Fantasy points – 2011 to 2013 [part 3 – In the field]
Now we move onto the bowlers and their feats. Bowlers must sometimes feel like cannon-fodder as economy rates are shattered, their endeavours limited by regulation and as previously mentioned the swing in the balance of power between bat and ball definitely moving towards bat. However, it is not all bad news. Bowlers continue to toil manfully and some do reap their rewards. Whilst no-one has captured all ten wickets in an innings someone has got 9. And as flash and dashing as some of the batsmen can be, the truth still holds that bowlers win matches, batsmen decide by how much.
Starting with wickets taken by bowlers and whilst over 37,000 wickets have fallen to 2,132 bowlers, or at least players who have turned their arms over, only ten bowlers have managed to capture over 100 wickets in the past three years. The top 25 (and ties) wicket takers are:
115 – S. Kumar [R&SPU]
114 – Benjamin Button aka Conor Gibbons [Malahide]
110 – Faran Ahmed Khan [Pembroke]
107 – Fiachra Tucker [Pembroke]
104 – S. Gallagher [Halverstown]
103 – Adam Ellison [Rush] & S. Saharan [Merrion]
102 – Rex Walsh [Merrion]
101 – R. Nair [Dundrum] & A. Ravi [Dundrum]
99 – G. Delany [Leinster]
98 – A. Craig [Clontarf] & Stephen Langton [Sandyford]
95 – Y. Ali [YMCA]
94 – Paul Lawson [Pembroke]; R. Mehta [Civil Service]; and Simon Rice [Greystones]
93 – Nicky Jagoe [R&SPU]
90 – R. Gallagher [Malahide] & L. Clinton [The Hills]
Similarly to the batting averages, there are two tables shown below. The first table shows the best averages regardless of runs conceded, or overs bowled. The only criteria are that a wicket has been taken. The second table includes a minimum number of wickets taken, which again has been calculated using methods dating from the days when wickets and runs were measured by notches in a stick.
Top bowling averages with no qualifying marks and wickets taken shown in brackets. 135 bowlers have managed to keep their average below 10.00. All those who have an average of below 4.00 are shown here.
0.00 - P. Donoghue [Balbriggan] (2) & C. Garry [North County] (1)
1.00 – A. Isaacs [Bally] (4); Ted Williamson (1) & S. Nair (1) [both Terenure]
1.33 – T. Ranasinghe [Wexford Wanderers] (3)
2.00 – R. McGovern [YMCA] (1)
2.40 – W. Eddershaw [Greystones] (5)
2.67 – E. Rankin [YMCA] (3)
3.00 – C. McCann [Rush] (1); P. McHue [Leinster] (1); & J. Brady-Byrne [The Hills] (1)
3.38 – J. Jose [Balbriggan] (8)
3.75 – F. Shah [Adamstown] (4)
With a qualifying mark of 37 wickets (another arbitrarily chosen number) the number of bowlers with an average under 10.00 drops to just six. The bowlers with an average below 12.00 are shown and again the number of wickets taken is shown in brackets:
4.65 – Kamal Merchant [YMCA] (80)
7.72 – N. Bhandari [Cabinteely] (40)
7.79 – S. Nair [Dundrum] (39)
8.84 – J. Hammon [Greystones] (45)
8.89 – E. Lenehan [Greystones] (37)
9.49 – R. Singh [Sandyford] (55)
10.06 – T. Mount [Mullingar] (53) [D.14 MVP 2013]
10.38 – Ozzie DeSouza [Civil Service] (40)
10.42 – S. Mujeni [Knockharley] (40)
10.45 – G. Angel [Knockharley] (74)
10.59 – F. Quinn [Clontarf] (54)
10.85 – V. Walia [Adamstown] (67)
10.87 – A. Shah [Dundalk] (67)
11.21 – J. Brady [Civil Service] (48) & V. Jacob [Sandyford]
11.34 – Conor Hoey [Dublin University] (44)
11.56 – R. Gorvan [Dublin University] (45)
11.93 – Stephen Langton [Sandyford] (98)
Whilst only two bowlers have managed to take five wickets in an innings four times in the past three seasons, in total 353 bowlers have done so at least once. The two bowlers with 4 five wicket hauls are:
Stephen Langton [Sandyford] & A. Qasim [Balbriggan]
20 players have taken 3 such hauls.
S. Sood [YMCA] is the one player to have captured nine wickets in an innings in the past three years and the only one to come close to earning the miserly 20 bonus points available for such a feat. Five bowlers have managed an 8 wicket haul, whilst a further 16 took 7 wickets in one innings. These magnificent men are:
9/15 – S. Sood [YMCA]
8/6 – S. Mujeni [Knockharley]
8/9 – P. Crosse [Wicklow County]
8/16 – Y. Ali [YMCA]
8/40 – Jack Tector [YMCA]
8/49 – Mark Dwyer [The Hills]
7/6 – R. Chalissery [Ring Commons]
7/11 – Adam Ellison [Rush]
7/12 – K. Varghese [Dundrum] & Paul Lawson [Pembroke]
7/16 – Stephen Langton [Sandyford] & M. Byrne [Balbriggan]
7/17 – David Cooke [YMCA]
7/19 – Anto Burke [Sandyford] & F. Khalid [Castleknock]
7/25 – U. Raees [Laois]
7/28 – V. Gompa [Clontarf]
7/33 – Pat Collins [R&SPU]
7/34 – G. Robinson [R&SPU]
7/38 – Y. Jarwal [Lucan]
7/40 – W. Richardson [Malahide]
7/66 – Dom Joyce [Merrion]
111 bowlers have sent down at least 300 overs in three years. However one man is head and shoulders above the rest. With a batting average of 2.04 and 39 runs in 47 innings, you know he must be doing an awful lot right with the ball in hand. He has sent down nearly 600 overs in that time, which is close to 200 overs per season. In the last three years he has taken 114 wickets (and three catches, but then again how many chances go to long leg these days?) at an average of just over 20 and an economy rate of 3.85. In 2013 he played in divisions 3 (1 game – 0 wickets), 5 (12 – 20), 8 (9 – 14) and 10 (1 – 2). Conor Gibbons, we salute you.
The top bowlers in terms of overs bowled are:
596.5 – “Boxer” (of Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’) Conor Gibbons [Malahide]
520.4 – P. Flanagan [YMCA]
478.4 – Y. Ali [YMCA]
474.3 – R. Nair [Dundrum]
473.2 – A. Kamal [Malahide]
456.3 – Paul Lawson [Pembroke]
456.1 – Fiachra Tucker [Pembroke]
449.2 – S. Kumar [R&SPU]
440.1 – G. Delany [Leinster]
435.0 – S. Saharan [Merrion]
432.1 – Faran Ahmed Khan [Pembroke]
431.1 – P. Peethambaran [Sandyford]
409.2 – C. Burke [Rush]
407.1 – R. Meraj [Laois]
Leaving the bowlers, we now turn our attentions to the players in the field, whether they are the people who volunteer to don the gloves or not. Wicket-keepers are another category where technology has helped evolve the role. Helmets and face masks abound enabling keepers to stand closer to stumps to fully test their reflexes. Pads are lighter, allowing keepers to chase down balls that in years done by would have sat between fielders as they discussed whose ball it was. Gloves, however, are the one area where the regulations have been amended to prevent them developing into baseball mitts where the ball is not caught in the hands, but in the webbing.
Fielders too have improved with intensive and continuous coaching. Fitness aids concentration and technique is now taught as a matter of course, not as something to do whilst awaiting your turn in the nets. Crocodile hands are rarely seen and the number of dropped catches does seem to be dropping if you’ll excuse the dreadful pun. The most pleasing area of improvement is of attitude to drop catches. Where scorn and insult were once hurled at miscreants, the situation today is that you are more likely to see sympathy and encouragement. No-one drops catches on purpose and a player who has had his confidence shattered not just by the awful feeling of letting your team down with a drop, but also has received abuse from bowlers in front of his teammates, spectators and even the batsmen is far less likely to take the next chance or even to return to the cricket field in the future.
The top catches, as expected, are taken by keepers. One has to go a long way down the list to find someone taking catches, but not stumpings. Players who have taken 30 catches or more over the past three seasons are shown below. Those who also do not have at least one stumping have an *, although it is realised that even players who have a stumping may have taken most of their catches in the field and not necessarily with the gloves.
45 – Robert Forrest [Clontarf] & T. James [Clontarf]
41 – R. Forrest [Leinster], Tom Fisher [Terenure] & B. Smyth [North County]
40 – S. Kurian [Dundrum]
39 – R. Maybury [Clontarf]
38 – M. Cotter [Terenure] & D. McDonagh-Kinkade [YMCA]
37 – B. Archer [Balbriggan]
36 – Nic Pretorius [The Hills], C. Diviney [R&SPU], D. Casey [North County]
35 – J. Kerrison [Leinster], P. Tice [Merrion], A. O’Neill [R&SPU] and D. O’Brien [Sandyford]
34 – R. Watkins [Merrion], Jack Balbirnie [Pembroke]
33 – Lorcan Tucker [Pembroke], A. Gilbride [Clontarf]
32 – Lee Cole [YMCA], M. Hogan [Terenure], S. Katta [Laois], B. Hoey* [Terenure], M. Collier* [Clontarf]
31 - Paul Lawson* [Pembroke], John Anderson* [Merrion]
30 – J. King [Rush], Ed Wyeth [Leinster], A. Pyne [Malahide], M. McDonagh [Phoenix], Simmi Singh* [YMCA] and M. Byrne [Balbriggan]
When it comes to stumpings, 227 players have donned the gloves and snared at least one stumping. The keepers with at least 10 since 2011 are:
25 – R. Maybury [Clontarf]
23 – Rohit Bahl [Pembroke]
22 – S. Kurian ]Dundrum]
21 – R. Forrest [Leinster]
19 - Mick Dwyer [The Hills]
18 – Lee Cole [YMCA]
14 – R. Watkins [Merrion] & C. Allwright [Merrion]
13 – Nic Pretorius [The Hills], P. Byrne [R&SPU]
12 – M. Hogan [Terenure] & C. Jones [Phoenix]
11 – B. Smyth [North County], M. Cotter [Terenure] and B. Archer [Balbriggan]
10 – T. James [Clontarf], J. Kerrison [Leinster], P. Tice [Merrion], J. King [Rush] and Ed Wyeth [Leinster]
In the miscellaneous categories, Anne O’Meara [North Kildare] played in 6 games, batted 5 times, was dismissed four times and did not score a run. Stephen Keane [YMCA] bowled 23 overs without taking a wicket and D. Diskin [R&SPU] played in 39 games without taking a catch.
The one player to have played for the most clubs is, of course, Player Unregistered. His favourite club was Old Belvedere, which may be a reflection of the troubles the club was suffering prior to its demise. Player Unregistered is shown below in terms of appearances - club – runs – wickets – catches for his top clubs, that is the ones for whom he has appeared more than 10 times.
20 - Old Belvedere – 266 – 13 – 2
18 – Merrion – 145 – 5 – 1
16 – Sandyford – 198 – 8 – 2
16 – Phoenix – 128 – 12 – 8
13 – Civil Service – 181 – 9 – 1
12 – Pembroke – 62 – 5 – 2
12 – Wexford Wanderers – 49 – 5 – 1
11 – North County – 95 – 5 – 2
Finally, and at last, in terms of players used (including Player Unregistered), the clubs playing membership total are shown below. This list takes no account of the number of teams being run by each club, only the number of players registered under each club over the past three seasons:
191 – Merrion
174 – Leinster
166 – Clontarf
147 – R&SPU
146 – Phoenix
144 – Pembroke
121 – The Hills
118 – Malahide
111 – Rush
107 – North County & YMCA
104 – Civil Service
97 – Dublin University
96 – Terenure
95 – North County
89 – Adamstown
88 – Knockharley
87 – Laois
85 – Sandyford
80 – Wicklow County
74 – Mullingar
71 – Castleknock
68 – Greystones
66 – Dundrum
63 – Balbriggan & Wexford Wanderers
61 – Dundalk
60 – Bagnalstown & Halverstown
47 – Old Belvedere*
42 – Swords
38 – Cabinteely
37 – Bally
35 – Cork County
26 – Slieve Bloom
24 – Irish Women* & Longford
23 – Lucan
22 – AIB
20 – Ring Commons
19 – Walnut Taverners
16 – Bell’s Academy & Evening Herald & Garda
14 – Ballagh
11 – DFB & Tyrellstown
Well that is it. The figures has been twisted, sorted, ranked, but never fiddled. The 2013 season is now put to bed. Comparisons have been made and contrasts highlighted. What next? Perhaps a club-by-club analysis will be the next project.
I would like to thank all of those people who have read the various articles posted to the Cricket Leinster site, but especially to those people who send me kind words, suggestions and corrections and those who left their comments on the site. None of this would have been possible with the inputs of scorecards by skippers, managers and others, but most importantly Paul Reynolds who provides the raw data whenever requested without complaint, and who got me started on these articles.
Finally, thanks to Eddie Lewis, who is in charge of the Cricket Leinster website as far as I can see, for his encouragement and for allowing me to rant and write. I will now be retiring to a darkened room with nothing but the soothing sounds of whales and no sign of any technological equipment and no mention of cricket, where I can wear the nice tight jacket that does up round the back and take all of my meals through a straw.
Craig Senior.
Disclaimer….
As with all of these articles, the views expressed therein of those of the author and definitely do not represent those of the Leinster Cricket Union. Any feedback or requests for individual, team, Club or all-encompassing statistics may be sent to craig@cricket.ie.