There is no equivalent of Kick it Out, football’s anti-racism group, in cricket. But the ECB certainly seems intent on kicking Yorkshire’s captain in the nether regions. Last week Andrew Gale was denied the chance to lift the county championship trophy because he was serving a ban for abusing Ashwell Prince. Now we hear the ECB have officially charged Gale with making a racist slur. So what exactly did Gale say? By all accounts, after being confronted by Prince, and told to fornicate back to...
Secrets and lies
It’s now only three weeks until Kevin Pietersen’s book is published. Across the crickosphere the air hums with the sound of knives being sharpened, loins being girt, hatches being battened down. It is the eve of the war. This won’t be pretty. During the next month or so, we will hear claims and counter claims, perceptions aplenty, and just maybe, some specific and genuine information which sheds light on the ugliest chapter in English cricket history since the rebel tours. On...
Gannin’ to Lord’s
Durham supporter and TFT contributor Garreth Duncan previews the north-easterners’ bid to clinch the Royal London One-Day Cup this weekend. In August 2007, Durham arrived at Lord’s to face Hampshire in our first major final. We were rank underdogs, having not had a sniff of a trophy in 15 years as a first-class county. Shane Warne won the toss and put us in to bat, thinking he’d be back in Southampton by tea time. But with little expectation on us, we played without fear and...
The broad acres, and England’s future
On a relatively quiet day, thought it was worth a look through the papers, most of whom are reflecting on Yorkshire’s triumph in the county championship. In the Observer, Andy Wilson looks at how England, and the ECB, can exploit the White Rose county’s success. One of the most intriguing aspects of Yorkshire’s current strength is the political dimension: their chairman, Colin Graves (the Costcutter magnate), is also the ECB’s deputy chair, and now heads the...
White Roses and Sweet Pears
When Yorkshire are strong, England are strong. Or so the saying goes. It’s obviously an old wives tail, as England are as weak as sick kittens at the moment, but at least the Yorkies are doing their bit. The big cricket news yesterday was that lads from Leeds have conquered all and secured their first county championship since Geoff Boycott was knee high to a whippet. Ok, it’s not quiet that long, but it has been a while. Yorkshire are champions because, quite simply, they have far the best...
The best of times; the worst of times
Clivejw posted this interesting comment on Saturday: I haven’t had this miserable a summer as a cricket fan since 1999, and as that year ended with the appointment of Duncan Fletcher as coach (he had in fact been appointed before the summer of that year, but Glamorgan wouldn’t release him from his contract), it can in retrospect be seen as a turning point. Only the announcement of the names of the Gatting rebels treacherously stabbing David Gower in the back and taking money from a bloody and...
