Wyncote Ramblers Cricket Club

The playing of Declaration Cricket will always remain central to the ethos of our Club.It is documented in the Constitution as one of our key aims and to a large extent defines why we are who we are. It is our unshakeable and immutable belief that this is absolutely the correct way to play cricket which when approached properly, requires captains to risk losing in order to try and win, while also largely preventing unbalanced games,absurdly high scores and ‘dead overs’ in the second innings. These and other related themes are explored in our ‘Declaration on Time Cricket’, which can be found on the club website.

Ordinarily games would be played over five or six hours playing time with a minimum of 20 overs in the ‘last hour’. However,during the course of the pandemic we have developed a series of overs based declaration formats of varying lengths, initially in order to facilitate Covid sanitation breaks and to avoid losing time from either innings. Each of these formats are based on the conversion of a specific playing time into an overs equivalent using the principle of an over rate of 18 per hour [ie six overs per 20 minutes] plus the 20 that would normally be bowled in the final hour of play and with an upper limit on the first innings. Three of these formats are detailed below, each of which allows plenty of flexibility for timing a declaration, engineering a run chase and if necessary, hanging on for a draw with nine down!

[1] Five Hours Playing Time.

• 72+20 = 92 overs equivalent
• 1st innings maximum = 51 overs/2hrs 50 mins
• 2nd innings minimum = 41 overs/1hr 10 mins+20 overs.

[2] Four Hours and Forty Minutes Playing Time.

• 54+[6x2]+20 = 86 overs equivalent
• 1st innings maximum = 48 overs/2hrs 40 mins
• 2nd innings minimum = 38 overs/1hr+20 overs

[3] Four Hours and Twenty Minutes Playing Time.

• 54+6+20 = 80 overs equivalent
• 1st innings maximum = 45 overs/2hrs 30 mins
• 2nd innings minimum = 35 overs/50 mins+20 overs.

Any remaining declaration fixtures will played under one or other of these formats which provide an appropriate vehicle for sanitation breaks,maintain the subtle nuances of ‘proper cricket’ and are a useful tool for introducing those new members and opponents used to a diet of limited overs games to the concept Time Cricket.