GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 93
September 2010
Overheard Conference Call
Ricky Ponting: Hi Kev, they tell me you haven’t scored any runs this year. Why do you think that is?
KP: You know, we play far too much cricket. You can’t stay fresh.
Ricky Ponting: I don’t understand. I heard that you’ve only paid five innings all season?
KP: Well, er, it’s all the travelling down to the Rose Bowl.
Ricky Ponting: Don’t be silly, I know that you haven’t been there once. Will we be seeing you this winter?
KP: Of course. I’ve got a central contract.
Ricky Ponting: How about you Andy, will you be coming too?
Andrew Strauss: I may be a bit short of runs but I’ve got a central contract and so I’ll be there.
Ricky Ponting: What about you Colly, will you be coming?
Paul Collingwood: Of course. I have famous long lean spells with the bat but I’ve got a central contract and so I’ll be there.
Ricky Ponting: What about Cooky; surely they won’t pick him?
Paul Collingwood: Of course they will. He’s got a central contract.
Ricky Ponting: Roll on Brisbane. We can’t wait to see you all.....
Out & About with the Professor
About 15 years’ ago my knees told me what several members of my club had been saying for some time – namely that it was time to give up playing cricket. Not a week goes by without I regret not being able to take the field anymore and occasionally I ponder what it would be like stroking the ball through extra cover or nipping around the fence and whizzing in a return over the stumps. Then again, I am sufficiently sentient to recognise that the image and the reality might not be entirely congruent.
Indeed I got a good idea of what playing cricket at my age might be like by looking in on the “2010 Golden Oldies Cricket Festival” which has been held in Harrogate this week. The local paper reported that: “some 800 evergreen cricketers” travelled from all over the world to take part at 29 different venues in a “feast for cricket fans”. Ummm…well I decided to have a little look at this feast.
Many of the teams have a humorous (sic) reference to the player’s age in the club title, thus from Australia we have the Valley Diehards, the Townsville Old Crocs and the CBC Golden Oldies; from New Zealand the Southern Relics, and the Hawkes Bay Hobblers; and from South Africa the (rather more forceful) Golden Bulls, and so on. The opening ceremony was in the village of Masham, which is the not co-incidental location of both the Theakston and Black Sheep breweries and the matches took place in virtually every local cricket venue that could be found. I popped in to see Yandina Pioneers (Australia) v Ouseburn Silver Liners (UK) at the village ground of Pannal. The average age was late 50s and one player was over 70 and there were a number of fairly predictable differences from the game of cricket as it is conventionally played: there was no fast bowling and no close to the wicket fielding (other than the slips - for which there was some robust competition); there was thus no need for helmets, shin pads and all the other paraphernalia; there were no drinks breaks although several players left the field at different times to deal, I assumed, with the results of a pre-match sherbet or two; there were no reverse sweeps, switch hits, nor indeed any sixes while I was watching; conversely, the boundary count was quite high because the only way a ball was likely to be “fielded” was if it hit a player on the boot or if he could trap it in some way. I did see a couple of “dives” (in reality a sort of slow motion flop, the object of which looked to be avoidance of the long trudge to the fence to fetch the ball); both teams employed the fashionable “sweeper” to the off and leg sides but the chances of their cutting off a firmly hit ball were remote and of a return over the top of the bails, non-existent; indeed the whole game took place at a sort of super slo-mo speed as if the field were covered in molasses rather than the hardy fescues which flourish in these parts. the strong suits were: spin bowling (two or three chaps who looked very tidy); batting (a bit laboured, but a half-volley is still a half-volley); and, above all, wicket-keeping (standing-up of course, but it seemed the skill most immune to the ageing process); there was also, of course, no sledging, abusing the opposition or the umpires, or bad language or bad behaviour of any sort…a truly refreshing change.
A few locals looked on and offered encouragement but a group of school boys took one look at it all and fell into a prolonged and voluble derision with numerous harsh, but not entirely unmerited piss-takes, (I have to say I was reminded of ourselves at that sort of age), and while several of the players tried to maintain a dignified air, the various floppings and bootings really only added grist to the adolescent humour mill. Mind you, when a particularly portly fielder tripped over a boundary marker and fell flat on his face it required more restraint than your correspondent possesses not to join in the general mirth. Eventually a club member went and “had a word” but it was only the break for tea which saw them leave for something more interesting. I too had to leave to go to tea and so I did not see the result which, in any case, did not matter a jot to anyone playing. It was, all in all, a rather strange and slightly embarrassing experience – but did I wish I was playing? Of course I bloody well did!
Hove Matters
I managed to organise a Friday in London in August and the Great Jack Morgan and I planned to go to the third day of Sussex v Derbyshire at Horsham. However, all the Sussex batsmen scored centuries on the second day and it seemed unlikely that the match would extend beyond lunchtime. So we changed our plans and headed of to Hove for the third day of the second eleven match between Sussex and Middlesex.
I suppose that we could have gone to the Oval for the test match but we would have been £90 each poorer since admission at Hove was free. Most of the Sussex members seemed to be up the road at Horsham and so we were able to take our choice of seats. In fact we were the only apparent away team supporters and since there were only twenty spectators in total we accounted for 20% of the crowd.
Both sides scored 340 odd in their first innings and overnight Middlesex had made 156 for 1. Davey was soon bowled by Jim Anyon but Sam Robson was slapping the ball hard in most directions. He was joined by another Aussie, Tom Scollay, who also tucked into some friendly stuff from Anyon and Liddle. Eventually there was a double bowling change and Aga replaced Anyon up the hill whilst Lewis Hatchett came on for Liddle down the hill. The score had progressed to 240 for 2 and we were calculating when Middlesex would declare and how many Sussex would be asked to score in how many overs. The consensus was that it would be about 340 from 60 overs. This assumed that Middlesex continued to progress and didn’t indulge in a collapse. Hatchett seemed to be a considerably greater menace than the previous seamers and soon had Scollay slogging the ball up in the air. The batsmen crossed and Robson obligingly gloved a wild hook next ball to the keeper. He was out for 99. The field remained spread out for the hat trick ball which was negotiated safely by Sangha. However, he flat batted to Thornely at cover in Hatchett’s next over but a straightforward catch was dropped. He also survived a chance to second slip off Aga where Gatting obliged but otherwise he looked a useful hard hitting player.
The static field placings and inflexible bowling changes suggested that these tactics were pre-determined by the coach before the start of play. Will Beer, the Sussex captain, bowled the only over of spin before lunch by which time Toor was bowled by Aga which reduced Middlesex to 275 for 5. Ben Scott, the Middlesex captain hooked Hatchett straight down long leg’s throat after lunch and Robbie Williams repeated this generosity soon after. Jim Anyon returned to clean up the tail and he and Hatchett each finished with four So Middlesex didn’t have to declare and Sussex were left to chase 308 in 66 overs.
Danny Evans and Robbie Williams sprinted out with Coach, Richard Johnson, and they set up their own wicket on the square and bowled at one stump until the umpires appeared. Jack and I were most impressed by this apparent enthusiasm. However, Evans bowled the first over down the hill and sprayed it all over the place. But this was nothing compared to Williams who started at the other end with three wides in his first over and only escaped further embarrassment by the generosity of the umpire. One can only speculate what further dross would have been served up if they hadn’t had their warm up with the coach. The Sussex openers had difficulty keeping up with the extras and the score soon passed fifty only for Wells, of the Wells Sussex dynasty, to hole out to deep mid wicket off Evans. This brought Joe Gatting, of the Gatting dynasty, to the crease. He had scored 157 in the first innings and was soon helping himself to the generous fare offered by the Middlesex seamers. Patel replaced Evans after tea and Gatting played a scorching drive only to be caught brilliantly at short extra cover by London. Sussex more or less gave up the chase at this point particularly when Thornely was given out LBW to Patel. Patel was turning the ball but not bowling very challengingly.
At 5 pm we were calculating how many extra overs there would have to be since there must be sixteen in the last hour which can only begin when this number are left. Scollay came on at the other end to bowl off spinners but the umpires still took the players off for bad light. They returned briefly but went off for good at 5.20pm with the score 132 for 3. It’s bad enough in a test match but in a twos game with spinners bowling it was farcical. But we couldn’t demand our money back as we hadn’t paid any.
Sky and related Matters
First the Great Jack Morgan
I would hate to prolong the tedious argument with the Prof, but I do not think that he is right to conclude that Sky's dominance of cricket coverage is causing kids to take little interest in cricket. I am no Sky fan (I will not have it in the house), but Sky has penetrated into a very significant proportion of sport-inclined homes and I think that C5's 45 minute package of highlights (shown early evening and available to all) is probably ideal for kids (possibly more so than 6 or 7 hours of live coverage) and this view is supported by the times I have heard that the colts sections of cricket clubs are thriving all over the country. I also feel that the Prof exaggerates the amount of money spent on "NQs": only one official overseas player is allowed (except in T20) and Kolpak signings are usually cheap (these are chaps trying to escape less than satisfactory situations in South Africa, Zimbabwe and West Indies).
And then David Beynon
I am sure that the Professor will expect a response to his further comments on the funding provided for cricket from the sale to Sky of TV rights. I am certainly no apologist for the First Class Counties and, like the Professor, deplore the way in which they utilise what we in the Minor Counties feel is their unreasonably large share of the “TV money”. I accept that the popularity of cricket and participation in the game have been in decline for many years, and that the disappearance of cricket from terrestial TV has been a factor, but only one of many, contributing to this situation.
However, effective nationwide action is being taken to reverse this trend, spearheaded by the County Boards in England and Wales. In Hertfordshire we see impressive progress at the grass roots . Examples are : many more clubs with flourishing colts sections; cricket returning to the state school curriculum as a result of club/school coaching links and the Chance to Shine initiative; widespread improvement in playing facilities aided by ECB grant funding; increases in the number and quality of qualified coaches, umpires and scorers; rapid development of women and girls cricket and cricket for the disabled. This progress is mirrored in many counties (First Class and Minor), requiring the professional, structured approach adopted by the ECB and, above all, ECB funding which is largely reliant on TV income.
The Professor appears to be advocating the removal of this income stream, which would put into reverse the progress that is being made in clubs and schools throughout the country. In my view, this is too high a price to pay for terrestialising TV cricket, and I am pleased that the new Government has accepted this argument.
Middlesex Matters
The Great Jack Morgan reports on developments
Things looked good for Middlesex on the first morning of the Championship match against Sussex at Uxbridge as they appeared to have a full strength squad available (including Strauss, Finn and Morgan for the first time this season, though actually Tom Smith was a late withdrawal and was replaced by Shaun Udal), they had ordered Vic, the Uxbridge groundsman, to prepare a green track, they had won the toss and had put in the visitors Sussex, but still they ended up hanging on for a draw. In fact, the Uxbridge track was the usual good wicket, slightly greener than expected after weeks of dry weather, but basically good for batting, with some spin available on the last day. In addition, neither Gareth Berg nor Iain O'Brien turned out to be properly fit and both played a negligible part in the second half of the match, leaving Middlesex with nine effective men and only two seamers plus the captain and Udal. Chris Nash (46), Ed Joyce (85) and Murray Goodwin (80) put Sussex in a strong position at 259 for 3, but then a collapse inspired by Toby Roland-Jones (4-100) saw them fall to 276-7. From there, however, Luke Wright took control and hit an extremely rapid 134 (not entirely chanceless) off 122 balls and added 78 for the last wicket with the notorious rabbit Corey Collymore, as the visitors closed on 452 all out.
As usual, several Middlesex batters got starts, but did not go on to big scores: John Simpson, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan all passed 50, but it was disappointing that none could go past 58. Collymore took 4 for 66 as the home team conceded a first innings lead of 102. Sussex fell to 121 for 6 in their second innings, but Wright (62) and Michael Thornely (53) took Sussex well beyond the danger of defeat as Yardy delayed his declaration to such an extent that he asked the fragile Middlesex batting line-up to score at six an over for 58 overs with none of the restrictions that apply to bowlers and fielders in one-day and after-work matches. Wright was easily the best Sussex batsman, but batted at 7 in the first innings and at 8 in the second. Steve Finn picked up three more wickets to give him figures of 6 for 217 in the match, with only Toby R-J doing better. Middlesex had no chance of winning, but batted feebly in their attempt to save the match until skipper Neil Dexter joined Eoin Morgan at 89-4. Neil batted well, but was spun out by Ollie Rayner for 46, leaving the tail exposed to Monty Panesar. However, Eoin batted with great skill and demonstrated that he is more than just a one-day improviser and can really play four day (and possibly five day too) cricket by not only battling brilliantly through to the close for 58* in 155 minutes, but also guiding his partner (Steve Finn, batting very competently in defensive mode) through without any problems as Middlesex closed on 204 for 8.
Both teams' spinners had some fun on the last day as Shaun Udal (2-28), Ollie Rayner (2-30) and Monty Panesar (5-89) all enjoyed some turn, but Sussex had not allowed themselves enough time to clinch the win. It seemed blatant stupidity for Yardy to delay his declaration so long that he allowed Middlesex to escape with a draw. Middlesex are bottom of the table and so are not a threat to Sussex’s attempt to gain promotion, but still Yardy preferred to bat Middlesex out of the game before declaring, when an old fashioned "sporting" declaration would have given his side a much greater chance of winning and would also have given the spectators more entertainment. Under these circumstances, it was hard to feel sorry for Sussex, but I did spare a thought for England's Matt Prior, who had a poor match with the gloves, an unlucky one with the bat and was also rumoured to be one of the main sufferers from a serious theft from the visitors' dressing room. This was absolutely disgraceful, of course, and it was also disgraceful that on two of the four days, people had to stand because there were not enough seats for the number of spectators attending... and this was not because 10,000 people had suddenly descended on the ground! It was also extremely irritating that the public address system was almost totally inaudible at the southern end of the ground throughout the match. Many announcements are actually worth missing, but I do like to hear the bowling figures myself, which was not possible in this match.
In the Championship match at Lord's between Middlesex and Surrey, the visitors won the toss and decided to bat on another wicket that looked much greener than expected following a near drought for four months. It was swing, however, rather than seam that troubled the Surrey batsmen, who showed little appreciation of how to approach the task of batting when the ball is swinging more than I have seen it at Lord's for some time. Tim Murtagh usually manages to find a little swing and he loved these conditions, picking up 5 for 52, but it was Pedro Collins (4-68) who proved to be the revelation with deliveries which swung with accuracy and pace. Pedro produced an absolute jaffa to spread-eagle the stumps of Mark Ramprakash (44) and this seemed to demoralise the batsmen so much that the rest of them just came out and tried to counter the swinging ball by throwing the bat rather than through application and technique. Surrey scored at nearly 4 an over, but were all out for 167. Middlesex also scored at nearly 4 an over, but made sure that they had a sound foundation before they played ambitious strokes. Scott Newman (54) and John Simpson (36) laid that foundation with an opening stand of 82 (though the Surrey bowlers found nowhere near as much swing as the home bowlers had done), before excellent strokeplay from Owais Shah (63), Dawid Malan (107) and Gareth Berg (45) took Middlesex to a big lead and Toby Roland-Jones (26) and Tim Murtagh (25*) had some fun in adding the fifth batting point. Chris Tremlett took 4 for 90. When Surrey batted again, it was Toby R-J (5 for 41, including 5 wickets in 26 balls) who gave Middlesex the upper hand as Surrey collapsed to from 75-0 (Steve Davies 43) to 91 for 6 on Friday evening, but I cannot tell you how he did it as I had to attend the Old Danes' Reunion at SBCC. However, judging from the fact that Surrey scored at more than 4 an over, it appears that they continued their erroneous first innings policy of trying to slog their way out of trouble. This was certainly the case on Saturday morning (when I was fortunate enough to have our wise editor as my companion) as Stewart Walters (43) and Tremlett (53*) batted recklessly but entertainingly as Surrey added 102 runs in just under 70 minutes: it was good fun... especially for Middlesex supporters as Surrey lost by an innings and 44 runs.
Old Trafford Matters
I went to Old Trafford for the day night match between Lancashire and Sussex. The game was kind of low key. There seemed a shortage of good players. That is inevitable from Lancashire’s point of view because they don’t have any. Horton captained the side but his stock has fallen so low this season that he doesn’t open the batting any more. He top scored without ever dominating the bowling and wickets kept falling throughout the innings. Saj cam in at five to show the sorry state of Lancashire batting. Nevertheless, as so often happens these days 148 for 5 after 25 overs converted to 243 for 7 by the end of forty overs. Sussex employed two spinners, Panesar and Rayner, as well as whatever it is that Yardy bowls. Rayner served up rubbish and it is hard to see that he will have a future. They would do better to develop Nash’s off spin.
OT has also introduced the novel “no scorecard” approach to their matches. They sell a match programme which no one wants with a double page in the middle which is left blank for you to create your own scorecard. Moronic. The electronic scoreboard on the ground is of some help but it doesn’t give squad numbers. So I used blank sheets and had to work out for myself who the two sides were playing in their line ups. A bit like doing the Mephisto crossword.
At 6.25 they still hadn’t turned the lights on and it was significantly darker than it had been in the BD test when they went off for bad light. Why is it too dark to play test cricket but light enough for test players to play county cricket? I continue to believe that they should do away with bad light completely and play the scheduled hours. The full body armour that the modern batsman wears should protect them.
Lancashire’s star overseas player on the night was Darren Powell. His first two deliveries were despatched by Nash for four and six and he continued to get slapped around. His fielding was dreadful including a critical missed catch when he was strolling in the wrong direction inside the circle for a top edged sweep. His ultimate humiliation was that his skipper didn’t bring him back to bowl at the death. Saj can deliver the goods on occasion but this wasn’t one such and he took over in the later stages where Powell had left off. Even the blocker Yardy got after him.
Gatting top scored but it wasn’t an impressive innings. Joyce was pleasing to the eye until he slogged across his first delivery from Parry. In fact Parry and Keedy were the most effective of the Lancs bowlers as Panesar and Yardy had been for Sussex. When Lancs were squeezing Sussex quite effectively Horton inexplicably took Parry off and brought on Croft who served up some full tosses for Gatting to help himself to. These two overs went for 18 and this effectively turned the match.
Bill and Robin’s nice day out at Trent Bridge
When I heard from both of them that Bill Hart would be joining Robin Ager’s party at Trent Bridge for the test I couldn’t resist asking them both to send me their observations on the outing.
First Robin:
I spent a couple of pleasant nights in the East Midlands at the end of July with a small group of chums, and saw the third day (a Saturday, alas) of the First Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Bill’s company. I write “East Midlands” deliberately because, owing to a balls-up in the booking, the hotel in Nottingham in which we expected to stay was unable to accommodate us. After a couple of hours trying unsuccessfully to find an alternative hotel in the city, we opted to forfeit some of our drinking time to the 30 minute train journey to Derby.
But every cloud etc. Not only was the Derby hotel clearly superior to (albeit rather more expensive than) the Nottingham one, but I was also able to link up with Bill on the train from Derby, rather than awaiting him at Nottingham as prearranged. My joy was unconfined, as the conversation began there and continued seamlessly until Bill had to leave the ground at England’s declaration.
For £55, compared to £90 for Lord’s, we had good seats behind third man in the Radcliffe Road stand. The day’s play was excellent, the ebb and flow of the game’s fortunes providing a text book illustration of why test matches are superior to all other forms of the game. My own feelings varied from frustration that England were unable to enforce the follow-on, as Finn gave Umar Gul the chance to prove that his first heave over mid-wicket was not a fluke, apprehension as the early England batsmen found all sorts of ways to surrender their wickets, admiration for the way Prior, aided by Swann and Broad, gradually wrested the initiative back, puzzlement as to why he then exposed Finn to five balls an over for so long, and finally pleasure that the match was effectively wrapped up in the last half hour.
While all this was going on, and against the background of all the aural and visual inanities that now infest test match Saturdays, Bill was peppering me with all sorts of questions. A few of these concerned the day’s cricket, but others ranged from what was life like as a young cricketer at Trent Bridge in 1960, who were the best cricketers I played with or against, did I think Murali was a chucker, what about England’s terrible performance in the football World Cup, and so on and on……...
So I think we can conclude that, while the world is changing in all sorts of ways, there are some things that never do. I knew what I was getting into when I invited Bill to join me for the day and he didn’t disappoint. Apparently, he thinks he has seen enough of modern tests, which is a shame: if you want someone to keep you on your toes, he’s your man.
For my money, Trent Bridge is, Lord’s aside, the best Test ground in England, attractively up-dated, with good sightlines and well-situated replay screens. Behind the Radcliffe Road stand, unfortunately, there is little space for more than a couple of food stands, and a beer bar which did not have Marston’s Pedigree (the England team beer?). The toilets (well, the male ones) were of course totally inadequate, but I guess there aren’t many days when the ground is full and the majority of spectators seem to be putting away around twenty pints. Just in case you’re interested, Messrs Hart and Ager had two pints each.
And then Bill:
First of all, like any day spent with an old team-mate from South Hampstead, it was a most enjoyable time. Reminiscences flew thick and fast, and the hours just flashed by. There are no direct trains from Coventry to Nottingham, which made the journey from Kenilworth a little awkward. However, the general efficiency and time-keeping of Cross Country Rail’s service was very impressive. Additionally, the staff were courteous and helpful, which is important when you are an annoying old fart like me.
Robin & I met up at Derby, where he introduced me, somewhat reluctantly, to his colleagues, who were all ex-workmates. Having arrived at Nottingham station, we set out on what Robin had told me was a five-minute walk, but which turned out to be 15-20 minutes. Once inside the ground we settled in to the Radcliffe Road end of the ground, just opposite the pavilion. Although I had seen it many times on television, this was my first visit to Trent Bridge, which made it particularly interesting. Sadly, the stadium has been modernized with new, ugly, un-matched grandstands, but there was enough left of the old buildings, for me to see what a handsome stadium it must have been. As Robin had been a professional there in 1960-61, he, naturally, saw it from a very different point-of-view.
So to the match. We had settled down to see England remove the last pair, and to enforce the follow-on. However, within two overs, the required runs had been easily knocked off, and we knew that we would be seeing England bat. But when ? Our new fast-bowling hope, Steve Finn, was smashed all round the ground by the Pakistani No 9, Umar Gul. Six after six flew over mid-wicket, and it was a great relief when the number eleven was out, caught at slip off Anderson. You will all know, that the rest of the day saw England bat very poorly at first, only to be saved by a fine century by Prior and a good effort by the tail.
Unfortunately, I had to leave at 6.30 pm to catch my train home. Thus missing the debacle of the Pakistan openers. However this article is supposed to be about my impressions of the day, so I must return to the theme. Before I do, there was one other aspect of the days play which does require comment. The awful business of querying the umpire’s decisions, ran contrary to everything I believe in. I have no quarrel with the umpire asking for a TV replay of an incident to help in his decision. However, for a player to be able to dispute the decision is terrible. The sight of, what seemed endless debates after almost every decision, is a terrible example to show the young. I have a 14-year old grandson, who is a promising cricketer. My son & I have always advised the boy to accept, without comment, all umpiring decisions, good or bad. We will continue to do so, but this system cuts the ground from under our very feet!
It is sad to record that my lasting memory of the day, has to be that it has now become an unpleasant experience to sit in the crowd at a Test Match. When I was a young man it was fantastic to go to Lords or, more usually in my case, the Oval, and watch the proceedings. This applied even when England lost. Here, we were well on top, and yet the antics of the crowd were very disappointing. Their ludicrous appearance in a desperate attempt to get on camera somehow, and their dreadful, tuneless singing, made it seem more like Stamford Bridge than Trent Bridge. They even “slow-handclapped” Prior as he approached his superb century. What is it that makes modern sports crowds chant these stupid songs with infantile lyrics? I am not sure whether my favourite is “One-nil, one-nil”, or “Oo are yer!”, but each of these would be worthy of a Johnny Mercer or an Ira Gershwin. Thank God there were no vuvuzelas !
Sorry I digress again. I enjoyed my day massively, because I was with Robin, but I shall not attend a Test Match again. It will be county matches for me from now on. Hardly anyone will be there, but at least they would be on my wavelength. I thought that you would like to see my photo of Robin
Second Eleven Matters
The Great jack Morgan can normally find a match somewhere
The Second XI 50 over competition has provided some of the best entertainment I have seen this season, but the game at the Oval between Surrey and Essex, though also highly enjoyable, was far too one-sided to be regarded as a great match. Ex-Middlesex man John Maunders won the toss for Essex and ex-Middlesex man Billy Godleman was the star of the show for Essex. Sharing stands of 185 with Test player Grant Flower (run out for 98, a decision that would have been reversed on referral), 82 with 20 year old keeper Adam Wheater (31) and 104 with allrounder Merv Westfield (also run out for 42), Billy scored at a rate unbelievable to Middlesex supporters who remember him as a dour plodder. Billy went on to 216* including 14 fours and 13 sixes as Essex finished on 437 for 5 (without checking, this must be a record for any limited overs match that I have seen), with 167 coming from the last ten overs. Surrey had loaded their side with batsmen and had included only two specialist bowlers, so when allrounder Tom Jewell mysteriously disappeared from the match in the opening overs, Surrey had to press into service assorted batsmen purveying various types of dross and Essex helped themselves. Surrey started their innings far more quickly than Essex had done, but ex-Middlesex man Chris Wright took 3 early wickets (for 25) and Surrey never looked like putting together any partnerships of the required substance. No 9 Simon King top scored with 44, Jason Roy hit 34 and Arun Harinath 30 as Surrey disintegrated for 168 to lose by a colossal 269. Flower had a good day in the field as well as with the bat, taking 3 catches and 3 for 38 with his slow left armers.
Time on your hands Matters
The Professor sent me the following
Question...what is the finest setting for a cricket ground in England?
Worcester?..with the magnificent cathedral on the other side of the river?
Arundel?...with the castle nearby? Or how about overseas? Newlands or Kandy? Well, here is my modest submission. Last week I spent a few days on the north-east coast at Bamburgh. It is a beautiful spot with stunning beaches which are almost always deserted for the not insignificant reason that it is bloody cold for a minimum of 364 days a year. But what Bamburgh does have, of course, is a castle. And what a castle.
Almost all Googlies readers will have seen Bamburgh castle on the movies since it is, so I was told, the setting for the last scene in the film El Cid when he nobly galloped up the beach strapped on to his horse despite the considerable inconvenience of being dead. However on the non-beach side of the castle there is a cricket ground, very flat and, it would seem, a pretty reasonable surface. When I wandered over the home side were playing a friendly against another nearby village and, in truth, the standard was not that high. But what a setting! I'm not sure if the surroundings would be enough psychological boost to offset the numbing wind but I offer it as my entry into the "find the best setting for a cricket ground" competition. I wonder if any Googlies readers have played there?
Football Matters
At the end of their pre-season tour of Greece Andrew Baker’s Ladies Team found themselves irritatingly miss matched against a team of local lads. After the game to get revenge they decided to pinch the boys clothes whilst they were in the shower. Joyce Jackson was on hand to record the outcome.
Meanwhile Andrew’s dedication continues to amaze. Whilst on holiday himself he recruited three more players in a local bar before the transfer window closed.
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
Tel & fax: 01298 70237
Email: [email protected]
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 93
September 2010
Overheard Conference Call
Ricky Ponting: Hi Kev, they tell me you haven’t scored any runs this year. Why do you think that is?
KP: You know, we play far too much cricket. You can’t stay fresh.
Ricky Ponting: I don’t understand. I heard that you’ve only paid five innings all season?
KP: Well, er, it’s all the travelling down to the Rose Bowl.
Ricky Ponting: Don’t be silly, I know that you haven’t been there once. Will we be seeing you this winter?
KP: Of course. I’ve got a central contract.
Ricky Ponting: How about you Andy, will you be coming too?
Andrew Strauss: I may be a bit short of runs but I’ve got a central contract and so I’ll be there.
Ricky Ponting: What about you Colly, will you be coming?
Paul Collingwood: Of course. I have famous long lean spells with the bat but I’ve got a central contract and so I’ll be there.
Ricky Ponting: What about Cooky; surely they won’t pick him?
Paul Collingwood: Of course they will. He’s got a central contract.
Ricky Ponting: Roll on Brisbane. We can’t wait to see you all.....
Out & About with the Professor
About 15 years’ ago my knees told me what several members of my club had been saying for some time – namely that it was time to give up playing cricket. Not a week goes by without I regret not being able to take the field anymore and occasionally I ponder what it would be like stroking the ball through extra cover or nipping around the fence and whizzing in a return over the stumps. Then again, I am sufficiently sentient to recognise that the image and the reality might not be entirely congruent.
Indeed I got a good idea of what playing cricket at my age might be like by looking in on the “2010 Golden Oldies Cricket Festival” which has been held in Harrogate this week. The local paper reported that: “some 800 evergreen cricketers” travelled from all over the world to take part at 29 different venues in a “feast for cricket fans”. Ummm…well I decided to have a little look at this feast.
Many of the teams have a humorous (sic) reference to the player’s age in the club title, thus from Australia we have the Valley Diehards, the Townsville Old Crocs and the CBC Golden Oldies; from New Zealand the Southern Relics, and the Hawkes Bay Hobblers; and from South Africa the (rather more forceful) Golden Bulls, and so on. The opening ceremony was in the village of Masham, which is the not co-incidental location of both the Theakston and Black Sheep breweries and the matches took place in virtually every local cricket venue that could be found. I popped in to see Yandina Pioneers (Australia) v Ouseburn Silver Liners (UK) at the village ground of Pannal. The average age was late 50s and one player was over 70 and there were a number of fairly predictable differences from the game of cricket as it is conventionally played: there was no fast bowling and no close to the wicket fielding (other than the slips - for which there was some robust competition); there was thus no need for helmets, shin pads and all the other paraphernalia; there were no drinks breaks although several players left the field at different times to deal, I assumed, with the results of a pre-match sherbet or two; there were no reverse sweeps, switch hits, nor indeed any sixes while I was watching; conversely, the boundary count was quite high because the only way a ball was likely to be “fielded” was if it hit a player on the boot or if he could trap it in some way. I did see a couple of “dives” (in reality a sort of slow motion flop, the object of which looked to be avoidance of the long trudge to the fence to fetch the ball); both teams employed the fashionable “sweeper” to the off and leg sides but the chances of their cutting off a firmly hit ball were remote and of a return over the top of the bails, non-existent; indeed the whole game took place at a sort of super slo-mo speed as if the field were covered in molasses rather than the hardy fescues which flourish in these parts. the strong suits were: spin bowling (two or three chaps who looked very tidy); batting (a bit laboured, but a half-volley is still a half-volley); and, above all, wicket-keeping (standing-up of course, but it seemed the skill most immune to the ageing process); there was also, of course, no sledging, abusing the opposition or the umpires, or bad language or bad behaviour of any sort…a truly refreshing change.
A few locals looked on and offered encouragement but a group of school boys took one look at it all and fell into a prolonged and voluble derision with numerous harsh, but not entirely unmerited piss-takes, (I have to say I was reminded of ourselves at that sort of age), and while several of the players tried to maintain a dignified air, the various floppings and bootings really only added grist to the adolescent humour mill. Mind you, when a particularly portly fielder tripped over a boundary marker and fell flat on his face it required more restraint than your correspondent possesses not to join in the general mirth. Eventually a club member went and “had a word” but it was only the break for tea which saw them leave for something more interesting. I too had to leave to go to tea and so I did not see the result which, in any case, did not matter a jot to anyone playing. It was, all in all, a rather strange and slightly embarrassing experience – but did I wish I was playing? Of course I bloody well did!
Hove Matters
I managed to organise a Friday in London in August and the Great Jack Morgan and I planned to go to the third day of Sussex v Derbyshire at Horsham. However, all the Sussex batsmen scored centuries on the second day and it seemed unlikely that the match would extend beyond lunchtime. So we changed our plans and headed of to Hove for the third day of the second eleven match between Sussex and Middlesex.
I suppose that we could have gone to the Oval for the test match but we would have been £90 each poorer since admission at Hove was free. Most of the Sussex members seemed to be up the road at Horsham and so we were able to take our choice of seats. In fact we were the only apparent away team supporters and since there were only twenty spectators in total we accounted for 20% of the crowd.
Both sides scored 340 odd in their first innings and overnight Middlesex had made 156 for 1. Davey was soon bowled by Jim Anyon but Sam Robson was slapping the ball hard in most directions. He was joined by another Aussie, Tom Scollay, who also tucked into some friendly stuff from Anyon and Liddle. Eventually there was a double bowling change and Aga replaced Anyon up the hill whilst Lewis Hatchett came on for Liddle down the hill. The score had progressed to 240 for 2 and we were calculating when Middlesex would declare and how many Sussex would be asked to score in how many overs. The consensus was that it would be about 340 from 60 overs. This assumed that Middlesex continued to progress and didn’t indulge in a collapse. Hatchett seemed to be a considerably greater menace than the previous seamers and soon had Scollay slogging the ball up in the air. The batsmen crossed and Robson obligingly gloved a wild hook next ball to the keeper. He was out for 99. The field remained spread out for the hat trick ball which was negotiated safely by Sangha. However, he flat batted to Thornely at cover in Hatchett’s next over but a straightforward catch was dropped. He also survived a chance to second slip off Aga where Gatting obliged but otherwise he looked a useful hard hitting player.
The static field placings and inflexible bowling changes suggested that these tactics were pre-determined by the coach before the start of play. Will Beer, the Sussex captain, bowled the only over of spin before lunch by which time Toor was bowled by Aga which reduced Middlesex to 275 for 5. Ben Scott, the Middlesex captain hooked Hatchett straight down long leg’s throat after lunch and Robbie Williams repeated this generosity soon after. Jim Anyon returned to clean up the tail and he and Hatchett each finished with four So Middlesex didn’t have to declare and Sussex were left to chase 308 in 66 overs.
Danny Evans and Robbie Williams sprinted out with Coach, Richard Johnson, and they set up their own wicket on the square and bowled at one stump until the umpires appeared. Jack and I were most impressed by this apparent enthusiasm. However, Evans bowled the first over down the hill and sprayed it all over the place. But this was nothing compared to Williams who started at the other end with three wides in his first over and only escaped further embarrassment by the generosity of the umpire. One can only speculate what further dross would have been served up if they hadn’t had their warm up with the coach. The Sussex openers had difficulty keeping up with the extras and the score soon passed fifty only for Wells, of the Wells Sussex dynasty, to hole out to deep mid wicket off Evans. This brought Joe Gatting, of the Gatting dynasty, to the crease. He had scored 157 in the first innings and was soon helping himself to the generous fare offered by the Middlesex seamers. Patel replaced Evans after tea and Gatting played a scorching drive only to be caught brilliantly at short extra cover by London. Sussex more or less gave up the chase at this point particularly when Thornely was given out LBW to Patel. Patel was turning the ball but not bowling very challengingly.
At 5 pm we were calculating how many extra overs there would have to be since there must be sixteen in the last hour which can only begin when this number are left. Scollay came on at the other end to bowl off spinners but the umpires still took the players off for bad light. They returned briefly but went off for good at 5.20pm with the score 132 for 3. It’s bad enough in a test match but in a twos game with spinners bowling it was farcical. But we couldn’t demand our money back as we hadn’t paid any.
Sky and related Matters
First the Great Jack Morgan
I would hate to prolong the tedious argument with the Prof, but I do not think that he is right to conclude that Sky's dominance of cricket coverage is causing kids to take little interest in cricket. I am no Sky fan (I will not have it in the house), but Sky has penetrated into a very significant proportion of sport-inclined homes and I think that C5's 45 minute package of highlights (shown early evening and available to all) is probably ideal for kids (possibly more so than 6 or 7 hours of live coverage) and this view is supported by the times I have heard that the colts sections of cricket clubs are thriving all over the country. I also feel that the Prof exaggerates the amount of money spent on "NQs": only one official overseas player is allowed (except in T20) and Kolpak signings are usually cheap (these are chaps trying to escape less than satisfactory situations in South Africa, Zimbabwe and West Indies).
And then David Beynon
I am sure that the Professor will expect a response to his further comments on the funding provided for cricket from the sale to Sky of TV rights. I am certainly no apologist for the First Class Counties and, like the Professor, deplore the way in which they utilise what we in the Minor Counties feel is their unreasonably large share of the “TV money”. I accept that the popularity of cricket and participation in the game have been in decline for many years, and that the disappearance of cricket from terrestial TV has been a factor, but only one of many, contributing to this situation.
However, effective nationwide action is being taken to reverse this trend, spearheaded by the County Boards in England and Wales. In Hertfordshire we see impressive progress at the grass roots . Examples are : many more clubs with flourishing colts sections; cricket returning to the state school curriculum as a result of club/school coaching links and the Chance to Shine initiative; widespread improvement in playing facilities aided by ECB grant funding; increases in the number and quality of qualified coaches, umpires and scorers; rapid development of women and girls cricket and cricket for the disabled. This progress is mirrored in many counties (First Class and Minor), requiring the professional, structured approach adopted by the ECB and, above all, ECB funding which is largely reliant on TV income.
The Professor appears to be advocating the removal of this income stream, which would put into reverse the progress that is being made in clubs and schools throughout the country. In my view, this is too high a price to pay for terrestialising TV cricket, and I am pleased that the new Government has accepted this argument.
Middlesex Matters
The Great Jack Morgan reports on developments
Things looked good for Middlesex on the first morning of the Championship match against Sussex at Uxbridge as they appeared to have a full strength squad available (including Strauss, Finn and Morgan for the first time this season, though actually Tom Smith was a late withdrawal and was replaced by Shaun Udal), they had ordered Vic, the Uxbridge groundsman, to prepare a green track, they had won the toss and had put in the visitors Sussex, but still they ended up hanging on for a draw. In fact, the Uxbridge track was the usual good wicket, slightly greener than expected after weeks of dry weather, but basically good for batting, with some spin available on the last day. In addition, neither Gareth Berg nor Iain O'Brien turned out to be properly fit and both played a negligible part in the second half of the match, leaving Middlesex with nine effective men and only two seamers plus the captain and Udal. Chris Nash (46), Ed Joyce (85) and Murray Goodwin (80) put Sussex in a strong position at 259 for 3, but then a collapse inspired by Toby Roland-Jones (4-100) saw them fall to 276-7. From there, however, Luke Wright took control and hit an extremely rapid 134 (not entirely chanceless) off 122 balls and added 78 for the last wicket with the notorious rabbit Corey Collymore, as the visitors closed on 452 all out.
As usual, several Middlesex batters got starts, but did not go on to big scores: John Simpson, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan all passed 50, but it was disappointing that none could go past 58. Collymore took 4 for 66 as the home team conceded a first innings lead of 102. Sussex fell to 121 for 6 in their second innings, but Wright (62) and Michael Thornely (53) took Sussex well beyond the danger of defeat as Yardy delayed his declaration to such an extent that he asked the fragile Middlesex batting line-up to score at six an over for 58 overs with none of the restrictions that apply to bowlers and fielders in one-day and after-work matches. Wright was easily the best Sussex batsman, but batted at 7 in the first innings and at 8 in the second. Steve Finn picked up three more wickets to give him figures of 6 for 217 in the match, with only Toby R-J doing better. Middlesex had no chance of winning, but batted feebly in their attempt to save the match until skipper Neil Dexter joined Eoin Morgan at 89-4. Neil batted well, but was spun out by Ollie Rayner for 46, leaving the tail exposed to Monty Panesar. However, Eoin batted with great skill and demonstrated that he is more than just a one-day improviser and can really play four day (and possibly five day too) cricket by not only battling brilliantly through to the close for 58* in 155 minutes, but also guiding his partner (Steve Finn, batting very competently in defensive mode) through without any problems as Middlesex closed on 204 for 8.
Both teams' spinners had some fun on the last day as Shaun Udal (2-28), Ollie Rayner (2-30) and Monty Panesar (5-89) all enjoyed some turn, but Sussex had not allowed themselves enough time to clinch the win. It seemed blatant stupidity for Yardy to delay his declaration so long that he allowed Middlesex to escape with a draw. Middlesex are bottom of the table and so are not a threat to Sussex’s attempt to gain promotion, but still Yardy preferred to bat Middlesex out of the game before declaring, when an old fashioned "sporting" declaration would have given his side a much greater chance of winning and would also have given the spectators more entertainment. Under these circumstances, it was hard to feel sorry for Sussex, but I did spare a thought for England's Matt Prior, who had a poor match with the gloves, an unlucky one with the bat and was also rumoured to be one of the main sufferers from a serious theft from the visitors' dressing room. This was absolutely disgraceful, of course, and it was also disgraceful that on two of the four days, people had to stand because there were not enough seats for the number of spectators attending... and this was not because 10,000 people had suddenly descended on the ground! It was also extremely irritating that the public address system was almost totally inaudible at the southern end of the ground throughout the match. Many announcements are actually worth missing, but I do like to hear the bowling figures myself, which was not possible in this match.
In the Championship match at Lord's between Middlesex and Surrey, the visitors won the toss and decided to bat on another wicket that looked much greener than expected following a near drought for four months. It was swing, however, rather than seam that troubled the Surrey batsmen, who showed little appreciation of how to approach the task of batting when the ball is swinging more than I have seen it at Lord's for some time. Tim Murtagh usually manages to find a little swing and he loved these conditions, picking up 5 for 52, but it was Pedro Collins (4-68) who proved to be the revelation with deliveries which swung with accuracy and pace. Pedro produced an absolute jaffa to spread-eagle the stumps of Mark Ramprakash (44) and this seemed to demoralise the batsmen so much that the rest of them just came out and tried to counter the swinging ball by throwing the bat rather than through application and technique. Surrey scored at nearly 4 an over, but were all out for 167. Middlesex also scored at nearly 4 an over, but made sure that they had a sound foundation before they played ambitious strokes. Scott Newman (54) and John Simpson (36) laid that foundation with an opening stand of 82 (though the Surrey bowlers found nowhere near as much swing as the home bowlers had done), before excellent strokeplay from Owais Shah (63), Dawid Malan (107) and Gareth Berg (45) took Middlesex to a big lead and Toby Roland-Jones (26) and Tim Murtagh (25*) had some fun in adding the fifth batting point. Chris Tremlett took 4 for 90. When Surrey batted again, it was Toby R-J (5 for 41, including 5 wickets in 26 balls) who gave Middlesex the upper hand as Surrey collapsed to from 75-0 (Steve Davies 43) to 91 for 6 on Friday evening, but I cannot tell you how he did it as I had to attend the Old Danes' Reunion at SBCC. However, judging from the fact that Surrey scored at more than 4 an over, it appears that they continued their erroneous first innings policy of trying to slog their way out of trouble. This was certainly the case on Saturday morning (when I was fortunate enough to have our wise editor as my companion) as Stewart Walters (43) and Tremlett (53*) batted recklessly but entertainingly as Surrey added 102 runs in just under 70 minutes: it was good fun... especially for Middlesex supporters as Surrey lost by an innings and 44 runs.
Old Trafford Matters
I went to Old Trafford for the day night match between Lancashire and Sussex. The game was kind of low key. There seemed a shortage of good players. That is inevitable from Lancashire’s point of view because they don’t have any. Horton captained the side but his stock has fallen so low this season that he doesn’t open the batting any more. He top scored without ever dominating the bowling and wickets kept falling throughout the innings. Saj cam in at five to show the sorry state of Lancashire batting. Nevertheless, as so often happens these days 148 for 5 after 25 overs converted to 243 for 7 by the end of forty overs. Sussex employed two spinners, Panesar and Rayner, as well as whatever it is that Yardy bowls. Rayner served up rubbish and it is hard to see that he will have a future. They would do better to develop Nash’s off spin.
OT has also introduced the novel “no scorecard” approach to their matches. They sell a match programme which no one wants with a double page in the middle which is left blank for you to create your own scorecard. Moronic. The electronic scoreboard on the ground is of some help but it doesn’t give squad numbers. So I used blank sheets and had to work out for myself who the two sides were playing in their line ups. A bit like doing the Mephisto crossword.
At 6.25 they still hadn’t turned the lights on and it was significantly darker than it had been in the BD test when they went off for bad light. Why is it too dark to play test cricket but light enough for test players to play county cricket? I continue to believe that they should do away with bad light completely and play the scheduled hours. The full body armour that the modern batsman wears should protect them.
Lancashire’s star overseas player on the night was Darren Powell. His first two deliveries were despatched by Nash for four and six and he continued to get slapped around. His fielding was dreadful including a critical missed catch when he was strolling in the wrong direction inside the circle for a top edged sweep. His ultimate humiliation was that his skipper didn’t bring him back to bowl at the death. Saj can deliver the goods on occasion but this wasn’t one such and he took over in the later stages where Powell had left off. Even the blocker Yardy got after him.
Gatting top scored but it wasn’t an impressive innings. Joyce was pleasing to the eye until he slogged across his first delivery from Parry. In fact Parry and Keedy were the most effective of the Lancs bowlers as Panesar and Yardy had been for Sussex. When Lancs were squeezing Sussex quite effectively Horton inexplicably took Parry off and brought on Croft who served up some full tosses for Gatting to help himself to. These two overs went for 18 and this effectively turned the match.
Bill and Robin’s nice day out at Trent Bridge
When I heard from both of them that Bill Hart would be joining Robin Ager’s party at Trent Bridge for the test I couldn’t resist asking them both to send me their observations on the outing.
First Robin:
I spent a couple of pleasant nights in the East Midlands at the end of July with a small group of chums, and saw the third day (a Saturday, alas) of the First Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in Bill’s company. I write “East Midlands” deliberately because, owing to a balls-up in the booking, the hotel in Nottingham in which we expected to stay was unable to accommodate us. After a couple of hours trying unsuccessfully to find an alternative hotel in the city, we opted to forfeit some of our drinking time to the 30 minute train journey to Derby.
But every cloud etc. Not only was the Derby hotel clearly superior to (albeit rather more expensive than) the Nottingham one, but I was also able to link up with Bill on the train from Derby, rather than awaiting him at Nottingham as prearranged. My joy was unconfined, as the conversation began there and continued seamlessly until Bill had to leave the ground at England’s declaration.
For £55, compared to £90 for Lord’s, we had good seats behind third man in the Radcliffe Road stand. The day’s play was excellent, the ebb and flow of the game’s fortunes providing a text book illustration of why test matches are superior to all other forms of the game. My own feelings varied from frustration that England were unable to enforce the follow-on, as Finn gave Umar Gul the chance to prove that his first heave over mid-wicket was not a fluke, apprehension as the early England batsmen found all sorts of ways to surrender their wickets, admiration for the way Prior, aided by Swann and Broad, gradually wrested the initiative back, puzzlement as to why he then exposed Finn to five balls an over for so long, and finally pleasure that the match was effectively wrapped up in the last half hour.
While all this was going on, and against the background of all the aural and visual inanities that now infest test match Saturdays, Bill was peppering me with all sorts of questions. A few of these concerned the day’s cricket, but others ranged from what was life like as a young cricketer at Trent Bridge in 1960, who were the best cricketers I played with or against, did I think Murali was a chucker, what about England’s terrible performance in the football World Cup, and so on and on……...
So I think we can conclude that, while the world is changing in all sorts of ways, there are some things that never do. I knew what I was getting into when I invited Bill to join me for the day and he didn’t disappoint. Apparently, he thinks he has seen enough of modern tests, which is a shame: if you want someone to keep you on your toes, he’s your man.
For my money, Trent Bridge is, Lord’s aside, the best Test ground in England, attractively up-dated, with good sightlines and well-situated replay screens. Behind the Radcliffe Road stand, unfortunately, there is little space for more than a couple of food stands, and a beer bar which did not have Marston’s Pedigree (the England team beer?). The toilets (well, the male ones) were of course totally inadequate, but I guess there aren’t many days when the ground is full and the majority of spectators seem to be putting away around twenty pints. Just in case you’re interested, Messrs Hart and Ager had two pints each.
And then Bill:
First of all, like any day spent with an old team-mate from South Hampstead, it was a most enjoyable time. Reminiscences flew thick and fast, and the hours just flashed by. There are no direct trains from Coventry to Nottingham, which made the journey from Kenilworth a little awkward. However, the general efficiency and time-keeping of Cross Country Rail’s service was very impressive. Additionally, the staff were courteous and helpful, which is important when you are an annoying old fart like me.
Robin & I met up at Derby, where he introduced me, somewhat reluctantly, to his colleagues, who were all ex-workmates. Having arrived at Nottingham station, we set out on what Robin had told me was a five-minute walk, but which turned out to be 15-20 minutes. Once inside the ground we settled in to the Radcliffe Road end of the ground, just opposite the pavilion. Although I had seen it many times on television, this was my first visit to Trent Bridge, which made it particularly interesting. Sadly, the stadium has been modernized with new, ugly, un-matched grandstands, but there was enough left of the old buildings, for me to see what a handsome stadium it must have been. As Robin had been a professional there in 1960-61, he, naturally, saw it from a very different point-of-view.
So to the match. We had settled down to see England remove the last pair, and to enforce the follow-on. However, within two overs, the required runs had been easily knocked off, and we knew that we would be seeing England bat. But when ? Our new fast-bowling hope, Steve Finn, was smashed all round the ground by the Pakistani No 9, Umar Gul. Six after six flew over mid-wicket, and it was a great relief when the number eleven was out, caught at slip off Anderson. You will all know, that the rest of the day saw England bat very poorly at first, only to be saved by a fine century by Prior and a good effort by the tail.
Unfortunately, I had to leave at 6.30 pm to catch my train home. Thus missing the debacle of the Pakistan openers. However this article is supposed to be about my impressions of the day, so I must return to the theme. Before I do, there was one other aspect of the days play which does require comment. The awful business of querying the umpire’s decisions, ran contrary to everything I believe in. I have no quarrel with the umpire asking for a TV replay of an incident to help in his decision. However, for a player to be able to dispute the decision is terrible. The sight of, what seemed endless debates after almost every decision, is a terrible example to show the young. I have a 14-year old grandson, who is a promising cricketer. My son & I have always advised the boy to accept, without comment, all umpiring decisions, good or bad. We will continue to do so, but this system cuts the ground from under our very feet!
It is sad to record that my lasting memory of the day, has to be that it has now become an unpleasant experience to sit in the crowd at a Test Match. When I was a young man it was fantastic to go to Lords or, more usually in my case, the Oval, and watch the proceedings. This applied even when England lost. Here, we were well on top, and yet the antics of the crowd were very disappointing. Their ludicrous appearance in a desperate attempt to get on camera somehow, and their dreadful, tuneless singing, made it seem more like Stamford Bridge than Trent Bridge. They even “slow-handclapped” Prior as he approached his superb century. What is it that makes modern sports crowds chant these stupid songs with infantile lyrics? I am not sure whether my favourite is “One-nil, one-nil”, or “Oo are yer!”, but each of these would be worthy of a Johnny Mercer or an Ira Gershwin. Thank God there were no vuvuzelas !
Sorry I digress again. I enjoyed my day massively, because I was with Robin, but I shall not attend a Test Match again. It will be county matches for me from now on. Hardly anyone will be there, but at least they would be on my wavelength. I thought that you would like to see my photo of Robin
Second Eleven Matters
The Great jack Morgan can normally find a match somewhere
The Second XI 50 over competition has provided some of the best entertainment I have seen this season, but the game at the Oval between Surrey and Essex, though also highly enjoyable, was far too one-sided to be regarded as a great match. Ex-Middlesex man John Maunders won the toss for Essex and ex-Middlesex man Billy Godleman was the star of the show for Essex. Sharing stands of 185 with Test player Grant Flower (run out for 98, a decision that would have been reversed on referral), 82 with 20 year old keeper Adam Wheater (31) and 104 with allrounder Merv Westfield (also run out for 42), Billy scored at a rate unbelievable to Middlesex supporters who remember him as a dour plodder. Billy went on to 216* including 14 fours and 13 sixes as Essex finished on 437 for 5 (without checking, this must be a record for any limited overs match that I have seen), with 167 coming from the last ten overs. Surrey had loaded their side with batsmen and had included only two specialist bowlers, so when allrounder Tom Jewell mysteriously disappeared from the match in the opening overs, Surrey had to press into service assorted batsmen purveying various types of dross and Essex helped themselves. Surrey started their innings far more quickly than Essex had done, but ex-Middlesex man Chris Wright took 3 early wickets (for 25) and Surrey never looked like putting together any partnerships of the required substance. No 9 Simon King top scored with 44, Jason Roy hit 34 and Arun Harinath 30 as Surrey disintegrated for 168 to lose by a colossal 269. Flower had a good day in the field as well as with the bat, taking 3 catches and 3 for 38 with his slow left armers.
Time on your hands Matters
The Professor sent me the following
Question...what is the finest setting for a cricket ground in England?
Worcester?..with the magnificent cathedral on the other side of the river?
Arundel?...with the castle nearby? Or how about overseas? Newlands or Kandy? Well, here is my modest submission. Last week I spent a few days on the north-east coast at Bamburgh. It is a beautiful spot with stunning beaches which are almost always deserted for the not insignificant reason that it is bloody cold for a minimum of 364 days a year. But what Bamburgh does have, of course, is a castle. And what a castle.
Almost all Googlies readers will have seen Bamburgh castle on the movies since it is, so I was told, the setting for the last scene in the film El Cid when he nobly galloped up the beach strapped on to his horse despite the considerable inconvenience of being dead. However on the non-beach side of the castle there is a cricket ground, very flat and, it would seem, a pretty reasonable surface. When I wandered over the home side were playing a friendly against another nearby village and, in truth, the standard was not that high. But what a setting! I'm not sure if the surroundings would be enough psychological boost to offset the numbing wind but I offer it as my entry into the "find the best setting for a cricket ground" competition. I wonder if any Googlies readers have played there?
Football Matters
At the end of their pre-season tour of Greece Andrew Baker’s Ladies Team found themselves irritatingly miss matched against a team of local lads. After the game to get revenge they decided to pinch the boys clothes whilst they were in the shower. Joyce Jackson was on hand to record the outcome.
Meanwhile Andrew’s dedication continues to amaze. Whilst on holiday himself he recruited three more players in a local bar before the transfer window closed.
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
Tel & fax: 01298 70237
Email: [email protected]
