I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
I think the biggest issue for country cricket is lack of exposure. There are plenty of excellent cricketers outside the national set up, and lots of overseas talent too. The ECB just needed to push the T20 blast onto BBC to make some of the players more widely known. The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
Let's hope it goes away soon.
And yet, horrifically it has some level of popularity away from existing cricket fans.
It will, I hope, prove as long lasting as cricket max, another doomed and pointless change to the basics of the game.
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
Let's hope it goes away soon.
The ECB have put themselves in a terrible bind. If they don't run six seasons, up to 2028, they face financial penalties that might bankrupt them from terminating the broadcast deal.
If they let it run that long, they will run out of money. While causing even more damage to the English game in the meanwhile.
And what's really frustrating is this was all entirely avoidable and indeed was foreseen by most people at the time.
I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
I think the biggest issue for country cricket is lack of exposure. There are plenty of excellent cricketers outside the national set up, and lots of overseas talent too. The ECB just needed to push the T20 blast onto BBC to make some of the players more widely known. The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The BBC should act as an incubator for UK sports leagues. Give the BBC a 20% equity share in cricket T20, a 10 year contract and in exchange pay whatever sky would be paying. The exposure will make the T20 competition worth billions by the time the deal is up, it can be then sold back to Sky et al as well as international markets.
Clarence Thomas is either a liar, or doesn't understand simple ethics. Either way he's not fit to be a judge, let alone on the Supreme Court.
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-response-trips-legal-experts-harlan-crow ...But seven legal ethics experts consulted by ProPublica, including former ethics lawyers for Congress and the White House, said the law clearly requires that gifts of transportation, including private jet flights, be disclosed. If Thomas is arguing otherwise, the experts said, he is incorrect...
Actually it goes beyond ethics, since he's also breaking a law which has been in place since Watergate. Though there is no available legal remedy other than impeachment.
Clearly inspired by the wonderful Boris defence. Who says the UK always follows the US, sometimes it is the other way around.
Good article. Don’t disagree with any of it but would make two observations:
1) On the margins, the Championship can be very affected by external factors: not just in the obvious ways but also by groundsmen getting it wrong in pursuit of a specific style of wicket (doubly so in an Ashes year).
2) I might go back to watch some of Middlesex this year, so they will be crap again.
They’ve already pre-empted you on that score. Or rather, absence of score.
Four ducks is mental. Just totally quackers.
Thankfully I'm no longer a Middlesex member so I can hold my head high and, like St Peter, say 'nothing to do with me, mate'.
All too often the best part of a day out at Lord's was the train ride from Leamington to Marylebone.
For a while, access to the pavilion holds novelty: and then you start to focus on the cricket….
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
Let's hope it goes away soon.
The ECB have put themselves in a terrible bind. If they don't run six seasons, up to 2028, they face financial penalties that might bankrupt them from terminating the broadcast deal.
If they let it run that long, they will run out of money. While causing even more damage to the English game in the meanwhile.
And what's really frustrating is this was all entirely avoidable and indeed was foreseen by most people at the time.
Surely there is a deal to be done. The Hundred will be replaced by something that actually looks like cricket with 6 balls in an over and teams that we recognise. If those daft enough to invest in the hundred are given a cut of that can they not be bought off?
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
Let's hope it goes away soon.
The ECB have put themselves in a terrible bind. If they don't run six seasons, up to 2028, they face financial penalties that might bankrupt them from terminating the broadcast deal.
If they let it run that long, they will run out of money. While causing even more damage to the English game in the meanwhile.
And what's really frustrating is this was all entirely avoidable and indeed was foreseen by most people at the time.
Surely there is a deal to be done. The Hundred will be replaced by something that actually looks like cricket with 6 balls in an over and teams that we recognise. If those daft enough to invest in the hundred are given a cut of that can they not be bought off?
The realistic solution is rename the Blast 'the Hundred' and have combined county teams competing. No more of this silliness of franchises owned by the ECB.
But it will never happen. Not least as counties will resist like mad any attempt to cut the number of games in the Blast.
Good article. Don’t disagree with any of it but would make two observations:
1) On the margins, the Championship can be very affected by external factors: not just in the obvious ways but also by groundsmen getting it wrong in pursuit of a specific style of wicket (doubly so in an Ashes year).
2) I might go back to watch some of Middlesex this year, so they will be crap again.
They’ve already pre-empted you on that score. Or rather, absence of score.
Four ducks is mental. Just totally quackers.
Thankfully I'm no longer a Middlesex member so I can hold my head high and, like St Peter, say 'nothing to do with me, mate'.
All too often the best part of a day out at Lord's was the train ride from Leamington to Marylebone.
For a while, access to the pavilion holds novelty: and then you start to focus on the cricket….
An April morning huddled over the Long Room radiators while a bitter nor-easterly rakes across from the Nursery End. Outfielders sporting two pullovers to little effect. On such a day "The Hundred" refers to the spectators on open seats.
Good article. Don’t disagree with any of it but would make two observations:
1) On the margins, the Championship can be very affected by external factors: not just in the obvious ways but also by groundsmen getting it wrong in pursuit of a specific style of wicket (doubly so in an Ashes year).
2) I might go back to watch some of Middlesex this year, so they will be crap again.
I went to watch Middx v Surrey in the 20 20. Middlesex should be heavily fined and censured for their revolting pink clothing ...UGH.
While I agree with you, their inability to score more than 160 was the really offensive thing. In that context, I felt it was more of a penance. “Here comes the tail” was often heard as anyone other than DeVilliers came on to bat.
Do we still call it that in women’s cricket? I mean, it does carry an unfortunate double meaning.
A brilliant piece of work, Mr Doctor. Sadly, Lancashire seem to have blown it yesterday. But a lovely summary from someone who clearly looks the cricket.
Good article. Don’t disagree with any of it but would make two observations:
1) On the margins, the Championship can be very affected by external factors: not just in the obvious ways but also by groundsmen getting it wrong in pursuit of a specific style of wicket (doubly so in an Ashes year).
2) I might go back to watch some of Middlesex this year, so they will be crap again.
They’ve already pre-empted you on that score. Or rather, absence of score.
Four ducks is mental. Just totally quackers.
Thankfully I'm no longer a Middlesex member so I can hold my head high and, like St Peter, say 'nothing to do with me, mate'.
All too often the best part of a day out at Lord's was the train ride from Leamington to Marylebone.
For a while, access to the pavilion holds novelty: and then you start to focus on the cricket….
An April morning huddled over the Long Room radiators while a bitter nor-easterly rakes across from the Nursery End. Outfielders sporting two pullovers to little effect. On such a day "The Hundred" refers to the spectators on open seats.
Good article. Don’t disagree with any of it but would make two observations:
1) On the margins, the Championship can be very affected by external factors: not just in the obvious ways but also by groundsmen getting it wrong in pursuit of a specific style of wicket (doubly so in an Ashes year).
2) I might go back to watch some of Middlesex this year, so they will be crap again.
They’ve already pre-empted you on that score. Or rather, absence of score.
Four ducks is mental. Just totally quackers.
Thankfully I'm no longer a Middlesex member so I can hold my head high and, like St Peter, say 'nothing to do with me, mate'.
All too often the best part of a day out at Lord's was the train ride from Leamington to Marylebone.
For a while, access to the pavilion holds novelty: and then you start to focus on the cricket….
An April morning huddled over the Long Room radiators while a bitter nor-easterly rakes across from the Nursery End. Outfielders sporting two pullovers to little effect. On such a day "The Hundred" refers to the spectators on open seats.
The coldest we’ve been …. Mrs C likes cricket too …. was when Essex played Scotland in Edinburgh in early May one year. The ground faced North and a light gale was blowing in from the Firth. The wind also brought cloud! Sales of coffee plus whisky were, I understand, very good!
The Hundred is ghastly. It uses a format that is only used in English cricket. It disrupts the timing of the other formats particularly the County Championship and Test matches.
Let's hope it goes away soon.
I have no hate on it as a concept, but some of the attempts at differentiation just seem bizarre. Do non traditional cricket fans like confusing replay angles more appealing?
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I’d join the MCC but their outfits are just too plain and dull for my tastes.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
this garment always makes Starmer look like a funeral director. You never quite know if he’s going to say something about manufacturing jobs or murmur that the horse-drawn carriage is now ready to leave."
I saw a funeral cortege the other day with a man in top and tails walking in front of the hearse, which is a thing I have only ever seen in television comedy shows before.
It's also a contractual requirement on such hearses to have a massive white/yellow flower tribute spelling out "MAM".
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
I think the biggest issue for country cricket is lack of exposure. There are plenty of excellent cricketers outside the national set up, and lots of overseas talent too. The ECB just needed to push the T20 blast onto BBC to make some of the players more widely known. The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The BBC should act as an incubator for UK sports leagues. Give the BBC a 20% equity share in cricket T20, a 10 year contract and in exchange pay whatever sky would be paying. The exposure will make the T20 competition worth billions by the time the deal is up, it can be then sold back to Sky et al as well as international markets.
There is an Indian elephant in the room, which renders such ideas unlikely. Even test cricket is being crowded out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/apr/08/the-indian-premier-league-is-a-brilliant-thing-but-is-killing-test-cricket …Back in England the Ashes will soon be upon us, five Tests across six weeks with the promise of renewal and fresh eyes. For all the death-in-life stuff of an April start, this is still the beginning of something. But it is also the beginning of the end. It is tempting to glaze over a little whenever anyone starts to talk about the end of Test cricket. This is a sport that thrives on dying, that seems to have been dying, with a robust sense of theatre, since the day it was born. But this thing is actually happening now. That ice shelf really is shearing off right in front of us. Welcome to the last great summer of Tests.
Just take a look at the future tours programme. From February 2027 to mid 2031 there are six combined white ball world cups and five IPLs. In the same four-year period just six five Test series are due to take place anywhere in the world. South Africa have just two three-Test series scheduled between now and 2031, when Kagiso Rabada will be 35…
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
Yes probably it's just the bad luck of seeing whatever County match Sky has on that's given me that impression - sure it's not true across the board. But you need people there to give it some atmosphere or it all feels so terribly flat.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
It’s a little early to be anticipating the end of summer.
From the same Barney Ronay article quoted above. … This is nothing new. Everyone knows county cricket turned into a Larkin poem some time ago; all shadows, meadows, carved choirs, and that sense of a very English kind of dwindling, cut through with throbs of vibrant life. Yorkshire are in turmoil. Yorkshire are on the verge of liquidation. But Yorkshire are also 283 for three and a 20-year-old from York is flipping gliding and skimming the ball around Headingley in the April sun because life will still continue to happen…
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I actually think Taunton and New Road are better grounds for romantic settings.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
It’s a little early to be anticipating the end of summer.
From the same Barney Ronay article quoted above. … This is nothing new. Everyone knows county cricket turned into a Larkin poem some time ago; all shadows, meadows, carved choirs, and that sense of a very English kind of dwindling, cut through with throbs of vibrant life. Yorkshire are in turmoil. Yorkshire are on the verge of liquidation. But Yorkshire are also 283 for three and a 20-year-old from York is flipping gliding and skimming the ball around Headingley in the April sun because life will still continue to happen…
Yorkshire got 517 in the end and Leicestershire are 201 for 5.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
He really does seem determined to run Twitter into the ground.
Twitter has removed restrictions on Kremlin-linked accounts. Tests from multiple accounts showed that Twitter’s search results, timeline, and recommendation tools are now showing users such as Putin’s presidential account, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its UK Embassy – all of which had restrictions placed on them in Feb. 2022. https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1644441340497784846
More significant from a business, as opposed to political point of view, is the blocking of links to Substack accounts. That’s starting to drive people who write for a living - and post on Twitter for free - from the platform. The stuff that makes Twitter interesting and useful is starting to erode.
I don’t include Taibbi in that category, but there’s a deep irony in this, which underscores the damage Musk is doing to the platform. Twitter Files journo Matt Taibbi dumps platform after Elon Musk restricts Substack content https://twitter.com/RichardRodnick1/status/1644646109506043904
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
My father spoke very fondly of Chelmsford. He only went there once and there was some mess up over car parking (I forget what) so a very apologetic steward took Dad into the members enclosure for free. And he said in five minutes it was as though he was among friends. One of the best days watching cricket he ever had. Apart from Glos losing but well, you kind of expect that as a Shire supporter.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
It’s a little early to be anticipating the end of summer.
From the same Barney Ronay article quoted above. … This is nothing new. Everyone knows county cricket turned into a Larkin poem some time ago; all shadows, meadows, carved choirs, and that sense of a very English kind of dwindling, cut through with throbs of vibrant life. Yorkshire are in turmoil. Yorkshire are on the verge of liquidation. But Yorkshire are also 283 for three and a 20-year-old from York is flipping gliding and skimming the ball around Headingley in the April sun because life will still continue to happen…
Yorkshire got 517 in the end and Leicestershire are 201 for 5.
If they can't even bowl out Leicestershire for less than 200 they're really going to struggle this year.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Afghanistan is officially the most misogynist regime in the world.
“In the history of the UN, no other regime has ever tried to ban women from working for the Organization just because they are women. This decision represents an assault against women, the fundamental principles of the UN, and on international law.” https://twitter.com/heatherbarr1/status/1644604660957999110
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I actually think Taunton and New Road are better grounds for romantic settings.
I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
I think the biggest issue for country cricket is lack of exposure. There are plenty of excellent cricketers outside the national set up, and lots of overseas talent too. The ECB just needed to push the T20 blast onto BBC to make some of the players more widely known. The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The BBC should act as an incubator for UK sports leagues. Give the BBC a 20% equity share in cricket T20, a 10 year contract and in exchange pay whatever sky would be paying. The exposure will make the T20 competition worth billions by the time the deal is up, it can be then sold back to Sky et al as well as international markets.
There is an Indian elephant in the room, which renders such ideas unlikely. Even test cricket is being crowded out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/apr/08/the-indian-premier-league-is-a-brilliant-thing-but-is-killing-test-cricket …Back in England the Ashes will soon be upon us, five Tests across six weeks with the promise of renewal and fresh eyes. For all the death-in-life stuff of an April start, this is still the beginning of something. But it is also the beginning of the end. It is tempting to glaze over a little whenever anyone starts to talk about the end of Test cricket. This is a sport that thrives on dying, that seems to have been dying, with a robust sense of theatre, since the day it was born. But this thing is actually happening now. That ice shelf really is shearing off right in front of us. Welcome to the last great summer of Tests.
Just take a look at the future tours programme. From February 2027 to mid 2031 there are six combined white ball world cups and five IPLs. In the same four-year period just six five Test series are due to take place anywhere in the world. South Africa have just two three-Test series scheduled between now and 2031, when Kagiso Rabada will be 35…
T20 is clearly the long term future but that article is too pessimistic about Tests. I think ODIs will get squeezed out before tests. As for where the best cricket will be played, again long term it is clearly going to be India as they have most interest, most players, most fans and can generate the most revenue to attract the worlds elite. That doesn't mean there is not space for lower level competitions to be worth a lot of money if they are well managed.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I actually think Taunton and New Road are better grounds for romantic settings.
.. and Bristol definitely isn't....
No argument from me.
Cheltenham, however, is surely the most beautiful ground in England.
I suspect Gloucestershire have never built a ground at Staverton (which is actually the obvious place for it) simply because they don't want to lose the Cheltenham Festival.
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
My father spoke very fondly of Chelmsford. He only went there once and there was some mess up over car parking (I forget what) so a very apologetic steward took Dad into the members enclosure for free. And he said in five minutes it was as though he was among friends. One of the best days watching cricket he ever had. Apart from Glos losing but well, you kind of expect that as a Shire supporter.
Thanks for that. The members area where I used to sit was always welcoming to visitors. Sadly I don’t think I’ll ever get there again; I won’t be able to climb stairs, even I could get to the ground.
By no stretch of the imagination can it be considered ‘romantic’ though.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I actually think Taunton and New Road are better grounds for romantic settings.
New Road was wonderful before they built that stupid corporate monstrosity on the front of it. Back in the 80s you could still sit on the grass outside the boundary for the perfect view. New Road was a sort of cross between County and village green cricket. I haven't been for years, but I am assuming its stands all around now.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I actually think Taunton and New Road are better grounds for romantic settings.
New Road was wonderful before they built that stupid corporate monstrosity on the front of it. Back in the 80s you could still sit on the grass outside the boundary for the perfect view. New Road was a sort of cross between County and village green cricket. I haven't been for years, but I am assuming its stands all around now.
It had a wonderful Ladies Pavilion, IIRC, with cakes supplied by Lady Members.
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
My father spoke very fondly of Chelmsford. He only went there once and there was some mess up over car parking (I forget what) so a very apologetic steward took Dad into the members enclosure for free. And he said in five minutes it was as though he was among friends. One of the best days watching cricket he ever had. Apart from Glos losing but well, you kind of expect that as a Shire supporter.
Not the same since Essex stopped touring. Watched them in Ilford once, just down the road from where Zara Aleena was murdered by a man who should have been in prison.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
I also am baffled by cricket. But someone once described it to me as 'a pleasant background noise while you are having a picnic' and that made me warm to it somewhat.
There's a few sports I like some limited versions of but not others. Rugby league I can't stand in general. Rugby union, I like the 6N but not interested in the club tournaments.
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
The Members areas at Chelmsford can be quite busy, although there are often not many paying customers. We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
My father spoke very fondly of Chelmsford. He only went there once and there was some mess up over car parking (I forget what) so a very apologetic steward took Dad into the members enclosure for free. And he said in five minutes it was as though he was among friends. One of the best days watching cricket he ever had. Apart from Glos losing but well, you kind of expect that as a Shire supporter.
Not the same since Essex stopped touring. Watched them in Ilford once, just down the road from where Zara Aleena was murdered by a man who should have been in prison.
They cut back the touring after they had a points deduction for a dodgy pitch at Southend and missed out on the Championship. Why the same wasn’t done to Yorkshire a few years ago when the ground was deemed unsuitable for play before the game started is a subject which incites the more incitable Essex members!
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Whatever next? Dominic Cummings accused of going to Durham for reasons other than the ones stated? BJO admits he has an irrational loathing of Keir Starmer? The Pope declares his affiliation to the Catholic Church?
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Nothing to see here. The real scandal is that Keith Donkey and his poster.
Yup, it’s Keir’s big curry night out all over again.
So they're lying to parliament about who these migrants are, and offering policies written in crayon which fail at every stage at stopping the boats. Despite the lectern.
But don't worry Tory fans! Keith has said something beastly on a tweet so all the people furious about the fake boats crisis will happily vote for the people doing nothing about it.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
Silly mid leg was the guard Jon Batty used to take for Gloucestershire. But I've never heard of it being a fielding position.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Nothing to see here. The real scandal is that Keith Donkey and his poster.
Yup, it’s Keir’s big curry night out all over again.
Talking of the Starmerama, this piece appeared in my inbox, and gets to why, for all he's the Other Lot, I'm OK with the idea of him being PM...
it’s a tribute to his sheer bloody-minded determination that he has got this far. Truly great politicians have all the talents in some measure but you can get a very long way with just one if you have it in abundance, as Johnson showed. Starmer’s is his determination to keep struggling towards a goal without knowing the route. He is an archetypal tortoise. He will never be swift or graceful or compelling but he keeps going, and, without apparently making progress, he gets much further than anyone anticipates.
Must be a fecking road at Leeds if even Peter Handscomb can score a century on it.
Speaking of which, I suggested that Durham would benefit from not self-destructing. They should have read this thread header although I doubt if Sussex are complaining...
I genuinely don't know whether to be impressed by this header, given the depth of knowledge involved and the obvious relevance to betting, or bite my own arm off at the inherent tedium of cricket. I shall settle for the former. Well done, @ydoethur
I genuinely don't know whether to be impressed by this header, given the depth of knowledge involved and the obvious relevance to betting, or bite my own arm off at the inherent tedium of cricket. I shall settle for the former. Well done, @ydoethur
Why thank you.
I've never been told I've made somebody think about biting off their own arm before. I consider that quite a compliment.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Nothing to see here. The real scandal is that Keith Donkey and his poster.
Yup, it’s Keir’s big curry night out all over again.
Talking of the Starmerama, this piece appeared in my inbox, and gets to why, for all he's the Other Lot, I'm OK with the idea of him being PM...
it’s a tribute to his sheer bloody-minded determination that he has got this far. Truly great politicians have all the talents in some measure but you can get a very long way with just one if you have it in abundance, as Johnson showed. Starmer’s is his determination to keep struggling towards a goal without knowing the route. He is an archetypal tortoise. He will never be swift or graceful or compelling but he keeps going, and, without apparently making progress, he gets much further than anyone anticipates.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
Nothing to see here. The real scandal is that Keith Donkey and his poster.
Yup, it’s Keir’s big curry night out all over again.
Talking of the Starmerama, this piece appeared in my inbox, and gets to why, for all he's the Other Lot, I'm OK with the idea of him being PM...
it’s a tribute to his sheer bloody-minded determination that he has got this far. Truly great politicians have all the talents in some measure but you can get a very long way with just one if you have it in abundance, as Johnson showed. Starmer’s is his determination to keep struggling towards a goal without knowing the route. He is an archetypal tortoise. He will never be swift or graceful or compelling but he keeps going, and, without apparently making progress, he gets much further than anyone anticipates.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
That’s a silly point.
Good piece @ydoethur, I do miss going to watch a County game occasionally, the atmosphere out here is not the same with no picnics, and no beer in the stands.
The guy who, at the start of the war, was counting Russian tanks in various states of storage, has had another go, even to the point of commissioning his own satellite photos.
Why are people so surprised that politicians lie. Its been going on since the dawn of time.
I don't think people are truly surprised, but it's important nonetheless to push back on it and to make a fuss about particularly egregious examples. Otherwise there's no back pressure on the politicians to keep them at least vaguely interested in the truth value of what they're saying. Which would be bad for society morally and also I think tends to encourage bad policies.
Brilliant admission by the SNP party president in a Herald interview
“What the independence movement is trying to do is uniquely difficult. To bring a mature democracy to independence in the first part of the 21st century with all the entanglements that exist and we haven’t worked out how to do it yet. I think we’d be best served by a unified Yes movement trying to work that out. You can’t do that when one part of the Yes movement wants to destroy another part of it. That’s the problem.”
So they’ve been campaigning for Indy for the last 15 years, and came close to actually winning a referendum, but in reality they haven’t got a clue how Indy might work, or even if it will work, because it is impossibly difficult, and basically they’re not really going to bother, they all hate each other anyway, Vote for us for Indy!
When the president of the party dedicated to Scottish independence says “independence is remarkably difficult to achieve, we have no idea how to get it, and we’re not going to try for a long while anyway” I politely suggest that this party is FUCKED on a fairly existential level
Because if the SNP thinks Indy is too hard to do right now, maybe too hard to do ever, and we should get on with other things, then all their voters will start looking at the “other things” - ie how the Nats actually govern Scotland, and that is not a pretty picture, is it?
this garment always makes Starmer look like a funeral director. You never quite know if he’s going to say something about manufacturing jobs or murmur that the horse-drawn carriage is now ready to leave."
I saw a funeral cortege the other day with a man in top and tails walking in front of the hearse, which is a thing I have only ever seen in television comedy shows before.
Perhaps Enfield is unusual, but it’s quite a common sight there.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
Imagine if UKIP, in about 2015, had said “Brexit is really really hard, and we haven’t remotely worked out how to do it, and so we’re not going try for a few years, maybe more”
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
That’s a silly point.
Good piece @ydoethur, I do miss going to watch a County game occasionally, the atmosphere out here is not the same with no picnics, and no beer in the stands.
Beer in the stands at Chelmsford. Unless it’s changed in the past couple of years. One of the big features of our town ground is the beer from the club house. We also have an annual Festival week, which includes a Beer Festival, with 50 beers. One of the challenges is to have a pint of each in the four days. We usually have the County Second team against another first-class second team.
Brilliant admission by the SNP party president in a Herald interview
“What the independence movement is trying to do is uniquely difficult. To bring a mature democracy to independence in the first part of the 21st century with all the entanglements that exist and we haven’t worked out how to do it yet. I think we’d be best served by a unified Yes movement trying to work that out. You can’t do that when one part of the Yes movement wants to destroy another part of it. That’s the problem.”
So they’ve been campaigning for Indy for the last 15 years, and came close to actually winning a referendum, but in reality they haven’t got a clue how Indy might work, or even if it will work, because it is impossibly difficult, and basically they’re not really going to bother, they all hate each other anyway, Vote for us for Indy!
Brilliant admission by the SNP party president in a Herald interview
“What the independence movement is trying to do is uniquely difficult. To bring a mature democracy to independence in the first part of the 21st century with all the entanglements that exist and we haven’t worked out how to do it yet. I think we’d be best served by a unified Yes movement trying to work that out. You can’t do that when one part of the Yes movement wants to destroy another part of it. That’s the problem.”
So they’ve been campaigning for Indy for the last 15 years, and came close to actually winning a referendum, but in reality they haven’t got a clue how Indy might work, or even if it will work, because it is impossibly difficult, and basically they’re not really going to bother, they all hate each other anyway, Vote for us for Indy!
So the murderous, poisonous accumulation of lies that are currently bringing the SNP down is actually Alba's fault? Right, got it.
Russell is among the worst of the wrong uns in the SNP, he can lie without batting an eyelid. The whole rotten crew in there at present need tarring , feathering and run out of town.
Lords for a county game on a sunny afternoon in the middle of September is perfect. Long shadows on green grass, leather on willow echoing around empty white stands. The faint buzz of traffic in the distance. The seasons changing. It is as close to living an elegy as you can possibly imagine. It is a lost England’s soul. If you have the chance to experience it, you should.
I think Canterbury is my favourite.
Ist there a tree there obscuring the view for many?
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
The ease of watching the streams has been a revelation to me since I started watching them in 2021 after many years of avidly following England's Test matches.
It's very much the same game to me, despite the obviously lower standard overall. You have the same sense of a game slowly building to a climax and the same mix of slow and fast changes in the balance of relative advantage.
Plus, if you're called away from the match in the afternoon to visit family you probably won't miss all of the remaining match - it will still be there when you get back.
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
if there is a silly mid on, and a silly mid off, surely one of those must be on the leg side?
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
if there is a silly mid on, and a silly mid off, surely one of those must be on the leg side?
Well, yes. It's just called mid on, not mid leg. Though you have short leg, fine leg, and short fine leg...
Thorough piece of work by Ydoethur. Deserves at least one comment, I'd have thought.
The direction of travel for cricket seems to be shorter and shorter and shorter. Ultimately the game will dispense with bat and ball and simply charge people £100 to sit in the sun drinking beer.
If the choice was a) watch cricket for free or b) pay 100£ to sit in the sun and drink beer I would have my wallet open at light speed.
SO you would watch the Hundred in a flash then?
Probably not, I can get the point of most games, cricket though I find ineffably baffling. I can only assume it was originally designed to as a joke probably to bemuse and baffle the French. I tried to watch cricket but when even the commentators spend a lot of time commentating on what the crowd are doing or that a bird has landed at silly mid leg you have to scratch your head as to the point
Not sure there is such a position. There's 'long leg', 'leg slip', even a 'short long leg', but not a 'silly mid leg'. Unless ydoethur says otherwise of course. I'll stand corrected in that case.
if there is a silly mid on, and a silly mid off, surely one of those must be on the leg side?
I love international cricket but struggle to engage with the County Championship. There is a limited pool of talent and England call ups can seriously weaken some of these teams, as well as the viewing spectacle. But it is more accessible now so we shall see.
As for the Hundred, what a terrible idea that was.
I think the biggest issue for country cricket is lack of exposure. There are plenty of excellent cricketers outside the national set up, and lots of overseas talent too. The ECB just needed to push the T20 blast onto BBC to make some of the players more widely known. The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The BBC should act as an incubator for UK sports leagues. Give the BBC a 20% equity share in cricket T20, a 10 year contract and in exchange pay whatever sky would be paying. The exposure will make the T20 competition worth billions by the time the deal is up, it can be then sold back to Sky et al as well as international markets.
There is an Indian elephant in the room, which renders such ideas unlikely. Even test cricket is being crowded out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/apr/08/the-indian-premier-league-is-a-brilliant-thing-but-is-killing-test-cricket …Back in England the Ashes will soon be upon us, five Tests across six weeks with the promise of renewal and fresh eyes. For all the death-in-life stuff of an April start, this is still the beginning of something. But it is also the beginning of the end. It is tempting to glaze over a little whenever anyone starts to talk about the end of Test cricket. This is a sport that thrives on dying, that seems to have been dying, with a robust sense of theatre, since the day it was born. But this thing is actually happening now. That ice shelf really is shearing off right in front of us. Welcome to the last great summer of Tests.
Just take a look at the future tours programme. From February 2027 to mid 2031 there are six combined white ball world cups and five IPLs. In the same four-year period just six five Test series are due to take place anywhere in the world. South Africa have just two three-Test series scheduled between now and 2031, when Kagiso Rabada will be 35…
T20 is clearly the long term future but that article is too pessimistic about Tests. I think ODIs will get squeezed out before tests. As for where the best cricket will be played, again long term it is clearly going to be India as they have most interest, most players, most fans and can generate the most revenue to attract the worlds elite. That doesn't mean there is not space for lower level competitions to be worth a lot of money if they are well managed.
A T20 match involves 40 overs of cricket. A Test match that goes the full five days would be > 400 overs of cricket. It's not simply a shorter format of the game, it's a completely different game.
The risk is that what was known as cricket has created it's own destroyer, like a cuckoo in the nest. I think that would be a great shame.
Comments
The 4 day champs is always a harder sell. When I’m retired I hope to go to a fair bit of cricket, but right now there is no time in my life.
The contagious laugh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aIagPztV-s
Let's hope it goes away soon.
It will, I hope, prove as long lasting as cricket max, another doomed and pointless change to the basics of the game.
If they let it run that long, they will run out of money. While causing even more damage to the English game in the meanwhile.
And what's really frustrating is this was all entirely avoidable and indeed was foreseen by most people at the time.
But it will never happen. Not least as counties will resist like mad any attempt to cut the number of games in the Blast.
https://twitter.com/beardedgenius/status/1644614042856615936?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
Sales of coffee plus whisky were, I understand, very good!
Cricket, I like international test cricket and one-day cricket. I don't mind the T20 franchise tournaments. I don't mind the Hundred (for all the protestations, it's not actually very much different from T20). I'm not much on the county championship stuff though, mainly because it feels a bit like it's done in front of two men and a dog a lot of the time.
Even if they are burying Dad.
We get quite decent crowds for special events at our local, Town, club.
Even test cricket is being crowded out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/apr/08/the-indian-premier-league-is-a-brilliant-thing-but-is-killing-test-cricket
…Back in England the Ashes will soon be upon us, five Tests across six weeks with the promise of renewal and fresh eyes. For all the death-in-life stuff of an April start, this is still the beginning of something. But it is also the beginning of the end. It is tempting to glaze over a little whenever anyone starts to talk about the end of Test cricket. This is a sport that thrives on dying, that seems to have been dying, with a robust sense of theatre, since the day it was born. But this thing is actually happening now. That ice shelf really is shearing off right in front of us. Welcome to the last great summer of Tests.
Just take a look at the future tours programme. From February 2027 to mid 2031 there are six combined white ball world cups and five IPLs. In the same four-year period just six five Test series are due to take place anywhere in the world. South Africa have just two three-Test series scheduled between now and 2031, when Kagiso Rabada will be 35…
Goes for most sport, tbf.
From the same Barney Ronay article quoted above.
… This is nothing new. Everyone knows county cricket turned into a Larkin poem some time ago; all shadows, meadows, carved choirs, and that sense of a very English kind of dwindling, cut through with throbs of vibrant life. Yorkshire are in turmoil. Yorkshire are on the verge of liquidation. But Yorkshire are also 283 for three and a 20-year-old from York is flipping gliding and skimming the ball around Headingley in the April sun because life will still continue to happen…
Twitter has removed restrictions on Kremlin-linked accounts. Tests from multiple accounts showed that Twitter’s search results, timeline, and recommendation tools are now showing users such as Putin’s presidential account, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its UK Embassy – all of which had restrictions placed on them in Feb. 2022.
https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1644441340497784846
More significant from a business, as opposed to political point of view, is the blocking of links to Substack accounts.
That’s starting to drive people who write for a living - and post on Twitter for free - from the platform. The stuff that makes Twitter interesting and useful is starting to erode.
I don’t include Taibbi in that category, but there’s a deep irony in this, which underscores the damage Musk is doing to the platform.
Twitter Files journo Matt Taibbi dumps platform after Elon Musk restricts Substack content
https://twitter.com/RichardRodnick1/status/1644646109506043904
Unless Harris does something sensational Gloucestershire are into full reluctant Turkish conscript territory here.
“In the history of the UN, no other regime has ever tried to ban women from working for the Organization just because they are women. This decision represents an assault against women, the fundamental principles of the UN, and on international law.”
https://twitter.com/heatherbarr1/status/1644604660957999110
Cheltenham, however, is surely the most beautiful ground in England.
I suspect Gloucestershire have never built a ground at Staverton (which is actually the obvious place for it) simply because they don't want to lose the Cheltenham Festival.
Sadly I don’t think I’ll ever get there again; I won’t be able to climb stairs, even I could get to the ground.
By no stretch of the imagination can it be considered ‘romantic’ though.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-you-fight-conspiracy-theories/
The only really reliable strategy seems to be teaching critical thinking skills.
Why the same wasn’t done to Yorkshire a few years ago when the ground was deemed unsuitable for play before the game started is a subject which incites the more incitable Essex members!
Go treat yourself to a bit of it. Politics will keep. This weather may not.
Who are they, and where do I apply?
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/08/home-office-admits-no-evidence-to-support-key-claim-on-small-boat-crossings?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Whatever next? Dominic Cummings accused of going to Durham for reasons other than the ones stated? BJO admits he has an irrational loathing of Keir Starmer? The Pope declares his affiliation to the Catholic Church?
But don't worry Tory fans! Keith has said something beastly on a tweet so all the people furious about the fake boats crisis will happily vote for the people doing nothing about it.
Or something.
it’s a tribute to his sheer bloody-minded determination that he has got this far. Truly great politicians have all the talents in some measure but you can get a very long way with just one if you have it in abundance, as Johnson showed. Starmer’s is his determination to keep struggling towards a goal without knowing the route. He is an archetypal tortoise. He will never be swift or graceful or compelling but he keeps going, and, without apparently making progress, he gets much further than anyone anticipates.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ianleslie/p/the-tortoise?r=ozriy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Speaking of which, I suggested that Durham would benefit from not self-destructing. They should have read this thread header although I doubt if Sussex are complaining...
I've never been told I've made somebody think about biting off their own arm before. I consider that quite a compliment.
The Home Office has admitted it has no evidence to back up one of the key justifications for its crackdown on small boat crossings.
As home secretary, Priti Patel, the Tory architect of attempts to tackle Channel crossings, told parliament in 2021 that “70% of individuals on small boats are single men who are effectively economic migrants”.
With the number of boat arrivals continuing to increase, Suella Braverman backed up her predecessor’s assertion in December last year by telling MPs: “There is considerable evidence that people are coming here as economic migrants, illegally.”
Human rights groups say such claims help create a false narrative that individuals travelling to the UK by boat are not genuine asylum seekers and are therefore less deserving of sympathy.
However, when asked to respond to a Freedom of Information request for evidence to support Patel’s claim, the Home Office admitted it had none.
The response by the Home Office, dated 20 March 2023 – a year after the request was sent – states: “We have carried out a thorough search and we have established that the Home Office does not hold the information requested.”
The apparently misleading statement from the former home secretary to parliament appears not to have been corrected.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/08/home-office-admits-no-evidence-to-support-key-claim-on-small-boat-crossings?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Took them a year to respond to the FOI request too. Lying incompetent shits. If there’s a recall petition for Patel I can find three signatories in the next five minutes.
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
Good piece @ydoethur, I do miss going to watch a County game occasionally, the atmosphere out here is not the same with no picnics, and no beer in the stands.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2PHUK6zkbpc
His conclusion is that they’ve not run out yet, but a lot of what’s left is prettty old.
“What the independence movement is trying to do is uniquely difficult. To bring a mature democracy to independence in the first part of the 21st century with all the entanglements that exist and we haven’t worked out how to do it yet. I think we’d be best served by a unified Yes movement trying to work that out. You can’t do that when one part of the Yes movement wants to destroy another part of it. That’s the problem.”
So they’ve been campaigning for Indy for the last 15 years, and came close to actually winning a referendum, but in reality they haven’t got a clue how Indy might work, or even if it will work, because it is impossibly difficult, and basically they’re not really going to bother, they all hate each other anyway, Vote for us for Indy!
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23443018.i-dont-think-scottish-independence-can-secured-right-now/
Because if the SNP thinks Indy is too hard to do right now, maybe too hard to do ever, and we should get on with other things, then all their voters will start looking at the “other things” - ie how the Nats actually govern Scotland, and that is not a pretty picture, is it?
Oh dear, never mind, etc
It really drove home that I’m entitled to my own opinions, but I’m not entitled to my own facts.
They would have died overnight
We also have an annual Festival week, which includes a Beer Festival, with 50 beers. One of the challenges is to have a pint of each in the four days.
We usually have the County Second team against another first-class second team.
"A teachers' union in England is to ballot members on strike action after 87% of its members voted to reject the government's pay offer.
The NASUWT, which represents 280,000 teachers in the UK, said the offer failed to address its concerns over pay and working conditions.
Four unions have now rejected the offer - including the National Education Union, which is planning more strikes.
The government has said further strike action was "extremely disappointing"."
It's very much the same game to me, despite the obviously lower standard overall. You have the same sense of a game slowly building to a climax and the same mix of slow and fast changes in the balance of relative advantage.
Plus, if you're called away from the match in the afternoon to visit family you probably won't miss all of the remaining match - it will still be there when you get back.
It's just called mid on, not mid leg.
Though you have short leg, fine leg, and short fine leg...
I hope that's clear now.
Except for square leg.
The risk is that what was known as cricket has created it's own destroyer, like a cuckoo in the nest. I think that would be a great shame.