Lives in Cricket No 18 - FR Foster

exceeded 2,000 runs and 200 wickets in 1906, proves the Walmsley method has some merit, but I felt dividing the points total by number of matches to reach an average, the higher the average the better the season, brought about a more acceptable, albeit still unfair result. Compton and Edrich remain inordinately high, but were now separated by W.G.Grace and J.W.Hearne, while in fifth position is Frank Foster, who in 1911 actually exceeded George Hirst pro rata . Taking into account that Foster bowled fast, whereas Hearne was gentle slow, and Foster led Warwicks to its first title, I submit the case for suggesting Frank Foster in 1911 enjoyed the most effective allround season in the history of the County Championship. Of course nothing can be proven. I still think that, for a 22-year-old non-Test cricketer, his 1911 performances almost defy belief. Leading Allrounders in a Season (Walmsley Method) Player/ county Year Mt Runs Wx10 Pts Ave D.C.S.Compton (Midd) 1947 19 2467 630 3097 163.00 W.G.Grace (Glos) 1887 14 1405 640 2045 146.07 J.W.Hearne (Middx) 1914 22 2021 1140 3161 143.68 W.J.Edrich (Middx) 1947 22 2650 500 3150 143.18 F.R.Foster (Warks) 1911 20 1459 1240 2699 134.95 F.E.Woolley (Kent) 1921 22 1637 1290 2927 133.05 G.H.Hirst (Yorks) 1906 32 2164 2010 4174 130.44 J.W.Hearne (Middx) 1920 22 1637 1230 2867 130.32 C.L.Townsend (Glos) 1899 21 1908 770 2678 127.52 Warwickshire Allrounders in a Season (Walmsley Method) Player Year Mt Runs Wx10 Pts Ave F.R.Foster 1911 20 1459 1240 2699 134.95 F.R. Foster 1914 24 1396 1170 2566 106.92 R.E.S.Wyatt 1929 25 1953 530 2483 99.32 R.E.S.Wyatt 1928 27 2075 500 2575 95.37 Hon F.S.G.Calthorpe 1921 22 1239 820 2059 93.59 An older method of ranking allrounders was the brainchild of George Wood, a professional statistician, who published his results in various issues of The Cricketer of 1938 and 1939. Wood’s figures were updated by Martyn Taylor in issues of The Cricket Statistician in 1974 and 1975, while I covered the period from Taylor’s update to the present day. Wood’s methods were complicated, and involved mathematical calculation and comparison throughout a whole career to finally reach a ‘value’ but, for those who can stomach everything being reduced to ‘pure’ statistics, the leaders in the Wood rankings were F.A.Tarrant with 7.97, R.J.Hadlee with 7.95, W.G.Grace on 7.33 S.G.Smith on 6.85 and, in fifth position, Foster himself with 5.95. Behind him in the rankings were G.H.Hirst on 5.89, G.S.Sobers on 5.51, M.J.Procter 5.48, G.A.Lohmann 5.21, G.J.Thompson 5.20. F.E.Woolley 5.14, J.N.Crawford 5.14 and Wilfred Rhodes on 5.03. Introduction 9