No 34, Oct 29 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
All the player moves | Law leaves Middlesex | Prior on Sussex crisis | Yorkshire racism report | Concussion leads to Hosein retirement | Is a draw worth eight points? | Haringey Cricket College
As they say on Game of Thrones, “winter is coming”. But the county cricket news keeps coming too. There have been lots of moves, departures and contracts confirmed in the past two weeks as counties start to reshape themselves for the 2022 campaign. As an Essex devotee, I am delighted about the acquisition of Matt Critchley from Derbyshire, however, it may be another signal of concern for the wider county game. The same can be said of the Yorkshire racism report and the travails at Sussex. Read about it all below. Then, there is a revealing interview with former Surrey CEO Richard Gould. County cricket would look and feel very different had he got the top job at the ECB.
Still, it is not all bad. I urge you to read the Lord’s Taverners’ tweet listed below. Its star, Elliot, just wants to enjoy the game with his friends.
Let’s be a little more like Elliot, shall we?
Signings, contracts and other moves
Signings: Compton (Kent), Scriven (Leicestershire), Gurbaz (Leicestershire), Naveen-ul-Haq (Leicestershire)
Matt Critchley joins Essex after transfer from Derbyshire (Cricinfo)
Note this line - "Essex activated a clause within his contract, allowing him to move to a Division One county for an undisclosed fee." Effectively this was a transfer payment as it was a transaction leading to a change of registration. That, and the fact a smaller county has lost a player to a strong division one team, suggests this sort of move will become increasingly common.
Contracts: Leaning (Kent), Orr (Sussex), Leach (Worcestershire), Baker (Worcestershire), Pennington (Worcestershire), King (Nottinghamshire), Wheal (Hampshire), Albert, Turner, Petrie (Hampshire), White (Northamptonshire), Zaib (Northamptonshire)
Coaches: Law (Middlesex), Snell (Gloucestershire)
Gloucestershire have made their lead appointment and now the others will follow. Meanwhile, Middlesex have created a vacancy as they look to sweep the decks.
Thoughts on these moves?
News, views and interviews
Azeem Rafiq: The ECB must lead course of justice where Yorkshire have failed (Independent)
Yorkshire’s story and positioning are still not stacking up for me. Seven of Azeem Rafiq's allegations have been upheld and last month “Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton apologised to him, saying there was "no question" that during his first spell at the club the spinner was "the victim of racial harassment". But no current employees will be disciplined.
OK, some could have left, we don't know the true severity of the upheld allegations as the full report has been redacted and no-one wants a token casualty. But there appears to be a chasm between the two sides in the case over its importance and emphasis. The Independent piece even states Rafiq's allegations include those in senior positions at Headingley. At best, Yorkshire's lack of transparency and communications strategy are not helping them push their side. At worst, it smells of covering up. Here's another blog on the case.
Remembering Haringey Cricket College, the charity behind a generation of Black cricketers (Cricinfo)
I remember Reg Scarlett's ground-breaking project very well. It says so much about where cricket has gone wrong in this country that "by the summer of 2019, there was only one UK-born, state-educated Black man playing first-class cricket in the whole of England and Wales, out of a cast of approximately 400 players on the books of the professional counties." This is especially telling given the overrepresentation and exceptional success of this demographic in football. At least on the pitch if not in the dugout or the boardroom.
The following quote from Richard Gould is fascinating for those of us who cannot let go of the manner in which the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named was introduced. It suggests there WERE other routes to change and agreeing with the board’s vision was as important as professional credentials. Remember Surrey developed hugely off the pitch under Gould’s reign as CEO.
‘My pitch was to focus on county cricket by creating a Premier League for the four-day game and having the Blast on free-to-air TV,’ he recalled. ‘The hierarchy at the time had a different idea – new teams and a new competition – so it’s probably a good thing I didn’t get the role as I’d have been the wrong candidate for what they wanted to do.”
Record-breaking day for Membership (Somerset CCC)
OK, this is not the most significant statistic ever seen but, yet again, it shows concrete interest in county cricket. This underpins my disappointment over the position in which domestic game finds itself. Overall, debt has been going down, many counties have burgeoning memberships, the streams are a game-changer and, of course, T20 was more popular than ever in 2019. The game was still precarious and struggling to maintain relevance but the foundations were firm enough for a united evolution not a divisive revolution.
Season’s Reflections: Catcher in the Rye (Yahoo Over Cow Corner)
A little Darren Stevens love-in.
Matthew Fisher interview: How Yorkshire CCC form earned me England Lions call-up (Yorkshire Post)
Harvey Hosein: Derbyshire wicketkeeper retires at 25 because of concussions (BBC Sport)
US sport is very sensitive to concussion issues. It is pincering NFL through the threat of lawsuits from existing players and parents steering their kids away from the game. During my time in Major League Soccer, I saw players retire before their time because of concussions and the protocols meant players were excluded for weeks after receiving what a decade ago would have been called "a bit of bash on the head".
Harvey Hosein's story is very sad but I fear there may be more to come in later years. I can also see a future where bowlers, umpires and all close fielders wear protective headwear. Here’s a video interview with Hosein on Derbyshire’s YouTube channel.
Why you can't wish Geoffrey Boycott a happy birthday (MrRichardClarke)
A blog from me on the 'knee-jerks' on social media and seeing the worst in our cricketing stars.
Matt Prior: The truth will out over state of Sussex (Cricketer)
I need to take my own medicine from the piece above. My impression of Matt Prior is not that positive but it is based on minimal information and I have never met him. But criticism like this caveated with the words "I have no personal agenda, I am not after a job" always makes me think they do and they are.
End-of-the-Season Awards: Yorkshire, Somerset
Tweet of the Week 1
We interrupt this newsletter for a game of county cricket
The Gillette Cup semi-final between Lancashire and Gloucestershire in 1971 started at 11am and ended around 9pm. The crowd at Old Trafford was 23,000 and most of them seemed to run on the pitch at the end. Harry Carpenter introduces the action from his armchair as Mike Proctor bowls to Clive Lloyd. You really can’t get more 70s County Cricket than this.
Links I like…
Join the Cricket Supporters Association, it’s free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle
Tweet of the Week 2
Elliot just wants to play cricket, compete with others and have a chance of winning. As I have always said, this newsletter will be free forever. However, I do think its community could be leveraged to raise a little cash for schemes such as this. If every subscriber chipped in £1 then we’d have over £500. We could sponsor a session or two with that or put some deserving youngsters from struggling families through the All-Stars scheme. What do you think, let me know.
Finally…
I am a firm no on this one. Surely, incentivising draws must be considered a negative overall.
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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