Why we may need new Eleven Plus regulations.

I have a copy of the `Laws of Cricket 1788’. The Laws cover the basics, as we know, of cricket.

“THE UMPIRES”

Are the sole judges of fair and unfair play, and all disputes shall be determined by them; each at his own wicket.

They are not to order a player out unless appealed to by the adversaries.

If the strikers run a short notch the umpire must call NO NOTCH.

“BETS”

If the notches of one player are laid against another, the bets depend on the first innings, unless otherwise specified.

Sorting out gambling was a priority in those days. Players were especially open to bribery when there was big money riding on the result.

There were bets on individual innings – even on one stroke.

Suppose parents start betting on scores their children will achieve in the eleven plus examinations.

Parents would rush into bookmakers and place bets. Play ground conversations will change.

“We took odds of 5:1 that our daughter would achieve over 120 in her Verbal Reasoning tests.”

“What was your stake?”

“Well we put £1000.00 down on the Verbal Reasoning, but only £50.00 down on Non Verbal Reasoning as the bookmakers would only offer 5:4 on scores over 120. The bookies had heard a rumour that the non verbal reasoning paper was going to be easy.”

“That is interesting. I wonder what odds they are giving for mathematics. As you know my son is very good at maths – he loves the subject. If they are giving good odds I could always borrow from my sister. I know she has some money to spare.”

So here we are in 2007. Bets on performance could be coming back. In 1788 the laws were established to even out disputes between players and spectators. I wonder what form new laws would be needed to cover the eleven plus? We would need regulation to cover a spread bet that mathematics would be below 115 but above 105, verbal reasoning over 112, and non verbal reasoning under 125.

Think of the pressure that you would put on your child if you had 500:1 on a mathematics score over 115. If you had £300.00 with a bookmaker at those odds I think the intensity of your discussion with your child would rise.

If anyone is interested please contact me and I will approach the Office of Fair Trading to develop the first `Eleven Plus Book Making Outfit”. We could place all the bets over the internet. All transactions would be through Pay Pal. EBay auctions would also be allowed. Books on Eleven Plus Betting would appear on Amazon.

By the way: A notch is a run. Ask your child why a run was called a notch.