South African statistician Krish Reddy was the 2006 Statistician of the Year. Peter Griffiths, in accepting the award on his behalf, drew the AGM’s attention to the work undertaken by Krish – often in very difficult circumstances – in obtaining details about the 223 non-white matches staged during the apartheid era and now declared first-class.
Peter read out a letter from Krish in which he conveyed his ‘sincere appreciation to the committee for choosing him for the award’.
‘I am delighted in being the recipient of such a prestigious accolade, and am particularly pleased for all those cricketers, almost all of whom I saw play and several of whom I knew personally, whose efforts on the field I have had the pleasure of researching and recording.
‘It does my heart glad to know that at long last their performances have been recognised by the rest of the cricketing world, and for this I am indebted to the Association, and more particularly to two members, namely Andrew Samson and Robin Isherwood. These two gentlemen have been kind enough to scrutinise my work with meticulous precision. Their professional approach has enabled the work of an amateur enthusiast to be presented in an acceptable form for publication in the M & F South African Cricket Annual.
‘In closing, I would like to commend the Association and its members for the excellent work they are doing in providing an invaluable service to cricket in respect of both statistics and the game’s history.’