Sixes

In 2023 Mark Duncan topped the Stoke Sixes League with 15 maximums.

Forty-one different players cleared the boundary on the full a total of 146 times; (37 players hit 131 in 2022); the new and continuing entries to the list taking advantage of more short format cricket being played than ever before. Here’s the table:

15 – Mark Duncan
11 – Tom Frost
11 – Will Gudgeon
10 – Justin Jones
8 – Neil Foster
7 – Omar Ali
7 – Jase Earl
6 – Rob Butler
6 – Nick Scott
6 – Jack Thomson
5 – Carel Ferreira
5 – Aarav Goswami
3 – Ian Hopton
3 – Johnno Howard
3 – Narayan Kirthivasan
3 – Max Subba Row
2 – Doug Blackburn
2 – Robbie Blackburn
2 – Tom Bullock
2 – Andy Butler
2 – Tristan Caviet
2 – Chris Finch
2 – Will Frost
2 – Kane Fullalove
2 – Jack Gold
2 – George Laing
2 – Andrew Page
2 – Jake Raffaelli
1 – Neil Douglas
1 – Tim Edwards
1 – Stephen Finch
1 – Roddy Kelso
1 – Moumer Khara
1 – Paddy Oldreive
1 – Ben Page
1 – Mark Patterson
1 – Peter Phipps
1 – Jack Raimondo
1 – Dan Risk
1 – Toby Tarrant
1 – James Whitmarsh

Click Here for the list of all-time six-hitters :  https://sdacc.play-cricket.com/Statistics?utf8=✓&tab=Batting&sub_tab=Standard&per_page=10&rule_type_id=179&season=all&order_by=sixes&season=all&rule_type_id=179&age_group_id=all&team_id=all&category_id=all&gender_id=all&game_type=all&atleast=3

In 2017 Will Gudgeon became the Club’s all-time leading six-hitter, going past Roy Johns. Will took his total to 211 this year with eleven more maximums.

The record number of sixes hit by one player in any season is 42 by Tim Handel in 2009, where there were several T20 matches played – plenty at home – en route to our appearance in the Surrey Championship T20 Final.

The 2009 season was also the first played after the removal of the ‘boundary rule’ – to the end of the 2008 season, a local rule was in place that meant any hit clearing the line on the full at the Blundell Lane end would only score 4 runs.

Johnny Lawes holds the record for the most number of sixes hit in one innings innings, when he hit eleven against Chertsey at the Rec in 2011, beating a near 50-year-old record set by Eugene Ford.

Lawes : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=11138713
Ford : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=10639604

Lawesie is probably the best example of one to benefit from the removal of the local rule. Contrast the ‘unlucky’ Navid Hussain who cracked an unbeaten 143 against Old Hamptonians in 2006, peppering the fence at the Blundell Lane end repeatedly, yet walking off with an innings boundary count of 24×4, 5×6.

Hussain : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=10199768

Only Claire Trafford, (35×4, 3×6 in an innings of 213 not out), has hit more boundaries in an innings than Navid, (and Phil Easton who hit 29 fours – but no sixes – against Oxshott in 1972.)

An easy conclusion to draw from the stats is that the advent of T20 cricket and improved bat technology have contributed to an upturn in six-hitting, although we welcome any other theories you may have!

E-mail : stokecc@hotmail.com