The Minor Counties Championship 1905

6 Twenty-six umpires were chosen together with a further five supernumeraries: R Barber C E Batram D Bookless C E Brown W Copeland H Coulson O Frith J Gregory W Griffiths G P Harrison W Hearne T H Holton C Hughes R Humphrey D J Jennings C Marshall B W Mason C H Mills M Myers G Perkins R Rogers G J Rye A Stockwin H Willis F G Willoughby S Wrigley The supernumerary umpires selected were: G Boots W Bryan A G Eldridge J Ford (J Powell) Twenty seven umpires had been selected for the 1904 season and the six removed from the list were H Briscoe, T W Cherry, J Clifton, F Gladwin, H F Rogers and S E Whitelaw. The five new umpires were O Frith, C Hughes, C Marshall, G Perkins and H Willis. Of these two had served before, C Hughes in 1903 and C Marshall in both 1902 and 1903. Of the supernumerary umpires, G Boots and W Bryan were new, whereas A G Eldridge had been on the full list in 1903, as had J Ford. J Powell had served on the full list in both 1901 and 1902, but appears to have dropped out as he did not appear on the supernumerary list of the Minor Counties umpires published in the 1905 Wisden . Umpires are not known for 36 of the 84 matches played in 1905. All the umpires on the list are known to have officiated in at least one match during the season. Of the supernumeraries, G Boots and W Bryan umpired in at least one match, while there is no record of A G Eldridge or J Ford having done so. Divisions with Promotion and Relegation The 1905 issue of The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack , edited by Sydney Pardon, was published in the Spring. There was a single paragraph in the ‘Notes by the Editor’ relating to the issue of divisions which almost certainly summed up the views of the first-class counties and of the MCC on the subject. It reads “The promotion of Northamptonshire to a place among the first - class counties is to my mind a very good step and one calculated to increase the harmony of county cricket. If the second-class teams realise that if they show sufficiently marked superiority over their rivals promotion will follow as a matter of course we shall hear no more of proposals to adopt the system of the Football League. I have not a word to say against that body, but the system that answers very well with football would not do at all for cricket. The idea of a county with the traditions of Surrey and Notts being relegated to the second-class as the result of one bad season could not be entertained for a moment.”