In living memory

posted by John Winn

Prompted by another thoroughly miserable weather forecast threatening to deal a further severe blow to weekend cricket I recalled an article that appeared in the !986 Wisden under the heading 'The Wettest Summer of Them All?' by John Kitchin. The article was a response to the summer of 1985 when 'Messrs Macaskill and Fish filled our television screens with rings of densely packed isobars foreboding ill'. For Macaskill and Fish substitute Hammond and Taylor and little seems to have changed.

Buckets of statistics have been produced to demonstrate how many days, hours, overs and perhaps most importantly pounds the counties have lost so far this season (see page 23 of this week's 'Cricket Paper' for example). With no sign of things getting better will  2012 usurp all other contenders to be crowned 'The Wettest Summer of Them All'?. Kitchin's article went beyond just relying on the memory of editors of Wisden over the years and compiled a table which recorded rainfall in May, June, July and August (very little April cricket at that time of course), batting and bowling averages and first class centuries. Top of the list for rainfall was 1903 and of the nine seasons compared it had the lowest number of batsmen averaging over 50 (just two) and the highest number of bowlers averaging under 20 (44). This combination of rain, low scores and bowler domination led the author to award the golden umbrella to 1903, described by Wisden as 'worse even than 1879' and 'the wettest within the experience of  anyone (then) playing first class cricket'. Apart from the weather 1903 is remembered in cricket history as the year of Hammond's birth and Shrewsbury's death. Middlesex won the championship, Yorkshire, suffering much from the absence of and injuries to key players, finished third.
According to Kitchin the chief rivals to 1903 were 1924 and 1958 and I suspect some of our readers ,like the writer, will remember the last of these when a hopelessly outclassed New Zealand team, having lost the first four tests,  were probably saved  from a 5-0 whitewash by rain at The Oval. The then editor of Wisden described the year as 'the wettest season in memory',, even wetter than 1956, which he had also described as 'the wettest in memory'.
In 2012 we have already noted two important centenary anniversaries, Scott's polar expedition and the sinking of The Titanic and from a cricket lover's point of view 1912, one of Kitchin's years, was the year of the triangular test tournament when England were joined by South Africa and Australia, bringing together the only three test playing nations at that time. The tournament was not a success, Australia brought a much weakened side and South Africa's form was disappointing but perhaps above all it took place during 'one of the most appalling summers ever known', (Wisden). The seventh of the nine test matches was played at Trent Bridge on August 5th-7th between Australia and South Africa and another 98 years were to lapse before another neutral test was played in England when Australia met Pakistan at Lords in 2010. The full story of the tournament is described in a very detailed  book by Patrick Ferriday,  ,Before The Lights Went Out, published in 2011.

Were someone  to effect a similar kind of analysis of 2012 to that done by Kitchin then it would be difficult to compare like with like. The proliferation of one day and T20 cricket arguably diminishes the value of first class averages, and covering and drainage of most first class grounds is improved out of all recognition. Perhaps we will merely come to rely on our memories and that of the editor of Wisden who will surprise me if in next year's almanac he does not describe 2012 as 'the wettest season in memory'.

Finally Cumberland's epic journey to Truro to play Cornwall in the MCCA KO competition has been reported in the press and on the internet as has their victory taking them into the semi finals .What is perhaps less well known is that the semi final draw has secured them an away tie with Dorset at Dean Park, Bournemouth, another arduous Saturday evening journey before the game on Sunday July 1st. The other tie will be between Staffordshire and Wiltshire, to be played at Leek.