First-Class Counties Second Eleven Annual 2019

8 In the Second Eleven Trophy, eight teams secured totals in excess of 300, with Somerset’s 371/9 at Taunton Vale against Glamorgan leading the way. At the other end of the scale Lancashire were dismissed for just 51 at Aigburth, Liverpool by their Roses rivals Yorkshire. George Rhodes of Worcestershire was the leading run-scorer with 448 at an average of 89.60, including two centuries. The highest individual score was 173* by Worcestershire’s Joe Barrett for the MCC Young Cricketers against Leicestershire at Lutterworth CC. In that match, TomWells (123) and Harry Swindells (101) also struck hundreds. The leading wicket-takers were Oliver Hannon-Dalby (Warwickshire) and Max Waller (Somerset) who each had 15 victims. Hannon-Dalby’s return of 7/35 against Somerset in the semi-final, was the best individual return of the season. Oliver Robinson of Kent, with 16 dismissals, was the most successful wicket- keeper, although Warwickshire’s Alex Mellor had six victims in the game against Nottinghamshire at the Notts Sports ground. This is the highest number of victims ever recorded in one innings by any keeper in the history of the trophy competition. Turning to the Twenty20 competition, 26 teams passed 200 during the season. Essex led the way with their mammoth 276/4 against Glamorgan at Chelmsford. The lowest score of the season was Kent’s total of 71 against Gloucestershire at the Polo Farm Sports Ground in Canterbury. Ben Curran, younger brother of Sam and Tom, and now on the books of Northamptonshire, led the run scorers with 515 runs, some of which were made for the Young Cricketers. Worcestershire’s Tom Fell hit the highest individual score, making an undefeated 120 against Yorkshire at Marske-by-the-Sea CC. The leading wicket- taker was Thilan Walallawita of Middlesex with 21 wickets, but special mention must also be made of Somerset’s Johannes Myburgh, who returned the astonishing figures of 5/3 in two overs against Middlesex at Taunton Vale. This performance included the only hat-trick of the season. Ryan Davies of Durham, with 15 victims, led the wicket-keepers. I must finish by expressing my delight in welcoming Keith Gerrish back as a compiler for this Annual. Keith had been deeply involved in the production of the Annual for several years beforehand and I’m pleased to be working with him again. The PCS Pro scoring system, developed for the ECB by NV Interactive, has also helped the production of the Annual, and my sincere thanks to the various county scorers for their assiduous efforts in getting the required information to me as soon as they can. And that brings another season to a close, so I hope that the weather will be as kind next year and that we will have plenty of Second Eleven cricket again during 2019. Howard Clayton statistician@mail.com