The Cricket Annual

Last updated
The Cricket Annual 1961 TheCricketAnnual1961FrontCover.jpg
The Cricket Annual 1961

The Cricket Annual was a compact cricket annual publication published in 1961 and 1962. This was the final name of a cricket annual that had first appeared in 1895, and was before it was re-named to become the re-styled Playfair Cricket Annual.

Contents

In 1962 the Playfair titles (including the Playfair Cricket Annual) were acquired by Dickens Press which had just published The Cricket Annual. [1] In November 1962 editor Roy Webber died suddenly and the decision was made to combine the two annuals so that in 1963, Dickens published a new style Playfair Cricket Annual, using the same name but basing the size, format and price on The Cricket Annual.

Background

The Cricket Annual was one in a long line of publications starting in 1895, with many different titles but with a continuity of format and style. They are pocket book size (approx 9.8 x 13.6 cm) but pre-1928 inaccurately trimmed and size varies (1906 is 8.9 x 13 cm). Pre-1915 books usually contained 96 pages (1908 = 80). From 1904-1914 they were edited by Alfred Gibson (Rover) and then for one year in 1921 by 'Mentor'. From 1922 until 1939 the editor was Frank Thorogood, in 1946 Percy Rudd, and then Crawford White until 1957 when he was joined by Roy Webber. Good quality copies prior to 1921 are rare and the 1895-1899 Star and Leader Cricket Manuals is difficult to find in any condition. The early annuals (pre-1914) sold for one penny (1d). When they reappeared after the First World War the price was 4d (1923 2d) and then in 1929 reduced to 3d until 1939. Post-1946, as the number of pages grew, the cost rose in increments from 6d to one shilling and six pence (1/6) by 1957.

Titles [2]

Details

Editions produced since 1928:-

YearTitleEditorPricePages
1928Daily News Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood4d128
1929Daily News Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1930Daily News Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1931News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1932News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1933News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1934News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1935News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1936News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1937News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1938News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1939News Chronicle Cricket AnnualFrank Thorogood3d128
1946News Chronicle Cricket AnnualPercy Rudd6d80
1947News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White9d96
1948News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s96
1949News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s112
1950News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s144
1951News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s144
1952News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s144
1953News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s144
1954News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s160
1955News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s160
1956News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s144
1957News Chronicle & Daily Dispatch Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s 6d192
1958News Chronicle & Daily Dispatch Cricket AnnualCrawford White1s 6d192
1959News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White & Roy Webber1s 6d192
1960News Chronicle Cricket AnnualCrawford White & Roy Webber1s 6d192
1961The Cricket AnnualRoy Webber2s192
1962The Cricket AnnualRoy Webber2s 6d192

For editions of the annual 1963-present see the Playfair Cricket Annual.

Related Research Articles

At the end of each Major League Baseball season, the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced. Leading either the American League or the National League in a particular category is referred to as a title.

Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of cricket matches that began in July 1806 and was abolished in January 1963. It was a match between a team consisting of amateurs and a team consisting of professionals that reflected the English class structure of the 19th century. Typically, the professionals were working class people who earned their living by playing cricket, while the amateurs were middle- and upper-class products of the public school system, who were supposedly unpaid for playing. The professionals were paid wages by their county clubs and/or fees by match organisers, while the amateurs claimed expenses. However, while rules to distinguish amateurs from professionals were established by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the system of allowable expenses was both controversial and complex, enabling some leading amateurs to be paid more than any professional for playing cricket.

The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Statisticians, the words "and Historians" were added in 1992 but it has continued to use the initialism ACS.

Playfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current players. It is produced in a "pocket-sized" format, being approximately 5×4 in, so that it is a convenient size for carrying to cricket matches. The front cover of each edition has featured a photograph of a prominent current cricketer. There is a popular myth that this "honour" has a "hex" or "curse" associated with it, as the player featured then invariably has a poor season.

Roy Webber was a British cricket scorer and statistician. After World War II, in which he served with the Royal Air Force, he decided to turn what had been his hobby into his profession. He had the necessary proficiency with figures, having previously been an accountant. He was the scorer for BBC Television's Test coverage for many years. He edited The Cricket Annual in 1961 and 1962. He was joint editor of the magazine Playfair Cricket Monthly and wrote a number of cricket books. He also wrote for the News Chronicle and the Daily Mail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Digital Newspaper Collection</span> Online archive of digitized newspapers

The California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC) is a freely-available, archive of digitized California newspapers; it is accessible through the project's website. The collection contains over six million pages from over forty-two million articles. The project is part of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California Riverside.

Pontypridd Urban District Council was a local authority in Glamorgan, Wales. It was created in 1894 as a result of the 1894 Local Government of England and Wales Act. The Council existed until 1973 and replaced the Pontypridd Local Board of Health which had functioned for some years. Its boundaries were set in 1894. Initially, the Council had eighteen members but this number was increased in the 1930s, as a result of the increase in population. There were initially six wards, namely Cilfynydd, Graig, Pontypridd Town, Rhondda, Trallwn and Treforest; a seventh ward, Rhydyfelin, was added in the 1930s.

References

  1. Playfair Cricket Annual 1963, p.5.
  2. A Bibliography of Cricket, Compiled by E.W. Padwick . 2nd edition 1984, p.92 to 99.