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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2014 21:20:31 GMT
The extended version of Mark Robinson's interview with the BBC today, sounding more like Martin Scorsese than a cricket coach. "Sussex are in a dangerous position...You have to apply yourself and
fight your corner, whatever you are feeling. This is where sportsman
have to be actors and kid yourself where you are."www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/28020906Mark Davis June 11: "Ed Joyce has been fantastic. But other senior players need to stand up around him." Mark Robinson June 26: "You always look to your senior players to stand up." Are the senior players no longer listening to the coaching staff? Or have the coaches lost their authority over them? Because these "senior players" who are repeatedly being told by their coaches to "stand up" either cannot or will not get off their knees. Losing Jordan to England has been a blow but that at least has the upside of Sussex being a victim of its own success. I'd suggest that even more damaging has been the woeful misjudgement over Zaidi. At the start of the season Robinson claimed not only that he would be the main spinner but that he would bat in the top six. It was a tall order, but if he really was expected to do both, then that automatically made him the fulcrum on which the balance of the whole team rested. That he has proved not good enough in either role has been like losing not one but two players from the pre-season plan. In retrospect, it was a wild and even reckless gamble to build the team so heavily around a portly 33 year old with no experience of county cricket and who this time last year was playing in the Lancashire league. I'm not blaming Zaidi. The fault must lie with those who placed such unreasonable demands upon him based on what was little more than a hunch. |
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rusty
2nd XI player
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Post by rusty on Jun 26, 2014 23:43:01 GMT
The extended version of Mark Robinson's interview with the BBC today, sounding more like Martin Scorsese than a cricket coach. "Sussex are in a dangerous position...You have to apply yourself and
fight your corner, whatever you are feeling. This is where sportsman
have to be actors and kid yourself where you are."www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/28020906What a load of pretentious Ringcycle! You're not a poet or playwright - you're a cricket manager! However, we all know that former cricketers are now accepted as all-seeing eyes, courtesy of gullible broadsheets and TV companies. Thank you, Your Honour! Take me down!  |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jun 27, 2014 9:53:00 GMT
To be fair, Robinson is very interested in sports psychology and hence the language.
He now has his work cut out to use all his knowledge to pick the players up.
Yet, Sussex have seen slumps before. The pattern of recent times is a strong start, a
mid-season slump, leading to a strong recovery in the latter stages.
The difference from last season is: The slump began earlier; we have an injured Yardy;
Nash is not scoring his usual 1,000 runs; and Jordan may be with England for the rest
of the summer. For a squad with little depth, a major problem. And not forgetting, the
other 'deemed' weaker clubs in division 1 are now all gathering momentum. Apart from
Northamptonshire, one suggests this is the strongest division 1 for some years.
To state the obvious, in July we must beat Northants and convincingly, then at least
draw with Warwickshire. That is a good foundation for recovery.
Meanwhile, Robinson must feel so weary now of the annual club's roller-coaster ride,
knowing that each time Sussex has a slump, the criticism follows. Yet, he seems unable
to change this pattern, given all his psychological prowess.
At present, Sussex are not good enough for division 1 and to survive, the whole team
must play to their maximum potential.
The positives are: Sussex can only improve from here on. Zaidi may rediscover his form;
Jordan won't be picked for England; Prior will be available for late August and September;
the senior batsmen take responsibility; Tredwell signs for the rest of the season and Nash
starts hitting 100s. Sussex are known for their gambles on players and to fly by the seat
of their pants. As a supporter, that is one of their attractions.
For as Robinson says, "In this division you are never far away from the top or the bottom.
You can fly above sides very quickly." And given Sussex are only 14 points behind 3rd placed
Somerset, nothing to lose sleep over... yet.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 1, 2014 10:22:19 GMT
Returning to the story about Narayanaswami Srinivasan being confirmed as chairman of the new-look ICC, the media response has not surprisingly been blunt and highly critical. Perhaps, the most vociferous is Scyld Berry at 'The Telegraph' who writes a scathing article about the 'power grab of the Big 3'. He says, "You have to hand it to the three chairmen: the way they have forced through their takeover makes Machiavelli look naive. Essentially, they will rule every committee, and nothing will be on the agenda – let alone decided – without their approval." Yet, when Giles Clarke is asked he believes the new-look ICC is essential to keep cricket alive, where more monies can be generated which can then be spread around the sport. But wherever India goes it drags behind distrust, corruption allegations, petty feuds and dislike. And some suggest the ECB being bedfellows with the BCCI is not only poor judgment but badly taints English cricket. Berry ends his damming rhetoric. "I believe every cricket follower in Australia, England and India should feel ashamed at what their board chairmen are doing. The governments of those countries should be disturbed as well. It is foreseeable that people in the West Indies, Pakistan and around the world will resent our part in damaging their cricket. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to our sport." www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/10925478/England-India-and-Australias-power-grab-at-the-ICC-is-the-worst-thing-that-has-ever-happened-to-our-sport.html Not surprisingly, Lalit Modi has joined this chorus of disapproval by referring to the Big 3 as "The darkest day for sport" and suggesting "There are dark days ahead for cricket." www.lalitmodi.com/ |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 2, 2014 11:06:10 GMT
Cricket is once more plagued with controversy as New Zealand and Australia agree to stage the first day/night cricket Test in November 2015 using the contentious pink coloured ball. The drive behind this innovation is twofold. a) The dwindling interest in Test Cricket around the world as the format continues to jar with a younger sporting public who wish
to see a results game at a time when they can watch it.
b) The lure of TV/Media rights money.The fact is, the Test match format is decreasing in popularity around the world where ODIs are much the favoured game. Five Test match series are primarily found in England only. Both the public and TV/media are simply not interested in long drawn-out affairs. They want the ‘wham bam thank you mam’ rather than a subtle, intriguing, shifting sands of a varying moody Test. So, in a drive to increase its popularity, any gimmick or innovation is welcome, if this attracts more people through the TMG gates. Interestingly, those most opposed are the cricketers themselves. The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has conducted a survey of the players who were involved in the trial day/night Sheffield Shield matches this March. Only 11% of the respondents thought the matches were a success and only 24% believed that day/night Test matches should be played in the future. The pink ball is also criticised. In that same ACA survey, there was almost unanimous agreement, at 94%, that the pink ball did not “show similar signs of wear and tear” to the red one. And nearly as many, 89%, felt the pink ball showed “different characteristics” in terms of how much swing and seam movement it produced. Overall, 75% of the players thought it “didn’t provide a fair contest between bat and ball”. “The general feedback,” the ACA chief executive, Paul Marsh, told Cricinfo, “was that it went soft very quickly, the ball didn’t swing, it didn’t seam, it didn’t reverse swing. So it became a ball that was very difficult to get batsmen out with but it was also difficult to score runs because it got soft quickly.” It could lead, he said, “to a very, very boring game of cricket”. Then there is the problem encountered by Aussie/Middlesex opener Chris Rogers, who is colour blind and says that he “played one game and didn’t see the ball at all so it was a bit pointless”. Therefore, it is no surprise that Twittersphere is full of disapproval too. Typical comments are:-
“Just another gimmick”, “Test cricket is the best form of cricket so why mess with something that's not broken”, "It's the last ball
before the dinner break!"... Just doesn’t sound right! Leave test cricket alone I'd say.”
This latest controversy shows again the schizoid nature of the sport. On the one hand it is ultra-conservative, with its strong values and purist past but this, on the other, repels against the need for innovation so cricket can financially survive. Few, if any other sports suffer this fate whether it be golf, tennis or football. The nearest, perhaps, is English rugby. As commentators like CA chief exec James Sutherland point out, “Since Test cricket was played in 1877 there have been significant changes, covered pitches, day limits, fielding restrictions, introduction of helmets, change of ball etc...” The liberalists hope the day/night games will help improve attendances outside of the summer holidays, with spectators coming to the ground after work. Although, not forgetting the switch would mean also cricket having a prime-time TV slot. If it works, then great and if it fails, the idea will be abandoned as quickly as the ICC’s Test Championship tournament. And, for colour- blind cricketers like Chris Rogers, the pink ball may prove a little more difficult. Chris, What Colour is This?  |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 4, 2014 19:09:28 GMT
The Sussex '175th Anniversary Dinner' is less than 7 weeks away and the marketing drive is in full swing. At present, close to 140 tickets at £35 a head have been sold. The maximum available is 220. The dinner will be held on Thursday August 21st in the 'Boundary Rooms'. The legendary John Barclay, along with many others will be speaking about their experiences at Sussex CCC. The MC for the evening is Roger Dakin and the event sees the launch of the '175 Celebration Book'. The evening includes a three-course dinner and a raffle. VIPS attending will include up to 12 former Sussex captains from Chris Adams and Mike Griffith to Alan Wells, Ted Dexter, Jim Parks and Hubert Doggart.  Contact Mark Judges on: mobile: 07545 612993
direct: 01273 827102
office: 01273 827100A lesser Known Former Sussex Captain Who will be in Attendance |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 7, 2014 19:46:44 GMT
Sunday was a humbling and special day for Sussex CCC when a unique blue plaque was erected on the outside wall of the Club Museum commemorating 10 Sussex players and 1 Secretary who died during WW1 and WW2. The ceremony was carried out with dignity, respect and elegant sensibility and those who attended were privy to the extraordinary war-time sacrifices made by former generations. Around 150 strong attended. They included the Sussex CCC hierarchy, former players like John Snow, Mike Griffith, Alan Oakman and Jim Parks, the media including SKY Sports, BBC Sussex and the local ‘Evening Argus’ as well as the ECB represented by CEO David Collier. The plaque was officially unveiled by Peter Field, 'Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex' along with a blessing by Father Philip Ritchie of the ‘All Saints Church’ in Hove. Avril Older, Chair of ‘Brighton & Hove Blue Plaque Committee’ was praised for her work in creating the plaque. Meanwhile, the ceremony was richly coloured with regal pomp from the ‘Royal Sussex Regiment Standard Bearers’ who raised flags alongside a bugler during the ceremony.
Sussex Chairman, Jim May, said “As the world marks the centenary of the Great War we think it is entirely appropriate that the Club commemorate the lives of eleven young men who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country in the two World Wars.” Peter Field & Avril Older Alongside the Plaque (pic: Phil Barnes) |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 7, 2014 20:18:10 GMT
STORY OF THE DAY It was just another cricket day for Alf Hunt who arrived with his son at Hove to watch Sussex play Northants. He had no idea of the impending unveiling ceremony until it was mentioned on the tannoy. Intrigued, at 1pm he walked to the museum to find out what the fuss was all about. He saw the plaque and then read it. He couldn’t believe his eyes for under World War 2, one of the two names mentioned, he immediately recognised - Major Kenneth Scott - a former comrade - a member of their ‘Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment’ who had been standing close to Alf when killed during the Catania War at Syracuse, Sicily on August 9th, 1943 at the age of 27. The same Major Scott who was awarded a ‘Military Cross’ for bravery; and the same who had played 6 matches for Sussex CCC in 1937. Word spread amongst the crowd. Alf was a living hero of WW2. He had survived whilst many others had not. And now serendipity had called him to share his memories of Major Scott. Alf was immediately invited to a special luncheon held in the museum after the ceremony. Just 50 had been invited and now that total had risen to 51. He regaled his war-time stories to the many who listened and talked about the heroics of Major Kenneth Scott. As the plaque states, “We stand or fall for Sussex by the Sea” and Alf Hunt was there to personally commemorate his comrade thanks to a Championship match against Northants. A truly serendipitous moment.
A Member of the Royal Sussex Regiment/Alf Hunt/Peter Field (pic: Phil Barnes)
(A photo of Major Kenneth Scott is in the background)
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Post by flashblade on Jul 7, 2014 20:24:03 GMT
fantastic story, fluffy!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 8, 2014 14:05:13 GMT
Two Great Sussex CCC Characters Pose Together During the Unveiling Ceremony on Sunday 6th July
Brenda Lower & John Lees (pic: Phil Barnes)  Factfile: Brenda
: Avid Sussex supporter for 65 years.: Renowned for looking after a box of 4 spare balls during a match for when the umpires
are in need. She attends all the home games both 1st and 2nd XIs and the occasional
away match.: Cherished Moments include the three Championship Trophy wins and riding on the
open top double decker bus with the players around the City to celebrate.
: Proudest moments include being personally invited by Chris Adams in 2008 to his
Club farewell party. She was the only Sussex supporter present. Factfile: John (69 years-old, Piscean)
: A sports presenter for ‘BBC Radio Sussex’ since the extinction of the dinosaurs.: Renowned for his endearingly eccentric ways including tearing up pages of
newspaper and wrapping each one over and over very neatly and then placing
them in piles on his desk during commentary breaks.: Favourite Meal is soup (not mushroom).: The last survivor of the 3 local sports media giants (John Vinicombe and Tony
Millard have since died)
: An array of interests away from cricket which include his legendary birdwatching and
speed walking. He holds the record for the fastest coast-to-coast walk across the USA.
Starting at Los Angeles City Hall on 11 April 1971, he walked for 53 days, 12 hours and
15 minutes to New York City Hall finishing on 3 June 1971.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 8, 2014 16:27:48 GMT
 The Sussex CCC museum continues to develop and the latest exhibit to grace their doors three weeks ago is interactive. The brainchild of secretary Jon Filby, he has dreamt of having interactive displays since the museum was conceived. Located close to the main door, the exhibit known as 'Igor' is entitled ‘3 Ages of Cricket’. A simple touch screen operates the system and is the first of four planned interactive displays. There are four sections or chapters. : Golden Age (1890-1914) : Darkest Age (Sussex Cricketers at War) : Modern Age (One-Day Kings - 21st Century Champions) : Test Your Knowledge & Play a Fantastic QuizWithin the first three sections are accompanying videos. The quiz is particularly popular. The exhibit can also be wired up to a larger screen, so ideal for Club dinner and charity events. There are also plans to develop the players' lockers at the back of the museum by placing videos within each one, so there is a visual and commentary history of the cricketer concerned. Meanwhile, the museum’s prized exhibit, the 1907 large book ‘Installation of Maharajah Ranjitsinji Jam Saheb of Nawanagap’ has paid a visit to the binding repairers. Only 6 books were ever produced and just two survive including this one in the museum. It may have cost the club £1,400 to repair but worth every penny given its value. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 16, 2014 10:46:49 GMT
The SKY posse rolled into Hove last night with their three pantechnicons, camera scaffolding, miles of wires and leads and an assortment of famous cricket commentators including Mark Butcher, Nick Knight, Paul Allott and Chris Adams. Yet, the most important truck was parked well away from the milieu as Rupert Murdoch believes in the Napoleon creed, “An army marches on its stomach.” This catering truck, located to the right side of the old Newbury building, was manned by Adam, a Polish Chef, who has been an employee of the Murdoch empire for several years. He devises, cooks and serves the menu alongside an assistant at all sports games televised by SKY within the London area and the south from Taunton to Canterbury. There is a separate catering truck and crew for north of the metropolis. For each sporting event Adam creates a new menu. This is the one for Glamorgan’s match: Menu
Honey Ginger Chicken
Chilli Con Carne
Spinach Mushroom Lasagne
Fish Pie
French fries, corn on the cob, root vegetable mash, green beans, new potatoes
*
Chocolate fudge cake or bakewell tart with custard or cream.Adam - the SKY Polish Chef
 The food is purportedly of excellent quality. The staff eat one hour before the game begins. Only soft drinks are served as alcoholic beverages are banned. Some staff have special dietary requirements - one famous football commentator is allergic to pepper vegetables, for example. At county cricket games Adam cooks for up to 65 people. At Test matches 200. He’s off to ‘The Oval’ today and ‘Lords’ on Thursday. Ironically, Adam is not interested in cricket. He doesn’t understand the game and rarely sees the action. Football is more his sport. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 16, 2014 12:52:53 GMT
A Behind the Scenes Look at the 'Glamorgan Blast'
The earlier 6.30pm start confused some people as a steady trickle were still entering the ground as Glamorgan reached 59 runs off 5 overs. Surely, 7pm, is a better and fairer time for all concerned? "You've Just Missed a Six!" One event which many saw as they entered the main entrance was a marriage ceremony in front of ‘Cafe Pasticci’. The smiling couple along with two bridesmaids dressed in red, a priest and around 10 attending family and friends were taking centre stage as Sussex supporters took snapshots and talked to those involved. But hang on a minute, this was a fake marriage!
The couple and bridesmaids were local models, those in attendance friends and children of club staff and worst of all, the priest was a local umpire using a Wisden as the marriage book! Yep, you guessed it, this was a club marketing stunt to publicise their marriage events. How many passers-by realised this? Each year Sussex CCC hold around 15 marriages at the Hove ground but the hope is, this number will increase as the ECB have decreed that over the next 3 years, all Saturdays will be devoid of fixtures, thus allowing clubs like Sussex to book up marriage ceremonies and other commercial events with confidence and without having to wait for the publication of the fixture list. Would you want to be married with a cricket match going on around you and with potentially hundreds of supporters ogling the ceremony? Around the corner, the museum was holding an event for 50 members of the ‘Sussex Enterprise Scheme’ (SES). A social networking opportunity for local SMEs, the event included pre-match drinks/nibbles and a ticket for the game. One person I spoke to said this was the first ‘SES’ gathering he had attended and already he’d met several people who could be beneficial for his business. Another positive sign that Sussex are trying hard to increase their off-field revenue. In the 'Media Centre', another journalist has fallen foul of a sports injury. This time ‘Evening Argus’ sports reporter Steve Hollis. Last year he had a neck brace on for part of the summer caused by a swimming accident. Now he’s on crutches for several months due to an achilles injury gained from playing cricket. Many commiserations. Get well soon. Talking of injuries, RHB was wandering around the ground. He has a mystery wrist complaint which has stopped him from playing for a few weeks. In his words, “I’ve had millions of scans but nothing has been discovered yet to account for the pain.” It sounds like tendonitis but Rory is seeing a specialist on Thursday. One hopes the mystery will be resolved then. The Mystery Wrist Injury Affair After the match I spoke with a SKY sparks who explained it took two hours to erect the camera scaffold and 45 minutes to dismantle. At Test matches, 2 days are allocated to erect the necessary features but given the double number of staff available, the actual time is nearer one hour. “We have a lot of free-time to fill,” he smirked. Does Rupert know about this wastage of time and money? Final Thought
Murray Goodwin could be clearly seen through the visitors dressing-room window at the end of the game wearing his No.40 Glamorgan shirt. His side had lost against Sussex and a coach ride back to 'The Swalec' in Cardiff beckoned. How must he have felt last night given the plethora of past happy memories surrounding him? We Miss You Muzza!
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Post by flashblade on Jul 16, 2014 14:11:24 GMT
"Murray Goodwin could be clearly seen through the visitors dressing-room window at the end of the game wearing his No.40 Glamorgan
shirt. His side had lost against Sussex and a coach ride back to 'The Swalec' in Cardiff beckoned"
In an interview before the match, Goodwin said he had arranged to stay overnight in Sussex. He may have had a lonely journey back to Wales today.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Jul 21, 2014 19:51:50 GMT
"The Great Sussex CCC Cricket Out grounds Fest-Off"Day 1
Today, begins the ‘Cricket Fest-off’ between the two Sussex out grounds as it's unlikely the club will continue to financially support two festivals a season given the cost of running them. Arundel lay a tough marker a month ago. Superb attendance, a unique quintessential English setting, solid local financial backing, but a poor pitch which lead to a tedious draw against Yorkshire. On day 1, Horsham are fighting back with, most importantly, a better pitch that is never boring and always interesting to both bowlers and batters. In fact, the criticism of Arundel's pitch was so great that Sussex groundsman Andy Mackay has worked very closely with his Horsham counterpart to make sure this one does not follow a similar fate. The Famous Horsham Spire Meanwhile, much pressure is being placed on Horsham CC and its council by both the Sussex hierarchy and local media as this season is do or die for their festival. Find the sponsorship and financial backing for 2015 or its adieu, especially when Eastbourne are muting they have the finance in place already to take up the slack - an outground which Sussex have not played at since 1998. Only a mystery benefactor allowed the Horsham festival to go ahead this summer with a personal £15k contribution. No-one knows who this benefactor is but rumours abound from Sussex Chairman Jim May to ‘Golden Lions’ pub chain owner Dave Day. The attendance was a healthy 2,500 - similar to Arundel - with 550 parked cars. Those vehicles in the front row and to the side of the 'Railway End' sight-screen were accused of flashing the players as the strong sunlight reflected off their windscreens and black sheets were placed to cover the offending area. The Car Burqa Behind the scenes, 100 children from the ‘Wisborough Green Primary School’ were in attendance, enjoying a free entrance and cricket coaching during the two intervals as part of an excellent Sussex initiative. The disinterest from local business and a major part of why Horsham is close to extinction as a festival ground was all apparent. There was little evidence of sponsorship or advertising to financially back the event. There was the odd pallid and cheap-looking banner marketing a local solicitor, estate agent, BMW garage, decorator and internet company. That was about it. Steve Magoffin with his English wife were pushing their baby around the ground in a buggie chatting to supporters which was a lovely touch. Whilst Jim Parks and his wife were ambling around enjoying the views. No doubt his 175* against Cambridge University during 1955 still alive in his memory. Finally, the Horsham programme is well worth paying £2 for. There are some excellent articles and interviews inside and is far superior to its Arundel counterpart. Even so, Horsham has a lot to live up to. Let us see how the next three days go.  PS: Former Gloucestershire/England keeper batsman Jack Russell and now famous artist should be in attendance tomorrow selling his book and various cricket ground prints. If you get a chance go and pay his stall a visit. You won’t be disappointed.
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