Today we have an important message from Alan Higham of the Lancs Action Group. They’re organising a campaign to resist the impending changes to the county championship. Anyone can get involved, whoever you support, simply by filling in their short survey below. Every little helps so please help! County Cricket Matters and other publications / blogs are doing their bit so I’d love TFT readers to contribute as well. Thanks. The ECB, fans, counties, players and the media all agree that...
Some speak of the future My love speaks softly She knows there’s no success like failure And that failure’s no success at all The above lyrics come from one of my favourite songs, Love Minus Zero by Bob Dylan. A few cricket writers have quoted Dylan in recent times, including George Dobell in his excellent article With Friends Like These: A Hundred Reasons Why The ECB Have Failed The Game. The late Bob Willis was a massive Dylan fan, and I would’ve loved to hear Grumpy Bob’s thoughts on...
Cricket fans are a unique bunch. Whilst many support a county team based on family relations or geographical location, our main priority often lies with the national team. Punters take delight when a local lad performs well for England, despite it meaning they may be lucky to see that player wear home colours once or twice a season. This is a stark contrast to other sports, yet one that makes county cricket so endearing. You may well find yourself checking the scorecard of rival teams to ensure...
Last week I made a decision that would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago. I decided not to attend the four-day Championship game between Northamptonshire and Yorkshire, which begins on Sunday. I had a B&B booking and, without the Covid situation, I am sure I would have attended. However, some things have changed. Obviously Covid: sitting in the ground, in your own little bubble, unable to walk around and chat with friends and with the home supporters. I like to take photographs...
What fun the new-format County Championship is turning out to be. Covid has been horrid, but live streaming has saved the day, given us new pleasures. If your game of choice is not too engrossing, or has finished early, just fly over to Trent Bridge, or Southampton, or Old Trafford, as I did. At Trent Bridge, I watched an old favourite Tim Bresnan steer Warwickshire home in a tight finish. At the Ageas Bowl, I saw Craig Overton and Josh Davey swing it round corners to prise out determined...
Raw numbers paint the picture. The viewership of Yorkshire’s live stream hovered consistently around 3,500. As the afternoon ticked along, so too did the flow of viewers. The steady click of electronic turnstiles turned into a stampede, as people raced to view the climax of Northamptonshire’s visit to Headingley. As soon as Northants lost the ninth wicket, attendees arrived en masse. The numbers whirring upwards like an odometer fraud in reverse. 3,981, 4,121, 4,333, 4,550, 4,670...
