frank hamilton,you might find that holding the bow under the frog,but still with a bent thumb[as some american players do]overcomes the problem of gripping the bow. that you mentioned in a previous post,the bent thumb is the most important thing in getting good wrist movement.
good wrist movement is important ,whether you want to be a fiddler or violinist[as far as im concerned there is no difference],your still playing a wooden instrument with four strings with a bow.