County Championship
The 1939 County Championship was determined on an average points basis because the county teams did not all play the same number of matches, the range varying from 24 to 32. Yorkshire won the title for the third successive season, playing 30 matches with 20 wins and 2 defeats to produce a points average of 9.286. Middlesex was the runner-up with 8.182 from 26 matches with 13 wins and 3 defeats.
Yorkshire were captained by Brian Sellers, whose efforts earned him a place in Wisden's "Five Cricketers of the Year". The team had five batsmen who all scored more than 1000 championship runs: Len Hutton (2167), Wilf Barber (1388), Herbert Sutcliffe (1230), Maurice Leyland (1191) and Arthur Mitchell (1087). The bowling depended on Hedley Verity (165 wickets), Ellis Robinson (102), Bill Bowes (96) and Frank Smailes (49). The wicket-keeper was Arthur Wood who completed 39 catches and 27 stumpings. Other players included Cyril Turner and future England captain Norman Yardley.
Runners-up Middlesex were well served by Test batsmen Bill Edrich (1948 runs), Denis Compton (1853) and Jack Robertson (1562). Wicket-keeper Fred Price had an outstanding season with 53 catches and 20 stumpings. Middlesex relied heavily on its two main bowlers Jim Sims (142 wickets) and Jim Smith (84). Edrich and Price were recognised by Wisden as two of its "Five Cricketers of the Year".
Gloucestershire finished third under England captain Wally Hammond who scored 2121 championship runs. Other good performers for Gloucestershire were batsmen Charlie Barnett, Jack Crapp and George Emmett; seam bowler Colin Scott and the outstanding spin bowler Tom Goddard who took 181 championship wickets.
Noted batsmen at other counties were John Langridge (Sussex) with 2106 championship runs; Les Ames (Kent), Joe Hardstaff junior (Nottinghamshire), Arthur Fagg (Kent), Eddie Paynter (Lancashire), Harold Gimblett (Somerset) and Laurie Fishlock (Surrey) who all made more than 1700 runs. Walter Keeton of Nottinghamshire was recognised by Wisden as one of its "Five Cricketers of the Year" after he scored 312* against Middlesex, which was the highest individual score of the 1939 season and remains the highest ever made for Nottinghamshire.
Noted bowlers elsewhere were Reg Perks (Worcestershire) and Doug Wright (Kent), the only others to take more than 130 championship wickets.
Read more about this topic: 1939 English Cricket Season
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“I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name,—if ten honest men only,—ay, if one HONEST man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America. For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)