Many of you will be aware that in the early part of each year Leinster career figures are issued showing primarily the current players who have scored in excess of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets in their career in what are now Divisions 1 and 2 and details of those players who in their total careers have achieved over 5,000 runs or taken over 500 wickets.
As with much concerning statistics in the top level of Leinster Cricket these figures started with Derek Scott and but for the incredible amount of work he put into them the career figures would never have been available. I took over from him back in 1995 the calculating of the statistics each season and then the updating of the career figures after the season.
I am not ready this year yet to issue them, however. This is primarily because I have had some difficulties in ascertaining those who reached the initial mark of 2,000 runs/200 wickets for the first time last season. Also one aspect of the records as published is to include details of those players who are looking at the possibility of reaching particular targets where the next 000 is the key.
For those already in the career records, the targets are not a huge issue as they will already be in the records. However where there is a problem, or can be, is if they have not yet reached 2,000/200. How can I ensure I know how close they are to it that it should be included as a target for them? To solve this issue I have been able to effectively cover everyone who played at the top level, Divisions 1 and 2 now, since I started. I have been able to check for every player who has scored at least 1,000 runs so that I know which players might be getting close to 2,000 and first entry in to the records, and likewise for the bowlers to reach 200 wickets.
What I have done therefore is to calculate, using the Software I have used since I started doing these figures back in 1995, Cricket Statistics for Windows, all those in Leinster Cricket who have scored in excess of 1,000 runs and/or taken in excess of 100 wickets.
I though then it might be useful to look at the players who have over that 17 year period scored over 2,000 runs or 200 wickets. What is interesting in regard to them is that it is a period which will include players who were reaching the end of their careers, and although if one looked at their full career would be well up there, might not even make this list. Then there are those have only recently started their careers and by the time they finish may well be high up that list, but are not in it. Finally there are some whose careers started the same year that I started and whose total career is contained within them. I have always felt an affinity with Rush Cricket Club as they officially became a Senior Cricket Club the year I started, 1995, (although they had played a few Senior Cup matches in earlier years) and this period covers both our careers.
What is particularly interesting is that this period covers a fundamental change in the nature of Leinster Cricket. 1995 was the first season of the introduction of a merit based Section A and Section B. The clubs in these sections had been determined based on the results in the previous two years and a system of promotion and relegation introduced. Also Dublin University had withdrawn from the league after 1994 because the Wiggins Teape League was now to be played first in the season and so as term would be over they could not play in the League.
The draw was still applicable in the league. There was no restriction on bowlers and overs would not be reduced. Therefore bowlers could still realistically aim to reach the figures of 500 career wicket. No draw cricket was introduced in 1997. Bowlers were reduced initially to a maximum of 15 overs (out of 55). Still 4 bowlers could be sufficient. This was changed to 5 and the overs limited to 10 (or 20% of the innings overs) in 2001. Overs were reduced, if rain interfered, to seek a result and run rate was introduced as a method of enabling that result. This was subsequently changed to Duckworth Lewis in 2006.
In addition, the number of matches per club per season was reduced. In 1995 quite a number of players played over 20 matches (highest 23) and by last year that was reduced to around 17. Main difference was the ending of the Short League. The reduction in overs that all these changes led to reduced the capacity for bowlers to take enough wickets to give them a realistic chance of reaching 500 wickets. This is a target that is extremely very unlikely to be ever reached again.
From the point of view of the batsmen the reduced number of matches has led to reduced opportunities to see a batsman reaching 1,000 runs in a season. This was reached for the first time in 1981 and between then and 2004 it has been achieved on 18 occasions in all. On the other hand however, improved levels of coaching and improved pitches are likely to see batsmen continuing to do well and continued numbers reaching the magic level of 5,000 career runs.
In the next article I propose to look at the number of runs actually scored in the period I am covering and then after that to deal with the number of wickets taken in that time.