Hampshire Cricket History

Is Number One. He has now overtaken Luke Wright as the highest run-scorer for any one county in domestic T20 matches.

(It’s a miracle I followed it on the live stream which at times is barely visible and has no commentary!)

PS Take out the Canterbury draw and Hampshire continue all season Win – Lose – Win – Lose – Win – Lose (etc)

There are lots of bits & pieces around the Blog following James Vince’s innings on Friday night so I’ve tried to summarise everything here:

I’ve done a lot more checking on his 5,000 T20 runs and also that he is approaching 20,000 in all cricket for Hampshire (he needs 251 more in any format)

I’ll ignore the latter for now – I thought it was a race but Samit Patel of current players is already there and Hildreth and Stevens who both retired last year also got there (Stevens with Kent so all 21st Century)

Ref the 5,000+, this is reported in the Cricket Paper which says he is still 61 runs from being the Blast’s highest ever scorer. Setting aside the fact that it wasn’t always called the Blast this refers to the fact that Vince and Luke Wright (Sussex) are the only men past 5,000 and while Vince already has more runs (for Hampshire) than Wright for Sussex, it includes 104 runs scored in overseas competitions in 2010/11 (West Indies) and 2012/13 (SA) after we won the English T20. All Wright’s runs are at home in the English T20.

In addition to having the highest scoring batter in domestic T20s (below), Chris Wood is second only to Samit Patel (Notts) among county wicket-takers (for a single county). Patel, presumably playing this evening, is poised on 199 wkts for Notts while Chris Wood with 173 is the only other bowler with 150+ wickets. Benny Howell left Gloucs with 142 …

Until Friday, Luke Wright was the only man to have scored 5000 T20 runs (5045 for Sussex) but James Vince has now overtaken him and is the highest scoring T20 County batsman since 2003. Relatively few players have passed 4,000 (Denly at Kent, Croft at Lancs, Hales AND Patel at Notts).

One or two play-offs and Finals left, generally of little relevance in Hampshire (‘Yorkies’ tomorrow) but today is at least the end of League football for a week or two.

I mention this because I have a new project (be patient Saints fans) at Fratton Park where they are about to celebrate their 125th anniversary with a series of events and themed matches including one to mark links between PFC, cricket more broadly and Hampshire County Cricket in particular. The star of that theme is of course Mike Barnard with 100+ games for Pompey in (the real) Division One and 200+ for HCCC including the Championship title. Another notable is the amateur AE Knight (also an Olympian) plus in the old Southern League days the great CB Fry, who played for both clubs (albeit briefly down my way).

Alan Edwards in his intriguing Miscellany publication has listed all Hampshire’s league footballers including two ‘Saints’ internationals Johnny Arnold and Ted Drake, while the most recent entry is Bob Stephenson who retired more than 40 years ago. It is to a large extent a thing of the past although James Vince (centre forward/centre half in the mould of John Charles?) had an Academy contract with Reading (2003/4 including a game at Highbury) – Reading probably needed him this year. (**Plus of course, see Comment from Alan about Keith Barker)

In addition to footballing Hampshire cricketers, Pompey had at least two county cricketers both of whom played in sides that won Championships: Ron Tindall (Surrey) and Jim Standen (Worcs – and a double cup-winner with West Ham). I’m surprised to have found no one at Bournemouth & BA or Aldershot but maybe someone knows a name or two?

I’ve also been researching in the Portsmouth Evening News because for many post-war years Pompey players played cricket against local teams such as the United Services CC and Portsmouth Representative XIs in the local club cricket week. Around 70+ years ago they also played most years against a Saints side and I have found one match which had major significance for the future of Hampshire ‘s cricketing fortunes. In late July 1952, Pompey played Saints at the County Ground and Saints posted an impressive 231-7 to which Pompey replied with 168-4 (a draw for younger viewers). Among the impressive performers that day for Pompey were Stan Earl with three wickets, Gordon Dale (68*), Peter Harris (34) and Sam Barnard, brother of Mike and Pompey’s physio with 21* and 2-36.

Saints’ stars included Peter Sillett in a partnership of 110, Bernard Elliott (36) and Ted Bates (1-38) but the Man-of-the Match was a full-back signed from Blackburn Rovers; Henry Horton. A few years earlier he had turned his back on a disappointing cricket career with Worcestershire and given up playing seriously but on this day he scored 143 and took 3-60 (he bowled?). Arthur Holt, Hampshire’s Coach and former Saints captain was there, persuaded Henry to play a bit with Hampshire’s Club & Ground and 2nd XI sides and the rest is history. Henry became a member of the terrific top three (with Marshall & Gray) which helped Hampshire to third, second and first place (1955-1961). And all thanks to the big ball game.

Jason Roy’s decision to join the USA Franchise earning himself £300,000 for two week’s cricket, rather than £70,000 for his England contract is everywhere in the media right now. Today’s Guardian has an excellent piece about the whole business by Barney Ronay although little of it will bring any joy to an old fogey like me. In the piece about the “beginning of the end for cricket as we know it”, he describes “the most profound structural shift in the history of this global sport, the move away from boards (ECB, Hampshire Cricket etc.) and central regulation to a kind of rootless, mobile TV product”.

Then in this month’s Cricketer, there is a quote from Adi Birrell about our Championship defeats to Surrey and Warwickshire that “if you lose two games then you don’t win the Championship”.

Has he conceded already? Is Abbas going back to Test cricket? Is Abbott now running out of fitness? Might Dawson, Vince and others be tempted to follow Roy? There will be a County Championship for some years yet but it might soon resemble last year’s RL Cup (50 overs) contested by those left behind. In which case will it really count for much? Is this our last chance to add the (real) title to that won 50 years ago?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/27/jason-roys-stateside-jaunt-the-inevitable-endgame-for-cricket-as-we-know-it

Impressive last two overs by Ellis & Wood. Is 171 enough? Will Hampshire chase it down?

I’ve been watching the stream but with the sound down – it’s a right old media event now and with adverts despite the BBC commentary. Do we get a refund for our Licence Fee?

PS: Well that was simple; lose by 8 wickets, win by 8 wickets

Hampshire 2023: Win, Lose, Win; (Draw); Lose; Win; Lose; Win … (next?)

WEEK FIVE (3 Days) 26 May-1 June

Hampshire returned to Swansea for a Championship meeting with Glamorgan over the Whitsun weekend. On a hot Saturday, Jesty’s career best 5-27 and Taylor (3-26) dismissed Glamorgan, who fell from 40-0, to 110 all out but Hampshire slipped to 17-3 before Turner (58) led a slight recovery. They reached 132-7 overnight and on Monday led by 49 on a pitch made livelier after Sunday rain. Mottram and Herman dismissed three Glamorgan batters while still in arrears and then the spinners Sainsbury (9-5-12-4) and O’Sullivan left them 80-8 at the close dismissing them early the next morning. Greenidge (35*) led Hampshire to an eight-wicket victory and a three-day break.

Our first T20 game in a season since 2017 and at 12-3 we might not win this one …

34-5: our lowest ever T20 total is 85 and our lowest v Somerset is 91

It’s a record then.

Actually it’s two.

28-0: Cricket Archive don’t list defeats but as far as I can figure, Hampshire have never lost a T20 game by 10 wkts. They have nine times lost by nine wickets.

PS That did the trick (twice)! Probably can’t keep it going!

So the first ‘half’ of the Championship is over and now, Blast It, it’s time for the shorter games. As most of you know I don’t care greatly for the T20 but I hope it’s a great success – and I hope Hampshire win it. If the former is the case it will further the argument to cancel that other competition … are people leaving the sinking ship?

(BBC today) “Sanjay Patel will step down as managing director of The Hundred after this year’s tournament, and leave the England and Wales Cricket Board. Having joined the ECB in 2015, Patel has led the creation and development of the 100-ball competition since 2018”.