Wooden bowling arm that bested Australian cricketer in 1909 rebuilt
A wooden contraption that bowled out an Australian international cricketer four times in 1909 has been re-created by engineers at the University of Cambridge.
It was reportedly so accurate that when members of the Australian cricket team visited Cambridge in 1909, it clean bowled one of their star batsmen four times.
Engineers re-created the machine, which can launch balls at around 33mph, to use at events to inspire people considering careers in maths and engineering. All they had to work from was a black-and-white photograph of the 7ft contraption and a patent application from the time.
The machine propels the ball using a throwing arm powered by a bungee cord and also puts spin on the ball. When the arm travels, it pulls a string, which turns a spindle and a bobbin, which in turn spins the ball holder and the ball.
Prof Hugh Hunt, a professor of engineering dynamics and vibration at Cambridge, set the university’s engineering department the challenge of rebuilding the machine.
