Twenty-One Years of the ACS

this problem? Does being bom in 1958 have something to do with it?' In the same issue David Kendix,who has occasionally scored for Middlesex,recalled watching a match in 1988 in which his county batted twice and did not bowl.'I saw it as an oddity at the time, certainly not as a potential world record - but then three days sitting in the rain at Derby would dampen anyone's statistical sensitivity!' Stockwell was responsible for launching the statistieal survey series, which started with the 1864 season. He lived in Wales and never found it easy to attend committee meetings. A new business venture caused him to resign after he had edited only nine Journals but his imprint, however,remains visible on the pages to this day. Stockwell was also chairman of the Limited Overs Cricket Information Group(LOCIG)and he handled the negotiation in 1985 when it amalgamated with the ACS. LOCIG came into being in 1977 when its joint instigators, Terry Alcock and Christopher Fuke,did not feel that the one-day game was being given proper recognition in ACS publications. Most LOCIG members were also in the ACS and the advantages of a merger gradually became clear to everyone as the years went by. LOCIG's remaining stock passed to the ACS,who had guaranteed regular spaee for one-day cricket in the Journal and who had also undertaken to publish LOCIG's annual survey of the instant game. This last commitment was responsible indirectly for generating the idea of the ACS International Year Book, whieh, as the first annual anywhere to list seasonal and career figures for every country's players, has brought the ACS world-wide kudos.Peter Wynne-Thomas must be credited with the idea, though Vic Isaacs, the Hampshire scorer and an ACS committee man for seven years from 1981 onwards, may have planted the seed in Wynne-Thomas's mind. ^ During discussions about commercialising the Journal, Isaacs suggested that the December issue each year should be devoted players' annual performances. The first ACS year book appeared 1986 and proved extremely popular. When Hamlyn's withdrew their finaneial support after two issues, it Philip Bailey was a brave decision by the ACS committee to go ahead at short notice and bring out the 1988 annual without help. It was not feasible to include career figures but sales' continuity was maintained and from 1989 the annual reverted to being a complete record and its stature has continued to rise unabated. Philip Bailey was helped by Stockwell and Wynne-Thomas with the