The Wicked Cricket Column

Well he has based his entire career  on making it up, of course, variously on on The Sun,  the News of the Screws,  The Mirror and currently the Mail on-line...

Pughe-Morgan should be hyphenated, by the way. What is even more hilarious is that he was born Piers O'Meara, the son of an Irish dentist...

Yesterday, the club held a lunch in the Boundary Rooms which welcomed past players including John Snow, Arnold Long and Jim Parks. Jim came outside during the afternoon's play to speak to well-wishers and sign autographs. He's experienced some ill-health in recent times but after successful key-hole surgery on an aneurysm, he's never looked better. He was full of praise for the surgeon and the excellent work carried out and marvelled at the intricate procedure.

It was great to see this lovely man back to full fitness.

‘The Boys are Back in Town’
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www.dailymotion.com/video/x7oph_thin-lizzy-the-boys-are-back-in-tow_music

Watching the opening partnership between Wright and Nash last night was pure pleasure - the sugar rush of all sugar rushes. It was blistering, scintillating, crushing, bossing and above all, our Luke was back in all his pomp and glory, smashing the ball to all parts whilst his partner, Chris Nash, matched him shot by shot. It was utterly thrilling. This was the Sussex of old and the SKY cameras were there to capture it.

T20 at its finest - "After not playing for so long it's fair 2 say the only part of my body not sore this morning are my eye lids! Luckily back is fine too!" (Luke Wright Tweet) 



The freezing weather, the ominous dark clouds, the howling wind, all disappeared as the joy of witnessing such a magnificent batting display warmed the deepest cockles of ones heart. The packed ground, the many kids, the electric atmosphere, this is the future of cricket - the format that pays for the privilege of the 4 day Championship. Every single one of those 156 runs were savoured by the crowd, interspersed by magical moments when Wright touched his back with his helmet after gaining a 50, walked like a cripple, and then smiled the broadest smiles to the leaden clouds above or when legendary supporter, Dave ‘The Mullet’ Day, caught a six in the Executive Suite area and SKY emblazoned his feat on the ground screen. This was a night for the Hollywood script writers where theatrical drama ruled the roost. This was T20 at its very best.

Mr Mullet



Then the time came for the Sussex seamers to show off their skills and Tymal Mills appeared pumped and possessed - a man with so much to prove. When he knocked out Gayle’s off stump with a yorker ball recorded at 93.3mph, the crowd went ballistic. The great man gone for 5. SKY’s Nasser Hussain went into eulogies, calling for his immediate England status. My reckoning: Send all the Sussex players overseas during the Winter. Nash is a new man after attending the Gary Kirsten Academy in South Africa and Mills a phenomenon after his exploits with the England Lions. What potential - what pace. And then there was Chris Jordan - rejuvenated after his success in the T20 World Cup and IPL, offering greater wisdom to his bowling; whilst fill-in and experienced David Wiese somehow conjured up 4 wickets. If only more Sussex bowlers could play in Franchise tournaments. What better T20 cricketers they would become.

GOT HIM!



www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12080/10301678/england-should-pick-seamer-tymal-mills-in-t20s-says-nasser-hussain
www.espncricinfo.com/natwest-t20-blast-2016/content/story/1022293.html

But above all, the energy has changed within the Sussex side. The pall that close to suffocated the team last season has evaporated, replaced by a new dynamic, fresh, invigorating verve. The Wright and Davis revolution has begun but like the previous Adams and Moores transformation, there will be ups and downs but last night showed the incredible potential of this side. Dare one even dream of trophies at this early stage? And on last night’s performance who needs Mr Fizz? Let him stay at home and allow his rapacious agent to seek more enriched opportunities. We don’t need him.

Chris Nash - a most deserved man of the match award for his 112*



To nit-pick, Sussex should have been more ruthless and not allowed Somerset to get over 150 runs; to rub their noses in the dirt and stop the rear-guard action from van der Merwe; but that comes up the road. Sussex must first remember how to win again - and regularly win - ruthlessness follows afterwards.




Before the match, the 5,000 crowd that poured though the gates were greeted by a school steel band opposite the club shop alongside a brilliant business idea called ‘Full Frame Events’, who photograph children in front of a green baize and then via photoshopping, superimpose their faces onto a body shaking hands with Luke Wright. This was a free service paid for by the club and excited kids were queuing up with their parents to be photographed. They were then given a photo of the image. What a great idea and plaudits to Sussex CCC.

http://instagr.am/p/BGIIXCsGKfQ

Last night was a night to savour. And if Friday evening against Surrey can come close and Sussex put on another special performance, I may even put some pants on my head as a group of supporters did in the South West Stand to celebrate!

Shark Fin Humour
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While cricketers are given ‘Man of the Match Awards’ shouldn’t club mascots be presented with an honour for services to supporters? Last week Sid the Shark was magnificent offering performances for those of us lucky enough to be sitting in the south west stand worthy of a BAFTA.

"Whoa, I am a weirdo but your the Shark-maan"



On Friday the Surrey supporters seated to the left side of the stand were praising him. They tweeted, “Great win, always good to beat Sussex. No mention of cricket's best mascot @sidtheshark tonight though.” The kids fawned around Sid as if he was their favourite Uncle. No wonder he is a more popular and well-known Sussex CCC icon in Primary schools than any of the players.

Sid made us laugh, smile and chortle with his antics. On Friday, he walked up and down the centre aisle of the Stand with beer bottle in hand pretending to be a mischievous villain. Sid then went down to the grass below where children queued up for autographs, followed by pretence falling over, hitting the beefy Dads and generally making everyone laugh. A much needed tonic when the Surrey batsmen were bossing us in the field.

A huge hit with the kids



And given all his work for ‘The Sussex Cricket Foundation’ and the smiles he brings to everyone he meets… Which inevitably poses the question: Who is this Stig of the cricket world?

So, go on, Sussex, give Sid a “Sharkscar" - he deserves it.

I didn't know Bono used to play for Sussex.  Or that Tony Cottee is Bono.  No idea how he's kept that one quiet for so long - maybe it was the shades.  A little known fact about Bono/Tony - the song Where the Streets Have no Names was inspired by his time as a postman before he became a pop star/cricketer.  Not a lot of people know that.

'Sussex CCC VIP Supporters - An Occasional Series'
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After being emblazoned across the SKY TV screens last Wednesday during the T20 Sussex v Somerset match, after catching a six whilst standing in the Executive Suite area, it seems appropriate to discuss one of the clubs most colourful supporters Dave Day. The owner of the family-run ‘Golden Lion Group’ which overseers a chain of local pubs and bars.

67 year-old Day is a classic English entrepreneur - someone Margaret Thatcher would be proud of. His vocal delivery is not dissimilar to Grant Mitchell from Eastenders and he’s certainly not someone to upset. Day has been described as the 'Peter Stringfellow of Brighton' due to his immaculately coiffeured, suited and booted, ringed and rolexed appearance. But unlike Stringfellow, he is happily married and to his longtime sweet-heart Annette.

David Raymond Day began his pub quest in the early 1980s, soon after the birth of his son Leo. He bought The Long Man of Wilmington in Patcham from where he used his entrepreneurial zeal to expand and multiply.

During the last 30 or so years he has bought and sold various establishments and today owns nine which include Hove Place, The Cricketers, Duke of York, The Ladies Mile and The Colonnade. The Company states, “We operate a varied portfolio that includes community boozers, town centre pubs, a restaurant/bar and picturesque country/village pubs.”

www.goldenliongroup.co.uk

Original Drawing for Crafty Chooks



A recent acquisition is the Hove restaurant Crafty Chooks which plays into the present chicken-eating craze spearheaded by Nandos. Formerly, The Tin Drum, over £250k was spent on refurbishing the premises. It is of no surprise that Sussex players and staff are invited to dine there.

What Dave Day is best known for though is his chauffeur-driven Bentley which glides around the City like some sleek and gleaming futuristic creation. The colour of the car is extraordinary. It changes like a chameleon from red to auburn to gold depending on the sunlight.

As you may have guessed, Day’s vision of life is leonine. From his mullet mane, the name of his son, his company and the piece de resistance the numberplate of his car - MR LI0N - reputedly worth well over £8,000.

That Car!




Back in April 2011, the police briefly banned him from using his personalised numberplate because the letters, they claimed, were not spaced out correctly. Day was fined £60 and threatened that if he continued using it, he would be prosecuted. In response Day said, “People get plates adapted or altered all the time. You would think the police have got better things to do than chase around after my number plate.” He said he found the fact that officers acted on the legal technicality of the spacing between the R and the L being illegal as… "pathetic". He continued, ”We've had nine murders in the city in the last year. My plate is just there to make people smile. Children and tourists ask me if they can be photographed with it.”

www.theargus.co.uk/news/8989958.No_more_MR_L1ON_number_plate_for_Brighton_businessman/

Other members of the Day dynasty are also recognisable in the City for their signature plates. His daughter has MI55 DAY and son Leo owns L10N LD.

Day (far right) with friends at the launch party for Crafty Chooks



But Day’s life is not all about show. It is rumoured that it was he who donated £5,000 to Sussex CCC, last year, so the Horsham Cricket Festival could go ahead. He also gives generously to local charities including The Rockinghorse, the official partner of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and Trevor Mann Baby Unit.

Colourful characters like Dave Day give life a much needed zest. He is a passionate Sussex supporter and attends most home matches where he watches amongst friends in the Executive Suite. Yesterday, his wife dropped him off in the Bentley at the front gate and as Day approached the stewards, he suddenly remembered he’d come without a ticket for the RLC match. In the blink of an eye, the stewards waved him through without even a murmur.

It must feel great to be treated like a much deserved VIP and Sussex CCC are fortunate to have Day as a supporter.

The Sussex Cricket Foundation are discovering new ways of raising money for their charity.

Last Friday evening it was the good ol' fashioned way of a down-to-earth bucket collection and now something a lot more cutting-edge.
Sounds a good idea and better than the Waitrose 'Community Matters' green counters approach.

www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/sussexcricketfound/?t=Easyfundraising-lo&v=a&=