The 1990 English season was one of the most batsmen-friendly summers in living memory. The size of the seam on the cricket ball had been reduced markedly from 1989, and along with dry conditions and the extension of four-day cricket this allowed batsmen to build huge scores: Graham Gooch

Graham Gooch

Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...

 became one of a handful of men to average over 100 in a first-class season. The tone was set in early May, when Surrey

Surrey County Cricket Club

Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...

 saw their huge first-innings total of 707/9 dec (Greig

Ian Greig

Ian Alexander Greig is a former cricketer, who played in two Tests for England in 1982. Although born in South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father....

 291) surpassed by Lancashire

Lancashire County Cricket Club

Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...

's even larger 863, the latter score including 366 by Neil Fairbrother

Neil Fairbrother

Neil Fairbrother is a former English cricket player, named by his mother after her favourite player, the Australian cricketer Neil Harvey. He was educated at Lymm High School....

 - a ground record for The Oval

The Oval

The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...

.

Honours

• County Championship - Middlesex CCC
• NatWest Trophy - Lancashire CCC
• Sunday League - Derbyshire CCC
• Benson & Hedges Cup -
• Minor Counties Championship - Hertfordshire
  Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
  Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
  
  
• MCCA Knockout Trophy - Buckinghamshire
  Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
  Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
  
  
• Second XI Championship - Sussex II
  Sussex
  Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
  
  
• Wisden - Mike Atherton
  Mike Atherton
  Michael Andrew Atherton OBE is a broadcaster, journalist and retired England international cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman for Lancashire and England,and occasional leg-break bowler, he achieved the captaincy of England at the age of 25 and led the side in a record 54 Test matches...
  
  , Mohammed Azharuddin, Alan Butcher
  Alan Butcher
  Alan Raymond Butcher is a former English cricketer who is part of a family known for its strong cricketing connections. Although only selected to play for England on one occasion, he was lauded for his skills in first-class cricket and was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991...
  
  , Desmond Haynes
  Desmond Haynes
  Desmond Leo Haynes is a West Indian cricketer and cricket coach. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991. Haynes formed a formidable partnership with Gordon Greenidge for the West Indies cricket team in Test cricket during 1980s. Between them they managed 16 century stands, four in excess of...
  
  , Mark Waugh
  Mark Waugh
  Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
  
  

Zimbabwe tour

The Zimbabwe national team made a short tour of England in May, playing two limited overs and three first-class matches against county opposition.

External sources

• CricketArchive – season and tournament itineraries

Annual reviews

• Playfair Cricket Annual
  Playfair Cricket Annual
  Playfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current...
  
   1991
• Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1991