Hampshire Cricket History

Reports from Bob (cheers):

Yesterday – Hampshire fielding at Hove (50-over game) – KJ report at mid-day – Sussex 64-3. Wheal, Stevenson, Hart, one wicket each. (Later) Hampshire won a ‘thrilling’ game, says KJ.

Also Yesterday (I’ve no idea who this game was against) Devon 300+ for 7, at tea at the ‘Bowl

Today: Sussex batting in a 45-over ‘red-ball’ game today. Topley and Abbott opened the bowling.

Is cricket getting weirder by the day? 50 overs ‘white-ball’ game, followed by 45 overs red-ball

“Don’t everybody?” (Singing in the Rain)

I may be the ‘retiring’ sort these days but I have a couple of commitments coming up. On Sunday I have my usual job of interviewing a couple of Hampshire players at the Portsmouth Area Supporters Lunch (Brookfield Hotel, Emsworth) – I’ve been doing it for some years and Brian & Linda Scrimshaw do a fine job running the lunches, supporting disability cricket, fund-raising etc.

I’ve just been told who I’m interviewing and it might be quite interesting: Asher Hart & Calvin Dickinson. Asher is our new signing from Durham, a right handed batsman and right arm medium pace bowler, and Calvin Dickinson is a scholarship player, a wicketkeeper-batsman born in South Africa. I’m not sure how much homework I can do on them.

Then on Tuesday evening I’m giving a talk in Bedhampton (I did point out the rogue apostrophe). I didn’t choose the title but it’s quite fun:

As you might expect, the panel talked up Hampshire’s prospects, with the hope of far fewer injuries and the new signings. Giles White said it is the strongest squad in his time and they were not looking at avoiding relegation but towards the other end of the table (Rob Key incidentally fancies them in this month’s Cricketer)

But as far as I can recall, and despite all the recent excitement, no one mentioned the white-ball game …

During the Radio Solent Forum, a member of the audience made an understanding and fairly supportive comment about the new T20, but suggested that English cricket fans are pretty tribal and would wish to see a fair representation of local players. Rod said that might happen but stressed this would be the Best v the Rest of the Best before adding “it’s not designed for you”.

That seems to be the strongest message – that they are seeking what might turn out to be a mythical audience of kids, mums and families, but whether they get that audience or not, “its not designed for you” or me.

Rod also said he doesn’t see the kids at the Ageas Bowl. The second and third times I watched Hampshire was on a Wednesday and a Friday from around the tea interval in 1960. I walked a few hundred yards from school and saw ‘Shack’ take 9-30. If we don’t see the kids at the Ageas Bowl maybe that’s partly because there aren’t many school kids close by. Something that was “designed” for kids is Cage Cricket which I’ve supported financially and in other ways for some time. But the Ageas Bowl removed the Cage, quite deliberately.

Rod also said “it’s not our job to educate kids to love what we love” but to “give them what they want”. I guess that’s a key difference between him (lifelong businessman) and me (lifelong arts educator). I don’t mind if kids like cartoons and pop music, but I’m always hopeful that they might move on from that – which probably requires an intervention or two (it’s called education).

For the first time in about 25 years I won’t be at the AGM/Forum and I’m not likely to be watching much cricket this year at the Ageas Bowl. The reasons are too complicated to bother with and some of you know anyway. It’s not particularly to do with what’s happening to English cricket although that hasn’t helped – in broad terms I’ll say simply that I don’t feel comfortable with the thought of being at the Ageas Bowl these days.

When this ‘blew up’ at the end of last season, some of you asked that whatever else might happen, I would keep the Blog going. That was very kind and I’m happy to do so for as long as it’s of interest.

There is however, a change looming, because I’m not likely to be posting up-to-date reports or photos of things happening to Hampshire – and that starts tonight with whatever might emerge at the meeting. As a consequence, I am very happy to post anything relevant that you might wish to send. You can of course simply add that as a Comment to anything I post, but if you’d like it to be a main post (written or pictorial) you can send to me by email** and I’ll stick it up there, and be pleased to do so

Cheers

** dave.allen@port.ac.uk

This has just arrived – it’s the best cricket story for a while. Hampshire have released this statement from Michael Carberry

“I would like to thank my family, the club, the supporters and my teammates worldwide for all the kind messages of support and love through another very tough time in my career and life. There is still a long way to go to being ‘recovered’ fully, but the outpour of support from the cricket family has helped massively in getting me back playing, and I’m looking forward to another great summer with Hampshire. In regards to the media, I would like to thank you for respecting my privacy in dealing with my illness and I would like to ask for this to continue on my return”.

It will be played in July and August

There will be Test Matches at the same time. England players can be allocated to the eight teams but can only play if free or dropped

There will be the 50 overs competition played at the same time by all 18 counties, but minus anyone playing in the new competition or for England

It will be on TV – with perhaps five matches on BBC (?)

The original T20 competition will start in May and conclude with Finals Day in mid-July, four days before the new one starts.

The eight teams (‘brands’) will be based at the Test grounds: Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, London North, London South, Cardiff and Eastleigh. The latter is the only ground not actually in a city, but apparently the teams will be regional and unlikely to be called after cities.

Fake News – Michael Vaughan in today’s Daily Telegraph says “For too long cricket in England has been a safe environment where nothing ever changes” (my emphasis). I will confess he is just about my least favourite of all the former cricketers who make comments on the game, but for its sheer banality that takes some beating; it’s Trump to a T. Nonetheless I think he does have a point when he says “In 10 years time, cricket in this country could be very different”.

Meanwhile Mason Crane bowled 31 overs v Middlesex without a maiden, but did take 4-95 in the second innings – not quite enough to prevent Middlesex from a thrilling one wicket win.

Tom Harrison asks the first one: “I don’t think it’s so much a gamble, it’s about saying, ‘What do we want our business and our game to look like?'”

I’m asking the second. This £1.3m – is that every year? For how many years?

Here’s a thought. There are certainly players who are earning £100k+ at Hampshire – possibly quite a few. About five years ago the Cricketer revealed that Michael Bates and Danny Briggs were in the £50-100k bracket, which I guess would be the equivalent of Alsop, McManus or Wheal today.

If all that is correct then £1.3m – while obviously very useful – is not such a big deal.

PS: Just been reading more, so to answer part of my question it’s £1.3, per annum for five years (initially)

I know it’s cricket but I need cheering up and I noticed this evening a young man scoring two goals for England Under 21s whose name is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. I understand Stan Bowles is quite poorly these days and wondered if this kid is named in his honour.

Bob’s provided some excellent information to the first photo below. I didn’t expect a flood of answers and Bob is correct that the warship (Britain’s entire navy I believe) signifies it is Southsea seafront. The building is the Southsea Bandstand, adjacent to Henry VIII’s Castle; it hosts free gigs throughout the summer on Sunday afternoons and was designed and built by Pete Clutterbuck, the cricketer to whom Bob is talking. I’ve known Pete for decades, since he was an art student, but he’s better known as Pompey’s blacksmith – and what could be better than a blacksmith in a village cricket team?

Incidentally, if you’re interested, there’s a news story on the BBC cricket site tonight. It seems there’s a change looming:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39412237