Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

51 Chapter Nine Resumption Whilst the war had been a catalyst for many major changes in society and the economy, first-class county cricket resumed in more or less the same format as before. The MCC Select Committee appointed to advise on the resumption of cricket had basically recommended the status quo , a way forward accepted by the full Advisory Committee. Thus changes which might have been introduced, or at least seriously considered for the future, such as a county knockout tournament or Sunday cricket, had to wait for another twenty years. Having said that, the long-awaited full resumption of first-class cricket did not disappoint and, despite appalling weather, both cold and wet, people came in large numbers to support the game again. (Desperate for entertainment after the war years, and for relief from shortages, queues and the black market, they would do so in many sports.) Eventually, as the post-war euphoria faded and people began to find alternative attractions to county cricket, it would become obvious that some change should have been considered earlier. Modern cricketers might complain, probably rightly, about the amount of cricket they have to play, but their predecessors certainly didn’t have it easy. Seasons were shorter then, but very concentrated. Competitive cricket was played over a four-month period. There was at least a sensible symmetry to the championship fixture list: matches started on Saturday (with no Sunday play) and Wednesday. Before the war counties had played a variable number of championship matches. Afterwards there was a sensible rationalisation so that counties at least each played the same number of matches, 26 from 1946 and then 28 from 1950, and the table no longer had to be based on ‘average points per match’. The concentration of fixtures meant that players didn’t get a lot of time off and, having finished one match, they would often start another the next morning, possibly after having travelled some distance to a new ground and having booked in late at night to yet another hotel. For those able to travel by road, traffic was significantly lighter than it is now, but on the other hand there were no motorways. 68 Rail travel as ever could involve boring waits on stations and tedious uncomfortable journeys. Many counties still used a number of home grounds; Middlesex, however, just played at Lord’s. It was a marvellous venue, though as tenants of a ground much in demand it resulted in a rather lop-sided programme of fixtures. This involved Middlesex playing the majority of their home matches in the first half of 68 There were clearly mixed feelings about the use of the motor car. Even in the mid 1950s the County’s Cricket sub-committee considered that players should not drive long distances between matches if public transport facilities were available, and its minutes recorded a list of journeys between certain venues that it recommended should be made by rail or coach.