Hampshire Cricket History

Ian’s comment alerted me to the call up for Liam. It wasn’t in the news earlier. Well done Liam, and good luck, although I’ll be surprised if he plays unless it’s to strengthen the batting (replacing say Batty).

England goes overseas:

“Keaton Kent Jennings is a South African cricketer who plays for Durham County Cricket Club. He is a left-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm medium-fast. He made his first-class debut for Gauteng in 2011 against Free State. Although he is South African, he is eligible to play international cricket for England”. (Wikipedia)

Hameed that is. Not only batting with a dodgy finger but he’s now faced more balls in this series than any other English batsman, with only Kohli of the Indians ahead of him. As I’ve suggested before, he hasn’t really learned to do that in the Championship, where I doubt the quality overall – compare, for example, Gareth Batty’s performance at the Ageas Bowl last summer with his Tests this winter, where he has simply looked outclassed (where’s Shaggy?).

Many thanks for all those thoughts. ‘ Tommo’ was writing about the guys he’s enjoyed playing with/learnt from:

Adams, Vince, Smith (RA), McKenzie, Pothas, Mascarenhas, Warne, Udal, Cork, Stuart Clark, Bond

I was counting ‘Dimi’ as the multi-national (inc coaching NZ)

He seems to have missed that other South African/Englishman!

Honourable mentions for one or two others including Bates and Briggs.

PS: Test Match? How about Crosby, Stills & Nash: “Helplessly Hoping”?

Imagine you had to name a Hampshire best XI from the 21st century. That’s effectively what James Tomlinson has done this week in the Cricket Paper – the team he’s chosen covers his years at Hampshire, the past dozen + years

I won’t reveal (yet) who he chose, in case you want to have a go, or at least a guess. There are, I think, some ‘certainties’ and one or two surprises.

Two, like James, are Hampshire-born; and there are two or maybe three other Englishmen. Three are South Africans, two Aussies and one from New Zealand although the ‘maybe’ also has a link with the Kiwis. Five have represented England.

(Classic soul by James Brown)

Make sure you check all the great STATS in the Comments on the previous post – really interesting, really informative and really sad

Many, many thanks

(Forever Changes)

On a Summer Holiday

At least those of us daft enough to love Championship cricket might as well, through the whole of July & August when there is just one match – preceded incidentally by an away game and a floodlit game.

I was explaining to Kevan James yesterday how something clicked (off) in me towards the end of last season and how I feel right now that I’m no longer in love with the cricket. There’s very little in the fixtures to make me change my mind – not even Lord’s as far as I can see* –  still it’ll be nice for the cricketers. Lots of days of rest and preparation in a very long season – and I’m sorry for you workers out there that some starts are on Mondays.

*No, I don’t count the T20 you’ll be surprised to see

I cannot see anything on the Hampshire website but if like me you can’t wait to see Hampshire’s T20 fixtures for 2017*

They’re here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/teams/hampshire/fixtures

As I understand it, the Championship fixtures are out tomorrow morning

Just back from Jimmy Gray’s funeral at the Southampton Crematorium, and the ‘do’ afterwards, along the road at the Golf Club. It was a very nice occasion. I’ve been to four Hampshire cricket funerals this year and eight funerals in all and Jimmy’s had the best music – I had no idea he was a jazz fan but we had recordings of Oscar Peterson “Every Time We Say Goodbye”, Harry Conick “Goodnight My Love” and trumpeter Roy Eldridge “Willow Weep for Me” – perfect. At the reception there were just too many scrapbooks and photo albums for me to see them all – quite delightful.

Among the players in attendance, Tim Tremlett gave a fine tribute, and also there was Denis Baldry, Keith Wheatley, Alan Rayment, Alan Castell, Bryan Timms and Peter Haslop, all of whom played with Jimmy – plus young ‘Shack’, come to pay tribute to ‘Uncle Jimmy’. Others who worked with Jimmy in his later days as Chairman of Cricket were Kevan James, Rupert Cox and Mike Taylor.

Cheers Jimmy – thank you for great memories!

PS I liked this photo – Jimmy in his Arsenal days

I once spoke to a Hampshire bowler who made his debut before the war and in that first game was thrown the ball back to bowl and saw it had been ‘altered’ by one of the fielders. It has always happened.

That doesn’t make it right of course.

But one interesting thing about cricket is that we take it for granted that – within the size/weight laws – every batsman gets to use their own bat and can do certain things to it to get it just right (tape, sanding, extra rubber grips etc). The batsman is also allowed to change his gloves when he wants – for example for a dry pair.

So, within the Laws of size and weight, why shouldn’t every bowler use his (or her) own ball in whatever condition he/she wishes? Why the difference, because it really is a batsman’s game or because to make such a radical change would require an act of imagination which are not common around cricket?