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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 6, 2017 17:00:34 GMT
Aggers Apoplectic!
__________________________ It is rare to see Jonathan Agnew irate. He is such a mild mannered and easy-going sort of chap. A few Twitter spats and he curls up in a ball and closes his account only to reappear when he's recovered. So to find him angrily tweeting about the Adelaide Police is somewhat of a rare curio. And the story behind this? After watching the humiliation of England losing the 2nd Test and going 2-0 down in the Ashes, Aggers ended his commentary work for the series to return home to see and nurse his wife, Emma. For, not only is she suffering from breast cancer but to add to their woes, she was taken to hospital with food poisoning recently, an additional worry for Agnew to contend with. Anyway, on the way to the Adelaide Railway station, he was seen jay-walking across a deserted street at 0045 in the early hours. According to the 'South Australia Legal Services Commission', there is no specific offence of jaywalking in the state, but pedestrians can be pulled up for any one of five offences, including "walking without reasonable regard for road users", "crossing a road diagonally" and crossing "within 20 metres of a tram stop" or "within 20 metres of a pedestrian crossing". An incensed Agnew pointed out to the authorities there were no cars within 100 metres when he was booked for his 'crime' and then added, "There were four officers. Rude and offensive. (This has) completely altered my view of your lovely city". Perhaps, Agnew should have emulated the England squad by giving himself a midnight curfew?
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 8, 2017 15:57:27 GMT
Here is a delightful and heart warming story which portrays the charitable arm of Sussex CCC in its best light. For readers of this cricket column you may remember back in late September, at the ‘Players Awards Night’, I unmasked who the person behind the Sid the Shark costume is. His name: Jamie Fielding and after a brief chat I published an article about his antics as Sid alongside the background story to how he first became ‘shark anointed’. unofficialsussexccc.freeforums.net/post/26899/threadJamie Fielding aka the former Sid the Shark and below his son CharlieI mentioned this brilliant clown of cricket was stepping down because Jamie is father of two year-old twins and tragically one of them, Charlie, became paraplegic a year ago and requires increasing care. We learnt this week that a further cheque from The Sussex Cricket Foundation, this time for £707, was handed over to Dad, Jamie, aka the former Sid, to help with Charlie’s latest round of physiotherapy treatment. The club article is a little confusing as it does not explain that Jamie Fielding was Sid. Jamie explained to me in September that the club had been carrying out rigorous interviews for who will don the costume next season. Hopefully, by now, a replacement has been found and one hopes the new Sid will be as clownish, good-humoured and funny as his predecessor. www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news/sussex-supporters-raise-hundreds-young-charlie
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 9, 2017 18:08:30 GMT
The weather looks pretty foul on the South Coast for Sunday with heavy rain forecast during the morning, so why not check out the Brighton Racecourse and the amazing display of local photographs for sale taken over many decades from the Evening Argus library. Andy Garth, owner of the Hove shop 'Brighton & Hove Stuff', is the inspiration and instigator of this exhibition. There are close to ten thousand pictures to choose from at a very reasonable price of £5 each. Subjects cover everything from sport and celebrity to politics, the environment and special interests. They are arranged in alphabetical order and/or sections with photos placed in envelopes and then boxes. There is a strong Sussex CCC flavour of player photos from the 1970s and '80s which I'll publish next week. Also, it was good to catch up with two of the club catering staff, Jo and Cheryl, who are working for the Racecourse over the weekend. Sussex CCC Catering Staff, Jo and CherylAdmission is FREE. This sale exhibition is well worth a visit.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 9, 2017 18:59:26 GMT
Sussex CCC like many other county clubs have a long, illustrious and rich history to be proud of, where famous players are the usual sign of their historical distinction and Sussex have many to boast about but... perhaps, one of the most important and significant people the club have had the great fortune to behold is not a cricketer but a supporter. The Sussex CCC Good and Wealthy SamaritanRob Andrew has alluded to this person a number of times during his talks at recent club occasions. Without him, Sussex CCC could well be groaning under massive debt right now. So, quite rightly, there is a Pavilion named after him. Of course his name is Spen Cama. Above is a photograph taken of Spen in 1971 at the first '100 Club' event in the former Sussex County Hotel, now known as 'The Cricketers Pub'. He stands out proud and upstanding at an event to raise money for the Preston Nomads CC, a club he founded and later left £2m to in his Will. Spen came to England from Eastern Europe and made his ££millions from commercial property and their rental revenue. His attempt at marriage was short-lived and afterwards he decided to pour his emotional energy into local cricket. He was such a fan of Sussex that he often spent the winter months travelling abroad to follow England, although, only if the National side boasted a Sussex player. It is now legendary that the final sum Spen left to Sussex CCC in his Will was around £10m. Due to a 'several years' hold-up' in the probate, the original sum of £6m increased to £10m due to an upsurge in the commercial property market. This money was then placed in bank and building society accounts during the 2000s which at the height of UK interest rates accrued an annual £640k for the club. This underlay the needed prosperity for the county's golden decade. The Cama money was then used to redevelop the Hove County Ground from 2008 onwards and has helped Sussex to be the only county ground not to be in debt after such an undertaking. This then places Sussex in an incredibly strong position come 2020 when the annual £1.3m is paid to each county by the ECB taken from the latest SKY Media Rights deal. While other clubs will be using this finance to pay off their debts, Sussex are happily whistling to the bank. Spen Cama is a name every Sussex Supporter should remember and thank. The one thing still missing is a statue of the great man located in the ground.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 10, 2017 9:18:43 GMT
So begins a series of articles on former Sussex players inspired by photographs available during this weekend's great photographic sale at the Brighton Racecourse. Imran Khan, surely, is touted as one of the past Sussex greatest of greats. He had it all. Flare, talent, leadership, good-looks, risk-taking, debonair... a cut above the rest. The women crooned over him and there are many tales of air hostesses driving down from Gatwick to Hove on a weekend in a bid to catch his eye. A photo of Khan taken by the 'Brighton Gazette' on April 27th, 1981 Batting, Bowling, Boot-Licking & Book SigningDescribed as "one of the most outstanding cricketers to emerge from Pakistan", he played for Sussex between 1977 and 1988 and Captained them. It is said he chose Sussex because it was only an hour's train journey from the high life of London as well as being close to the sea. His cricketing achievements for both the South Coast club and Pakistan are legendary. www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/40560.htmlAfter retiring from cricket in 1992, his next career in politics made him even more famous. Below is his extensive wiki. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imran_KhanImran Khan today - still youthful-looking at 65 years-old
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 10, 2017 18:50:34 GMT
Below is a photograph taken in June, 1975 of the Sussex CCC team at the County Ground. Good to see Tony Greig and John Snow in the picture. Other luminaries include Peter Graves and Johnny Barclay.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 11, 2017 9:32:55 GMT
The column on Imran Khan has found particular interest amongst certain Sussex supporters on the Twittersphere. One enthusiastic proponent is LordRic52 who, himself, writes a regular blog. Below is a weblink to a column he scribed back in March, where a majority is about Khan. Well worth a read. lord-ric.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/of-history-of-legend.html
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 11, 2017 17:06:34 GMT
If you are Mark Thatcher how on Earth do you copy your mother's success? If you were Randolph Churchill how by Heaven could you match the exploits of your father? Sadly, the cricketer Bobby Parks had to face a similar fate. How by Jove do you emulate both your cricketing father and grandfather's legendary achievements? Born on 15th June, 1959 and raised in Cuckfield, he was named Robert James Parks. Having two such famous cricketers already in the family, the pressure to become a professional player must have been great. Just as if your name is Bush or Kennedy, the moment born, politics is the only way ahead. Sensibly, Bobby avoided Sussex (joining the club would have only made things worse) and instead played for Hampshire and then Kent. Like his dad, he became a batsman/wicket-keeper with a claim to fame being keeping wicket for England during a Test against New Zealand at Lord's in 1986 as a substitute for Bruce French. Bobby played 256 first class innings, scoring 3,957 runs, made 14 fifties, with a highest of 89 at an average of 19.58. As a keeper, he took 642 catches and made 72 stumpings.
In 1998, after retiring from playing, Bobby was named the Coach of the France National Cricket Team. This was a prestigious appointment. The 'French Cricket Association' had been formed in 1987, gaining Affiliate membership of the ICC that same year. In 1997, France played in the European Nations Cup in Zuoz, Switzerland and won the tournament after beating Germany by one run in the final. This match was included in the 'Wisden Cricketers' Almanack' list of 100 best matches of the 20th century as David Bordes ran the winning leg bye with a fractured skull. After Bobby took over, the French side played in the European Championship in the Netherlands and finished eighth after losing to Germany in a play-off. They became an associate member of the ICC the same year and finished third in Division Two of the 2000 European Championship. After this, the information on Bobby peters out. Perhaps, a reader can enlighten us further? www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/18437.html
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 13, 2017 11:26:00 GMT
Johnny Barclay is synonymous with the modern-day Sussex CCC. Educated at Eton, then moving on to Sandhurst, he played for the County from 1970 to 1986 and Captained the side between 1980 and 1986. His loyalty to the club remains unstinted, while successfully involved with Arundel Castle CC alongside James Ruffey as well as being a Director of their Foundation. Barclay was a Sussex CCC Committee Club Member for many years. One role was to smooth the waters of any conflicts between other members. Nicknamed 'Trout' due to his parents calling him John Robert Troutbeck Barclay, he was born on January 22nd, 1954. His CV off the field as well as on it is impressive including being a Past President of the MCC, President of The English Schools Cricket Association, President of The Cricket Society and Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex. Johnny's achievements continue with being a cricket author and general good egg. His on-field achievementswww.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/8984.htmlHere are some photos from his dashing, dapper days when playing for Sussex CCC.
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A.S.
2nd XI player
Posts: 60
County club member: Kent
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Post by A.S. on Dec 13, 2017 13:07:23 GMT
"After Bobby took over, the French side played in the European Championship in the Netherlands and finished eighth after losing to Germany in a play-off. They became an associate member of the ICC the same year and finished third in Division Two of the 2000 European Championship. After this, the information on Bobby peters out. Perhaps, a reader can enlighten us further?"
Although not exactly relevant, I recall being dragged by my daughter who was not, and remains, not the slightest bit interested in cricket, down to the Cheriton ground at Folkestone in about 2000, to watch an ODI between France and (I think) the Netherlands. France got thrashed and were presumably coached by Bobby at the time. It must have been an interesting coaching job, since the French team had a predominently Asian background, an exception being my daughter's then boyfriend who was playing for France and had the splendid French name of Gareth Edwards.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 14, 2017 18:03:35 GMT
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 19, 2017 12:06:20 GMT
So continues the series of past Sussex CCC photos taken from the vast Evening Argus library. Below is a favourite which I call "CAFFYN'S BRITISH LEYLAND LUMPS". Of course, Alan Caffyn is synonymous with everything that was once bad about the club. The man who famously said. "Sussex are too small a club to gain success", his Chairman's autocratic style, appalling communication skills especially with the media, and inability to show any understanding or empathy with cricket players, it is extraordinary that he headed a successful group of local garages aptly named Caffyns. After being appointed Club Chairman, he continued to use Sussex CCC to market and advertise the cars his garages sold. This photograph taken much earlier in 1981 which includes luminaries like Johnny Barclay and Geoff Arnold, typifies the 'Leyland Lumps' that Caffyn promoted to the club to use. It is rumoured that some senior players were too embarrassed to drive some of them. It was Caffyn who was primarily responsible for triggering the Members Rebellion in March 1997 and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude. His refusal to increase the players' salaries may have led to small annual profits, but this also created a mass exodus of 6 capped players at the end of the 1996 season including Captain Alan Wells who departed for Kent. For while other counties were increasing salaries, Caffyn refused point blank. When he stepped down 12 days before the Grand Hotel triumph and Ken Hopkins was given the hospital pass, not a tear was shed by supporters. Caffyn represented everything that was then rotten in the state of Hove.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 19, 2017 12:22:54 GMT
Here is a charming photograph of the popular and endearing Museum stalwart Rob Boddie. It is unclear when this picture was taken (perhaps, early 1990s), but a younger and youthful-looking Rob is posing in the former club library for an Argus article entitled 'Stumped'. The contrived shot includes an assortment of Wisden's, a juniper's ball and a Phillips bat.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 19, 2017 12:30:40 GMT
It is very difficult to avoid Chris Adams when you explore the recent past club annals. Here is a blond-haired Chris posing for an Evening Argus feature soon after joining Sussex CCC as their new Captain in late 1997.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Dec 19, 2017 12:38:27 GMT
What classic photographs these are as the legends of Sussex CCC go on display. A favourite is the one of Aubrey Smith batting for Hollywood CC with ghoulish actor Boris Karloff as the wicket-keeper. You couldn't make it up! There is also a picture of the Sussex CCC squad from either 1927 or '37 alongside a celebration of the 150th Club Anniversary from 1989. No surprise to discover Ranji, Imran Khan, Tony Greig and CB Fry are amongst the pictures.
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