Hampshire Cricket History

This week – but I was there last time, 12 years ago and took lots of holiday snaps. Here’s just one to start with. It poured all day on the Monday, then Yorkshire posted 322 (Rashid 76, Lyth 63, Cork 5-64). We were 152-3 when James Vince joined Jimmy Adams and the pair added a then record 4th wicket partnership of 278 – Adams 196, Vince 180, his first Championship or first-class century.

Let’s imagine that the proposals that Elizabeth Ammons published yesterday come to pass and your team – whoever it might be – lose their first 50 overs game and don’t make Finals Day.

If the proposal is right, that team – it might be Hampshire – would play 10 Championship matches in England, 10 matches in the T20 Blast and one 50 over game. That’s a total of 51 days of cricket – and we know from this year that only a minority would play in both the Championship and T20.

In my first year as a member, Hampshire played 32 three-day Championship games – all the counties home & away – plus three three-day first-class matches (Australia, Oxford Uni and Yorkshire). That’s a total of 105 days, and Danny Livingstone played in every one of them.

Even assuming we count a T20 game as one day of cricket that’s a cut of more than 50%.

Not only does the Times have a full report from Cheltenham (Ivo Tennant) but the Daily Telegraph has a report, with headlines and photo for Abbott. Even the Guardian which excluded it two days ago from an otherwise full round-up (Leics v Glamorgan clearly more significant) has managed to lead with it this morning.

And Andrew Strauss has been sacked …

Abbott’s second hat-trick (v Worcs in 2018). Since then James Fuller and Mo Abbas

Surrey have won (Lancashire going quite well)

Hampshire are now in arrears and dropping catches

Elizabeth Ammon in the Times has revealed that Andrew Strauss is likely to propose the following structure to county cricket in 2023:

14 Championship fixtures this year cut to 12 with two abroad in March – so five home matches

Top division of 12 teams** with a second ‘feeder’ division of six (the bottom six)

T20 Blast cut from 14 to 10 across three groups of six

RL Cup straight knock-out

**I have read this in today’s Times having heard about it initially in the BBC commentary. The suggestion on air was that the top Division of 12 would actually be two groups of six with a play-off final for the title but it does not say that in the article.

The counties will have to vote on whatever emerges at the end of the season

Are leaving us for the The Shipping Forecast: Three days should give us 96 x 3 overs minus four for change of innings but instead of 284, we’ve had 252 (rounded up). Whatever the arrangements for today (and with storms forecast) I can’t see us getting those 32 overs back. It might be crucial (I’m assuming Surrey are winning – Lancs v Northants too close to call?).

I made a comment the other day that ultimately I’m only interested in watching cricket when there is the possibility of seeing a short-leg fielder (or two). I wonder if there’s ever been one in a T20 game?

Nick Gubbins is our short-leg specialist at Cheltenham and he held two catches, one a stunner, as we bowled them out first time. Apparently the forecast isn’t terrific for tomorrow which is perhaps partly why they have followed on. It looks like Surrey will win and Lancashire might – if so, with Yorkshire struggling, a win for us makes it effectively a three-horse race. Fingers crossed

Meanwhile the 2nd XI were stuffed by Glamorgan. Draper with 81 offered the only significant resistance. Still no sign of Scott Currie – I wonder if he’s injured. Others who didn’t play but might have include Crane, Weatherley, Wheal, and Whiteley – all getting over Saturday night perhaps? The 2nd XI don’t play now for six weeks although quite a few will be in the Hundred or the RL Cup.

I have a new project about Hampshire’s West Indian cricketers. I’ve been asked to do it and I’m not (yet) sure exactly where it will go but initially I’d like to invite favourite memories of (a) specific players or (b) particular events/moments. The latter don’t have to be major events, it might be something like Fidel’s benefit day last Friday.

If you’d like to contribute I’d be very pleased. You can do so with Comments on here or by emailing me

davehccc@gmail.com

I don’t yet know what will emerge but I’d like to be able to make use (print/online) of any contributions. If you would prefer to be anonymous or use a pseudonym just let me know. I’ll confirm on here how the project develops.

When Ben Stokes took on the England captaincy it was reported that he wanted England to play like entertainers rather than cricketers – was that true? If so, it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny because there isn’t such a thing as a ‘pure’ entertainer – people who entertain do it through specific activities, singing, dancing, telling jokes, magic tricks, reciting dramatic lines etc. Stokes and his men can be entertaining cricketers but they can’t simply be ‘entertainers’ any more than anyone else.

I’m even more sceptical about cricket’s claims to be part of the entertainment business – it’s sport and as such can be entertaining (adjective) but entertainment (noun)? If it was, people would have been playing cricket at Cheltenham this afternoon but they haven’t been. The show must go on? Hah!

Hampshire won their first ‘knock-out’ cup trophy in 1988, beating Derbyshire in the B&H Cup at Lord’s. On the next day they played a Sunday League game against Gloucestershire at Southampton, making just two changes to the Cup winning side – Kevan James for Chris Smith and Tim Tremlett for Stephen Andrew. Then on the Wednesday they started a Championship match against Surrey at Guildford where ten of their side had also played in the Final at Lord’s; the only change was in the spin-bowling where Raj Maru replaced Nigel Cowley.

I suspect the Hampshire side at Cheltenham today will show quite a few changes from the Cup winners of Saturday night.