Hampshire Cricket History

The forecast next week looks quite promising but BBC South Today reported that as of 9am this morning this had been the wettest March for 40 years and the gloomiest ever – in Pompey it is still raining with about one hour of the month remaining

PS Still raining this morning (and no, not an April Fool joke)

If you did not hear the Forum last night, you can do so at

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0fb0fmm

I don’t think there were any great surprises – except that it took 35 minutes to mention the Hundred – but in terms of Hampshire Cricket History there were questions about marking the 50th anniversary of the last time we won the County Championship. In fact we did mark it at the 40th with a presentation of special caps to the team who came to a lunch that year. I think it might be accurate to say that this year there is a certain reluctance to pay too much attention to an event which probably only Tim Tremlett of those involved in running the club can remember (he made his 2nd XI debut that year alongside Andy Roberts). For obviously good reasons the focus is on winning it this year.

The former players reunion this year will take place on Sunday 3 September (v Somerset) which will be just three days after the precise 50th anniversary and we hope that as many of the surviving eleven Champions as possible will be there. Otherwise what might the historians contribute?

There has been some shifting around of displays around the pavilion. Some of it is temporary, particularly to create space for new display in the Derek Shackleton Bar and there are now a couple of the larger Perspex Boards marking 1973 along the upper walkway in the Atrium.

I think what I might do is post on here a weekly chronological account of that season, interspersed with other topics, not least the current season and any news items that occur. There is no rush since back in the civilised days of 1973 we played just one day of cricket before May – a B&H game v Minor Counties South on 28 April, so I’ll launch the memories in four weeks time.

(Kick De Bucket)

I’ve been sent a query which I cannot answer but maybe, just maybe someone knows something. The message to me:

“It has been suggested that you may be the one person in CricketLand who knows where I might be able to find Gavin Eaves. Gavin, from Northern Ireland, was the Hampshire Cricketcall commentator in the late 1980s, early 1990s. We are organising a little reunion at the end of April to mark 35 years of the start of Cricketcall and we are trying to locate Gavin. If you are able to help that would be tremendous”.

(I remember him and Cricketcall well but I’ve no idea)

Hampshire 244-9 (Brown 103*, Prest 32, Middleton 20 – two wickets each for Price, van Buren, Dale)

Gloucestershire 104-3 (Bracey 54*, Hammond 21 – one wicket each for Abbott, Barker, Holland)

“No reason to get excited” (Bob Dylan) OR

“Same as it ever was” (Talking Heads)

It was delightful to see so many familiar faces today on a rather lovely day after that somewhat below-par winter

On the pitch I took a few photos (cameras beat phones) but soon gave up because (below)

(Phone) Our former bowler Ajeet Dale bowls the first ball of the season which Organ edges behind and is dropped at slip and (below, camera) Dale’s second ball to Gubbins is about to hit the stumps.

Off to the Bowl tomorrow. Might be chilly but the forecast is OK

13 men named, no Abbas or Vince, and Dawson is still recovering. I guess they might all play at some point although Tuesday’s forecast is dodgy

Full Hampshire Squad

A couple of years before the start of the single innings, limited-overs knock-out cup, John Arlott wrote in the Playfair Cricket Monthly: “One day I fear cricket may damage itself in trying to woo (the) non-existent marginal voter”.

(With County Cricket)

The Blog is 13 years old today. It was born in Portsmouth at 7.24 pm on this day (23 March) 2010. You can still find the first post (scroll down on left hand side).

I have consulted my resident Astrologer and I can reveal therefore that the Blog was born under the sign of ARIES, with a LIBRA ascendant and the moon in CANCER.

Aries is a dynamic Fire sign – lots of energy and initiative, Libra is an Air sign, so ideas, words etc, while Cancer is a Water sign and the homebody of the zodiac, enjoying the comfort of being surrounded by loved ones in its own home.

It is interesting that there is no significant Earth in the chart – think of being grounded, or down-to-earth etc. That’s probably why this post has appeared!! There again, while an absence of earth might make growing things difficult it has been going for 13 years. Maybe it’s an Air Plant …

I should emphasise this is of course about the character of the Blog; it’s not about me – I’m merely the messenger.

Last winter Hampshire Cricket Heritage (HCH) with considerable help from the club and using money raised in the Book Sale and elsewhere, bid successfully for a number of items in an auction of Derek Shackleton’s memorabilia. This winter we have been working with the club to redecorate the displays in the Derek Shackleton Bar – it will be revealed very soon.

To go with it I have produced a new booklet – in the style of the one about Kyle Abbott’s record or the A-Z update – 14 pages, with a few pictures front and back and highlighting some of the items we will be displaying. I expect to have copies (£5 each) at the Hambledon lunch on Saturday and then at the Members’ Forum on Wednesday week. After that, I’ll organise selling it by post and I will also have it available at early season match days.

There are 100 copies, I need to sell about 40 to cover costs, after that any profits will go back to HCH