MONTHLY ROUND-UP: OCTOBER 1866
The Old Westminsters have completed a successful defence of the Metropolitan League championship, winning more comfortably than last year as they secured the crown with two games to spare. Victory over the City of London Club to open October was enough as Angel suffered defeat against Clapham on the same day. That rendered the Westminsters’ defeat at Clapham the following week irrelevant, although it did help Clapham to ensure that they would finish alone in second place. The Westminsters’ success has been founded on consistency on both sides of the game. Angel scored more runs and Clapham allowed fewer, but each of those teams were lacking in the other department.
Ending the season with four successive wins left Clapham two games back in second, while Angel missed out on a share of that position when they lost their final game against the City Club. Having started the month at an even thirteen wins and thirteen losses, The Regent’s Park were beaten in each of their last four games to end a disappointing year well adrift in fourth place, in fact just a single game ahead of Kensington. Wins in their final two games, the latter against the City Club, ensure that Kensington could not be caught by City, who finish two games adrift in last place. With every game now played, all that remains now for 1866 is for this year’s award winners to be determined at the league’s annual meeting.
