The Wicked Cricket Column

Warm-Up Football and Rugby Games before a Cricket Match - Ban Them!
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Of course one has sympathy for Hampshire supporters even though their team were responsible for Sussex’s relegation last season. We may complain of an injury curse at Hove but Hampshire have hit the new season kicking and screaming in pain as first their new signing Reece Topley fractured a hand during his debut against Warwickshire and may be out for the first part of the season and now Fidel Edwards has broken his right ankle in a ‘freak accident’ this week whilst playing a warm-up game of football before their Yorkshire Championship match.

Dear oh dear...



Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein told the Southern Daily Echo: “We were only 45 seconds away from the end of the (football) game when Fidel went to kick the ball. I was just about to get the mitts on for fielding practice when his foot got stuck in the turf, and all his weight went over on it. There was no one near him. It was a really freakish fall, and there was a loud crack.”

Edwards wrote on his instagram: Yesterday I broke my leg and today the process of healing starts both mentally and physically.... I would like to say thanks to all the doctors and staff at #leedsgeneralinfirmary for their help... It's going to be tough but through pray and determination I'll be back in no time God is good and my health is in his hands.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-3552020/Hampshire-bowler-Fidel-Edwards-breaks-ankle-playing-football-ahead-County-Championship-game-Yorkshire.html

Understandably, the question about the insanity of cricketers playing football or any other sport before a cricket match has reared its head again. Our own Chris Nash gained an injury less than a month ago from an alleged warm-up football kick-about. Fortunately, he’s recovered and went on to score an inspiring 211 runs against Essex this week.

A classic hospital pass



One cannot forget the Glenn McGrath injury just before the 2nd Test at Edgbaston in 2005 when he twisted an ankle whilst playing a game of warm-up rugby. After destroying the England batsmen in the first Test at Lords, his injury was an inspiration for England to go on and win the Ashes.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/11766063/Ashes-2005-Glenn-McGrath-recalls-the-freak-ankle-injury-that-ended-his-series-at-Edgbaston.html

Surely, coaches must take less risks with their players? Critics may argue about the nanny state but, isn't this plain common sense? Below is an article from Cricinfo which looks at the various top cricketers who have been slain by the infamous warm-up including our own Matt Prior.

www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/759695.html

Not a bad idea that from Chris, at least supporters could kind of identify with the teams. I guess, all the pairings are obvious, except for perhaps for Glamorgan and Lancashire. 

But wouldn't most of the pairings have a test ground?

The Truth or Sanitisation of the Great Sussex Cricketer CB Fry?
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We are reminded today via the Sussex CCC twitter that on this day April 25th in 1872, the great Sussex cricketer, CB Fry, who played for our county between 1894 and 1908 and captained the side from 1904 to 1908 was born - making him 144 years-old if still alive.

So, Happy Birthday!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._B._Fry

While, the club rightly lauds CB Fry alongside Ranji as two of the greatest Sussex cricketers of all time, both players hold a dark side. For Fry it was his mental health.



An article from ‘The Dabbler’ explains.

"Mental illness shadowed his limitless gifts. He first endured it at university, but the real horrors descended later in life, when he fell in thrall to Hitler. He tried to persuade von Ribbontrop that Germany would produce ‘a blond Grace’ should the Reich take up cricket, and developed an irrational fear of Indians despite his lifelong friendship with Ranji. He dressed eccentrically, suffered paranoid episodes and was once found running naked on Brighton beach."  

thedabbler.co.uk/2011/06/the-sheer-unlikeliness-of-cb-fry/

Then there was Ranji. From an article I wrote for ‘Spin-Off Cricket’ in 2012.

"As some know, Ranji suffered from two things away from cricket – ill-health and little or no money. The term ‘Prince’ was created by Ranji to offer a more romantic and extravagant notion of whom he actually was and, while a brilliant and pioneering batsman who invented the ‘leg glance’, Ranji lived well beyond his means and was constantly hounded by creditors including former friends.

"As an example, he was forced to leave Cambridge University in the spring of 1894 because he couldn’t afford the Bar examination fee. By the time he began playing for Sussex he was penniless. A small allowance from his Indian family was stopped, in disgust at him leaving University, and only a desperate appeal led to a final loan in the form of an advance on the understanding he would return to India. He never did.

"Ranji’s biographer, Simon Wilde, believes this incident encouraged an almost Walter Mitty belief that someone else would always cover his debts. And the reason why Ranji joined Sussex was because the captain at the time, Billy Murdoch, wished to increase the club’s playing strength, and allegedly offered Ranji a financial inducement, even though he was an amateur, so the ‘Prince’ could pay off a particularly difficult creditor.

"The table and chairs in the excellent Sussex CCC museum were donated by a leading Brighton seafront hotel of the time; speculation suggests ‘The Ship’. The story goes that Ranji left them behind in his hotel room after one of many midnight flits to avoid paying hostelry bills.

"Over the next 20 years Ranji’s life continued to be one of living well beyond his means. His post-cricket days of being a journalist and writer helped, along with regular handouts from wealthy friends; but he became an expert at keeping one step ahead of his creditors and staving off bankruptcy."

www.spinoffcricket.com/the-sussex-cricket-museum-and-ranji/

The marvellous thing about history is that it forgets all the misdemeanours and dark attributes, whilst only remembering the best parts of that person’s sporting life. They become a sanitised form of history.

Unlike Arthur Gilligan who was tainted with the Fascist brush and when the Sussex CCC stand, named after him, was pulled down in 2010, many supporters’ breathed a deep sigh of relief, CB Fry’s association with Hitler and his movement remains forgotten. In fact, he even met Hitler in 1934. Like Gilligan, both their Fascist associations are dismissed by history as ‘brief flirtations’ but is that the truth or a sanitised version of events?

The infamous former Gilligan Stand



www.theargus.co.uk/sport/4734125.Demolishing__ugly__Gilligan_stand_shows_Sussex_mean_business/

Meanwhile, talking of birthdays, the greatest fully authenticated age to which any human has ever lived is 122 years, 164 days by Jeanne Louise Calment (France). Born on 21 February 1875 to Nicolas (1837 - 1931) and Marguerite (neé Gilles 1838 - 1924), Jeanne died at a nursing home in Arles, southern France on 4 August 1997.

Jeanne Louise Calment



Today, the oldest living person is Susannah Mushatt Jones, who was 116 years-old in July 2015. Her longevity is put down to eating bacon and eggs most mornings. She is one of only two living people in the world who was born in the 1800s.

At the time of her birth on July 6th, 1899, William McKinley was President of the United States, the Spanish-American War had recently ended, and WG Grace had just played his final Test for England. The only medication she takes is for high blood pressure.

Susannah Mushatt Jones



Not bad for an American where average US life expectancy is 79 years.

‘Sussex CCC News - A Recent Round-Up’
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Sussex have suffered two major blows this week which have only increased pressure on the club’s immediate Division 2 promotion hopes.

First, news came through that Chris Jordan is off to the IPL to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore as an injury replacement for Australia's Mitchell Starc. After the loss of Jimmy Anyon and Matt Hobden, the club’s seamer department is already vulnerable and the news only adds further woe.



Steve Hollis from The Argus tweeted, “Can't imagine @sussexccc are best pleased with Jordan heading to the IPL having missed the opening 2 games due to an elbow injury… a massive blow.” And BBC Radio Adrian Harms pointed out, “With an ODI series in June it could be mid July before @sussexccc have Chris Jordan available for Championship cricket.”

Meanwhile, Cricinfo informed us that Sussex were ‘phlegmatic’ about it. Luke Wright tweeted, “Good luck Chris. Sad to lose you for a month but understand it's a fantastic opportunity for u. All the best…” and coach Mark Davis stated to The Argus, “We hope the experience he’ll gain will benefit us when he returns.”

Davis had a lesson in media communication this week as he continued to flannel about Wright’s wrist and back injury. After first promising Luke would return after his recent op for this weekend’s Leicestershire clash, he said to Steve Hollis that Wright may be “possibly, slightly doubtful to play on Sunday.” Adding, “Luke is doing well but we don’t know what the time scale is going to be for him. The injury was worse than we thought but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be out for longer.”

www.theargus.co.uk/sport/14451276.Sussex_coach_disappointed_to_lose_IPL_bound_Jordan/?ref=rss

Luke's wrist which is gaining more attention than a Royal baby



Fortunately, for Sussex supporters, Luke then carried out an informative interview later that day with BBC Radio Adrian Harms, where he said it may not be until mid to late May that he’ll be recovered enough to return to the Championship fray - possibly even as late as the home Derbyshire game. As Hollis tweeted, “Not surprised @sussexccc skipper Luke Wright is playing down his chances of being fit to face Leicestershire on Sun. Never seemed realistic…” Also, Wright may well miss the first T20 match against Gloucestershire on May 20th.

The lesson for Davis is either be honest to the media and reply, “I don’t know” or simply say nowt.

audioboom.com/boos/4483846-sussex-captain-luke-wright-on-injury-possible-loans?utm_campaign=detailpage&utm_content=retweet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

To make things worse, Essex have come out of the Chelmsford traps flying, with two wins in their first three matches alongside a closely fought draw against Sussex. They now stand proud at the top of division 2 with 57 points, compared to our own club’s 18 points after two games. And why the match against Leicestershire is vital to win, if we are to remain in contention at this early stage of the season, given there is only one promotional place up for grabs in 2016. But with the unreliability of the present weather, gaining wins only becomes harder.

Better news now: While the 1st team had a week off, the 2nd XI played Worcestershire in a 3 day game at Kidderminster. Apart from the snow and freezing temperatures which dogged the county championship, Wells scored 131, Salt 94 and Finch 89 alongside a Will Beer fifer and 4fers from Stuart Whittingham and Luke Wells. Quite a match for Wells! Sussex 2nds won the game with only a snowflake or two to spare via a dazzling second innings performance.

www.totalcricketscorer.com/TCSLive/TCSScorecard.aspx?id=41861

This would have pleased former Coach, Mark Robinson, who was invited to a highly select and invite-only dinner at the Hove ground last Friday to celebrate the publication of a booklet about him covering his achievements and memories of 10 years as Sussex CCC coach. Contributions come primarily from Jon Filby and museum archivist Nic Sharp.

The Robbo Legacy is the latest buzzword amongst the Sussex faithful which is a little confusing as the MK Dons FC manager, Karl Robinson, is also feted with the same title.



As the pic above portrays, those attending included friends like Keith Greenfield and Chris Pickett (Former club analyst and now Hong Kong’s CA's National Team Analyst plus HKCA Dragons & Pioneers Coach) alongside Barney Douglas, Director and Producer of the recently acclaimed cricket film ‘Warriors’.

www.warriorsfilm.co.uk



www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news-1/scf-sussex-cricket-foundation-launch-learning-centre-in-association-with-santander

Meanwhile, the club’s community project is moving full steam ahead and finally, after a long delay, the education centre based in the office between the club shop and Newbery has been officially opened. This exciting partnership with global banking giant 'Santander' offers a fantastic opportunity for the local community who are unemployed and seeking new job skills. 'Santander' have contributed a significant six-figure sum to the project.



And to add to the community impetus as no Sussex player has been allocated a benefit this year, instead The Sussex Cricket Foundation (SCF) will take its place. The year long appeal is launched this Friday at a splendid 3 course lunch hosted by MC Roger Dakin in the ‘Boundary Rooms’. Guests include Michael Yardy, Luke Wright and Ross Taylor.

www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news-1/appeal-year-sussex-cricket-foundation-appeal-launch-lunch

Finally, the Club’s cricket partnership with Oxfordshire has been continued for a further 5 years. Early successes include Harrison Ward’s Sussex Academy Contract and the county’s support of Will Beer last season.

www.oxfordshire.cricket/news/oxfordshire-and-sussex-partner-up-for-further-5-ye-14482/#.Vx_EYw1nqDc.twitter

A " highly select and invite-only dinner"? Wow. You don't say. Inner Circle only, eh?

And a "booklet about him covering his achievements" written by...who else... Jon Filby?

Pass the sick bag. But I now understand Filby's utterly bonkers private messages to me over the last two weeks proclaiming  "Robbo's rich legacy"  which then descended into personal abuse when I dared to question the objectivity of his judgement and suggested he was taking the piss.

Does this booklet covering the"achievements"  mention relegation, one win in the club's last 18 matches of the 2015 season, his patrimony in leaving a woefully imblanced, under-performing squad and - according to David and Wright-   a bunch of players who are unfit and  not motivated "to be the best they can be" ? Or his despicable shouting and lost-the-plot potty-mouthed swearing at the Durham players in full hearing of   'family club'  spectators which should have earned him a suspension and a fine, but which Sussex instead chose to pretend never happened?

People (well, some of 'em at least) says he's a nice bloke. But he outstayed his welcome at Sussex, his last couple of years were an unmitigated disaster and  every sane Sussex supporter is deeply grateful that he's gone.