The Official Cricket Thread

[Biffer]

I’d lay money on it being Stokes. He’s clearly a natural leader; issue is whether he’s a natural NCO or can make the change to officer, so to speak. And whether he can manage himself. Not sure how it will work with his drama llama tendencies; phlegmatic he is not, but I don’t know how far that’s just how he presents, or whether he will struggle to make dispassionate captaincy calls under pressure.

But really he’s the only person other than Root whose place is guaranteed. Bairstow perhaps but a) he has had some shocking periods with the bat, only just reclaimed his place, b) judging by his decision making he’s not very bright and c) I am told he’s not terribly popular in the game.

I wouldn’t let Broad anywhere near it… not quite sure why but it just feels all sorts of wrong.

Other option is to go the full Carling and parachute some FEC in to be a clean broom. No idea who.

It’s probably Stokes if he wants it but I don’t think he will.

[JM2K6]

It's a time-honoured tradition, but then so is English cricket eating itself after yet another Caribbean humiliation...

Do you know something?

When I saw you'd responded to my post, I didn't open the thread for a couple of days because I was sure I was going to get a shoeing.

How pathetic is that?

Sorry - it's not unreasonable that you'd have expected that recently.

[OomStruisbaai]

Great knock from Miller in the IPL.

[Rinkals]

Select David Bedingham now. He could be captaincy material in a couple of years.

Another Natal boy, Born in Durban.

https://www.news24.com/sport/cricket/pr ... d-20220302

And here's something for Handyman:

FQj8bLGakAUFKbK.jpeg (81.63 KiB) Viewed 1120 times

[OomStruisbaai]

Handy is still camping somewhere.

[Rinkals]

PB, I posted a team photo on the Selfies thread, just for you.

[FalseBayFC]

Select David Bedingham now. He could be captaincy material in a couple of years.

Another Natal boy, Born in Durban.

I think he's originally from George. He went to Wynberg Boys like Jacques Kallis, Allan Lamb, Richard Levi, Garth le Roux, Verreyne and many other good cricketers. I have the odd sundowner at the Claremont cricket club which is on the same property as the False Bay Rugby Club. Lots of Wynberg Old Boys there. I spoke to a former coach of Bedingham who reckoned he is a generational talent who'll go all the way.

[Rinkals]

Select David Bedingham now. He could be captaincy material in a couple of years.

Another Natal boy, Born in Durban.

I think he's originally from George. He went to Wynberg Boys like Jacques Kallis, Allan Lamb, Richard Levi, Garth le Roux, Verreyne and many other good cricketers. I have the odd sundowner at the Claremont cricket club which is on the same property as the False Bay Rugby Club. Lots of Wynberg Old Boys there. I spoke to a former coach of Bedingham who reckoned he is a generational talent who'll go all the way.

You may be right.

I just saw an article that called him Durban-born, but I'm not sure where I saw it.

[OomStruisbaai]

CSA racist claims

Graeme Smith

Johannesburg - In finding that Graeme Smith did not discriminate against Thami Tsolekile, because he is black, Cricket SA’s arbitration process also criticised CSA for trying to change the nature of its argument during the process.

The arbitrators, Adv. Ngwako Maenetje SC and Adv. Michael Bishop found that Smith did not play a role in Tsolekile not being selected for the Proteas between 2012 and 2014, and that Tsolekile not playing was not because Smith discriminated against him because of his race.

Cricket SA sought to argue during the process, that Smith should have supported Tsolekile’s selection with the then selection panel, but the arbitrators found that Smith accepted the final team as presented to him by the selectors at the time.

Tsolekile had said in media interviews and in testimony before the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings last year that Smith had blocked his path into the national Test team specifically, for a series against New Zealand in 2013.

Tsolekile, who testified at the arbitration hearing, said he’d been told by the then selection convenor Andrew Hudson and a member of the panel, Linda Zondi, that Smith did not want him in the side, and that in fact Smith would quit the team if he was selected.

Smith, Hudson and Zondi all denied that assertion. Smith told the arbitrators that as captain, other than an advisory role, in which he shared his thoughts about the team with the head coach, he had no influence on selection.

Hudson, currently a member of CSA’s Board of Directors said he had never had a conversation with Tsolekile about being picked for the series with New Zealand. “The decision not to select him to play was”, Mr Hudson stated, “the view of the selection panel.”

ALSO READ: Pholetsi Moseki, CSA's new CEO, says restoring trust is critical for the organisation

Tsolekile also said he’d spoken to Zondi around the same time who had told him it was because of Smith that he wasn’t being picked. “However, Mr Zondi only became a selector in July 2013 – several months after the New Zealand series. Mr Tsolekile accepted that the 35 conversations with Mr Zondi may have happened later in the year,” the arbitration panel’s report noted.

“But (Tsolekile) insisted Mr Zondi had told him Mr Smith was to blame for his exclusion. Mr Zondi denies this. His evidence was: ‘Mr Smith did not influence the decision of the selectors not to select Mr Tsolekile as a wicket-keeper by reason of his race.’ Rather, in Mr Zondi’s experience, Mr Smith ‘would get the team from the Convenor and at the moment the selection panel said this was the starting XI, he would accept that.’ By contrast, Mr Zondi had actively lobbied for the selection panel to include Mr Tsolekile. He was ultimately outvoted.”

ALSO READ: ’Egoless’ Gary Kirsten should replace Graeme Smith as CSA’s director of cricket

CSA’s legal team argued that Smith, as captain had a duty to speak up on Tsoelkile’s, behalf, and by failing to do so, it constituted discrimination. That argument was also dismissed by the arbitrators, which argued that CSA failed to show causation. “We cannot conclude, on the evidence before us, that if Mr Smith had argued for Mr Tsolekile’s inclusion, he would have been selected. We simply do not know. Accordingly, even if Mr Smith had a duty to speak, we cannot find that his failure to do so constituted unfair discrimination.”

The arbitrators also criticised CSA, for only adjusting to that particular argument, when Smith was cross-examined. “Whether there was a duty on Mr Smith to speak, whether he breached that duty, and whether his silence caused Mr Tsolekile not to be selected appear nowhere in the pleadings. The question is whether CSA’s reliance on an unpleaded omission caused prejudice to Mr Smith. In our view it did,” the arbitrators stated.

The arbitration award directed CSA to pay Mr Smith’s costs, that include the cost of two counsel.

[Paddington Bear]

Club season now well underway in England. Same trend continuing - large clubs putting out plenty of sides reasonably easily as village clubs continue to struggle. Increasingly sense we could be seeing village cricket fall off a cliff over the next 3 years or so and the club environment more resemble rugby.

[FalseBayFC]

Club season now well underway in England. Same trend continuing - large clubs putting out plenty of sides reasonably easily as village clubs continue to struggle. Increasingly sense we could be seeing village cricket fall off a cliff over the next 3 years or so and the club environment more resemble rugby.

Time to redirect the Lottery money toward promoting grassroots sport instead of Olympic gold medals.

[Paddington Bear]

Club season now well underway in England. Same trend continuing - large clubs putting out plenty of sides reasonably easily as village clubs continue to struggle. Increasingly sense we could be seeing village cricket fall off a cliff over the next 3 years or so and the club environment more resemble rugby.

Time to redirect the Lottery money toward promoting grassroots sport instead of Olympic gold medals.

In fairness the lottery money is there (I've got a fair amount of it for my club), it just takes forever to jump through all the hoops and it doesn't change the fact that you need to run a junior section to make your club sustainable, and that takes at least a decade and a hell of a lot of effort to be successful

[OomStruisbaai]

Can't blame Smith, a big loss for our cricket.

Former Proteas Men’s captain and Cricket South Africa (CSA) Director of Cricket Graeme Smith has admitted the “baseless allegations of racism” against him have been “exhausting and distracting.”

Smith was cleared this week of all three charges related to alleged racial discrimination by a two-man arbitration panel appointed by CSA. The 41-year-old was under scrutiny following the CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) commission's report, which had made tentative findings that Smith had engaged in prejudicial behaviour involving the non-selection of former wicket keeper Thami Tsolekile in the period 2012-2014, the appointment of Proteas Men’s coach Mark Boucher over Enoch Nkwe in 2019, and the alleged refusal to work with Black leadership at CSA.

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Commenting on Advocates Ngwako Maenetje SC and Michael Bishop’s ruling, a “completely vindicated” Smith said: “I’m grateful that my name has finally been cleared. I’ve always given South African cricket my utmost, as a player, captain and administrator, over the last 20 years. So, to hear these baseless allegations of racism being made has been extremely difficult, both for me and my family.

ALSO READ: Arbitration finds that Graeme Smith was not racially bias against CSA’s black employees

“It has been exhausting and distracting, not least because South African cricket has also been going through a well-publicised rebuilding process which has required a lot of attention.

“I’m just pleased that we have now gone through a robust arbitration process before independent, objective arbitrators and I have been completely vindicated.”

Smith’s attorney David Becker was equally pleased that his client had been cleared off these “vexatious claims”.

“Unfortunately there were a multitude of opportunistic claims and insinuations made before the SJN which were not properly tested and were clearly false,” said Becker.

“The allegations made against Graeme Smith in particular were made by a small group of disgruntled individuals with an obvious agenda to tarnish his good name and have him removed as the Director of Cricket.

ALSO READ: Arbitrators slam Cricket South Africa for implying Graeme Smith was racist towards Thami Tsolekile

“These vexatious claims and insinuations were serious and defamatory. Graeme has every right to feel aggrieved by these personal attacks. However, it is a testimony to his character and leadership that he has held his head up high throughout this process, focused on the job at hand and continued to play a hugely significant role in assisting South African cricket.”

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Smith’s contract as CSA’s Director of Cricket expired at the end of last month. He has since opted to move on to other business ventures and is currently commentating in India.

CSA has been ordered to pay all Smith’s costs associated with the arbitration process.

Sadly in South Africa if you don't get your way, play the racists card.

[FalseBayFC]

Club season now well underway in England. Same trend continuing - large clubs putting out plenty of sides reasonably easily as village clubs continue to struggle. Increasingly sense we could be seeing village cricket fall off a cliff over the next 3 years or so and the club environment more resemble rugby.

Time to redirect the Lottery money toward promoting grassroots sport instead of Olympic gold medals.

In fairness the lottery money is there (I've got a fair amount of it for my club), it just takes forever to jump through all the hoops and it doesn't change the fact that you need to run a junior section to make your club sustainable, and that takes at least a decade and a hell of a lot of effort to be successful

We're having a fair amount of success with our poorer communities and amateur sport after they leave school. The trouble is the twenty somethings with a disposable income couldn't be asked to sacrifice a whole Saturday or Sunday playing a game. Its hard enough getting them to play tennis or squash for an hour or two.

[Paddington Bear]

Time to redirect the Lottery money toward promoting grassroots sport instead of Olympic gold medals.

In fairness the lottery money is there (I've got a fair amount of it for my club), it just takes forever to jump through all the hoops and it doesn't change the fact that you need to run a junior section to make your club sustainable, and that takes at least a decade and a hell of a lot of effort to be successful

We're having a fair amount of success with our poorer communities and amateur sport after they leave school. The trouble is the twenty somethings with a disposable income couldn't be asked to sacrifice a whole Saturday or Sunday playing a game. Its hard enough getting them to play tennis or squash for an hour or two.

Yes, and likewise when you have cash there are more options of how to spend your weekend. Sadly I think it's too late for a lot of the village clubs and the best hope is the ground keeps being used as a second pitch for a larger club.

[Biffer]

It probably speaks to my in built prejudices that the first thing I thought when I saw that Smith had been cleared of racism was 'that might be a low bar in South Africa'.

I'll assume that I'm about to be educated on how it's a much higher bar now due to the politicisation of sport in SA. Apologies in advance of my voluntary kicking.

[OomStruisbaai]

It probably speaks to my in built prejudices that the first thing I thought when I saw that Smith had been cleared of racism was 'that might be a low bar in South Africa'.

I'll assume that I'm about to be educated on how it's a much higher bar now due to the politicisation of sport in SA. Apologies in advance of my voluntary kicking.

When something went wrong its always either racist or apartheid to blame. Smith and Boucher finally lift our cricket from nowhere and this obvious wasn't good enough.

The one thing Rassie got right was to play the political game well.

[Biffer]

Sky Sports saying Stokes to be confirmed as England captain tomorrow

[SaintK]

Stokes finding some form today

....... this has been some innings from Ben Stokes at New Road ... and we’re pretty sure it’s the fastest century by a Durham batsman in first-class cricket, coming from just 64 balls. Stokes strolled out in the third over of the day and 90-odd minutes later sits 131 not out from 74 balls, having smoked 14 (FOURTEEN) sixes and missed out on the hallowed six sixes in an over when he didn’t quite connect with the final ball from 18-year-old Josh Baker and it went for a one-bounce four.

[Paddington Bear]

Give the lad some allowance for being 18 and probably overawed but that is truly shite bowling, 6 broadly identical throwdowns.

[JM2K6]

Give the lad some allowance for being 18 and probably overawed but that is truly shite bowling, 6 broadly identical throwdowns.

Lovely. I remember Durham being on TV over a decade ago, when Stokes hit 5 sixes in a row then calmly took a single to retain the strike.

[Rinkals]

Give the lad some allowance for being 18 and probably overawed but that is truly shite bowling, 6 broadly identical throwdowns.

I was once taken for 6 sixes in an over I bowled.

To be fair, the first one was a dropped catch which was parried over the boundary rope.

[Hugo]

Give the lad some allowance for being 18 and probably overawed but that is truly shite bowling, 6 broadly identical throwdowns.

Kevin Pietersen said the same on twitter and then made a pitch to scrap county cricket and franchise English cricket.

I can only assume some billionaire investor is paying him to push this idea.

[JM2K6]

KP's forgotten what stokes bowled in the t20 final I guess

[OomStruisbaai]

The Gogga Adams u turn over Boucher

Former Proteas spinner Paul Adams says he will not be testifying against former teammate and current South Africa coach Mark Boucher at his upcoming disciplinary hearing relating to the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed respected Senior Counsel, Advocate Terry Motau to chair the disciplinary hearing into the conduct of Boucher, who was fingered in the final SJN report. The hearing will be from May 16-19.

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Boucher was strongly criticised in the final SJN report for calling Adams, ‘brown sh*t,’ as part of team song when the pair were in the SA side in the late 1990s.

ALSO READ: Proteas coach Mark Boucher to face the music over Paul Adams ’brown sh*t’ song

However, Adams says he doesn’t want to be “the main focus of attention” during Boucher’s disciplinary hearing and that it wasn’t his “intention to single Mark Boucher out” as one of the players who sang the the song.


“There has recently been media attention about my presentation to the SJN last year. I am releasing this statement to set the record straight as l have not spoken about the matter to the media or public since,” Adams said in a statement published on his social media platforms

“The purpose of the SJN was for players/coaches and others involved with CSA to have a platform to honestly speak out about their experiences over the years.

“I went to SJN with no malice but with good intentions so that present & future players irrespective of race, wouldn’t have to go through what I and other players did in those times. Also, to make people aware that there needs to be education and acknowledgement around racism and for us to have a greater respect for each other within our society in South Africa.

“It is not my job or desire to find Mark Boucher guilty or not guilty, and to be cross-examined and turned into the main focus of attention. Therefore I will not be testifying at Mark Boucher’s upcoming disciplinary hearing.

“I spoke my truth of what happened to me as a young player, as per the process adopted by CSA on a serious issue in the game. The feelings articulated by myself and three dozen other senior players and coaches last year will hopefully help CSA find a new way in making cricket a winning and binding game for all.

“Again, my wish is that the same environment that existed when we played, must never repeat itself. If changes are made and situations such as these are learnt from, then my purpose of telling my story at the SJN has been achieved. Thank you to everyone who has listened and for all the support during these difficult conversations.”

[OomStruisbaai]

Boucher cleared. He should lay charges on CSA.

IOL

Cape Town - Proteas Men’s coach Mark Boucher is relieved that all allegations of racism against him have been dropped by Cricket South Africa, stating that they “have caused me considerable hurt and anguish”.

CSA released a statement on Tuesday morning where they formally withdrew all of the disciplinary charges against Boucher. It includes the charges arising from the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) report and the charges arising from the investigation following former Proteas assistant coach Enoch Nkwe’s resignation

"The allegations of racism which were levelled against me were unjustified and have caused me considerable hurt and anguish," Boucher said in his statement.

"The last few months have been extremely difficult to endure for me and my family. I am glad that the process has finally come to an end and that CSA has accepted that the charges against me are unsustainable. I consider that the matter is now finalised and closed and I do not intend making further statements on this matter.”

Boucher’s four-year contract runs until the conclusion of the 2023 ICC World Cup and he maintained that he is happy to lead a Proteas that are working together as a unit.

“I look forward to continuing to focus on my job and to taking the Proteas men's team to even greater heights," he said. "I am proud to now be part of a team culture that is inclusive and whose objective is to be respectful to every person."

Cricket SA’s Chair of the Board, Lawson Naidoo was also confident that the Proteas’ Men’s team “enjoys a culture of mutual respect and inclusivity” and that Boucher could now begin to focus solely on his job going forward.

“CSA has at all times been committed to dealing with the SJN issues in a manner that treats them with utmost seriousness but also ensures fairness, due process and finality. The decision to withdraw the charges brings about finality on these issues for CSA and Mark and allows the focus to return to the cricket field – where we trust that Mark and the Proteas will go from strength to strength,” Naidoo said.

“The SJN process was never only or even mainly about the conduct of individuals. More fundamentally, it was about providing a platform for persons involved in cricket to share their personal experiences of racial and gender discrimination and to allow for a careful consideration of the systemic measures necessary to redress these issues going forward for the future.

[SaintK]

Fingers crossed for Thorpe

The former Surrey and England cricketer Graham Thorpe, 52, is seriously ill in hospital, according to a statement issued by the Professional Cricketers’ Association at the request of his family.
“Graham Thorpe has recently fallen seriously ill and is currently in hospital receiving treatment,” the PCA said. “His prognosis is unclear at this stage and we ask for privacy for him and his family at this time. Our thoughts are with Graham and his family.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20 ... ospital

[SaintK]

Interesting. Has he got the experience to succeed?

Brendon McCullum, the pioneering former New Zealand captain, has emerged as the favourite to become England’s Test head coach with an announcement on the successful candidate due this week.
Rob Key, the director of England men’s cricket, is looking to recruit separate coaches for the Test and white-ball sides, with McCullum among those known to have been first sounded out and then interviewed during the past couple of days.
It was widely believed the 40-year-old McCullum’s application would relate to the limited-overs vacancy, given a nascent coaching career spent exclusively in franchise T20 cricket and a close friendship with Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20 ... ad-coach

[Big D]

Interesting. Has he got the experience to succeed?

Brendon McCullum, the pioneering former New Zealand captain, has emerged as the favourite to become England’s Test head coach with an announcement on the successful candidate due this week.
Rob Key, the director of England men’s cricket, is looking to recruit separate coaches for the Test and white-ball sides, with McCullum among those known to have been first sounded out and then interviewed during the past couple of days.
It was widely believed the 40-year-old McCullum’s application would relate to the limited-overs vacancy, given a nascent coaching career spent exclusively in franchise T20 cricket and a close friendship with Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20 ... ad-coach

Now all but confirmed.

[JM2K6]

It's an interesting shout. Will Morgan be teaching McCullum how to win a world cup?

[Gumboot]

With a couple of good Kiwi lads like Brenda and Ben in charge, English cricket could be at the dawn of a new golden era. I expect them to completely dominate in all forms of the game for the next 5 - 10 years.

[Enzedder]

With a couple of good Kiwi lads like Brenda and Ben in charge, English cricket could be at the dawn of a new golden era. I expect them to completely dominate in all forms of the game for the next 5 - 10 years.

[Thor Sedan]

This is disastrous news.

I now may well be forced to start rooting for England to do well.

I'm conflicted.

I'm not 100% sure how this appointment is going to change much - other than the team being driven a lot more by attitude and effort. It could be inspired though - it is fair to say that Macca was instrumental in changing the way NZ approached test cricket - but will the suits and ties allow him to implement his ideas (which I assume would reach out towards the county set up as well)?

[Kiwias]

It is a seriously gutsy call by England. I wonder if they are prepared for the energy and lack of reverence Bazza will bring to the game over there.

[Gumboot]

It is a seriously gutsy call by England. I wonder if they are prepared for the energy and lack of reverence Bazza will bring to the game over there.

Fortune favours the bold, and McCullum's certainly been that throughout his career. If he and Stokes can't sort this rabble of a test side out, nobody can.

[Kiwias]

It is a seriously gutsy call by England. I wonder if they are prepared for the energy and lack of reverence Bazza will bring to the game over there.

Fortune favours the bold, and McCullum's certainly been that throughout his career. If he and Stokes can't sort this rabble of a test side out, nobody can.

Definitely but I was thinking more about the pink gin brigade.

[inactionman]

I'm in general agreement with some of barney ronay's points here:

[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... s-of-power

Seems all a bit matey and who-you-know. Might also be an idea if at least one of the director or coach had even a modicum of experience in the given role between them.

Time will tell, of course.

Eta: apols if link broken, really tricky to paste links through phone. (tricky for us fat fingers, anyway)

[JM2K6]

I'm in general agreement with some of barney ronay's points here:

[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... s-of-power

Seems all a bit matey and who-you-know. Might also be an idea if at least one of the director or coach had even a modicum of experience in the given role between them.

Time will tell, of course.

Eta: apols if link broken, really tricky to paste links through phone. (tricky for us fat fingers, anyway)

Ronay can be a moany old git but he does make good points here. I do think it's an overreaction to what came before, much in the same way we deal with England rugby coaches. It does have to be said that the traditional methods have led to a lot of massively over promoted "company men" at both the ECB and in the England hierarchy. The success of Strauss probably has given this a sheen of respectability but in reality it's all a massive gamble with no clear strategy beyond vibes, man

[tabascoboy]

Dry spring weather seems to be making for a lot of featherbed pitches around the country, never seen so many 500+ innings totals and often with many fewer than 10 wickets down and a declaration only to be followed by the opposition doing much the same. Reminds me of what we used to see a lot in domestic Indian cricket so much. In summer maybe but in early and mid May it's unusual.

Case in point: Northants 597 - 6 dec, Warks 528 - 4 ( went on to 568 - 4 at the end of the match )

[Paddington Bear]

May be of interest to some - Village cricket may be down but it's not out
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/202 ... t-may-not/

Cricket entered my life one Sunday afternoon when I was four, and has been a permanent fixture ever since. It was on the playing field of the Essex village where I grew up and it was a perfect, still, warm English day; watching cricket is what such days were made for.

The aesthetic, the rhythm, and the spectacle of the game captivated me. I recall being struck by the men in brilliant-white clothes, the redness of the ball, the almost polished greenness of the field. There was a hypnotic sensation as men ran in first from one end, then from the other, against a backdrop of silent concentration and contemplation. I picked it all up quite quickly and became utterly absorbed. And then came moments of excitement as a ball was clattered for four, or six, or as stumps went flying. Few addictions have started so easily, and lasted so long.

The village later expanded, with enough new residents to keep its team going – I’ve since moved away but the club is still strong – and yet many other villages have been less fortunate.

The game originated centuries ago – just how many centuries one cannot be sure – and was played by farm workers on similar fields in rural England. For years, it was the nation’s summer sport of choice. By 2008, the estimated number playing cricket was 428,000; but by 2020 it had fallen by almost a third, to 294,000. Since then the pandemic has taken a further toll: many clubs are in trouble, and some may go under.

That fate has befallen numerous village clubs, and popular town clubs that would field several XIs on a Saturday or Sunday now field fewer. The opportunity to watch a few overs and retreat into an adjoining pub (another endangered species in the countryside) may soon be consigned to the past.

There are any number of causes of this decline. ‘The main reason is that young people can’t afford to live in places like this,’ says Peter Bourne, president of Newenden Cricket Club in Kent, on the border with Sussex. ‘Houses here are too expensive.’ The average house in Newenden is more than £400,000, according to Rightmove, beyond the reach of the agricultural workers who typically made up the core of the local population until as recently as the 1970s.

Picture-postcard villages attract retired people who have made enough money to live in such places, as well as commuters who, by the weekend, are too exhausted to play. As for children (Newenden has so few it has had no primary school since 1930), many of them have little or no contact with cricket, as it is barely shown on free-to-air television, nor is it played in most state schools. And then there are computer games, social media, the expense of kit…

The sound of leather on willow can still be heard in the Kent village of Newenden
The sound of leather on willow can still be heard in the Kent village of Newenden CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
Casey Walker, vice-captain of the club at Preston in Hertfordshire, was lucky. ‘I’ve just turned 35,’ he says, ‘and I’ve been playing for the club for 25 years. I was at school in Hitchin and there were two PE masters who played for Preston. That’s how I got involved.’

Preston is a remarkable club in a remarkable village. The place is little more than a hamlet but the club has 80 playing members, a number of social members, and runs four XIs. Its continued success, while other clubs around the country struggle, is partly a result of its strong connection with the community, via the village pub, the Red Lion, which is its bar and main sponsor.

‘Each Tuesday night we have an outdoor practice and then the captains of the teams meet in a room at the pub and pick the sides for the following weekend,’ says Mark Waters, the club chairman. The pub is owned by the community and several club members are or have been directors. It is the beating heart of the village.

Preston play every weekend. ‘There’s loads of competition around here,’ explains Walker, ‘but we are the highest-ranked side in North Hertfordshire and in our area’ – a tremendous achievement for such a small village. The feat is also rooted in ‘voluntarism’ – as Waters tells me, everyone pulls his weight, whether helping prepare the ground, supervising nets for juniors or just organising logistics.

‘It’s very much a family club with close ties to the village,’ adds Walker. ‘Whether it’s a first or seconds match at weekends there are always 30 or 40 people who come to support.’

Newenden’s line-up: ‘It’s less villagey than it used to be… but we win most games’
Newenden’s line-up: ‘It’s less villagey than it used to be… but we win most games’ CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
Max Anderson, the captain, is 30, an engineer and a Preston native. A left-arm spinner and ‘solid number 11 batsman’ he first played for the club aged 12: ‘I was hooked as a kid by watching cricket on television. It was a big deal to be able to do that.’ The junior section is strong but he worries about whether there will be enough interested young people for the club in the future. The pandemic has also had an adverse effect. ‘We’ve seen more young people going into individual sports, with running and cycling becoming more popular,’ Walker says.

To attract new players, some first team players have visited secondary schools to coach students, alongside PE teachers. They have also looked into starting a women’s team but so far there has been insufficient interest.

Another unfortunate effect of Covid, Anderson tells me, is that the league has forbidden communal teas, usually made by wives, mothers and girlfriends. ‘There used to be a competition for who could make the best tea,’ he says ruefully. ‘You now have to bring your own packed lunch.’

Even so, it is a close-knit club, partly because ‘we all roll our sleeves up’, says Anderson. The club’s sponsors, mostly local businesses, help with ground improvements but also with accommodating overseas players – common in major- league cricket for decades but hitherto rare in village clubs. They have even helped some of them find temporary jobs.

Unlike many other clubs, Preston doesn’t rely on a bank of retired players to run everything – another reason for its continued success. ‘We run ourselves,’ says Waters. ‘We are all active players, and although it takes up a lot of time, we take great pride in the club. We all know where the lawnmowers are kept, and we all cut the grass.’

To keep the team atmosphere through the winter they arrange activities, such as golf days and hikes, and a ‘Toga Night’ at the pub; a few years ago they even went to an ice-cricket tournament in Estonia. ‘People like to play for a club where they are made to feel welcome. We don’t stop just because the season stops. We are all godfathers to each other’s children and we all go on holiday together.

‘This is a really happy club.’

Newenden may play up to 30 fixtures a season, including league matches, friendlies and T20s
Newenden may play up to 30 fixtures a season, including league matches, friendlies and T20s CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
On a wet spring day in Newenden, a group of local cricketers sit in the offices of Peter Bourne’s landscaping company; among them are Bourne, his son Jonathan, who works in the business and is a batsman for the club, Garry Smith, a prolific medium-pacer, and Åke Nilson, a management consultant. Nilson, from Sweden, has taken to cricket, though as a supporter and not a player. His wife is the club secretary.

Newenden’s ground is alongside the road from Tenterden to Hastings; on the other side of it is the White Hart pub, a focal point for players and spectators, and on the far side the ground is bordered by the River Rother. ‘Because the ground is a little small,’ Jonathan tells me, ‘we have a local rule that to hit a six you must hit the ball in, or over, the river.’

As at Preston, Newenden has a strong family atmosphere. ‘Newenden had its core local families when I started playing,’ Bourne tells me, ‘and men would play, and then their sons, and their sons.’ Those who play tend to stay for a long time. Smith, who is 47, has played for the club for 35 years. ‘He is our leading wicket-taker,’ Jonathan tells me. Things in Newenden started to change around the turn of the century, as property prices rose. ‘We had to recruit from outside – but if you can’t get that family atmosphere going, if you have a lot of single guys who just want to come and play cricket, and don’t bring wives or girlfriends and get them involved, then you don’t have that sense of community.’

Nilson, a local historian, discloses that Newenden has a seminal part in cricket’s history – allegedly. ‘Our club logo says we were founded in 1301,’ he says. ‘If you look in Wisden you will see a reference to Edward II, who was Prince of Wales in 1301, playing “creag” at Newenden. It is claimed that that was the forerunner of cricket, and that this is the first written evidence of cricket. But of course it’s probably almost entirely rubbish, because it is another 200 years before you find any other reference to it.’ The club does, however, have scorebooks going back almost 150 years.

Peter Bourne played in the XI at Tonbridge School and first played for Newenden as a schoolboy. ‘When I was younger, the pub was effectively part of the cricket ground, and we were in and out of it all day during a game.’ Smith recalls sitting on the ground roller on a Sunday afternoon, and started to play in 1986, when he was 10.

Newenden’s Garry Smith has played for the club for 35 years
Newenden’s Garry Smith has played for the club for 35 years CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
They raised some of the money to build the pavilion by hosting the club’s first day/night match, played using the lights that illuminate motorway roadworks; the Lottery Fund contributed, in return for which the club agreed to offer women’s cricket: but as at Preston, the demand remains insufficient. The club has stayed in good order, but there were what Smith calls ‘dry periods’ a decade or so ago.

‘The transition between your generation and my generation,’ Jonathan says to his father, ‘was not always smooth. Drumming up an XI could be tricky. The old core families left, or their sons went to university.’ Bourne senior says that ‘it’s all about people, and we have a tremendously enthusiastic captain at the moment, and that makes all the difference.’ The club is a social network, with people bringing along members of their families, and friends from school, reviving the dynamic.

Jonathan says the club has a pool of ‘40 or 50 members’, but it only puts out one XI, though some weekends they play both Saturdays and Sundays. ‘Until a few years ago all our Saturday matches were friendlies,’ he tells me, ‘timed games, not limited overs. We had a regular fixture list, all the teams knew each other, all the grounds were beautiful and we loved playing on them, and the teas were fantastic.’

But then the club moved up a notch. ‘A few years ago we started playing in the local league – some younger players were pretty good cricketers, and the feeling was that they wouldn’t want to play a genteel timed game on a Sunday.’ Smith chips in: ‘It has become more competitive, but we are still having a laugh out there.’ Jonathan adds: ‘You still get the players who turn up, bat an 11 and field at fine leg, and they play occasionally. That for me is the essence of village cricket. Those guys who give up their Sundays, turn up, run around all day… They are the real heroes.’

A local couple stop to watch the cricket at Newenden
A local couple stop to watch the cricket at Newenden CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
The club still plays friendly matches on Sundays, ‘so we have something for everybody – and we play T20 – so there’s a nice mix of league, friendly and T20,’ says Jonathan, who is fixtures secretary. In a season, that adds up to about 30 fixtures. ‘Sometimes it is a struggle to get teams if we are playing both days at weekends,’ he adds, ‘but some of our players only play once a season. The younger players need a more competitive edge, however, and many come down from London to play.’ So successful has the club been in the Kent League that it is now in Division 2, which has inevitably changed the atmosphere. ‘It’s less villagey than it used to be,’ Bourne says. ‘There’s a bit more niggle, but we tend to win most games.’

Cricket is of course popular in the north of England too: but there, thanks to the venerable Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues, the formal roots of club cricket tend to be deeper and less susceptible to the economic shocks that have finished so many clubs elsewhere in England.

A couple of decades ago Newenden was predominantly 40- to 50-year-olds with their teenage sons. Now an element of that remains, but the league predominates. The club currently has no junior section: most younger cricketers are the children of players or former players. ‘We get very little help from the village in that sense,’ says Bourne. If it weren’t for the ability to recruit through players’ own social networks from outside the area – to appeal to people who don’t live in a fine village to come and play for its beautifully situated club – there would be a problem putting out a side.’

Afternoon tea is a big draw, though a hangover from Covid is that it is still banned by some leagues
Afternoon tea is a big draw, though a hangover from Covid is that it is still banned by some leagues CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
‘The club is secure,’ Nilson says. ‘It has backers willing to keep it going.’ The club conducts an auction every year, with items donated by sponsors, has a fundraising dinner and a golf day, and its ground is owned by a charitable trust. ‘We have good local sponsors, including local businesses – the Rother Valley Brewery, and the Chapel Down vineyard,’ Jonathan tells me. ‘We have local anonymous donors, such as one who just bought us a new roller, the same as the one they use at Lord’s. We can raise enough money that if we need something done, we can do it ourselves. Our captain is brilliant at raising money.’

‘But I’d hate to leave you with the message that village cricket is booming and in a healthy state, because I don’t think generally it is,’ says Bourne, ‘from what I can see of other clubs who have folded.’ His son adds, ‘It’s all about people. We all have full-time jobs. If one or two people have the energy and will to keep it going, that may be all it takes. Our captain puts a hell of a lot of work in.’ A positive note, though, was that the local league, unlike in Hertfordshire, has agreed it is up to each individual club to decide whether it offers a proper, old-fashioned tea or not. ‘We are one of only three clubs, I think, who are going to provide tea this season,’ says Jonathan. ‘It all gets a bit mad, we have a tea rota, and we have competitive teas, and there is a tea trophy for the best tea each season. The opposition remember you as much for your teas as for your cricket,’ he says, with pride.

‘Those guys who give up their Sundays, turn up, run around all day… They are the real heroes’
‘Those guys who give up their Sundays, turn up, run around all day… They are the real heroes’ CREDIT: Joshua Atkins
The numbers of cricketers and clubs might have shrunk, and the emphasis on winning may have grown; but there are still elements in the village game that echo the past. Those with the stewardship of clubs such as Preston and Newenden cherish the traditions that they continue, and the role of the village cricket club in maintaining a vital part of English culture. George Orwell, reviewing Edmund Blunden’s Cricket Country in 1944, wrote that ‘the test of a true cricketer is that he shall prefer village cricket to good cricket… the informal village game, where everyone plays in braces, where the blacksmith is liable to be called away in mid-innings on an urgent job, and sometimes, about the time the light begins to fail, a ball driven for four kills a rabbit on the boundary.’

The teams may be full of City boys now, but the game remains a joy because it is closer to those roots than the uninitiated would ever realise.

Very rare that someone acknowledges the link between house prices and declining activities in villages in the south, but it's pretty blindingly obvious. Unconvinced of the link between no tea and declining numbers but interesting nonetheless.