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05/04
Ben Rumsby.
London Daily Telegraph.
Saturday, 3 February 2024.
PTG 4422-21487.
Colin Graves warned Yorkshire faced a “bumpy ride” after his controversial return as chairman was approved by the club’s members at a fractious Headingley. Graves pledged to rescue the country’s biggest county from financial oblivion for a second time and lead them back to prosperity following an extraordinary general meeting that laid bare the bitter divisions sparked by the racism scandal that plunged them into their biggest crisis.
Pending final ratification by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the 76-year-old ‘Costcutter' founder will resume the role he last held nine years ago before he left to chair the England and Wales Cricket Board. That was after a ballot of Yorkshire members on his proposed return, in which 746 votes were cast in favour and 99 against – easily surpassing the required two-thirds majority – albeit thanks to barely a quarter of the county’s 3,500 membership troubling to vote.
FCA approval in the coming days will trigger Graves immediately loaning the club £UK5 million ($A9.7m) to deal with debts, the most pressing believed to be to UK Revenue and Customs, before turning to the £UK16.1m ($A31.2m) the club owed to the Graves Family Trust. The latter is a legacy of when Graves saved the club from a similar plight more than two decades ago and he had originally planned to create a limited company that would turn the £UK16m ($A31m) debt into equity, effectively buying Headingley and leasing it back to the club on a 99-year rent-free agreement. That would have meant Yorkshire was no longer a member-owned club and was ruled out as an option.
But the biggest obstacle to Graves' return threatened to be his links to the club’s racism scandal, with much of what took place having happened on his watch, and an interview he had given in which he implied what had happened was “banter”. Graves told members: “I give my personal pledge to you and the entire Yorkshire public that regardless of background, community, ethnicity, everybody – and I mean everybody – will be welcomed in a solid, inclusive culture and environment at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. There will be no exception. I have already unreservedly apologised for any and all mistakes that were either made by the club or I over those painful and difficult years in the past”.
“Lessons have been learned and will continue to be acted upon. Make no mistake, this is not going to be easy. It will be a bumpy ride, because there is a great deal to do. But we can do this together with hard work, yes with transparency, with trust and with enthusiasm from committed people. I’m not doing this for fun, I’m not doing this for the good of Colin Graves, I can assure you. I am doing this for the good of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. I made the decision to come here and sort this club out and get it back to where it needs to be”. That brought applause from within the Headingley Long Room, which was packed for Friday’s EGM despite the low percentage of members voting on the motion for Graves’s return.
Opposition to Graves’s return has been led by Azeem Rafiq, whose tearful testimony about the club’s racism scandal in parliament more than two years ago plunged Yorkshire into their worst crisis. The UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport select committee which heard that evidence has also been critical of the club’s plans and Friday’s vote was followed almost immediately by an announcement from it that Graves would appear before it later this month.
10/01
Now for the members...
Yorkshire members surely won't vote to lose their ownership of the club and hand it over to Graves plc, regardless of their views of Graves, good, bad or downright evil.
09/01
Sponsors dancing to Rafiq tune?
08/01
Yorkshire reply to the below criticism
Sporting Equals stick their oar in, but are they just disciples of the Book According to Rafiq which mainstream media feel unable to question objectively?
Is cricket's real "problem" elitism, the over representation of privileged white and Asian individuals and the gross under-representation of individuals from underprivileged backgrounds (of all shades and hues) at county level in all quarters and job descriptions, including the media?
07/01
04/01
30/12
21/12
The Lancashire Chair's H*ndred Position
(a 9 minute watch)
2024 MLC timings could see English players skip ECB’s T20 ‘Blast' for $US payday.
Matt Roller.
Cricinfo.
Tuesday, 19 December 2023.
PTG 4376-21296.
18/12
Hundred Expansion northwards - Durham committed...
15/12
PARKING RESTRICTIONS REJECTED
What came first, the cricket and rugby grounds or the current NIMBY residents?
I'm sure the ease of access to the international venues are a plus when it comes to advertising and selling of properties in the area and aren't seen as a negative, and add to that the improved amenities and transport links because of the existence of the Headingley venue destinations with the extra footfall.
Yorkshire being a large county in area, much of it remote, means supporters will in a lot of cases have to travel by car.
The resident only parking restrictions around Trent Bridge certainly make getting to Trent Bridge less attractive and mean forward planning is always necessary.
13/12
Dale Benkenstein has been appointed the new head coach of Lancashire.
08/12
Essex players the victims of racial abuse
CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THE HUNDRED
The ECB have clearly stated their ambition to bring private investment into domestic cricket. Likely buyers are said to be IPL franchise owners, oil-states and hyper wealthy people looking to own their own franchise cricket team. How it is done is being discussed in private with county bosses with many different options.
At the moment the ECB is answerable to the 18 first class counties, MCC and the national counties. Changes impacting the domestic cricket structure or schedule needs 12 out of 18 counties to agree. Changes to the Hundred are thought to require 14 out of the 18 counties to agree (though some reports say that might only be 12). 15 of the 18 counties are controlled by their members as they have the power to appoint and remove the board.
Why seek private investment?
Funding more women’s cricket with better pay until such time it grows to be commercially viable on its own terms.
Improving access at grassroots to reach more disadvantaged communities
Paying higher wages to compete with global franchise leagues
Paying down debt
It is easy to forget that the ECB had £335m of revenues plus the revenues of the 18 counties and the MCC. There is a lot of money in our game. Just 5 years ago the ECB made only £125m so the money has increased a lot.
Is it about control?
Whatever the motive, the consequence is that control of cricket will pass over to the new owners alongside the ECB. It may take time and several steps but those putting huge sums in will want effective control of key aspects such as
When and for how long the Hundred is played
Who plays in it
Who runs it, decisions on TV rights etc
Is it cynical to think the main motive is actually to transfer control of cricket away from the counties and their members to the ECB and private owners?
He who pays the Piper Calls The Tune!
This summer, there’s no championship cricket from 4 July to 22 August. Last summer there was not a single first class cricket match in the whole of August.
It is easy to see that players contracted to the 100 on new higher pay will be restricted from playing for other teams. Instead of England releasing its players, permission will be needed to play for England. Will there be Test cricket in peak summer?
IPL ownership might bring higher TV revenues from India, Indian superstar players and other world class players. All this will come at a price. As ICC TV rights have increased in value, the Indian board has insisted that the lion share is retained by India because Indian cricket fans are the ones funding it all.
There is talk about expanding the Hundred so that in time there can be a team for every county (except Middlesex???). But TV rights are more valuable if the league is just 8 teams with all the best players. If there is a second division with promotion and relegation then the elite teams are less valuable to investors.
Do we want important decisions being made mainly for profit reasons?
Key questions to ask about these proposals
What do we need the money for?
Why sell for a lump sum now rather than banking all of the future profits?
Can we make better use of our current income?
What control will we lose as a result?
What is the impact for counties especially those who don’t host a Hundred team?
What happens to the £1.3m annual payments to counties
Can an 18 team Hundred exist alongside counties playing the Blast?
What stops further expansion until it consumes and controls all cricket?
Cricket fans deserve honest answers to all these questions before any decision is taken. Selling stakes in teams that are given all the best conditions to flourish must inevitably condemn the counties to a permanent second tier existence if indeed they continue to exist.
Football fans rejected the ESL because competition, history and integrity mattered more than money.
County governance
If the counties were to be bought instead of the Hundred teams then county members would have to vote 75% in favour with at least 50% of members voting amongst the 15 member owned counties.
Far easier to just move all the best parts into the new teams and lean on county chairs dependent on the national team’s money to vote for it.
County members are cricket’s independent guardians. They appoint the boards & chair who in turn oversee professional managers running the game. Before these fundamental & irreversible changes to who controls and benefits from cricket are made, county members must agree to them and not have them imposed against their will just like when the 100 was created.
The County Cricket Members Group is a voluntary group of concerned members who want our counties to grow, thrive and improve. We recognise the need to change as the world changes. We encourage cricket lovers to join their local county and become involved. We say this to our county chiefs.
Talk to your members openly and honestly about the pros and cons of these proposals. Listen to your members’ concerns and respect their wishes if they are not persuaded.
Gloucestershire selling County Ground could save club – and earn them a Hundred franchise
Glorious cricketing heritage featuring WG Grace and Wally Hammond may need to give way to economic reality
WG Grace, Wally Hammond and Gilbert Jessop are names that conjure a glorious era of Gloucestershire cricketing heritage and the thought of hosting the ‘West Country Wizards’ at an out-of-town concrete bowl in the 2030 Hundred will horrify many supporters.
It is surprisingly rare, when you consider the financial problems of county cricket, for a club to cash in on its biggest asset, sell up and move, but the cold, hard economic reality of modern day sport is biting in the shires.
Last year Gloucestershire posted a loss of £570,000. “There is no disguising the fact that this has not been a good year financially for the club,” warned treasurer, Rebecca Watkin, in the club accounts. “We certainly cannot continue to post deficits indefinitely.”
The club had not met targets on income from ticket receipts as post-covid crowds turned out to be lower than expected. The small footprint of the County Ground prohibits expansion that has proved lucrative for other counties, such as conferencing and hotels. Throw in some bad luck with weather and it shows how fragile county finances can be.
Most county grounds were built by the Victorians when road layouts were very different, cities and towns smaller and there was no car parking to worry about. Getting to the County Ground in Bristol involves negotiating the tight warren of streets around the ground, and while a city centre setting should in theory be good for walk up crowds, the facilities are not what modern day audiences expect. “The ground may be historic but it’s not the best by a long way,” wrote one Telegraph reader on Friday in the comments section on the website. “Parking is poor as are facilities especially for members. No telling if Glos will even be viable by 2030 at the rate we are going.”
It is this last point that prompts plans to up sticks and copy Hampshire and Durham by moving to a purpose-built new ground that would allow the club to provide a better experience for spectators as well as the kind of cricket training facilities that are expected by modern players. Hosting more concerts is possible too without having to worry about residents.
Hosting international cricket can be a dangerous game for counties, as Gloucestershire have discovered in recent years trying to sell T20s or ODIs against modest opposition at the fag end of the summer. With the Hundred eating up August, it is not a surprise crowds are not what they were.
Around 20 years ago, clubs were encouraged to expand and become international venues but there is not enough high grade bilateral cricket to go around now and with the rise of franchise leagues, that is a situation heading one way.
‘History has been sacrificed for progress and securing the club’s future’
It is no surprise that Gloucestershire officials are talking about potential Hundred hosting. The expansion of the tournament from eight to 10 teams will happen by 2030 and the south west is in prime position to become one of the new hubs.
Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, lives in Bristol, worked for Bristol City, and knows the west country region having been in charge at Somerset before joining Surrey. He sees untapped potential in a west country Hundred team and the ECB are understood to be supportive of the club’s move.
Selling the County Ground is nothing new to Gloucestershire. They sold it off in 1919 to chocolate makers Fry’s having nearly gone bust in 1915. The club bought the ground back in 1933 but sold it again in the 1970s to Royal Sun Alliance, only buying it again in 2004.
This time there will be no going back. It occupies prime real estate land worth possibly up to £40m to developers who will eye a big opportunity after the successful construction and sale of 147 apartments on the site in 2012. Those that bought flats lured by the sight of county cricket out of the kitchen window might not be so happy.
For the club, the new home will be a greenfield site north of the city close to the M4; history sacrificed for progress and securing the club’s future.
Other counties will be watching closely over the next few years. Northamptonshire have denied in the past plans to sell off their ground but, like Bristol, it occupies valuable real estate land in a growing town.
As Middlesex are discovering, a vibrant home that can diversify away from cricket is vital to a club’s finances. Some of the wealthy Test grounds may be saddled with debts but they have an asset they can exploit and the Hundred equity sale to give them a future windfall.
You cannot blame Gloucestershire for wanting a piece of that pie. Given how mercenary WG was in his time, he would probably approve.
Gloucestershire are considering selling the Bristol County Ground – their home since the days of WG Grace in 1889 – to developers and moving to a site outside the city.
The Nevil Road Ground is a historic venue that has remained Gloucestershire’s main base since 1889, when Grace played in its first match, Gloucestershire v Lancashire, alongside his 48-year-old brother, Edward. It hosts regular men’s and women’s internationals, including England men as recently as September in a rained-off ODI against Ireland.
But with a prime location in Bristol, the club are mulling selling the ground to developers and moving to a green-field site outside the city. While there are a handful of sites being explored, it is understood they are all north-east of Bristol, on the border with south Gloucestershire, close to the M4. The club have been working with South West Councils on the matter and want to stay as close to Bristol as possible.
The aim there would be to build a purpose-built cricket ground to house Gloucestershire, international cricket, and perhaps a new franchise in the Hundred, which is looking at expanding in the next five years. Other counties that operate out-of-town venues include Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl and Durham at Emirates Riverside.
Doing so could allow the club to explore a hotel, conferencing facilities and other commercial activities that form the bedrock of so many counties’ finances. Developing the Nevil Road ground to that extent is difficult due to its footprint.
Land could be worth £40m
The club are thought to hope to be in the new ground by 2030, when England, Ireland and Scotland are hosting the men’s T20 World Cup. The club would not cease cricketing activity at the Nevil Road Ground until the new site was ready.
The site at Nevil Road is expected to bring in between £20m and £40m if sold to property developers.
Members have been invited to a series of meetings on Tuesday where chairman David Jones wants to “share an important update on the club, our future requirements, and the potential impact these may have on our home ground, the Seat Unique Stadium, at Nevil Road”. There remain many hoops to jump through before any sale could take place.
The Nevil Road Ground has been sold before, then bought back by the club. In the early 20th-century it was owned by local confectionery firm J.S Fry and Sons, before being bought back in 1933. It was sold again in 1976 to Royal and Sun Alliance, an insurance firm, before again being bought back.
As the club would be selling to developers, there would surely be no way back this time, but it is thought that Gloucestershire would like to retain a nod to the ground’s cricketing heritage on the site – whether a net complex or similar – in any deal.
‘Not a good year financially’
Gloucestershire is one of the counties in a parlous financial state. Their most recently published accounts, to the year ending 31 January 2023, showed a loss of £570,000. A year earlier, they had recorded a profit of £92,000.
“There is no disguising the fact that this has not been a good year financially for the club,” said treasurer Rebecca Watkin in the club’s accounts. The difficulties came down to the greater expense of running a men’s first team in Division One of the County Championship that season (they were relegated), and the “bounce back” from the Covid-19 pandemic not being as great as expected.
Things are unlikely to have improved this year. The club’s men’s international, a potentially big day of income, this summer was rained off in farcical fashion, their third no-result in six attempts since 2016. Next summer, they run the same risk with a men’s ODI against Australia scheduled for September 29, the last day of the international summer.
Gloucestershire declined to comment when approached by Telegraph Sport.
- Promote the brand Trent Rockets over and above all other brands
- Ignore common sense and logic
Graham Onions returns to Durham as bowling coach
MIDDLESEX TO PLAY TWO BLAST HOME ‘OUT-GROUND’ MATCHES AT CHELMSFORD IN 2024
Later today, at 10am, the full fixture calendar will be published for the three domestic men's competitions in the 2024 season.
Once again, Lord’s Cricket Ground will host four of Middlesex’s home South Group matches in the Vitality Blast, leaving three of the Club’s seven home games to be played at venues away from Lord’s.
In recent seasons, both Radlett Cricket Club and Merchant Taylors’ School have been the choice as Middlesex’s preferred home venues for out-ground cricket, however in 2024, the Club has taken the decision to play two matches at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford, with one fixture remaining at Radlett.
Speaking of today’s announcement, Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cornish, commented:
“We have gone to lengths to be transparent and open with our members when discussing the financial position the Club is in, and moving forwards we need to continue to take every step we can to ensure we remain rigorous in our control of the Club’s costs.
“The cost of setting up the infrastructure of an out-ground venue is a significant liability the Club has historically had to factor into our financial model every year – increasingly so in recent seasons with the enhancements we have made to the member experience at out-ground matches.
“As we continue to scrutinise every cost the Club incurs, out-ground set-up costs stand out as an area which we could make a significant positive impact on.
“We have, as a result, been in discussion with our friends at Essex, who have been very receptive to the idea of hosting us at the Cloud County Ground for two of our Blast matches this year.
“For Middlesex, this represents an opportunity for us to make a significant financial uplift to the Club, which is something that we simply cannot ignore, and with Chelmsford just over 20 minutes away on the train out of Stratford station, we felt it provided a sensible solution.
“Equally importantly, we have consulted with the professional playing group on this decision, who were unanimous in their support, given their desire to play more cricket at first-class venues, with first-class facilities available to them.
“All at Middlesex, the players and the staff, along with all at Essex, are excited about what this opportunity represents and we are looking forward to Middlesex competing at the Cloud County Ground this summer.
“Our thanks go to our members and our supporters for their understanding of this venue choice and hope you appreciate the sound financial reasons for the decision. Whilst this may seem like a radical decision, it is one that we need to make to ensure that Middlesex gets back on a more stable financial footing.”
Ticket information for both Middlesex Blast matches at the Cloud County Ground will be announced in due course.
Will Macpherson and Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 21 November 2023.
PTG 4349-21176.
Will Macpherson.
London Daily Telegraph.
Friday, 17 November 2023.
PTG 4346-21165.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Thursday, 9 November 2023.
PTG 43367-21131.
Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Wednesday, 1 November 2023.
PTG 4328-21092.
David Humphreys, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) director of cricket operations, is set to join the exodus of senior staff from the governing body just nine months after he started work there. The news comes a month after it was announced Mo Bobat, the ECB’s England men’s performance director, is joining the Indian Premier League's Bangalore franchise in February. Bobat oversees the talent pathway and is right-hand man to Rob Key, the director of cricket, running aspects such as the England ‘A’ side and Under-19s cricket. Sanjay Patel, the managing director of the Hundred, finance director Scott Smith, chief operating officer David Mahoney, head of participation Nick Pryde, Claire Dale, the head of people, and Emma Adler, head of talent development, have either left in recent months or are departing soon.
22/10
Dane Paterson 10-2-32-2 in the win for Western Province today over Rocks
20/10
19/10
Good luck to The General, as he takes charge of the England u19s in India next month and in the World Cup next year.18/10
Good luck to Fateh Singh who is currently downunder playing for Melbourne club Mont Albert16/10
Cricket voted back into the Olympics for 2028
The ECB will fit this into the schedule, no trouble...
Cricket at the 1900 Olympics: Two days, 24 players, Silver for the winners.
Somshuvra Laha.
Press Trust of India.
Saturday, 14 October 2023.
PTG 4313-21039.
ECB considering gap in 2028 schedule to avoid Olympics clash.
Elizabeth Ammon.
London Times.
Wednesday, 11 October 2023.
PTG 4312-21035.
11/10
The word "inflexion" confused me as it's not English, nor is it Yorkshire English. It's American English meaning inflection. What he means by "inflexion" is not clear but he might be using it vaguely in a mathematical sense.
09/10
Troubled Metro Bank? latest news
06/10
PTG Editor.
Friday, 6 October 2023.
PTG 4309-21020.
02/10
MCC needs to work to retain its relevance in the game, says new President.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Monday, 2 October 2023.
PTG 4306-21005.
Mark Nicholas, MCC President, out of sync with the MCC?
01/10
29/09
Glen Chapple to quit today - 30 years a one club man
28/09
ODI Schedule disrespectful to county championship
Surrey Retain the County Championship
Middlesex pursue former chief executive over alleged expenses abuses.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Thursday, 28 September 2023.
PTG 4304-21000.
Middlesex are locked in a legal battle with their former chief executive Richard Goatley, who left the club two years ago, over allegations of thousands of pounds of is inappropriately claimed expenses. Goatley, 49, denies the allegations and says he has his own legal action in progress against the club. Earlier this month the County were found guilty by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) of years of financial mismanagement, and as a result they were fined £UK150,000 ($A286,475), £UK100,000 ($A190,980) of which was suspended until October 2025, and given a 12-point deduction in the County Championship. Their accounts will be scrutinised by the governing body (PTG 4290-20239, 12 September 2023).
After a newspaper report, which claimed the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had launched an investigation into the club’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, Middlesex released a statement on Tuesday refuting the claims. The club also denied reports that Cornish received a pay rise of more than £UK50,000 ($A95,525) while sitting on their remunerations committee, in contravention of governance regulations. The statement said that his name appeared as part of that sub-committee on their website because of an administrative error. Middlesex said they did not want to reveal details of the proceedings to try to protect Goatley’s health and to ensure a fair process, but felt obliged to comment after the newspaper reports.
27/09
Pears promotedCLUB STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO DAILY MAIL ARTICLE
Middlesex Cricket issues the following statement, in response to an article which has been published this evening by the Daily Mail online.
The Club has become aware in recent weeks of attempts on the part of certain individuals to spread malicious and negative publicity about Middlesex Cricket, by contacting numerous journalists within the cricket media landscape. We have come to understand that numerous false and sensational claims have been advanced with a view to causing harm to the Club.
There are ongoing legal proceedings between the Club and its former CEO. Unfortunately, we consider that improper attempts are being made to influence those proceedings by leveraging, and indeed misleading the media.
The Club has been contacted by a number of reputable journalists and been afforded the opportunity to comment on various claims which have been made. A number of journalists have declined to publish stories in the circumstances, making clear the concerns that have arisen regarding the credibility of the source(s) of their information.
We regret that the Daily Mail, by contrast, and despite similar engagement on the part of the Club, has decided, irresponsibly, to publish an article which is fundamentally lacking in substance.
Whilst we regret that we are driven to issue this statement, for the avoidance of doubt, the Club denies that it has had any contact from the FCA in relation to any review that it may or may not have conducted, and the FCA have not made any governance recommendations to the Club in relation to this matter.
Further, whilst the CEO of Middlesex Cricket was, for a period of time, erroneously listed as a Director of the Remuneration Committee, he attended meetings of the Remuneration Committee for the sole purpose of making recommendations on staff salaries to the standing Directors on that Committee. He had no influence on his own remuneration and the error was rectified some time prior to the publication of the Daily Mail article.
We are disappointed that the Daily Mail has chosen to publish this article.
The Club’s legal position is entirely reserved and will be making no further comment on this matter at this time in the circumstances.
Despite ICEC report, MCC will not immediately axe Eton-Harrow, Oxbridge, matches.
Will Macpherson.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4303-20997.
26/09
Sue Redfern: I’m proud to break stereotypes – cricket needs to change.
John Westerby.
The Times.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4302-20987.
ECB wants to 'change the game' to tackle discrimination.
Stephan Shemilt.
BBC News.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4302-20990.
25/09
ECB's response to criticism over inclusive shortcomings.
Trent Bridge Pravda have been wishing Samit good luck for the final of the CPL tonight. Samit has only played one game this year for the Lumbago Billboards [Trinbago Knight Riders] 0/48 and 1* - I guess he's not an automatic choice to play.
24/09
Alex Hales could hardly score a run this year for Notts Outlaws and I don't think he did any better for the Trent Bridge cuckoo parasites, but last week he scored a century for Jamaica Tallawahs and is averaging 36 in this year's CPL.
Hales' contract expires with Notts soon.
22/09
WACA Woke p*ss take, or not?
WACA ‘no place for woke politics’ - let's just focus on the game.
Paul Garvey.
The Australian.
Friday, 22 September 2023.
PTG 4297-20969.
Sue Redfern to become the first female umpire in a championship game, next week.
21/09
20/09
The 2024 T20 World Cup is going to play havoc with the English season of 2024.
Venues include New York and Dallas
Modular Stadiums in US
Yes I know the plural of stadium should be stadia
19/09
English umpire set to stand in his 250th first class game.
PTG Editor.
Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
PTG 4294-20952.
Essex-born Bainton, who turns 53 next month and thus in theory at least potentially has another dozen years as an ECB match official, made his first class debut in 2000 at the age of just 29 in a game between Cambridge University and Middlesex. He told ’The Cricket Paper’ in an interview in 2016 that he was in his late teens when, playing for his club’s third XI, he realised he enjoyed the umpiring stints the players had to share between themselves when their side was batting more than he did playing the game. Soon after, he decided to give up playing altogether and see how far he could take his umpiring - which at 250 first class games, is a very long way.
Consequently he rose through the Essex League and County Second XI ranks, his debut in the latter competition coming just a few weeks before his 24th birthday, then ahead of the 2000 season whilst still in his late twenties, he was appointed to the ECB’s second-tier Reserve List. Elevation to the ECB’s then top-level Full List came in 2005 when he was 35, a group he has been a member of for the past 18 seasons and that now has the PUT title.
Bainton said in that 2016 interview that “Getting on with the players and player-management is key to being a good umpire at [County professional] level, as is not being too officious. It’s the players’ game and you’ve just got to be accepted into their group. A lot of the former players who umpire have that respect immediately from the current players. For the non-players, it’s harder to get that respect but you do get accepted quite quickly. If you’ve progressed to that level and don’t make too many mistakes the players obviously feel that you’re good enough”.
Of those who currently make up the PUT, Bainton ranks third in terms of first class games umpired, after Neil Mallender, 62, who is currently on 307 (PTG 4003-19679, 20 September 2022), and Nigel Llong, 54, on 258 (PTG 4168-20416, 14 April 2023); both being former first class players and also Test umpires. In addition to his 250 first class games, Bainton has, to list just some of his contributions to the game, stood in 165 men’s and 13 women’s List A games, 183 men’s and 17 women’s T20s, 29 men’s Minor Counties fixtures, and 186 County Second XI games across all three formats.
18/09
Happy Birthday to Luke Fletcher
Bowled 7 overs on his Birthday for the 2s
14/09
Hello,
After many a request, you’ll be pleased to hear I am finally getting a hair cut!
All 14 inches of locks will be donated to the incredible charity, The Little Princess Trust. The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or to other conditions such as Alopecia. The charity is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK.
It costs £550 to make one wig for a child. So in addition to hair, the charity needs funds to support their work.
*Through your generous donations, we have now raised £743 for The Little Princess Trust. All additional donations will be donated to Dravet Syndrome UK in memory of Florence Dunn*.
Cheers,
Rory
Bilal Shafayat joins aid charity in Morocco
13/09
ECB To Invest £2M on diversity projects
11/09
Not exactly book throwing at the Seaaxes by the ECB, unlike Durham's punishments in the past, more like a scrunched-up page from the book being gently lobbed. Their Chair is current doing their lines "I must get a plan, I must get a plan, I must get a plan"
80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteThe usual Southern County biased syndrome .
Remind me where Middx are based !
Would it be Lords by any chance
Diversity ? How much diversity is there in The ACE cricket youth programme ?
ReplyDeleteRestricted to Afro Caribbean people.
That would be the equity v equality debate Rich.
DeleteBrilliant from Rory !
ReplyDeleteAn outbreak of common sense from Tom Percy above.
ReplyDeleteFor example, taking the knee and accepting the word of one man, who when it suits him, seems to have a very poor memory, on what people are alleged to have said up to 15 years ago; have made a great game ridiculous. Well those and other things that have happened in recent years
African Caribbean Engagement (ACE) and South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA).
ReplyDeleteSounds like segregation to him, rather than all together.
Segregation,
Dictionary "the action or state of setting someone or something apart from others"
To me !
ReplyDeleteA bit more please, cos racism is not being dealt with in cricket as it should
ReplyDeleteWe should all get on, black/white (in reality there is an endless variety of colours).
Peace comes by being together, not separate, and not by demonizing people by picking out what they may have said many years ago.
Cricket has got this badly wrong, and continues to get it wrong by ECB employng people to monitor what is said in private conversations.
Friendships grow in trust, not through suspicion, and yes racism is not limited to white people.
How could it be ? Human nature is universal, and massively short of perfect.
That what needs to be looked into at
ReplyDeleteTB miscellaneous expenses to many people overseeing each other's expense sheet
Re questions above on poor effort from England in World Cup connection, or not, to lack of 50 over domestic cricket for "our" team : I vote for the "or" !
ReplyDelete80 NOTOUT
ReplyDelete20 over slog cricket cannot produce an all- round patient but destructive when necessary player.
When it’s a case of hit a six or out - then as we know it’s mainly “ out” apart from a select few.
Jim G
ReplyDeleteJust read that of the England xi so hammered by SA on Saturday, only Gus Atkinson has played in a 50 over match since the last (50 over) World Cup
That’s remarkable!
The Hundred, which the administrators think is saving the game, is slowly killing it from every angle. Timing in the season, the (Mis)prioritisation by the ECB and, controversial view alert, by making mediocre players quite well off and less hungry
It was also, by the way, meant to last no more than 2 hrs in order to be attractive to TV. I always thought the maths behind that was dodgy and the matches I’ve been to last longer than a t20 (largely because of the messing about in the final 10-15 balls of the innings) at about 2hr 45.
I just wonder when the tv bubble bursts and sponsors lose interest what we will be left with.
Joe Root believes that getting rid of the T20 Blast would help fit 50 over cricket in.
ReplyDeleteHow about get rid of the Hundred, and then we have a month of 50 over cricket.
But, you can't say that can you....!
A bit like the Brexit word!
No professional cricketer is going to advocate scrapping the H*ndred as they (the lucky drafted few)are perhaps the only beneficiaries of the pitiful waste of time and resources, kerching!
DeleteA nice 2 year England 🏴 central contract for our new paceman Josh Tongue I note
ReplyDeleteNot bad for a man who has only played 2 Test Matches after debuting in the summer
Guess it shows the ECB just how much of a threat these franchise outfits are becoming?
Poor Olly, who's missed out, might have to pull his finger out and stop pretending now.
Delete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteQuestion !
Of all the bowlers NOTTS have to choose from , which ones will be fit enough to play in the first game next season?
Notts could yet again be carrying some pretty expensive passengers.
Without ever reliable - AND FIT- Paterson and Hutton it’s pretty apparent NOTTS would be in perpetual flux .
80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteReference ECB shake up/ departures
Is it just a question of changing one gravy train for another.?
Failure in cricket often appears to be rewarded at the end of the day .
Are folk leaving the ECB for more exciting and profitable roles or is there an almighty tussle going on at HQ at which we are kept in the dark ?
Nice promotion for ‘Titch’ Taylor having to make an earlier than once anticipated coaching career.
ReplyDeleteGood for James
Wonder whether we will be tempted to prepare better decks now there’s 8 points for a draw or will we stick with the traditional Trent Bridge surfaces which help the classic English seamer bowling 80 mph ?
ReplyDeleteDidn’t Warwickshire win the County Championship by winning just 5 matches a few seasons back ?
Yes 2004 under the astute leadership of John Inverarity they went undefeated. 1500 runs from Ian Bell plus Knight, Mark Wagh, Trott, Toughton and Mike Powell.
DeleteAha, see the pre season jolly up is back again - bound to be some nice ‘freebies’ for certain individuals loosely connected to the club ????
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteApart from the playing staff I just wonder who else will make the “ exhausting” trip to ABU? How many coaches , management ,physios , analysts etc etc will be vitally required out there in March 2024 ?
Perhaps a travelling party of anywhere between 25 and 60 employees ?
Why not join them in the advertised package deal and help subsidise the pressed for cash club.
DeleteYes indeed.
DeleteImagine shelling out several thousand ££££’s and then tucking into your stuffed camel 🐪 next to a load of hangers on on freebies
Oh, gladdens one’s heart
Had to look up exactly what Lancashire Thunder was
DeleteYou can be excused Rich as I think they're now just Thunder, just like THE BLAZE are just THE BLAZE. An idle thought: would Thunder had been Lightning if Loughborough Lightning had started off life as The Loughborough Blaze?
DeleteIf county players really worried about driving (cars) too much, why not all use a team coach (vehicle !), as per league football ?
ReplyDeletePresumably then Chris Read has finished his role at Reptile 🦎 school or is he combining the possibly 2 p/t roles I wonder ????
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteRef Glouc potential new ground . If it ensures the Clubs survival and long term future then the proposed move is a no brainer!?
Operating losses can only be dealt with by decisive action .
What would W.G . say I wonder?
Well he was prominent in the move from Clifton Bristol to current ground, so might be he would approve ?
ReplyDeleteRe Moeen, seems a strong case for keeping village of Hartlebury as lovely as it is in picture on the link, and keep cricket politics out !
ReplyDeleteNOT OUT 80 .
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at a map of the world it’s hard to even see the UK on it .
We have an acute shortage of land and they ain’t making any more .
Virtually all new developments will have an impact on an area and its residents . Cricket grounds take up a lot of space by their very nature.
I would like to bet that NottsCCC are still playing their major cricket at Trent Bridge in 100 years time.
100 years hence:Trent Bridge exacty where it is now with Newell and Pursehouse still clinging on to their current positions and Peter Moores picking the same old, old players game in game out.
DeleteNo investigation into racism, can, or will find no evidence of it.
ReplyDeleteAt least, from what I have read the report did not include the meaningful phrase, oh yes, it means something, "institutionally racist", as did the 2 previous reports.
Both this phrase and "systemically" are explained by these perfectly moral investigators as "collectively". That meaning, by dictionary definition, everyone. That is absurd, yet these phrases still used in and outside cricket in such investigations etc.
That was me again !
ReplyDeleteMr Anson spoke with clarity and some openness.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a great prospect for our game. TBH, Franchises are now so powerful, ECB etc decisions may have little effect.
80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting up the video link . It’s an absolute must watch for all fans of cricket . Really big changes are in the air . At least we now know exactly where The Lankies stand.
Is it now Notts turn to clarify the Clubs view of what is being proposed?
Torn re Yorkshire. No friend of Mr Graves, but what business is it of The Culture, "Interferer" and Sport Committee ?
ReplyDeleteThe bunch who accepted every word of one person, often with no witnesses to back him, and in the face of denials.
Later it was found that Mr Vaughan had "probably not" made the comments attributed to him, though AR had said he clearly recalled them.
80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteYORKSHIRE ccc at war with itself !? Nothing new there . Go back to the Brian Close and Boycott days! Plus other splats that some may recall . It’s just history repeating itself . The main difference this time is the state of Yorkshires financial position . Almost on the brink it would appear?
Indeed AR is back. The man who points the finger, and yet has admitted to tweeting racist comments himself. He did not volunteer that information at the time of the DCMS hearing, in fact only later, when others made those comments of his public
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteWill this Yorkshire saga ever end ? Is there actually a solution that will please the majority of Yorkshire folk?
The situation at Yorkshire looks set to run for some time because the club owes debts to Mr Graves' family Trust. I think this is quite telling - any other new owner aside from Mr Graves will have to navigate the debt issue.
ReplyDeleteI can't see who will want to sponsor Yorkshire given the fallout from all of this. Whatever one's view on the issue, sponsors are there for positive publicity, and there isn't any of that around the club at the moment.
80NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteYORKSHIRE is a large County and contains many very wealthy individuals . Surely there is someone up there will to pay off the Graves family and inject fresh cash into the Club and give it a fresh start? We all know Yorkshire folk can be a law unto themselves and seem to love a good squabble . If the Graves consortium gets voted back into power by a slender margin then what will the future hold for Yorkshire? Sponsors pulling out and the ECB issuing negative statements and Members views split down the middle . Is there a knight in shining armour with enough drive and cash to rescue the situation ?
I very much agree, but a core issue here is that historically Graves decided to lend to the club - not invest or donate - and so now the club is beholden to him with debt. So the first act of any other owner would have to be to give the £14m to the Graves family trust. Difficult pill to swallow.
DeleteThe idea of that man taking over at Yorkshire is totally unacceptable. And I hope their members have morals enough to vote No.
ReplyDeleteThe ECB statement is incredibly weak. It might as well have put out a statement asking for a public inquiry into itself.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the BBC "Graves is understood to be proposing to change Yorkshire from a members' club into a private limited company"
ReplyDeleteWell, that is the end of representative cricket in Yorkshire. The club will no longer represent the interests of the local supporters and players who constitute its membership, it will represent the interests of the owners.
And the members will actually vote for this!!
Agree totally.
ReplyDeleteI thought Colin Graves, though, had a position worth defending over his "banter", explanation.
But he has caved in in a cynical deal to get total control of Yorkshire. Azeem rules OK.
It seems even an abject climb down does not satisfy
ReplyDeleteAzeem Rafiq.
I deplore any abuse of him on any public format. But how much is abuse, and how much is disagreeing, with him, which he then calls "racist" ?
If it is causing him such distress, why not come off Twitter ?
I think Rich the bigger issue is a man returning to not run but own Yorkshire ccc who should not be anywhere near sport.
ReplyDeleteBanter he said. Clearly a man with issues.
80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteOne thing most people connected to cricket have realised when it comes to Yorkshire ccc.
In fighting at the Club is part and parcel of the game . Better to just let them get on with it - they will survive - as always . Cricket up there is deep rooted and nowt can stop it being important to most folk .
Celebrate in the knowledge that its been nearly a week since Mr Rafiq got a mention on the BBC website.
Delete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteG . Boycott said yesterday it was important that Yorkshire folk support the Graves development - to save the Club from virtual extinction
Boycott. And they said dinosaurs were extinct.
ReplyDeleteCricket is breaking records in how long it is taking over It's suicide.
ReplyDeleteCounty and to a good extent Test cricket won't be anywhere near the level it is now in 3 years or less.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that something that probably could have been said at any point in the last hundred years, but when did Test cricket reach its peak?
Delete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteFor all the faults he may or may not have you have to give Graves credit for digging deep into his pockets - yet again . The Yorkshire Members in general obviously appreciate that .Yorkshire have paid a massive price for what has gone on at the Club . Some would argue the overall penalties are out of proportion . When you look back at was allegedly said in the Yorkshire dressing room and training areas it is reasonable to remember what we used to laugh at years ago on mainstream TV
Love thy Neighbour
It ain’t half hot mum
Till Death do us part
The Comedians ( stand up half hour )
Benny Hill
The list goes on
Humour has now changed and many things that were once routinely said are no longer acceptable
Just a thought.
I understand where you're coming from and I used to enjoy The Goodies as a kid but many of their characterisations would been deemed unkind and unacceptable today by modern standards.
DeleteFor every joke there's butt of the joke and no one is happy to be the butt of a joke all the time.
Well whether Graves has been "digging deep" into his own pockets is a point for debate. What he has done here is to lend Yorkshire an enormous amount of money, up to £16m now, which they owe him back this autumn, and so now they are beholden to his every wish. His first choice was to turn Yorkshire CC into a limited company, no longer a mutual society (as most clubs are, including Notts), and therefore own the club and the ground. And he might yet insist on that.
Delete80 NOT OUT .
ReplyDeleteThe problem today Dave is that comedy is dead. Everyone is offended all the time . We are all watching re runs of classic old comedy half hour shows because there is hardly anything on TV nowadays that makes us laugh..
Everyone you speak to says the same . How long would a great comedian like Dave Allen last on TV these days ? Not even certain Dads Army would be welcome to the newer generation. Too many stereotypes to upset the ever offended “ wokies”
Enjoy 80NO https://twitter.com/i/status/1753346249942569284
DeleteGraves going back to lead Yorkshire means they have lost all credibility with the local Asian community and will find it difficult to attract them to play or watch.
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteBringing women into the game of cricket -,mainstream-,was always going to create problems!?
( only joking!)
But someone will be shelling out for depleted squads.
What would Lord Hawke make of it all ? People running our game now, would laugh at that. But he made Yorkshire into a team to fear, like Brazil in football and New Zealand in rugby. Now seems no mention of winning cricket matches or trophies, unless those trophies are for "diversity" or "culture".
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteIn the rules of present day society everyone has to be a winner!
There are no losers.
Its almost shameful to be the top dog at anything as it makes those below feel inferior.
And we cant have that!
No equity in the treatment of Yorkshire then. Instead total discrimination, whatever your feelings in that country and their CEO, this "close scrutiny" is the opposite of fair and equitable
ReplyDeleteOn that county I mean, sorry.
ReplyDelete80 NOT OUT
ReplyDeleteThe Yorkshire affair rumbles on and on .Most Yorkshire Members must be sick and tired of it all !?