In a recent article on espncricinfo [http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/959169.html] the author comments on the use of a Pitch Quality Index based 'runs per wicket' on statistics. The Index allows him to produce a figure for the expected runs per wicket and wickets per balls bowled. These are then used to give a ranking of cricket grounds from the most to the least bowler friendly surfaces.
The article also commented on the historical records leading to the publication of an average index for different periods. During the pre-WWI period the PQI for the 134 Test Matches splayed was 45.1. In the inter-War period the index rose to 49.1. For the last 25 years the PQI stands at 50.5.
While it might be interesting to produce a similar Index for Leinster Senior Cricket, I leave this to others. But a guide to the quality of pitches is not the only information that one can get from this type of analysis. It is also possible to draw some inferences about career averages. To many it might seem fairer in producing career statistics that some account is taken of the era in which the runs are scored. Perhaps a weighting that takes into account the average number of runs scored each year should be added.
The starting point in any event is to see if there is any significant difference in the runs scored [per wicket] in different time periods. With figures going back to the start of the competition in 1919 [thanks to the great work by Derek Scott who originally collected all the figures for the LCU] it is possible to produce averages for each decade up to the present day [see graph below].
These figures show that in the early decades of Senior Cricket the average ‘runs per wicket’ was around 15. In the post WWII period the average went up to over 16 and again in the 1970s it moved above 17. 1982 was a significant milestone when the number of runs scored went over 20 for the first time. Since the early 1980s the average has continued to rise steadily each decade with a figure of 24.21 in the five years since 2011. The most runs scored was in 2013 when bowlers conceded over 27 runs per wicket.
So an open invitation to anyone interested in producing a logarithm that could be used to update career batting statistics. The raw material is all available.