COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the County Championship previews | Fantasy League tips | Bumble speaks out | Latest player moves | And 'Teflon Tom' wants to secure 'his legacy'
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County cricket is back. So, for one edition, I am going to try to forget the ECB’s incompetence, the farce at Yorkshire and all the other nonsense so we can celebrate the return of this glorious game. I sat through a snowstorm at Merchant Taylor’s School last week to watch Essex play a… well… warm-up… against Middlesex. But I came back in my best mood for months.
I’ll be at Chelmsford on Thursday for the first ball against Kent. Even if we are 57-5 for at lunch, I’ll be happy just watching Essex play because that, my friends, is what it should be all about.
In line with start of the new campaign, this newsletter will revert to weekly publication until the end of the season, hopefully every Wednesday evening. But bear with me on that.
Also I intend to add a little video into the mix from now on. So here’s myself and the excellent @EdmundBayliss (read his blog here) discussing what the data tells us about the new season. If you have not got your Fantasy League picks sorted out this maybe worth a watch.
County Championship
County cricket schedule 2022: County Championship fixtures list, dates & venues (Wisden)
‘Bold and ambitious’ – hopes are high for County Championship revamp (Guardian)
Nottinghamshire left snow-blind amid uncertainty over Championship future (Cricinfo)
Nottinghamshire went very close to winning the title last year. They start this season in Division Two and, if they have a bad campaign, might be in the ‘stranded six’ if Andrew Strauss' report decides to cast adrift some counties into Division Two. See this story ECB considering creation of a 12-team first-class Premier League (Wisden)
My two cents:
a) Why are there so many leaks about the content of this report? It smacks of kite-flying to test ideas and/or softening the blow as they land.
b) Why not create two divisions of 12, supplementing the ‘stranded six’ with strong national (previously minor) counties or regional U23 sides drawn from the best counties (EG Kent/Sussex/Hants, Yorks/Notts/Durham). This division could be a mix of pro and semi-pro players to manage costs. It expands the game rather than contracts it. Also, I’d argue it would be a better finishing school than Second XI cricket.
A Yorkshire CCC Grumbler (@YCCC33) put together a whole schedule.
Signings, contracts and moves
Khan (Yorkshire), Rossington (Essex), Bailey (Lancashire), Davies (Somerset), Turner (Durham), Allen (Yorkshire), Guest (Derbyshire)
Captain: Bopara (Sussex T20), Vasconcelos, Cobb (Northamptonshire)
Previews
We used to have great Championship previews in national and local newspapers, magazines etc. But fan content is filling the void and the majority of it is excellent. Here are some I have picked out. Many are published in parts so I have not linked to all them but you can navigate through as required.
Deep Extra Cover previews - All the counties covered
County Championship 2022: team-by-team guide to the new season (Guardian)
Shaheen Afridi, Tom Haines and 5 players to watch in 2022 County Championship (Independent)
Young players to watch out for in the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship (ECB)
Yahoo over Cow Corner looks at Hampshire and Gloucestershire
News, Views and Interviews
Alec Stewart insists county cricket is producing ‘high class’ Test players (Guardian)
Alec Stewart is such a sane voice. He has discounted himself from a more senior role due to family commitments. That’s fair enough but it is a shame for UK cricket.
This was posted on April 1 and it can only be a joke. Four contenders 'ruled in' - two are commentators who have not run senior teams and barely been in a dressing room since their playing days, one is a 'divisive figure' who has been tried before and then there’s Marcus North, who ticks all the boxes but is an Aussie. Not that this should count him out.
Surely there are better contenders out there.
‘If England are smart, they’ll pick older players’ – Ben Brown on his Test ambitions (Wisden)
Ben Brown calls it straight. “I do get frustrated by our own governing body speaking negatively about the product,” he says. “I don’t think any other business would do that. County cricket is a great product, there are some amazing matches that go on, but if they’re scheduled in the middle of the week, and a lot of the time played in cold conditions in April and September, you probably won’t find it being championed and being watched as much as it could do."
Paul Farbrace: Warwickshire boss defends County Championship after England failures (BBC)
Farbrace has worked at international and county level in the recent past. He has a well-rounded view of the game and therefore his opinion is worthy of respect. Farbrace also spoke really well on Talksport Cricket last week.
But Lord Patel won the day anyway.
Yorkshire board restructure approved as members back Lord Patel proposals (Cricinfo)
If Lloyd really believes the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named has wasted money and should be scrapped then why did he not say it when he worked for Sky? After all, they were broadcasting it and he was their leading voice. Indeed, there are occasions where he had appeared to 'take on' its detractors.
Any, in keeping with the ‘happy’ tone of this edition, I have left this until last.
ECB closing in on new ten-year deal with Sky Sports (Times) ($)
So Teflon Tom Harrison is trying to ‘secure his legacy’ with a 10-year media deal with Sky, including the Tests and the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named.
HIS LEGACY!
It is not about him. He is being pushed out the door with a fat bonus cheque in his bulging wallet because, under his reign, the game has plumbed greater depths than ever before. Yes, the television deal he secured was lucrative and counties rode out the worst of the pandemic with relatively few alarms. But the Test side are awful, county cricket is in disarray and you only have to consider David Lloyd’s comments this week to believe many are biting their lips with regard to ‘his baby’.
And this is my main point. Nothing should be considered ‘his’ or even ‘his legacy’. He is a custodian, a servant, he should be working for the game, not himself.
My experience of senior sports execs is that they are so ego-driven that many seek to create events, build buildings or sign long deals so they can go into their next job interview saying ‘see, look what I did’. But, as with Harrison, they leave long before the real ramifications of their decisions are felt.
Of course, ten years of the same money and security would be valuable (though quite why Sky would sign for that long I don’t know) but the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named has only been staged for one year and ticket prices have been hiked this season. It is very expensive to stage, there is little sign of international interest as yet and the opportunity cost is huge. And don’t get me started on its long-term effects on the resilience of cricket in this country.
And of course it is only around 17% of the £220m per year from Sky/BBC. That is still a chunk of money but not enough reason to kill off the county system.
And there was me trying to make this a happy edition.
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August 2023
- Aug 8, 2023 Because cricketers are worth it. Greed, ego and contract negotiations Aug 8, 2023
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May 2023
- May 20, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast preview | Foxes put meaning over money | Should Essex house Tigers? | Lancs v Somerset declaration row | Roach goes home | Lancs try to change rules at AGM May 20, 2023
- May 12, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Marketing trends in County Cricket | Week 6 Previews | Chaos at Derby | Cricket Paper back this weekend | Why invest in Yorkshire? | Tom Harrison paid £1.13m in final four months May 12, 2023
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April 2023
- Apr 29, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Week 3 reviews | 12-month IPL contracts offered to England players | Own your mistakes! | Sort out 'reciprocal' rights for county members | Tom Price heroics Apr 29, 2023
- Apr 21, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Championship Week 3 previews | Ballance retires | The dangerous ageism of labelling older fans 'a problem' | Saudi Arabia T20 threat | Oh Mickey (Arthur), you're so fine Apr 21, 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- December 2022
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November 2022
- Nov 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: ECB change board | Back to an eight-team top division? | Smeed's move the first of many? | Hogan unretires | Major deals at Notts | Yorks racism hearing ramps up Nov 18, 2022
- Nov 3, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Richard Gould - the right CEO for the ECB ? | Shock Rushworth move | Yorkshire's key changes | New contracts - Wood, Barker, Hain | Surrey, Worcs coach appts Nov 3, 2022
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October 2022
- Oct 21, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Will a county 'go under' like Wasps? | Key says support you-know-what | Buttler & Croft contracts at Lancs | Yorks racism hearing in public? | Benefit Years no more? Oct 21, 2022
- Oct 8, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Angry reaction to Yorks' relegation | County Awards | Teams of the season | Will counties vote against Strauss Review? | Should we split cricket into two codes? Oct 8, 2022
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September 2022
- Sep 30, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Fantastic finale to the Champ season | Success at Surrey, Notts & Middx | Warks send Yorks down | Strauss Review reaction - and it's not good | Hildreth and Hogan farewells Sep 30, 2022
- Sep 16, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should high performance mean high priority? | Royal London Cup previews | You-know-what 'least enjoyable' competition | $10m fine shows ECB the way on fighting racism Sep 16, 2022
- Sep 12, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Thompson delays county vote on Strauss review | Media blitz - Fri night Blast games, transfer window, player exodus | "One man and a dog" - still!!! | You-know-what Yr 2 figures Sep 12, 2022
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August 2022
- Aug 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: 'Over my dead body' CEO on cutting counties | The schedule is a pretzel or a Rubik's cube | Hildreth retires early | Thompson's in-tray | My Faustian bargain Aug 18, 2022
- Aug 16, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Thompson appointed ECB chair | Special General Meeting forced at Lancashire | Yorks tribunal underway | Flintoff's Field of Dreams considered | Stevens to leave Kent Aug 16, 2022
- Aug 3, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Major moves announced | Yorks change captain | Royal London Cup is not an 'alternative' | What Dr Who tells us about the demise of county cricket | Loads of pessimism, sorry Aug 3, 2022
- Aug 1, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Will counties lose that £1.3m payment? | Why the balls have gone soft | Join Campaign to Save First-Class Cricket | B&H Cup 50 years on | Northeast's 410* Aug 1, 2022
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July 2022
- Jul 20, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Why first-class county cricket will be gone in six years Jul 20, 2022
- Jul 14, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Scarbados and Southport shine | Lancs Action Group rally members | Why do 'outsiders' love the Champ | What change will YOU make to save the game? Jul 14, 2022
- Jul 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: What Wimbledon can teach English cricket | Vaughan off-air | Gale's parting shot | Sibley, Barnard moves | 'Bazball' in the county game | Who's out of contract Jul 2, 2022
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June 2022
- Jun 24, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Last four Yorks chairs blast ECB | Champ games to be played in UAE or Sri Lanka? | Introducing the 6ixty | Seriously, how to replace the ECB? | Big Somerset signing Jun 24, 2022
- Jun 17, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Yorkshire and former players charged | Willey returns to Northants | Moeen, Sibley to move? | Chesterfield of dreams | YouTube stream hacks Jun 17, 2022
- Jun 9, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast catches fire at last | Sky's schedule, fights and food problems | Why fan engagement is the key | Yorkshire payouts Jun 9, 2022
- Jun 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast crowds struggling, are you surprised? | Foxes fight back with £10 deal | Key to cut Championship games? | Fans' banners taken down | Jim Parks RIP Jun 2, 2022
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May 2022
- May 26, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: T20 Blast Off | Ticket sales struggling because of you-know-what? | Has Championship been a let-down so far? | Surrey's classy gesture | Big sponsorship deal for Lancs May 26, 2022
- May 19, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: ECB CEO Tom Harrison goes... finally | Have bad balls helped batters? | Bees stop play | Where you get in free after tea | Why should we listen to ex-players? May 19, 2022
- May 14, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Is a different Dukes ball the reason for all the runs? | Finally, an ECB chair we can believe in? | Sparkling new Potts |Best of the blogs May 14, 2022
- May 5, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should Joe Clarke play for England? | Essex boardroom problems | Six ducks for Kent tail-ender | Yet more ECB nonsense May 5, 2022
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April 2022
- Apr 24, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Strauss Review nonsense | Key appointment doubts | Compton's stunning start | TalkSPORT's quality coverage | Syd Lawrence Apr 24, 2022
- Apr 15, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the Championship previews | Mickey Arthur defends county cricket | A list of the ECB's mistakes this week | Player moves Apr 15, 2022
- Apr 7, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the County Championship previews | Fantasy League tips | Bumble speaks out | Latest player moves | And 'Teflon Tom' wants to secure 'his legacy' Apr 7, 2022
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March 2022
- Mar 28, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should we have a fan-led review? | Surprise! Talk of culling some counties | Yorkshire can't get out of their own way | Should the ECB fine themselves? | All the moves Mar 28, 2022
- Mar 7, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Warne remembered by Hampshire | Power struggles at top of the county game | More trouble at Yorkshire | Should Durham be asking questions? | Lots of new signings Mar 7, 2022
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February 2022
- Feb 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: 'Civil War' at Yorkshire | Why Tom Harrison is cricket's Chesney Hawkes? | Mickey Arthur flies in | Surrey's 15k members | Davies banned for tweets | All the player moves Feb 18, 2022
- Feb 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Angry about the fixtures, the Yorkshire scandal and especially the ECB... here's why Feb 2, 2022
- January 2022
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December 2021
- Dec 24, 2021 BLOG: All the major player moves & contracts | Exploring Cricket & class | A right old 'Codgerfest' | Counties redeveloping grounds | Changes at Yorkshire | Peter O'Toole taught by Imran Khan Dec 24, 2021
- Dec 10, 2021 BLOG: Yorkshire look to rebuild | Lancashire's new ground | Coaching changes at Hants | Northants and Derbyshire overseas signings | All the latest player moves | Delay on 2022 fixture announcements Dec 10, 2021
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November 2021
- Nov 28, 2021 BLOG: Latest on Yorkshire racism scandal, all the county cricket moves, are ECB 'fit for purpose'? Nov 28, 2021
- Nov 10, 2021 Sign up FREE to the only County Cricket newsletter - all the latest in one place Nov 10, 2021
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October 2021
- Oct 28, 2021 It seems you can't wish Geoffrey Boycott a happy birthday anymore Oct 28, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 The Championship must find its niche again and Mason Crane must not ruin my Spag Bol again Oct 1, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 The Grumbler's County Championship team of the season - 2021 Oct 1, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 How to say goodbye to a cricket season, career or life Oct 1, 2021
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September 2021
- Sep 14, 2021 Dear Mr Dowden, first-class counties are 'art treasures' too Sep 14, 2021
- Sep 8, 2021 We love seeing the youngsters play but it helps county finances too Sep 8, 2021
- Sep 1, 2021 Why watch when there is nothing to play for? Sep 1, 2021
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August 2021
- Aug 24, 2021 The intended consequence of diminished horizons Aug 24, 2021
- Aug 18, 2021 Like the many who will follow him, red-ball Ravi will be missed Aug 18, 2021
- Aug 11, 2021 Cricket needs diversity from all sides Aug 11, 2021
- Aug 3, 2021 Gimmickry can help county cricket too Aug 3, 2021
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July 2021
- Jul 29, 2021 50 and out? Why one-day cricket may fall through the cracks Jul 29, 2021
- Jul 20, 2021 A failure of governance Jul 20, 2021
- Jul 13, 2021 Cricket, data and Foxes Jul 13, 2021
- Jul 9, 2021 Lessons from six months of creating county cricket content Jul 9, 2021
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June 2021
- Jun 30, 2021 What happens when you become a cricket 'meme’ Jun 30, 2021
- Jun 21, 2021 How 'Hobbiton' is starting a village cricket team during a pandemic Jun 21, 2021
- Jun 15, 2021 Where's the fun? Derek Randall and Spinwash show the joyful chaos of yesteryear Jun 15, 2021
- Jun 9, 2021 County cricket fans are having their say... and their 'When Saturday Comes' moment Jun 9, 2021
- Jun 2, 2021 Why cricket's best YouTube channel is under threat Jun 2, 2021
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May 2021
- May 26, 2021 Fanning the flames for REAL supporter representation May 26, 2021
- May 18, 2021 Getting back in the ground, it’s going to be pretty damn emotional May 18, 2021
- May 18, 2021 By the end of this season, we’ll know if traditional county cricket has been outgunned May 18, 2021
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October 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 Vitality Blast: Team of the Season 2020 Oct 7, 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 Streaming offers red-ball cricket a lifeline Oct 7, 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 My T20 finals days: Michelangelo, Kiss Cam and the Sugababes Oct 7, 2020
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September 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 The Grumbler's Team of the Bob Willis Trophy 2020 Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 Barmy Army 'batten down hatches' as Covid hits cricket tour business Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 No-one marketed the Bob Willis Trophy final, so I did it myself for a tenner Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Udal on Parkinson's Disease - 'When you play cricket, you learn to fight' Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Tom Banton's not Somerset's Messiah, he's a very naughty boy Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Why cricket fans will mourn this season more than most Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 Cold-blooded Murtagh takes on Donald Trump's spinner Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 By George, he's the proud No11, batting in his mother's memory Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 Bring back the 'FA Cup' of cricket Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 County game grows viewership via stream power Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 9, 2020 Financial nous like ‘Barnacle’ Bailey can guide cricket though the pandemic Sep 9, 2020