1903

At the behest of MCC, the second-class counties contested the 1902 season with a experimental modification to the lbw law, that ruled out the need for the ball to pitch wicket-to-wicket with the stumps. "It met with comparatively little favour," was the Wisden verdict, as could be seen from a series of letters on the subject. More rule changes were afoot as the captains of the first-class counties met at Lord's. Among their proposals were a reduction in the length of Test matches - from five days to three - and a widening of the stumps from eight to nine inches. The first suggestion met with a cautious welcome - "the result at cricket is not everything," wrote Sydney Pardon, who believed that matches between England and Australia should be played at the "highest point of excellence", and not allowed to peter out over several days of stonewalling. He was dismissive of the second proposal, however, arguing that cricket should be the same game the world over. Meanwhile, back on the pitch, WG Grace scored his 200th innings of 100 or more runs, a feat that was commemorated with a series of tables that spread across eight pages.
Editor Sydney Pardon
Pages - 532
Price - 1/-

Almanack essays

Notes by the Editor

Fewer Tests, wider stumps, 1903