We need a fairer system when it rains
8:22pm Thursday 2nd July 2009 in Sport By Guy Haynes
AFTER a weekend that saw Blackrod and Edgworth stun two of the top three teams — the match between Little Hulton and Edgworth bordered on the surreal at times — it is perhaps strange that a match between two sides in the bottom half of the table dominates the headlines. It is almost exactly a year ago that I wrote about the need for the Duckworth Lewis system to be used when calculating results and targets in rain-affected games. The Bolton Association use a system based on the run rate required, and, as I said last year “the system is pretty good when it comes to calculating revised targets.” That is, it works well enough when the rain falls during the game with play resuming afterwards.
However, as I also said then “where the formula falls down is when rain ends a match prematurely” after the requisite 24 overs have been bowled in the second innings. Although I had outlined some hypothetical situations where the result under the current rules would not have been a fair reflection of the state of the game, there have, surprisingly, been no occasions where this weakness in the system has been exposed. Until Saturday’s match between Atherton and Golborne.
Responding to Golborne’s 207, Atherton were cruising on 127-1 after 30 overs when a heavy shower ended the game. Atherton needed 81 runs off 18 overs with nine wickets in hand — a run rate of exactly four and a half an over; they were overwhelming favourites to overhaul Golborne’s target. Under the Duckworth Lewis system Atherton would have won easily — they would only needed to have got 101 with one wicket down — yet under the current Bolton Association rules, Golborne were deemed to have won by 14 runs. Ridiculous.
Any system that does not take any account of the number of wickets lost is certain to be flawed in situations like this. Atherton would have won the game under the Duckworth Lewis method had they lost anything up to four wickets. For them to have lost because of a flawed system having done so well to put themselves in a commanding position is a bitter pill to swallow. For Jamie Birch and Danny Sapietro, both of whom made 50, it must be particularly galling. I hope that the league executive will at last realise that they need to act, and find a way of using the Duckworth Lewis system from next season onwards. It is a great benefit to have a system where rain-affected games can still produce a result, but if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.
Finally, it is good to see Nick Chamberlain’s efforts have been recognised, and I enjoyed reading Neil Bonnar’s column on Friday. Nick does a remarkable job for both the club and the league, yet does not seek praise or influence. Nick is a terrific man, and a credit to his club and to the Bolton Association.
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