A rule change which failed at Wednesday night's AGM of the Lincs League suggested defining a wide as any delivery landing outside leg stump.
The word "landing" immediately set me thinking about the famous "moon ball" speciality of Alkborough left-armer spinner Andy 'Chippy' Clay.
He was representing his club at the AGM and was as relieved as many other bowlers that this did not go through. It could have made for some lengthy overs!
Peter Douce, representing the Scunthorpe and District Cricket Umpires' Association, rightly questioned why a league like ours would want to tinker with a Law of the Game in this respect.
"Yours Truly" noted the definition "landing" in the proposed rule change but asked what would happen to a full toss which didn't pitch at all.
Clubs clearly agreed that defining a wide should be left exactly as now.
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The Bassetlaw league have accepted the leg side wide ruling and has worked well over the past 2 seasons.
ReplyDeleteIf teams want to use leg side wides then using the opportunity given by making captains and umpires meeting for the toss mandatory is a good place to discuss and agree with their counterparts - this has been used over the past season and has worked superbly. An argument that clubs have put forward is that some clubs have aspirations to be promoted to the upper echelons of Lincolnshire cricket or they have 2nd XI players who want to make the move from Feeder League cricket to ECB cricket. Many clubs do not have aspirations to be promoted and thus a rule change of this magnitude would make some games with some teams last for days rather than 50/45 overs.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed change had further flaws. It was presented as "pitching outside leg and moving further away".
ReplyDeleteSo a RA bowler to RH bat pitches 1" outside leg and the ball passes 3" down leg - wide.
What about the LA bowler to RH bat? The ball can pitch a foot outside leg, pass the bat 3" down leg - but because the angle meant it moved in to the stumps rather than away, it would not be a wide.
How does that work???
Nonesense rule - leave it to common sense and the umpires.