Ummer's Crown
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ummer’s Crown The Story of Cricket’s County Championship Christopher Saunders Publishing Eighteen wonderful limited editions— one for each county from Christopher Saunders Publishing stephen chalke has spent a year writing a hugely entertaining history of the County Championship—350 pages of good stuV. This wonderful book is due to be published by Fairfield Books in March 2015. Some players of the 1980s Gloucestershire Derek Underwood of Kent Formation of present county club: 1871 He was a truly exceptional bowler. He bowled long spells with an action that Joined county championship: 1890 was full of energy and effort, and he never seemed to fail, never got the nerves. He wasn’t as demonstrative as some, no cursing or swearing, but inwardly he Number of championships: 0 was fiercely competitive. It was said that Derek Underwood had ‘the face of a choirboy, the demeanour of a civil Is there a county with a better All-Time Eleven? The batting They should have been champions in 1930.servant But anda quirk the ruthlessness of of a rat-catcher’. He was certainly an innocent-looking 17-year- genius of Grace, Jessop, Hammond and Graveney; the spin the point-scoring system put their 15 wins belowold when Lancashire’s he joined the Kent team in 1963, the youngest bowler to take 100 wickets in mastery of Goddard and Parker; the inspired keeping of Jack ten. Their free-thinking captain Bev Lyon,his a debutman beforeseason, andhis he still had that deceptive look of innocence as he loped in to bowl Russell; the best and most loyal of overseas stars in Procter, time, so hated draws that he upset the traditionalistsin the late with1980s. freak By then he was in his 40s and the pitches were covered, but there were John Barclay Zaheer and Walsh. Throw in the dashing strokeplay of Charlie declarations. And he had great match-winnersstill indays Charlie when heParker was unplayable, none more so than at Folkestone in 1986 when in 35.5 Barnett or the brilliance of the young Charles Townsend, and and Tom Goddard and, most of all, in Walterovers, withHammond. never a loose ball, he took seven Warwickshire wickets, Kallicharran and Amiss among them, for just 11 runs. He was not known as ‘Deadly’ without reason. Overs and no-balls it is as strong and as entertaining as any county’s eleven. All they lacked was a top-class fast bowler. They never had How has the game changed? Yet Gloucestershire have never won the championship, at For a left-arm finger-spinner he was quick through the air, medium-pace even, and 1890 Five-ball overs. (one year only) bowled. in final hour. them. one till Mike Procter arrived. Instead, withhe knew their how Bristol to adapt pitch his a flight to different pitches and batsmen. An integral part of the 1900 Six-ball overs. least not since the spoilsports took away their unofficial triumphs slow bowler’s heaven, they had a long linesuccess of spinners,of Kent in so the many 1970s, he was blessed with the best of keepers, Alan Knott, who, 1939 Eight-ball minimum overs of 20 oversin to the be 1870s. Several times they have come close, but always the in the 1950s that David Allen, a futurehe England says, “seemed star, spentto know five what I was going to bowl before I did.” 1968 A minimum number ofyearnings overs to bein bowledthe Cotswolds in a day. have remained unfulfilled. years in the second eleven, waiting for hisAt allchance. times he set himself high standards, enjoying the challenge of bowling on a flat 1984 A They have never been a wealthy club. At times, as now, in FourThe times big leadingDeadly city wicket-takerof Bristol has producedpitch as its much cricketers, as the seven-wicket none hauls on helpful ones. “I like your bowling,” Zaheer 1996 Minimum overs in finalan hour age reduced of two todivisions 16. and easy transfers, that has been their giving greater service than Arthur Milton,Abbas, a but supreme the heartbeat player of ofspin, once told him. “You make me concentrate.” 1997 Two runs for no-balls and wides, in addition to runs scored off handicap. In the 1870s their all-amateur elevens could beatMalcolm the county Marshall has always of Hampshire been further north,He would represented have gone by into men his father’s airgun-pellet business if he had not made it in cricket 2003 Wides now one run. but, with his natural ability and his supreme professionalism, there was never a chance of that. professional teams from Surrey and Nottinghamshire, but I shalllike always the ungainly remember batsman the incessant Alf Dipper, chatter. Ifa farmermuch of from Malcolm Apperley, characterised the These tables relate to the laws and regulations in the county championship. Sabotage at New Road, Worcester that was because they had WG Grace. By the championship calypsoand cricketer, the steady much, slow-left-armer too, epitomised Sam the Cook,model professional.a TetburyWith plumber; one round of matches of the 1988 season left to play, proper of the 1890s their professional staff was too small for He waslike a topthe performereffervescent – and Jack a top Russell bloke as from well. the Stroud leaders valley Worcestershire and David Lloyd were one point ahead of Kent – and them to Thecompete figures consistently vary from acrossyear to 18 year, or 20 influenced games. And byAmong thethe weather thethe overseas andwholehearted by cricketers ‘Syd’who joined Lawrence county from cricket Gloucester. after thethat first one pointwave wasof specially a source of grievance for Kent supporters. We will be publishing a limited edition, or rather eighteen limited editions, adjustments to the laws. But the long-term trend,registered particularly recruits, since none gave greater value than the Barbadian Malcolm Marshall. A slightly situation got worse. They only survived after the First World Their Cheltenham Festival, started in the 1870s,At Edgbaston remains in June Kent bowled out Warwickshire for Runs per 100 ballsWar by selling1970, their has beenAshley for Down higher ground.scores and faster run rates.built 21-year-oldthe highlightwhen he arrivedof county in Southampton cricket’s summer-long in the spring107 schedule. of but, 1979, because he treated two men the had been unfit to bat, they were There was little change in runs per wicket between 1900 and 1969, not awarded the bowling point that came with the fall of the one for each county. Each county edition will be case bound, in a slip case, The runs increase county game as an opportunity to improve himself and, even at the peak of his powers, he 1890-99 45.7 but thereafter, with covering of pitches, advancesgave in his bat all manufactureto it, playing andfor Hampshire till 1993 and returningninth later wicket. as coach. UnsuccessfullyMark Nicholas they appealed and, in the words of Runs per wicket 1900-14 49.5 the introduction ofGlorious four-day cricket, Gloucestershire the numbersHe havewas not risen tall significantly. and he did not have a long run-up, but for aWisden time he, ‘it was was considereda point that therankled all season.’ It especially The best summer for batsmen remainsfastest 1990, bowler the yearin the in world which – and, with his open-chested delivery,rankled he when could it lookedmove thelike ballbeing the difference between 1919-39 48.1 Is there another1980s county of such beauty? The stone-built cottages 1890-99 22.1 late both ways. Furthermore, benefiting from a dedicationfinishing to personal second fitness and sharing and always the title. 1946-59 44.2 groundsmen weresnuggling instructed in tothe prepare Cotswold better hills. batting The magicalpitches andvillages, hidden in the 1900-14 24.1 wanting the ball in his hand, he could sustain his pace throughThe long last spells.matches The were shrewdest four-day of ones, and after two bear the countyand covered badge. in Therethe diV willerent be coloured an eight cloth.page insert Each at book the frontand slip on casethat will 1960-69 42.5 when the seam onancient the ball Forest was ofreduced. Dean. TheRuns mighty that year River were Severn scored with at its elvers. The days Kent were well on their way to an innings victory at 1919-39 25.1 cricketers, with a great arsenal of deliveries, he soon knewCanterbury. the weaknesses Worcestershire, of all the atbatsmen. home to Glamorgan, were 1970-79 47.6 a record 38.7 pertown wicket. of Cheltenham – ‘poor, pretty and proud’, as my dad used to Most runs 1946-59 25.0 The rate of scoring before the First World War was not matched till also winning. They had moved in the boundaries to make sure But remarkable twist there was. When the groundsman His work-rate was extraordinary. In all competitions in 1982, three-day and one-day, pulled back the covers on the third morning, he found a large 1980-89 51.1 say. And my own belovedhe bowled Gloucester, 1,008 overs, with the itshardest-worked majestic cathedral bowler andin theythe country, got maximum and he batting took 160points wickets. and, on 380 for six, they Most wickets 1960-69 24.1 the 1980s. In the dry summer of 1911 it reached 53.7 runs per 100 patch of engine oil close to a good length at one end. In no time 1990-99 53.1 its throbbing industrialHe also heart. scored 891 runs, including Bryan his first ‘Bomber’ Hampshire Wellsalready century had – aagainst lead of a136. Lancashire Glamorgan, side ledbottom of the table, 1970-79 28.2 the square was a hive of activity, with motorGloucestershire fans and 1890-2014industrial county, specifically designed for this edition, containing material not in the balls, a record till 1990.