This set was introduced in the 1969/70 season and featured in a wonderful cricket range image used in the general Subbuteo brochures of the time (below left).
Consisting of inverted T-shaped solid white plastic panels linked by brown joins. The corner pieces also use these joins at either end, and mirror the rounded corners of the printed pitch.
The big puzzle with this set is exactly how many pieces constitute a complete set?
The drawing is clearly representative – not to scale – so not surprisingly 3 panels by 2 is far too small for the playing surface. In fact 4 x 2 (bottom right) also doesn’t work. But, as you can judge, 4 x 3 would be far too wide.
The top image shows my set, which came with two smaller panels, making a good fit with the printed pitch. But these two panels have a slightly home-made feel to them, as if they may have been cut down from larger pieces? Possibly in production, or possibly not.
Its a puzzle I don’t know the answer to, but if anyone does I’d be very keen to hear.
What I do think most likely is that a full set comprises of 14 panels, four corners and 18 brown posts. My set came in a clear plastic bag and I’ve seen pictures of this fencing in original packaging, which was a stickered bag, as per the baize pitches.
Given the evident scale issues it perhaps not surprising that the product was withdrawn from price lists in the July of the 1970/1 season, with the new interlocking picket-style fence, joining the range the following year.
Subbuteo Cricket 