Review of the 2nd Test in West Indies

There are various degrees of shit. This was up there, or should I say down there, with the very best. If it was a tv series it would have been Eldorado, it was that bad. At least Eldorado was entertaining. Having all predicted that England would win, albeit closely against a spirited Windies, they have gone and got stuffed. Not just beaten but battered, sunk without a trace. This one in Antigua, was so much a Bermuda Triangle of a performance, I'm surprised Barry Manilow hadn't donned the whites. This is a review of the downright dreadful second Test...

Sir Vivian Richards stadium

Review of the First Test in the West Indies

So England arrived in Barbados. A month and a bit had passed since they were last on duty, for those cricketers who moan about tiredness and playing twelve months a year, apart from those who filled their time off picking up a few Aussie dollars in the Big Bash League. They had arrived in the Caribbean to surely win a series easily? A nice bit of sun, sea, a few rum punches and an easy 3-0 series win would be a far better way to spend January than scraping ice off your car in the dark at 7am. Did it play out like that? Erm not really. England were as undercooked as botulism chicken. This is a review of the Bridgetown Test.

Bridgetown

Book Review - The Walkers of Southgate and Middlesex

OK, first things first, let me show my hand here. I'm biased. If the Walker family hasn't left part of their vast estate I wouldn't have played cricket for the last thirty five years at such a beautiful ground. I also know the author, he's a top bloke and someone who sleeps, breathes and eats cricket. So this isn't going to be a neutral review of a great book but it is one I'd recommend to all Middlesex cricket fans out there, to see how their club was formed. It is one that is packed with information and local knowledge and Jouning deserves great credit for his research.

Ones to watch in 2019

Here we go again. Happy New Year to you all, may your year be full of joy and if you're a batsman, awash with leg stump half volleys. As usual, we give you the ones to look out for in the coming year. No one we have mentioned before gets a mention and with most of them being born this century, I feel geriatric writing this article, looking at their dates of birth. I was in Baghdad, when this lot were in their dad's bag. Having had successes with the like of Olly Stone, Ethan Bamber and Ollie Pope in recent years, we hope that this year's thoroughbreds will be ones to keep your eye on. Here are the runners and riders for 2019...

Ollie Pope

Free Chapter from The Exhaustive Guide to Club Cricket

The Exhaustive Guide to Club Cricket came out earlier this week and as a little taster, I've leaked a free (yes free) chapter of the book. Here it is, which is all about the struggle that all clubbies have of where to park you car when arriving at an opposition ground. We've all been there! The follow up to the number one best seller in its category on Amazon, The Definitive Guide to Club Cricket, it is an anthropological look at the individuals who play recreational cricket during an English summer. With a foreword by Middlesex CCC keeper John Simpson, there will be a donation to Melanoma UK of some of the royalties - that is unless you nick a copy from a library, as we all know how tight club cricketers can be. You can grab your copy here by clicking on the link... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exhaustive-Guide-Club-Cricket/dp/1729676960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543657955&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Exhaustive+Guide+to+Club+Cricket

Review of the 2nd Test in Sri Lanka

After the win in the south, England were straight back into action as they travelled to the centre of the island. Pallekele, a suburb of Kandy was the scene of this thriller. A victory in Galle is nothing to be sniffed at so it would be interesting to see if this was a flash in the walang as they say in these parts, or if England were the real deal? What sort of pitch would be prepared? Who'd bat three, a role that for England is marginally more in demand than the Minister for Brexit is at present? Bairstow or Foakes, or Buttler - who would be the English backstop as they say in political terms? There were so many questions flying about in the run up, I thought Dimbleby would pop up and say, "Yes, you. The Australian sounding chap in the hat with the glasses", as he pointed towards Trevor Bayliss. Ding, ding, seconds out, round two...

Pallekele

Review of the 1st Test in Sri Lanka

So England were allegedly happy with a nought nought by the fort. Whatever we could get to take into the two pitches where we had a better chance of winning the series would be a good result. England were going into the Lion’s Den, Herath’s last Hurrah, Murali’s Manor etc etc. Could England stay in the mini series in Sri Lanka after this interrogation in the south of Sri Lanka? Or would rain win yet again after a one day series where Columbo in his rain coat would be equipped for the weather around Colombo? This is the review of the First Test in Galle…

Stunning Galle

The Great Cricket World Cup Swindle

I fancied buying a ticket for one of the London matches in next year's World Cup. Having attended my first World Cup match at Lord's for the Prudential World Cup in 1979, it would be nice to see a game forty years later. Or so I thought? Today, I looked into buying a couple of tickets for England v South Africa at the Oval. What I found horrified me. The Cricket World Cup has become just like any other major event here in the UK and it is you and me, the average fan who is being ripped off. I realised that without admin fees or delivery charges, a pair of tickets would set me back £450. Ticketing for anything within the entertainment industry, cricket included, needs looking at. And fast.

Cricket Utopia

I saw a tweet in the week where someone was trying to argue the point that the streaming of games, as most counties now do on their website, is affecting the amount of people that go through the gates. For me, it is the opposite. The counties do a great job, it enhances interest in the sport and it is the way forward. Cricket and television should work side by side and here is what would happen in the ideal world; my county cricket utopia...

Peter West and chums...

Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat. These are just a handful of sites that sports teams are using these days to interact with the fans. A link between clubs and their communities has now gone from the odd hospital visit at Christmas time, to a full on integration with the fans, showing everything from the inner sanctum of the dressing room to what is in a player's kit bag. But is it a good thing? And have now fans taken it too far showing a disregard for the player, due to their accessibility?

Worcestershire...success