NatWest Trophy, and occasional Sunday League thrashes. Meanwhile, BBC Radio covers all this and more under the banner of Test Match Special. (It tends to be called TMS even when the match it is covering is a One-Day International or the Benson and Hedges final.) No horses here, the only interruptions are for the Shipping Forecast - Dogger, ct Fisher b German Bight, Forties, that sort of thing - although I'm sure the seamen would prefer to have even this shifted a few minutes so as not to spoil the flow.

Beamer -- A fast, head-high full toss. Beamers are dangerous, and a bowler who bowls one on purpose will be warned by the umpire and, if he persists, prevented from bowling again in that innings.

Behind the bowler's arm -- Most cricket grounds have large, white sightscreens at either end, to provide a clear, unobstructed background against which the batsman can see the ball. Anything moving in front of or close to the screen at the bowler's end causes a distraction, and play will be held up until it is removed. On a club ground, such delays are usually caused by wandering dogs, American tourists or members of the batting side walking the boundary when they think the captain might be looking for someone to take over the scorebook. At a Test match, it is more likely to be a corporate guest in a hideous blazer, wobbling back from his hospitality lunch at ten to three. (In English Tests, play resumes at 1:40.)

Benaud, Richie -- Former Australian captain (b. 1930) and the first player to take 200 wickets and score 2000 runs for that country. Now the best TV commentator on cricket or, arguably, any sport. Perhaps most noteworthy is his technique of saying nothing until he has something worth saying. To appreciate the value of this, see how long you can listen to Tony Lewis saying 'one more run to Steve Waugh' before you hit the Mute button. Benaud's only weakness is a peculiar fascination with the supposed unfairness of the front-foot no-ball law, but even this seems to have diminished in recent years.

Benefit -- The traditional reward given each season by an English county club to one of its long-serving players, usually in his tenth full season with the club. It consists of a season-long programme of fund-raising events, usually special matches and dinners. The proceeds are given favourable tax treatment by the Inland Revenue, since the benefit is intended to provide the player's retirement fund. The England captain, Mike Atherton, recently declared a profit of 307,000 pounds (500,000 USD) from his benefit with Lancashire during the 1997 season. This is an exceptional sum - indeed a club record. 100,000 pounds is more typical for less high-profile players. The benefit system originated at a time when professional cricketers were very poorly paid (although even today, only a few players make pots of money from the game). Many observers now regard it as outdated and counter-productive, since county committees, understandably reluctant to deny a loyal but underachieving player security in his retirement, will keep him on until his benefit season, often at the expense of a young player in need of experience. Those same observers would like to see benefits replaced by a more equitable, centrally-funded pension scheme for professional players.

Benefit seaon -- See Benefit.

Benson and Hedges Cup -- See Competitions, domestic.

Best bowling -- The occasion on which a bowler has bowled most consistently or effectively, and done most to help his team win the match. Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you? In fact, it tends to be used as a statistician's equivalent to a batsman's highest score, and is simply the occasion on which he took most wickets in an innings, with the number of runs conceded used as a tie-breaker. So a bowler's career summary may show his 'best bowling' as six for 150, when the opposition made 600 and won by an innings, ignoring the time he took five for 25 and turned a low-scoring match in his side's favour.

Block -- A defensive batting shot, purely to keep the ball off the wicket.

Blocker -- A batsman of sound defensive technique, and sometimes little else. May be useful as an opener, where his sheer stubbornness can blunt the new-ball bowling and bore the bowlers into making mistakes. Later in the innings, his lack of scoring shots can stall the team's momentum and hand the initiative back to the opposition. G. Boycott (b.1940) played this role for England in 108 Tests between 1964 and 1982, making 8114 runs; the present captain, M.A.Atherton (b.1968) does it now.

Blockhole -- The depression sometimes made in a dusty pitch where the batsmen take guard. A ball 'in the blockhole' is a yorker-length delivery.

Bodyline -- Tactic employed by England during the 1932-33 Ashes series in Australia. By setting a predominantly leg side field and having his fast bowlers bowl at the batsman's body to generate catches, England captain D.R.Jardine won the Ashes but came close to destroying the Commonwealth. In the aftermath of this notorious series, the law was changed to limit the number of fielders behind square on the leg side to two, to prevent further use of this tactic.

Bosie -- See Googly

Bouncer -- A fast, shortpitched ball, bowled to rise off the pitch to the height of the batsman's chest or head. Legal, and less dangerous than the beamer, but the umpire may still warn and remove a bowler who bowls bouncers merely to intimidate the batsman.

Boundary -- (1) The edge of the playing area, usually 60 to 80 yards from the wicket and marked by a line, rope or fence. In this diagram the boundary would be represented by the black line bordering the edge of the diagram. However, in practice, there is no fixed size or shape for the field, although large deviations from a low-eccentricity ellipse are discouraged. (2) A ball that crosses the boundary, scoring four runs if it touches the ground first, or six if it reaches the boundary on the full.

Bowled -- The most basic, and still the most satisfying, way to get a batsman out. The batsman is out bowled if the ball, either straight from the bowler's hand or by way of the batsman's bat or body, hits his wicket with enough force to dislodge at least one bail. Incidentally, if proof were needed that cricket is the natural game of the pedant, the MCC sees fit to state in the laws that if the ball hits the the wicket by way of the pad, even if it satisfies the criteria for an lbw, the batsman is out bowled, not lbw. How many bowlers, having uprooted the off stump, would appeal for lbw? I suppose it must have happened.

Bowling, bowler, bowl -- A player who bowls is known as a bowler. Bowling is the act of propelling the ball with a straight arm towards the batsman's wicket. The ball is not thrown - if the bowler straightens his elbow in delivery, the umpire calls 'no-ball' - hence the need for fast bowlers to run up to 30 yards to build up sufficient speed. The bowler will usually aim to hit the ball on the pitch before it reaches the batsman - a full toss is easy to hit. A fast bowler will bowl at speeds in the range of 80-90 mph. A medium pace bowler will bowl from 60-80 mph. A spin bowler will typically bowl at speeds in the range of 45-55 mph.

Bowling a maiden over -- To bowl an over in which no runs are scored off the bat, nor from a wide or no-ball.

[Editor's note: Whereas we realize that this traditional best man's joke was outlawed by the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1927, we feel in the interest of bringing cricket and all its nuances to America, it should be repeated in this glossary.]

Bowling analysis -- The section at the bottom of the scoresheet in which each ball bowled is recorded. At the end of the innings, this data is then used to produce summary statistics for each bowler, his 'bowling figures'. The values usually given are the number of overs bowled, the number of those that were maidens, the number of runs conceded and the number of wickets taken. Sometimes these are given just as numbers, without explanation, but the sequence is always the same, so '17-5-36-3' means '17 overs, five maidens, three for 36'. Incidentally, partial overs, usually where the innings ended midway through an over, are recorded as pseudo-decimals, so '12.5 overs' means 12 overs and five balls.

Bowling crease -- One of the two transverse lines at either end of the pitch, on which the wickets are set. Please see this diagram for a graphical representation of the pitch. Formerly significant in the definition of a no-ball, since 1967 the bowling crease has had no relevance during the game itself (see Benaud, Richie)

Bowling figures -- A bowler's summary statistics produced at the end of an innings. See Bowling analysis.

Box -- Curiously known in cricket catalogues as an 'abdominal protector', this is a batsman's best friend and the first piece of cricket equipment a new player should own. The only thing worse than tucking in a cold box from one's own bag is borrowing a warm, sweaty one from someone else's.

While we deem it inappropriate for a conservative web site like ours to present a photographic rendering of a box as it would appear in actual use, we thought that perhaps the photograph to the right (of West Indies captain Brian Lara taken only seconds after being struck "in the box" by a hard delivery from Andrew Caddick during the 1998 West Indies Tour) would suffice to convey the absolute importance of this vital piece of cricketing protective equipment. The photograph to the left, taken only seconds later (although we suppose it seemed more like a lifetime to Mr. Lara) would serve to drive home the idea to an even greater degree.

Bradman, D.G. -- Sir Donald Bradman (b.1908) dominated his chosen sport of cricket like no other has dominated any sport. Clearly the best batsman to have played the modern game he was a relentless accumulator of runs, often at a rapid rate. He holds or held almost too many records to tabulate. His Test record was such that he was only four runs short of averaging 100. No other player in the history of the game has averaged over 65 in international cricket. He took few risks, but was proficient with all strokes. His best scoring stroke was probably the pull, played all along the ground in the arc from mid on to backward square leg. He was an excellent field, particularly in the covers, and a capable leg spin bowler. He made 19 hundreds against England between 1928 and 1948, including two triple centuries and 6 double centuries. And of course, he set the world's record score of 452 not out vs. Queensland in 1930. He was Australia's captain between 1936 and 1948, during which time his side won 11 tests, to England's 3. He kept the Ashes through 4 series.

Broken wicket -- The wicket is said to be 'broken' or 'down' when one or both bails have been dislodged from their grooves by the ball. If - for example, when the batsmen are running overthrows from a rebound - a fielder wants to break a wicket whose bails are already off, he may first replace a bail, or knock or pull a stump from the ground while touching it with the ball. Don't worry - I've never seen this happen! See also Down wicket.

Bush, Frances Jemima -- England's foremost cricket fan, the author of this 'ere glossary. Frances Jemima Bush was born in Madras in 1924, the youngest of three children of William Bush, a District Commissioner in the Colonial Service. She had a conventional Colonial childhood - seven years of abusing the natives before being sent away to boarding school in England.

When her parents died in the terrible poppadom riots of 1933, nine-year-old Frances knew that she would never return to India. Fortunately, the end of her school term coincided with her uncle Richard's release, and from then on she spent the holidays on his farm in Wiltshire. It was there that she developed what was to be a life-long interest in meat in general and sausages in particular, and as she grew towards womanhood, her aptitude for handling a carcass was a source of great comfort to her uncle.

In 1942, Frances enlisted in the Women's Royal Air Force, where she met and fell in love with Roger Wright-Upham, a young officer who was serving in Wellingtons with her elder brother Ginger. The following year, however, both Roger and Ginger failed to return from a disastrous raid on a Bratwurst factory at Bremen, and Frances, heart-broken, vowed to devote herself to rebuilding the base's shattered morale by providing the young men around her with some home comforts. Her summers on the farm had equipped her well for this, and her cries of "Who's for toad-in-the-hole?" and "Get your spotted dick over here" soon made her a mess-tent favourite.

Frances was discharged from the WRAF on medical grounds early in 1944 and was taken on as a junior housemistress by a girls' boarding school near Hastings. Her accommodation was spartan, even by RAF standards, but what she missed most was the vibrancy of service life and the handsome young men at the base.

Help was at hand, though. The approach of D-Day brought a camp of American GIs to a neighbouring village, and Frances got the headmistress's approval to use the school's extensive facilities to arrange dinner-dances and entertainments for the men. Within weeks, Hastings was the US Army's most popular posting in England and the GIs so appreciated Frances's work that they brought her fabrics and furnishings to help make her rooms more hospitable.

Frances encouraged the headmistress to help her with the organization, and the GIs responded in kind. Soon, the headmistress had refurbished her own threadbare residence, and by the end of the War, the school had the funds for its long-awaited auditorium.

By this time, Frances had risen rapidly to become the school's senior housemistress, and when the old head retired in 1951, Frances was the automatic choice to succeed her. She held the post for over thirty years, throughout which she maintained the tradition of close contact with the US Air Force base established nearby after the War. In that time, the school grew from the modest institution it had been in 1944 to be one of the best-appointed schools in England. One notable Old Girl, now an eminent diplomat, said that it had done "More to improve Trans-atlantic relations than the Foreign Office could in a hundred years".

Frances retired in 1987, when flare-ups of an infection she believes dates from insect bites received during her childhood in India became more frequent. She was awarded the MBE for "Services to the Atlantic Alliance", and now lives with her sister Ginny in Tunbridge Wells. Her old affliction means she is no longer very mobile, but she keeps in touch with her old GI friends via the alt.fanny.bush newsgroup on the Internet, although recent official interest has forced her to curtail her involvement. When she can get out, she likes nothing better than a glass of sweet sherry and a spotted dick at the local Conservative Association.

[Editors note: None of which has the least bit to do with cricket, but we felt you should know where we're coming from.]

Bye -- Run scored from a ball that hit neither the batsman's bat nor his body. Rare at Test level, but can be the top scorer in a club side's innings.

Cabbage patch -- An under-prepared, uneven pitch on which the ball behaves unpredictably, making batting very difficult.

Calling -- Batsman's method of indicating to his partner whether or not he intends to run. One of the few truly simple things in cricket - if the ball goes in front of the wicket, the striker calls; square or behind the wicket, the non-striker does. Better still, there are only three calls: 'Yes' and 'No' are self-explanatory; 'Wait' acts as an amber light, for example, when the ball is hit hard at a fielder, who may or may not stop it cleanly. So why, so often, does it go so horribly wrong? Usually because batsmen change their minds. A favourite technique sees the striker hit the ball sweetly to extra-cover's left, bellow 'Yes' and set off for the other end, only to see the fielder fling himself full-length and stop the ball. Momentarily forgetting that the fielder has still to get the ball into his throwing hand and thence to the bowler, that he is already going the right way, and that his partner, having a head-start from backing-up, is already several yards further towards his end, the striker screams 'No, get back', helpfully holds up his free hand, traffic cop-style, and trots back to his wicket. His partner, meanwhile, has to do an abrupt about-face and try to beat the throw to the bowler's end. Extra-cover, meanwhile, has had time to regain his feet and send an easy, accurate throw to the bowler, who removes the bails while the hapless non-striker is three yards short of his ground. A batsman who does this to his partner should open his kit bag with great care when he returns to the dressing room.

Cap -- In first-class cricket, the sign that a player has been recognized as a full member of that particular team. A county player is awarded his cap once he has demonstrated that he can be a regular first-team player. From then on, he is a 'capped player', even if he prefers to wear a helmet, sunhat or Donald Duck mask on the field. A Test player receives his cap when he makes his first appearance for his country. In 1997, England revived the tradition in which the captain presents the cap to the new player on the field, although now there are cameras and microphones present, giving the new man the chance to mumble something about being honoured to be chosen and giving it his best shot with the rest of the lads. Each Test match a player plays for his country is also referred to as a 'cap', although the authorities consider one actual piece of headgear sufficient.

Captain -- The leader of a cricket team on the field, and held by the laws to be solely responsible for his team's conduct of the game. At international level, the captain's obligations extend to end-of-day press conferences and long solitary fishing trips to decide if he wants to lead the side to the West Indies. Such a high-pressure job can doubtless be stressful, but as Marcus Berkmann points out in his wonderful book Rain Men (required reading for all CricketUSA® students), it is unlikely that Mike Atherton has ever had to ring all his mates on the first morning of a Test match because Graeme Hick's wife says he has to stay home and put up some shelves. The lot of a club captain is seldom a happy one: not for him the tricky decision of whether to field a second spinner or to bolster the batting; he is more concerned about what to do when his two competent bowlers need a rest and he has only four varieties of dibbly-dobbly cannon fodder to choose from. This may be the reason that many club annual general meetings feature an unscheduled two-minute silence when the question is asked "So, who wants to be captain next year?"

Carrying his bat -- Strictly, used only of an opener who survives while all ten of his teammates are out.

Cart track -- See Cabbage patch.

Catches win matches -- Schoolmaster's favourite - probably out of the same book as 'would you put your feet on the furniture at home?' Trite but true.

Caught out -- When a fielder catches a batted ball before it touches the ground the batsman is 'caught out'. See also Out.

Caution -- The umpire's sanction against a bowler who infringes the provisions of Law 42, Unfair Play, against beamers, excessive bouncers and 'running on'. The bowler's first offence earns a caution; the second gets a final warning, and if he persists in offending, the bowler will be prevented from bowling again in that innings.

Century -- One hundred runs scored by a single batsman in a single innings. Multiples of one hundred are referred to as double and triple centuries. Fifty runs would be referred to as a 'half century'. While a partnership of 100 might be referred to as a 'century partnership', it would not simply be called a century. In fact, the term 'century' is slowly falling (if it is possible to fall slowly) out of favour - it is more common these days simply to speak of a batsman making 'a hundred', even if his actual score was 143. Similarly, a score of 71 might be the batsman's 'third fifty of the series', meaning his third innings of fifty or more runs. See also Hundred, Fifty.

Championships -- See Competitions, domestic.

Chance -- Opportunity to take a wicket, most often a catch.

Chinaman -- Stock delivery of left-arm wrist spinner, turning from righthanded batsman's off side to leg.

Chinese cut -- See French cut.

Clean bowled -- One of those mysterious parts of cricket's vocabulary that really belong under a separate heading of Redundancies. As far as we can tell, those who use it do so because they belong to the school of Never Use One Word Where Two Would Do - they think 'clean bowled' sounds more emphatic or impressive than simply 'bowled'. If they used it to indicate that the ball passed through the batsman's defence without touching bat or body, or that it removed a stump from the ground, there might be some sense in it; but they don't - 'bowled' is all it means, so 'bowled' is all one need say.

Clothing -- Most cricket clothing is white or off-white, or white with brownish-green knees and inexplicable stains elsewhere. Since there is no need to make a visual distinction between the two teams on the field, there are no 'home' or 'away' colours. Players wear white, full-length trousers, partly because they always have and partly to protect against the sun and the straps of their protective equipment, and loose-fitting, long- or short-sleeved shirts that still end up skin-tight on some club players. The other essential is boots, usually with metal-spiked soles to provide a secure grip. Fast bowlers' boots are cut higher to support the ankles. Depending on the weather, players may also wear long-sleeved or sleeveless V-neck sweaters, often trimmed at neck, waist and cuffs in the club colours, and a coloured cap or a coloured or white sunhat.

Club cricket -- Typically used to refer to recreational, amateur cricket, although there is tremendous variation within this band of the game.

Coffin -- Elongated, suitcase-like container for carrying cricket kit. Essential for international cricketing air travel, it's a bloody nuisance in a cramped club dressing room.

Coming on -- More usually heard as 'not coming on', this is a comment on the pace of the pitch, or rather, the amount of horizontal velocity the ball loses to the pitch as it bounces. A soft surface will slow the ball down more than a hard one, making it harder for a batsman to time his strokes by judging the speed of the ball from the bowler's hand. Such pitches tend to make for poor cricket, since a bad ball is more likely to go unpunished, and any deviation the bowler achieves is unlikely to happen fast enough to trouble the batsman.

And therein lie so many of the problems of modern cricket - how to prepare pitches on which the players can give their best. The 1998 Test series in the West Indies has highlighted the difficulty more starkly than ever.

Competitions, domestic -- England: The principal competition in England is the first-class County Championship. Each of the 18 counties plays each of the others in a four-day match, earning sixteen points for a win, eight for a tie or a draw with the scores level, three for any other draw, and up to eight bonus points for first-innings batting and bowling performances. (Intriguingly, Richie Benaud has calculated that the result of most recent Championships would have been the same if no bonus points had been awarded.) Though one might suppose that the County Championship would be won by the strongest first-class team in the country, there are reasons why this may not always happen. Because there is no time to reschedule rain-affected matches, a wet month can distort the result by denying a strong team the points for matches it would have expected to win. To make matters worse, a strong county like Surrey, four of whose batsmen are regulars in the England team, may have six matches in which it is unable to field its best team because of clashes with Test matches. The 1996 Champions, Leicestershire, and the 1997 winners, Glamorgan, each had only one England player. There have been many proposals to reform the County Championship, on the perfectly reasonable grounds that too many counties find themselves too early in the season with nothing left to play for. The most likely to be implemented, although not popular among the members of the weaker counties, is to split the Championship into two divisions, with the top two in the lower division taking the place of the bottom two in the upper division for the next season. For all its imperfections, though, County Championship cricket presents an absorbing spectacle and excellent value for money - at Warwickshire's Edgbaston ground, for example, a day's admission costs only six pounds.

Declining attendances at Championship matches in the early sixties prompted the introduction of the first one-day competition in 1962. In 1963, this took its present form as the Gillette Cup, a knockout competition played over 60 overs a side, with Minor Counties sides competing with the first-class teams. The competition culminates in a showpiece final at Lord's in early September. The competition became the NatWest Trophy in 1981, a time when (coincidentally?) the world's Test cricketers were sprouting beards. It remains the most interesting of the domestic one-day competitions, since the longer innings allows a less frantic style of play, with time to build an innings and a reasonable allowance of 12 overs per bowler. But those same long innings give the competition its biggest problem. The Lord's final is one of the game's big occasions, but the early September dusk necessitates a start at 10.30am, when the morning dew has not had time to dry and batting against seam bowlers is well-nigh impossible. For this reason, the captain winning the toss invariably puts his opponents in to bat, and all but a few finals have been won by the side batting second. Plans are afoot to move the final to August; the sense of occasion may be diminished a little, but the cricket will undoubtedly be better.

The Benson and Hedges Cup is nearing the end of its life, like many of its sponsor's customers. Inaugurated in 1972 and originally played over 55 overs a side, it is now played under One-Day International rules, with 50 overs a side and fielding restrictions for the first 15 overs of each innings. The competition opens in early May with round-robin matches in four regional groups. Eight teams qualify for the knock-out stages, leading to a final at Lord's in July.

Like the B&H, the Sunday League is doomed under the ECB's new plan for English cricket. It was inaugurated as the John Player League in 1969 and was contested on a play-everyone-once basis by the 17 (now 18) first-class counties. Matches are 40 overs a side, with bowlers limited to 8 overs each and a 15-yard run-up. When the present sponsor, AXA Equity and Law, took over in 1993, the format was changed to 50 overs a side, but this was unpopular with spectators, as it meant they had to miss the earlier start, or leave the pub before closing time, and the 40-over format was restored in 1994. Played in pyjamas, with a white ball, Sunday League matches present an unedifying spectacle of negative bowling, defensive fields and all-out, crash-bang-wallop batting. Few real cricket enthusiasts will miss it when the ECB replaces it, and the B&H, with a single, 50-over one-day league competition in 1999.

Corridor of uncertainty -- OK, I give up, we'll put this in. A usefully descriptive term worn thin with overuse, it is nowadays associated with Geoff Boycott in his TV commmentator's hat, but I believe the credit for its coining belongs to the Australian swing bowler Terry Alderman. It refers to the technique, of which Alderman was a master, of bowling a line fractionally wide of the off stump, so that the batsman cannot be sure whether or not he can safely leave the ball alone. If he plays at it, however, the slightest movement away is likely to take the edge and offer a catch to the wicketkeeper or slips.

County championships -- See Competitions, domestic.

County club -- Term usually used to refer to one of the eighteen first-class counties that compete in English domestic competitions. Another twenty counties (the Minor Counties) have representative teams, but these play mostly against one another, joining the first-class teams only in the one-day knockout NatWest Trophy competition. The club-based structure of the first-class game reflects its patrician, amateur origins. Even at the highest level, cricket was played by gentleman amateurs, with a few humble professionals to do the difficult bits, like bowling. (Not until after the Second World War was society ready for a professional, Leonard Hutton, to captain the England team.) Nowadays, the amateurs have gone but the club structure remains. Like any club, a County Cricket Club is owned by and run for its members, who decide major issues of policy at General Meetings but delegate day-to-day decisions to committees, including a Cricket Committee to take care of the team.

The first-class counties are: Derbyshire (main venue Race Course Ground, Derby) A promising 1997 ruined by dressing-room acrimony and contractual disputes with players. Crashed from 2nd in 1996 to 16th in the 1997 Championship. Durham (Riverside, Chester-le-Street) The 18th county to gain first-class status (in 1992). 17th place in 1997 an improvement on the norm. Essex (County Ground, Chelmsford) One of the strongest counties in recent years. 1997 NatWest Trophy winners but only 9th in the Championship. Glamorgan (Sophia Gardens, Cardiff) The 17th first-class county, and not actually English, but won the County Championship in 1997. Only one England player in a strong squad, so less weakened by Test calls than some rivals. Gloucestershire (County Ground, Bristol) W.G.Grace's county, but hasn't won much since he retired. 7th in 1997 was the best for some years. Hampshire (County Ground, Southampton) Won't win much until they get some bowlers. 14th in 1997. Kent (St Lawrence, Canterbury) Fell just short in the 1997 Championship chase, partly due to Test calls and injuries to key bowlers. 2nd in 1997. Lancashire (Old Trafford, Manchester) The biggest and richest club in the game. Powerful one-day team but ought to do better in the Championship (11th in 1997.) Leicestershire (Grace Road, Leicester) 1996 Champions, despite (or because of?) lack of big stars. 10th in 1997. Middlesex (Lord's, London) Another perennially strong county, 4th in 1997. Northamptonshire (County Ground, Northampton) Fortunes have ebbed since several key players passed their best. Still strong in the one-day game, but 15th in the Championship. Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge, Nottingham) Income from Test ground hasn't prevented under-achievement in recent seasons. 13th in 1997. Somerset (St James Road, Taunton) Another small club. 12th in 1997. Surrey (The Oval, London) Possibly the strongest on-paper club in England, but finished 8th in 1997. Suffered more than most from Test calls, but still lost games they should have won. Sussex (County Ground, Hove) Lost a captain, an England bowler and the entire management in 1997, and recovered to finish bottom of the Championship table. Warwickshire (Edgbaston, Birmingham) Won successive Championships and a roomful of trophies under Dermot Reeve in 1994 and 1995, but struggled since his injury-enforced retirement. Still reached the 1997 NatWest final and the top five of the Championship. Worcestershire (New Road, Worcester) Hugely successful in the late 1980s; reversed the decline in 1997 to take 3rd in the Championship, despite weak bowling. Yorkshire (Headingley, Leeds) Enjoying a revival after many lean years, and should have done better than 6th in 1997. Arouses the most passionate opinions of any county (and not just about cricket!) The club nearly tore itself apart in the 1980s in a dispute about the future of Geoff Boycott, and may yet do so again over the decision to move to a new site at Wakefield.

County committee -- See County club.

County cricket -- English domestic cricket played by county clubs.

County match -- Usually used to mean a match between first-class counties in England.

Cover -- Run-saving fielding position, in front of the wicket on the off side. Hence extra cover (straighter), cover point (squarer).

Covers -- (1) Area of field guarded by cover fieldsman, hence 'through the covers'. (2) Combination of wheeled canopies and tarpaulins used to protect the pitch and infield from rain.

Cow corner -- the leg side boundary, in front of square, to or over which a cow shot is directed.

Cow shot -- An inelegant leg side slog, usually played with the eyes closed and the head high in the air.

Crease -- A line. See Bowling crease, Popping crease and Return crease. Also please see this diagram for a graphical representation of the placement of the various creases on the pitch.

Cric-Code -- An attempt, apparently to bring cricket fans into the computer age. A series of mystical letters and symbols designed to inform other cricket fans of one's particular cricket parameters. Rather like a secret lodge handshake. We provide a copy of the Cric-Code for your perusal. We propose one small addition: "C" for "How do you feel about the Cric-Code?"

Cross (of batsmen) -- To pass in mid-pitch while taking a run. Significant in two situations - (1) where the striker is out caught when the batsmen have crossed, the non-striker remains at the end he has run to, although no run is scored; (2) if the ball reaches the boundary when the batsmen have crossed for an overthrow, the run in progress is allowed to count, as well as those already completed and the four for the boundary.

Cross bat -- Bat parallel to the ground.

Cut -- A cross-batted, usually back-foot batting shot square of (square cut) or behind (late cut) the wicket on the off side.

Daisy-cutter -- See Shooter.

Dead ball -- When the ball is not in play, it is said to be 'dead'. The ball comes into play when the bowler starts his run-up, and becomes automatically dead when the umpire considers it to have 'finally settled' in the hands of the wicket-keeper or bowler, when a wicket falls, or when the ball reaches the boundary or when the umpire calls 'over' or 'time'. The umpire may call the ball dead at other times - for example, when the ball lodges in the batsman's clothing, or when a serious injury occurs to a player.

Declaration -- The decision of the batting captain to close his innings. Usually made in order to give his bowlers time to bowl the other side out to win the match, or delayed by twenty crucial minutes while the side's senior player struggles from 96 to 100.

Declaration bowler -- Inept bowler employed to allow the batting side to score quickly, usually in the hope of contriving a result in a rain-affected match.

Deep -- Fielding position prefix also indicating 'on the boundary' (See Long), but used in conjunction with the name of an infield position - e.g. deep square leg, deep extra cover.

Devil's number -- An Australian superstition concerning the number 87 and, by extension, 187, 287 etc. Something to do with things being upside-down in Australia, perhaps, but the theory is that being 13 short of 100 gives it terrible powers. It is, of course, purely coincidental that 1987 was when Australia last lost a Test series to England.

Dibbly-dobbly -- Derogatory term applied to slow-medium paced bowling even less threatening than that of a trundler.

Did not bat -- Entry in the scorebook against a batsman who, erm, did not bat.

Dismiss -- To get a batsman out.

DNB -- See, erm, Did not bat.

Dolly catch -- A gentle, easy catch.

Don, the -- See Bradman, D.G.

Dot ball -- (1) A ball from which no run is scored and no wicket falls. So called because of the scorebook notation for such a ball. (2) No doubt the URL address extension that will be proposed by misguided techno-centric cricketing fans when they feel that cricket warrants it own domain. See also Cric-Code.

Donkey-drop -- Style of slow bowling less threatening still than dibbly-dobbly.

Down wicket -- See Broken wicket.

Draw -- A match that is not played under limited-overs rules, ends in a draw if both sides have not completed the agreed number of innings when the allotted time expires. Strange as it may seem, this can and does happen even after five rainless days of a Test match. A drawn match is not necessarily a boring one, as many who should know better believe. A batting side stubbornly holding on to avoid defeat can be one of the most exciting spectacles in the game.

Drive -- A straight-batted, front-foot batting shot, in front of the wicket.

Duck -- When a batsman is out without scoring any runs. See also Golden Duck.

Earache -- The commonest cause of incapacity among club cricketers, as in "Reg can't play on Sunday, he's getting earache." As with so many debilitating afflictions, the actual causative agent is very small - usually some minor household task that the player's spouse insists must be performed between three and four that afternoon. Earache takes two forms: chronic earache tends to persist at a low level, sometimes for a whole season, with brief periods of respite. Acute earache is, thankfully, rarer, but its effects can be devastating. In its worst form, the player may be dragged from the pavilion - or even from the field of play - by a vituperative spouse, leaving the team a man short. (The "a href="#laws">law on Substitutes makes no special provision for this.) Such an attack can end a player's career, leaving him unable ever again to face his teammates. (See also Women's cricket)

ECB -- Strictly speaking, the England and Wales Cricket Board but, as in so many other cases, Wales is quietly forgotten when it comes to the short version and the design of the snazzy three-lions-and-a-coronet emblem that appears on the shirts of the England team. The ECB came into being in 1997, to replace the former Test and County Cricket Board, but with a broader remit to administer the game at all levels, not just professional cricket. See also Governing bodies.

Economy -- A bowler's ability to prevent the batsmen from scoring. Of course, the best way to do this is to put them back in the hutch, but economy is usually measured in runs per over. In most forms of cricket, a bowler is happy with a rate of less than three runs an over.

Edge -- Batting shot, usually unintentional contact between ball and edge of the bat. May result in a catch to wicket-keeper or slips.

Eleven -- See XI. Also, the most random number in the universe. Ask people for a random number and 11 will be the number chosen more than any other.

Extra -- Colloquial term for extra cover.

Extras -- Runs not scored off the bat - no-balls, wides, byes and leg-byes. Extras count to the team's total, but not to the batsman.

Fanny -- See Bush, Frances Jemima.

Farm the strike -- Where a good batsman is batting with a tail-ender, he will often want to face as much of the bowling as possible, since he ought to be at less risk than his less proficient partner. To this end, he will aim to take a single from the fifth or sixth ball of an over, in order to put himself at the receiving end for the next. An astute captain will be aware of this tactic and may set his field to frustrate it, or to encourage the good batsman to take a single early in the over. Sometimes, however, a captain becomes so focused on getting at the tail-ender that he appears to forget about getting the batsman out. A valuable late-order partnership can develop this way, when a more aggressive approach from the fielding side might have stopped it before it began.

Faxes -- Preferred prank of BBC Radio cricket correspondent, TMS commentator and former England fast bowler Jonathan Agnew, as in the following example from the opening day of the first Test of the 1997 Ashes series, lifted from the Telegraph.

"Shortly after lunch Agnew, in a state of some excitement, showed me a fax he was about to send upstairs to Sybil Ruscoe, who was reporting on the Test for Radio Five Live. It was a letter complimenting her on her programme and asking her if she would mind explaining the term 'googly'. The signature at the bottom was 'Hugh Jarce'."

Featherbed -- A pitch of gentle pace and predictable bounce on which batting is easy.

Fence -- (1) criminal slang for a receiver of stolen goods. (2) means by which the boundary is marked on some grounds. Curiously, a fielder may touch a boundary fence when stopping or catching a ball, but if he touches a boundary line or rope, the ball is deemed to have crossed the boundary. Quite how thick a rope can be before it becomes a fence is one to ponder in the bar while the rain pours down outside.

Ferret -- Not-very-competent-at-all batsman, so called because he goes in after the rabbits.

Fielding positions -- Please see this diagram for a graphical representation of the Cricket field and various fielding positions. See Backward, Bat-pad, Cover, Deep, Extra, Fine, Gully, Long, Mid, Point, Short, Silly, Slip, Square, Third man.

Fifty -- Fifty runs scored by a single batsman in a single innings. See also Century, Hundred.

Film and TV -- Not a definition this, merely a rant. Free expression is a fine ideal but there are limits and the way cricket is portrayed on film and television is beyond them. It should be prohibited by Act of Parliament at least until they learn to do it properly. As it is, the grass on the pitch is usually over the players' boots, bowlers skip and hop to the wicket and deliver the ball from somewhere behind their heads, and when a staged dolly catch lands in extra-cover's hands, or a close-up shot shows the ball flopping into the stumps, the players all cry "Howsat" (see Appeal) and the umpire raises his finger. Other sports - notably baseball - have been depicted reasonably convincingly on film, so there can be no excuse. (See also Village cricket.)

Fine -- Fielding position behind the wicket and close to the longitudinal axis of the pitch.

Finger -- The umpire's index finger, raised in response to an appeal to indicate that the batsman is out. This is necessary only in cases of doubt - where the batsman has lobbed a gentle catch or the wicketkeeper is trotting towards the boundary to retrieve the middle stump, there is no need for the umpire to give him out. (See Walk, Film and TV)

Finger spinner -- Bowler who uses his fingers to spin the ball. For a right-arm bowler, this term is synonymous with off spinner.

Finger-wagging -- See Shakoor Rana.

First baller -- More usual term for Golden Duck (which is rather schoolboyish.) Incidentally, there is not, but ought to be, the Platinum Duck, which is the special feat of being out, usually run out, without facing a ball.

First class -- Cricket played between recognized first class teams over three, four or five days, with two innings per team. What makes a first class team is not always clear - the game's governing bodies occasionally have to rule on whether a particular match should count as first class. In England, first class matches are played between the 18 first class counties, in addition to Test matches and county games against touring teams. Other countries have comparable domestic first class structures.

Fishing -- Playing with the bat away from the body at a ball outside the off stump. Such a shot is likely to yield nothing more than an edged catch to the wicketkeeper or slips.

Five for -- Colloquial term for a bowler's return of five wickets in an innings. (See Bowling analysis.)

Flash -- Batting shot, a cousin of the Harrow drive. The flash is an ambitious drive aimed at a ball too wide to reach easily. Safer than it looks, since any contact with the ball is likely to send it high over the slips' heads and first bounce into the third-man fence.

Flight -- Arguably a more important weapon even than spin in a slow bowler's armoury, flight is the art of varying the ball's arc and speed through the air in order to deceive the batsman. An aerodynamicist will tell you that flight depends heavily on the non-linear relationship between velocity and drag, and the existence of a 'critical velocity', below which the drag on an object can actually increase. To a spin bowler, this means that he can make the ball dip suddenly in mid-flight, leaving a batsman who thought he had it covered a yard short of the pitch and unable to keep the ball down. Flighted bowling takes nerve and the confidence not to give in when the occasional ball's whistles over mid-on for six. By presenting the batsman with temptingly hittable balls, it encourages him to take risks.

Flipper -- A wrist-spinner's 'trick' ball, deceptively fast and low-bouncing. Difficult to bowl, but deadly when straight.

Follow-on -- If, in a two-innings match, the side batting second falls short of the other side's first-innings score by 150 runs in a three or four-day match, or 200 runs in a five-day match, the captain of the leading team may ask them to bat again immediately. By exercising this option, he gives his bowlers the chance to bowl the other side out again and win by an innings. (See Winning margin)

Footwork -- The stance is only a starting point - it allows the batsman to move his feet easily into position to play balls of any length and direction. A short-pitched ball can be played most easily off the back foot ('playing back'). The batsman moves his back foot back towards the wicket and across into the line of the ball, giving him the maximum time to judge the speed and bounce of the ball. An overpitched ball is best played off the front foot ('playing forward'). The batsman moves his front foot forward and across, ideally alongside the point where the ball pitches. This allows him to hit it close to the ground, before it has bounced very high or deviated off the pitch. A good-length ball (pitching maybe 6-8 feet from the batsman from a slow bowler, slightly more from a fast bowler) makes neither of these methods easy, but a good batsman will usually play forward to a good-length ball. Against slow bowling, a batsman may 'use his feet' - i.e. leave his crease to bring himself closer to the pitch of the ball, or even to turn a good-length ball into a full toss. In doing this, he risks being stumped if he misses the ball, but it is a tactic that can upset a bowler's rhythm and accuracy.

Four -- A ball which crosses the boundary after having first touched the ground, and which scores four runs.

Four ball -- Bad ball, likely to be hit for four.

Fraser, A.R.C. -- The finest bowler in England, 'Gus' Fraser (b. 1965) has been instrumental in such recent success as England has had against major Test opposition, notably the West Indies at Bridgetown, 1994, and Australia at Sydney, 1995. He was unjustly made a scapegoat for the failings of others following England's defeat at Cape Town in 1996, and has been cruelly overlooked by the selectors since. Only 31, he would have restored some much-needed discipline to England's wayward bowling in the 1997 Ashes series. And truly, as all good things come to those who wait, Mrs. Fraser's boy has been selected to venture to the West Indies and defend the honor of the Empire! See also Six foot five.

French cut -- An attempted attacking batting shot in front of the wicket resulting in four fortunate runs behind the wicket off the inside or bottom edge of the bat. Usually millimetres away from a 'Bad luck, mate'.

Front foot, But he was on the -- expression of the bizarre but abundant supposition that a batsman cannot be out lbw when playing forward.

Front foot no ball -- The original no-ball law required the bowler to have some part of his back foot behind the bowling crease at the instant of release. However, many bowlers 'drag' the back foot a considerable distance after landing it, and umpires complained that it was impossible to judge where the bowler's foot was when he actually released the ball. So in 1967, the MCC introduced the present law requiring some part of the front foot to be behind the popping crease when the ball is released. Since the bowler's front foot does not move after landing (if it did, he would do the splits!) it is much easier for the umpire to judge the fairness of the delivery.

Full, on the -- Without touching the ground. According to context, this may be between bowler and batsman, bat and fielder or bat and boundary. (In some cases, even between bowler and boundary, although this scores only four byes or wides, not six.)

Full toss -- A ball that reaches the batsman without pitching.

Gardening -- The laws allow a batsman to make minor repairs with his bat to the surface of the pitch, for example to pitch-marks made by the ball or scratches from fielders' studs. There's an element of psychology at work here too: a batsman beaten by a ball that whistled past his chin might prod the spot where it pitched to spare the bowler from giving himself too much credit for the delivery.

Gate -- The gap between bat and pad, that a good batsman should keep closed. Hence 'Gated' or bowled through the gate.

Get one's eye in -- (of batsman) get accustomed to the batting conditions.

Gillette Cup -- See Competitions, domestic.

Given out -- Declared out by the umpire.

Glance -- Batting shot, a faint touch applied to ball outside leg stump, to deflect it beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Elegant and extremely difficult to play.

Glove -- Gloves are worn by the batsmen to protect their hands from the ball as well as to give the batsmen a firm grip on the handles of their bats. See also protective equipment.

Golden Duck -- A quite excellent Chinese restaurant in Maidstone. Also a special case of a duck in which the batsman is out on his first delivery of an innings.

Good Length -- A ball which is neither shortpitched nor overpitched, thus making an attacking shot more difficult and risky. Against a slow bowler, a good length ball might pitch 6-8 feet in front of the batsman. A good length ball from a fast bowler might pitch slightly further in front of the batsman.

Gooch, G.A. -- Graham Gooch (b.1953) played 118 Tests for England between 1975 and 1995, starting with a pair but amassing a record aggregate of 8900 runs. He was captain for 34 of those matches from 1989 to 1993, during which time he reached the peak of his powers as an opening batsman. Against India at Lord's in 1990, he set a record for the highest aggregate of runs in any Test match, scoring 333 in the first innings and 121 in the second, and his 151 not out against West Indies at Leeds in 1991 is rated by Coopers and Lybrand as the second most valuable Test innings ever played. Gooch's captaincy was distinguished more by an unrelenting work ethic than by any great flair on the field. The resulting personal fitness sustained him in Test cricket to the age of 41, but his insistence that others share his approach brought a premature and controversial end to the career of David Gower, and his over-use of Angus Fraser in 1990-1 contributed to the hip injury that cost Fraser two years of cricket. Gooch retired from Essex in 1997 and is now an England Test selector, in-between advertising commitments for the company that re-thatched his once-prominent scalp. His droopy moustache has gone too - coincidence? (See also Water cooler.)

Goochie -- See Gooch, Graham.

Googly -- A wrist-spinner's off-break, bowled with an action similar to that for the leg-break.

Governing bodies -- Each cricketing country has its own governing body (e.g. the Australian Cricket Board, the England and Wales Cricket Board), responsible for running the domestic game in that country, especially the first-class game. Each country's board is answerable to the International Cricket Council, which fixes the schedules and conditions for all international cricket, and co-operates with the MCC in updating the laws of the game.

Gower, D.I. -- David Gower (b.1957) made his Test debut in 1978 and hit his first ball nonchalantly for four. This elegant, seemingly carefree approach characterized most of his 117-match career, although he would privately insist that he worked much harder at his game than he was given credit for, and his 8231 Test runs suggest he probably did make some effort somewhere. His relaxed demeanour continued off the field; as captain in 1989, he left an end-of-day press conference early, announcing that he was off to the theatre; early one April, he persuaded a national newspaper to publish a story that batting left-handed had been a mistake, and he'd be a right-hander from then on; and on the 1990-1 tour of Australia, during a practice match against a country XI, he outraged Graham Gooch by buzzing the ground in a Tiger Moth biplane. Gooch's eventual revenge was to omit Gower from the 1992-3 tour of India, telling him he was, at 35, too old to be part of England's future. (Gooch was 39.) The decision provoked an outcry among the members of the MCC, leading to the calling of an Extraordinary General Meeting and the tabling of a motion of no confidence in the committee. Gower retired to become a TV commentator, causing his colleague and former Australian captain Ian Chappell to tell him, on air, during the 1993 Ashes series, "You shouldn't be up here talking about the game, mate, you should be out there playing it."

Grace, W.G. -- With the modern game's emphasis on fitness and athleticism, the sight of a portly, bearded figure waddling out to bat at Lord's has not been seen since, erm, Mike Gatting's last appearance of 1997. By leaving the first-class game at the tender age of 41, however, Gatting will fall far short in endurance, as well as hirsuteness, if not girth, of the game's greatest legend, William Gilbert Grace (1848-1915). Grace played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire for 43 years, amassing nearly 55,000 runs. He played 22 Tests - although Test cricket did not begin until 1877 and there were far fewer matches than today - the last of them at the age of 51. Oh, and through all this he maintained his practice as a country doctor in Gloucestershire. He is commemorated at the game's headquarters by the Grace Gates, through which the players and officials enter the ground.

Grace Gates - See Grace, W.G..

Gray Nicolls -- English manufacturer of good-quality cricket equipment, spoiled only by some gimmicky designs and even sillier names. Their Ultimate bat is Great Aunt Fanny's favourite - as this picture may explain. She even bought one for me.

Greentop -- Grassy, often damp pitch that gives assistance to seam bowlers.

Great Aunt Fanny -- See Bush, Frances Jemima.

Ground, Grounded -- To touch either bat or body on the ground behind the popping crease.

Ground, out of his -- Either batsman is said to be 'out of his ground' when he has neither his bat nor his body grounded behind the popping crease, and is therefore at risk of being run out or, in the case of the striker, stumped.

Grubber -- see Shooter

Guard (position) -- In waiting for the ball, a batsman will usually stand astride the popping crease, feet slightly apart, looking at the bowler along his left (if he is right-handed) shoulder, with the toe of his bat resting on the ground by his right foot.

Gully -- Fielder in catching position, slightly behind square on the off side. See also Fielding Position.

Gunn and Moore -- Proper cricket bats are made by Messrs Gunn and Moore of Nottingham, whose classic Autograph or meatier Cannon ought to be all a batsman needs. Passable imitations are made elsewhere in England by Slazenger (once the choice of Geoff Boycott) and Gray Nicolls, and in Australia by Kookaburra.

Half-volley -- An overpitched ball, whose pitch the batsman can reach easily, and so hit off the front foot.

Hand action -- Not what batsmen do in their spare time, but what a fast bowler does with his wrist and fingers as he releases the ball. His aim is to keep the seam upright, so it can act as a rudder to guide the ball's swing and land on the pitch to produce movement. He will usually drag his fingers down the rear part of the seam, imparting backspin that will stabilize the flight of the ball.

Handled the ball -- The batsman's hands, when holding the bat, count as part of the bat, and so may legally touch the ball. Any other use of the hand by either batsman is illegal, and a batsman who handles the ball in an attempt to gain an advantage will be given out by the umpire. The bowler gets no credit for the wicket. G.A.Gooch (Essex and England) ended what might have been a match-saving innings against Australia in 1993 by being out handled the ball, the only time I've seen it happen. See also Out.

[Editors note:Regarding the curious handling of the ball by Mr. Gooch, we are told that the unfortunate Mr. Gooch was not so much unfortunate as silly. In the second innings of the first Test at Manchester in 1993, Australia set England a huge target of 512 to win. At 223-3 (See Score), with Gooch on 133, England were still in with a chance of salvaging a draw when Gooch failed to keep down a ball from Merv Hughes that bounced higher than he'd expected, thought it was about to fall on his wicket and knocked it away with the back of his glove. Had the glove still been on the bat, or had he used any other part of his person or equipment, all would have been well. As it was, he was out Handled the Ball and England folded to 332 all out, to lose by 179 runs. (See Winning Margin.]

Hanging bat out to dry -- See Fishing

Harrow drive -- See French cut.

Hat trick -- Three wickets taken in successive balls. It may be a debasement of the coinage, but these days a bowler may be credited with a hat-trick even if an over from another bowler - or even his own side's innings - comes between two of his three wickets. A bowler who has taken two successive wickets is said to be 'on a hat-trick', and the third ball is the 'hat-trick ball'. In club cricket, the hat-trick ball is all too often a wide. Here is a thrilling recording of Dominic Cork's remarkable hat-trick in the first over of the day against the West Indies in 1995 that will send chills down your spine:

Listen to a RealAudio clip of Dominic Cork's Hat Trick" Download a free copy of the RealAudio Player

Have a blow -- (1) Captain's call to bowler, after his heroic opening spell, in scorching July heat, has reduced the opposition to 27-4 (See Score), because his joke-bowler mate wants a bowl. (2) Captain's call to his joke-bowler mate, once his four overs have allowed the opposition's middle order to recover to 85-4 (See Score). (3) Great Aunt Fanny's call to...well, never mind.

Heavy ball -- A ball with an extra neutron in its nucleus, developed in 1979 for use at the Three Mile Island Cricket Club. Erm, sorry. It's a fashionable term among cricketing journalists for a ball that bounces higher than expected, hitting the splice of the bat instead of its more compliant middle.

Helmet -- Helmets are worn by the batsmen to protect their heads from the ball. The particular helmet pictured at right, rests upon the head of Australian batsmen Mark Waugh. See also protective equipment.

Hit the ball twice -- The striker is allowed to use his bat to defend his wicket from a ball he has already hit. If he hits the ball a second time for any other reason, he may be given out. Another occurrence I've never seen. See also Out.

Hit wicket -- The striker is out hit wicket if, in playing the ball or setting off for his first run, he breaks the wicket with his bat, person or clothing. G.Boycott (Yorkshire and England) was once out hit wicket in a Test match when his cap fell onto his wicket. The bowler is credited for a hit-wicket dismissal, so a batsman cannot be out in this way from a no-ball. See also Out.

Hoick -- See Cow shot

Hook -- A small but charming village in Hampshire, England where, in the opinion of CricketUSA®, the finest English women are to be found. Also, a batting shot similar to the pull, but played to a ball at chest height or above. Spectacular but risky, due to the difficulty in keeping the ball down.

How? -- See How's that?

How's that? -- The Marylebone Cricket Club law book's prescribed form of words for an appeal to the umpire to give a batsman out. Common alternative renderings are "How?" "'owizzeee?" and "Waaaaaaaaaaaah?". The popular lay version, "Howzat?" was last heard at about the same time as "It's a fair cop."

Howzat? -- See How's that?

Hugh Jarce -- See Faxes. If that doesn't help, just try saying it over and over with increasing speed until you figure it out. As a last resort, consume a few pints of beer and again begin saying over and over until you finally get it.

Hundred -- One hundred runs scored by a single batsman in a single innings. See also Century, Fifty.

Hutch -- See pavilion. See also Rabbit.

ICC -- International Cricketing Council. See Governing bodies.

In-ducker -- Opposing batsman's term for the stock delivery of a trundler. Although it sounds like a variation on the inswinger, the in-ducker is merely a straight ball that the batsman has contrived to miss, so he has to give it a semi-mystical name to explain his downfall.

Infield -- Those fielders either close to the bat in search of a catch, or within about 30 yards of it, saving the single.

Injuries -- If a batsman or bowler gets injured before he is needed, hard luck. Other players in the team can fill in for an injured bowler, but no allowance is made for an unfit batsman - he can struggle through as best he can, or the team can make do without him. Real man's game, cricket!

Innings -- (1) The time spent at the wicket by one batsman, until he is out; (2) The combined innings (1) of the entire batting team, ending when ten batsmen are out, or the batting captain declares the innings closed. (Note: In cricket, the word "innings" is used for both the plural and the singular. "Inning" is a term used only in baseball, which is as it should be.)

Inswinger -- Swing delivery that moves in the air towards a righthanded batsman. The bowler's aim is to pass the inside edge