Hampshire Cricket History

Andy Carter on home debut bowls to Jake Lehman on Yorkshire debut. Lehman made a half-century and the day swung back-and-forth with a frustrating end, thanks to ‘one of those’ tenth wicket partnerships, and the bad light (below) which truncated things:

(It was a bit frustrating for me too, since I arrived to do my after tea commentary just as everything went ‘West Midlands’)

Meanwhile elsewhere, Durham started brilliantly yet finished second best to Notts, while Lancashire inserted Somerset and struggled badly until late in the day when they took a few wickets.

Nothing clear in any of those matches yet then. Back tomorrow – and I’m told that (a) the forecast for Saturday is ok now and (b) that the new ball was taken (thanks Jo!)

Apparently James Vince needed a match to re-adjust to the squad on his return from England so although Will Smith indicated a willingness to continue, Vince will captain for the rest of the season. With the exception of his century against Yorkshire at Headingley, he’s had a pretty horrid season with the bat but he’s impressed me as captain. He’ll need to be good against Yorkshire, especially if Saturday’s forecast is accurate. If it has to be a draw, it has to be a high points draw and maybe Notts v Durham could be the opposite – or maybe even a low-scoring win for Notts? It’s hard to believe that Warwicks will get sucked into the battle but Lancashire might – They have struggled since losing their international opening bowlers and today they’re home to Somerset.

Who will play today? Perhaps one from Andrew, Carter and Wainwright? In that case presumably Adams and Smith stay as openers, Ervine at three, Vince four, Alsop five?

PS Will Wheater play for Essex – at home to Worcs? And if not …???

PPS Today is Hampshire’s seventh home game of the season with one more to come. Next year this will be the last one.

Late afternoon, Alex Hales on 165* was just two short of Robin Smith’s all-time ODI England record innings (in 1993). The commentators got excited, then Hales was hit on the pad. The umpire said no but Pakistan reviewed it and it took a good while to check before we discovered it pitched outside leg. Then amazingly Root got a single from a no-ball so Hales on 166* had a free hit!

Which he only managed to mis-hit for one to draw level

Root then scrambled a single with a less exciting run-out review

Then Hales got a slow long-hop which he pulled for four and the Judge’s record has gone (but we still have his bat in the Archive)

And then next ball Hales was given out lbw and England reviewed it.

But he was plumb.

The over took approximately three hours & 12 minutes to bowl

That is, one that will allow bowlers to take wickets. The updated record of overs needed to take a wicket this season in Div One, is as follows:

Below 10 overs (ie average allowing 40 in the match): Edgbaston 9.15 overs; Headingley 9.31 overs; Trent Bridge 9.77 overs

Above 10 overs: Taunton 10.05; Old Trafford 10.46; Oval 10.76

Above 11 overs: Durham 11.43, Ageas Bowl 11.72

Above 12, finally, Lord’s 12.30

In addition Lancashire (9.5), Middlesex (10.6), and Surrey (8.9) have played one match at an ‘outground’ and Yorkshire (9.3) have played two

So the Ageas Bowl is the second toughest place for bowlers to take wickets but I’d suggest that we will be lucky to escape this year with two home draws, while the Oval (our other destination) is sixth on the list …

As promised, from Tigger (thanks)

Bank Holiday that is. I’ve spent two days at the Victorious Festival on Southsea Seafront; 120,000 people, Noel Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Manic Street Preachers, lots of stages and lots of acts I’ve never heard of – it was all quite delightful, and close enough for me that I could nip home for a cup of tea, use the loo without queueing, and get back for the late session.

Here’s my lot on the lovely World Music Stage on Saturday lunchtime; maybe not the best but probably the largest and certainly the oldest!

Some people appeared on rather bigger stages. This is a band called Ash and a lot of people who enjoyed them rather more than I did

And on the seaside stage a legendary Pompey outfit from the 1980s, Emptifish

I’ve had so much fun – and you can never have too much! I hope to be saying the same next Saturday evening, after four days v Yorkshire

“Extra, Extra, Read All About It”

There is a piece by Vic Marks in today’s Observer: “County season boiling up for a memorable finale” from which:

“This week Yorkshire are at the Ageas Bowl where Hampshire are clutching on to First Division status by their fingernails … there have been some dull surfaces down at Southampton this season. Dare the home side spice their pitch up a little? Yorkshire, no doubt, hope they will.”

(I have some interesting ‘stats’ about results from Tigger which I’ll share before Weds – incidentally that’s the first time I can recall the Guardian/Observer writing Ageas rather than Rose)

Marks also mentions the on-going “uncertainty and some discord” over the proposals for T20 City Franchises which are “still on the agenda”. He cites recent research, not by the ECB but by a company who are specialists in “sports media rights”. They say that “There is little consumer demand for the proposed city-based T20 competition, even among younger and currently more casual fans of cricket”. (my emphasis)

The research suggests simply that the proposals are the ECB’s “quest for lost revenue” with the “main impetus” the fact that with it comes the opportunity for ECB to negotiate “new broadcast rights”. The current deal with Sky extends to 2019 with a two-year further option as a consequence of which media growth in cricket has “stagnated”. They reckon the loss is about £60m.

So there we have it. It appears that nobody much wants these changes except the TV companies and the money men at the ECB.

There again, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

( A rather beautiful song by Tim Hardin)

This is the latest edition of the Cricket Paper and a two-page spread, principally about that Cage Cricket day I spent at Eastleigh, earlier in the season – the two main photos are from there and I have no doubt, that what Cage Cricket is doing for young and old is one reason I can retain my faith in the great game.

Even here however there is a certain irony. The article clearly describes and praises (rightly) Hampshire’s contribution to the dementia work at the ground, but if you were to read it, knowing nothing previously, you might imagine also that Hampshire supports (even provides?) Cage Cricket – whereas what it’s actually done is dismantle the cage and despite suggestions that it might relocate and rebuild it, that hasn’t happened.

So, for me, another powerful Reason to Believe in Cage Cricket – but Hampshire?

No cricket today – for me that is. I shall miss seeing Liam impersonating a council refuse collector but I hope he has fun. I’m taking my skiffle lot to entertain some proportion of what they’re saying might be around 60,000 people on Southseas Seafront at the VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL. There’s a chap called Gallagher expected and some Preachers (Sunday presumably) on the BIG stages. We are entertaining in the World Music Village and hoping for skies like yesterday’s:

As a consequence I may be a little quiet on here for a couple of days but that’s no bad thing.

… was once captaining Hampshire when Yorkshire won the match, leaving one of their batsmen on 99*

So Tennyson simply bowled another ball to give him his century!

It’s not quite like that at Taunton but assuming Jimmy finally gets his three figures, will that be it? A day that started with one side not declaring to enable two centuries and finishes in a similar manner.

Two wickets fell yesterday and five* today.

The old Taunton?

UNBELIEVEABLE

Do you remember his 99 last week – the only moment I listened to over four days? Well I finished typing the above, flicked back to the latest score and …

I guess all you can say is it’s better to be Jimmy than James right now

*Six