Hampshire Cricket History

Did you watch the Indians? No idea what was going on at the end unless Dohni was playing for his average. It’s a strange World Cup – difficult to call, but looks like England might go through now (?). Let’s hope so.

We recovered a bit at Taunton but it’s been another sad day for a couple of our youngsters. Oli Soames started 2019 with Championship innings of 12, 62 & 44, but he has since scored 2, 2, 0, 2, and 0 (today). Meanwhile Mason’s 0-88 leaves him with season’s Championship figures of 2-291.

Reports of mayhem and violence at Headingley yesterday, two delightful photographs from Stuart (many thanks) who says

Soames and Holland return to the squad, added to the team that lost to Essex.

Back in the 1970s there was one of those private detective dramas Night Moves with Gene Hackman, washed-up, disenchanted, sitting at home watching a ball game on TV. His wife comes home and asks cheerfully “who’s winning?”

“No one” he replies, “one side’s just losing quicker”.

Apart from India, the World Cup is beginning to feel a bit like that.

Around twenty years ago, in the days of U.S.A., Warne, Mullally etc, I travelled away regularly to watch Hampshire. These days hardly ever. It’s partly that of my three favourite away trips, two – Sussex anywhere and Middlesex at Lord’s – never happen (I am of course talking County Championship here). The third is Canterbury and I’ve booked in for four days in September (I don’t much like the Oval). Mind you Newclose is handy since I live less than five minutes walk from the ferry.

My trip to Rugby this week – just short of Edgbaston – took three-and-a-quarter hours, arriving at 11am. Almost the first hour was a battle out of Pompey, along the crowded M27 and approaching Winchester. As we passed road signs for that city and then to Basingstoke it struck me that if I lived in the north of the county I might do more away trips. The south-east corner isn’t perfect.

This weekend for example it’s about three hours to Taunton, whereas only just over two from Bournemouth and about the same from Basingstoke. The trouble is, I can’t possibly move to Basingstoke until the sea levels rise sufficiently that it’s on the coast. Bournemouth is OK for going west – otherwise much the same as Pompey for the northern journeys.

It’s been a gradually improving week, weather-wise but after some thrillers last week, the World Cup has gone back to a series of one-sided rather dull ‘matches’ – Monday, 62 runs; Tuesday, 64 runs; Wednesday, six wickets; Thursday, 125 runs and today it looks as though South Africa are strolling to a victory which will reduce Sri Lanka’s chances of going through. I suppose that counts as ‘good news’ for England , in a week such as this. Interesting to read Johnny Bairstow saying “just because we’ve lost two games in a crunch tournament …” etc.

(Courtesy of Sky): Pakistan’s results from their first seven World Cup matches in 1992 are exactly the same as in 2019 and in the same order – lost the first, rained off in the third etc. That’s an extraordinary coincidence (or something more mysterious).

In 1992 Pakistan won the World Cup.

Except

Today they were winning their seventh match by seven wickets, exactly as they did in 1992. Then, with just two needed from ten balls, Sohail ran himself out. But they still won.

A couple of stories from the Evening Standard (thanks to Colin). I thought ‘Warnie’ had no time for coaches (other than those that took him to the ground)?

The weather in the midlands yesterday was miserable – since I played with my pal Nick in a couple of bands, one of which was called Skys Is Cryin’, that seemed entirely appropriate. Across much of the country the cricket went on, but Northampton, not far away, was washed out.

Today, a game of some significance for England at Edgbaston has been delayed by lousy weather for an hour and now it’s being delayed further with some fuss about sightscreens or the staircase or something – it’s a nonsense, they’ve had all morning to sort that out. Play started at 11.30 and the fifth over has just started at 11.57. At that rate, the match should complete 100 overs by about 7am tomorrow morning. Good job they’ve got floodlights.

Meanwhile Nasser points out the fielders have hand-warmers on a cold day. I’ve been out-and-about in Pompey and it’s like the Mediterranean here – very warm and very sunny. Birmingham resembles T20 Finals Day.

Here’s a cheery photo of two Tigers from Bloggy (cheers)

Maybe that little fellah will become a Bangladesh Cricket Historian and in 60 years bore people with tales of how it was so much better years ago …

Saying that doesn’t mean much normally does it, merely a cliché. But today I’ve driven to a very damp Rugby and back, to say goodbye to a good pal of mine Nick, who died after a short illness a couple of weeks back. We were students together, we played cricket together (he was from Yorkshire) and most deliciously we played together in a couple of very interesting bands. On such a day I find it hard to care over much that England blew it once again in a vital World Cup game.

Still I kept a bit of a check on the phone – Nick would have approved – but I saw nothing until I got home with England 207-8 when the predictor gave them a 2% chance of victory – 2%? Where did they get that from? It wasn’t even close was it, yet it still seems that England can qualify. If they do, I guess Nick would have been pleased – and he’d have toasted them with a glass or two of Jack Daniels. But favourites? Perhaps not?

(Meanwhile loads of wickets at Chelmsford again and another victory for Essex)

Noisy for sure, but did you watch the Hampshire Bowl World Cup live? I didn’t, just bits here-and-there on TV

India beat South Africa by six wickets with 2.3 overs remaining

South Africa v West Indies no result (7.3 overs bowled)

England beat West Indies by 8 wickets (from 31.5 overs)

India beat Afghanistan by 11 runs

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 62 runs with three overs remaining

Today’s total of 262-7 by Bangladesh from 50 overs was the highest total in the five matches. Otherwise the first innings scores were between 212 and 230.

There were two centuries: Sharma (India) 122 v South Africa, and Root (Eng) 100* v West Indies. Today, Shakib (Bangladesh) became only the second man to score a half-century and take five wickets in a World Cup match (anywhere).

Championship matches at Chelmsford this year (a wicket every 9.6* overs gives 40 in the match):

v Notts (Essex won) wicket fell every 7.6 overs

v Kent (Essex won) wicket fell every 8.8 overs

v Hampshire (Essex won) wicket fell every 4.6 overs

v Somerset at lunch today, wicket every 7.1 overs

Last year at Chelmsford overall, wicket every 8.13 overs

*These are all decimal points, not balls in a part-over

Away from Chelmsford in 2019, Essex have lost one and drawn two.