John Small, from Empshott, a few miles north of Petersfield, pioneered the ‘straight’ bat method of play, working out that you had more chance of making contact with a bouncing ball if you kept the blade vertical rather than horizontal. This was in about 1765. He would be amazed to know that this still takes an age to dawn on schoolkids, village players, wholehearted clubmen, even international tailenders. In fact, virtually anyone who has ever played the sport. Apart from Geoff Boycott, who realized it aged 4½ months and has been reminding everyone ever since.
