100 Years Ago: 29 August 1924

by John Ward

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Day 3

Dover Week: Kent v Warwickshire

No Play — Match Abandoned

KENT 350. WARWICKSHIRE 110 and (following on) 228/4. Match drawn (Kent 3 pts, Warwickshire 1 pt.)

There was such heavy rain last night and this morning that it was impossible to resume the match and at two o’clock play was officially called off and the match left drawn.

Swansea: Glamorgan v H D G Leveson Gower’s XI

Still No Play — Match Abandoned

GLAMORGAN 178. H D G LEVESON GOWER’S XI 60/1 (Russell 35*, Hearne 1*). Match drawn.

The ground was very wet, but a dry morning gave rise to hopes that play could start after lunch.  However, rain swept in again during the interval with such force that at two o’clock there was no alternative but to abandon the match altogether.  This match, arranged to try to help Glamorgan out of their financial crisis, ironically brought further financial loss.

A meeting was held at Swansea yesterday to discuss Glamorgan’s financial position, and it was believed that had the weather this season been normal, Glamorgan would have been able to break even; as it was, they would need another £2500 by the start of next season.  It was decided to start a shilling fund throughout the county during the winter.

Hove: Sussex v Lancashire (Robert Relf’s Benefit)

Sussex Fight Out Draw against Parkin

LANCASHIRE 76 and 208/7 dec (P T Eckersley 32*, G Duckworth 17*; A E R Gilligan 2/32, N J Holloway 2/31). SUSSEX 123 and 109/8 (R A Young 14, G S Grimston 23, A E R Gilligan 19*, A C Watson 19; C H Parkin 6/48). Match drawn (Sussex 3 pts, Lancashire 1 pt). Overnight score was: Lancashire (2) 181/6 (Eckersley 25*, R K Tyldesley 0*).

Jupiter Pluvius claims another victim.  The match seemed yesterday evening to be bubbling up for a close finish, but then early rain and a saturated pitch prevented any play today until 4.15, making an outright result unlikely.  Lancashire batted on for 40 minutes for 27 runs and the wicket of Dick Tyldesley, on a now difficult pitch, and then declared, setting Sussex 162 to win in an hour and three-quarters.  Given the conditions, it was an unlikely task for even an attacking team like Sussex to attempt, and very soon wickets were falling quickly against the brilliant bowling of Cecil Parkin on the tricky pitch.  In half an hour five batsmen were out for 40, and in the end the famous hitters Arthur Gilligan and Arthur Watson found themselves playing the unusual rôle of digging in to see their side through to a draw after extra time at seven o’clock.  (Or supposedly — it didn’t stop Watson from hitting two sixes!)  Gilligan sportingly did not appeal against the light, which was now very bad.  Parkin bowled without a break to take six wickets, and 13 in the match for 115 runs.

Worcester: Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire

Fighting Foster, Pluvius and Drops Earn Worcestershire Draw

WORCESTERSHIRE 189 and 281 (F A Pearson 54, H O Hopkins 26, M K Foster 89, H P Gordon 30; F Barratt 2/38, S J Staples 2/89, B Marshall 2/39, T L Richmond 4/76). NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 324 and 139/3 (A W Carr 24, G Gunn 46, W W Whysall 27, F Barratt 28*; G C Wilson 2/63). Match drawn (Nottinghamshire 3 pts, Worcestershire 1 pt). Overnight score was: Worcestershire (2) 69/2 (Pearson 39*, Holyoake 2*).

Some fighting cricket by Worcestershire enabled them to secure a rather fortunate and unexpected draw against Nottinghamshire today.  In the morning, on a soft pitch, Dick Pearson completed his enterprising fifty, out for 54 in an hour and a quarter, but four wickets were down for 91.  Then Maurice Foster came in, and his first two scoring strokes came from missed chances in the slips — the first major factor in Nottinghamshire’s eventual failure to win.  He then played brilliantly for 89, helped in valuable partnerships by Herbert Hopkins and Herbert Gordon.  Their final total of 281 left Nottinghamshire to score 147 to win.

The visitors were keen to finish the match as soon as possible to catch a train for their match tomorrow at Cardiff, so they got after the runs, with Arthur Carr opening the innings and dashing up 24, but at 115 for two rain came down and caused a delay.  An agreement had been made to adjust the playing hours and finish play at 5.30 rather than 6.30, but nobody had communicated this to the spectators, who were puzzled when play restarted to see Nottinghamshire hitting out so frantically and a new batsman in Wilf Payton running all the way to the wicket, but the haste was in vain; time ran out with Nottinghamshire still 8 runs short of victory, leaving spectators bemused as the players left the field with the match unfinished.

MINOR COUNTIES

Northumberland have finished top of the Minor Counties table with a percentage of 80.00, followed by Berkshire with 68.57.  Since these two counties have not met in the competition, there will be a challenge match between the two, to be played at Jesmond on August 30 and September 1.

County championship positions: Yorkshire 75.45, Middlesex 71.57, Surrey 67.36, Lancashire 65.83, Kent 60.80, Nottinghamshire 57.27, Gloucestershire 55.65, Somerset 52.00, Warwickshire 45.26, Sussex 42.50.

TOMORROW’S MATCHES (first-class)

Tourist Match

Worcester: Worcestershire v South Africans

County Championship Matches — Final Round

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire

Dover: Kent v Lancashire

Leicester: Leicestershire v Essex

Lord’s: Middlesex v Surrey

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Warwickshire

Hove: Sussex v Yorkshire

No matches: Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Somerset.

The Blackpool Festival starts on Monday 1 September, with a Gentlemen v Players match.

Yorkshire have retained the County Championship, unless (a) they lose outright to Sussex, and (b) Middlesex also beat Surrey outright.  This double event is unlikely to happen, but it is still possible, so all eyes will be on the two matches at Hove and Lord’s.  After these there will be much interest in a Big Six clash at Dover, where Kent meet Lancashire.  It will be either Lancashire or Surrey to finish third in the championship, but obviously only pride is really at stake.  And there is also the wild card Jupiter Pluvius to contend with, to make predictions extremely risky.

WEATHER FORECAST

Jupiter Pluvius is still active and likely to disrupt matches in various parts of the country.

John Ward is an ACS member and a long-serving Zimbabwean cricket statistician. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.