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April 29, 2008
Journalists get on their bike
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago in Miscellaneous
How do you get from the Brit Oval to Lord's without crossing the Thames? Six intrepid cyclists are about to prove it can be done and all in a good cause.
They are cycling from Kennington to St John's Wood the long way round, taking in all 18 first-class county headquarters - a trip of more than 1,000 miles over 16 days.
The tour has been devised by two cricket writers who spend most of their time pedalling opinions on the game: David Lloyd of the London Evening Standard and Colin Bateman of the Daily Express.
Continue reading "Journalists get on their bike"
March 7, 2008
Cancer Tests for England cricketers
Posted on 03/07/2008 in Miscellaneous
All first-class cricketers in England will be tested for skin cancer this season. In an initiative by the Professional Cricketers Association about 400 players will have checks for the disease.
February 7, 2008
Tony Brown elected president
Posted on 02/07/2008 in Gloucestershire
Tony Brown, the former Gloucestershire allrounder, has been elected as the club’s new president.
Brown was appointed at the AGM on Wednesday while Mike Smith, the former left-arm seamer with one England cap, will follow Brown as chairman of cricket.
Brown played 496 first-class matches between 1953 and 1976 and was captain when they won the Gillette Cup in 1973.
Smith was a key member of the attack from 1991 to 2004, playing a key role when Gloucestershire became a force in one-day cricket. His one England appearance came against Australia, at Headingley, in 2001 but he went wicketless.
Gloucestershire's cricketers trek through the Beacons
Posted on 02/07/2008 in Gloucestershire
The Brecon Beacons in Wales are as bleak and lonely a landscape as Britain has, where the Royal Marines test their physical endurance and where the SAS trek 40 gruelling miles to whittle out the weaklings in their infamous Long Drag. Not a place for cricketers, then - or is it? Tom Davies and a group of Gloucestershire's academy players have been spotted up there with guttering pipe, bamboo and rope:
The first station was quite simple to find, the piece of equipment was a piece of guttering pipe. Then all of the other stations were hard but a good challenge of your map reading skills. We ended up on the top of Sugarloaf Mountain with a piece of guttering pipe, piece of rope, big bottle of water and 2 pieces of bamboo canes.
In my eyes this was a very good challenge as it showed how we could work as a team i.e. following maps, listening to what the team members have to say. Even though my team came last I thought that we worked well together but we failed to read instructions properly as did other teams which cost us a couple of time penalties.
We then were given a challenge at the top of the mountain. In our teams we had to try and get a table tennis ball out from a pipe and place it in a small circle within the big circle however there were a few ground rules, there was the big circle I would say it was about three meters to the middle all the way round, we were not allowed to step inside this circle, the tube was situated in the middle of the circle. We had to think things through as a team. Our plan was to rest the piece of guttering pipe on the tube and run the water down into the tube so the table tennis ball would float up to the top. Unfortunately we ran out of water so we had to send two team members for some more supplies, luckily I found three orange juice cartons in my bag and we used those however it was still not enough. Eventually they returned and we got the ball to the top of the tube. Our task then was to get the ball without touching the ground into the small circle. Our plan was to get it in the guttering pipe and then control it into the small circle unfortunately this did not happen and we failed the task.
Find out how they got on at Gloucestershire's website.
November 21, 2007
Trio extend Gloucestershire contracts
Posted on 11/21/2007 in Gloucestershire
Vikram Banerjee, Kadeer Ali and Steve Adshead have all signed extended contracts with Gloucestershire.
Adshead replace Jack Russell as wicketkeeper and has been a dependable member of the squad, while Kadeer Ali is beginning to settle into the first-class game.
Vikram Banerjee is a highly rated left-arm spinner who has been involved in the ECB's spin bowling programme.
September 19, 2007
Time for salary caps?
Posted on 09/19/2007 in
A fascinating report in The Guardian looks into how county cricket pays for itself… if it does… and whether or not salary capping is a good idea.
September 14, 2007
Stayt awarded two-year contract with Gloucestershire
Posted on 09/14/2007 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire have awarded Tom Stayt a two-year contract.
A seam bowler, Stayt comes from Wiltshire and has played for Bath CC. He spent four years in the Gloucestershire academy, as well as studying accounting and finance at Exeter University.
He made his debut in the Championship against Middlesex at Lord's in August, taking 3 for 57 including the wickets of Andrew Strauss and Ed Smith.
Stayt said: “I’m really pleased. It is a great opportunity to take the next step and try and cement my place in the Gloucestershire first team."
July 23, 2007
Some county players earn less than minimum wage
Posted on 07/23/2007 in Miscellaneous
In The Sunday Telegraph , Steve James highlights the disparity between the high earners in English cricket and those at the bottom of the food chain.
The Professional Cricketers' Association estimates that a cricketer works about 50 hours a week (including play, travel, training and time spent away from home). This means, in broad terms, that a player needs to earn more than £7,000 per season to be over the minimum wage. There are definitely players earning less than that; indeed there are players earning as little as £3,000 per season.
July 22, 2007
Cheltenham hit by heavy rain
Posted on 07/22/2007 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire's opening Pro40 match, which was meant to begin the Cheltenham Festival, fell victim to the further heavy rain. The umpires called play off at 8.30 after water had got onto the pitch. The problems weren't helped when four helicopters had to make emergency landings on the ground and blew water from the covers all over the square.
May 9, 2007
Snell causes Cheltenham to be kicked out of cup
Posted on 05/09/2007 in Gloucestershire
Ivo Tennant in The Times reports that Cheltenham’s victory over Bromsgrove in the first round of the Cockspur Cup on April 30 has been overturned because they included Steve Snell, the Gloucestershire reserve wicketkeeper, in their side.
Snell broke the rules because he was over 23 – contracted cricketers under that age can play if they have not taken part in any of the four major competitions that season – and he scored a run-a-ball 108 as Cheltenham won by 38 runs.
March 30, 2007
North covers for Marshall
Posted on 03/30/2007 in Gloucestershire
Marcus North will provide cover for Gloucestershire during the opening weeks of the season. Their original option, Hamish Marshall, will be with New Zealand at the World Cup after a late call-up to replace the injured Lou Vincent.
North is expected to play the first Championship match, against Nottinghamshire, starting on April 25 at Bristol. Marshall is now due to be available for the match against Somerset, at Taunton, starting on May 23.
October 17, 2006
Hats off to the bats and Lewis
Posted on 10/17/2006 in Gloucestershire
One promotion, in the one-dayers, but nowhere near a second. Still, few matched their 20 wins and heads are held higher than last autumn. The bad news came early: signing the injured Shane Bond (who will probably get a second chance, so bare is the overseas cupboard) left the attack a one-man band, with only the occasional parp from the others. When Jon Lewis was captaining, and neither knackered nor peeved by all that 11th-hour motorway-pounding for Queen and country, he was never knowingly underbowled or underbold. Otherwise only Steve Kirby offered anything that could be mistaken for menace, as allowing lowly Glamorgan to pile up 597 underlined. Martyn Ball was typically canny in the abridged version but, when you play on puddings, spin is seldom the sweet option. The batting, by comparison, was a full orchestra. Hamish Marshall entered with a bang; Craig Spearman returned with one after personal problems in 2005; Alex Gidman and Kadeer Ali (who finally hit a first-class hundred at the 82nd try) enjoyed their most fruitful seasons; Phil Weston signed-off ruggedly; and, best of all, Chris Taylor shrugged off losing the captaincy and looked as nifty as any man can reasonably expect to in two-tone blue pyjamas.
Rob Steen The Wisden Cricketer
Hats off to the bats and Lewis
Posted on 10/17/2006 in Gloucestershire
One promotion, in the one-dayers, but nowhere near a second. Still, few matched their 20 wins and heads are held higher than last autumn. The bad news came early: signing the injured Shane Bond (who will probably get a second chance, so bare is the overseas cupboard) left the attack a one-man band, with only the occasional parp from the others. When Jon Lewis was captaining, and neither knackered nor peeved by all that 11th-hour motorway-pounding for Queen and country, he was never knowingly underbowled or underbold. Otherwise only Steve Kirby offered anything that could be mistaken for menace, as allowing lowly Glamorgan to pile up 597 underlined. Martyn Ball was typically canny in the abridged version but, when you play on puddings, spin is seldom the sweet option. The batting, by comparison, was a full orchestra. Hamish Marshall entered with a bang; Craig Spearman returned with one after personal problems in 2005; Alex Gidman and Kadeer Ali (who finally hit a first-class hundred at the 82nd try) enjoyed their most fruitful seasons; Phil Weston signed-off ruggedly; and, best of all, Chris Taylor shrugged off losing the captaincy and looked as nifty as any man can reasonably expect to in two-tone blue pyjamas.
Rob Steen The Wisden Cricketer
September 27, 2006
Gloucestershire's end-of-season awards ceremony
Posted on 09/27/2006 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire held their annual end-of-season presentation dinner in the Grace Room of the County Ground yesterday. The evening was in recognition of the players and was deemed “a huge success”.
The event included presentation of awards in recognition of the players’ achievements in the 2006 season. All of the awards were preceded by video clips of the season to evoke memories of the season’s highlights.
Some of the emerging young players were rewarded for their successful season including Jackson Thompson who was awarded the Collis Cup as Academy Player of the Year. The club also arranged for an award to be presented in recognition of the sad bereavement of Ray Parsons, the former chairman, last month. The Ray Parsons Award for The Young Player of the Season was presented by Ray’s widow, Fay to David Brown.
The Most Outstanding Individual Bowling Performance was awarded to Jon Lewis for the best bowling in an innings of a County Championship match (7 for 38) and the best in a match (10 for 75 against Somerset at Bristol).
The Most Outstanding Individual Batting Performance was awarded to Hamish Marshall for his unbeaten 105 in the Pro 40 against Surrey at The Oval in September. The award was collected on his behalf by Jon Lewis as Marshall was on his way back to New Zealand.
The Thule Champagne Moment allowed the attendees to enjoy a magnificent montage of cricket from the C&G Trophy match versus Surrey at Bristol. The award was presented by Pete Barker of Thule to David Brown for his debut match-winning innings of 63 not out from 26 balls during that match.
The final award of the evening was the presentation of the players' player of the season which was awarded by Club sponsors WDB Brands. The winner this year was Alex Gidman and proved to be a very well supported choice amongst the attendees at the dinner.
September 21, 2006
Averis released by Gloucestershire
Posted on 09/21/2006 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire have released James Averis after 10 years with the club. Born in Bristol, Averis made his one-day debut in 1994 and his first class debut in 1997. He was capped and named Gloucestershire’s Player of the Year in 2001.
He played in every one-day game of Gloucestershire’s treble-winning season of 2000 and took a memorable 4 for 23 in the C&G Final against Worcestershire in 2004.
He is currently studying for a Law degree and hopes to secure employment in that field.
September 20, 2006
Ball signs new contract
Posted on 09/20/2006 in Gloucestershire
Martyn Ball, the Gloucestershire offspinner, has signed a new contract with the club. He has not been a fixture in the team this season, but his experience is seen as vital for a side containing a number of youngsters.
Jon Lewis, the captain, said: "It's great to have Martyn on board here at Gloucestershire he is a very influential man in the dressing room and on the field. His contribution has been invaluable to the club over his career and I look forward to his continued success as a Gloucestershire player.
Ball added: "I am thrilled to have agreed to continue my playing career with my home club. I have enjoyed many great seasons and am already excited about the prospects for next season. Not only as it will be my 20th season for Gloucestershire but also because I am sure it will be another hugely successful one on the pitch."
September 19, 2006
A Walsh, please
Posted on 09/19/2006 in Gloucestershire
For all the rationale, the chief coach Mark Alleyne has misgivings about the reduction of overseas players from 2008. “I assume it’s a financial decision and I see the economic implications but I’d like to have seen it avoided. County cricket has been very good over the past few seasons, since we were allowed two again, and overseas players have had a big part in that. Look at the sides that are doing well; they’ve all got good overseas players. Hopefully they’ve left enough of an impression for our youngsters to absorb.
“My worry is that teams like Durham, who have produced three Test players, will field weakened sides and may end up in the doldrums. Not much of a reward, is it?” Courtney Walsh remains Alleyne’s idea of a model overseas pro. “He had the asset I look for first: he always wanted to share what he knew. He also always wanted to play, and he was a match-winner who wasn’t too self-obsessed. I remember Jon Lewis as a 20-year-old bowling into a howling wind and Courtney offering to swap ends for six or seven overs. Can’t imagine anyone doing that now.”
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer
September 3, 2006
Marshall aid
Posted on 09/03/2006 in Gloucestershire
The top order's reluctance to fire in unison was summed up by the club being one of only three counties not to have reached 475 by the start of August. So there was extra reason to be grateful for Craig Spearman’s renewed rude health and Hamish Marshall’s return to full spruceness.
Especially relieved was Mark Alleyne, who sees more in the hirsute New Zealander than a broad array of shots and a penchant for rapid progress. Indeed, the head coach curses Marshall’s absence from the Twenty20 until the quarter-final defeat by Surrey, by when he was still rusty. “He has been really unlucky, getting over his side problem, then breaking a thumb fielding in the gully against Leicestershire, which ruled him out of the group phase, where he
would have been a great foil to Spearman and [Ian] Harvey because he’s so good at manipulating the strike. He’s much more than a big hitter.”
The Wisden Cricketer, Rob Steen
August 1, 2006
Runs in the family
Posted on 08/01/2006 in Gloucestershire
Reasonably satisfied about his side “winning without playing brilliantly”, coach Mark Alleyne was reluctant to join the chorus of disapproval for the new C&G format, mainly because it allowed him to tinker after elimination. Enter Burnley-born Durham University graduate David Brown, younger brother of the Hampshire opener Michael, for an exotic debut. Five singles came off his first 10 balls against Surrey but the next 16 deliveries yielded 58, including five sixes.
“An amazing innings and he’s played with maturity since,” says Alleyne. “He came here last year and played a good innings for the seconds on a quick wicket against a Lancashire attack featuring Sajid Mahmood and Oliver Newby, which showed lots of character.” Even more pleasing to Alleyne was Kadeer Ali’s consistency on his return to four-day duty, notably a
match-winning stand with Alex Gidman against Leicestershire. “He’s played two games with a
lowest score of 42. He had some technical issues but I guess he reacts a bit more sensitively than most. We’ve talked about the need to get ugly runs sometimes and he’s absorbed that.”
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer
Cheltenham's annual ritual of colour and conviviality
Posted on 08/01/2006 in Gloucestershire
David Hopps in The Guardian takes a look at the long-established Cheltenham cricket festival, which has seen some remarkable matches in its long history.
But, as Hopps points out, it's no longer the domain of colonels and clergymen as it once was:
"Those long flowery dresses of officers' wives have given way to bare midriffs of nubile wine-bar girls not long out of one of the local young ladies' colleges. In early evening, too, throaty male decibels increase - belonging more to Kingsholm than this ground's Gothic chapel."
July 30, 2006
Players thrive on steep earning curve
Posted on 07/30/2006 in Derbyshire
Steve James, the former Glamorgan and England opener, has revealed that the average salary for a county player is around £40,000. Surrey top the pay league, with their players earning an average salary of £60,000, and that excludes the bumper earnings of their overseas recruits. Yorkshire are at the bottom of the pay league, with an average salary of £30,000.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, James's article has gone a long way to dispelling the belief that county cricketers are sports paupers. While they still might to be able to hold a candle to any footballers in the Premier League, their pay is not as bad as it once was.
Click here for the full story.
June 20, 2006
Lewis's deserts
Posted on 06/20/2006 in Gloucestershire
Mike Smith, the left-armer who served the club so ably for 14 summers, sincerely hopes his erstwhile new-ball partner Jon Lewis does not go the same way Smith did after making a much-longed-for Test debut.
“Nobody deserves to play for England as much as Jon,” says Smith, who won a solitary cap against Australia in 1997 and might have had more had Graham Thorpe not dropped a simple catch in the slips when Matthew Elliott had barely begun his match-winning 199. “Before the first Test against Sri Lanka he’d taken more wickets this season than Flintoff, Hoggard and Plunkett put together.”
Smith also contends that Lewis, who grabbed four wickets in the Twenty20 win over Australia, was not given enough credit for his part in the Ashes triumph. “Jon was the catalyst, because it was that victory which gave England the belief they could beat the Australians. He had one bad game [in the NatWest Series], but who hasn’t against Australia?
“There’s very little to choose between Jon and Matthew Hoggard. Jon bowls at the same pace, bats better and fields better, so there’s no reason why he can’t [achieve] the same.”
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer
May 25, 2006
Gloucestershire forced to move fixture
Posted on 05/25/2006 in Gloucestershire
Due to recent heavy rain Gloucestershire have been forced to relocate their fixture against Worcestershire at the King's School ground in Gloucester, starting on June 2nd, to Bristol. It is the first time the club has been forced into this position and Peter Lacey, the Headmaster, said: “It is particularly galling that this has happened this year when the fixture is against our nearest neighbour Worcestershire. It was all set to be a local derby and a great crowd puller.”
Tom Richardson, the Gloucestershire chief executive, said; "We are committed to taking the show on the road and whilst Archdeacon Meadow is a really good location, nevertheless it is an out ground and does not have the facilities of Bristol to cope with such extreme conditions. Given the amount of rain that is forecast and the current waterlogged state of ground, there is no alternative. This is a great shame for the school, the sponsors, the city council and all our members and fans in the area."
May 12, 2006
Kids fun day at Bristol
Posted on 05/12/2006 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire are organising a special "Kids Fun Day" Sunday May 21 to encourage the next generation of cricket fans.
The day will support Gloucestershire’s match versus Kent in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. Play starts at 10.45am but the special activities will be available all day. GCCC are offering free entry to the match for all under-16s (when accompanied by a full-paying adult).
There will be special fielding and batting activities throughout the day for under-16s to have a go in the club’s inflatable nets. These supervised children’s nets will enable under-16s to pick up some individual top tips from a qualified coach. During the interval you can win prizes by taking part in fun and games on the pitch.
May 11, 2006
Marshall arrives at Gloucestershire
Posted on 05/11/2006 in Gloucestershire
Hamish Marshall has arrived at Gloucestershire and is hopeful of playing his first match for the county on the 21st May against Kent in the C&G Trophy at the County Ground. However, Gloucestershire have admitted that his debut for the County may need to be delayed as he continues to recover from a rib injury.
April 25, 2006
Bond blow for Gloucestershire
Posted on 04/25/2006 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire have begun searching for a replacement overseas player after Shane Bond was withdrawn from his season with the club. Bond has been forced out of the Test series against South Africa with a knee injury and needs an extended period of rest.
Tom Richardson, the chief executive, said: “I spoke today to Black Caps’ Manager, Lindsey Crocker and to Shane. Fundamentally, he has a minor knee injury but it is just not responding and will not go away. Therefore, reluctantly, they have decided to send him back to New Zealand from South Africa for a period of enforced rest.
This means that he will not be available for us this summer. We now need to find a replacement and, in doing so, clearly, we will consider the balance of the team. Currently, we are doing just that.”
Richardson admits that the loss of Bond is a blow after he had been earmarked to bring strike power to the bowling attack. "Although philosophical about it, obviously, Shane is very disappointed, as are we. We believe he would have a made a significant difference on and off the field for us. We wish him a speedy recovery."
April 12, 2006
Gloucestershire prepare to face Somerset
Posted on 04/12/2006 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire are in the final stages of their pre-season training in preparation for their opening match against Somerset on Tuesday April 18.
The team have managed some training on the field, both in the nets and general fitness. The weather hasn’t aided this outdoor training, increasing the relief amongst the club that they organised overseas pre-season training.
The squad is strong as they approach the final selection process for the Somerset clash, with only Will Rudge currently absent from training due to a knee injury there are no other current injury worries.
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