No 17, June 16 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
Counties shackled by 'Freedom Day' delay | Another Lenham | Commonwealth Games dates | Lancashire's ground development | Surrey play darts | Tony Greig topless | 40% of players will be white-ball only
What is it about the Blast? While the moaning minority that follow red-ball cricket is so prevalent I named my Twitter handle after them, the T20 seems to bring out even sharper elbows and more knee-jerk reactions. We are into the meat of the group stages now and I sense that, while many clubs are selling out their restricted capacities, others are struggling to get fans back through the gates. This is much more important than on-pitch performance as the government’s decision to delay ‘Freedom Day’ will hit counties hard ($) with “Surrey, who consistently sell out their Blast matches, report[ing] that a limit of 25 per cent (around 6,000 people) would cost them between £500,000 and £750,000 per match in lost income.”
Many counties were banking on that Blast money. Make no mistake, your side needs you now more than ever.
Blast News
All the upcoming Vitality Blast fixtures
All the Blast previews
Surrey sign Kyle Jamieson for Blast and County Championship (The Cricketer)
News, views and interviews
Archie Lenham, the 16-year-old leg-spinner making waves in the T20 Blast (Wisden)
Archie Lenham reveals advice which has been so key (The Argus)
He’s the third Lenham to represent Sussex. Young Archie looks a fantastic talent but then his grandfather and father are expert coaches. Neil even got me through a qualification a couple of decades ago.
He's absolutely right, of course. But where were all these freelancers nurtured? Who raised them as cricketers? One thing is for sure, it was not an ephemeral franchise. Yet their very existence undermines the future of these 'finishing schools'. You can’t just cream off the best talent and put nothing back in for the generations to come.
The Secret Cricketer writes: "I just wish that a few years ago the ECB had thrown a bit more money at the Blast before going down the Hundred route. For the £50-60m ECB have spent on The Hundred they could have thrown £300,000 at each club to help with recruitment and marketing and raised its profile massively."
Women's T20s at 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games to run from July 29 to August 7 (Cricinfo)
If I was in charge of world cricket (and, let's face it, this is only a matter of time) I'd be pushing for T20s or T10s to be included in the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and all major multi-sport events. The growth of European, and especially German, cricket suggests the sport can move beyond its traditional home in Commonwealth countries and an appearance at big events maybe a short-cut to truly globalise the game.
Where's the fun? Derek Randall and Spinwash show the joyful chaos of yesteryear (The Cricket Paper)
My weekend column from the Cricket Paper on one of my favorite players from the 1980s. Why was it more fun back then? It is not just the rose-tinted glasses.
Warwickshire close to signing Che Simmons, 17-year-old dubbed 'new Jofra Archer' (Cricinfo)
Warwickshire may be grabbing another Barbadian. This is ‘market forces’ and modern sport but West Indian cricket has been reviving in recent years and a good Windies side is good for cricket. Let’s not leave the cupboard bare.
Tributes to a man who devoted his life to cricket in North-East village (Northern Echo)
There are so many people like John Gent all over the UK, whose service to one club spanned seven decades. Think about it. His dedication drew a minute's silence, a video and piece in the local paper when he passed. Don't say this sort of work does not matter.
We're Open: American Premiere League English cricket franchise (Hudson Valley News)
This is a weird one. Major League Cricket is starting in the US soon and now there is this - the American Premiere League. Its clubs’ names appeal to different nationalities not locations - the teams are called ‘English’, ‘Aussees’, ‘Bengalees’, ‘Windees’, ‘Indians’ etc. Their spellings, not mine.
Cricket accounts tweet throwback picture of angry ‘Pakistani’ fan; he responds (Indian Express)
What made this become a cricket meme?
Fans could miss out on cricket in Wales, warns Glamorgan chief Hugh Morris (BBC Sport)
This is because Wales' social distancing rules remain at two metres, compared to one metre-plus rules in England and Scotland. The same households can sit together at Glamorgan games but other spectators must adhere to the distancing rules.
Bruntwood Works to transform Lancastrian’s roof terrace (PlaceNorthWest)
Lancashire Cricket to build 1,025-seater stand at Old Trafford (Construction Manager)
Like football clubs, many counties are changing their financial models. They are stadium-led businesses that happen to have a cricket team attached. For example, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire even use website urls based on the name of their grounds. Other clubs like Hampshire and Durham are now heavily centred around ground developments and the non-cricket events they can hold. If it is executed sympathetically to the game, then we must embrace it.
Members are crucial to county cricket, they need a voice now more than ever (Lancs Action Group)
I put this article in this newsletter a few weeks ago but it was behind a paywall. Here's the full version. Read it, this is important.
UK hosts world's first LGBTQ+ cricket match (Yahoo Sports)
More than just a game: the ageless art of the sports writer (The Guardian)
Tweets of the Week
Remember this?
This is a good, grainy old tale. Glamorgan’s title win in 1969 was set up by a couple of wafer-thin finishes. In one, Essex’s Ray East pulls off a legitimate reverse sweep then the commentator apologises for shouting at the last-ball victory. It was Glamorgan’s second title and the first unbeaten season for 39 years.
Random cricket stuff you can buy on Ebay
Who fancies these classic SP batting gloves? The blurb says “they are new, but he kept them in the attic so the gloves and box are dusty and a little tatty”. At the time of writing they were going for £87 on bay and there was a week to go.
Go on, have a bid and then pretend to be Tony Greig in the garden. Maybe put on a few more clothes though.
Finally, let’s end on a high…
Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor plays darts against Surrey CCC’s Chris Schofield back in 2011.
Taylor says James Anderson was decent on the oche. But he lost to Alastair Cook at Ally Pally and in a rematch at Blackpool.
Finally, finally…
Yes, I am still plugging my book on county cricket and midlife.
Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy
