Hampshire Cricket History

This lovely photo is Burrfields CC and a request for information which has come to me via Mike Vimpany. Burrfields is off the Eastern Road in Portsmouth and may have become Moneyfields at a later stage (I’m guessing) but I know no more. The comments and questions sent were as follows:

Rod Bransgrove on the podium as victorious skipper Alistair Cook is interviewed by Michael Atherton – they both deserve our thanks and congratulations – indeed, in the context, I would have made Cook ‘Man-of-the-Match.

I think Nigel Gray and his team deserve congratulations as well, for a pitch which allowed good cricketers to perform well and maybe found out some who were either not top class or did not play too well.

(Below) Nigel’s team posed for their end-of-match team photo

(Top) there was a huge crowd for a fifth day and mostly they had great fun watching England win. I met a lot of ‘regulars’ over the five days and we were having a very good time as pretty well everything was run well. Despite this, The Times this morning grumbled about the size of yesterday’s crowd and the Guardian which has at last started calling it the Ageas Bowl, ran a whole article about the small crowd yesterday. I bet they won’t run a story about the excellent day five crowd tomorrow

I had to go to the car-park at mid-day and met a few people grumbling about the delays in getting in. However, I took the second photo of people who had parked and were queueing for tickets just after 9.30 am. They will have got in easily but I reckon some last minute ‘fans’ reckoned they could just drive up with half-an-hour to go and get straight in. But why would you expect that with any major stadium event in the modern age and why would you leave it that late – especially when the match could have finished in one over?

Hampshire lost seven wickets for 48 runs and lost at Bristol today after apparently restricting Gloucs to a low(ish) score. I don’t know much about it as I’ve been at the Ageas Bowl but it means that when they resume in the 50 overs at home next week they will be under pressure to start winning and probably keep winning. Maxwell and Carberry were missing unfit – I don’t know what’s wrong with Maxwell. Tom Alsop made his first team debut (another ‘keeper!) but was run out third ball without scoring.

Day one went well for England while Hampshire were winning at Old Trafford

Let’s hope that day five brings two victories – at the Ageas Bowl and Bristol

Not sure about the team, apparently on Sunday, Carberry’s bruising was exacerbated by his medication for his illness of a couple of years back

PS: Apparently Abbott only returns for one game and Maxwell leaves after Sunday but an overseas bowler is being lined up for at least a couple of late Championship matches.

Four days of fine weather and some of the best cricket from an England team in almost a year. Hampshire have done a good job of putting on a fine event and the pitch has been very interesting, good batting and good bowling from the best of the quick and slower bowlers.

Close of Play today

Wish you were here?

Yesterday I described our broadcasting position at the southern end. We get treated very well at international matches, including lunch in the new media centre so i’ve been able to see inside the press box – and here’s the view behind the arm that the press boys get. I gather the front row is a bit warm n the afternoon on days like this but the view is terrific and the guys I spoke to seemed pretty impressed. The lunches are pretty good too (great pudding today!).

Ian Bell injured a finger early in the day so Hampshire’s Sean Terry fielded for the rest of the day and held a catch as Adam Rouse had three years ago. He is seen in the centre as England leave the field at lunch.

It’s especially nice for Sean who’s a super guy, I’m pretty sure his Grandmother was watching (I saw her there on Sunday) and Sean has had a miserable year after Chris Tremlett broke his arm in a 2nd XI match.

The ECB identified today as the most appropriate day to commemorate the start of the FIrst World War. The two sides, Umpires, ECB/Hampshire officials and descendants of Colin Blythe (Kent & England) led the one minute silence before the start of play.

Ian Bell walks back after scoring 167. In his only other Test innings on the ground he scored 119* – Ballance passed that highest score earlier in the day, then Bell topped Ballance. Bell has also scored two ODI centuries and one for Warwickshire at the Rose/Ageas Bowl. England’s total was easily the highest for a Test here – let’s hope one of the England bowlers can top Chris Tremlett’s six wickets today!

Incidentally the weather yesterday was somewhat miraculous given what was happening in southern England – it even rained in Pompey! It’s chilly this morning but the forecast looks OK