Hampshire Cricket History

(Who remembers Johnny Cymbal then?)

From Hampshire today – one more possible ‘quickie’

“Hampshire seamer, Ryan Stevenson, returned to bowling for the first time last week following an injury suffered at the start of last season, and after spending significant time rehabilitating this winter, he has his sights set on a return to begin the 2017 campaign. The right-armer, who joined the club in 2015 after performing well at minor counties level, was restricted to just one T20 and three 50-over fixtures in 2016 as a result of a stress fracture at the base of his back. However with the 2017 season just around the corner, Stevenson feels his recovery and training are going well and is excited about what the coming year could bring with his pre-season preparations now building”.

Pick a Championship XI from these 18:

8 batsmen: Adams, Alsop, Carberry, Smith, Rousow, Vince, Bailey, Ervine

6 pacemen: Topley, Edwards, Wheal, Abbott, Stevenson, Wood,

2 allrounders: Dawson, Berg

1 spinner: Crane

1 wicketkeeper: McManus

Then explain why not to seven of them, and don’t worry about Weatherley, Taylor etc.

Mind you, we could copy the top football teams and field the reserves in the Cup

I’m no fan of acronyms, so beloved of bureaucrats

Today I read on BBC about an Irish ‘leggie’, descibed as “CIYMS leg-spinner Jacob Mulder”

CIYMS?

Huh?

I’ve said before that Liam Dawson is just about my favourite Hampshire cricketer. I like just about everything about him (except he’s grumpy when dismissed and doesn’t acknowledge the crowd’s applause)

He reminds me so much of Peter Sainsbury who got very close to playing for England but never did. Now Liam has done that in all three formats and I’m not sure, without checking, how many have from Hampshire. It would be recent of course and probably ‘Carbs’ (?) but otherwise …?

However, one thing that has held Liam back is his (and others’?) uncertainty over his role. He’s been an opening bat, a number three, a number five, a slip fielder, an out-fielder, a non-bowler, a front-line bowler etc. In his time at Hampshire he’s rarely been the best T20 slow bowler, let alone the one to play for England. The great year (attack-wise) was probably when we fielded five slow bowlers – Tahir, Afridi, Briggs, Mascarenhas and Cork (OK a bit tongue in cheek there)

And so my sad thought is this. Danny Briggs ended up disappointing in the longer form but he was always a terrific T20 bowler. If things had gone well, he should have been playing in India yesterday, probably ahead of Liam. That Liam played is a great tribute to his character. But Danny? Perhaps an indictment of our English system at international and county level?

It is possible that the decision against Joe Root deprived England of victory today which would have clinched the series. If you follow this Blog regularly, you’ll know that’s not a big deal to me (it’s just another IT20 series) but check this from the BBC:

“Morgan admitted to Sky Sports after Sunday’s game in Nagpur that he would have been ‘fuming’ had the decision against Root come in a big game, such as the World Cup”.

So, it’s good to know from the captain that it’s not a big game, just England v India. Pretty much my view too. Still, as he said last week, it’s a handy shop window for something important like the IPL.

As Bo Diddley once said (or sang)

I must be quiet from now on – Liam is playing (Dawson that is)! And since he’s listed at number 9, I guess he’ll get a bowl

Good luck Liam

PS Sadly that didn’t work, not by some distance his finest match

The final over was remarkable. England began it needing eight runs to win and their batsmen only managed to hit one ball, whereupon the umpire gave Root out BBW (bat before wicket). He was called Sham – entirely appropriately as he also gave a plumb Kohli not out earlier in the day – but I don’t think he’s a Hersham Boy …

Congratulations to Tom Alsop and Mason Crane, both selected for the MCC team for the English county season’s annual curtain-raiser against Middlesex.

I remember going to the same fixture in 1974 but then it was the start of the English season, whereas now it’s in China or somewhere. Still it’s great that those guys have been selected. I wonder whether either/both will play in our Championship curtain-raiser?

Meanwhile Liam Dawson can pack his shorts for the trip to the Caribbean with England’s ODI squad in March. He doesn’t play of course, but he should have some fun out there. Are Hampshire there at the same time?

I can’t think of much to say about that, except I saw Liam (D) at the close, still wearing his Road Safety visibility jacket and shaking hands with all sorts of people he didn’t play against. I only watched the last 20 minutes, but it seemed like a classically uninteresting T20 match/finish. ‘Dullsville’, as the beatniks might have observed (remember Jellimallo?)

Unfortunately, Liam Plunkett.

0-2 down, nothing in the series, England’s spinners not very effective so far, all a bit disappointing for him.

(PS – Is he the only guy in the squad not to play?)

PPS What’s with this Dave business then? From BBC Sport just now:

“The difference between the India and England supporters in the ground tonight is captured by the television cameras. While a middle-aged English couple – they look like a Dave and June – sit quietly and nod in approval at a cover drive, an India fan jumps up and down excitedly behind them. Face paint, waving a flag …”

(Minutes later, Stokes gets Kohli, the Indians are quiet and there’s a bloke looks like a bearded Bill on his feet, flag of St George on either cheek, clapping wildly)

Simon Coombs sent this lovely photo from Barbados. He thinks they were checking a new scoreboard but it looks good for ‘Carbs’ (and Jimmy) even if if the total isn’t quite keeping up!

There is more about him in today’s Cricket Paper too

Is that a bit small? Try this:

But it’s an amusing coincidence (perhaps?)

50 years ago today on our TV screens at teatime we were brought the latest greatest thing from the USA: the first UK broadcast of The Monkees television show.

Switch on at teatime today and ask whether much has changed?