The Athletic News Cricket Annual was one of several sporting annuals published initially by the Athletic News, a Manchester-based weekly newspaper devoted almost entirely to reporting sports events. It was first issued in 1888 and it had reached its 48th edition by 1939 (after omitting the First World War years). By that time it was generally including over 200 pages together with a small number of photographs. As well as containing test match and county championship records, this particular cricket annual differed from a number of similar publications by the depth of its coverage of certain minor leagues — especially those in the north of England (close to its home base) and also in Scotland.
After World War II it reappeared as the Athletic News Cricket and Golf Annual (1946), then subsequently – from its 50th yearCopac library catalogues – as the Sunday Chronicle Cricket and Golf Annual (1947–1954),Taken from front covers of original annuals before one last year as the Sunday Chronicle Cricket Annual (1955). Like its companion volume the Athletic News Football Annual it was for many years edited by ‘Tityrus’ (J A H Catton)Brake L & Demoor M, Dictionary of nineteenth-century journalism in Great Britain and Ireland, 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2011 and afterwards by Ivan Sharpe.
Details
Editions produced since 1935:-
Year EditionTitleEditor Price Pages 1935 44th Athletic News Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 6d 192 1936 45th Athletic News Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 6d 192 1937 46th Athletic News Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 6d 1938 47th Athletic News Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 6d 1939 48th Athletic News Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 6d 1946 49th Athletic News Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 1947 50th Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 192 1948 51st Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 1949 52nd Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 1950 53rd Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 224 1951 54th Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 1952 55th Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 224 1953 56th Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 1954 57th Sunday Chronicle Cricket & Golf Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 1955 58th Sunday Chronicle Cricket Annual Ivan Sharpe 1s 6d 208
Note: The 1947-1955 editions were sub-titled 'incorporating the Athletic News Cricket Annual'.
References