Bigger Wicket Plan Approved in England

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 648, 27 April 1929, Page 15

Bigger Wicket Plan Approved in England

LAWS OF CRICKET COUNTY RULE CHANGES (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Reed. 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Friday. The Advisory County Cricket Committee discussed the proposed alterations in the rules. It approved the enlargement of the wicket and the legbefore limitation; also the wicket-roll-ing period. It rejected the recommendation for a new ball every 150 runs and also the change in the boundary. The Marylebone Club’s sub-commit-tee appointed to consider R. H. Lyttelton’s proposals to alter the leg-before-wicket law to include balls pitching off the side of the wicket issued its report and recommendations last weekend. The recommendations included widening and heightening the wicket by one inch. The striker may be given out leg-before even though the ball may have first hit the bat or his hand. They suggest elimination of the latterpart of law 27, from the word “except” to the end, depriving the batsman of the right to stop the ball from hitting the wicket, after it has once been struck. The fielding si<je should be allowed to demand a new ball after 150 runs have been made. It was recommended that the boundary immediately behind the bowler’s arm be limited to approximately 80 yards from the striker’s wicket, and extend in a straight line till it meets the normal side boundaries. Tho maximum time for actual rolling of the ground should be reduced to seven minutes instead of 10 minutes. The sub-committec stated that th 6 changes recommended were meant to apply only to county cricket, and were solely in an experimental state. Law 27 reads: The striker is out “if the ball be struck, or be stopped, by any part of the person, and he wilfully strike it again, except it be done for the purpose of guarding his wicket, which he may do with his bat, or any part of his person, except his hands.”