Dimming of the Day

13 The Structure of Cricket in 1914 until Derbyshire won in 1936). It was not a league in the true sense as counties arranged their own matches within certain parameters (such as playing nobody more than twice) and did not all play the same number of games, meaning that an averaging system was needed. Some, though not all, of the traditional Bank Holiday fixtures were already in place. The University sides were strong, especially in batting. There was a seamless route from the “great” public schools to Oxford and Cambridge and then to a county captaincy or at least a few years of cricket before turning to a career. All the three-day games played by the University sides were regarded as first-class (and were given that sort of treatment by the press); these included matches against various people’s XIs. The Army v The Navy and Ireland v Scotland would also be included. The Minor Counties Championship (the second-class counties) had existed since 1895 when the dividing line between first-class and second-class cricket was drawn. Like the first-class game minor county cricket was organised by clubs whose members were the gentlemen of the county. The Minor Counties, like the weaker first-class counties, depended on the amateurs being available to turn out and for some of the wealthier members regularly to put their hands in their pockets. The best minor county sides (Staffordshire or Durham, for instance) were probably as strong as the weaker first-class counties. Qualification rules depending on birthplace or residence had been introduced for the County Championship in 1873 and were strictly enforced for the professionals. Amateurs were allowed more latitude and there are many cases where the basis for qualification is difficult to see. With very few exceptions, professionals stayed where they had started, often for twenty years or more. Below the county game was a layer of clubs, some of long standing, who played only friendly matches. This was true especially in the south of England though they existed throughout Britain. These were effectively gentlemen’s clubs though they might employ professionals who would be groundsmen, coaches and net bowlers. This was even more true of the wandering XIs – I Zingari, Eton Ramblers, Band of Brothers, Incogniti and the rest, whose membership was carefully restricted to gentlemen who had been to a public school and usually Oxbridge. These games were noticed. The Observer regularly featured a long run- down on Saturday’s club cricket in the London region, with the fixtures for next week and a long piece on notable performances, then summarised (one-line) scores. The magazine Cricket had published the results of club matches (mostly in the London area), and had in fact charged the clubs for their insertion. By 1914, though, the magazine was in its short-lived variant as World of Cricket and no longer included club scores. Most cricket in England, Scotland and Wales, however, was played in leagues. In the north and midlands and in Scotland (where there was a one-day county championship) league cricket was the dominant format. Clubs in the larger leagues (Lancashire, Bradford or North Staffs) were