Hampshire Cricket History

Perfect!

I’m feeling bitter and twisted today so can’t resist reporting with delight a news item from today’s Daily Telegraph which should soon see the end of the overlong, boring Hundred.

The report is about a new competition being launched in the West Indies this week – it’s effectively a Ten10 but quicker than that because 30 balls are bowled from one end, then 30 from the other. It will be very traditional though because “the integrity of the six-ball over will be preserved” (my emphasis).

It’s called the Skyexch6ixty Tournament and they reckon each innings will last 45 minutes, chopping half-an-hour off the tired old Hundred.

I can’t wait.

There is actually a former Hampshire cricketer playing today.

Apparently it’s a bit damp but it is Manchester, so good that there is play. There wouldn’t be any in Pompey this morning; it’s been pouring for hours here – and most welcome too – it’s only just stopped.

Simon Mann has just described Ollie Pope wearing a “short-sleeved sweater”. Commentators often use that term but while T-shirts, Fred Perry shirts (etc) are usually short-sleeved, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cricketer wearing a short-sleeved sweater. Before the war, some used to wear cardigans or roll necks (George Brown below):

I get this, all of it, and I realise Hampshire are a special case this year but from where I’m sitting the RL Cup isn’t in anyone’s ‘shadow’:

“The bitterness felt by many members towards the Hundred has not dissipated, with feeling not necessarily against the competition itself – particularly the women’s contest, which has been such a game‑changer – but the way it was imposed from above and has muscled its way into peak season, edging all pretenders out of the way and stripping county first XIs of their assets. There have been raised eyebrows at the discounted ticketing that the Hundred has benefited from, the way its branding has taken over grounds, and the sidelining of the one-time golden goose, the T20 Blast.

What many supporters are desperate for is a season that has a friendly, familiar rhythm and doesn’t change from year to year with competitions ripped up here and inserted there. It was only in 2017 that the number of Championship games fell from 16 to 14, and there has been recent tinkering with the size of the divisions and the number of teams promoted and relegated. The B&H Cup died in 2002, T20 began in 2003, the 40-over competition played its last in 2013, replaced by the Royal London Cup, which now runs in the shadow of the Hundred, which was born in 2021″.

That’s by Taya Aldred in the Guardian’s online site, ‘The Spin’

The whole piece is here – it starts with references to the Lancashire Action Group which as Jo has noted may not be the most perfect bunch themselves:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/aug/24/lancashires-awkward-squad-ready-to-battle-for-county-crickets-future

Next Tuesday our lovely kids with a few elders are playing their semi-final.

The same day our ‘non county in August’ guys with the London team are playing at Lord’s and the day after our other ‘non county in August’ Southern players are up at Headingley.

That’s all fine I guess except we start a four-day 2nd XI match in Sussex the same day – and Sussex will also be similarly challenged.

Maybe we could field the Academy side – they’ve had a fine season.

Just simple ones – probably more to follow – at the conclusion of a remarkable performance in the RL Cup Group Stages. Well done Hampshire.

Most Runs:

Tom Prest 402; Nick Gubbins 311; Toby Albert 294; Fletcha Middleton 200; Aneurin Donald 173; Ben Brown 155; Scott Currie 112 – and Ian Holland 107 for once out (etc.)

Most Wickets

John Turner 18; Scott Currie 17; Jack Campbell 14; Ian Holland 7; Felix Organ 5 (etc.)

Half-time: Lewis McManus might be disappointed that his 107 is only the third best score today by a former Hampshire player, beaten by Sam Northeast 177* and Tom Alsop 189*.

Meanwhile Lancashire recovered, Glamorgan are still in the hunt and did we get enough? Perhaps Yorkshire spotted that our one defeat was defending a total – still it’s a decent score.

Given that our match today is in North Yorkshire I guess it’s possible that there will be more people following the live feed from Hampshire, so I wonder why I’ve just spent 30 minutes watching a very good Hampshire opening partnership while listening to an in-depth analysis of two Yorkshire players.

Still we’re going well so far, while Lancashire are struggling somewhat.

PS Crucial game for Sussex v Middx where Tom Alsop is already 50*

Those long ago days when the Membership card came with tear-off vouchers for semi-final and final tickets and there would be queues on mid-week mornings at Northlands Road to redeem them for tickets for those sell-out occasions. Well it’s very different these days, with this very welcome news from Hampshire Cricket to whom, many thanks:

“As a gesture of thanks for their excellent support during the side’s Royal London Cup campaign, 2022 Hampshire Members will not have to purchase a ticket to the upcoming quarter or semi-final at The Ageas Bowl and will instead be able to access the ground by scanning their Membership card in the turnstiles as normal”.

The people in charge and some older over-worked cricketers seem keen to consign 50-overs cricket to the dustbin of history – it’s already dropped from the 2nd XI schedule, although it is essentially the format of Saturday afternoon club & league matches.

But at county level at least, it’s rather popular isn’t it even without all the superstars? We’ve played four home games this season starting on a Friday with a special deal for members’ vouchers and a huge crowd, then a Tuesday on the Isle of Wight when they closed the gates and finally two consecutive Sundays with excellent crowds who clearly enjoyed what they saw.

It gave me an idea. Given the imminent reduction (again) in Championship fixtures and the lukewarm view of 50-overs we could introduce a new slightly shorter competition, say 40-overs, which we could play on Sunday afternoons. There are around 20(+) Sundays in the current cricket season so there would still be time for a few Championship games over a weekend but the new competition could be a league format with everyone playing everyone else once. We could call it the Sunday League.

If I understand everything correctly we are now guaranteed one more home game – if we finish top, a home semi-final, if we finish second (guaranteed) a home quarter-final. Yorkshire will be third (away qf) unless (a) we beat them and (b) Kent beat Lancs at Canterbury – which would ensure top place for us with Kent third ahead of Yorkshire (I hope I got all that right!)

Well played us, again.