The Minor Counties Championship 1901

5 agreed to leave the issue of implementation to Francis Lacey, the Secretary of the MCC, and to the Emergency Committee. Thus an issue that had been talked about but left unresolved at every Annual Meeting since the inauguration of the Championship in 1895, was at last laid to rest. Promotion To The First-Class County Championship - On the issue of promotion, Harry Mallett read a ruling from the MCC to the effect that, to qualify as a first-class county, a county must arrange a minimum of six home and away games with first-class counties, and obtain the approval of the MCC. The MCC ruling had been made probably mindful that the winner of the Minor Counties Championship only met a relatively small number of the teams taking part in the competition and could not therefore necessarily be considered the strongest team. As demonstrated by the example of London County, it was possible to obtain first-class status without gaining admission to the First-Class Counties Championship. Pat Darnell is recorded as having argued that there was room for improvement in the scheme for promotion by merit, which he considered in principle much better than the MCC Committee ruling. He went on to suggest that a scheme could be developed for the grouping of counties with the winners of each group playing each other to decide the Championship. It was agreed that the Emergency Committee should look yet again at the issue of the grouping of counties. The membership of the Committee was strengthened from five to seven with the addition of representation from Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire. It is also likely, but not recorded, that the issue of the reform of the points system was raised as proposals regarding that matter were to be put before the next Annual Meeting. Re-election Of The Hon Secretary - In proposing the re-election of Harry Mallett as the Hon Secretary, which was unanimously agreed, the Chairman “mentioned in terms of the highest praise, the excellent work he had done in getting recognition of the competition by the MCC”. THE CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTIES As a consequence of the recognition by the MCC and the first-class counties of the Minor Counties Championship as the second division of the County Championship, the MCC Committee issued in March a revised version of the classification of counties as follows: 1 Cricketing counties shall be considered as belonging to First-Class and Second-Class. 2 First-class counties are those whose matches with one another, with the MCC and Ground, with the Universities, with the Australians and other elevens as shall be adjudged “first-class matches” by the MCC Committee, are used in compliation of first- class batting and bowling averages. Second-class counties are those not included in first-class and the second-elevens of the first-class counties. 3 There shall be no limit to the number of first- or second-class counties. The MCC Committee may bring new counties into the list, may remove existing ones from it, or do both. The rules governing the First-Class County Championship were amended with the following addition made by the MCC: County Championship – Second Division: Second-class counties and the second elevens of first-class counties shall be entitled to compete in the division. No county or second eleven shall be eligible for the Championship unless it has played at least four out and home matches with the other second-class counties, themselves being fully qualified for the competition. The