Tinkering with Law 6

This piece is about the MCC Laws of Cricket, and the changes to Law 6 (the bat) made in October 2008. Two innovations in bat making sparked this eventual reaction from the MCC.  They don't get called on very often. Since the first codified rules were written in 1744, the chronology of changes affecting the bat is, 1774 (first rule for the bat), 1809, 1979, and 2008.

In this latest episode, the first innovation was the colourful (or glaring) glass-fibre sheet covering the back of the Kookaburra bats launched in December 2004.  The second is the carbon-fibre composite bat handles produced by Newbery, Puma, and Gray Nicolls from 2006.  The changes might have made some sense to protect the spirit and balance of the game had the Mongoose bat not appeared in 2008 and be declared legal.  I’ll explain.

Dad's Army - The Test

This piece is not about bats.  I’m taking the liberty to remind those who have never seen it to watch an episode of Dad's Army called 'The Test'. It's episode 10 in series 4, and is the funniest dramatised game of cricket you will ever see. Granted that humour is subjective, and you might say "what's funny about a bunch of old men playing cricket badly". But for lovers of cricket and classic situation comedy it should bring a big smile to your face, and maybe a few titters. Yes it's dated, being first broadcast in 1970, but there's much that is familiar to us today because after all it's a cricket match, played then as it is now. I challenge anyone who has played village cricket not to recognise something of themselves, or an experience that resonates in The Test.