Beard Liberation Front
3rd May
Wisden guilty of pogonophobia as it shaves W G Grace’s statistics
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that Wisden, often known as the cricket lovers Bible, is guilty of pogonophobia, irrational dislike of beards.
It has purged W G Grace’s career record.
Grace (1848-1915) is known as one of Gloucester and England’s finest ever cricketers, and one of the country’s best known beard wearers of all times.
The current Editor of Wisden Lawrence Booth has decided that 10 matches that Grace played in were not First Class games. This means that he now has 685 fewer runs, 67 fewer wickets and 2 fewer centuries. It also means that he actually scored his 100th First Class century two weeks later than previously recorded.
Wisden previously changed Grace’s record in 1990 but the then Editor John Woodcock decided to revert the following year out of respect for the cricketer and his beard.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Lawrence Booth has done an excellent job in editing Wisden which remains essential reading. However the decision to shave W G Grace’s career record is pogonophobia pure and simple. It must be reversed in the next edition of Wisden.
*thanks to Hazel Potter, long standing BLF supporter & Gloucester member
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