The Wicked Cricket Column

Nice man, fine batsman. But I always got the impression that the phrase above probably summed up the tenor of  Ed's pep talks in the  obligatory team huddles, when something a little more stirring was called for...

Well done on the Dexter article. The Roebuck bio sounds interesting although I'd need to see some serious evidence to be convinced about the murder conspiracy.

As for Robinson and finding a "worrying degree of cosiness together with technical and mental stagnation,” I have a feeling the job will drive him up the wall, unless he's simply looking for a cushy number that will allow him lots of time on Humberside caring for ageing parents.

I don't know about the cosiness and stagnation, but when I watched the women's Ashes last summer I was pretty shocked by the feebleness of the cricket.  Never mind any difference in technical skill; in terms of speed, power and strength I'd say the gulf between men's and women's cricket is considerably greater than the huge gap that exists between men's and women's tennis.

That doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyable to watch. But I think as a coach with alpha male tendencies (albeit less  pronounced than those of Adams), Robinson will find it exasperating in the extreme.
 

Here's an idea to help Sussex CCC interact with their community and hopefully attract more people to home cricket matches.

Why not apply for a bicycle hub docking bay next to the 'Cricketers Pub', just outside the front gate. Not only will this attract
people from Hove to the ground but may even tempt them to go inside to have a coffee/snack at 'Cafe Pasticci' or even attend
a home game during the season.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-34949166

And while you're at it, shouldn't some of the staff and players enter the annual Brighton Naked Bike Ride, all in the name
of 'LGBT' community spirit? Matt Hobden could bowl a maiden over without the need for extras. 

This pic has been chosen with great care

‘TED DEXTER - UNCUT 2’
_______________________________

(From the interview)

Alongside his Granddaughter Elizabeth (9) about to cut the cake at 80th birthday party celebration near Lake Como (Pic: Malcolm Butler)



And your second worst Cricket Career Moment?

When England chairman there were some sticky moments - it was tough at times. It was my own making to an extent. I don’t want to sound a paragon of virtue, but I did say to Micky Stewart and Graham Gooch, ‘Look, when we’re winning I want you to take the plaudits to build the team confidence and when things go wrong I’ll take the flak’, which I did. It wasn’t the end of the world but one’s privacy was invaded and, at times, the criticism got quite hurtful. 

Any Tricky Moments when flying helicopters?

I nearly came a cropper when I almost flew into a large pylon. I had done all the recce, looked at the maps, but whether I was given duff info, I don’t know, but I managed to pop above it just in time. It was a close shave. I was on my way to a golf course in the west country to see a friend who was having a lesson. He later told me the golf pro had asked him, “Who is that guy? He gets out of his helicopter, smacks 50 balls straight down the middle of the range, returns to his copter and b*ggers off. Who does he think he is?”

Alongside various life-long chums including two Sussex cricket legends, Les Lenham and John Snow (Pic: Malcolm Butler)



Any last bucket list wishes?

My daughter has bought me a half hour flight on an airship near Lake Constance as a birthday present. I have read a lot about airships but never flown in one. I hope there’s a museum to visit. I am looking forward to the experience and the passengers can be rest assured I won’t be flying it! 

“NORTHANTS - THE HALF TRUTHS AND MEDIA SPIN OF A COUNTY CRICKET CLUB”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the opening Sussex Championship match is against Northants at Wantage Rd on Sunday, April 10th, it may be interesting to offer supporters perspective on the club’s present financial crisis. It is a story of media spin and half-truths, where some dramatists might even whisper, ‘will the match take place?’

The Northants CCC Chairman, Gavin Warren, said at the turn of the year on 'BBC Radio Northampton', when commenting on alleged financial problems, “There is nothing to worry about. There's not an actual sum we need to raise, but if someone came along with £10m, we'd say 'thank you very much'. It's tens of thousands really.”

Gavin Warren



11 months later the same Chairman commented on the same radio station, “Last year it was a reality that Northants might not remain a club. I was concerned, some of the board members were frightened about the consequences of what we had found. It was serious but the main message I got was that we were in it together and they had the will to get out of it and we have.”

Question: Where is the line between duplicity and telling half-truths? So much for the “tens of thousands” - “hundreds of thousands”, even “millions” was the actual truth.

Meanwhile, thanks to some solid journalism from ‘Cricinfo’ George Dobell (GD), the seriousness of the club’s financial plight finally came to light and this forced the club to own up to its problems. Difficulties, up to now, which the club had been hiding from the public.

GD wrote on August 3rd, “The future of Northamptonshire CCC looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location.

“The club, who have already borrowed several hundred thousand pounds from a group of directors earlier this year, have been instructed by the ECB to undergo an independent financial review to ascertain whether they fill the criteria for borrowing. It is believed they require around £500,000 to meet urgent financial obligations.”

George Dobell



reversesweeper.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/throwdowns-6-george-dobell.html

This led to an immediate response from Northants who retorted the club had ‘no plans’ to relocate from its current ground. A highly sensitive subject given the club’s Chairman is Director of local company ‘Bleu Star Land & Development Ltd’. Dobell suggested the club were looking at plans to move to ‘Sixfields’, a location close to Northampton FC ground, while also suggesting they were seeking to either sell or not re-sign some of their players including David Willey due to the club's crippling finances.

www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2015/content/story/905971.html
www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2015/content/story/906211.html

The unexpected departure of former CEO, David Smith, in November 2014, in hindsight, although speculation, may have been the red flag to this increasing and underlying serious financial crisis.

The media spin quoted Smith, “I feel I can look back with real pride on my contribution while CEO of the cricket club. The time is now right for me to look at other opportunities and for someone else to take the club to the next stage of its development.”

Yet, the three years he acted as Northants CEO, were the three years, presumably, the club fell into crisis. And even though the departure of former Chairman, Martin Lawrence, in March 2014, was due to ill-health (sadly he passed away last October), he must have known of the growing difficulties. Problems, which perhaps, were exacerbated by Smith’s leadership?

Imagine the shock Gavin Warren experienced when he became fully aware of the financial mess. Such a shock that the refusal of allowing David Smith into the ground before a T20 match in June was, perhaps, punishment for his past demeanours? As Smith said, “I wasn't given a reason at all - I was just told it had come from the board.”

Meanwhile, the cavalry duly appeared in mid November when the Northampton Borough Council lent the club £100,000 with a further £150,000 to be made available as required.

Then on November 20th, GD published another piece about Northants where he wrote, “It has now emerged the club borrowed £2m from the city council (there were two separate loans of £1m each) for ground redevelopment work a couple of years ago, with the loan to be repaid by the ECB out of proceeds from the next round of broadcast rights expected at the end of 2019.”

He mooted that if Northants went out of business before this, the city council could only recoup £700,000 and that £1.3m of local taxpayers money was in jeopardy. A disaster for the council who are presently reeling over how a previous loan to Northampton FC of £10.25m to improve their ground has “gone missing” and where the police have been called in to help with their investigation alongside an independent enquiry by KPMG.

www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/942569.html

It is unclear where Northants CCC go from here.

Given Gavin Warren’s past record, it is hard to accept his recent comment on their plight, “(We’ve) had the will to get out of it and we have.”

For, what we see is another CCC under extreme financial pressure, desperately trying to survive, being propped up by loans from local councils and the ECB - borrowings which the club have little chance of paying back.

Already preparing the wicket for April 10th



As to April 10th, I’m sure Northants will be still in existence, reverberating to Giles Clarke's mandate, “No county will go under during my watch!” Question: Does he mean when ECB Chairman or now as President?

An excellent interview on 'Latest TV' yesterday with the MD of the 'Sussex Cricket Foundation' and driving force behind the club's
community projects, Tim Shutt. Even interviewer and broadcaster owner, Mike Mendoza, is more animated than usual and asks
some decent questions within this 16.5' minute chat.

Many subjects are discussed from "No Horsham" to the recent "Huge Club Changes" occurring at Hove to "Living in the shadow of
the AMEX" to the local 'Aldridge Cricket Academy' and beyond.

Tim comes over well and says all the right things from referring to Luke Wright as "an outstanding Captain"; how these changes have
created "huge room for optimism" with the "objective to go straight back up" to Division 1 after describing last season as "a mixed bag."

There is interesting information on how the club's 'No Boundaries' social programme is there to create new work opportunities for the present
13,500 long-term unemployed in the City; where some of the funding comes from the Government's 'Work & Pensions' department. Although,
a little odd that Tim doesn't mention the Santander partnership. Meanwhile, he says Mark Davis is "desperate to get his teeth into the new
coaching role" while pointing out that "cricket has to make itself more relevant by reinventing itself". As he comments, "Society is very different
now and cricket does not easily fit into these changes."

A former banker, Tim is a strong asset to the club, holding a good business understanding along with a forward-thinking and visionary approach.

thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2015/12/03/latest-news-live-tim-shutt-sussex-cricket-foundation/

That's dead right. I wonder how local council tax payers would vote on this?