No 4, Feb 17 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
County Championship postponed? Bouncers banned? 50-Over Final on a Thursday? KP's injunction on his captain? Lots of questions but at least we have The Oval in Lego
All the county cricket news that’s fit to print… with a little opinion thrown in.
ECB mulling over bouncer regulation change in Royal London Cup (The Cricketer)
This illuminating piece provides background on the way the bouncer rule has changed over the years. It would be disheartening if this legitimate tactic was made extinct for fear of litigation, however concussion issues have been hanging over NFL for years and law suits may shape its future. And there is much more money at stake in that sport.
Keeping the flag flying: Women’s county cricket lives on (The Cricketer)
I read this piece as 1) the ECB 'cancelled' women's county cricket 2) Women's county cricket was completely cheesed off and said 'no'. The juicy quotes suggest they spat out the words through gritted teeth too.
Stages of an Innings (Cricport)
The name Tom Huggins has cropped up in many interviews with Essex players in the past few years. Here's the county's batting coach getting technical and mental in a piece that may help club players get a few more runs.
All the County Signings and Contract News (BBC)
Marsh to Middlesex for T20s, OHD and Lintott sign for Warwickshire etc
Troubling but predictable. Four-day cricket was a silver-lining for so many of us last season when we had almost accepted the Blast might be the limit of the season. I must admit the story left me with questions and my spidey-senses started tingling when there were no follow-ups in the media in the following days.
And yes, troubling but predictable given the ECB’s strategy of engineering the season to promote their expensive and unwanted new baby. Keep throwing cash at it and disrespecting the rest of the game (let alone the 60 people they made redundant last year) as long as they can point to some kind of metrics and shout ‘look, look, told you’.
Do you remember that time they finally admitted they were horribly, horribly wrong when they campaigned to take cricket off television’s protected list and sell it to Sky* all those years ago.
Me, neither.
(*Caveat: Sky have been a great partner for the game and their money has done a lot of good. But, looking back, it has to be seen as a major strategic mistake. Just look at the outpouring of emotion and decent viewing figures around the India v England series coming back to Channel 4)
Ian Cockbain - anchor, destroyer or finisher? (CricketPunt)
Those of you who like an excel spreadsheet and a bit of 'moneyball' will enjoy this piece on the powerful Gloucestershire batsman who was the fourth-highest scorer in the Vitality Blast last season and averaged 44.33
An obscure loophole crippled a cricket giant. Now Brexit could resurrect them (Fox Sports)
Motivated Harmer Thrilled at Titan Homecoming (Titans.co.za)
As a firm Remainer, I can point to these stories has cast-iron evidence that the UK did not really know what it was voting for. How could they? This is one of many obscure knock-on effects which were not predicted and certainly not publicised. Of course, Kolpaks were a legal loophole that did little for the development of English talent and certain counties relied on them far too much. But, at the same time, the likes of Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel and Simon Harmer are quality operators. It has been a pleasure to watch at close quarters over the past few seasons.
What with this, Covid-19 decimating county finances plus the divisiveness and duality of a certain domestic tournament that shall not be named, has there ever been a more disruptive period for county staffs?
Lego Kia Oval Pavilions Continues to Grow (Kia Oval)
This is peak county cricket geekdom. It may have had something to do with the working world slowing down for Covid-19 but we can't be sure.
I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions for the next County Cricket Newsletter.
Tweet of the fortnight
Oliver Newby castles himself and there is little sympathy from first slip.
We interrupt this newsletter for a game of county cricket…
I have never been to Cheltenham but it looks lovely. The camera angles of these highlights show off the ground perfectly. Also, there were some great catches in the deep and a great finish too.
But the way, here’s why I am writing this newsletter. If you would like to help, please forward this edition to a cricket-loving friend using the share button below and encourage them to subscribe.
YouTube videos I like…
Nice interview with ex-England, Lancashire, Notts and Essex Jason Gallian. The Pietersen incident sounds utterly incredible with KP's lawyers placing an injunction on Gallian to stop him going within 20 metres of his then Notts captain. Kind of tough during pre-season training though.
The accessibility of ex-players, their articulate nature and ability to tell honest tales from dressing rooms of yesteryear might make such long-form YouTube interviews a rich seam of content. The interviewer here is clearly finding his feet but let's encourage not chide.
Podcasts I like…
Surrey CCC podcast: Self-isolation with Evans and Overton
This is a podcast with a rather existential title. There is a YouTube version with the mighty Mark Church looking his most Mark Church-ish ever.
Basic info…
All the official county cricket "ins and outs" this winter
Structure of County Championship season 2021 and the BWT groups
All the county fixtures in one place. There is a link to add the fixtures of your team to your online calendar (Google, iCal etc) but it is not working anymore. C’mon ECB!
Odd county cricket stuff you can find on eBay
The tradition of producing commemorative plates for County Championship title wins is frankly weird. But they are all over eBay. This one for Glamorgan in 1997 has the final table on the underside and costs 35 quid!
Links I like…
Cricket Supporters Association - Join here, it’s free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle and make Jeff Bezos even richer
Jobs in Cricket - Are you the next CEO of the Lord’s Taverners or non-exec director for Cricket South Africa or Cricket Ireland?
Finally…
Yes, I am still plugging my book on county cricket and midlife. Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy
Finally, finally, let’s end on a high…
This looks and feels like a snapshot of watching County Championship cricket in the 1980s. It is Northants v Somerset at Wellingborough School. The camera rarely leaves Ian Botham but then he was always ‘box office’.