Wisden arrives

The primrose cover of Wisden’s Cricket Almanack does not just herald the start of the cricket season, which is into its fourth round of Championship games, but of summer.

John Wisden was the finest cricketer and coach of his age – the 1850s. Through his friendship and business association with Fred Lillywhite he acquired his cricketing data base and in 1860 published the first almanack.

Given the information  provided on the internet – especially the Cricket Info site – it’s incredible that it’s still going, particularly as at £52 it’s not that cheap and the Playfair Almanac is cheaper and more portable.

Wisden has moved with the times.  Once there were long sections about public schools cricket and virtually nothing on women.

Oddly enough public schools provide more cricketers now than ever. Surrey’s Ollie Pope was at Cranleigh and Dulwich has been a feeder school for the three time champions.  Sussex draw upon Hurstpierpoint – for whom Tom Haines was an alumnus – and Bede’s at Eastbourne.

In the opening notes the editor is highly critical of the self-serving governance of India who have taken over from the MCC as the ruling force of global cricket.

As a kid I would read Wisden from cover to cover but it’s now become a reference resource. I still enjoy the review of the counties though it gave me no pleasure to read of Middlesex’s financial travails.

Stats can only tell you so much. There  were two touching human interest stories too.

The first was the presentation of Sussex’s first division championship trophy to their number one supporter Brenda Lower (aged 81), who has followed Sussex in all formats passionately since 1955.

The second was Gloucestershire presenting their T20 trophy to David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, stricken by motor neurone disease.