Hampshire Cricket History

There’s a spot in mid-Hampshire which has recorded NO RAIN throughout July

I can’t recall the last rain on my garden in Pompey and I’m about to depart for a summer afternoon of outrageous Punk Rock on the end of South Parade Pier

And what’s happening at the Rain Bowl? Incredible!

I will confess I’m not a Led Zep fan but that has it about right for me this weekend.

It’s Saturday 30 July. Tomorrow is the 31st July. It’s the height of summer (and very warm out there)

The only cricket I can find today is women’s IT20s in the Commonwealth games. The County Championship has ended, with the new season five-and-a-half weeks aways. The next game on a Hampshire ground is tomorrow’s IT20 (the only Hampshire players in the opposition) followed by a match between teams called Southern Brave and Welsh Fire.

On the other hand there are lots of football matches all weekend.

As Marvin (who I do like) once asked, “What’s Going On?”

Dave Wilson and Bob Murrell were chatting about Hampshire beating Yorkshire twice in a season. Here’s a list of our 22 Championship victories against Yorkshire since we first played them in 1895:

August 1895 in Sheffield; August 1911 in Portsmouth; June 1920 in Leeds; August 1922 in Bradford; June 1932 in Leeds; August 1946 in Bournemouth; June 1955 in Bradford; July 1959 in Bournemouth May 1963 in Leeds; May 1965 in Middlesborough; July 1967 in Bournemouth; August 1971 in Bournemouth; May 1973 in Leeds; July 1977 in Leeds; May 1990 in Leeds; May 2004 in Leeds; May 2006 in Leeds AND July 2006 at Rose Bowl; August 2008 at Rose Bowl; April 2017 in Leeds; June 2022 at Ageas Bowl AND July 2022 in Scarborough.

So this week was the second time we’ve beaten them twice in a season and the first time we have won in Scarborough. We did not play them that often in Southampton but we never beat them there. We’ve won 14 times in Yorkshire and 8 times at home.

Essex in fourth place have a game in hand but even with 24 points from that they will be 50 behind Surrey with just three to play so it’s difficult to see them in contention.

We are 16 points behind Surrey and 18 ahead of Lancashire but we know that they cannot both get 24 points from their last match because they play each other in the final round at Old Trafford.

In theory we have three relatively ‘easy’ games against Kent (6th), Northants (7th) and Warwickshire (8th)

Other Fixtures:

Lancashire v Yorkshire (OT), Essex v Lancashire (Chelmsford),

Northants v Surrey (Northampton), Surrey v Yorks (Oval),

The back of a fag packet to work this out properly but it seems to me that if we win today and Surrey and Lancs both draw we will be 8 points behind Surrey tonight and 26 points ahead of Lancs.

If Surrey lose we’ll be level with them (does this seem right?). But if we are 8 points behind then the fact that they will have 10 more batting points than us becomes significant. As for Lancs, if the gap is 26 points we’ll have to play poorly in the three September matches for them to overtake us in which case Surrey will be out of sight. Lancs need to win today to stay in touch but it won’t be easy.

So, over to the batters. I’ve been out-and-about a lot this week and seen more silent live stream or phone updates than I’ve heard commentaries. Is it true we dropped SIX catches yesterday? If so, that’s not wonderful. I hope it won’t cost us today. I’ve heard too a rumour from up in Scarborough that the Met Office forecast is either for rain or dry – make of that what you will!

PS There have been comments about Hampshire’s RL Cup side and possible loans or signings given that we will be down to the bare bones. I’ve been assuming as last year that Barker won’t play but Abbott will captain. But last year Abbott came back for the first of our four September matches and was then injured, missing the vital run-in. Abbas came back after a break but was isolating (I think) for the first game so Abbott and Abbas never played together in the four late Div One games. I’d rather they picked me (or you) than have that happen again this year.

It’s been the driest July since 1911 and thinking about my comment about our batting, in that season CB Fry ended the season in first place in the national averages (1299 runs at 76.41) and Mead was second with 1706 at 58.82.

That did not however mean that we were stronger than this year – we finished 11th.

During July we played six Championship matches, and the first day of the first one gives something of an insight into why we weren’t challenging for the title as at Old Trafford, Lancashire posted 621-6 and declared the next morning on 676-7 after 141.5 overs! In 103 overs during the rest of the day they then dismissed Hampshire for 102 & 119 to win by an innings and 445 runs. It remains – and by just 13 runs – the second heaviest innings defeat in our history.

After that we drew in Leicester, lost by 10 wickets in Huddersfield, lost to Middlesex at Southampton and at last on 21st July beat Worcs at home by an innings. We drew the last match that month, at home to Warwicks, thanks to a double century from Phil Mead.

Out for lunch checking progress on my phone. Back home to watch the Live Stream but after a few balls it froze after a ball from Abbott 124-4 (58.4 overs). I tried it a few times, rebooted the laptop etc but it keeps running the same ball and freezing.

Is it me/here or is it happening where you are? All to play for still.

At the top 30 in the Division One batting averages before this match you will find not one Hampshire batter there – if you can have a ‘law of averages’ in the averages, there should be three but there aren’t.

On the other hand, if you look at the top 30 Division One bowling averages you find four Hampshire players – with two more between 30-40.

The table is much the same; we are eight batting points behind Surrey (increasing today) but four bowling points ahead (level top with Lancs). Add in a comparison of our home and away games and it’s not hard to see where we might win or fail to win the title. I guess it’s not a surprise.

“The Guardian (online today) is reporting: “The UK is facing the prospect of a drought being declared in August, experts have said, warning of potential crop failures after a period of remarkably dry weather and extreme heat”.

I wonder whether it’s possible for this to occur in Yorkshire too?

Gloomy old day, grey, blustery, threat of rain? Donald was off the field injured on Friday and has been replaced by Joe Weatherley.

And a wicket! Great start