Having sent a copy of Pembroke's statistics to a select few people, I was surprised to receive an e-mail from a Wicklow County player requesting his figures. I hadn't realised they would end up on cricketleinster.ie. So in an effort to hide my club loyalty to one side, I have prepared a lot of facts and figures, none of which will appear on QI anytime soon.
Some of the relevant (a term which will lose it's original meaning quite shortly) figures have already been viewed in my previous post, and some of them will be as much use as an inflatable dartboard.
There have been 40 clubs playing in Leinster Cricket, including in a 'Galway are the Leinster Hurling Champions' sort of way, Cork. There are four clubs who have used over 100 players, Merrion (123), Leinster (113), Clontarf (104) and Pembroke (101). Average number of players per club works out at 49.
Seven players have managed, in this wonderful summer, to play 20 games or more. D. McDonough-Kinkade of YMCA has managed 22, whilst V. Jacob (Sandyford), J. Toor (Adamstown), John Andrews (North County), A. Matthews (Dundrum), Fiachra Tucker (Pembroke) and H. Habib (Adamstown) have appeared 20 times for their clubs. It might not be coincidence that two of these players make it to our top three ranked* list.
77 players have yet to have the pleasure of even making it to the middle with bat in hand. One has a certain amount of sympathy with MF Saleem of Greystones cricket, who has played six times and has not had a bat in anger, yet. We await report of his first knock.
267 players have an average of 0.00 or do not have an average. Conor Gibbons, a recent T20 cup winner with Malahide has yet to be dismissed in 6 at bats. Sadly for Conor, he has more at bats than he does total runs. Do his captains see him heading out to bat and decide to declare, or do his partners see him on his way to the middle and decide on ritual suicide? Either way he continues to prove his worth with the ball in hand as his 95 overs have yielded 20 wickets that see him appearing in the top 100 fantasy point list. Rolling back the years once again Conor.
As mentioned in yesterday's article David Drane (Greystones Cricket) leads the Leinster averages with 160.00. Being dismissed only once in four knocks, S. Nair of Dundrum also keeps an average greater than the Don's Test average with 110.00. Two innings and one not out, average over 100, stop...? Surely not.
Over half of all players (1,037) have an average below 10 and just 3% of players (9) have an average above 70, a very select group.
Our 'fantasy' leader R. Meraj (Laois) has amassed 604 runs, whilst only three players have over 500 runs, John Andrews (587), MT Raza (571) and Theo Lawson (542). Of the years biggest scores most impressively leading the way with the highest score in Leinster Limited Overs cricket and the second highest score ever is Ireland Under 19 player Robin Kelly (Pembroke). Robin scored his 219 in a Division 2 clash for Pembroke in Rush. He now is in the Under 19 squad for the World Cup to be held in Australia later this summer. Kenny Carroll dropped down to Division 4 to plunder a Pembroke attack for 155*, just so the Foxes would know what it is like from the other side and U Saleem (Knockharley) is the other big bat with his 151.
R&SPU have seen the most centuries with Kevin O'Brien, Kenny Carroll, P. Collins, M. Farooq and Z. Niaz all passing 100. Pembroke have seen four with all four occurring on the First XI, with Robin Kelly being followed by Theo Lawson, Jonathan Buekes and Andy Balbirnie. John Andrews (North County) and MT Raza (R&SPU) have raised their bats for half centuries five times. Is Park Avenue a batsmen's paradise? Are bowlers mere cannon fodder? Is the fence at the bowling green high enough? Our figures don't show how many of these landmarks took place in Park Avenue, but if Carlsberg did....!
Two of the top 3 'fantasy point' leaders are also the top two wicket takers. J Toor (Adamstown) 37 wickets, and V. Jacob (Sandyford) 36 wickets lead a pack of 35 players who have taken over 20 wickets. 1,080 players have taken a wicket, whether it has taken just one ball like H. Kazmi (Clonee), 38 overs like P. Chase (Malahide) or just 22 balls to take 5 wickets like A. McBride (Wicklow).
Malcolm Byrne (The Hills) has taken one wicket for 222 runs, He has however, scored more runs (228) than conceded and also pulled in five catches. H. Kazmi's (Clonee) one ball, one wicket gives and uncalculatable average, but this is matched by S. Jose (Swords) who had a wicket maiden and never bowled again. Perhaps S. Sharma (Clonee) has the most impressive statistics with 15 wickets at 4.07. Combined with his 140* and four half centuries his performances make him the 11th ranked player in Leinster of the 'fantasy' points league.
In these days of bowlers spells being limited to 10, 9 or even 8 overs taking a "Michelle" is more and more impressive. The days of trundling in for 25 overs from one end are now dead and gone and managing to take 5 or more rarer. However, as difficult as it is 76 players have managed it at least once. R Chalissery (Ring Commons) has recorded a frankly amazing 7/6 which must have been some spell. K Varghese (Dundrum) and Paul Lawson (Pembroke) both have 7/12 which seems positively wasteful in comparison. However, as Paul has 32 wickets at 11.50 we can't really accuse him of buying his wickets.
Paul Lawson (Pembroke) also seems to lead the non-keeping catches with 11. M. Ellison (Malahide) has 10 and as neither has a stumping we will assume they don't don the gloves. Amongst the Keepers Union, Z Scott (Leinster) has 14 catches and can add 3 stumpings. D. McDonagh-Kinkade can also claim 17 dismissals (13c 4s) and R. Maybury of Clontarf (13/6) and Rohit Bahl (Pembroke) (11/8) both reach 19 dismissals.
What of my own stats? Surely someone who spends that much time chasing the irrelevant, the silly and the downright obscure must have a close tab on his own? Well no actually. I'm just glad than my games played is higher than games umpired, my ranking is lower than my age, my catches outnumber my drops and most pleasingly that my highest score is higher than my overs bowled. No-one keeps statistics on pain-killers taken, except my pharmacist I suppose, but if they did I think I'd not be publishing the league table.
As mentioned in my previous post your position in the fantasy table or indeed your individual statistics up to now can be asked for at craig@cricket.ie
* ranked in my own particular method, which has no basis in actual fact nor is it particularly scientific in its workings. the points system can be seen in the Pembroke perspective OCC statistics article.
Craig of Pembroke