G&C 218
GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 218
February 2021
Tracey Matters
Eric Tracey sent me this
I am not sure whether to be more surprised by the primroses, snowdrops and hellebores already in flower in my Wiltshire garden or by New Zealand being ranked (however temporarily) number one in the Test rankings. Kane Williamson’s rise to number one test batsman is far less surprising. He did not play much test cricket in 2020 but made the most of his opportunities, scoring nearly 500 runs in 6 innings. His career test average is over 50 and he scores centuries around once every six innings. And, as he showed in the 2019 CWC, he is an outstanding leader and sportsman.
The Black Caps are not, however, a one-man team. Williamson has most often been partnered at the crease by Ross Taylor who averages over 45. There have been less regular but frequent big scores from the likes of Latham, Watling, Santner, Nicholls, De Grandhome and occasionally even the tail-end bowlers too. The bowling attack, headed by Southee (300 test wickets) and Boult (close to 300) with the indefatigable Wagner (who bowled nearly 50 economic overs for 3 wickets, with 2 broken toes in last week’s test) and Santner, a regular wicket taker too, has also been at the core of the Kiwi’s recent success. Their new boy, Jamieson, looks to be a seriously good addition too. A bit like England’s bowlers, their record at home is far better than on the harder wickets of many other countries. I guess both sets of bowlers would prefer to have all their tests in either NZ or England!
The Black Caps do look like a team and one enjoying its cricket. They have an outside chance of making the World Test Championship final at Lords this year. After their last appearance they would be very welcome.
At the other end of the cricketing spectrum has been the highly successful season enjoyed by Fonthill Park CC, a Wiltshire village-based club with a beautiful ground with a slope that makes Lords look flat and smart pavilion. FPCC plays only “friendlies” against a variety of local and visiting teams and although every game is played to win, the spirit of cricket is paramount. Until last year, the Club’s afternoon teas were another highlight for home and visiting teams alike. The Club has long had a policy of having an S or a C after each player’s name on the team sheet to signify that he/she is to bring a plate of sandwiches or cakes. This avoids the supply of teas falling onto a small (and usually getting ever smaller) number of players’ partners, which has been the source aggravation and rows at so many clubs. The quantity and variety of the teas also reflects a degree of competitiveness, especially in the sandwich making.
Such teas were sadly absent for 2020, but we were organised to be ready to start a foreshortened season under strict Covid guidelines at the start of July as soon as the rules permitted. The Club Secretary had done an outstanding job in interpreting the ECB and government announcements and organising the extensive signage required. With a one-way system through the changing rooms to toilets, outside changing areas and the bar serving drinks outside (using a new contactless payment system), we managed 16 matches before the middle of September.
We also managed several improvements to the Pavilion with a new ramp, a revitalised library of cricket books, a large clock visible from the Square, five member funded outside benches for player and supporters and a Lords style bell. The bell gets rung not only to chase the players out to the middle but also to mark 50s, a 100, a five-for and any other event I can think of. Our playing strength increased, subscriptions were all paid in full without any requests for refunds and we finished the year with more in the bank than we began. The bar made a very healthy contribution to that, as did our landlord who forgave the rent for the year.
A couple of gaps in the fixture list were easily filled with intra-club games both over-subscribed, such was the pent-up enthusiasm for getting out onto the pitch. The last of these was a 30 overs a side match which was won and lost on the penultimate ball of the 60th over with our regular captain. playing his first match of the season, following a broken foot at the end of the previous season, scoring a brilliant 44 off 14 balls. A bright end to the season.
Given that in April we did not know if we would get any cricket and wondered how the finances would survive, this was a great outcome indeed.
In and Within with the Professor
I don’t think I can regard 4.30am as my most favourite time of day. 4.30am in January is somehow even less attractive. 4.30am in January in freezing cold North Yorkshire, moves the experience even further down the scale. I realise, of course, that it is possible to record the match and watch it later during the day but I feel sure no such lightweight supporters are numbered among Googlies readers. So, 4.30am it was, on the sofa and under the rug. Was it worth it? Well of course it was. Two interesting and even exciting Tests (that last morning when Sibley could have been out at least three times, with not too much to follow) between two sides who were not, to be frank, at their best. Injuries and “resting” impacted on selection and while the margins (7 and 6 wickets respectively) suggest easy wins, they were certainly not that. It is easy to list the pluses and minuses from the two Tests. Pluses: Bairstow’s runs, Lawrence’s 94 runs in the first match, Buttler’s keeping, 12 wickets from Bess and 11 from Leach, Anderson’s 6-fer. Minuses: Lawrence’s 5 runs in the second match, modest efforts from Crawley, Sibley, and Curran.
But there was a touch more to it than that, wasn’t there. We all know the problems for the players, especially the spin bowlers, but they did, in truth, bowl poorly especially in the first Test on a wicket that didn’t look fit for play even at the start. Indeed, the amount of spin it took saved, so it seemed to me, both spinners from worse figures. Had they been bowling on the Karachi pitch they would have been belted around by Barbar and his chums. Bess’s sheepish interview about his five wickets had the great virtue of honesty. A little better on the track two strips down, but still not good. The fact that the seamers took all the first innings wickets in the second Test is all the testimony required.
But towering over all the pluses and minuses was, of course, Root. How is it possible to score 228 on that pitch and then 186 on the next one. What was the best thing about those innings? Judgement of length? Shot selection? Execution of the sweep? None of those…for me it was - staying upright. Not collapsing in a heap at almost any time. I imagine a number of Googlies readers will have watched cricket in Sri Lanka - it is impossible to describe heat on that southern coast. Think of the hottest and most sweaty you have ever been in your life – it’s worse than that. When we were in Colombo in 2007, the organisers had arranged a nice lunch in a kind of courtyard behind the pavilion. The lunch was laid out in the sun. We lasted about five minutes. It was too hot to sit, let alone walk, or run…and to bat for a day? They are young fit men and if anything is proof of that it is Root’s two innings in the crucifying heat and humidity of Galle. Little surprise that he was run-out twice (he’s quite good at that), with caught on the fence in a last wicket slog, and played-on completing the list. You could hardly say that he was dismissed by the bowling side. A truly stunning display of technique and concentration…and fitness.
The 7 and 6 wickets also, for me, would have been much closer had Sri Lanka had a decent captain. Field placing and bowling changes all looked a shambles. At what point did it become clear to Chandimal that Root was unlikely to hit down the ground? “Never”, I think, is the correct answer. Possibly the greatest injury loss to either side was Karunaratne.
Covid kept the commentators at home and we all had the chance to see if they have anything to say that we can’t see for ourselves. Well…did they? It’s a little while since I listened to Nasser’s personal lexicon, but it grated just the same. When did a long-hop become a “drag-down”; a catch a “grab”; talking become “chirping”; poor become “ordinary”; poor also become “average” (if poor performance is average, what is average performance…excellent?), and where do people go with them when they “take the positives”? And please dear god can there not be another simile to replace: “All over him like a rash”. And why does Atherton find everything so funny? Yes I know this is all very curmudgeonly, but it is 4.30am under the rug.
One final thought. These two pitches were very difficult to play on and (excepting Root, of course) most found it a struggle. But some less than others. The commentators often declared so-and-so to be “a good player of spin”. By extension, they must regard some others as bad players of spin. Why are they picked in these conditions? We are all familiar with bowlers being selected or not on the basis of the look of the pitch. “It’s a green-top, so we will play four seamers.” Why don’t we do that with batsmen – they are presumed (or at least required) to be able to play all bowling in all conditions. Some of them can’t. So, two good wins, to follow on from 3-1 away to South Africa, and on to Ahmedabad and first Chennai… where it’s a 4am start. Hey ho.
This & That
I didn’t see much of the first test and only the post tea sessions, after I got up, of the second. England’s wins were laudable but greatly assisted by two brainless innings, one in each test, by the Sri Lankans. All you can do is beat what is put up against you, but it is hard to imagine that the Indians will roll over so easily.
Sibley batted well in the second innings of the second test and overcame some of his technical restrictions to take his side home. However, he benefitted from a new phenomenon in the modern game which is the umpires’ approach to LBW when VAR is available. Three times Sibley was given not out only for the replay to show that the ball would have hit the stumps, but because in each case it was not a 100% hit the verdict was “Umpire’s Call” and therefore not out. It seems that the umpires are giving the batsmen a bonus by letting VAR do the work for them. Bowlers will resent this development.
Nass continually described the wicket as a “raging Bunsen” when in truth it was really only taking some spin. No balls spat whilst I was watching and even the England batsmen played fairly comfortably. They could probably have knocked off 250 or even more and so the wicket had played OK. Chandimal’s captaincy was indifferent and whilst his spinners couldn’t do the job for him he maintained “in/out“ fields which facilitated endless singles which helped England on their way.
The UK commentators (Nass, Lloyd, Key, Atherton, Ward) were working from home or in the London studios and were dependent on the television pictures and it was good to find that they were having the same problems that I have complained about in that you don’t get to see the whole playing area and so have to guess where the fielders are. There was also a fair bit of complaining about having to get up in the snow at 2am to ready themselves for the broadcast.
How much do you have to pay to get a decent player in the Premiership? Many of the £40m guys are lucky to get on the bench and Pepe, who cost a staggering £70m, rarely gets a game for Arsenal. In addition, Frank Lampard has to find a way of getting some return on his expensive summer signings from Europe. It would also help if he could get someone to take Kepa off his hands (now not his problem anymore). But a lot of the home grown talent is starting to impress. None more so then Emile Smith Rowe who looks an extraordinary talent and we have to hope he won’t be wasted at Arsenal. Maddison, Grealish and Foden are more established and exude quality. Behind them is a tier including Mount, McTominay, Ward-Prowse and some would say Greenwood although I have ye to see anything much of him.
I watched both of the Liverpool v Manchester United matches last week and I am not a fan of Trent Alexander-Arnold who must be the most overrated player of his generation. I can’t even work out what his position is. I assumed he was a full back but whilst Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, who was taking time off from running the country, were creating mayhem down Liverpool’s right flank he was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he is excused defensive duties and is supposed to be a forward playing wing back? But in both these matches his distribution was lamentable. He is supposed to be a wonderful provider of passes. This is not borne out by the stats which say that he has provided 3 assists in his last 29 matches. He seems a bit of a luxury all round. Reece James is coming back from injury but was no match for Harvey Barnes who skinned him in the Leicester match. Mention was made here of Luke Shaw who looks the real full back package now combining creative forward play with effective and powerful full back play.
The BBC went a bit over the top in trying to avoid accusations of gender or racial inequality for their coverage of the Chelsea/Luton match. The match commentators were Simon Brotherton and Karen Carney whilst the half time trio were Gaby Logan , Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbank and Danny Murphy.
It could be argued that Alex Hales is still England’s best white ball batsman. He scored 110 from 56 balls for Sydney Thunder with 8 sixes. This helped Thunder to 232 for 5 which is the highest total in the Big Bash history. In their next match Adelaide Strikers made only 115 but Hales cashed in again with 63 not out from 39 balls. In this year’s Big Bash Hales has scored 535 runs and helped his side into the finals.
Paul Stirling had a miserable time in the LPL but has been enjoying himself for Ireland in the UAE. He made 128 against Afghanistan and then 131 not out and 118 against UAE.
Much is made of Anderson, Broad, Stokes, Archer & Co. However, the stats apparently show the South African fast bowlers the most effective over the last few years with Australia second. England languish down at fifth.
Morgan Matters
The GJM tirelessly trawls for news to brighten the winter gloom
Ex-Rs manager (twice, though the first spell lasted 29 days!) Tommy Docherty has died aged 92. He made over 300 league appearances for Preston and won 25 caps for Scot. He managed 11 clubs other than Rs. Colin Bell is dead aged 74. England's oldest Test cricketer, Don Smith of Sussex, has died aged 97 at home in Adelaide. Sussex seamer Ian Thomson (91) is now the oldest living England Test player. Phil Spector is dead aged 81.
The G has a long piece on Wasim Khan, chief exec of the Pakistan Cricket Board. I knew that he spent all of his career at Warwicks (and he later became CEO at Leics), but I did not know (or had forgotten) that he was actually born in Birmingham. He has been instrumental in ensuring that England will soon be making their first tour of Pak since 2005.
The crowd capacity for the third Australia v India Test in Sydney has been cut to 25% after more virus outbreaks.
FA Cup: Rs and Fulham are 0-0 after 87...but Fulham won with 2 goals in extra time, which leaves Rs free to concentrate on relegation.
J Kallis, who is now working for England as a batting consultant for the series in SL, was apparently forced out of a similar post with SA because they have decided there will be no more white consultants or coaches.
Betting site Football Index is in danger of collapse, which is bad news for Rs because they are the shirt sponsors.
Manisha Tailor is the only South Asian Indian woman in English professional football, and she is the "lead foundation phase coach at Queens Park Rangers". She says that "being a South Asian Indian woman and the only person of South Asian heritage, male or female, in this kind of full-time coaching role at any of the 92 clubs in English professional football is a testament to QPR".
Rs had a great 0-1 win at mid-table Cardiff with Chris Willock getting the only goal after 71 mins, it was his first for the club. Rs are now 7 points clear of the relegation places, though some have a game or two in hand. Rs are at home to struggling Derby on Sat (23/1).
England: B Stokes, J Archer and R Burns are returning to the Eng squad for the first 2 Tests of the India tour. D Bairstow, M Wood and S Curran are rested for those 2 Tests. J Buttler will leave the tour after the 1st Test, with B Foakes taking the gloves. The squad of 16 is Root, Archer, Moeen, Anderson, Bess, Broad, Burns, Crawley, Foakes, Lawrence, Leach, Sibley, Stokes, Stone, Woakes. Six reserves remain with the squad.
Warwickshire have appointed M Robinson as 1st team coach.
Chris told me that she had heard on the radio that the Newport County goalkeeper, whose name was King, had scored a fantastic length of the pitch goal with a terrific punt from his own area straight into the Oldham goal! The only problem with this is that the O gives the Newport scorers as Scrimshaw and Gambin who are both attacking outfield players!
Lots of England fixtures have been agreed: there will be
a) 3 T20s v SL in Cardiff on 23, 24 and 26 June;
b) 3 ODIs v SL at the Riverside (29.6), Oval (1.7) and Bristol (4/7);
c) 3 ODIs v Pak at Cardiff (8.7), Lord's (10.7) and Edgbaston (13.7);
d) 3 T20s v Pak at TB (16.7), Headingley (18.7) and OT (20.7);
and e) 5 Tests v India at TB (4-8.8), Lord's (12-16.8), Headingley (25-29.8), the Oval (2-6.9) and OT (10-14.9).
The Cricketer has managed to produce a fine 98-page February edition considering how little cricket has been going on:
Lord's is likely to miss out on the final of the World Test Championship in late June because of the lack of a hotel on site and the Bowl is now the favourite.
R Taylor overtook D Vettori as NZ's most capped Test player and NZ went to no 1 in the World Test rankings.
G Dobell has a long article telling us that B Foakes is England's best wicket-keeping option.
There is a long 4-page article on former Middlesex keeper D Nash who failed to live up to his full potential because of "performance anxiety and mental health issues"; the article includes 6 photos of him.
S Hughes tells us that "the USA looks like it means business now with Major League Cricket" and the USA and WI "will jointly bid for a number of ICC events".
Middlesex news: Mujeeb Ur Rahman is returning to the club and Tom Helm, Luke Hollman and Ethan Bamber have signed new contracts.
Michael Billington, who lives in Chiswick and was the Guardian's theatre critic for many years, says in support of an article by Barney Ronay "he has grown tired of the media's uncritical adulation of Ben Stokes... it is time that the myth of his indispensability was examined".
Vic Marks is joining the Cricketer.
People are criticising England's policy of rotating players to make sure everyone gets some decent recuperation time, but C Silverwood stands by it "it's good that we are being proactive and looking after people. I am perfectly happy with the system". I think there has to be some sort of rotation under current circumstances, but I am not sure how many people are "perfectly happy" with it.
This is the schedule for India:
5-9 Feb First Test Chennai
13-17 Feb Second Test Chennai
24-28 Feb Third Test Ahmedabad
4-8 March Fourth Test Ahmedabad.
Middlesex news: Jimmy Harris is the new Chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association and the Easy Social Cocktail Co are one of Middlesex's "new affiliate partners".
T10 Matters
When I looked at the scores of the West Indies CDI matches in Bangla Desh in January, I didn’t recognise any of the names which was puzzling. But all was revealed when I, by chance, stumbled upon the broadcasting of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament which was stacked out with West Indian stars, has-beens and others. This was my first exposure to this form of the game and, I hate to admit, I was soon won over. Eight teams are divided into two groups who play each other before the play offs in a schedule which involves three matches each afternoon over a ten-day period.
The matches are played extremely hard but in a good spirit, I guess not least, because most of the players know each other well. That at least applies to the old lags – Gayle, Pollard, Shahzad, Parnell, Stirling, Wahab, Rampaul, Fidel Edwards, Bravo, Afridi etc. But there are plenty of youngsters including a large contingent of Englishmen: Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Joe Clarke, Tom Helm, Alex Davies and Adam Hose among others. There are also those in or around the current international sides. Tom Banton looks good each time he goes to the wicket but is being upstaged at the halfway stage of the competition by Tom Kohler-Cadmore who has been very impressive. Chris Jordan is also there and has been amongst the most effective of the bowlers.
However, by far the standout performances have come from Nicholas Pooran. He is captain and wicket keeper for the Northern Warriors. In Match 9 he went to his 50 from 16 balls with 5 sixes and 4 fours. But this was just a warm up for Match 12 when he scored 89 from 26 balls with 12 sixes and 3 fours. He pulls anything straight and gets under anything on the off side. It is staggering to watch the skill involved.
Don Palmer
Don Shearwood sent me this:
I was very sorry to learn of the passing of Don Palmer. I think I was a member of his very first form at SCD, in 1953 (or possibly '54). I don't think he was a strict disciplinarian, but he won us over with his dedication and sincerity. And, of course, he was a very good football coach. I remember he coached my errant friend Alfie Grant into a reliable and consistent goalkeeper for the School's 2nd/3rd XIs, and I think he turned the very versatile John Jackson into a very good goalkeeper for Crystal Palace and England. At a lesser level, he was influential in getting me to join the Old Danes for some 12/13 years. The last time I spoke to him was at one of the Reunions at SBCC, for which I was very grateful.
Jim Revier sent me this:
I can't tell you if DP organized the 1966 World Cup Opening Ceremony, but the school was certainly involved. From what I remember kids from schools in the North West London area (probably grammar) paraded in the colours of the competing nations. I know this as I was attired in the French kit on the big day. There was very little rehearsal - certainly nothing at Wembley itself. We used the Empire Pool to change in. Football ability had no influence on the selection process. You just had to be a certain height and probably not too fat - I was 13 at the time. Danes pupils made up the England and French squads. I was delighted as we kept all the Adidas gear afterwards. The black shorts I used for school games and the blue shirt was ideal for Temple house games plus my first pair of Adidas boots. Saved my folks a few quid. After we had done our walk round Wembley and stood in lines on the hallowed turf we had the great thrill of watching England draw 0-0 with Uruguay from the tunnel end.
The Danes also played a role in the 1970 League Cup Final. The days before the game saw huge amounts of snowfall in London and the game was in serious danger of being called off. Again, I do not know if DP was involved but kids from the school were asked to shovel snow off the pitch for which they would be rewarded with a ticket to the final. I think we were there for most of Friday and the Saturday morning. Tough work but better than double chemistry. I also cannot remember too many health and safety considerations. Good game too - Man City beating WBA after extra time.
And then the 1960 intake year produced this photo of Ralph Pooley leading out the England team:
Bob Harvey
In last month’s edition I said that I would try to find one of Bob Harvey’s magnificent posters for South Hampstead social events.
Almost every facet of this poster is interesting. Bob was associated with club in the late sixties and so the event advertised was probably 1967or 8. The pricing in shillings and pence and the discount for couples dates it. The stipulation for suits and cocktail dresses is almost quaint. The Eddie Edwards combo would have been able to accommodate all kinds of dancing.
Molloy Matters
Ken Molloy responded to my comments last month on “taking one for the team”
This has been a something I have been complaining about for a long time I am not keen on matches being spoiled by the tactic but neither do I enjoy games being spoiled by players being sent off; I think there should be an automatic yellow card for any foul where he player does not try to get the ball and where the foul breaks up an attacking move there should be an orange card which would lead to a suspension when a player accumulates 2. The 5 yellows is too generous for these professional fouls that are spoiling the game. They could also introduce a rule whereby clubs get fined if they accumulate more than x cards over a number of games with the squad having to pay it.
I replied:
Who makes the rules and determines the penalties? The Professional foul is a crucial part of the tactics of many sides including Man City which is partly why they got such a bad start to the season when opposition sides realised that they relied on fouling and had no other tactic even in their own penalty box. Manchester City would have to change their high press style and also get some effective defenders. Walker, Fernandino and others would have to go. I can’t see them voting for a change if, indeed, the clubs get a say in it.
Would you have fancied playing out from the back on any of the pitches that we played on?
Ken added:
I agree such changes will not be easy to achieve but they would certainly improve the game. The pitches we used to play on they would have been another reason not to take the knee as on the Scrubs particularly more than likely you would have ended up with a deep cut from a piece of broken glass. I see the sense in playing out from the back but think clubs might mix it up more. They ought to change the way that pass accuracy is calculated though and discount all those tedious passes that just go from side to side or back to the keeper.
Strange Elevens
John Williams pointed out my mistake in last month’s edition by including Stephen not Tom Moores to complete a side of players whose fathers had all played first-class cricket.
Googlies Website
All the back editions of Googlies can be found on the G&C website. There are also many photographs most of which have never appeared in Googlies.
www.googliesandchinamen.com
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
[email protected]
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 218
February 2021
Tracey Matters
Eric Tracey sent me this
I am not sure whether to be more surprised by the primroses, snowdrops and hellebores already in flower in my Wiltshire garden or by New Zealand being ranked (however temporarily) number one in the Test rankings. Kane Williamson’s rise to number one test batsman is far less surprising. He did not play much test cricket in 2020 but made the most of his opportunities, scoring nearly 500 runs in 6 innings. His career test average is over 50 and he scores centuries around once every six innings. And, as he showed in the 2019 CWC, he is an outstanding leader and sportsman.
The Black Caps are not, however, a one-man team. Williamson has most often been partnered at the crease by Ross Taylor who averages over 45. There have been less regular but frequent big scores from the likes of Latham, Watling, Santner, Nicholls, De Grandhome and occasionally even the tail-end bowlers too. The bowling attack, headed by Southee (300 test wickets) and Boult (close to 300) with the indefatigable Wagner (who bowled nearly 50 economic overs for 3 wickets, with 2 broken toes in last week’s test) and Santner, a regular wicket taker too, has also been at the core of the Kiwi’s recent success. Their new boy, Jamieson, looks to be a seriously good addition too. A bit like England’s bowlers, their record at home is far better than on the harder wickets of many other countries. I guess both sets of bowlers would prefer to have all their tests in either NZ or England!
The Black Caps do look like a team and one enjoying its cricket. They have an outside chance of making the World Test Championship final at Lords this year. After their last appearance they would be very welcome.
At the other end of the cricketing spectrum has been the highly successful season enjoyed by Fonthill Park CC, a Wiltshire village-based club with a beautiful ground with a slope that makes Lords look flat and smart pavilion. FPCC plays only “friendlies” against a variety of local and visiting teams and although every game is played to win, the spirit of cricket is paramount. Until last year, the Club’s afternoon teas were another highlight for home and visiting teams alike. The Club has long had a policy of having an S or a C after each player’s name on the team sheet to signify that he/she is to bring a plate of sandwiches or cakes. This avoids the supply of teas falling onto a small (and usually getting ever smaller) number of players’ partners, which has been the source aggravation and rows at so many clubs. The quantity and variety of the teas also reflects a degree of competitiveness, especially in the sandwich making.
Such teas were sadly absent for 2020, but we were organised to be ready to start a foreshortened season under strict Covid guidelines at the start of July as soon as the rules permitted. The Club Secretary had done an outstanding job in interpreting the ECB and government announcements and organising the extensive signage required. With a one-way system through the changing rooms to toilets, outside changing areas and the bar serving drinks outside (using a new contactless payment system), we managed 16 matches before the middle of September.
We also managed several improvements to the Pavilion with a new ramp, a revitalised library of cricket books, a large clock visible from the Square, five member funded outside benches for player and supporters and a Lords style bell. The bell gets rung not only to chase the players out to the middle but also to mark 50s, a 100, a five-for and any other event I can think of. Our playing strength increased, subscriptions were all paid in full without any requests for refunds and we finished the year with more in the bank than we began. The bar made a very healthy contribution to that, as did our landlord who forgave the rent for the year.
A couple of gaps in the fixture list were easily filled with intra-club games both over-subscribed, such was the pent-up enthusiasm for getting out onto the pitch. The last of these was a 30 overs a side match which was won and lost on the penultimate ball of the 60th over with our regular captain. playing his first match of the season, following a broken foot at the end of the previous season, scoring a brilliant 44 off 14 balls. A bright end to the season.
Given that in April we did not know if we would get any cricket and wondered how the finances would survive, this was a great outcome indeed.
In and Within with the Professor
I don’t think I can regard 4.30am as my most favourite time of day. 4.30am in January is somehow even less attractive. 4.30am in January in freezing cold North Yorkshire, moves the experience even further down the scale. I realise, of course, that it is possible to record the match and watch it later during the day but I feel sure no such lightweight supporters are numbered among Googlies readers. So, 4.30am it was, on the sofa and under the rug. Was it worth it? Well of course it was. Two interesting and even exciting Tests (that last morning when Sibley could have been out at least three times, with not too much to follow) between two sides who were not, to be frank, at their best. Injuries and “resting” impacted on selection and while the margins (7 and 6 wickets respectively) suggest easy wins, they were certainly not that. It is easy to list the pluses and minuses from the two Tests. Pluses: Bairstow’s runs, Lawrence’s 94 runs in the first match, Buttler’s keeping, 12 wickets from Bess and 11 from Leach, Anderson’s 6-fer. Minuses: Lawrence’s 5 runs in the second match, modest efforts from Crawley, Sibley, and Curran.
But there was a touch more to it than that, wasn’t there. We all know the problems for the players, especially the spin bowlers, but they did, in truth, bowl poorly especially in the first Test on a wicket that didn’t look fit for play even at the start. Indeed, the amount of spin it took saved, so it seemed to me, both spinners from worse figures. Had they been bowling on the Karachi pitch they would have been belted around by Barbar and his chums. Bess’s sheepish interview about his five wickets had the great virtue of honesty. A little better on the track two strips down, but still not good. The fact that the seamers took all the first innings wickets in the second Test is all the testimony required.
But towering over all the pluses and minuses was, of course, Root. How is it possible to score 228 on that pitch and then 186 on the next one. What was the best thing about those innings? Judgement of length? Shot selection? Execution of the sweep? None of those…for me it was - staying upright. Not collapsing in a heap at almost any time. I imagine a number of Googlies readers will have watched cricket in Sri Lanka - it is impossible to describe heat on that southern coast. Think of the hottest and most sweaty you have ever been in your life – it’s worse than that. When we were in Colombo in 2007, the organisers had arranged a nice lunch in a kind of courtyard behind the pavilion. The lunch was laid out in the sun. We lasted about five minutes. It was too hot to sit, let alone walk, or run…and to bat for a day? They are young fit men and if anything is proof of that it is Root’s two innings in the crucifying heat and humidity of Galle. Little surprise that he was run-out twice (he’s quite good at that), with caught on the fence in a last wicket slog, and played-on completing the list. You could hardly say that he was dismissed by the bowling side. A truly stunning display of technique and concentration…and fitness.
The 7 and 6 wickets also, for me, would have been much closer had Sri Lanka had a decent captain. Field placing and bowling changes all looked a shambles. At what point did it become clear to Chandimal that Root was unlikely to hit down the ground? “Never”, I think, is the correct answer. Possibly the greatest injury loss to either side was Karunaratne.
Covid kept the commentators at home and we all had the chance to see if they have anything to say that we can’t see for ourselves. Well…did they? It’s a little while since I listened to Nasser’s personal lexicon, but it grated just the same. When did a long-hop become a “drag-down”; a catch a “grab”; talking become “chirping”; poor become “ordinary”; poor also become “average” (if poor performance is average, what is average performance…excellent?), and where do people go with them when they “take the positives”? And please dear god can there not be another simile to replace: “All over him like a rash”. And why does Atherton find everything so funny? Yes I know this is all very curmudgeonly, but it is 4.30am under the rug.
One final thought. These two pitches were very difficult to play on and (excepting Root, of course) most found it a struggle. But some less than others. The commentators often declared so-and-so to be “a good player of spin”. By extension, they must regard some others as bad players of spin. Why are they picked in these conditions? We are all familiar with bowlers being selected or not on the basis of the look of the pitch. “It’s a green-top, so we will play four seamers.” Why don’t we do that with batsmen – they are presumed (or at least required) to be able to play all bowling in all conditions. Some of them can’t. So, two good wins, to follow on from 3-1 away to South Africa, and on to Ahmedabad and first Chennai… where it’s a 4am start. Hey ho.
This & That
I didn’t see much of the first test and only the post tea sessions, after I got up, of the second. England’s wins were laudable but greatly assisted by two brainless innings, one in each test, by the Sri Lankans. All you can do is beat what is put up against you, but it is hard to imagine that the Indians will roll over so easily.
Sibley batted well in the second innings of the second test and overcame some of his technical restrictions to take his side home. However, he benefitted from a new phenomenon in the modern game which is the umpires’ approach to LBW when VAR is available. Three times Sibley was given not out only for the replay to show that the ball would have hit the stumps, but because in each case it was not a 100% hit the verdict was “Umpire’s Call” and therefore not out. It seems that the umpires are giving the batsmen a bonus by letting VAR do the work for them. Bowlers will resent this development.
Nass continually described the wicket as a “raging Bunsen” when in truth it was really only taking some spin. No balls spat whilst I was watching and even the England batsmen played fairly comfortably. They could probably have knocked off 250 or even more and so the wicket had played OK. Chandimal’s captaincy was indifferent and whilst his spinners couldn’t do the job for him he maintained “in/out“ fields which facilitated endless singles which helped England on their way.
The UK commentators (Nass, Lloyd, Key, Atherton, Ward) were working from home or in the London studios and were dependent on the television pictures and it was good to find that they were having the same problems that I have complained about in that you don’t get to see the whole playing area and so have to guess where the fielders are. There was also a fair bit of complaining about having to get up in the snow at 2am to ready themselves for the broadcast.
How much do you have to pay to get a decent player in the Premiership? Many of the £40m guys are lucky to get on the bench and Pepe, who cost a staggering £70m, rarely gets a game for Arsenal. In addition, Frank Lampard has to find a way of getting some return on his expensive summer signings from Europe. It would also help if he could get someone to take Kepa off his hands (now not his problem anymore). But a lot of the home grown talent is starting to impress. None more so then Emile Smith Rowe who looks an extraordinary talent and we have to hope he won’t be wasted at Arsenal. Maddison, Grealish and Foden are more established and exude quality. Behind them is a tier including Mount, McTominay, Ward-Prowse and some would say Greenwood although I have ye to see anything much of him.
I watched both of the Liverpool v Manchester United matches last week and I am not a fan of Trent Alexander-Arnold who must be the most overrated player of his generation. I can’t even work out what his position is. I assumed he was a full back but whilst Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, who was taking time off from running the country, were creating mayhem down Liverpool’s right flank he was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he is excused defensive duties and is supposed to be a forward playing wing back? But in both these matches his distribution was lamentable. He is supposed to be a wonderful provider of passes. This is not borne out by the stats which say that he has provided 3 assists in his last 29 matches. He seems a bit of a luxury all round. Reece James is coming back from injury but was no match for Harvey Barnes who skinned him in the Leicester match. Mention was made here of Luke Shaw who looks the real full back package now combining creative forward play with effective and powerful full back play.
The BBC went a bit over the top in trying to avoid accusations of gender or racial inequality for their coverage of the Chelsea/Luton match. The match commentators were Simon Brotherton and Karen Carney whilst the half time trio were Gaby Logan , Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbank and Danny Murphy.
It could be argued that Alex Hales is still England’s best white ball batsman. He scored 110 from 56 balls for Sydney Thunder with 8 sixes. This helped Thunder to 232 for 5 which is the highest total in the Big Bash history. In their next match Adelaide Strikers made only 115 but Hales cashed in again with 63 not out from 39 balls. In this year’s Big Bash Hales has scored 535 runs and helped his side into the finals.
Paul Stirling had a miserable time in the LPL but has been enjoying himself for Ireland in the UAE. He made 128 against Afghanistan and then 131 not out and 118 against UAE.
Much is made of Anderson, Broad, Stokes, Archer & Co. However, the stats apparently show the South African fast bowlers the most effective over the last few years with Australia second. England languish down at fifth.
Morgan Matters
The GJM tirelessly trawls for news to brighten the winter gloom
Ex-Rs manager (twice, though the first spell lasted 29 days!) Tommy Docherty has died aged 92. He made over 300 league appearances for Preston and won 25 caps for Scot. He managed 11 clubs other than Rs. Colin Bell is dead aged 74. England's oldest Test cricketer, Don Smith of Sussex, has died aged 97 at home in Adelaide. Sussex seamer Ian Thomson (91) is now the oldest living England Test player. Phil Spector is dead aged 81.
The G has a long piece on Wasim Khan, chief exec of the Pakistan Cricket Board. I knew that he spent all of his career at Warwicks (and he later became CEO at Leics), but I did not know (or had forgotten) that he was actually born in Birmingham. He has been instrumental in ensuring that England will soon be making their first tour of Pak since 2005.
The crowd capacity for the third Australia v India Test in Sydney has been cut to 25% after more virus outbreaks.
FA Cup: Rs and Fulham are 0-0 after 87...but Fulham won with 2 goals in extra time, which leaves Rs free to concentrate on relegation.
J Kallis, who is now working for England as a batting consultant for the series in SL, was apparently forced out of a similar post with SA because they have decided there will be no more white consultants or coaches.
Betting site Football Index is in danger of collapse, which is bad news for Rs because they are the shirt sponsors.
Manisha Tailor is the only South Asian Indian woman in English professional football, and she is the "lead foundation phase coach at Queens Park Rangers". She says that "being a South Asian Indian woman and the only person of South Asian heritage, male or female, in this kind of full-time coaching role at any of the 92 clubs in English professional football is a testament to QPR".
Rs had a great 0-1 win at mid-table Cardiff with Chris Willock getting the only goal after 71 mins, it was his first for the club. Rs are now 7 points clear of the relegation places, though some have a game or two in hand. Rs are at home to struggling Derby on Sat (23/1).
England: B Stokes, J Archer and R Burns are returning to the Eng squad for the first 2 Tests of the India tour. D Bairstow, M Wood and S Curran are rested for those 2 Tests. J Buttler will leave the tour after the 1st Test, with B Foakes taking the gloves. The squad of 16 is Root, Archer, Moeen, Anderson, Bess, Broad, Burns, Crawley, Foakes, Lawrence, Leach, Sibley, Stokes, Stone, Woakes. Six reserves remain with the squad.
Warwickshire have appointed M Robinson as 1st team coach.
Chris told me that she had heard on the radio that the Newport County goalkeeper, whose name was King, had scored a fantastic length of the pitch goal with a terrific punt from his own area straight into the Oldham goal! The only problem with this is that the O gives the Newport scorers as Scrimshaw and Gambin who are both attacking outfield players!
Lots of England fixtures have been agreed: there will be
a) 3 T20s v SL in Cardiff on 23, 24 and 26 June;
b) 3 ODIs v SL at the Riverside (29.6), Oval (1.7) and Bristol (4/7);
c) 3 ODIs v Pak at Cardiff (8.7), Lord's (10.7) and Edgbaston (13.7);
d) 3 T20s v Pak at TB (16.7), Headingley (18.7) and OT (20.7);
and e) 5 Tests v India at TB (4-8.8), Lord's (12-16.8), Headingley (25-29.8), the Oval (2-6.9) and OT (10-14.9).
The Cricketer has managed to produce a fine 98-page February edition considering how little cricket has been going on:
Lord's is likely to miss out on the final of the World Test Championship in late June because of the lack of a hotel on site and the Bowl is now the favourite.
R Taylor overtook D Vettori as NZ's most capped Test player and NZ went to no 1 in the World Test rankings.
G Dobell has a long article telling us that B Foakes is England's best wicket-keeping option.
There is a long 4-page article on former Middlesex keeper D Nash who failed to live up to his full potential because of "performance anxiety and mental health issues"; the article includes 6 photos of him.
S Hughes tells us that "the USA looks like it means business now with Major League Cricket" and the USA and WI "will jointly bid for a number of ICC events".
Middlesex news: Mujeeb Ur Rahman is returning to the club and Tom Helm, Luke Hollman and Ethan Bamber have signed new contracts.
Michael Billington, who lives in Chiswick and was the Guardian's theatre critic for many years, says in support of an article by Barney Ronay "he has grown tired of the media's uncritical adulation of Ben Stokes... it is time that the myth of his indispensability was examined".
Vic Marks is joining the Cricketer.
People are criticising England's policy of rotating players to make sure everyone gets some decent recuperation time, but C Silverwood stands by it "it's good that we are being proactive and looking after people. I am perfectly happy with the system". I think there has to be some sort of rotation under current circumstances, but I am not sure how many people are "perfectly happy" with it.
This is the schedule for India:
5-9 Feb First Test Chennai
13-17 Feb Second Test Chennai
24-28 Feb Third Test Ahmedabad
4-8 March Fourth Test Ahmedabad.
Middlesex news: Jimmy Harris is the new Chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association and the Easy Social Cocktail Co are one of Middlesex's "new affiliate partners".
T10 Matters
When I looked at the scores of the West Indies CDI matches in Bangla Desh in January, I didn’t recognise any of the names which was puzzling. But all was revealed when I, by chance, stumbled upon the broadcasting of the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament which was stacked out with West Indian stars, has-beens and others. This was my first exposure to this form of the game and, I hate to admit, I was soon won over. Eight teams are divided into two groups who play each other before the play offs in a schedule which involves three matches each afternoon over a ten-day period.
The matches are played extremely hard but in a good spirit, I guess not least, because most of the players know each other well. That at least applies to the old lags – Gayle, Pollard, Shahzad, Parnell, Stirling, Wahab, Rampaul, Fidel Edwards, Bravo, Afridi etc. But there are plenty of youngsters including a large contingent of Englishmen: Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Joe Clarke, Tom Helm, Alex Davies and Adam Hose among others. There are also those in or around the current international sides. Tom Banton looks good each time he goes to the wicket but is being upstaged at the halfway stage of the competition by Tom Kohler-Cadmore who has been very impressive. Chris Jordan is also there and has been amongst the most effective of the bowlers.
However, by far the standout performances have come from Nicholas Pooran. He is captain and wicket keeper for the Northern Warriors. In Match 9 he went to his 50 from 16 balls with 5 sixes and 4 fours. But this was just a warm up for Match 12 when he scored 89 from 26 balls with 12 sixes and 3 fours. He pulls anything straight and gets under anything on the off side. It is staggering to watch the skill involved.
Don Palmer
Don Shearwood sent me this:
I was very sorry to learn of the passing of Don Palmer. I think I was a member of his very first form at SCD, in 1953 (or possibly '54). I don't think he was a strict disciplinarian, but he won us over with his dedication and sincerity. And, of course, he was a very good football coach. I remember he coached my errant friend Alfie Grant into a reliable and consistent goalkeeper for the School's 2nd/3rd XIs, and I think he turned the very versatile John Jackson into a very good goalkeeper for Crystal Palace and England. At a lesser level, he was influential in getting me to join the Old Danes for some 12/13 years. The last time I spoke to him was at one of the Reunions at SBCC, for which I was very grateful.
Jim Revier sent me this:
I can't tell you if DP organized the 1966 World Cup Opening Ceremony, but the school was certainly involved. From what I remember kids from schools in the North West London area (probably grammar) paraded in the colours of the competing nations. I know this as I was attired in the French kit on the big day. There was very little rehearsal - certainly nothing at Wembley itself. We used the Empire Pool to change in. Football ability had no influence on the selection process. You just had to be a certain height and probably not too fat - I was 13 at the time. Danes pupils made up the England and French squads. I was delighted as we kept all the Adidas gear afterwards. The black shorts I used for school games and the blue shirt was ideal for Temple house games plus my first pair of Adidas boots. Saved my folks a few quid. After we had done our walk round Wembley and stood in lines on the hallowed turf we had the great thrill of watching England draw 0-0 with Uruguay from the tunnel end.
The Danes also played a role in the 1970 League Cup Final. The days before the game saw huge amounts of snowfall in London and the game was in serious danger of being called off. Again, I do not know if DP was involved but kids from the school were asked to shovel snow off the pitch for which they would be rewarded with a ticket to the final. I think we were there for most of Friday and the Saturday morning. Tough work but better than double chemistry. I also cannot remember too many health and safety considerations. Good game too - Man City beating WBA after extra time.
And then the 1960 intake year produced this photo of Ralph Pooley leading out the England team:
Bob Harvey
In last month’s edition I said that I would try to find one of Bob Harvey’s magnificent posters for South Hampstead social events.
Almost every facet of this poster is interesting. Bob was associated with club in the late sixties and so the event advertised was probably 1967or 8. The pricing in shillings and pence and the discount for couples dates it. The stipulation for suits and cocktail dresses is almost quaint. The Eddie Edwards combo would have been able to accommodate all kinds of dancing.
Molloy Matters
Ken Molloy responded to my comments last month on “taking one for the team”
This has been a something I have been complaining about for a long time I am not keen on matches being spoiled by the tactic but neither do I enjoy games being spoiled by players being sent off; I think there should be an automatic yellow card for any foul where he player does not try to get the ball and where the foul breaks up an attacking move there should be an orange card which would lead to a suspension when a player accumulates 2. The 5 yellows is too generous for these professional fouls that are spoiling the game. They could also introduce a rule whereby clubs get fined if they accumulate more than x cards over a number of games with the squad having to pay it.
I replied:
Who makes the rules and determines the penalties? The Professional foul is a crucial part of the tactics of many sides including Man City which is partly why they got such a bad start to the season when opposition sides realised that they relied on fouling and had no other tactic even in their own penalty box. Manchester City would have to change their high press style and also get some effective defenders. Walker, Fernandino and others would have to go. I can’t see them voting for a change if, indeed, the clubs get a say in it.
Would you have fancied playing out from the back on any of the pitches that we played on?
Ken added:
I agree such changes will not be easy to achieve but they would certainly improve the game. The pitches we used to play on they would have been another reason not to take the knee as on the Scrubs particularly more than likely you would have ended up with a deep cut from a piece of broken glass. I see the sense in playing out from the back but think clubs might mix it up more. They ought to change the way that pass accuracy is calculated though and discount all those tedious passes that just go from side to side or back to the keeper.
Strange Elevens
John Williams pointed out my mistake in last month’s edition by including Stephen not Tom Moores to complete a side of players whose fathers had all played first-class cricket.
Googlies Website
All the back editions of Googlies can be found on the G&C website. There are also many photographs most of which have never appeared in Googlies.
www.googliesandchinamen.com
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
[email protected]
