Minor Counties Championship 1908

6 competition.” The alternative was to “eliminate them” altogether – at this point Mr Marks declared that he had nothing personal against the 2nd XIs or their players but went on to state that the resolution that had been passed the previous year [which stated that “no player who has in any season played in six or more matches for a first-class county should, in the same season, be eligible to play in the Minor Counties Championship”] had been ignored by those sides. He stated that he was not surprised, for “the Second Division was of little use to [first-class] counties” if they could not use their 2nd XIs as a nursery for their first eleven. The results of the 1907 season had “furnished a reductio ad absurdum, for [the Championship] had no champion county at all.” The scheme that the Minor Counties were (still) aiming for was one of promotion from second class to first class by merit and, though it seemed unlikely that it would ever be passed (see Books of 1899, 1900, 1901, 1903 to 1907 for details), it was desirable to demonstrate who was the “best of the real minor counties.” He declared that the current system might see the Yorkshire 2nd XI being promoted to play against the Yorkshire 1st XI but then went on to admit that he was “flogging a dead horse”, begging to move the resolution put forward by his county. Sir C Y Nepean (Berkshire) spoke briefly to second the motion. Mr A M Miller (Wiltshire) said that his county always enjoyed their fixtures against Surrey 2nd XI and wanted to play against the strongest sides. He saw no reason why action should be taken now that a 2nd XI [that of Lancashire] had “secured top place” in the Minor Counties Championship. Mr H B Letcher (Glamorgan) said that his committee were unanimously against the proposal. “They had played against two of the 2nd XIs and lost to one of them in the final, but they thought that the interests of cricket were better served by their retention, and, as grouped now, did not think there was any option.” Mr Letcher continued that it would not be desirable to “cut out” the 2nd XIs of first-class counties as “they represented the better class of cricket.” Mr R H Mallett also opposed the motion, though he was pleased that it had been raised as it was unpleasant for the 2nd XIs to feel that “they had outstayed their welcome.” It was desirable that a final decision should be arrived at and that any suggestion of ill feeling was dispelled. He stated that the 2nd XIs had been of assistance in the running of the Championship, as exemplified by the fact that, when they first participated, it would have been almost impossible under the old scheme for second class counties to have arranged enough matches to qualify for inclusion in the final table. He also referred to the educational role played by the 2nd XIs; it was a severe test for Minor County players to perform under conditions that more resembled those of the first class game. Mr Mallett continued that the inclusion of the 2nd XIs remained convenient and that they were there, as he (somewhat cynically) understood it, to “protect the first class against the inroads and claims of the Second Division counties for [automatic promotion] for, if a 2nd XI were top, there was certainly no county with claims for promotion.” He pointed out that, if Bedfordshire's resolution was passed, the Minor Counties would have to go cap-in-hand to the first class counties to “secure an alteration of the qualifications” which had been laid down in 1901 stating that “there was a Second Division Championship, competed for by Minor Counties and the second elevens of first-class counties.” Messrs W C Hancock (Staffordshire), B Abrahams (Buckinghamshire) and R W Frank (Yorkshire 2nd XI) also spoke, the third-named advising caution before “eliminating the 2nd XIs”, though claiming that those teams would not suffer by exclusion from the Championship. A vote was then taken and Mr Marks' proposal was defeated by ten votes to four. However, those counties fielding 2nd XIs agreed to meet together in order to try to draw up some rules