No 146, Feb 23: The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
š©· Why do you enjoy county cricket? š¢ What to do now? š All the player moves š“ Essex nab Thakur š” Is Williamson the signing of the summer? š£ Mystery benefactor funds Green's move to Gloucs
Before we start, here I am on BlueSky. Iām doing Threads too but less on Twitter these days
Beware short-term reactions to long-term decisions.
Beware of the evaporating promises made by the shapeshifters pushing through those decisions supposedly for the good of others.
And, especially beware the storytellers oiling the wheels of a gravy train which, no matter what happens, seems to end up with the same few people riding in first class.
I have been keeping my thoughts largely to myself over recent developments in the tortured tale of the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named. But you can guess.
Still, right now, a little distance is required.
Not least because there are no deals done, no money banked, certainly none spent. We are in a period of exclusivity.
They are going steady but are not married yet.
At this point, I refer you to the opening line of a track widely regarded as the first punk single.
There are the plans they have PRād and the intended consequences. Then there are the real motivations, vested interests, flexing of powerful muscles and unintended consequences.
Excuse the clanging name-drop, but as I told the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for Cricket when we met last week, Brexit could have worked and ācaring Conservatismā is a strategy that could benefit all. But I will never back either as I donāt believe in the integrity, competence and, given their actions and lies, motivations of those advocating them.
Ditto the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named.
Going forward, I have to decide what to do now. Looking at the two pictures below, it is not the now that worries me.
In the meantime, here is a newsletter containing the many recent player moves and, more importantly, many of the responses to the key question in my survey at the start of the year.
āWhy do you enjoy county cricketā
I am going to pause, take a moment and, unlike everyone else, let county fans have their full say.
I have thrown in a few quotes and pictures to, depending on your viewpoint, lighten the load or weigh heavy on the shoulders.
If I am right, this is what we stand to lose in time.
Letās just hope I am totally and utterly wrong.
These pictures are dedicated to the Twitter follower who said āstick to cricketā when I linked Brexit to the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named.
Please, please, please unfollow and unsubscribe if you do not like me pointing out the link between the powerful in sport and the powerful in politics.
They are both painful reflections of the ways in which UK society is broken.
āļø When I started this newsletter I made two promises, it will be free forever and your data will never be misused. If you like this newsletter (and you can afford it) please consider buying me a coffee via Ko-Fi or subscribe via Patreon. All coffee buyers are name-checked in the next edition.āļø
PS. Here I am on BlueSky. Iām doing Threads too but less on Twitter these days. Also here are my social media links - Facebook | Instagram
PPS I have set up a County Cricket Chat space on Reddit - r/CountyCricketChat
PPPS If you want to get involved in any groups to change this situation. Then there is the County Cricket Members Group and, of course, the Cricket Supporters Association.
Explain why you enjoy county cricketā¦
Enjoying good quality competitive sport, supporting the team(s) I have supported for decades, relaxation, fresh air, and spending time with friends and family.
I consider the 'red ball' game a real test of players' abilities. The game can ebb and flow, and I find it enjoyable and relaxing without all the noisy razzmatazz you get from T20 or The H*ndred.
Good, honest athletic entertainment in the company of like-minded spectators.
Sociable day out, reasonably priced, nuanced sport.
It is a tough, unremitting contest between bat and ball with no infantile gimmickry.
My roots, my friends, the memories of times with my Dad. Time away from 'life' watching a fascinating game with ebbs and flows, twists and turns, and subplots.
A nice way to relax, meet friends and make new ones. I particularly like seeing academy players develop and improve, and hopefully go on to have a long career in the game. I also like seeing players from overseas, but I think there should be a limit on how many a county can sign in any one season.
Good quality sport, without razzmatazz, affordable.
Just love cricket but in particular the longest formats as the nuance of games is fascinating and never over till the 'fat lady' sings!
The enjoyment of watching a cricket story unfold each day. Sitting with fellow cricket lovers and chatting about our great game, discussing all the good and bad things!
Getting and giving tips about the area, places to visit after the day's play.
Just... enjoyment.
I am a 50s child from the Dexter, Higgs, Statham and Trueman era. Involved as a scorer, player and umpire. Always loved the game and still do. Prefer the four-day championship matches as games, at whatever stage, can change hands so many times. One-day cricket is also very enjoyable and gives the batters time to 'have a look' before the baseball stuff takes over.
The enjoyment of following my local, hometown team around the country. I'm a cricket fan. It's social and I enjoy meeting up with friends.
I love the tactical aspect as opposed to the bash-the-ball-out-of-the-park stuff. I also enjoy the camaraderie and friendship that I find with my fellow members.
Enjoy watching my team in a mostly relaxing atmosphere, also the company of fellow supporters whether supporting my team or the opposition.
Enjoy a relaxing day with friends watching a great sport.
Loyalty to a local team I grew up watching. Seeing players' careers progress.
Grew up with that type of cricket. Plenty of space to sit and enjoy. Standard still pretty good and a chance to see young and experienced players compete.
Relaxing, fresh air and entertainment!
Cricket played over several days where you get to see players develop. In years gone by, I've seen players learn to build innings/how to bowl and seen players and performances that have stayed with me for decades. I do watch one-day matches but prefer the longer formats.
I love everything about it; it gives me a sense of wellbeing.
I enjoy the connection to my team (Glamorgan) and the chance to watch decent level cricket.
I love the competitiveness of seeing the highest quality cricket played in a serene environment.
The game, the surroundings and the sense of community.
Bliss, a whole day's entertainment weather permitting.
It gets me out of the house. I watch first-class plus Over 50s, 60s & 70s County Championships.
Oh, where do I start? The peace of mind you get watching the timeless scene of the championship. That both the sporty and the nerdy can delight in it. It is forgiving and often encouraging of the widest variations in size and ability. At its best, a game that contains a beautiful mixture of violence and great ballet-like beauty.
Proper cricket and not a pyjama in sight.
I love the tradition. The scenery. The chance to watch elite sportsmen in a non-partisan atmosphere. The opportunity to come and go throughout a four-day match.
The longer game is preferable as it incorporates all the nuances within the game.
Because it is the ultimate form of cricket before test matc
hes. I want to see the best players of each county performing to the best of their ability.
The chance to watch a game slowly develop - with a coffee or a pint on hand. The quality of play is usually excellent. The fact that there is plenty of space around the ground is a positive. I like to watch from different positions throughout the day.
Peace, time to think and reflect, and (generally at T20 games) chance for a couple of pints with pals.
Relax and able to switch off from the rat race.
I enjoy watching the young players develop for their counties and the storylines that are created throughout the season.
I love the County Championship for the "traditional" cricket, and all that a four-day game can be. I also love to spend time with friends and make new ones at a game.
I love the contest and the mini contests which are always going on.
Hassle-free atmosphere and continuing support for the British summer's traditional sport.
Player moves and signings
Australian all-rounder Jack Edwards signs for Hampshire | Hampshire CCC
Mark Stoneman: Hampshire sign batter on one-year red-ball deal | BBC Sport
Logan van Beek: Leicestershire sign Dutch all-rounder for new season | BBC Sport
Migael Pretorius to rejoin Somerset for 2025 season | Somerset County Gazette
Cameron Green: Australia all-rounder to play for Gloucestershire - BBC Sport
Cameron Green - Mystery benefactor funds Gloucestershire deal | ESPNcricinfo
Mohammad Abbas swaps Hampshire for Nottinghamshire on six-match deal | ESPNcricinfo
Sussex sign Australian Gurinder Sandhu on two-month deal | ESPNcricinfo
George Hill: Yorkshire all-rounder extends contract until 2028 | BBC Sport
Moises Henriques: Australian all-rounder signs for Nottinghamshire | BBC Sport
Vishwa Fernando signs for Warwickshire on short-term Championship deal | ESPNcricinfo
Australian Turner signs to play Blast and Championship for Lancashire | ESPNcricinfo
Good positive relationship between teams and spectators giving good entertainment.
I love the way County represents community and locality - representative cricket, where you play with pride for the place you come from, still means something in the 2020s. In fact, it means a LOT more than chasing cheques all over the globe and switching team-mates at the drop of a hat. It's still England's summer game, and there's no greater pleasure than some warm sun on your face and two disciplined batters seeing off the new ball and slowly building an innings of worth for their club, their county or their country.
It's a link to the past and through my sons, a bridge to the future. The level of skill on show and the level of emotional investment the 'geographical' County system is based on inspires people on many levels.
It's just pure joy letting it wash over you.
Meeting my friends. Putting the world to rights while something is going on in the middle.
To sit and watch the ebbs and flows of the game, hopefully in the sunshine.
I have followed Essex for many decades and love the build-up of a county championship game. Chelmsford is an appealing ground to go to.
Watch young cricketers who progress from my junior coaching/club to first class.
It's a cracking day out, good value, a high level of competition and (usually) in excellent weather!
I enjoy the cricket, be it four days or shorter format. I like tension without caring too much about a result.
I love the battle between bowler and batsman, which is a contest largely forgotten in the shorter versions of the game which are very much geared in favour of the batsman.
Seeing a great sport played by very talented players while sat - ideally - in the summer sunshine in a pleasant environment.
Relaxing day out, good standard of competitive cricket, no need to plan ahead, turn up when convenient. Opportunity to see established players alongside rising stars.
I get enormous enjoyment watching how the strategies batter-bowler-fielder challenges develop over several days and as conditions change. For me, county cricket is the pinnacle of all forms of cricket - including test cricket (which has become more and more one-day-ish in recent times).
The soul of cricket where players learn their craft.
County cricket has been a formative influence through my life having first been taken to county matches against touring teams c. 60 years ago. The flow of the game and its evolving development over a day's play remains its fundamental attraction to me.
It's proper cricket and gives me a wonderful sense of wellbeing.
I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the chance to be entertained and the intrinsic unknowable nature of sport - this could be a slow day of little happening, or an event-filled one.
The anticipation of first morning's play. The progress of play with the ebbs and flows, leading hopefully to a result.
The players are still in touch with the supporters.
I enjoy and follow all forms of cricket - except the H*ndred! - but I love the ebb and flow of county cricket, and the way it develops the skills of players, and prepares them well for Test cricket. In retirement I have the opportunity to enjoy this in a way not possible when I was working full time.
Quiet setting and thoughtful cricket.
I enjoy the game; it's a bit like a chess match. I also enjoy watching it with my friends and having the freedom to watch it from different areas of the ground.
Nothing can match the drama of a good 4-day county cricket match in which fortunes can swing so wildly. And where else can you find such an atmosphere and yet be so close to the top players?
Enjoy the sense of pure sport which is for fans and members (unlike Premier League which is more about money and customers) and community/tradition.
Cricket gives me primarily an aesthetic experience of English life. Teams playing from areas that I feel a close emotional attachment to, and 150+ years of sporting history (something that football generally manages to leverage much more effectively). Sport is better - in my view - with a strong sense of tradition, linked to the teams from my childhood, and those of generations before me. County cricket also presents a high quality sporting challenge. I realise that this all sounds very conservative, although I wouldn't say I was a particularly conservative person!
Relaxation, escape, being part of a community of similar types of cricket-lovers.
Seeing a game unfold with its twists and turns. The time and place to forget everything else.
Like the game and the fact that you can get close to and get to know the players.
Most games are generally played in a relaxed good-humoured atmosphere, where most spectators appreciate and applaud the skill shown by the opposition as much as by their own team.
I enjoy the ebbs and flows of the game. Thinking you're on top and going to win one session, and thinking your opponent is on top and hoping for a draw in the next session.
I love red-ball cricket - the skill of the players and the way the game can swing from one team to the other.
I enjoy the strategy and aesthetics of cricket, appreciating different styles from attritional to attacking, gnarly to graceful. Red ball (and 50 over) cricket provides that, whereas the shortest formats flatten out the variation in tactics and techniques.
I have a close affinity with the county in which I was born and I have supported its county cricket team since I was a boy.
This attachment means that I always have some proverbial skin in the game(s) whichever county cricket format that I am watching.
I get a bit of a kick out of being a part of something and being a member. Above all I love cricket not gimmicks.
Meeting up with old friends and enjoying watching the glorious game.
I enjoy the way four-day games can ebb and flow and how teams can salvage something even with a below par performance. I also like to see young players emerge into red ball cricket.
As I have got older the social side has become more important although I still take a great interest in the management and running of my county club. Winning or losing is not my main focus these days.
It is a wonderful sporting and social occasion. Time to watch avidly and still have plenty of time to interact with friends and other spectators. The opportunity to watch some enthralling sport.
A very relaxing environment. The glorious uncertainty - a clatter of wickets, an improbable last wicket stand, a comical run out, a brilliant catch etc.
Watching first class cricket at local county grounds at a reasonable price.
It's the utmost version of the game. I have been watching county cricket for over 40 years and have little interest in gimmicks like the dreadful 'Hundred'.
Good players - old & upcoming. Tactical changes and swing in fortunes. A grand day out.
I enjoy the competitive nature of the game and, also, the social aspects of meeting friends and family.
I like it as an entertainment, social activity, nurturing the future international players, seeing quality play that is not all power.
Good quality cricket in first class and outgrounds enhanced by the camaraderie of fellow attendees - members and non-members.
I enjoy the game, the setting, the freedom, the skills and spending a day in the open air (so yes, I'm a fair-weather watcher!) I find it better to have an association with one team, to appreciate the competitive side of the game, so tend to watch my own county's games.
A game of cricket is like reading a book; there are exciting bits and dull bits but (with any luck) it tells a story and builds up to an outcome which is exciting and which you couldn't have predicted at the outset.
I think it's a great day out, good sport and great company.
Fun to watch youngsters develop. Great being able to watch on YouTube.
I like the ambience of 4-day cricket - sometimes slow, sometimes exciting - and the members' facilities at Chester-le-Street.
It's a joy to sit and watch the game progress over four days and enjoy the changing patterns of the match and the day.
A relaxing good day out watching professional cricket and appreciating each time I go the value of the county game. My plan is to go more this year.
I love all three formats, Championship most of all. It's the unknown, the game can have so many changes in direction you don't know what you're going to get. Also the social side and spending a few days in lovely places.
I love cricket and the association with my county brings connection.
Local, competitive and value for money. Feeling of being a valued member of a community who love cricket.
I enjoy a nice relaxing day. I'm not great in big crowds now so prefer going to games where I don't have to queue for everything. Also the cost plays its part.
Fresh air, meeting friends lifts me out of my winter depression.
The fact the game has a time to unravel. The anticipation spread out over a period of time. A chance to relax and enjoy.
Game can ebb and flow over four days and tests endurance and concentration far more than limited overs formats.
Watching players I know from club cricket progressing to county standard.
The heartbeat of the game and the one I grew up with.
Atmosphere, companionship, skills.
Fun with friends. Top quality competition. A sense of belonging to my home county, Essex!
Came with my dad, now I bring my children. I enjoy seeing high quality players playing for and against the team I support.
Always loved the game. Look forward to a relaxing day watching the County Championship.
It's like watching a mini Test Match and I get a tremendous sense of satisfaction knowing that I am watching cricket as it should be played.
I grew up with it and much prefer the ebb and flow of a longer match.
I love the long form game, the ebbs and flows played out over time. The commitment to a county.
I love seeing an accessible sport, with strong competition with very fair
It's the best sport in the world. Spectating is second to actually playing. There's something about history, tradition, nostalgia (I am old!) as well as competition, seeing players near their prime striving for excellence. And if you want a chat, talk to other spectators and reflect on the play. All of human life is there.
The story of this newsletter
This newsletter started in January 2021 because, frankly, no one else was publishing one and the county game lacked promotion. It will always be free and we will never misuse your data.
š¤ Sponsor - If you would like to sponsor this newsletter then please let me know
āļø Coffee tips - The newsletter is a labour of love but it takes a long time to write. If you like the content, please feel free to tip me a coffee.
My monthly coffees: Daren Mootoo, Robin Lewis, Steve Harris, Simon Sargent, Cliffy, Vass, Gary Pope, DJH, Rich Turner, Anon, Bill Dove, Simon Hemsley, Steve Hart, Russell Holden, A Wilson, Ralph Cunningham, Simon Hemsley, Ben Hieatt-Smith, Sam Morshead, Adrian Partridge, Russell Holden, Martin Searle, Graeme Hayter, Cow Corner Slog, John Lucey, Sophie Whyte, Kevin Roome, LongLeg, George Dobell, William Dobson, Gary Prail
Patreon: Simon Burnton, Bob Christie, Duncan Lewis, Chris Lowe, Steve, Robert Stone
Coffees since the last edition: Mike Siddall, Roger Hughes, Cotswold Silver Fox,
Classifieds
Links
Join the Cricket Supporters Association, itās free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle
Guerilla Cricket - irreverent, online commentary and jingles all the way
Leading Edge - County stats dashboard and podcast
98 Not Out - top interviews and cricket chat on the podcast
Also, thereās my book, Last-Wicket Stand.
Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy āļø
š“āā ļø Indy bookshop | šŗšø USA | š¦šŗ Australia
You can't beat a bit of The Damned to kickstart a Monday morning, the wife wasn't so enthralled!