The Minor Counties Championship 1903

4 THE MINOR COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP 1903 INTRODUCTION This book contains the match scores, a statistical survey and full averages, both by county and by player in alphabetical order, for the ninth season of the Minor Counties Championship. It follows the same format as the previous ACS publications that cover the first eight years of the competition. THE LEAD UP TO THE 1903 COMPETITION The main pre-occupations of the members of the Minor Counties Cricket Association (MCCA) were the continued drive to enhance the competition, both by increasing the number of competing teams and by achieving a recognised system of promotion to the First-Class Counties Championship. The 1902 season had seen the successful adoption of the new points system, but the rejection of the experimental LBW law which removed the requirement for a batsman to be given out only if the ball had pitched in a straight line between wicket and wicket. Sydney Pardon, the editor of Wisden had written to the minor counties seeking their views on the points system and the experimental LBW rule. The responses received from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Durham, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Surrey 2 nd XI and Wiltshire are set out in the early pages (lxii to lxix) of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack for 1903. A surprisingly wide range of views were expressed, and even the revised points system did not get universal support, though it was backed by a strong majority. However, the balance of opinion was against the experimental LBW rule, as it was considered it did not achieve the objective of reducing the number of drawn matches, and it also made the task of umpiring more difficult. The December 1902 Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting of the Association was held in the pavilion at Lord’s on Tuesday 9 December, prior to the annual gathering of the county secretaries to arrange the first-class fixtures for 1903. Those present were R W Allen and W W Marks (Bedfordshire), Capt J W St L Wheble (Berkshire), H E Bull and P J de Paravicini (Buckinghamshire), N Digby and Maj O Papworth (Cambridgeshire), W E T Bolitho (Cornwall); Col J Fellowes (Devon), W H Manfield (Dorset), R C Thompson and W R Wilson (Durham), Dr J Earl Norman and H J Hill (Hertfordshire), L F Stedman (Monmouthshire), E G Buxton (Norfolk), P W Dale, A J Darnell and T H Vials (Northamptonshire), R G E Mortimer (Northumberland), H M Turner (Oxfordshire), W C Hancock (Staffordshire), C W Alcock (Surrey 2 nd XI), A M Miller (Wiltshire), R W Frank and J B Wostinholm (Yorkshire 2 nd X) and R H Mallett (Hon Secretary of the Association). Glamorgan were not represented. James Fellowes took the chair. The LBW Law and the Points System – Harry Mallett reported that, following the consultations that had been held with its members, the first-class counties would be told that the Association would not support the continuation of the experimental LBW law for a further season. On the other hand, the new points system would continue to be used.