No 6, Mar 17 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
Long live county cricket writers | All the signings, contracts & appts | Derby wiping out debt | RIP Joey and Johnson | Racism in cricket | Are Sussex CCC the oldest active sports team in the world?
Hi there, The season is nearly upon us, the weather is getting better and I suspect many county cricket members have had their first jab. So let’s be optimistic shall we? Here are some stories, links, videos and podcasts to entertain you for the next fortnight.
Cricket Writers’ Club release open letter in appeal to ECB to re-think jobs cull (SportsJournalists)
Read this: “18 freelance cricket writers will have to re-apply for six jobs – at £80 a day with no expenses for food, travel, or accommodation. The successful applicants will be asked to cover two matches at once.”
Then remember, every single match in the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named has a marketing budget of £100,000.
And, he adds in a sarcastic voice, of course, there is noooooo demand for tickets in the existing county-based T20 competition.
I have signed this petition against the cuts. Please consider doing the same.
Tributes to the sad passing of Joey Benjamin and Martin Johnson
Parliamentary motion condemns 'institutional racism' blighting English cricket (Cricinfo)
The number of respected and entirely separate figures in the game saying the same thing, for me, creates one single, urgent voice hollering more must be done.
Mahboob Hussain appointed Yorkshire CCC equality, diversity and inclusion manager (York News)
This is positive news given some of the most high-profile accusations have been attached to cricket in Yorkshire. But it should be only the start and, it seems obvious that the English game, from grass roots to Test team, needs to step up.
Here’s a list of some of the county signings, contracts and appointments. Go to BBC and The Cricketer for more details
Signings - Balbirnie (Glam), Cummins (Kent), Harris (Leics), Bancroft (Durham), Dwarshuis (Worcs), Stanlake (Derby), Roach (Surrey), Parnell (Norts), Malan (Warks), Abbas (Hants)
Contracts - Northeast (Hants), Norwell (Warks), Curran x2, Topley (Surrey), Vilas (Lancs), Davis, Aldridge (Somerset), Cox (Worcs), Ball (Notts), Bracey (Gloucs)
Appts - Borthwick (capt - Durham), Parkinson (vice - Leics), Bell-Drummond (vice - Kent)
County cricket pre-season friendlies 2021: Full fixture list and schedule (The Cricketer)
COVID-19: Top cricket umpire fears £70k loss in lockdown investment scam (Sky)
Derbyshire are on course to be debt free by 2024. No disrespect, but they are one of the smaller counties. Northants are another yet they, too, have turned around a perilous financial position in recent years. It does seem that the counties are managed better these days, certainly in comparison to previous decades. Of course, all counties lean heavily on central funding which, in turn comes from revenue from the Tests. It is a quid pro quo as the counties supply the players.
Phil Edmonds Ruined My Teenage Years Part 2 (Cricket Network)
Part two of an entertaining blog by a Middlesex and Edmonds devotee.
Sarah Taylor: Former England wicketkeeper joins Sussex coaching staff (BBC)
Such a quality keeper and a welcome, progressive appointment.
Construction to begin on phase one of Sussex Cricket masterplan (CricketWorld)
The Cricketer claims two victories at Domestic Journalism Awards (The Cricketer)
Nick Friend thoroughly deserves his prize. He has consistently written in-depth, original features on little-known stories from the game.
County Previews (Inside Edge Cricket)
Newspapers used to do a full page of mini-previews on the eve of the Championship season. Each team had their own box with their badge, signings, stats and some predictive thoughts. Alas, it has all gone. So let’s give a little love and attention to Inside Edge Cricket, who are working their way through all the 18 first-class counties.
Tweets of the fortnight
When I look at these pictures, I can almost smell grass clippings.
We interrupt this newsletter for a game of county cricket…
Catches do win matches as this tale of the 1971 Gillette Cup final proves. There are no replays or slow-mos on the incident itself but, looking 50 years on, such athleticism is almost expected these days. The game has moved on so much as fitness levels have improved. Today, this would be a very good catch but no match-turner.
By 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…
We have live streams of Championship games now. Let’s add on-field cameras and edits like this. You would get great bang for your buck with the technology available today and it would cut through the clutter of sports content out there. How else are we going to get county cricket on the online back pages again?
Podcasts I like…
These are two new podcasts on me. The Scouting Cricket podcast is especially interesting with Dan Weston suggesting the game is only “2 out of 10” saturated with analytics. He also draws comparison with the development of poker a decade or so ago before a widespread ‘moneyball’ approach leveled the playing field.
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
This might be the most English 80s thing you’ll ever find. The biggest character in cricket at the time drawn by one of those witty, beardy, Oxbridgey people who frequented Radio 4 game shows. Mind you, they just don’t make them like Derek Randall any more. Brave and crazy in equal measure.
Links I like…
Cricket Supporters Association - Join here, it’s free. Also, watch out for their survey
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle to make Jeff Bezos even richer
Jobs in Cricket - roles at Surrey, Notts and Essex closing soon
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…
I did not know this. Sussex CCC claim to be the oldest active sports club in the world. Here’s a news report from 2015.