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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 14, 2018 16:13:24 GMT
I am delighted to announce that the Sussex CCC Museum are publishing a booklet in the near future celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the Members’ Rebellion which occurred on March 19th, 1997, during an AGM held at the Brighton Grand Hotel. I am even more delighted because I happen to be the author of this tome and putting modesty aside, not only did I gain much pleasure from carrying out the research and interviewing those at the forefront of the rebellion, but managed to garner new and important information as well as discover photographs taken on that infamous night which have never seen the light of day. While, this article is more of a teaser and further news will be relayed at a later date what I can divulge is: : There will be original signatures of famous Sussex players from that time period in each copy. : Those I interviewed include Tony Pigott, Peter Moores, Jim May, Richard Barrow and David Gilbert. : A number of photographs show the inside of the Grand Hotel AGM room where up to 1,000 Club Members’ attended. Your face may well be amongst the crowd shown, so you could actually see yourself from 21 years ago! : The price of this special and unique edition will be somewhere between £10-£15. : All proceeds from the booklet will go to the Club Museum. : Anyone who wishes to order a copy can contact me through a private message. An official contact number for purchasing a booklet will be publicised nearer the date of publication. One cannot emphasise the importance of that evening on March 19th, 1997. From it came 10 years of incredible Club success that included 9 Trophies and a myriad of wondrous memories. My research uncovered fascinating and, until now, unknown facts concerning the lead-up to the rebellion and then the rebuilding of Sussex CCC. Did you know, for example, that Shane Warne came close to becoming Sussex Captain. It is both a quirky yet informative story which shows that ‘people power’ works when there is sufficient determination, will and passion behind it. Meanwhile, the timing of the 21st Anniversary could not be better. Another Club revolution is taking place under the helm of CEO Rob Andrew with the signing of Jason Gillespie as the new Head Coach backed by an emerging array of promising and talented young players. What a great time it is to be a Sussex CCC supporter.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 15, 2018 21:54:53 GMT
Jofra Archer is now becoming so famous he even has his own meme.
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Post by flashblade on Feb 16, 2018 8:48:08 GMT
Jofra Archer is now becoming so famous he even has his own meme. Just make sure no-one confuses him with the notorious Archer of Brighton & Hove Albion fame.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 17, 2018 21:16:14 GMT
I have some bad news for Sussex supporters who follow and know the history of the club. Tony Pigott, a former fast bowler of 18 years club service and the flag-bearer of the Members’ Rebellion 21 years ago, has had a nasty skiing accident in the famous resort of Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest summit of the Alps. During the county cricket season Pigott works for the ECB as a Cricket Liaison Officer and over the Winter has a second business as a chef/caterer for a major Ski lodge. His cooking skills are so exemplary that the BBC asked him a few years ago to appear on their popular series ‘Celebrity Masterchef’ which Tony duly turned down. During his free-time he enjoys the pleasures of skiing, but unfortunately last weekend, Pigott had a dramatic fall and badly struck his head in the process, causing him to be comatose for over 24 hours. He is now awake and recovering in hospital. I am sure all the readers and Members of this Forum would like to wish him a speedy recovery.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 19, 2018 13:39:28 GMT
The Politicalisation of Cricket ______________________________________It was Rob Andrew who said during a speech at the recent Sussex supporters Christmas luncheon, “I thought rugby was political but cricket is far more so.” And my own personal experience as a cricket journalist has shown me, we live in an era where vested interests are proliferating by the year; where if you don’t play the game and support a particular establishment view or interest then opportunities to express yourself may dry up; and this is not the politics of Apartheid and Basil D’Oliveira which led to an embarrassing mess for the MCC in August 1968, but the more Masonic ‘you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours’, which has become so blatant that no-one now seems to care or even make a noise about. Vested interests rule today where the mainstream media, particularly in America, have become the willing puppets to this corrupt system. You go where the paymaster goes and in an era where online media is decimating the traditional forms, beggars can’t be choosers. Unhappy - Very HappyTherefore, should we be surprised that the flagrant conflict of interest between the ECB Chairman, Colin Graves, and his monetary link to Yorkshire, caused barely a whimper within the UK media, when it was announced last week which International grounds had been given the Holy Grail of an Ashes Test during 2023? The BBC have already taken the news down from their collective sports website and even the most vocal of cricketing media, ESPNCricinfo, barely hint at this injustice with the headline ‘Headingley secures 2023 Ashes Test, Ageas Bowl misses out’ with their intro paragraph, “Headingley has been awarded the lucrative double of an India and an Ashes Test during the ECB's major match allocation for 2020-2024. Yorkshire's ground will also be one of the host venues for the new eight-team T20 competition…” The obvious question is this: Should Headingley have been allowed to tender for both the Ashes and City-Based Tournament, when the ECB Chairman has a major financial interest in the bidding process? Colin Graves has lent Yorkshire over £20m during the last 10 years to save the club from bankruptcy. Any businessman of Graves acumen wants to see his money returned. How else can this be achieved unless Headingley becomes part of two of the most lucrative UK cricketing events? In the Daily Mail’s Charles Sales column on February 11th, he points out this conflict but to offer balance then writes, “The ECB say Graves has played no part in the independent panel who will put their recommendations — done on a totting-up points basis on strict criteria — to the ECB board on Wednesday, and that the ECB chairman, along with other board members with strong county links, would withdraw from the discussions if they felt conflicted in any way.” The Media PuppetryQuestion: What is this totting-up points based on and the idea that Colin Graves would withdraw from discussions if he felt conflicted is ludicrous twaddle. Graves was conflicted from the moment Yorkshire tendered their bids. Therefore, is it no surprise that the Club were not only awarded the lucrative double of an India and an Ashes Test during the ECB's major match allocation for 2020-2024, but the ground will also be one of the host venues for the new eight-team T20 competition (CBT) starting in 2020. And who has suffered? The present bad-boys of English cricket, Durham, were cold-shouldered on both accounts, giving Headingley free rein for northern prestige whilst Rod Bransgrove at Hampshire, disliked by the ECB for his outspoken and critical views, was yet again offered the heave-ho… although politics did allow the Ageas Bowl to be hailed as the new South Coast venue for the CBT. Cold-ShoulderedUnfortunately, 9 into 5 doesn’t go, so four potential international grounds will always be disappointed when it comes to being given an Ashes Test, made worse as both Lord’s and The Oval are automatic London choices. Under the ECBs ‘totting-up basis’, Trent Bridge should have been awarded an Ashes Test, given their recent successes at holding them, but no… It doesn’t matter what Ian Lovett, deputy chairman of the ECB and chair of the assessment panel says (see article below), Headingley should not have been allowed to tender until after Graves had stepped down from his Chairmanship. But, in our growing Big Brother media world, towing the line and not making a fuss, is good for survival. Can you imagine though the critical media frenzy if President Donald Trump ever passes a Bill which greatly benefits his own business interests? www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/1136624.html
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 20, 2018 9:21:43 GMT
The first 100,000 page views accumulated by the Wicked Cricket Column took 2.5 years to amass. The second 100,000 pvs were collected over 1.4 years.
Thank you the readership for your continued and growing support. As ever, it is an honour and a privilege writing for you.
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Post by primrose on Feb 20, 2018 9:47:38 GMT
Great work Wicked Cricket - I'm a regular reader if not a regular poster!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 20, 2018 13:21:59 GMT
'England ODI opener to play only white-ball cricket for Nottinghamshire'First, Adil Rashid, now Alex Hales. I wonder if Luke Wright and Chris Jordan will follow suit? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43127012
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 21, 2018 9:40:15 GMT
Using Harold MacMillan's 'Night of the Long Knives' as an analogy, an extraordinary event occurred overnight. Given the growing political paranoia and insanity that is sweeping the Western world, Twitter account holders around the world discovered to their horror that their cherished followers count has been dramatically slashed by owners Jack Dorsey and Co. Some by many thousands! Even humble ol me has had my modest number reduced by around 15 names. And why? That latest fearful meme "Russian Bots". Yes folks, I can say with oligarchy certainty that Russians follow cricket! Why this should be is anyone's guess, but perhaps they believed that the sport could turn the American election in favour of Donald Trump. Much to the disgust of Donald bashers, Trump's Twitter followers remain at 48.1m. Maybe, they thought, this number would drop to zero? There is nothing like seeing the West collapse into madness. No doubt both the ECB and Sussex CCC Twitter accounts have seen a fall too. Thank goodness the county cricket season begins next month.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 21, 2018 15:30:23 GMT
I have some sad news to pass on. The third oldest living Sussex player behind Rupert Webb and Don Smith, Hubert Doggart, died last Friday at the age of 92 years-old. Hubert reciting one of his cricket limericks(pic: Phil Barnes)We first met at the 'Robin Marlar Cricket Memorabilia Auction' in April, 2015. I then helped publicise a luncheon the club had organised for Hubert at Horsham CC a few months later, where I had the honour of interviewing him. I was immediately attracted to the twinkle in his eye. The same sparkle that Ted Dexter carries. I thoroughly enjoyed our chat. He talked about his association with Sussex and how Kenny Suttle and Alan Oakman were his favourite ever Sussex players. Hubert's great love was writing poetry, in particular limericks, and during his after lunch speech he gave a recital of some of his cricketing odes. Hubert will be sadly missed. unofficialsussexccc.freeforums.net/post/11282/thread_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Formerly of Cambridge University, Doggart played two Tests for England in 1950 and captained Sussex during 1954. He played 155 matches for Sussex between 1948 and 1961, scoring over 6,700 runs in the process.
Hubert served on the MCC committee for many years and was President in 1982. His father was Graham Doggart who chaired the FA and played county cricket for Middlesex. Hubert went on to be a teacher at Winchester College (1950-1972) and later became headmaster of King’s School, Bruton (1972-1985).
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 22, 2018 11:09:40 GMT
Moen Ali now comes out and praises Adil Rashid and Alex Hales for choosing to play only white-ball cricket. He told TMS, "It will be great for England long term. We're going to have real specialists and it's something a lot of players will probably do further down the line." Imho, this is a real game-changer for cricket as a whole. One can see more and more cricketers demanding to only play white-ball which will both weaken the county game and Test cricket. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43152758
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Bazpan
2nd XI player
Posts: 191
County club member: Kent
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Post by Bazpan on Feb 22, 2018 13:48:27 GMT
Alex Hales talking in July 2016 about the importance of working on his 4- and 5-day game:-
"I didn’t want to be a hired gun who toured the world playing Twenty20 .... You can’t afford to neglect one area of your game and focus everything on Twenty20"
From today's Moeen Ali interview about Hales and Rashid abjuring the red ball:-
"It's something they feel they probably need to do to play round the world and in all the tournaments as much as they can"
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Feb 27, 2018 10:08:52 GMT
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN7LW0Y00kEThe Polar Vortex is doing its job. The twice a decade phenomenon that actually brings snow to the South Coast. Past examples include 1963/64, 1987 and 2012. At least photographers have an opportunity of updating their snowy outlooks of the West Pier, the Brighton Beach and Promenade. And as ever, 1-3cm of snow causes havoc with local transport systems, schools close, and the populace experience a bizarre irrational behaviour towards anything that looks white. Here is how the Sussex County Ground looks this morning.This is how Lord's reacted yesterday before the overnight snow.And guess what? The first cricket match is less than a month away. Hey-hey! But seriously, Wednesday evening and Thursday look pretty wintry for the South as a front comes up from across the Channel. Perhaps, then, we may experience some serious snow, so look out. Meanwhile, this may be fun for the kids but my heart goes out to the homeless and those who live on the streets. PS: The pics and videos are coming in thick and fast as "The Beast from the East" becomes the new meme. Here is Trent Bridge for your blizzard delight. twitter.com/TrentBridge And what about Kent CCC, closer to the snowy beast than many cricket counties. PPS: Kent's twirling flurry, 'Tredders', celebrates his 36th birthday today.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 6, 2018 12:20:24 GMT
The Greatest Cricketing Soap Opera of All Time ___________________________________________________________Who’s been following the most entertaining cricket soap opera in the world? Roll over Eastenders, Corrie and Emmerdale and welcome to ‘Made in St John’s Wood’ - a soap that makes the TV programme ‘Made in Chelsea’ appear like a tepid Lord Snooty’s tea-party. The cast are made up of 23,000 people that include an array of famous former cricketers, those from stage and screen, politicians and ordinary folk who all have one thing in common. They are part of a group that hails their base as the "Home of Cricket" and believe they uphold the best traditions and values cricket can offer. Critics may dismiss them as snobs and elitists pointing to their silly ice-cream blazers, ties, hats and archaic Raj beliefs, but in a dumbed down world of dwindling Britishness, on a hot summer’s day with an exciting Ashes Test in play, Lord’s and the MCC combine to become the quintessential English experience; the ultimate green and pleasant land, and for that alone we owe this cast a mention. For our friends at ‘Made in St John’s Wood’ are in an Earl Grey stew. What should have beenBack at the turn of the decade, their egos were pricked after upstart grounds like Edgbaston and Trentbridge and even a new kid on the block in Southampton were dramatically improving or even building more luxurious cricket venues. It was time for action. Time for 23,000 Members to protect their prestigious values, show their muscle and meet this challenge by redeveloping Lord’s to an altogether higher ethereal level. But when you have 23,000 Members you also have 23,000 headaches. Along came the proposals to save the “finest cricket ground in the world” from competitive despots. The 'Lord’s Masterplan' was contrived. A Major Casualty
www.lords.org/lords/the-masterplan-for-lords/the-masterplan-for-the-redevelopment-of-lords/ www.lords.org/masterplanvideoBut the problem all along was how to finance such major new works. Would Lord's go down a similar commercial route to some of their competitors by allowing a property developer access to their hallowed turf or could, somehow, the 23,000 Members finance it themselves. This conflict between the modern approach and the traditional way caused ructions within the Membership, leading to a former British PM resigning and former England Captains pitted against each other. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/04/three-former-england-captains-wade-row-future-lords/"Take the Money!"Accept a £100m offer from a property developer who had drawn up plans to build exclusive residential flats and shops or go it alone? Finally, last September after much agonising debate, Members had their final say. A 90.5% voted to go it alone, although, only 7,911 of the 23,000 Members voted (7,163 for: 748 against). www.lords.org/news/2017/september/mcc-members-vote-in-favour-of-clubs-masterplan/What comes over from this vote, more than ever, is how still in 2017, that Victorian inherited wealth snobbishness towards anything deemed commercial and therefore a swipe against the ‘nouveau riche’, is as strong and prevalent at St John’s Wood as it was 150 years ago. For who else would turn down such a gift horse in the mouth? So, now the real problems begin. How do Lord’s raise the money themselves? Simples. Go into major debt (£30m), potentially raise and even double admission prices, increase the cost of food and drink, and generally cause upset to your normal cricket follower who once viewed visiting 'The Home of Cricket' as an annual special occasion in the summer’s calendar. Some may not be able to afford that visit in the future. In a letter sent out to all Members a few weeks back, CEO, Guy Lavender, talks about focussing on the Lord's future and what plans there are to raise the necessary money for the new ground redevelopments. There is one chilling sentence in the letter in relation to the ICC T20 Final to be held at Lord's in 2019. "...current discussions indicate that, whereas the top ticket price for the Finals Day in 2009 was £90, a similar ticket for the 2019 World Cup Final will be somewhere in the region of £350." Or a close to 400% ticket price increase in just 10 years! i.emlfiles4.com/cmpdoc/5/2/6/2/9/files/486524_letter-from-club-chairman-focused-on-the-future.pdf?dm_i=1ZGX,5H08D,JQWV6S,L7FND,1 i.emlfiles4.com/cmpdoc/5/2/6/2/9/files/486525_m.c.c.--focused-on-the-future-document.pdf?dm_i=1ZGX,5H08D,JQWV6S,L7FND,1 My humble opinion? Like in the Noel Edmonds TV game show, 'Deal or No Deal', the audience shout “Take the £100m!” The competitor stubbornly states “NO!” and along comes that final box. It’s value: 5p!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Mar 10, 2018 10:10:17 GMT
The time has come to dig out that forgotten white hanky whilst raising a glass of fizz as the Sussex team fly off today for the sunny climes of South Africa for a pre-season warm-up. 16 players: 12 Days: 4 Matcheswww.youtube.com/watch?v=yenodXVcohUThose players on the plane are: Jofra Archer Adam Barton Will Beer Danny Briggs Ben Brown Michael Burgess Jack Carson Harry Finch George Garton Tom Haines Ollie Robinson Abi Sakande Phil Salt Will Sheffield Luke Wells Luke Wright Q: Who's missing?
The 12 day tour consists of warm weather training and four 50 over friendly matches. Sussex’s opposition is made up of both local and fellow touring sides. The first match takes place next Wednesday 14th March against the Western Province Academy at the Vineyard Oval. The same ground is then the venue for two matches against Middlesex on Sunday 18th March and Monday 19th March. Then Durham MCCU join the party and are the opponents for Sussex’s final match at Claremont Cricket Club on Wednesday 21st March. The Sussex squad return to Hove on Thursday 22nd March. Touring alongside the professional squad are off-spinning all-rounder, Jack Carson and two left-arm seamers, Adam Barton and Will Sheffield. Jack and Will are on the Sussex boys’ Academy and Adam is an MCC Young Cricketer who made two first team appearances for Sussex in 2017. This will be the first opportunity for new Head Coach, Jason Gillespie, to meet up with the players and get to know them. Fresh from his Big Bash League Tournament Cup win with his side the 'Adelaide Strikers', he must be feeling very excited to see the squad in action. Already, he has watched, first hand, the wealth of Sussex CCC talent, most notably Jofra Archer. Bon VoyageDue to other cricketing commitments, some of the professional squad will not be joining the tour. A: Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and David Wiese are involved with the Pakistan Super League, Laurie Evans and Delray Rawlins will be in the Caribbean for the ECB’s North-South series, Stiaan van Zyl is playing domestic cricket in South Africa and Stuart Whittingham is playing for Scotland in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. MATCH SCHEDULEWednesday 14th March: Western Province Academy vs. Sussex Sharks, Vineyard Oval (50 overs)
Sunday 18th March: Sussex Sharks vs. Middlesex, Vineyard Oval (50 overs)
Monday 19th March: Sussex Sharks vs. Middlesex, Vineyard Oval (50 overs)
Wednesday 21st March: Sussex Sharks vs. Durham MCCU, Claremont CC (50 Overs)
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