Hampshire Cricket History

Hampshire 2nd XI 140 all out, from 48-6 (Abbott 43, Currie 23*, Woods 19, Adams 18)

Gloucestershire 2nd XI 122-6 (Woods 6-2-12-2, Abbott 9-5-15-2, Holland 9-2-18-2)

And in the Times “Falling Crowds worry ECB as Players’ Chief backs Test overhaul”. The worry is about Test ticket sales – evidently England v India in Birmingham is not selling well until day three (Friday) despite the fact that there are actually quite a few Indian supporters in that part of the country.

The Ageas Bowl is singled out, with the information that “only 8,000 tickets have been sold for the first day, and 5,000 for the fourth day”.

I’d grumble about the football season encroaching on the cricket season. But it starts this weekend, a fortnight before the cricketers don their whites again. How to make sense of it all?

Colin sent this nice idea:

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/domestic/introducing_the_big_block…_my_brilliant_and_obvious_alternative_to_the_hundred.html

In the news – and a good guy (BBC):

Sussex left-arm spinner Danny Briggs has signed a “multi-year” contract extension with the club. The 27-year-old has taken 108 wickets in 78 matches in all formats since moving from Hampshire to Hove. “Danny’s an important cog in the Sussex machine and not just because of his on-field contributions,” head coach Jason Gillespie said. “He’s a great man to have around and he’s got a great cricket brain.”

I have discussed with my publisher a hard-back limited edition (100?) corrected update and the plan is to do it up to the end of 2018 (Amla, Northeast etc) and publish at the start of next season. (Bob Murrell spotted the latest addition here – cheers)

A-Z Corrections List (Alphabetical)

John Arnold scored 2,000 not 2,00 runs

Tom Barber’s ‘number’ should read: (List A)

Henry Bethune’s number should read (37) He played before and after 1895

George Carter was born 1846, not 1946

Cecil Currie attended Marlborough College, not Marlborough School

Jimmy Gray’s number should read (314)

Granville Greenwood’s match at Lyndhurst was 1874 not 1974

Guy Jewell was born 1916, not 16

John Manners was 103 in April 2018, not 104

Matthew Salisbury’s ‘number’ is 548 not 348

Shahid Afridi also played in one List A match in 2016 (List A/T20)

Herbert Stewart’s memorial is in Hans Place, London, not Hans Crescent

Chris Tremlett played three first-class matches in May/June 2015, age 33

HE Webb 145* for Oxford University v Cambridge University at Lord’s 1948

The bibliography is missing:

P Bailey, P Thorne & P Wynne-Thomas (1984) Who’s Who of Cricketers

From Colin (cheers) about Adil Rashid:

On the  BBC web site

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/44997045

“If it works out, great, if not then there are 16 counties out there and I hopefully I will get picked up by someone and start afresh”.

Sir Ian Botham has said he would be interested in signing him for Durham.

Interesting to note that Adil says 16 counties out there. Has he forgot there are now 17 counties apart from Yorkshire or is he deliberately excluding someone?

(I’m hoping Colin that he’s forgotten Hampshire, knowing we’re not interested …)

I guess Hove might end up as one point each, which Hampshire can hardly afford if they harbour any thoughts of qualification. I heard a suggestion the other day that they can’t afford two defeats from here, so a one-pointer is little help.

Ian Botham says “Cut Out the Bull …”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/44988042

Has anyone warned Beefy’s?

Great story in today’s Guardian. In 1981 Gloucs had a dreadful May – one Championship match after another rained off. Come June and they played regularly so that Zaheer Abbas, who hadn’t batted in May, actually scored 1,000 runs in the month.

The headline in the Guardian? ‘Happy Days Zaheer Again’

But it implied there was no cricket across England in that month, so I checked and despite the persistent rain (which for example, hampered our game v the Aussies) there was more first-class County Cricket played in May 1981 than in the heatwave summer of 2018.

Why would that be I wonder?

Middlesex bottom v Hampshire next-to-bottom. I guess the winners tonight might be on the move but it could be almost the end of this year for the losers – Middlesex have started well.

Strange that these two sides have only met at Lord’s twice before – Hampshire have won both.

Middlesex failed to keep that good start going. So far this year they have failed to defend totals of 160-7; 175-5; 179-6. It seems that Hampshire should win …