The 1946 English cricket season was the first full season of first-class cricket

First-class cricket

First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...

 to be played in England after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. It featured a three-match Test

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

 series between England and India, which was arranged at short notice. Meanwhile, Yorkshire

Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....

 retained the County Championship

County Championship

The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...

 title, having been the last pre-war champions in 1939.

Wisden Cricketers Almanack (1947 edition), in its review of the 1946 season, remarked that "the weather in 1946 might have been dreadful, but it didn't stop the crowds flocking to games".

Honours

• County Championship – Yorkshire
  Yorkshire County Cricket Club
  Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
  
  
• Minor Counties Championship – Suffolk
  Suffolk County Cricket Club
  Suffolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Suffolk....
  
  
• Wisden – Alec Bedser
  Alec Bedser
  Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
  
  , Laurie Fishlock
  Laurie Fishlock
  Laurence Barnard "Laurie" Fishlock was an English cricketer, who played in four Tests from 1936 to 1947. A specialist batsman, he achieved little in those four matches, but might have had a much more substantial Test career, had he not lost six of what should have been his best years to World War...
  
  , Vinoo Mankad, Peter Smith
  Peter Smith (cricketer)
  Peter Smith, was an English cricketer, who played for Essex and England. Smith was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1947. An all-rounder, Smith played for Essex from 1929 to 1951.-Life and career:...
  
  , Cyril Washbrook
  Cyril Washbrook
  Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...
  
  

Test series

England managed to arrange a three-match series against India, whose team was captained by former England player Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi

Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi

Iftikhar Ali Khan , sometimes I.A.K. Pataudi was the 8th Nawab of Pataudi and captain of the Indian cricket team. He was one of few cricketers to have played for two countries, having also played for the English Test side...

 and included Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Merchant

Vijay Merchant

Vijaysingh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhavji Thakersey was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first class cricket for Mumbai cricket team as well as 10 Test matches for India between 1929 and 1951...

 and future Pakistan captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar

Abdul Kardar

Abdul Hafeez Kardar or Abdul Kardar was an international cricketer, who is one of the only three players to have played Test cricket for both India and Pakistan; the other two being Amir Elahi and Gul Mohammad...

.

England won the First Test thanks to Alec Bedser

Alec Bedser

Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...

's 11 wickets on his debut. The Second Test was drawn after India's last two batsmen held out for the final 13 minutes with England well ahead, Bedser again having taken 11 wickets in the match. The Third Test was also drawn after being ruined by persistent rain.

• First Test at Lord's
  Lord's Cricket Ground
  Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
  
  : England won by 10 wickets
• Second Test at Old Trafford: match drawn
• Third Test at The Oval
  The Oval
  The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
  
  : match drawn

Mankad was recognised by Wisden as one of its "Five Cricketers of the Year".

Review

The 1946 County Championship had all teams scheduled to play 26 matches, although there were many incomplete games because of the weather "may be written down as the worst in living memory". Teams were awarded 12 points for a win and could also claim points for first innings lead in matches drawn or lost. In the end, the team with the most wins finished first and the team with the second most wins finished second, so the additional points did not really impact the outcome. According to Wisden in its 1947 edition, Yorkshire retained the title with "something to spare" but the competition was very close until the last few days. Middlesex and Lancashire "gave Yorkshire most reason for anxiety".

Captained by Brian Sellers

Brian Sellers

Arthur Brian Sellers was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played in 334 first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1932 and 1948, and later became a prominent administrator at the club....

, Yorkshire's success was chiefly due to its two main bowlers Ellis Robinson

Ellis Robinson

Ellis Pembroke Robinson was a first-class cricketer who took over 1,000 first-class wickets for Yorkshire from 1934 to 1949, and Somerset from 1950 to 1952.-Early life:...

 and Arthur Booth

Arthur Booth

Arthur Booth was an English professional first-class cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club...

 who took 167 and 111 wickets respectively in all first-class matches. Yorkshire's pace bowlers were the veteran Bill Bowes

Bill Bowes

Bill Bowes was one of the best bowlers of the interwar period and, for a time, the most important force behind Yorkshire's dominance of the County Championship...

, who played for England in 1946, and future England player Alec Coxon

Alec Coxon

Alexander "Alec" Coxon is a former English cricketer who played for Yorkshire. He also played one Test match for England in 1948. Cricket writer, Colin Bateman stated, "Coxon's Test career was abrupt - much like the man himself...

. They took 65 and 69 wickets respectively. Seamer Frank Smailes

Frank Smailes

Frank Smailes was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire, and one Test for England...

, who also played for England against India, took 76 wickets. Booth was the season's surprise success as he was then 43 and had been a Minor Counties player before the war. Yorkshire had recalled him after many years absence as a replacement for the late Hedley Verity

Hedley Verity

Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and in 40 Tests he took 144 wickets at an average of 24.37...

 and Booth made the most of frequently damp conditions that suited his type of slow left arm bowling. Yorkshire's batting depended heavily on Len Hutton

Len Hutton

Sir Leonard "Len" Hutton was an English Test cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England in the years around the Second World War as an opening batsman. He was described by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket...

, supported by veterans Wilf Barber

Wilf Barber

Wilfred Barber, known as Wilf Barber , was a professional first-class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1926 to 1947. He played two Test matches for England in 1935 against South Africa. An opening batsman with an excellent batting technique, Barber often batted in the...

 and Maurice Leyland

Maurice Leyland

Maurice Leyland , christened 'Morris Leyland', was an English cricketer who played 41 Test matches between 1928 and 1938 and proved himself one of the best left-handers of his generation....

. Norman Yardley

Norman Yardley

Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England, as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur, he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,...

 batted well and took part in a Test trial.

Runners-up Middlesex was captained by Walter Robins

Walter Robins

Robert Walter Vivian Robins was a dynamic English cricketer and footballer.Walter Robins was born in Stafford and was educated at Highgate School and Cambridge University. He played football for Nottingham Forest and first-class cricket for Middlesex, Cambridge University and England...

 and had a very strong batting lineup led by Denis Compton

Denis Compton

Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...

. The best Middlesex bowlers were Jim Sims

Jim Sims

James Morton Sims was an English cricketer.Jim Sims represented Middlesex in 381 first-class matches matches between 1929 and 1952 as a right-handed batsman and off-break bowler who scored 7173 runs and took 1,257 wickets...

 and Jack Young

Jack Young (cricketer)

John Albert "Jack" Young was an English cricketer, who played for Middlesex and England. His first-class cricket career lasted from 1933 to 1956....

.

Final table

Position	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	No Dec	1st inn lead match L	1st inn lead match D	Points
Pts	–	–	12	–	–	–	4	4	–
1	Yorkshire Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....	26	17	1	5	3	0	4	216
2	Middlesex Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...	26	16	5	5	0	1	2	204
3	Lancashire Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...	26	15	4	5	2	1	4	200
4	Somerset Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...	26	12	6	7	1	2	3	166
5	Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....	26	12	6	4	4	1	3	160
=6	Glamorgan Glamorgan County Cricket Club Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...	26	10	8	6	2	3	3	144
=6	Kent Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...	26	11	8	7	0	0	3	144
=8	Essex Essex County Cricket Club Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...	26	8	9	8	1	2	4	120
=8	Worcestershire Worcestershire County Cricket Club Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...	26	9	12	2	3	3	0	120
10	Hampshire Hampshire County Cricket Club Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...	26	8	15	3	0	2	2	112
=11	Leicestershire Leicestershire County Cricket Club Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....	26	7	13	4	2	2	2	100
=11	Surrey Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...	26	6	11	7	2	3	4	100
13	Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...	26	6	8	11	1	1	5	96
14	Warwickshire Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...	26	7	15	3	1	1	1	92
15	Derbyshire Derbyshire County Cricket Club Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...	26	5	12	8	1	3	4	88
16	Northamptonshire Northamptonshire County Cricket Club Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...	26	2	11	11	2	2	8	64
17	Sussex Sussex County Cricket Club Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...	26	4	11	10	1	2	1	60

Yorkshire total includes eight points for win on first innings in match reduced by weather to one day. Somerset total includes two points for tie on first innings in match lost.

Leading batsmen – all first-class matches

> > > > >

1946 English cricket season – leading batsmen by average
Name	Innings	Runs	Highest	Average	100s
Walter Hammond	26	1783	214	84.90	7
Vijay Merchant Vijay Merchant Vijaysingh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhavji Thakersey was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first class cricket for Mumbai cricket team as well as 10 Test matches for India between 1929 and 1951...	41	2385	242*	74.53	7
Cyril Washbrook Cyril Washbrook Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...	43	2400	182	68.57	9
Denis Compton Denis Compton Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...	45	2403	235	61.61	10
Martin Donnelly Martin Donnelly (cricketer) Martin Paterson Donnelly was a New Zealand Test cricketer and England Rugby Union player.Born in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand, Donnelly's twin brother Maurice died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. His sporting talent emerged quickly and Donnelly became known for his batting and fielding skills, as...	29	1425	142	52.77	6
Micky Walford	10	472	141*	52.44	2

> > >

1946 English cricket season – leading batsmen by aggregate
Name	Innings	Runs	Highest	Average	100s
Denis Compton Denis Compton Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...	45	2403	235	61.61	10
Cyril Washbrook Cyril Washbrook Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44. Washbrook, who is most famous for opening the batting for England with Len Hutton, which he did fifty one times, played a total of 592...	43	2400	182	68.57	9
Vijay Merchant Vijay Merchant Vijaysingh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhavji Thakersey was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first class cricket for Mumbai cricket team as well as 10 Test matches for India between 1929 and 1951...	41	2385	242*	74.53	7
Laurie Fishlock Laurie Fishlock Laurence Barnard "Laurie" Fishlock was an English cricketer, who played in four Tests from 1936 to 1947. A specialist batsman, he achieved little in those four matches, but might have had a much more substantial Test career, had he not lost six of what should have been his best years to World War...	46	2221	172	50.47	5
Dennis Brookes Dennis Brookes Dennis Brookes was an English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire between 1934 and 1959 . He also played in one Test match for England against West Indies in 1948. Brookes was President of Northamptonshire from 1982 to 1984...	48	2191	200	50.95	7
Jack Robertson Jack Robertson Jack Robertson was an English cricketer, who played county cricket for Middlesex, and in eleven Tests for England....	58	2114	128	38.43	5

Leading bowlers – all first-class matches

> > > >

1946 English cricket season – leading bowlers by average
Name	Balls	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average
Arthur Booth Arthur Booth Arthur Booth was an English professional first-class cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club...	5504	423	1289	111	11.61
Johnnie Clay Johnnie Clay John Charles Clay was a cricketer who played for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. Clay also played one Test match for England....	4874	204	1742	130	13.40
Austin Matthews Austin Matthews Austin David George Matthews was a cricketer who played for Northamptonshire, Glamorgan and England.-Cricketing career:...	4160	215	1329	93	14.29
Ellis Robinson Ellis Robinson Ellis Pembroke Robinson was a first-class cricketer who took over 1,000 first-class wickets for Yorkshire from 1934 to 1949, and Somerset from 1950 to 1952.-Early life:...	6830	354	2498	167	14.95
Bill Bowes Bill Bowes Bill Bowes was one of the best bowlers of the interwar period and, for a time, the most important force behind Yorkshire's dominance of the County Championship...	3578	203	987	65	15.18

> > > >

1946 English cricket season – leading bowlers by aggregate
Name	Balls	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Average
Eric Hollies Eric Hollies William Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...	9168	433	2871	184	15.60
Tom Goddard Tom Goddard Tom Goddard was the fifth highest wicket taker in first-class cricket....	7862	358	3095	177	17.48
Ellis Robinson Ellis Robinson Ellis Pembroke Robinson was a first-class cricketer who took over 1,000 first-class wickets for Yorkshire from 1934 to 1949, and Somerset from 1950 to 1952.-Early life:...	6830	354	2498	167	14.95
Jack Walsh Jack Walsh John Edward "Jack" Walsh, born at Walcha, New South Wales on 4 December 1912 and died at Wallsend, New South Wales on 20 May 1980, was an Australian cricketer who played nearly all of his cricket in England....	5962	144	3012	148	20.35
Sam Cook Sam Cook Cecil "Sam" Cook , was an English cricketer, who played for Gloucestershire and in one Test match for England.-Life and career:...	6739	327	2477	133	18.62

External links

• CricketArchive – season summary