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Post by glosexile on Oct 16, 2016 11:42:33 GMT
cp, You are sounding like a scratch record. The debate has moved on where the evidence strongly suggests the ECB did not force Durham to become a TMG; they did not order the counties to create 9 TMGs... ask Glamorgan and David Morgan; or Hampshire and Rod Bransgrove. New Test grounds appeared due to the ambition and desire of the club hierarchies concerned. Agreed, back in late 2005 the ECB encouraged existing TMGS to redevelop their archaic and dilapidated grounds. It had to be done. They were in an appalling and decaying state. Agreed, the ECB made a mistake in creating a bidding war for international games; but their view at the time was to bring in as much money as possible to help the other counties with their own ground improvements. Sitting on a £70m surplus is good business judgment. At least, they used a part of it to bail-out Durham. They give around £42m a year to the counties, to help them nurture future England talent and improve their venues which allows cricket supporters to continue enjoying the sport in growing comfort. And while, I agree, Durham have nurtured a number of International cricketers during the last 10 years so have other counties including our own Sussex whose players include Prior, Wright, Jordan, Yardy, Kirtley, Adams, Mills and Machan. As for your sweeping and, at times, crass criticism of Richard Barrow, he has been a member of the Sussex hierarchy for 20 years and oversaw the greatest period of success in the club's history. Whether you agree with his views or not he deserves a fair amount of respect. Interesting comment regarding Hampshire. In his Cricinfo article of 13 October, Mark Nicholas lays personal claim to achieving international cricket at the Ageas Bowl. To directly quote him: "Along with two senior figures at the club -Bill Hughes and Wilfred Weld- l convinced the then chairman of the ECB, Lord MacLaurin, to guarantee us international cricket in return for our delivery of the state-of-the-art cricket venue". He then goes on to mention the difficulties with the eventual spiralling costs of the development. And then goes on to state......."Worse, his Lordship moved on and those who replaced him were less forgiving in Hampshire's cause". In the real world, deals also take place over a handshake and a glass of wine. Sorry, personally l don't subscribe to the view that you can always rely on everything getting fully minuted/documented. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 16, 2016 14:28:50 GMT
Richard Barrow is a Sussex CCC Board Director and has been an important and integral member of the club hierarchy for 20 years
After speaking with Richard at the Members Meeting on Wednesday evening, I became aware of his strong views concerning the recent ECB bail-out of Durham CCC. The following day Richard sent me an email expressing his opinions and is happy for them to be published on the blog.“Durham have been very poorly managed and advised over the years. They have two shady and anonymous owners who live in the Far East; no one seems to know who they are; and an absent Chairman in Clive Leach, who never ever attended the cricket matches. His resignation was long overdue. Arguably they should have gone out of business. To be clear: £3.75m of funding is in reality a gift from every other county of £220,500 each to keep Durham afloat. I suspect a lot of counties will resent this when they have their own difficulties. “I do find it hard to have sympathy, when over the years Durham have exceeded the £1.9m pay cap on several occasions; pitched for Tests they had no realistic hope selling; and could barely make a profit from an Ashes Test, which takes some doing when you look at the vast sums all other Test Grounds make in Ashes years. “Frankly, the club have deluded themselves that they deserve international cricket, when they clearly do not. They pay their cricketers inflated salaries and sign overseas players they cannot afford. On top of this the North-East crowds do not support either the Tests or county cricket. They are not interested. Indeed, in 2016 Durham along with Glamorgan had the lowest average attendances for their Twenty20 home matches, at just 3000 per game. I do not buy the assertion that Chester le Street is isolated and difficult to get to. It is well serviced by trains and buses; has decent road access; and plenty of inexpensive dedicated parking. “I do have a lot of respect for Paul Collingwood as a cricketer and ambassador for Durham over the years, but thought it was disingenuous of him and Ben Stokes to claim they had no idea what was going on when the financial problems of Durham were being freely discussed by the press last summer. In fact, it was even reported the club CEO, David Harker, had a private meeting with the players back in July to assure them Durham was not about to go into administration. Collingwood cannot be 'Mr Durham' banging the North-East drum one moment and in complete denial the next. “Nobody in the cricket world wants to see counties fold, but by the same token they have to demonstrate responsibility, financial control and good governance. Maybe the ECB should place Durham into ‘special measures’?” Richard Barrow has emailed me to ask if I could add this final sentence to his previous comments."I do however feel very sorry for the members and supporters of Durham. There are some good people up there; not least Bob Jackson who has devoted his life to cricket in the north-east. They have all been badly let down by the aforementioned mismanagement". |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 17, 2016 13:39:38 GMT
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Post by leedsgull on Oct 17, 2016 14:42:14 GMT
I also used to enjoy his role as a summariser working alongside Kevan James on the Hampshire matches. He had a very dry humour and a stack of interesting anecdotes. He seemed to disappear a couple of years ago. Now we know why.
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Post by theleopard on Oct 18, 2016 14:57:51 GMT
As for Durham's T20 attendances it probably has something to do with the fact their results on the pitch have not been up to much. I doubt the floating spectators who could make the difference between a bad and good attendance give a fig about the results, and what's more, they were actually in the T20 final this year. Middlesex showed that T20 attendances bear almost no relation to results, filling Lord's in 2015 against Surrey when they were bottom of the group and eliminated. Unfortunately, though, as Derek Pringle recently noted in the Cricket Paper, the Riverside is situated between Newcastle and Durham, just far enough from each to put casual spectators off. The population of Chester-le-Street is about 24,000, so apart from Hampshire, the smallest community hosting an HQ ground in the country. When it was designed and built, T20 cricket did not exist and floodlit cricket had also yet to start. Despite Durham making an effort to encourage people to arrive by public transport, that does not mean they will come in droves. There is a half-hourly bus service, and one train back to Newcastle, at 22.08, which obviously between them could only carry a very limited number of people. Compare this with the Oval, where tube, trains and buses are running close to the ground with great frequency, or of course a town such as Brighton where I imagine a large number of spectators simply walk back towards where they live or wish to carry on drinking. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 19, 2016 10:28:37 GMT
'Freddie's Back on Cricket Street'
_______________________________________________ Freddie Wilde, the son of former Times and Sunday Times cricket journalist Simon Wilde, is back with a maximum after taking 11 months off from pursuing his father’s trade. He told his 27k Twitter followers in late November, “I will be taking an indefinite break from being on Twitter as regularly to focus on writing things longer than 140 characters. See ya’ll.” twitter.com/fwildecricketWhat had happened? Had the Asian underworld frightened him off after his criticisms of the IPL? Freddie had become the great white hope of young journos attempting to break into cricket journalism - an accomplished 21 year-old writer mature beyond his years, he stood above the rest. Then in July his sabbatical became apparent when he tweeted alongside a photo of his parents. “Proud to have graduated with a 2:1 in Politics from Cardiff University. Now it's time to focus solely on cricket.” A holiday ensued and then on October 13th he had returned with a new and less geeky photo; a job as an analyst for CricViz; and further freelance writing - this time for Cricbuzz.  His timing could not have been better. A keen advocate for an England City-Based Tournament, his recent articles reflect this. www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/83356/ecb-sheds-more-light-on-t20-plans-new-t20-tournament-may-be-held-from-2020www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/83363/cricket-in-england-has-reached-a-watershed-moment-feels-ecbWelcome back Freddie. Great to have you onboard!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 19, 2016 11:12:20 GMT
lg,
You make a good point about the importance of location.
Choosing Chester le Street, in hindsight, seems a terrible error by the Durham hierarchy. Back in 2008, Sussex discussed selling the
Hove ground and moving to a brand new site at Pease Pottage. Leaving aside the financial risks, road links are excellent with the passing
M23 and Crawley, which is 2.5 miles away with a strong cricket-loving Asian community, has a population close to 107,000 people.
If there had been a Rod Bransgrove at the Sussex helm who knows? Did the Sussex hierarchy miss a trick or was it a sensible decision to
remain at Hove where the club and attendance will always remain small and Sussex may never be able to benefit from the impending CBT
except for the annual £1.3m handout from the ECB.
While the Hove County Ground is in a superb location right in the middle of a City populace of around 275,000, it only holds a maximum of
5,750 people, where we are told the club 'punches above their weight' even after the £10.6m Spen Cama Legacy.
Like the film Sliding Doors, if the decision had been made to sell the Hove premises to a property developer and move lock, stock and barrel
to Pease Pottage, where would Sussex be now? Probably like Rod Bransgrove, wooing the ECB for a major financial slice of the proposed
City-Based Tournament.
Given the recent Durham financial disaster and the good fortune of Hampshire in selling the Ageas Bowl to the Eastleigh Borough Council, often
it is best to take the least riskier low road; but, at times, I wonder that if greater ambition had been shown by the Sussex hierarchy, our present
cricketing decline might not have happened and our coffers would be potentially richer.
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Post by theleopard on Oct 20, 2016 10:16:26 GMT
I don't like out-of-town grounds (though Durham's isn't out of town, it's just on the edge of a small town).
Unless you're a petrol head who likes to motor to the ground and get in the car straight after they offer little.
Problematic to reach without a car.
Little or no "walk-up" audience.
Obvious problems with encouraging people to drive to a ground and trying to capitalise on drink sales.
Nowhere else to go/nothing to do when it rains.
Nowhere to stay close by unless a hotel on site.
Difficult to sell non-cricketing activities due to isolated location.
Difficult for kids to access for cricket coaching/playing without being ferried to and from the ground.
Not integrated into the community with the economic match-day benefits for neighbouring pubs, restaurants, shops, and hotels.
Don't encourage a healthy and sustainable lifestyle - i.e. walking to and from the venue, using public transport, keeping cars off the road.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 20, 2016 13:18:19 GMT
Excellent points. The Hove, County Ground is a good example, yet only has a capacity of 5,750. Not very many for a City population of
275,000.
Somerset CCC, Taunton is a better example. Similar to Hove's location and size, due to clever business acumen, Andy Nash and his staff
are expanding their ground from 8,500 to 10,000 capacity with the eventual attendance (including temporary seating) to be 15,000 which
means they can then host international matches and the CBT.
I just wish Sussex could have shown similar flare and ambition.
PS: My apologies - Taunton only has a population of around 65,000, so a lot less than Brighton & Hove, but has a far larger catchment area given
that 50% of the Sussex CCC potential clients is the sea!
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 21, 2016 15:54:09 GMT
I received this afternoon an email from the Sussex CCC President, David Bowden. I may not always agree with some of the club policies and outlooks both on and off the field and, at times, constructively criticise them for this. But, I also praise when praise is due and in the case of David, imho, he deserves all the accolades going. I have just been sent the piece that you produced on your website, in respect of me.
Thank you very much indeed for your kind words, which I appreciate greatly.
With best regards,
David.unofficialsussexccc.freeforums.net/post/21656/thread |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 22, 2016 12:06:41 GMT
It's been a few weeks since I last banged the Chris Adams drum, so a long time for me!  But, I couldn't stop myself from buying a Friday issue of The Evening Argus yesterday to see how his column is shaping up since the end of the county season. As expected Chris is running out of present stories concerning Sussex CCC and is now focussing on cricket in general including his views on Surrey's old-timer Gareth Batty and a surprise call up for England (someone he coached at 'The Oval' after Ian Salisbury suggested his move from Worcestershire) alongside another admiring piece on Alastair Cook; as well as his views on the Olympic home-coming parade. Yet, my feeling is, readers of the Argus primarily want to peruse articles about Sussex CCC. A humble suggestion Chris, as I am aware you read this blog. Autumn and Winter can be a good time for reflection. I am sure Sussex supporters would love to read about your memories and incidents during the glory days at Hove including a few stories you may not have mentioned in your book.  |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on Oct 24, 2016 9:59:25 GMT
It was inevitable, it was set in stone. Batsmen have dominated the development of the OD format with switch-hitting, scooping and reverse sweeping, whereas the bowlers have been left behind with only varying their pace as the primary weapon. But now there is a new firearm emerging from Pakistan - a sensational young seamer who is tipped for greatness and has radically changed the path ahead for bowlers.  And no this is not an April Fool. His name is Yasir Jan; he is a 21 year-old fast bowler; the son of a greengrocer; and his extraordinary ability is... he is ambidextrous and can bowl very fast both right and left-handed. Jan is quickly becoming a Pakistani sensation. He can bowl at 90 mph with his right arm and around 86 mph with his left, making him a unique talent. By swapping arms, a bowler can vary more greatly the angle of his delivery and adapt tactics depending on whether he is facing a right or left-handed batsman. Most importantly, there is no restriction that a bowler can bowl with two opposite arms in an over. Read more about this marvel in the link below. www.outlookindia.com/website/story/this-ambidextrous-pace-bowler-is-the-latest-cricket-sensation-in-pakistan/297303 |
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Post by flashblade on Oct 24, 2016 10:46:35 GMT
It was inevitable, it was set in stone. Batsmen have dominated the development of the OD format with switch-hitting, scooping and reverse sweeping, whereas the bowlers have been left behind with only varying their pace as the primary weapon. But now there is a new firearm emerging from Pakistan - a sensational young seamer who is tipped for greatness and has radically changed the path ahead for bowlers. And no this is not an April Fool. His name is Yasir Jan; he is a 21 year-old fast bowler; the son of a greengrocer; and his extraordinary ability is... he is ambidextrous and can bowl very fast both right and left-handed. Jan is quickly becoming a Pakistani sensation. He can bowl at 90 mph with his right arm and around 86 mph with his left, making him a unique talent. By swapping arms, a bowler can vary more greatly the angle of his delivery and adapt tactics depending on whether he is facing a right or left-handed batsman. Most importantly, there is no restriction that a bowler can bowl with two opposite arms in an over. Read more about this marvel in the link below. www.outlookindia.com/website/story/this-ambidextrous-pace-bowler-is-the-latest-cricket-sensation-in-pakistan/297303Very interesting. I assume he has to notify the batsman, via the umpire, when he's about to change arms? |
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Post by hhsussex on Oct 24, 2016 11:03:29 GMT
It was inevitable, it was set in stone. Batsmen have dominated the development of the OD format with switch-hitting, scooping and reverse sweeping, whereas the bowlers have been left behind with only varying their pace as the primary weapon. But now there is a new firearm emerging from Pakistan - a sensational young seamer who is tipped for greatness and has radically changed the path ahead for bowlers. And no this is not an April Fool. His name is Yasir Jan; he is a 21 year-old fast bowler; the son of a greengrocer; and his extraordinary ability is... he is ambidextrous and can bowl very fast both right and left-handed. Jan is quickly becoming a Pakistani sensation. He can bowl at 90 mph with his right arm and around 86 mph with his left, making him a unique talent. By swapping arms, a bowler can vary more greatly the angle of his delivery and adapt tactics depending on whether he is facing a right or left-handed batsman. Most importantly, there is no restriction that a bowler can bowl with two opposite arms in an over. Read more about this marvel in the link below. www.outlookindia.com/website/story/this-ambidextrous-pace-bowler-is-the-latest-cricket-sensation-in-pakistan/297303Very interesting. I assume he has to notify the batsman, via the umpire, when he's about to change arms?Law 24 will apply. And if he does change arms in the course of an over, how long will it take him to deliver, with notification, changes of field etc? 1. Mode of delivery (a) The umpire shall ascertain whether the bowler intends to bowl right handed or left handed, over or round the wicket, and shall so inform the striker. It is unfair if the bowler fails to notify the umpire of a change in his mode of delivery. In this case the umpire shall call and signal No ball. (b) Underarm bowling shall not be permitted except by special agreement before the match. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 11:51:45 GMT
Charlie Rowe - who used to be my next door neighbour in Beckenham in the 1970s - bowled with both arms for Kent in the same over in a game at Hove about 35-40 years ago.
Game was dead and he bowled right-arm off-spin. Then he bowled a ball with his left-arm and took a wicket. I think the batsman was Chris Waller and I believe it was the only ball Charlie ever bolwed in a f/c match with his left-arm.
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But, I couldn't stop myself from buying
