No 28, Sept 1 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
Finn moves to seaside | Plunkett moves Stateside | Rushworth goes veggie | Sun says sorry to Stokes | Blast > you-know-what | The endless pursuit of growth | Sussex side average age n-n-n-nineteen
It has been good to have the Championship back this week. All the games in the top group have been intense. Somerset’s three-day defeat to Nottinghamshire may prove to be a momentum shift while the other two promise enthralling finales. But, outside of that, it has all been a bit ‘meh’. My own Essex won inside two days but, as I wrote in the Cricket Paper last weekend, what does it matter? Decision fatigue is a real thing. The theory is that you can only make so many thoughtful choices in a day so don’t use them up on meaningless issues. It was said that this is why Steve Jobs wore black polo necks every day. This may also be the reason why 12 counties are playing glorified friendlies for the final month of the campaign. Either that or item 1 to 2,762 in the pre-season meeting concerned the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named and they had long since run out of coffee and Hob-Nobs when it was time to hammer out Super September for the also-rans so they called it a day. I have tried to steer clear of that particular event but, the fall-out rumbled on this week. I’ll try to fully move on next time. Anyway, share and enjoy.
News, Views and interviews
Steven Finn departs Middlesex after 17 seasons to sign for Sussex (Cricinfo)
Steven Finn has always struck me as an excellent chap and Middlesex to the core. So this was surprising. Still, the clock is ticking on his career and, despite the injuries, maybe he feels he has not quite lived up to his potential. I’d tend to agree and perhaps this tale reveals some of the reasons.
'I wasn't willing to be honest about my mental state and that cost me’ (Cricket Monthly)
Contracts and deals: Bedingham (Durham), Abbas (Hampshire), Charlesworth (Gloucs), Goodman (Gloucs)
Liam Plunkett: Former England fast bowler to leave Surrey to play in new US league (BBC)
We are going to be hearing a lot about cricket in the US over the next few years. The Minor League has just started, the Major League will join in next year. If it gets into the Olympics, it could fly. The recreational leagues in California have always been lively as they have tended to have a hefty contingent of Silicon Valley workers with heritage from the Indian subcontinent.
Jack Carson 81* repels Worcestershire as young Sussex put in battling display (Cricinfo)
This week, Sussex fielded six teenagers and no capped players in a team that had an average age of nineteen-and-a-half. Also they have appointed Tom Haines, 22, as captain for the rest of the season.
Durham legend Chris Rushworth explains how turning vegetarian has prolonged his career (Mirror)
I don't know what is more surprising, the fact Chris Rushworth does not eat meat or the fact the Mirror published a feature piece on county cricket.
Free Family Fun Day At Leicestershire CCC (Cool as Leicester)
More nice work from the Running Foxes. I still maintain the best marketing ploy for county cricket is to get kids playing on the outfield.
The Sun pays damages to Ben Stokes over family tragedy story (The Guardian)
This story was a disgrace. It was not news as it was not timely. They just dragged up a personal tragedy as Ben Stokes was in the public eye after his exploits that summer. But remember, newspapers are a business pure and simple, they print what sells. What you purchase informs their decision-making.
Heritage Insight: The 1936 County Championship win (Derbyshire CCC)
Why watch when there is nothing to play for? (The Cricket Paper)
My piece from the Cricket Paper on the nightmare of ending up in Group 2 and 3 at the end of the 2021 County Championship season.
The Blast quarter-finals were excellent. Full houses, great atmospheres, tight finishes. Guerilla Cricket smear away the marketing of you-know-what to uncover the truth.
The Hundred - How will we cope now this ‘unmissable’ entertainment has ended? (Yorkshire Post)
Blimey, this chap is really going for it. It is sarcasm turned up to 11.
Best line - “The Hundred was an eminently forgettable, ephemeral interruption of white noise masquerading as unmissable entertainment.”
Lies, Damn Lies, And The Hundred (Being Outside Cricket)
This is a comprehensive take-down of many of the ECB's 'alternative facts' surrounding you-know-what. Most of it rings true to me. So much energy is being wasted battling over this event. As I tweeted this week, good sporting governance involves custodianship, transparency and unity. People will always disagree but the governing body must convince the paying public about its direction of travel and its vision of the future. The ECB have utterly failed in this. It all feels like a civil war right now.
And then, right on cue, this guy wades in…
Former ECB chair Colin Graves launches defence of executives’ £2.1m payment (The Guardian)
He is now leading a venture capital firm’s interest in cricket. Again, they will say the funding and expertise will help grow the game. However, VC money arrives in sport with a clear idea on two things supporters never even think about - how much money they can make and when they should exit.
Enough already! Sport needs to slow down and rein in its endless lust for growth (Guardian)
We live in a world where growth alone is seen as the goal. Just look at Silicon Valley and the on-going case of Elizabeth Holmes, the latest embodiment of the 'fake it till you make it' business culture. You could argue the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named is based on this principle. Lose money for years in the hope that it grows then the top executives, whose big bonuses are tied to selected metrics, will either prove or claim success, snag better jobs or will have had the foresight to jump ship before the crash comes. And remember, Alan Sugar's famous “prune juice effect” is in full flow here. Much of the new money that comes in will go straight out to players, agents and yes those shiny-suited executives. The ‘product’ will be better but fans will pay for every improvement they enjoy. This has happened to the Premier League, which is bigger, better, more global and richer than ever but is it happier, more stable or more satisfying? For devotees, it is a never-ending cost of biweekly tickets, monthly TV subscriptions and annual purchases of replica shirts. Initial valuations suggested the ECB's new event was worth something like £28.7m in television rights and a revamped two-division county-based T20 around a quarter of that. According to Nick Hoult's piece in the 2020 Wisden Almanack, the ECB legally gagged the counties so they could not talk or get another quote, probably because they had an answer that fitted their needs. Personally, I tend to ring at least a couple of guys to get estimates when my fence is blown down in a storm, but maybe that’s just me. However why not take £5m or so if it strengthens the roots of the game, rather than undermine them with £24m. Of course, you can do a lot of good with £20m but experience in other sports suggest much of the extra money will go into the pockets of the few at the top. The army of volunteers running grassroots cricket is the game's bedrock. I’d venture 99 per cent of players, amateur or pro, began playing the game under the guidance of an unpaid coach.
Tweet of the week 1
I know, I know. It’s the ECB but put your cynicism away for five minutes and get involved.
Let’s interrupt this newsletter for a game of county cricket…
Well, kinda. Dale Steyn represented Essex, Warwickshire, Glamorgan and Hampshire in an 18-year career that came to a close this week. He was swift, very swift, as this video proves.
Tweet of the Week 2
I read Tiger and Scorcher as a kid. In the centre spread, they had football team groups over the winter and cricket ones over the summer. It was how I got to know all the players.
Links I like…
Join the Cricket Supporters Association, it’s free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle
Finally…
OK, so this will not win any Oscars. But it is good to see counties putting their Members forums on YouTube. Lots of interesting nuggets of information often come out.
Finally, finally…
Yes, I am still plugging my book on county cricket and midlife.
Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy
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