Hampshire Cricket History

It was a beautiful morning, the grass needed a cut and at the northern end work was proceeding on the new hotel/media centre/sightscreen area (etc)

As I write, England have taken a fourth wicket and are on top against India while Australia have taken four of the ten wickets to beat South Africa with a day to go. Meanwhile West Indies revival is continuing in Bangladesh. I was reflecting on the first years I watched Test cricket (on TV) when, around 10 years old, I watched England beat New Zealand, India and South Africa in three seasons by 12-0 with three drawn.

It wasn’t with hindsight very good. Through later decades there were long periods dominated by one country, West Indies, then Australia. But while there are good sides around these days no team (including England last year) is clearly the best in the world. The County Championship is very similar and I think both situations are to be relished. There may be no GREAT sides out there right now but perhaps there are more GOOD sides than ever before?

(Mind you, if the current Test in Mumbai was a Championship match, India would already have lost fifty points for excessive spin from day one …. Anyone spotted Tony Pigot?)

Hampshire have links with South African Test sides that go back way over a century (Poore and Llewellyn) but I wonder whether this week has seen a first as Rory Kleinveldt and Imran Tahir have bowled together in the 2nd Test against Australia. I watched them this morning during the lunch interval in India as Kleinveldt (the worst overseas player ever at Hampshire?) astonished me with three quick wickets.

Poor old Imran is having less success. To date his match figures are 0-218. He was very good at Hampshire but he does hold the record for the most runs conceded in a match for the county – 260 v Somerset at the Rose Bowl in 2009 (although he did make his highest score in the game). He’s also fifth on that list, following Newman, Llewellyn and Udal. It’s interesting that only Newman did not play Tests yet was probably the best of the lot!

It’s not very big (apologies) but here’s a seasonal shot of George Bailey (with wife and daughter). George Bailey has just been named as Hampshire’s overseas player for 2012. The George Bailey above, was around when Jim Bailey became the last player (ever?) to do the season’s double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets for Hampshire in 1948. As Jim said at the end of the season, “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

From BBC News:

Dan Christian has been banned for one match for smashing up a dressing room for the third time this season.

The former Hampshire player, 29, trashed changing rooms after three successive dismissals for the West End Redbacks in his native Australia.

“When blokes get out it really is tough,” South Australia director of cricket Jamie Cox said.

“But it doesn’t give anybody the right to actually smash up equipment and smash up dressing rooms.”

Cox added: “We all have bad days but you can’t go belting holes in walls and start upsetting the people around you.”

Christian was fined for his second transgression but after again vandalising the changing room at Perth’s WACA, where he was out for eight and four as the Redbacks were beaten by the Warriors, he has been banned for the match against Victoria Bushrangers.

The all-rounder helped Hampshire win the FP t20 title in 2010 and has played 17 one-day internationals and 11 Twenty20 matches for his country.