Roy Webber, Statistician

Martin Chandler | 9:31am GMT 11 February 2024

Published: 2001
Pages: 32
Author: Rosenwater, Irving
Publisher: Christopher Saunders
Rating: 3.5 stars

Irving Rosenwater begins this monograph with a quote from its subject, the context of which was a discussion in 1957 concerning the introduction of bonus points into the County Championship; I love cricket statistics: but I love cricket more. I will defend cricket statistics for ever, while they are kept where they belong – the broadcasting box, press box and library. Cricket statistics do not belong on the playing area, or in pavilion or dressing room. Webber’s views clearly carried some weight as it was to be as long as a decade later, some time after his sadly early passing in 1962 at the age of 48, before bonus points finally arrived.

As for Rosenwater’s opinion of Webber he describes him in affectionate terms as; never a scholar, never a profound thinker, he nevertheless catered for a mass audience that in a way he was partially responsible in shaping. Webber was a decent enough number cruncher, but as a historian he was certainly not one of the best, so in some ways it is curious that Rosenwater is as fulsome in his praise for Webber as he is. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that anyone who shared Rosenwater’s interests and skills who knew their place and did not challenge his pre-eminence would be treated as a friend for as long as that situation persisted.

As a result of the pair moving in the same circles Rosenwater clearly knew a great deal about Webber, and was acquainted with plenty of others who knew him well. The legacy of Roy Webber is not such that his name means a great deal in the 21st Century but for cricketing bibliophiles in particular he is a man of some interest, and Rosenwater did us all a great service when he spent the no doubt many hours that were involved in putting this memoir together. The content is not available elsewhere but, having been produced in an edition of 100 copies this one is, in relative terms, neither rare nor expensive.