Warwickshire’s 1911 maiden title triumph is a tale told regularly on this site.
The Bears started the season with a stuffing at Surrey by an innings in two days, leading to emergency talks.
Frank Foster, now a legendary figure, wasn’t part of the season opener, having announced his retirement the previous winter, but when he got the call to return as captain he accepted.
Foster immediately turned Warwickshire’s fortunes around, defeating Lancashire at Old Trafford, and with victory on the final game of the season away to Northamptonshire the title headed to Edgbaston for the first time.
But the season could have been so different. Thankfully for Foster’s team, it wasn’t.
A new scoring system was proposed by Somerset to allow teams to acquire points if weather heavily hampered the three-day fixtures. Previously the only way to score points was by winning a match, but the new method introduced points for draws.
A winning team scored five points, a team which drew a match, but scored more runs in the first innings scored three points, and a team which drew a match, but scored fewer runs in the first innings scored one point.
The new format certainly aided the Bears with The Oval outfit’s trip to Edgbaston a prime example.
Winning the toss and batting first, Foster fired exactly 200, his highest First Class score at the time, to help lead his side to 501.
Surrey replied with 312, and the Bears followed with 206 for three declared, courtesy of a quick-fire Ernest Smith ton, leaving the visitors needing an unlikely 395 to win.
But Warwickshire, on the charge in early July, was thwarted. England's international Ernest Hayes (five Tests) struck 137 not out alongside one of England’s great openers Jack Hobbs (61 Tests) who resisted with 42.
The Bears huffed and puffed to get Surrey to 270 for eight off 88 overs and were likely dejected as they left the field with a three-point draw.
But a few months later that result, and those minuscule three points which wouldn’t have been possible in 1910 and before, played a small part in Warwickshire’s illustrious history.
Had the previous scoring method been used, Kent would be Champions. However, using the percentage of possible points as the barometer, Warwickshire closed the season on 74, to Kent’s 73.846.
Incredibly tight. Imagine social media now.
I’m sure Mr Foster was grateful for Somerset’s suggestion and sent a beer or two down the M5.
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