The Wicked Cricket Column

There would be a conflict of interest if he tried to influence the local council, who are supposed to act in the best interests of their council tax payers.

In the 2015 elections the Conservatives had 26 seats, Labour 17, the Liberal Democrats 2.

There is an ongoing discussion amongst Northants fans here forum.viewfromtheboundary.com/index.php?board=28.0 and well worth looking at for differing views on the Northants plight.

Bm,

Well I'm seriously looking forward to that, s&f - and there's not all that long to go. Along with the grandchildren, you've just
given me something to live for!

There has been an error re: the publicised Carol Service on December 18th at the Hove 'All Saints Church'.

Instead, on Saturday the 19th, there is a Christmas Concert with 'Tenors Un Limited', humorously described as 'The Rat Pack of
Opera'. The concert is in support of the 'Rockinghorse Children's Charity'. The concert begins at 7pm and lasts for around 2 hours
+ an interval.  

Further Information from the Press Release

Scott, Paul and Jem are the UK’s premier classical crossover vocal trio and have entertained audiences all around the world with
their unique blend of vocal harmony, wit and charm.

This show will feature repertoire from their current UK touring show ‘Venice to Vegas,’ ranging from operatic standards to pop and
musical theatre hits as well as a number of Christmas melodies that will surely get you in the holiday spirit.

This will be a night not to miss.  A great show and a great cause.

For more information on Tenors Un Limited, please visit:  www.tenorsunlimited.com
To book your tickets for this concert, please visit: www.tenorsunlimited.com/tickets or ring: 0208 534 6926.

Chasing Shadows: The Life & Death of Peter Roebuck: Written by Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge
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A disappointing read after the great promise of a recent review in ‘The Cricketer Magazine’. I love a good conspiracy theory but this neither conspires or inspires such a notion.


What the book does is simply confirm the present view… that Roebuck committed suicide after jumping out of a sixth floor Cape Town hotel bedroom window in November 2011 due to sexual allegations made to the police by a young Zimbabwean black man.

The authors clearly prove that Roebuck was not asexual, as many believed, but found women attractive after tracking down a lady called Julia Horne who was close friends with him for 4 years and had had a sexual relationship for two of them. It ended because an ambitious young Roebuck put his cricket career before her.

It is mooted that Roebuck may have changed his sexual persuasion as he grew older and that his attraction to young black men from Zimbabwe disguised his great charitable work and the community house he created for a group of them in South Africa, where Roebuck regularly caned some of the residents as a means of punishment.

The sworn testimony of Itai Gondo, is compelling and the description of Roebuck’s sexual assault on him in late 2011, offers evidence very few knew. As the authors tactfully describe Roebuck’s previous sexual relationship with the lady as, “Not infrequent over-eagerness that embarrassingly complicated an otherwise normal sex life…  (he) came to doubt his performance as a lover.”

This same sexual anxiety was much later described by Itai Gondo.

Meanwhile, the conspiracists suggest Roebuck was thrown out of the hotel window by one or possibly two policemen present in his room, citing that on later inspection, the window had been difficult to open.

Yet, this theory is questioned when no-one in the adjacent rooms heard a scream from Roebuck; there was no evidence of a struggle; and the post-mortem showed that the cricketer hit the ground (hotel entrance low roof) on his two feet causing immediate death due to massive trauma of the body. ie. He wasn’t thrown or bundled out but seemingly had stepped out.

The policeman who was in the room with Roebuck claims he was standing at the furthest point away from the window and was focussed, at the time, on making a call on his mobile.

The authors suggest that Roebuck had many enemies in Zimbabwe, in particular Charles Mugabe, via his strident criticism of the country, hinting that he may have been murdered by this regime. But once more, Gondo’s testimony stands strong and he not only comes over as a credible witness, but an intelligent and honest individual.

During the book there are mentions of match-fixing and Roebuck’s knowledge of this. There is even talk of county cricket corruption in the 1970s and ‘80s where the cricketer’s own mother suggests the debacle concerning the Richards and Garner dismissals at Somerset and the unpopular stance Roebuck took was due to reasons the public were never made aware of.

To repeat, if you’re looking for a good conspiracy theory, this book does not hit the mark. Peter Roebuck was a complicated, emotionally repressed man, who had difficulty socialising and forming relationships and lived in his own, perhaps, fragmented world.

If you are searching for a better cricket conspiracy explore the death of Bob Woolmer.

SUSSEX CCC NEW HEAD COACH, MARK DAVIS, OUTLINES HIS VISION FOR THE SQUAD
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During a recent interview with Sussex CCC new Head Coach, Mark Davis, as part of the research for a cricket magazine feature,
he briefly offered his vision for the club's squad.

“The players must take full responsibility for their actions and form. There will be no room for excuses”



Playing without Fear

Inspired by Luke Wright, Davis wants to uphold his Captain’s philosophy. “Luke is an incredible character,” Mark enthused. “I love
his attitude and energy. I love the way he plays. Luke gets over upsets like a poor performance very quickly. He puts it to bed
straight-away and never dwells. As a Captain this is a great skill.”

He continued, “His captaincy is different to some others. He wants very much to play without fear and to inspire the Sussex players
to follow him. Luke does both the talk and walk by exhibiting fearless cricket. When it comes off it is fantastic to watch. We both want
our team to play with freedom, especially in the T20 tournament.”

Physicality

Davis believes cricket demands a greater physicality today. “I want our squad to be totally committed to improving themselves physically
while focussing more on nutrition and taking the right foods and drinks. During the next 3 years the squad will be smaller in number and
therefore keeping fit longer and not getting injured is vital.”

As for fielding: “We have been sloppy in recent years. We need to improve our skills. Above all, I want Sussex to regain their cricketing
respect - especially in the OD tournaments. Their performances these last 3 years have not been good enough.” 

“I love his attitude and energy. I love the way he plays”



Coaching Staff

“I want all the bases covered - batting, bowling and fielding. We have Jon Lewis and Carl Hopkinson. Now we must find a fantastic batting
coach. It is important to choose the right person. We need new ideas, new blood and a new approach. I am hopeful we’ll have chosen such a
person by early next year.”

Player Responsibility

“I want to instil personal responsibility and ownership into the players. We set the environment and it is up to the players to perform. Alongside
three different coaches, they can seek advice and have everything at their disposal. The players must take full responsibility for their actions and
form. There will be no room for excuses.”

Elsewhere, both excitement and optimism for next season grows.

“a very talented, very feisty individual with bags of energy”



Ajmal Shahzad is recovering extremely well from his unusual pectoral injuries. “He is a very talented, very feisty individual with bags of energy,”
commented Davis. Meanwhile, Tymal Mills performed above expectations in South Africa and is now part of the Winter England Lions Squad.

Perspective

Given the less number of Sussex players, Davis stated far greater caution and due diligence would be used on potential new signings alongside a
better team perspective on life.

“Okay, we were relegated last season but we are still alive. It’s not the end of the world.” Davis continued, “Humility and perspective is what I want.
We should never get ahead of ourselves.”

Community

Meanwhile, Davis wishes to encourage the players to become further involved with their local populace. “By interacting with our community more you
realise what is and isn’t important. There are so many other significant issues away from the pitch and this perspective keeps the team grounded and
on an even keel.”

Management airspeak.
Nothing more.