We knew it was coming but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. The county championship fixtures for 2020 will be released shortly and, according to the Daily Mail, the season is due to finish ‘just hours shy’ of October. Get your warm coats, hip flasks, and thermal underwear ready folks. The big loser in all this, of course, is the county championship and supporters of red ball cricket. With Harrison’s Harebrained Have A Hit scheduled to run from 17th July (the day...
Why The Hashim Amla Kolpak Deal Is Good For County Cricket
Is there a more controversial word in the English cricketing dictionary than ‘Kolpak’? No other word, other than ‘(the) Hundred’, leads to more collective cursing and eyebrow raising. However, not all Kolpak deals are the same. And today I’m going to argue that Surrey’s Hashim Amla Kolpak signing, which was announced this week, happens to be a great thing for both Surrey and the English game in general. The arguments against Kolpak signings are numerous and...
T20 Finals Day – A Fitting Climax, But Will It Last?
Well, it wasn’t quite the outcome I was hoping for but Essex were worthy champions in the end. But perhaps – cliche warning! – cricket was the real winner in the end. Or more specifically county cricket was the winner. Despite a pitch that lacked pace, and made big hitting somewhat tricky for long periods, T20 Finals Day delivered in a big way yet again. The first semi final produced a dramatic finish when hapless Notts snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Worcs...
Cider and Sandpaper
Welcome to the A&E. Otherwise known as the England dressing room. Players should form an orderly queue and use the Savlon sparingly. It’s got to stretch a long way. Here’s the current injury report: Mark Wood – Chronic foot / ankle condition Adil Rashid – Long-term shoulder niggle Chris Woakes – Long-term knee niggle Eoin Morgan – Bruised finger Liam Dawson – Cut Finger Jofra Archer – Unspecified something Team culture – Bruised by Hales...
Cider Saturday: Annie Talks RLODC Final With Tom Abell and Andy Hurry
Today we’re delighted to welcome Guerilla Cricket ‘waffler’ Annie Chave to TFT. She caught up with Somerset Director Of Cricket Andy Hurry and skipper Tom Abell at Taunton last week. There was only one thing on their collective minds: Saturday’s big Lord’s final against Hampshire. On Saturday 25 May, Somerset take on Hampshire at Lords for what looks likely to be the last ever Royal London One Day Cup Final. On the face of it, it’s just another one day final, but...
The Hundred – A Positive Spin
We’re a broad church at TFT, so it’s only fair we give counter-arguments a chance. So after all that criticism of The Hundred, here’s Alex with a more positive spin. Has he got a point? Be gentle folks. “Loathing, Unadulterated loathing, For your face, Your voice, Your clothing, Let’s just say: I loath it all! Every little trait, however small, Makes my very flesh begin to crawl …” – Wicked If there’s anything English cricket fans loath more than...
