John Small (cricketer) - Style and Technique

Style and Technique

Along with other greats of the Hambledon era such as Billy Beldham and Tom Walker, Small did much to lay the foundations of what can now be recognised as modern batting technique. He was noted for his sound defence but he was also a fluent strokemaker who used his wrists particularly well. John Nyren described him as the "best short runner of his day" and believed him to be "the first who turned the short run to account".

Small rarely if ever bowled but he was "an admirable fieldsman, always playing middle wicket" and "as active as a hare".

It is sometimes said that Small invented the straight bat, replacing the old curved bat in the 1760s after bowlers started pitching the ball instead of skimming or trundling it. It is more likely that he was the first batsman to master the use of the straight bat and that he subsequently manufactured them in his workshop.