The Wicked Cricket Column

Dfl,

Thanks for that - most interesting. I believe JP junior was raised by his grandparents after the mother died allowing JP senior
to continue pursuing his cricket career.

I cannot remember a cricketer in the history of the game who has been met with such grudging acceptance after creating a new
sporting record. But this isn't county cricket, international cricket or ODIs, but the runt of the pack T20.



And you have guessed it. The King of this format, the man who prowls the T20 circuit, attracting people to his games in their droves, 
where few others come close to the magnetism he generates, has deservedly won the crown.

Chris Gayle is the first batsman to reach 10,000 T20 runs.

When Alastair Cook achieved this feat in Test cricket, Wisden were ecstatic with drum-rolls and a fanfare to match. Yet, Gayle is up there
with the Caribbean greats from Garry Sobers to Brian Lara, Vivian Richards, Frank Worrell and Johan Kanhai. Not so much a drum-roll
from the cricket media but a feeble thud.

In fact, Gayle's record is so extraordinary that those batsmen closest to him in the T20 ranks are little more than distant specks on the
horizon.

And below are his stats.

www.espncricinfo.com/indian-premier-league-2017/content/story/1093167.html

Gayle is the cricketing superstar of the modern era. There is no-one else like him. Ask Somerset supporters. After joining the county
in 2015 for a brief stint of T20, he scored 328 runs in just three appearances. The club stewards were turning hundreds of people away at
the gates as full houses became the norm when the great man played. Nothing like this had been seen at Taunton since the pomp and heyday
of the 1980s when Richards and Botham graced the ground.

Cricket needs superstars like Chris Gayle whether you agree or disagree with T20. It is cricketers like him that keep the sporting back-pages
alive during the summer, where journos are counting the days down for football to reignite.

I, for one, applaud and respect him. The memory of watching Tymal Mills uproot Gayle's middle stump last June at Hove has been one of the
most exciting things I've witnessed at the ground in recent years. All because it was Chris Gayle. Any other cricketer and the incident would simply
enter oblivion.

Well I never! How about this for a tweet from Sussex CCC.

KIDS GO FREE! All those aged 18 and under can gain FREE entry to Sussex's @onedaycup group matches
at The @1stcentral County Ground

That's pretty amazing and I whole heartedly agree with the sentiment. Audacious marketing but a sensible 
one. Although, I wouldn't describe an eighteen year-old as a KID. 

I attended an outdoor market over the weekend - a regular activity during the Spring and Summer - and came across this mini-bat
with 14/15 faint signatures. The vendor told me they were Sussex CCC players from the 1990s. She pointed out David Smith, Jamie
Hall and N.C. Phillips, which with a little imagination, could be true.

Given the price was below £5, I thought I would take a flyer and wondered if anyone on the Forum can help me out - with an aid
of a magnifying glass - to discover who the other signatures are. I believe the top one could be Alan Wells.

Many thanks.

It's the right period. Which one though? I downloaded these to help me. I reckon half way down the bat is Keith Greenfield and close
to the bottom is Ian Salisbury.

1993



1995

Brenda is a lovely lady. I remember I interviewed her a few years back for a potential county cricket fan piece but it was
never published. She was telling me about some of her club highlights which included Chris Adams specially inviting her
to his Sussex CCC retirement party in September 2008. She was the only supporter who attended. In fact, her knees buckle
just at the mention of Grizz.

Surprisingly, Brenda visited the museum for only the first time a few weeks back. Unfortunately, there was no Adams
display.

Here is Grizz with his No.1 fan



And here is Brenda with John Lees - two colourful Sussex characters who add sparkle to the club.




edit: I have been reminded that the museum does hold some Chris Adams exhibits, so Brenda would not have been disappointed. These
include a photo of him holding the 2003 Championship Trophy as part of the 'Golden Decade' exhibit; one of only 5 Sussex greats involved
in the recent i-pad construct; as well as being a member of the museum locker display.