As his aggressively loud alarm rang incessantly, Tom Harrison slowly opened his eyes. ‘God,’ he thought, as he woke, ‘that alarm is boring, I must invest in a more exciting one.’ He pulled himself out of bed, admonishing the dreariness of his fuchsia pink dressing gown as he wrapped it around himself, cursing silently at the banality of his neon yellow slippers. Down his unexciting staircase he walked, into his uninteresting kitchen. He tried to enjoy a bowl of cereal for his breakfast, but how...
Why Tom Harrison Could Learn A Lot From Grand Theft Auto
Yesterday we heard from one of English cricket’s great leaders, the ECB’s chief exec Tom Harrison. He’s very much the board’s youthful moderniser. Or at least that’s what he’s supposed to be. The reality, however, is that his real skill is squeezing money out of broadcasters. He played an important role when test cricket left terrestrial TV after the 2005 Ashes and moved to Sky (for an irresistibly huge wad of cash of course), and then worked for IMG to...
The Golden Age Of Umpires
I am conscious of my own personal preponderance to wallow in nostalgia of late. Something I should give up based on the adage that nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Too many backward glances down the old barely lit paths of the mind – at best a dodgy incursion into loose slabs and hidden potholes. It’s fun in moderation but gets a bit Victor Meldrew if you linger too long. However, the news that Jack Hampshire died earlier this month has me pining for what I consider to be...
The Friday Flapjack
If you like oats, butter, sugar, golden syrup, and lashings of cricket, you’ve come to the right place. It’s time for The Friday Flapjack – a round up of all the latest cricket news. I think you’ll find it a worthy successor to other TFT end-of-the-week summary classics such as The Friday Fried Egg, The Friday Falafel, and my personal favourite The Friday Fish Finger. We begin our tour with a look at potentially ominous developments at the ICC. Shashank Manohar, the man...
The Forgotten XI: County Cricket’s Best Players Without An England Cap
Sick of slogging your guts out at work without recognition? Tired of seeing a plethora of unworthy candidates promoted above you? Life generally isn’t fair at the best of times, but for the following collection of county cricketers it’s the absolute pits. They’ve climbed mountains in county cricket time and again and yet our shortsighted selectors continually ignore their international credentials. It seems that some players just can’t catch a break. With this in mind...
Another Trifling Summer
The sun is shining (at least it is where I am), spring has sprung, and the domestic cricket season is nearly upon us. With that in mind, here are the thoughts of guest writer Media Penguin. As a devotee of county cricket he has some interesting thoughts to share on the championship … I have a confession to make; I like going to watch county cricket. With spring in the air and a new season looming I have already earmarked likely first and second eleven fixtures on my multi-coloured...
