THE UNFAIRNESS OF THE TOSS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—On May 6th the Committee of the M.C.C. will consider the proposal that in future Test matches some modification shall be introduced into the practice of tossing. To win the toss, and to be able to choose whether to bat or to put your opponents in first, is under certain conditions to have an enor- mous advantage. It is surely unfair that this advantage should fall several times in succession, as sometimes happens, to the same side._ Ought not the loser in the previous match to have the choice by right? Or ought not the choice to alternate automatically ? It is not only in cricket that the practice of tossing for the right of choice needs to be reconsidered. It is generally agreed that on the course from Putney to Mortlake the Surrey station is usually worth about a length, and the majority of races have been won from that station. I suggest that in the Boat Race in future there should be no tossing, but that either the choice of stations should alternate auto- matically or the loser of the previous race should have the
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