GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 160
April 2016
T20 World Cup Matters
I was away and so missed Gayle’s extraordinary exhibition of power hitting which got England off to the worse possible start in the World Cup. However, I was seated ready to see the possibly more daunting task of the South Africa match and by the time the England seamers had finished feeding deKock & Co what they wanted England, needing 230 to win, were just about out of the competition. Roy then played what for me was the innings of the tournament. He laid into Ramada’s first over and assisted Hales in taking 22 from Stein’s over at the other end. Hales was out to the third ball of the third over with the score on 48. When Roy was out to the third ball of the fifth over the England score was 71 for 2 and the chase had been reduced to a relatively normal 159 from 15 overs. Roy had made 43 from 16 balls against arguably the best new ball attack in world cricket. The Roy assault set Root up nicely to guide England home.
I worked all four days over the Easter weekend but was kept informed by other stallholders of the progress of the matches, including Kohli’s sublime run chase against Australia. Kohli is probably the world’s best batsman on sub continental surfaces and he is able to control run chases of almost any size. In the second semi final he found himself batting first after Sammy opted to bowl. In this case the only target he would have had would have been self set but he scored 89 not out from 47 deliveries made from 130 added whilst he was at the crease. In this match the West Indies in the form of Charles, Simmons and Russell clubbed eleven sixes which took them to victory. However, Simmons twice holed out only to be given the reprieve of a no ball on the action replay. Why did the umpire not call it the first time? And how many did the umpires miss which didn’t result in a dismissal? There have been a surprising number of front foot no balls in the competition as well as a slew of leg side wides. It is something that the coaches will have to work on.
But back to Kohli who has looked terrific in the WC but was a huge disappointment on India’s last tour of England. English conditions and Anderson and Co getting the ball to move outside the off stump were his undoing. How can Kohli become a truly world class player without mastering all conditions? In the old days he would have had a season or two of county cricket but that isn’t going to happen in the modern era. As soon as the WC is over he will be off to the IPL with the bulk of the West Indians.
The first semi final matched England against New Zealand. The Kiwis may have been favourites in this contest but as soon as Guptill was dismissed England got on top and never let their grip slip. It is pleasant to applaud excellent bowling by the England quintet. I am less convinced than many about the standing of the NZ middle order. Taylor is an established class act but he gets held back after the left handers, Munro and Anderson. Both of these have hitting feats to their names but neither made a serious impact in the World Cup. The total of 153 never seemed much of a challenge and after Roy set to work again it was just a walk in the park. In the seventeenth over the commentators started to panic saying that England shouldn’t leave it to the final over. Buttler resolved this in the way he does best by clubbing the next three balls he faced for six.
And then there was the final. Many things went both right and wrong during the England innings. Root played another sublime innings only to give his wicket away just when he needed to stay in. None of the big hitters played an innings of substance but somehow England scrambled together a target of 156. No one could have really thought that this would be enough but in no time the West Indies were in worse shape than England had been. Marlon Samuels played in his own idiosyncratic way and the total was approached but with 19 needed off the last over it seemed that England would be unlikely winners. That was until Stokes served up four balls in the slot to the eight foot Brathwaite who gratefully clubbed each of them for six. England probably hadn’t deserved to win but ultimately they gave it away.
The Professor sent me this
Whatever the result on Sunday may be it has been an excellent competition and today's semi-final was just another breathtaking match. I rather sympathise with those who don't like T20 because it can be ugly at times, indeed some of the shots played, especially "at the death", look exactly like the things we were told never to do. Yesterday, Munro had a couple of horrible swipes that resulted in bottom edged boundaries and general celebrations as if he had stroked it through the cover field. But the level of cricket skill on display is quite stunning. Everyone has, for years now, talked about the fielding but I think it just gets better. These days you are quite surprised when someone misses a shy at the stumps from 30 yards, sideways on, and the running catch, thrown up in the air as the fielder crosses the boundary for him or another fielder to catch, is routine. Can you ever remember in the distant past two fielders going for the ball on the basis that one might be on hand to effect this manoeuvre? No, nor can I.
Some of the batting has been almost impossible - 180, 190 off 20 overs...no bother even 230 isn't safe.
What has sometimes come in for criticism is the bowling and I think this needs some more careful reflection. Sure there are full tosses and the odd, apparent, long hope...but lets think about it a bit. It would be strange if T20 cricket had produced extraordinary changes in two aspects of the game but not the third, and I don't think it has. The bowlers have an extraordinary challenge; a millimeter down the leg side is a wide as is anything a little wide on the off although seemingly still within reach. The fielding restrictions are so limiting (and not only in the first 6) that how you bowl is incredibly constrained. Added to that, at the other end there are huge bats about to belt whatever you serve up out of the park. Not easy.
In a way I think T20 is more about bowling than first class cricket and the techniques bowlers have come up with are so impressive. Did you see Bravo's first over a couple of matches back? He bowled an over of slower balls. Imagine being able to do that. The slow bouncer is, amazingly, a most difficult ball to hit. The numskulls who sit on their sofas saying "That's just a long hop" have taken leave of whatever sense they had. The slower ball has now been so well developed that batsman advance down the wicket ready to hit the ball into tomorrow only to find they are in no position to play a shot of any sort. I think the first person I saw do this really well was Chris Cairns but since then the slow ball, whether cut, or back of the hand or just (as it were) mis-delivered through the fingers has become an essential part of T20 bowling. Imagine setting yourself for someone who is bowling at 90 mph, the arm comes through at the anticipated speed, you go to play the shot and the ball isn't there, sometimes, not even half way there. Not surprising that the odd full toss creeps in which, in any case, are often the result of the batsman being nearer the bowlers end than their own. It is a great art. I also liked the English bowlers use of the wide (sic) yorker - "hit that if you can" although again the margins are tiny.
I neglected to add to my support of bowlers, the ball. The white ball is painted and quickly loses its paint (especially if it keeps hitting concrete) so it doesn't really move about. Add to that the "dew" which makes it increasingly hard to bowl spin and I wonder why anybody bothers to turn up to bowl at all. Still, Sunday will be worth watching...lets hope.
Out and About with the Professor
"Yorkshire in Crisis". Thus the headline in the local paper as I made my annual pilgrimage to the geriatric outing which is Yorkshire County Cricket Club's AGM.
That a county cricket club should be in crisis is not so surprising given the costs of running a playing and support staff and a first-class ground compared with the tiny numbers of supporters who attend first- class matches. Northants, I read, are in search of 15 donors to give £1 million which, if successful, would mean that they would no longer be a members club. But this is Yorkshire. Not only have they won the Championship for the past two years at the same time as providing half the England side, they have, for the first time in ages, recorded a small surplus on the annual accounts.
So what could be the cause of the crisis? Answer; just two little words...Geoffrey Boycott.
The specifics relate to the rather mundane matter of an election to the Board. There were three vacancies and four candidates, one of whom was Sir Geoffrey. The papers for the meeting listed the names of candidates but then, below the names, there was a note from the Board indicating which of the candidates had their approval. I have not seen such a thing before but below three names: "Approved by the Board" appeared while below just one name we read: "Not approved by the Board".
It would be hard not to regard this as somewhat mean spirited. Boycott is arguably Yorkshire's best known living cricketer, has served quite recently as a very successful President of the Club and is extremely popular within a section of the membership and supporters...indeed fanatically so in some cases. He is, in many ways, the personification of how some Yorkshiremen think of themselves: dedicated, single-minded, no nonsense, no fancy education or silver spoon, "Got where 'e is from 'ard graft" and, as a result, made himself into a quite wonderful test cricketer. Many people have met Boycott on one or two occasions (especially during his two Presidential years when he was quite a regular - and very accessible - visitor to the ground) and found him very approachable, courteous...even charming. "A giant of Yorkshire cricket" as one member put it at the AGM.
So what, in short, is the problem? The answer is that while some idolise Boycott, others loathe him.
Who are these people? Well they are not, in general, people who have sat on the terraces and watched his hundred hundreds; rather they are people who have worked closely with him. In particular, men who have been in the same team, who have played with him day after day. We all know the stories about players trying to run Boycott out and I have told you, Jim, the story of Ashley Metcalf’s first match told to me by the reporter who interviewed Metcalfe at the end of that day's play.
I think I have now met about half a dozen or more people who played with Boycott, none of whom has anything but praise for his ability nor anything but distain for him as a person. And I don’t mean a casual dislike; it is a visceral loathing from well-known and well-respected former Yorkshire players who appear to be perfectly sane and sensible people. The opprobrium now seems to run to those who have worked with him in committee as well.
I suppose it comes down to the fact that those who really approve of, even deify, Sir Geoffrey, are people who don't really know him. They may have seen him or even met him once or twice, but that is not the same. In the event Boycott attracted more votes against him (758) than for (602) and so the Board got its wish. He attended the meeting, and it must have been hard to take. There was a lot of sympathy for him at the meeting...but not in the votes.
Boycott alone at the bar
The only other question, I suppose, is why Boycott is as he is. This could be a long discussion and is not my field of expertise but I have a chum (also a Yorkshire member) who is a Psychologist and he, interestingly, suggests that were Boycott born today he might be diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger's syndrome. Apparently the symptoms: intense obsessive attention to detail, difficulty in making lasting personal relationships, a lack of "empathy" and problems with social skills and thus a failure to understand the effect of one’s actions on others, and so on, might be at the root of the intensive dislike. Who knows?
Whatever it is, to see a truly great player in effect rejected by his own Club provided, it would be fair to say, a poignant moment. The rest of the AGM rather faded away as the great man stood at the bar on his own.…but I dare say he’ll be back!
Miscellaneous Matters
The Great Jack Morgan offers us his observations
Notts are "crowing" about how they managed to attract Aussie bowler Jackson Bird... but perhaps they did not see him play for Hants last season ? Surrey have signed South African fast bowlers Conor McKerr (18) who has a Brit passport and Mathew Pillans (24) who will play "under an ancestral visa"... ever heard of that before?
We are living in the dark ages of cricket journalism. MWWS has a long article today all about someone called Guy Walker: ever heard of him? No, I thought not. He has played once for Melbourne in the T20 this season, bowled 3 overs which included 4 dot balls, no wickets and 49 runs: he was not required again. Did someone bet Selve that he could not make this "story" spread over 5 columns?
Yet more changes to the domestic cricket season (2017), most of which (of course) I do not like eg i) reducing the Championship to 14 matches and Div One to 8 teams; ii) the unbalanced Div 2 where not all teams will play each other home and away; and iii) all the best weather is being given over to T20. It will surely mean that I will see even less cricket than ever, but I do not mind the RLC moving to the beginning of the season, especially as I would not think many will favour floodlit games in April, giving more matches at sensible hours. Selvey wants a city-based T20 like the Big Bash; I don't, but I will not be attending so why should I worry?
J Franklin will skipper Middlesex in the Championship while AV is away. This does not please me particularly as JF's form last season did not justify his selection.
Yorkshire were all out for 275 v MCC in Abu Dhabi. G Ballance made 105, W Rhodes 95 and J Harris failed to shine with 0-48 off 13. At the end of day two, MCC were 282-6 when rain or bad light (?) stopped play. B Foakes (83*) and R Clarke (56*) have put on 131* for the seventh wicket and have transformed the situation from a struggle into a possibly dominant position. J Harris batted no 1 for unknown reasons (nightwatchman, I suppose?) and made a long and dull 4. The G makes no mention of this match at all.
Middlesex's season gets under way tomorrow (22/3) with a big clash at the Oval v Surrey. I have seen cricket in March in NZ, but not in England so I thought I might go along to the pre-season friendly. However, the forecast is cloudy, dull and 11 degrees so I do not think so somehow. In fact, it turned out to be a beautiful spring day with sunshine all day long. Foakes (91) and Clarke (58) did not go on as hoped and MCC collapsed disappointingly to 299 a/o a lead of 24. T Bresnan took 4-58 and SLA Karl Carver (still not quite 20) returned creditable figures of 30.2-10-106-4. When Yorkshire batted again, A Lees (86) did well but Yorkshire slumped to 239-7. JARH is not having much of a game as his figures, so far, are 11-0-40-1. The G is now publishing the scorecard, but without any report or even a comment.
The Middlesex website gives the bare scores from the Oval: Sy 250-9 dec, Mx 5-0, but no details. Yorkshire went on to 279 a/o (Tredders and Samit shared 6 wkts) and MCC (257-6) won by 4 wkts: I Bell made a fairly long 66 and T Westley a quick 58, while JARH made a heroic 0*. Yorkshire's weak spin attack took all five wickets to fall to bowlers: is this good prep for the green English spring wickets?
Today was dull and miserable, so I was not tempted to the Oval. I tried the Surrey website for the scores as there were no details yesterday on the Middlesex site... but there was nothing at all on the Surrey site (an experience I have suffered previously), so I reverted to the Middlesex site and found that Middlesex are 263-3, not sure if this is close of play or not.
In contrast to the poor Surrey website, Middlesex have now come up with full reports of each of the first two days' play at the Oval. J Fuller (3-37) was the best of the Middlesex bowlers and the major contributors to the Middlesex innings were N Gubbins 68 and N Compton 65 (they put on 147 for the first wkt), P Stirling 61* and J Simpson 43*. Middlesex declared at the overnight 263-3 (the Stirling/ Simpson stand was worth 106*) and the game was abandoned at lunch with Surrey on 143-2.
Marital Matters
Paul Sheridan sent me this
T20 is a daft past time for anyone who knows anything about cricket, however when Ireland were drawn to play their first match in the World Cup against the Sultanate of Oman, being Irish & having an Omani wife, I decided we had to be there. So with Mrs S reluctantly by my side & Irish passport in my pocket, we left Muscat for Dharmashala in the foothills of the Himalayas...henceforth to be called Dharm because this is what the locals call it & it will also save me from running out of ink As those that know us know, Mrs S manages our relationship so for this occasion I decided not to test its strength & bit my lip & supported Oman. Although my heart was for a tie.
As with children forced to eat spinach, Mrs S is not keen on cricket. She reluctantly attended the first day of the Ashes Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in 2002, the Australia v India World Cup Final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in 2003, a day at the Test match in Kandy during in England's Tour of Sri Lanka in 2007 & a number of days at Lords over the years - however I think it was those afternoons & evenings spent at The Bush before she forced me to marry her that did the biscuit for her in terms of her relationship with the world's greatest sport (which is not T20). She simply couldn't work out what was going on on or off the field, what anyone (especially Rocker) was talking about or why we always had to stay so late on Saturday nights before going for a cheap & oily chicken Madras & more beer at some dump in Acton. I tried but was unable to clarify any of this for her.
Indeed only a week before we left for Dharm she told me she was going to stay at home with the dogs & the cat. I felt a modicum of relief. But then an Indian friend told her that she could arrange for her to meet the Dalai Lama in the wonderful sounding town of McLeod Ganj, which is near Dharm, & the home in exile of the great man himself. So with plenty of bog rolls, packets of imodium & mosquito spray packed away, off we headed to the North of India. Mrs S pointed out that Air India between Muscat & Delhi had a smell that was quite different to all other smells.
The Dalai Lama is, I am sure, a wonderful man. I am also sure the 200 or more Dalai Lama look-a-likes who wonder around Dharm are also wonderful men - & some I think are women. However, it was frustrating to have to say "Namaste" to each & every one of them before being told that the great man himself was in fact in the US for the week. Mrs S was unimpressed.
So to the ground. Dharm is a wonderful stadium with snow capped mountains of the Himalayas on one side & brightly coloured stands. It's worth googling a photo. We learned that Dharm was hosting these preliminary matches because the no. 2 official in Indian cricket these days is from Dharm. We also learned that Dharm has the second highest rainfall in the world. The other preliminary matches were being played in Nagpur - from where the no. 1 official in Indian cricket happens to comes from. Nagpur & Cardiff have many similarities.
Outside & within the stadium there were more police & soldiers than there were for the Brixton riots. The teams & entourage were not permitted to leave their hotel or the Stadium for the entire time they were in Dharm & they had to hand over their mobiles so they could have no contact with the outside world. Security was a concern although everyone we spoke with told us that this was more political than a reflection of any real danger. Anyway it added to the atmosphere because otherwise there would have been more three legged stray dogs in the Stadium than humans - & the total number of stray dogs (0-5 legs) certainly outnumbered the humans.
The first match was Bangaldesh v Holland & the Dutch very nearly pulled off a surprise. Indeed if it wasn't for Tamin's 83 off 58 balls, the Cloggies may well have won. Tamin looked in very good form. A Dutch supporter told me that Holland only has 6 grass wickets - 5 more than Oman. As with many international teams in many sports these days, there were only a few Dutch nationals in their team for this match. Oman only has 1 Omani national in its squad. I doubt Qatar will have any Qataris in its squad for the 2022 World Cup. Strange world we live in.
Oman had no chance against Ireland, Holland or Bangladesh; however T20 is a daft game - & Oman beat Ireland by 2 wickets. Tim Murtagh & someone called Max Sorensen bowled 2 of the worst overs I have ever seen to gift Oman an impossible victory - & in saying this I have taken in to account the hundreds of overs I watched Dick Pain bowl at the Bush over many years as I wasted the summers of my youth. I could only assume that Paddy Power had opened in India. There were however two magic moments which - as I explained to Mrs S - is why we go so far to watch this stuff. The first was a miraculous catch by the non-Omani fielding at cover for Oman (name Maqsood, not that it matters to anyone but him & presumably his Mum) to dismiss Paul Sterling, the Irish opener who was just starting to open his shoulders (as they seem to say these days). Again worth a google. The second was the very same Sterling (or at least I think it was him) who, fielding on the square-leg boundary, managed to dive backwards in the air over the boundary & somehow, at full stretch before landing, palm the ball back in to play to save a certain maximum (another recent & silly expression). The batsmen were so startled that they only ran 1 when they could have taken 3 & at that moment we knew that Ireland would win... but then Paddies Murtagh & Sorensen got to work & Oman won with 4 byes of the penultimate ball. The 30 or so of us Oman supporters went delirious (first time I've seen Mrs S delirious) whilst the 6 or so Irish supporters in their farmers suits & ties sat puzzled by the turn of events.
Two days later (& running out of Imodium) Mrs S & I sat in an open stand with no cover & experienced why Dharm is one of the wettest places on earth - a pleasant experience given that temperatures in Oman are over 50 degrees for much of the year. Well pleasant until we realized we had to use the public karsi. Oman v Holland abandoned without a ball being bowled. It had been a long way to come for the four Dutch supporters (for whom two this was supposed to be their first experience of watching any form of cricket). Anyway extremely friendly people they were & I'm sure we would now all be life long friends if we could have bought some beers - no such luck. We had to make do with Poppadums & Thumbs Up.
As I type this, Bangladesh have just thrashed Oman by some 50 runs. If the Dalai Lama had been in town & understood the Duckworth Lewis workings & used his heavenly connections to control the rain to Oman's advantage (or Paddies Murtagh & Sorensen's grand-parents had been born in Dhaka), Oman would next be playing Pakistan in Calcutta with its capacity for some 100,000 spectators. Interesting for a country with one grass wicket. Daft but fun.
King Cricket Matters
A dip into the archive
Ged describes a very much shortened day, including a very lengthy big match build up, a long lunch with Charley The Gent Malloy. And somehow, with the help of Barmy Kev in the Algarve, Ged has still produced a full match report. Learn, for example, whether the pigeons exceeded the humans in the crowd. It's a rip-snorter and, sadly for Ged, his last live cricket of 2008.
Kadeer Today, Gone Tomorrow, Washout For Yourself
The weather forecast for Day Three had looked far from promising all week and so waking up to rain and a dismal forecast came as a disappointment but no surprise. Today was to be my last chance of live cricket this year, so it was disappointment indeed.
My guest, Charley "The Gent" Malloy and I had a contingency plan. We'd go about our own business in the morning, then meet for a late dim sum lunch at The Royal China on Queensway, to be followed by a cursory weather inspection with every expectation that we'd part company at that juncture.
My morning passed swiftly, as did a very tasty dim sum lunch. A special duck cheung fun was probably my highlight, although I also particularly liked the prawn with coriander dumpling, the fried pork bun and the spicy chickens' feet (the latter Charley didn't like).
We emerged from Royal China to the very enticing sight of sunshine. "Is it possible?" we asked each other. Only one way to find out. We leg it back to my place about 3:50 and phone the "prospects of play" line. No news. How often do cricket nuts phone that line to find out what's going on. We thought 15 minute intervals was suitably restrained. At 4:05 we learnt that the umpires had inspected and would inspect again at 4:30. The radar picture looked encouraging. Let's go.
Just one problem; Charley loves the pavilion but, expecting no play, had come out without a tie. No problem - borrow one of mine. Charley and I have had a standing joke for years that he always admires my tie when it turns out to be a tie that my mum has given me. So it simply had to be one of mum's choices of ties - a deep red jobbie. I grab a blazer and tie, jump in a cab and we should get to the ground around the time of the second inspection.
Yup, play is scheduled to start at 5:00, so we get ourselves some drinks in the upper terrace bar and take up prime seats under the south canopy of the sun deck - perfect placement for this match. Hardly a heave for the best spots - I have never seen the place so empty.
A flurry of rain at 4:45 and the hover cover returns. No sweat, just a flurry. Then out comes the roller as they start up the hover cover again to remove it. "Middlesex must have declared" I said, which impressed Charley no end when Mr Perambulate the announcer confirmed same two or three minutes later.
One Foot In Algarve
Meanwhile I have been in text correspondence this week with Barmy Kev, who is in the Algarve on holiday and wanted updates. The fact that all he knows about the match is the occasional text from me with the score has not prevented him from chiming in with opinions. And indeed his opinions in these circumstances are as valid as anyone else’s as far as I am concerned. Last night I told him that I thought Day Three would be a washout.
He responded:
"Rekon we will get 30 ovas in 2 mor. dclare at 350. Then wots left our spin twins on clearly from wear i am is a damp wicket will destroy the glaws batting despite l8 resistance. W8er more sangria please. I'll do rport from my perspective insted if u want. It mayb mor aqr8. Or phaps a joint e4t".
I liked the idea of the double-feature you are now reading.
Just before Charley and I left the restaurant, I texted Kev to say that it had been raining all day. His response:
"from wear I am, dspite ovacast start little cloud cova but wicket 2 dry and flat 2 xpect rsult. W8er more firewater pls".
I then texted Kev to explain that the sun had come out and that there were prospects of play. His response:
"I blew weva 2wars lords from algarve - apols 4 dlay".
Back To The Match. Soon the sun was out. I decided to count the crowd from where we were sitting. I ignored a few hospitality boxes. Upper Compo 6, Mound 3, Tavern 6, Warner 1. I couldn't see the Allen Stand and of course there were a few people other than us in the Pav. There were seven pigeons clustered about 4 pitches North of the test strip. I realised, given my spectator count, that that was the largest spectator cluster other than members and hospitality boxes.
Dial M opened the bowling from the Nursery end with Big Al from the Pavilion end. They looked quite good, but perhaps weren't making the batsmen play often enough. When the batsmen did have to play, they often played and missed. Or drove for runs, sometimes edged, sometimes properly driven. One catch went straight through the slips (it was Murali Kartik's at 2nd slip, I think, Eoin Morgan at 3rd slip blameless). Kadeer's gaff off Richo's bowling.
The seven pigeons seemed to be walking in along with the fielders, which amused me and Charley a good deal. After about 25-30 minutes we decided to relocate to the Bowler's Bar for the variety. While I was waiting for our drinks, Charley asked me what the black and white film on the television was. I replied "it's archive footage of Middlesex v Gloucestershire from the 1960's. Don't you recognise J T Murray's wicketkeeping style? Ben Scott has modeled his style on old JT". Charley bought it hook line and sinker until I put him out of his misery, much to the mirth of the bar staff.
I recounted the crowd. 7 Upper Compo, 2 Mound, 10 Tavern (whooah there) and still but 1 in the Warner. 5 Pigeons on Pudding Wicket North. Soon the rain returned and that was bound to be it for the day, and in my case the season. 30/0 off 11. But as far as Charley and I were concerned, 40 minutes of cricket had been better than none.
Back To The Algarve
I texted Kev to let him know the worst. He replied:
"Me and Olivia playin dominos al fresco/ We may have to abandon due 2 strong winds. Liv ahead on D/L. Did someone say there was a cricket match of sorts goin on?"
And soon after:
"dspite driving rain and poor lite Liv won dominos last domino finish asif Daisy woz there. meanwhile middx need snookas 2mor with weatha and ability 2 bowl teams out. more Port pls w8er".
And Back at Lord's
So it was farewell to another season (live cricket-wise anyway) and farewell to Charley "The Gent" Malloy, who wandered off into the distance before I realised that he was still wearing that tie my mum gave me. Well, I have some good news for you, Charley. I've spoken to mum, and she says that I should let you keep the tie.
Old Danes Gathering
There will be an Old Danes Gathering at Shepherds Bush Cricket Club on Friday 29 July 2016. All Old Danes, spouses and friends will be welcome as this is not a cricketer only event. The event will commence around 2pm and will continue into the evening or until everyone has left! The bar will be open throughout.
Googlies and Chinamen
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Broad Lee House
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High Peak
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Tel: 01298 70237
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www.googliesandchinamen.com
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 160
April 2016
T20 World Cup Matters
I was away and so missed Gayle’s extraordinary exhibition of power hitting which got England off to the worse possible start in the World Cup. However, I was seated ready to see the possibly more daunting task of the South Africa match and by the time the England seamers had finished feeding deKock & Co what they wanted England, needing 230 to win, were just about out of the competition. Roy then played what for me was the innings of the tournament. He laid into Ramada’s first over and assisted Hales in taking 22 from Stein’s over at the other end. Hales was out to the third ball of the third over with the score on 48. When Roy was out to the third ball of the fifth over the England score was 71 for 2 and the chase had been reduced to a relatively normal 159 from 15 overs. Roy had made 43 from 16 balls against arguably the best new ball attack in world cricket. The Roy assault set Root up nicely to guide England home.
I worked all four days over the Easter weekend but was kept informed by other stallholders of the progress of the matches, including Kohli’s sublime run chase against Australia. Kohli is probably the world’s best batsman on sub continental surfaces and he is able to control run chases of almost any size. In the second semi final he found himself batting first after Sammy opted to bowl. In this case the only target he would have had would have been self set but he scored 89 not out from 47 deliveries made from 130 added whilst he was at the crease. In this match the West Indies in the form of Charles, Simmons and Russell clubbed eleven sixes which took them to victory. However, Simmons twice holed out only to be given the reprieve of a no ball on the action replay. Why did the umpire not call it the first time? And how many did the umpires miss which didn’t result in a dismissal? There have been a surprising number of front foot no balls in the competition as well as a slew of leg side wides. It is something that the coaches will have to work on.
But back to Kohli who has looked terrific in the WC but was a huge disappointment on India’s last tour of England. English conditions and Anderson and Co getting the ball to move outside the off stump were his undoing. How can Kohli become a truly world class player without mastering all conditions? In the old days he would have had a season or two of county cricket but that isn’t going to happen in the modern era. As soon as the WC is over he will be off to the IPL with the bulk of the West Indians.
The first semi final matched England against New Zealand. The Kiwis may have been favourites in this contest but as soon as Guptill was dismissed England got on top and never let their grip slip. It is pleasant to applaud excellent bowling by the England quintet. I am less convinced than many about the standing of the NZ middle order. Taylor is an established class act but he gets held back after the left handers, Munro and Anderson. Both of these have hitting feats to their names but neither made a serious impact in the World Cup. The total of 153 never seemed much of a challenge and after Roy set to work again it was just a walk in the park. In the seventeenth over the commentators started to panic saying that England shouldn’t leave it to the final over. Buttler resolved this in the way he does best by clubbing the next three balls he faced for six.
And then there was the final. Many things went both right and wrong during the England innings. Root played another sublime innings only to give his wicket away just when he needed to stay in. None of the big hitters played an innings of substance but somehow England scrambled together a target of 156. No one could have really thought that this would be enough but in no time the West Indies were in worse shape than England had been. Marlon Samuels played in his own idiosyncratic way and the total was approached but with 19 needed off the last over it seemed that England would be unlikely winners. That was until Stokes served up four balls in the slot to the eight foot Brathwaite who gratefully clubbed each of them for six. England probably hadn’t deserved to win but ultimately they gave it away.
The Professor sent me this
Whatever the result on Sunday may be it has been an excellent competition and today's semi-final was just another breathtaking match. I rather sympathise with those who don't like T20 because it can be ugly at times, indeed some of the shots played, especially "at the death", look exactly like the things we were told never to do. Yesterday, Munro had a couple of horrible swipes that resulted in bottom edged boundaries and general celebrations as if he had stroked it through the cover field. But the level of cricket skill on display is quite stunning. Everyone has, for years now, talked about the fielding but I think it just gets better. These days you are quite surprised when someone misses a shy at the stumps from 30 yards, sideways on, and the running catch, thrown up in the air as the fielder crosses the boundary for him or another fielder to catch, is routine. Can you ever remember in the distant past two fielders going for the ball on the basis that one might be on hand to effect this manoeuvre? No, nor can I.
Some of the batting has been almost impossible - 180, 190 off 20 overs...no bother even 230 isn't safe.
What has sometimes come in for criticism is the bowling and I think this needs some more careful reflection. Sure there are full tosses and the odd, apparent, long hope...but lets think about it a bit. It would be strange if T20 cricket had produced extraordinary changes in two aspects of the game but not the third, and I don't think it has. The bowlers have an extraordinary challenge; a millimeter down the leg side is a wide as is anything a little wide on the off although seemingly still within reach. The fielding restrictions are so limiting (and not only in the first 6) that how you bowl is incredibly constrained. Added to that, at the other end there are huge bats about to belt whatever you serve up out of the park. Not easy.
In a way I think T20 is more about bowling than first class cricket and the techniques bowlers have come up with are so impressive. Did you see Bravo's first over a couple of matches back? He bowled an over of slower balls. Imagine being able to do that. The slow bouncer is, amazingly, a most difficult ball to hit. The numskulls who sit on their sofas saying "That's just a long hop" have taken leave of whatever sense they had. The slower ball has now been so well developed that batsman advance down the wicket ready to hit the ball into tomorrow only to find they are in no position to play a shot of any sort. I think the first person I saw do this really well was Chris Cairns but since then the slow ball, whether cut, or back of the hand or just (as it were) mis-delivered through the fingers has become an essential part of T20 bowling. Imagine setting yourself for someone who is bowling at 90 mph, the arm comes through at the anticipated speed, you go to play the shot and the ball isn't there, sometimes, not even half way there. Not surprising that the odd full toss creeps in which, in any case, are often the result of the batsman being nearer the bowlers end than their own. It is a great art. I also liked the English bowlers use of the wide (sic) yorker - "hit that if you can" although again the margins are tiny.
I neglected to add to my support of bowlers, the ball. The white ball is painted and quickly loses its paint (especially if it keeps hitting concrete) so it doesn't really move about. Add to that the "dew" which makes it increasingly hard to bowl spin and I wonder why anybody bothers to turn up to bowl at all. Still, Sunday will be worth watching...lets hope.
Out and About with the Professor
"Yorkshire in Crisis". Thus the headline in the local paper as I made my annual pilgrimage to the geriatric outing which is Yorkshire County Cricket Club's AGM.
That a county cricket club should be in crisis is not so surprising given the costs of running a playing and support staff and a first-class ground compared with the tiny numbers of supporters who attend first- class matches. Northants, I read, are in search of 15 donors to give £1 million which, if successful, would mean that they would no longer be a members club. But this is Yorkshire. Not only have they won the Championship for the past two years at the same time as providing half the England side, they have, for the first time in ages, recorded a small surplus on the annual accounts.
So what could be the cause of the crisis? Answer; just two little words...Geoffrey Boycott.
The specifics relate to the rather mundane matter of an election to the Board. There were three vacancies and four candidates, one of whom was Sir Geoffrey. The papers for the meeting listed the names of candidates but then, below the names, there was a note from the Board indicating which of the candidates had their approval. I have not seen such a thing before but below three names: "Approved by the Board" appeared while below just one name we read: "Not approved by the Board".
It would be hard not to regard this as somewhat mean spirited. Boycott is arguably Yorkshire's best known living cricketer, has served quite recently as a very successful President of the Club and is extremely popular within a section of the membership and supporters...indeed fanatically so in some cases. He is, in many ways, the personification of how some Yorkshiremen think of themselves: dedicated, single-minded, no nonsense, no fancy education or silver spoon, "Got where 'e is from 'ard graft" and, as a result, made himself into a quite wonderful test cricketer. Many people have met Boycott on one or two occasions (especially during his two Presidential years when he was quite a regular - and very accessible - visitor to the ground) and found him very approachable, courteous...even charming. "A giant of Yorkshire cricket" as one member put it at the AGM.
So what, in short, is the problem? The answer is that while some idolise Boycott, others loathe him.
Who are these people? Well they are not, in general, people who have sat on the terraces and watched his hundred hundreds; rather they are people who have worked closely with him. In particular, men who have been in the same team, who have played with him day after day. We all know the stories about players trying to run Boycott out and I have told you, Jim, the story of Ashley Metcalf’s first match told to me by the reporter who interviewed Metcalfe at the end of that day's play.
I think I have now met about half a dozen or more people who played with Boycott, none of whom has anything but praise for his ability nor anything but distain for him as a person. And I don’t mean a casual dislike; it is a visceral loathing from well-known and well-respected former Yorkshire players who appear to be perfectly sane and sensible people. The opprobrium now seems to run to those who have worked with him in committee as well.
I suppose it comes down to the fact that those who really approve of, even deify, Sir Geoffrey, are people who don't really know him. They may have seen him or even met him once or twice, but that is not the same. In the event Boycott attracted more votes against him (758) than for (602) and so the Board got its wish. He attended the meeting, and it must have been hard to take. There was a lot of sympathy for him at the meeting...but not in the votes.
Boycott alone at the bar
The only other question, I suppose, is why Boycott is as he is. This could be a long discussion and is not my field of expertise but I have a chum (also a Yorkshire member) who is a Psychologist and he, interestingly, suggests that were Boycott born today he might be diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger's syndrome. Apparently the symptoms: intense obsessive attention to detail, difficulty in making lasting personal relationships, a lack of "empathy" and problems with social skills and thus a failure to understand the effect of one’s actions on others, and so on, might be at the root of the intensive dislike. Who knows?
Whatever it is, to see a truly great player in effect rejected by his own Club provided, it would be fair to say, a poignant moment. The rest of the AGM rather faded away as the great man stood at the bar on his own.…but I dare say he’ll be back!
Miscellaneous Matters
The Great Jack Morgan offers us his observations
Notts are "crowing" about how they managed to attract Aussie bowler Jackson Bird... but perhaps they did not see him play for Hants last season ? Surrey have signed South African fast bowlers Conor McKerr (18) who has a Brit passport and Mathew Pillans (24) who will play "under an ancestral visa"... ever heard of that before?
We are living in the dark ages of cricket journalism. MWWS has a long article today all about someone called Guy Walker: ever heard of him? No, I thought not. He has played once for Melbourne in the T20 this season, bowled 3 overs which included 4 dot balls, no wickets and 49 runs: he was not required again. Did someone bet Selve that he could not make this "story" spread over 5 columns?
Yet more changes to the domestic cricket season (2017), most of which (of course) I do not like eg i) reducing the Championship to 14 matches and Div One to 8 teams; ii) the unbalanced Div 2 where not all teams will play each other home and away; and iii) all the best weather is being given over to T20. It will surely mean that I will see even less cricket than ever, but I do not mind the RLC moving to the beginning of the season, especially as I would not think many will favour floodlit games in April, giving more matches at sensible hours. Selvey wants a city-based T20 like the Big Bash; I don't, but I will not be attending so why should I worry?
J Franklin will skipper Middlesex in the Championship while AV is away. This does not please me particularly as JF's form last season did not justify his selection.
Yorkshire were all out for 275 v MCC in Abu Dhabi. G Ballance made 105, W Rhodes 95 and J Harris failed to shine with 0-48 off 13. At the end of day two, MCC were 282-6 when rain or bad light (?) stopped play. B Foakes (83*) and R Clarke (56*) have put on 131* for the seventh wicket and have transformed the situation from a struggle into a possibly dominant position. J Harris batted no 1 for unknown reasons (nightwatchman, I suppose?) and made a long and dull 4. The G makes no mention of this match at all.
Middlesex's season gets under way tomorrow (22/3) with a big clash at the Oval v Surrey. I have seen cricket in March in NZ, but not in England so I thought I might go along to the pre-season friendly. However, the forecast is cloudy, dull and 11 degrees so I do not think so somehow. In fact, it turned out to be a beautiful spring day with sunshine all day long. Foakes (91) and Clarke (58) did not go on as hoped and MCC collapsed disappointingly to 299 a/o a lead of 24. T Bresnan took 4-58 and SLA Karl Carver (still not quite 20) returned creditable figures of 30.2-10-106-4. When Yorkshire batted again, A Lees (86) did well but Yorkshire slumped to 239-7. JARH is not having much of a game as his figures, so far, are 11-0-40-1. The G is now publishing the scorecard, but without any report or even a comment.
The Middlesex website gives the bare scores from the Oval: Sy 250-9 dec, Mx 5-0, but no details. Yorkshire went on to 279 a/o (Tredders and Samit shared 6 wkts) and MCC (257-6) won by 4 wkts: I Bell made a fairly long 66 and T Westley a quick 58, while JARH made a heroic 0*. Yorkshire's weak spin attack took all five wickets to fall to bowlers: is this good prep for the green English spring wickets?
Today was dull and miserable, so I was not tempted to the Oval. I tried the Surrey website for the scores as there were no details yesterday on the Middlesex site... but there was nothing at all on the Surrey site (an experience I have suffered previously), so I reverted to the Middlesex site and found that Middlesex are 263-3, not sure if this is close of play or not.
In contrast to the poor Surrey website, Middlesex have now come up with full reports of each of the first two days' play at the Oval. J Fuller (3-37) was the best of the Middlesex bowlers and the major contributors to the Middlesex innings were N Gubbins 68 and N Compton 65 (they put on 147 for the first wkt), P Stirling 61* and J Simpson 43*. Middlesex declared at the overnight 263-3 (the Stirling/ Simpson stand was worth 106*) and the game was abandoned at lunch with Surrey on 143-2.
Marital Matters
Paul Sheridan sent me this
T20 is a daft past time for anyone who knows anything about cricket, however when Ireland were drawn to play their first match in the World Cup against the Sultanate of Oman, being Irish & having an Omani wife, I decided we had to be there. So with Mrs S reluctantly by my side & Irish passport in my pocket, we left Muscat for Dharmashala in the foothills of the Himalayas...henceforth to be called Dharm because this is what the locals call it & it will also save me from running out of ink As those that know us know, Mrs S manages our relationship so for this occasion I decided not to test its strength & bit my lip & supported Oman. Although my heart was for a tie.
As with children forced to eat spinach, Mrs S is not keen on cricket. She reluctantly attended the first day of the Ashes Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in 2002, the Australia v India World Cup Final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in 2003, a day at the Test match in Kandy during in England's Tour of Sri Lanka in 2007 & a number of days at Lords over the years - however I think it was those afternoons & evenings spent at The Bush before she forced me to marry her that did the biscuit for her in terms of her relationship with the world's greatest sport (which is not T20). She simply couldn't work out what was going on on or off the field, what anyone (especially Rocker) was talking about or why we always had to stay so late on Saturday nights before going for a cheap & oily chicken Madras & more beer at some dump in Acton. I tried but was unable to clarify any of this for her.
Indeed only a week before we left for Dharm she told me she was going to stay at home with the dogs & the cat. I felt a modicum of relief. But then an Indian friend told her that she could arrange for her to meet the Dalai Lama in the wonderful sounding town of McLeod Ganj, which is near Dharm, & the home in exile of the great man himself. So with plenty of bog rolls, packets of imodium & mosquito spray packed away, off we headed to the North of India. Mrs S pointed out that Air India between Muscat & Delhi had a smell that was quite different to all other smells.
The Dalai Lama is, I am sure, a wonderful man. I am also sure the 200 or more Dalai Lama look-a-likes who wonder around Dharm are also wonderful men - & some I think are women. However, it was frustrating to have to say "Namaste" to each & every one of them before being told that the great man himself was in fact in the US for the week. Mrs S was unimpressed.
So to the ground. Dharm is a wonderful stadium with snow capped mountains of the Himalayas on one side & brightly coloured stands. It's worth googling a photo. We learned that Dharm was hosting these preliminary matches because the no. 2 official in Indian cricket these days is from Dharm. We also learned that Dharm has the second highest rainfall in the world. The other preliminary matches were being played in Nagpur - from where the no. 1 official in Indian cricket happens to comes from. Nagpur & Cardiff have many similarities.
Outside & within the stadium there were more police & soldiers than there were for the Brixton riots. The teams & entourage were not permitted to leave their hotel or the Stadium for the entire time they were in Dharm & they had to hand over their mobiles so they could have no contact with the outside world. Security was a concern although everyone we spoke with told us that this was more political than a reflection of any real danger. Anyway it added to the atmosphere because otherwise there would have been more three legged stray dogs in the Stadium than humans - & the total number of stray dogs (0-5 legs) certainly outnumbered the humans.
The first match was Bangaldesh v Holland & the Dutch very nearly pulled off a surprise. Indeed if it wasn't for Tamin's 83 off 58 balls, the Cloggies may well have won. Tamin looked in very good form. A Dutch supporter told me that Holland only has 6 grass wickets - 5 more than Oman. As with many international teams in many sports these days, there were only a few Dutch nationals in their team for this match. Oman only has 1 Omani national in its squad. I doubt Qatar will have any Qataris in its squad for the 2022 World Cup. Strange world we live in.
Oman had no chance against Ireland, Holland or Bangladesh; however T20 is a daft game - & Oman beat Ireland by 2 wickets. Tim Murtagh & someone called Max Sorensen bowled 2 of the worst overs I have ever seen to gift Oman an impossible victory - & in saying this I have taken in to account the hundreds of overs I watched Dick Pain bowl at the Bush over many years as I wasted the summers of my youth. I could only assume that Paddy Power had opened in India. There were however two magic moments which - as I explained to Mrs S - is why we go so far to watch this stuff. The first was a miraculous catch by the non-Omani fielding at cover for Oman (name Maqsood, not that it matters to anyone but him & presumably his Mum) to dismiss Paul Sterling, the Irish opener who was just starting to open his shoulders (as they seem to say these days). Again worth a google. The second was the very same Sterling (or at least I think it was him) who, fielding on the square-leg boundary, managed to dive backwards in the air over the boundary & somehow, at full stretch before landing, palm the ball back in to play to save a certain maximum (another recent & silly expression). The batsmen were so startled that they only ran 1 when they could have taken 3 & at that moment we knew that Ireland would win... but then Paddies Murtagh & Sorensen got to work & Oman won with 4 byes of the penultimate ball. The 30 or so of us Oman supporters went delirious (first time I've seen Mrs S delirious) whilst the 6 or so Irish supporters in their farmers suits & ties sat puzzled by the turn of events.
Two days later (& running out of Imodium) Mrs S & I sat in an open stand with no cover & experienced why Dharm is one of the wettest places on earth - a pleasant experience given that temperatures in Oman are over 50 degrees for much of the year. Well pleasant until we realized we had to use the public karsi. Oman v Holland abandoned without a ball being bowled. It had been a long way to come for the four Dutch supporters (for whom two this was supposed to be their first experience of watching any form of cricket). Anyway extremely friendly people they were & I'm sure we would now all be life long friends if we could have bought some beers - no such luck. We had to make do with Poppadums & Thumbs Up.
As I type this, Bangladesh have just thrashed Oman by some 50 runs. If the Dalai Lama had been in town & understood the Duckworth Lewis workings & used his heavenly connections to control the rain to Oman's advantage (or Paddies Murtagh & Sorensen's grand-parents had been born in Dhaka), Oman would next be playing Pakistan in Calcutta with its capacity for some 100,000 spectators. Interesting for a country with one grass wicket. Daft but fun.
King Cricket Matters
A dip into the archive
Ged describes a very much shortened day, including a very lengthy big match build up, a long lunch with Charley The Gent Malloy. And somehow, with the help of Barmy Kev in the Algarve, Ged has still produced a full match report. Learn, for example, whether the pigeons exceeded the humans in the crowd. It's a rip-snorter and, sadly for Ged, his last live cricket of 2008.
Kadeer Today, Gone Tomorrow, Washout For Yourself
The weather forecast for Day Three had looked far from promising all week and so waking up to rain and a dismal forecast came as a disappointment but no surprise. Today was to be my last chance of live cricket this year, so it was disappointment indeed.
My guest, Charley "The Gent" Malloy and I had a contingency plan. We'd go about our own business in the morning, then meet for a late dim sum lunch at The Royal China on Queensway, to be followed by a cursory weather inspection with every expectation that we'd part company at that juncture.
My morning passed swiftly, as did a very tasty dim sum lunch. A special duck cheung fun was probably my highlight, although I also particularly liked the prawn with coriander dumpling, the fried pork bun and the spicy chickens' feet (the latter Charley didn't like).
We emerged from Royal China to the very enticing sight of sunshine. "Is it possible?" we asked each other. Only one way to find out. We leg it back to my place about 3:50 and phone the "prospects of play" line. No news. How often do cricket nuts phone that line to find out what's going on. We thought 15 minute intervals was suitably restrained. At 4:05 we learnt that the umpires had inspected and would inspect again at 4:30. The radar picture looked encouraging. Let's go.
Just one problem; Charley loves the pavilion but, expecting no play, had come out without a tie. No problem - borrow one of mine. Charley and I have had a standing joke for years that he always admires my tie when it turns out to be a tie that my mum has given me. So it simply had to be one of mum's choices of ties - a deep red jobbie. I grab a blazer and tie, jump in a cab and we should get to the ground around the time of the second inspection.
Yup, play is scheduled to start at 5:00, so we get ourselves some drinks in the upper terrace bar and take up prime seats under the south canopy of the sun deck - perfect placement for this match. Hardly a heave for the best spots - I have never seen the place so empty.
A flurry of rain at 4:45 and the hover cover returns. No sweat, just a flurry. Then out comes the roller as they start up the hover cover again to remove it. "Middlesex must have declared" I said, which impressed Charley no end when Mr Perambulate the announcer confirmed same two or three minutes later.
One Foot In Algarve
Meanwhile I have been in text correspondence this week with Barmy Kev, who is in the Algarve on holiday and wanted updates. The fact that all he knows about the match is the occasional text from me with the score has not prevented him from chiming in with opinions. And indeed his opinions in these circumstances are as valid as anyone else’s as far as I am concerned. Last night I told him that I thought Day Three would be a washout.
He responded:
"Rekon we will get 30 ovas in 2 mor. dclare at 350. Then wots left our spin twins on clearly from wear i am is a damp wicket will destroy the glaws batting despite l8 resistance. W8er more sangria please. I'll do rport from my perspective insted if u want. It mayb mor aqr8. Or phaps a joint e4t".
I liked the idea of the double-feature you are now reading.
Just before Charley and I left the restaurant, I texted Kev to say that it had been raining all day. His response:
"from wear I am, dspite ovacast start little cloud cova but wicket 2 dry and flat 2 xpect rsult. W8er more firewater pls".
I then texted Kev to explain that the sun had come out and that there were prospects of play. His response:
"I blew weva 2wars lords from algarve - apols 4 dlay".
Back To The Match. Soon the sun was out. I decided to count the crowd from where we were sitting. I ignored a few hospitality boxes. Upper Compo 6, Mound 3, Tavern 6, Warner 1. I couldn't see the Allen Stand and of course there were a few people other than us in the Pav. There were seven pigeons clustered about 4 pitches North of the test strip. I realised, given my spectator count, that that was the largest spectator cluster other than members and hospitality boxes.
Dial M opened the bowling from the Nursery end with Big Al from the Pavilion end. They looked quite good, but perhaps weren't making the batsmen play often enough. When the batsmen did have to play, they often played and missed. Or drove for runs, sometimes edged, sometimes properly driven. One catch went straight through the slips (it was Murali Kartik's at 2nd slip, I think, Eoin Morgan at 3rd slip blameless). Kadeer's gaff off Richo's bowling.
The seven pigeons seemed to be walking in along with the fielders, which amused me and Charley a good deal. After about 25-30 minutes we decided to relocate to the Bowler's Bar for the variety. While I was waiting for our drinks, Charley asked me what the black and white film on the television was. I replied "it's archive footage of Middlesex v Gloucestershire from the 1960's. Don't you recognise J T Murray's wicketkeeping style? Ben Scott has modeled his style on old JT". Charley bought it hook line and sinker until I put him out of his misery, much to the mirth of the bar staff.
I recounted the crowd. 7 Upper Compo, 2 Mound, 10 Tavern (whooah there) and still but 1 in the Warner. 5 Pigeons on Pudding Wicket North. Soon the rain returned and that was bound to be it for the day, and in my case the season. 30/0 off 11. But as far as Charley and I were concerned, 40 minutes of cricket had been better than none.
Back To The Algarve
I texted Kev to let him know the worst. He replied:
"Me and Olivia playin dominos al fresco/ We may have to abandon due 2 strong winds. Liv ahead on D/L. Did someone say there was a cricket match of sorts goin on?"
And soon after:
"dspite driving rain and poor lite Liv won dominos last domino finish asif Daisy woz there. meanwhile middx need snookas 2mor with weatha and ability 2 bowl teams out. more Port pls w8er".
And Back at Lord's
So it was farewell to another season (live cricket-wise anyway) and farewell to Charley "The Gent" Malloy, who wandered off into the distance before I realised that he was still wearing that tie my mum gave me. Well, I have some good news for you, Charley. I've spoken to mum, and she says that I should let you keep the tie.
Old Danes Gathering
There will be an Old Danes Gathering at Shepherds Bush Cricket Club on Friday 29 July 2016. All Old Danes, spouses and friends will be welcome as this is not a cricketer only event. The event will commence around 2pm and will continue into the evening or until everyone has left! The bar will be open throughout.
Googlies and Chinamen
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