August County News: Match Abandoned at Bristol

 

29/08

Match Abandoned owing to Pitch Safety at Bristol

‘Unsafe' hybrid pitch causes abandonment of first class match.
ECB Reporters Network.
Friday, 30 August 2024.
PTG 4609-22209.

The County Championship Second Division match between Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire was abandoned on day one in Bristol on Thursday owing to concerns from the umpires over player safety on what was a hybrid pitch.  Umpires Chris Watts and Sue Redfern called a halt early on in the final session after Northants batters Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh had been struck blows on the hand by Gloucestershire paceman Ajeet Singh Dale and retired hurt.

Northants were 2/116 in reply to Gloucestershire's 125 when the contest was abandoned at 5 pm, the umpires consulting with both captains before leading the players from the pitch and then holding a consultation with ground staff to explain their decision.  Watts and Redfern then talked with match referee Jason Swift before contacting England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pitch inspectors at Lord's to seek advice. The decision was then taken to abandon the match.

Gloucestershire scored in excess of 500 runs on a neighbouring pitch against Leicestershire earlier in the week, but were unceremoniously shot out in just 36.1 overs on Thursday. The county deployed a hybrid pitch for their home Championship match against Middlesex in May without any issues arising. But this was an altogether different set of circumstances, with Vasconcelos being taken to hospital with a suspected broken finger.

When Keogh was struck during the final session, Watts and Redfern, concerned for the safety of the batters, made their intervention. Northants will collect 11 points for a draw, including three bowling bonus points, but Gloucestershire will receive none. It remains to be seen whether or not the county will face any further sanction but the matter has been passed to the Cricket Regulator for investigation.

The umpires issued a brief statement, which read: "The match has been abandoned because there was a foreseeable risk to the batters. In the opinion of the umpires, it would be unreasonable to continue”.  Gloucestershire declined to speak to the media at the close of play, and later issued a statement in anticipation of further action, which said: "Whilst we acknowledge that this is not something anyone would have wanted to happen, we need to see, understand and discuss the match referee's report before making further comment on the decision.  We expect there will be an ECB investigation and we will of course assist them at all stages of that investigation”.

27 Aug 2024 | Cricket - GLAMORGAN CRICKET

Glamorgan is set to face Somerset in the highly anticipated Metro Bank One Day Cup Final at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Sunday, 22nd September. The match, which will start at 11am and promises to be a thrilling encounter as both teams vie for the prestigious title.

Glamorgan have been working with our partners and supporter groups to provide our supporters travelling from Wales with a range of travel options to get to Trent Bridge

 

MSG Tours - Same Day Coach Return

Our partners MSG Tours are putting on a same-day coach service.  Places are available for £68 per person. This package offers round-trip transportation to and from Trent Bridge on the day of the final.  Pick-up from Sophia Gardens will be at 6am.

Limited car parking is available at Sophia Gardens for the day as an optional extra to this package for £5 per vehicle

To book coach travel click here: https://msgtours.octopustravelmatrix.com/booking/GLAMReturnCoachBusM01

*Tickets for the game are not included and must be purchased separately.

 

St. Helen's Balconiers "Daffodil Tours" Package

The St. Helen's Balconiers have arranged a "Daffodil Tours" package, which includes coach travel and two nights bed and breakfast in Nottingham. The package costs £195.00 for a single room and £145.00 per person for a double/twin room.

For more information on the "Daffodil Tours" package, visit https://www.thebalconiers.co.uk .

*Tickets for the game are not included and must be purchased separately.

 

You can book your tickets for the Final by clicking here or by calling the Nottinghamshire Cricket Ticket Office on 0115 899 0300.

Adult ticket prices start from £26, Under 16s are £5 and there are £10 tickets for under 21s in the Family Area.

Tickets can be purchased anywhere in the ground, but Radcliffe Road Lower West is where a number of Glamorgan supporters are already purchasing.

19/08

Sean Jarvis warns, Bleak future for Foxes Unless

CEO's open letter

’Not out’ after batter’s overhead tennis ‘smash; draws ire of Taunton spectators.

Wisden Cricket.

Monday, 19 August 2024.

PTG 4597-22160.

Spectators at Taunton reacted negatively on Sunday when Leicestershire batter Tom Scriven was given 'not out’ and a ’no ball’ was called after he played a tennis-type overhead smash at a ball and was caught during an England and Wales Cricket Board One Day Cup semi final against home side Somerset. The decision, despite being in accordance to the Laws and the Playing Conditions, drew the ire of fans, who appeared to be of the view that deeming it a 'no ball' when the batter was able to reach and hit the ball was unfair, former England fast bowler Steven Finn calling, as could be expected from a bowler, a "terrible terrible awful rule”.

Law 21.10 says: "The umpire shall call and signal No ball for any delivery which, after pitching, passes or would have passed over head height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease”.  One Day Cup Playing Conditions are similar, stating: "If a short pitched delivery passes or would have passed over head height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, and in the umpire’s opinion so prevents him from being able to hit it with his bat by means of a normal cricket stroke, it shall be called No ball in accordance with Law 21.10”.

16/08

OK so £3.99 isn't a lot, but will it be watchable, as Foxes usual streaming is let's say unreliable, to be kind. In all honesty it's one of the worst on the circuit for buffering, freezing and for being out of sync. This is brought to you by the same county that charged admission to a MBC game (Kibworth) then charged an extra £10 for a seat once you were inside the ground or you could have had for a fiver what was effectively a stool for the day. 

I suppose they have to find the money to pay for their two overseas players some how, so stuff trying to grow the game and open in up new viewers...

Meanwhile, the other quarter-final  Pears v Bears at Edgbaston is free to view

13/08

Graham Thorpe Death - Inquest Opens

12/08

Graham Thorpe

10/08

Heart-warming story from Edgbaston

Hammond on a Charge - 06/08

Following an investigation by the Cricket Regulator, Gloucestershire CCC’s Miles Hammond has been charged with a breach of Section 3.2.3 of the Professional Conduct Regulations, relating to the use abusive language towards a spectator during a T20 Blast match between Somerset and Gloucestershire at the County Ground, Taunton, on 7 July 2024.

ECB Directive 3.2.3 concerns the use of language that, in the circumstances, is obscene, offensive, insulting or seriously insulting, making an obscene or seriously insulting gesture or engaging in any similar conduct.

The charge will be considered in due course by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission. No further comment will be made until the case is concluded.

08/08

Northants Profit

Leicestershire Crying Now

After being at near full strength in the One Day Cup in all previous H*ndred infected years, when they see how the rest have been managing they don't seem to like it. "It's ridiculous".

The Grumbler Newsletter

05/08

RIP Graham Thorpe (1969-2024), condolences to his family and friends of the former Surrey and England player.

[Breaking on the internet today 12/08 that Graham Thorpe took his own life]

Josh Cobb and Worcestershire on a Charge - 18 July

Following an investigation by the Cricket Regulator, Josh Cobb and Worcestershire County Cricket Club have been charged with breaches of Regulations 3.2 and 3.3 of the ECB Professional Conduct Regulations, relating to the use of a non-compliant bat in a Vitality T20 Blast game against Durham on 5 July 2024.

ECB Directive 3.2 concerns participants conducting themselves fairly and properly on the field, and ECB Directive 3.3 concerns conduct, acts or omissions which are improper, or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket, or which may bring the ECB or the game of cricket into disrepute.

The charge will be considered in due course by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission. No further comment will be made until the case is concluded.

Sussex:

New cricket ground stand plans go before committee

Detailed plans for three new stands at Sussex County Cricket Ground go before councillors next week.

Sussex County Cricket Club has applied to replace an informal seating area with two stands of permanent seating and to demolish and replace the hospitality facilities with a third new stand at the Hove venue.

The two new stands – either side of the bowling sight screens with storage beneath – are described in the application as modernising the north end of the ground, backing onto Cromwell Road.

Also proposed are new bar/ refreshment facilities and more toilets to serve the new stands.

A new south-east stand a bar/refreshment facilities and toilets is also planned near the Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue on the corner of Easton Road and Palmeira Avenue.

There are six objections to the plans, raising concerns about noise, overdevelopment, additional traffic and the impact on neighbours.

An objector, whose details are removed on the council website, said: “This development will destroy what little remains of the original ambience of this once lovely ground. And it would be interesting to know who is going to fill all these new seats.

“As it is, the temporary stands which are erected every year mostly remain unused throughout the season.

If, however, by some miracle cricket fans suddenly flock to Hove then it will be impossible for residents to park anywhere near their homes and noise levels will be unbearable.”

Another objector whose details are also redacted, said: “The size of the stands worries me, as we currently face into our communal garden which runs parallel to the cricket ground.

“This is extremely and worryingly close to where the proposed stands will be. I am aware that the cricket ground is rarely full, so I’m confused as to why extra seating is being built.”

There is one letter of support from a person describing themselves as an “immediate neighbour” who “wholeheartedly supports the application”.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee granted outline planning permission for a scheme to revamp the whole ground in March 2020, allowing the development to go ahead in principle.

At the same time, it granted full planning for the first two phases –  a nine-storey block of flats with a “pub restaurant” on the ground floor, which has since been built, and redevelopment of the south-west stand with new hospitality facilities.

The application due to be decided next week is for full planning for the third and fourth phases. Officers have recommended granting the scheme. 
The planning Committee is due to meet at 11am at Hove Town Hall on Wednesday 7 August. The meeting is scheduled for webcast on the council website.

03/08

Ottis Gibson to step down

County cricket: the ever-entertaining One-Day Cup deserves more respect

Gary Naylor, The Guardian

1) The spirit of cricket?

Cricket fans are getting used to the nature of One-Day Cup: there is an enticing mix of youth and experience in the teams; players and fans enjoy a camaraderie that is promoted by a shared outsider status; and there are some fine matches played at the most cricket-friendly time of the year. Last year’s final was hardly a revisit to the heady days of the Gillette Cup in the 1970s, but it was a tremendous match that spawned homespun heroes and not a person lucky enough to be there will ever forget it.

But then this statement arrives: “Keaton Jennings has been selected by London Spirit as a replacement player for the remainder of The Hundred.”

Why should another competition treat this one with such contempt? Jennings is the Lancashire captain and he had led the side in their first two matches, but has now been swept up by a wholly different entity to which he has no connection and is gone. Imagine if that was your club’s Saturday skipper and multiply it by 1,000.

He is, of course, blameless and one can surmise the attitude of his employer by the terseness of the statement above. If London Spirit have selection problems, they should solve them by themselves.

2) Golden boy Brown stifles Lancashire

It’s not often that Derbyshire feature at the top of any table but, with a 100% record after three matches, they are sitting pretty at the peak of Group A.

The latest of those victories was a walk in the park against Lancashire, the match done in less than 40 overs as the Red Rose’s 100 all out proved every bit as inadequate as it looked. The star of that bowling effort was Pat Brown, who was once the future of England’s white-ball bowling but, since being capped in 2019, has suffered from injuries and lack of form. It’s hard to believe that he’s still only 25.

Five for 37 was his reward from his first 50-over match of the season. It’s not a bad time to be catching the white-ball selectors’ eye again.

3) Worcestershire punching hard

Though they have only played two matches, Worcestershire are the form team of the early exchanges, two thumping wins putting them second in Group A.

It might be easy to look at their opening win at home to Middlesex and think that the visitors were as affected by absences as their fellow Londoners, Surrey. But there were some experienced pros like Mark Stoneman and Sam Robson in the visitors’ lineup, even if the bowling looked a little ripe for the working-over handed out by Gareth Roderick and Ed Pollock, whose opening stand of 259 in 35 overs must have demoralised the visitors.

Will Worcestershire push on from a dream start? On Friday, they face off against the other county with an immaculate record, Derbyshire, and something will have to give.

4) The Gnoll turns out nice

Glamorgan, the 2021 champions, have won their first three games and lead Group B.

Their latest win came courtesy of three fine individual performances: Andy Gorvin’s five for 56, and a pair of centuries for Eddie Byrom and Colin Ingram. Nottinghamshire may have thought they were in with a chance at the halfway mark after posting 274 for nine, but that score was probably 50 or so under par on a small playing area.

Though known more for rugby, The Gnoll has staged cricket in Neath since 1848 and will host two One-Day Cup matches this season, Sussex’s turn to stare at the satnav for Friday’s match. Though laudable to take a couple of matches away from Cardiff, it’s disappointing that the only Welsh county will not play a fixture at Swansea or Colwyn Bay this season, grounds steeped in history.

Though financial and other constraints have limited most counties’ willingness to play at outgrounds, it still feels like a missed opportunity to take the game and the players to the fans.

5) Batter of the week

Everyone loves a low-scoring thriller, with the possible exception of those in the middle.

That was an unfamiliar place for Jake Lintott to find himself, certainly with the pads on, as he looked up to see Warwickshire 149 for six, still needing 25 to beat Sussex. There was all the time in the world to get them, but that invites consideration of multiple strategies, the obvious option of swinging for the bleachers probably the worst. He must have thought back to his only innings of the month, lbw first ball.

Without the addition of a run, he lost the set Will Rhodes and became the senior pro, his team’s remaining resources Michael Booth and Tazeem Chaudry Ali (12 appearances between them) and a man who had not scored a run for two months, Oliver Hannon-Dalby.

Lintott went old-school, making 11 off 28 balls, running the winning two after Hannon-Dalby edged Jack Carson’s delivery. Sometimes it’s not how many, it’s when. And, sometimes, it’s also how.

6) Bowler of the week

Jack Leach’s England career is not over, but he would not be human if he didn’t look at Shoaib Bashir’s bowling and the plaudits it is attracting and wonder if, in reality, it probably is.

Swallowing that disappointment and coming off the back of an early season in which he has found wickets hard to come by, the left-armer took the ball for the 12th over with Durham 47 for two in pursuit of 242. Finding some assistance from the surface, Leach snared two wickets in his first over and another two in his fourth, eviscerating the home team’s middle order, Somerset running out easy winners.

His captain, supporters at Taunton and, I’d venture, cricket followers around the country will be hoping that Leach’s six for 26 marks the start of a strong second half of the season for one of the county game’s most popular figures.

Delhi Capitals owners agree £120m deal to buy majority share in Hampshire

Exclusive: Hampshire will become first county owned by an overseas franchise should the purchase be ratified by the ECB

by Matt Hughes

The owners of the Delhi Capitals have agreed a £120 million deal to buy Hampshire in a historic move in which they will become the first county to be owned by an overseas franchise.

Under the terms of an agreement that has been passed to the England and Wales Cricket Board for ratification, the GMR Group is poised to take full ownership of Hampshire and a 51 per cent stake in the Southern Brave, with the option to complete a 100 per cent takeover of the Hundred franchise. The Indian bid for Hampshire was first revealed by Telegraph Sport in January, with both parties hoping it will be finalised before the ECB’s sale of their 49 per cent share of the eight Hundred franchises closes at the end of the year.

The Delhi part-owners are understood to have beaten a second bid from rival Indian Premier League franchise Lucknow Super Giants with an offer which values Hampshire at £120 million, although that price includes the club’s debts of around £60 million. GMR owns 50 per cent of both the Delhi Capitals and their Women’s Premier League franchise, with another Indian conglomerate JSW Group owning the other half.

Hampshire’s value appears to have risen during the negotiating process from a starting point of around £100 million, an increase which reflects the ECB’s decision to gift them a 51 per cent stake in Southern Brave. The high valuation is also down to an impressive international fixture list and the promise of strong ticket sales secured by owner Rod Bransgrove, who is set to be rewarded for his shrewd stewardship of a club he rescued from bankruptcy 24 years ago.

After more than two decades of lobbying the ECB, Bransgrove has finally secured an Ashes Test match for Hampshire in 2027, while the Utilita Bowl will also host an India Test in 2029, another Test the following year and eight England white-ball matches between 2025 and 2031. In addition to buying the club, GMR will also take control of the Utilita Bowl, a Hilton hotel and a golf course all on the same site near Southampton.

The takeover by GMR, which also owns 50 per cent of the Dubai Capitals in the United Arab Emirates’ ILT20 and Seattle Orcas in America’s Major League Cricket, is hugely significant for English cricket as it puts the Indian franchise in a strong position to become the first outright owners of a Hundred team. While a sale process which the ECB has likened to “speed dating” is not due to start until next month, with 51 per cent of the Southern Brave already under their control a full takeover would appear to be a formality.

Hampshire declined to comment when approached by Telegraph Sport.

The ECB has been actively courting Indian investment themselves so is not thought to have any objections to Delhi’s bid. Its main concern in assessing such bids is that the interests of the game’s existing stakeholders are protected, particularly Hampshire’s fellow Southern Brave shareholders, Sussex.

In addition to significant investment the impending takeover opens up the possibility of Hampshire gaining access to some of Delhi Capitals’ players, particularly their youngsters. Whilst the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] does not currently permit Indians to play in the Hundred, that is likely to change if Delhi buy into the competition. There is nothing to stop Hampshire seeking short-term signings for county cricket. There is considerable confidence at Hampshire that the takeover could put the club in a position to challenge Surrey’s domestic dominance.

In another significant development Rajasthan Royals have reopened talks with Yorkshire about a takeover at Headingley, although that process will take considerably longer to complete as chairman Colin Graves has yet to get the approval from members to take the club private. The demutualisation process needs to be approved by a 75 per cent majority in a ballot involving at least 50 per cent of Yorkshire’s 6000 members.

When announcing his plan to go private in May Graves warned that Yorkshire would be “fighting for their survival” later this year without external investment, but more then two months on the club have yet to schedule a vote. Leeds MP Alex Sobel is campaigning against Graves and has urged members “to hold their nerve and oppose” the proposal.

Hampshire Takeover at Advanced Stage

A groundskeeper’s life: ‘It’s hard – but I’ve seen the world’s best players’.
Tanya Aldred.
The Guardian.
Thursday, 1 August 2024.
PTG 4578-22078. 

Gary Barwell is sitting on his electric mower as he quietly eases up and down the Edgbaston square, one eye on the approaching clouds.  He has been at Edgbaston since 2011, as head of sports turf – as well as an ambassador for the Grounds Management Association – and has been tenderly encouraging grass to behave for more than 30 years, since he first joined Leicester City on a training scheme as a teenager.

“I love it”, he says. “I’m very passionate about it, I don’t feel I do a job and I class myself very lucky. Basically, I’m a failed sportsman. I realised that about 12-13, but I wanted to carry on in sport. I had two days at the ticket office with Leicester City before the ground staff took pity on me”.

From then on, he was hooked. He joined the ground staff at Grace Road in 1993 and worked his way up before moving to Trent Bridge as deputy head groundskeeper in 2009, where he learned alongside the person he considers the best grounds manager in the world, Steve Birks.

“Ideally I’d have liked more years there but then the opportunity came up at Edgbaston and all those things I’d wanted – to be in charge, and for it to be my pitch – were on offer. I said that I’d try it for a year and if I was no good … that was in September 2011, the rest is history”.

Barwell, and his team, have gone on to scoop up a number of awards, including the Institute of Groundsmanship’s 'Groundsman of the Year' and 'Professional Cricket Grounds Team' of the Year trophies in 2018 and the (shared) Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy in 2022. 

There have been many other satisfying moments, from successfully soaking up a drenched ground before the Covid Blast finals day of 2020 to hearing Eoin Morgan say of a World Cup Edgbaston pitch in 2019: “We knew when we turned up to Edgbaston we’d be playing on a belter”.  Barwell says: “And that’s great, just to be a small cog making things happen. My ambition is to get cricket on quicker than everyone”.  

Much has changed during Barwell’s time on the grass, from the pattern of the playing season to the climatic.  “When I left school, to be honest, it was more of a seasonal job, cricket was very much a summer sport”, he says.  “Now, with the Hundred, we’ve got more tournaments and the season can run from 15 March until 1 October.  Out of 155 days this summer, Edgbaston is going to be used or trained on for 133. With players are more professional the workload is greater.

“Climate wise, the seasons have moved and the extremes are getting more extreme. Winters used to be cold and summers warm. Now if it is going to rain it generally hammers it down and it is only going to get worse, we are constantly battling.  Most years something strange is happening somewhere in the country, we had that really hot spell last year, now there is no real pattern to it. In Birmingham we’ve barely had a summer this year and it’s been windy virtually every day”.

The season flows in peaks and troughs. Right now he is in the middle of a peak which started with the Test against West Indies and runs through eight Hundred games and four 50-over fixtures – mostly played at an out ground but kept an eye on by Barwell.

The working day also varies. Barwell lives outside Birmingham, so is up at 5.30 am to get to the ground on time. Some days he has left Edgbaston at four, on others he might not lock up until midnight. He has become something of a weather geek, with various apps on his phone including ‘Thunderstore' which measures the likelihood of storms – though one of the reasons he’s so in love with his job is that it takes him away from mobiles and social media.

“It’s a great career, I’d recommend it to everyone. These days, when people are worrying about their mental health, and people are on their phones all the time and don’t talk to one another, I’m outside every day, with a team of seven from 22 to 64 years old. Is it hard and frustrating? Yes. Is there added pressure? Yes. But I’m not a nurse trying to save a child. I’m very lucky, I’ve seen some of the best players in the world”.

He loves the people side of it, the teamwork, keeping an eye on the welfare of the rest of the ground staff. “I wouldn’t say I’m in peak physical fitness but I’m relatively fit. Personally, it is more mentally draining, continually seeing how people are, it’s a demanding job. I’m a people person, it’s a great team”.

“This morning I wanted to take the nets off early, so I got here at 6.30 am. The staff are supposed to work 8-5 but by the time I got here, three members of the team were already in – and two more came in 20 minutes later. That’s the level of dedication”.  And his secret? “Sitting and chatting rubbish over a beer and a biscuit after work.”

01/08

Appeared on BBC the other day...

31/07

It's almost August...

As outlined in this Foxes News Article LCCC plan to charge viewers to watch a couple of games this season via their streaming service. 

As the Foxes streaming service is currently one of the least reliable, prone to buffering, freezing, comms/pictures out of sync etc on the circuit; a very serious up-grade will be necessary.

As a non-supporter of Leicestershire, I wouldn't dip in and out of their stream, if a subscription was required. There's plenty of alternatives out there to watch.

A paywall will kill casual, neutral viewers stone dead; they would be better served using advertising on a free, improved streaming service to raise income, if that is the motive. 

It was only a couple of years ago that Leicestershire lowered their prices to tempt people back into the ground, and that wasn't a resounding success (from outside looking in), the ground remote, being too far away from central Leicester, being a suggested reason. Throwing-up a paywall to their streaming service is only likely to make Leicestershire CCC more invisible to the Leicester public and ensure they remain largely irrelevant to them. Leicestershire will also risk making themselves invisible and irrelevant to the rest of cricket's Youtube viewers worldwide.

No body wants Leicestershire CCC to become obsolete and irrelevant, do they Mr Jarvis?