After attending eight T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, I traveled to the UK to join a conference on cricket organized by the Cricket Research Network, or CRN.
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It was held on Feb. 25 at one of the University of Cambridge colleges, Hughes Hall, sited next to Fenners, historically the university’s cricket ground. In 1846, Francis Fenner leased land from Gonville and Caius College. Two years later, he sub-let the newly constructed ground to the University Cricket Club, which, together with the Athletics Club, bought the freehold in 1894.
One of the conference presentations was on the topic of “town versus gown,” covering the history of cricket in Cambridge at both university and club level. I was aware that Fenners once had a reputation as a pitch that favored batting. When I mentioned this to the presenter, he asked if I knew that the highest aggregate number of runs scored in a first-class match, in which both sides only batted once, had occurred there. My interest was piqued. A quick search revealed that 1,324 runs were scored in a three-day match between May 17 and May 19, 1950, when the University of Cambridge hosted the West Indian touring team.
