The Quiz received a total of just SIX responses, with no-one managing to answer all the questions correctly. The most correct answers came in the entry from NEVILLE DENNETT who scored 9 from 12, so he wins the £20 prize (which he has since donated to Club funds!). His nearest rival scored 7 and the lowest score was 4.

The answers and a reference to the relevant Law are listed below...

Q1: The striker hits the ball very high and the batsmen have crossed on their second run before the ball is caught. How many runs should be added to the total?

A1: 0. If the striker is dismissed Caught, runs from that delivery completed by the batsmen before the completion of the catch shall not be scored ... (LAW 33.4). Five of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q2: How many dismissals require the removal of one or both bails?

A2: 4. Bowled, Run Out, Stumped, Hit Wicket. (LAW 29.1). Five of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q3: After a Wide Ball has been bowled, in how many different ways may a batsman be dismissed?

A3: 4. Stumped, Run Out, Obstructing the Field, Hit Wicket. (LAW 22.9) Only two of the six entries were answered correctly - all other answers presumably missing 'Obstructing the field'!

Q4: The batsmen have crossed on their second run when a dog runs on the field and stops the ball. The umpires agree that the ball would have crossed the boundary. How many runs should be added to the total?

A4: 4. Although Law 19.2.7 states that obstacles such as an animal which has run onto the pitch should not automatically be counted as a boundary, the Law puts the responsibility for deciding whether a boundary has been scored with the umpires. Just one person answered (guessed?) this correctly.

Q5: Team A have been dismissed for 128 and Team B have reached 128 for 9. The striker hits a No ball delivery for six. What is Team B’s final score?

A5: 129 for 9. As soon as a result is reached as defined in laws 16.1 to 16.4 and 16.5.1 the match is at an end. Nothing that happens thereafter counts. With the calling of a no ball the one run penalty takes the score to 129 which is the winning total. (LAW 16.6). Just two of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q6: How many feet does a batsman have to cover to complete one run (i.e. popping crease to popping crease)?

A6: 58. The pitch length between stumps is 22 yards (66 feet). The popping creases are marked four feet from the bowling creases, so the length between the popping creases is (66 – (2 x 4)) = 58. The width of the marked crease is irrelevant as the edge of the crease nearest to the stumps defines the dimension. (LAW 7). Just two of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q7: How many of the sixteen official signals require the umpire to use both hands?

A7: 6. Boundary Six, Wide Ball, Dead Ball, Commencement of Last Hour, Revoke Last Signal, Level 3 Offence. (LAW 2.13). Three of the six entries were answered correctly. Who knew about the 'Level 3 Offence' signal?

Q8: How many minutes is an incoming batsman allowed before he must be ready for the next ball to be delivered if he is to avoid the possibility of being given out Timed Out?

A8: 3 mins. After the fall of a wicket or a batsman’s retirement, the incoming batsman must be in a position to take guard or for the other batsman to be ready to receive the next ball within 3 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. (LAW 40.1.1). Four of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q9: In how many different ways may a batsman be dismissed for which the bowler receives the credit?

A9: 5. Bowled (Law 32), Caught (Law 33), Hit Wicket (Law 35), LBW (Law 36), Stumped (LAW 39). Five of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q10: What is the maximum number of minutes for which a pitch may be rolled between innings?

A10: 7 mins. (LAW 9.1.1). Two of the six entries were answered correctly.

Q11: Off the fifth ball of an over the batsmen run three, but both batsmen run short on the second run. The umpires consider the non-striker to have run short deliberately. How many runs should be added to the batting team’s total?

A11: 0. If either umpire considers that one or both batsmen deliberately ran short at that umpire’s end, the umpire concerned shall call and signal Short Run and inform the other umpire. The bowler’s end umpire shall disallow all runs to the batting side, return the batsmen to their original ends and award 5 Penalty runs to the fielding side. LAW 18.5. There were no correct answers to this question.

Q12: How high is a set of stumps in inches?

A12: 28 inches. (LAW 8.2). Five of the six entries were correct.

All answers validated using ‘Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring & Scoring’ which is the definitive interpretation of the Laws, up to date for the 2nd edition of the 2017 Code which came into force around the world on April 1st 2019.

Seems that the players would benefit from a study of the laws!