January 2011 offcuts_Jan Offcuts 2010.qxd.qxd - The OKS Association

CRICKET: FIFTY FINEST by Andrew Bee
A chimpanzee shares 96% of its DNA with
humans yet the 4% difference appears quite
vast. They’re hairier for a start and the
female of the species is never that
attractive, not like a human. Cricketers,
however, from 1880, the time of the first
Test match on home soil, would still find
cricket as attractive now as it was then,
insomuch as the cricketers’ preferred
summer game would still be the same
regardless of the date – it has changed less
than 1 %, in other words.
Top cricket writers from the past routinely
claimed the game had changed too much to
allow accurate comparisons between
innings from generation to generation: they
quote the better prepared wickets, the
change in LBW laws, the value of boundary
clearances, the no ball law, the duration of
the game, the time for the new ball, the
helmet, the covering of wickets,
floodlights, the ‘third’ umpire, even hawkeye.
Piffle! The 1880 Test had sticks to bowl
at, twenty two yards apart, by two teams of
eleven players, two innings over several
days, slip fielders, runs, wickets, leather
ball, run outs, wicket-keepers, umpires,
tea, lunch, evening session, boundary
ropes, pavilions, it had 99% of today’s
DNA – it hasn’t actually changed that
much, just evolved to become more
efficient. So comparisons can very
definitely be made.
In this book I use a 14 stage statistical
analysis to look at a multitude of factors to
identify the finest fifty innings. I passed the
list to my father, Bob Bee, who pored over
it with the scrutiny of an old teacher,
eyebrows bushier, hair greying from the
sands of time. Father can compare his gut
reaction to a Compton innings with that of
a Botham; he has a ‘nose’, a sixth sense that
can measure greatness by the warm
afterglow and so, tapping into his quite
remarkable knowledge and recall, we
drafted the list back to 1948. When the
mathematical formula felt right it was
simply a case of applying it to innings pre-
War also and a book was born.
Fifty Finest took five years of a
schoolmaster’s holidays to research and
write up, roughly from the time of Kevin
Pietersen’s 158 at the Oval in 2005 to
Broad’s 169 at Lord’s last August. A couple
of innings were even from an OKS, only
one from Tonbridge though.
For a signed copy contact Andrew Bee on
beea@svs.org.uk or purchase from
publisher Bridge Books, ISBN 978-1-
84494-066-0 (pb 9-99).
Andrew Bee (MT 1979-83)
Everyone who knew Bob Bee (Common Room
1960-93) in the heyday of David Gower
(LN 1970-75) will recall that the latter’s
batting could inspire Bob to lyricism. Less well
known is the family’s commitment to schoolteaching.
The Revd Nicholas Bee (SH
1977-82) was some years in prep schools before
being ordained into the Church in Wales. He is
now priest-in-charge of eleven small parishes in
West Wales, and lives only two miles from where
Mrs Martha Bee grew up, her father the
much-loved GP in Tregarron. Andrew himself is
now Head of Geography at Sutton Valence
School, after teaching at Colfe’s, and Sara Bee
(MR 1984-86) – whom many will remember
singing in The Serenade - teaches Sciences to ‘A’
level at Cottam School, Bristol.
Andrew was invited to speak to the Cricket
Society on 15 December.
1st XV TRIUMPHS
In the past two years, King’s 1st XV has
had great success, losing only 5 of their 29
matches. The captain has been Freddy
Close, half the team represent Kent, and
winger Kola Lawal has scored 25 tries in
two seasons, breaking all records. Three
players have played for England teams: Rob
Stephens for England A and Saracens last
year, Jack Masters for England under-16s,
and Charlie Kingsman represents England
uner-17s and Saracens junior academy.
OKS Offcuts • Jan 2011 • Issue 31
18
The OKS Association • www.oks.org.uk