Twenty-One Years of the ACS

Nuneaton,who wrote in the Summer,1990,Journal:'Comeon ICG,don't mess the statisticians about, make a decision we can all abide by,make it at the time of the occurrence and stick to it!' Trye's appeal became even more timely in February, 1993, when all rebel tour fixtures in South Africa from 1981-82 onwards were abruptly ruled not to have been first-class. Amid the controversy that ensued, it was gratifying for the ACS that its help was enlisted by the ICC for the first time. The ACS president and Graeme Wright, the immediate past editor of Wisden^ were asked by the ICC secretariat to provide evidence why the rebel tours' ruling was mis-judged.Theirjoint submission came to no avail but this was probably inevitable, bearing in mind that political factors were behind the original decision,and that they continued to apply. At least, though, the ACS had been approached.A hint was given at the time, too, that possibly it could provide a representative to serve should the ICC ever decide to set up a statistical sub-committee to assist with the status of matches if problems arose again.These exchanges becameovershadowed because they coincided with the time when the ICC had appointed its own chief executive and was in the throes of breaking away from MCC influence. For the moment, therefore, the link briefly established lies dormant but both cricket and the ACS would benefit if it was to be re-connected in the future. ^ -k ^ The concept from which the ACS emerged was first mooted in the 17th century White Lion Inn at Hampton-in-Arden, Warwickshire, either late in 1971 or early the following year. Robert Brooke and Dennis Lambert are vague about the precise date.It was Brooke's loccil and they used to meet there to talk about cricket statistics. Lambert had originally got in touch to purchase a booklet Brooke had produced on Warwickshire v Worcestershire matches, Lambertconfirms Brooke's belief that early on in their relationship Brooke said something to the effect: Tt is about time there was an organisation catering for people like us' and their plans for the ACS went on from there. Eventually The Cricketer and Playfair Cricket Monthly magazines carried advertisements in October, 1972, asking anyone interested in the formation of a 'Cricket Statisticians Association' to make contact. Brooke believes there weresome 50 replies to the box number he had used and everyone was then contacted by letter or telephone, and several preliminary get-togethers took place. Brian Heald remembers arranging to meet Brooke at Euston station, each carrying a Cricketer magazine to identify themselves. Brooke and Lambert visited Leeds one Sunday afternoon to meet Tony Woodhouse and Roy Wilkinson and Lambert has a vivid memory of their discussions disturbing the sepulchral calm of the Queen's Hotel lounge for other users. Woodhouse's first impression of Brooke,he said,in an unusually colourful chairman's report to the ACS's tenth