Cricket Summer 2013 - sponsored by the distant memory of Cerbera. And FES

First day of the season today.

A ton-derful day for Worcestershire.

Yorkshire toppled for fook all.

Chanderpaul in action, a great. Smith to come for Surrey.

Me, I'll be waiting for a warmer day in July/August and go and watch Ajmal tweak some leather for Hampshire.

Somerset bowl out Durham for 250, but it's set to rain now for a few days so don't know how much play there will be.

I would go to watch Somerset but Jameson does and I wouldn't be able to stop myself asking him a few questions.

Chuck a pint over him...

ATD aggro, woah woah

Zummers don't quite have the eye-catching Gayle signing this year (even if it never really materialised), but the Overtons have apparently put on another yard of pace over winter, and Peterson looks a good shout if he plays enough matches.

What a boring load of wank cricket is, I just don't get it.

Iggy wrote:

What a boring load of wank cricket is, I just don't get it.

You have no soul.

Balmy summer evenings, the sound of leather on willow, polite applause when something quite good happens, a pint of chilled Bulmers.....

anyway enough about my sex life, crickets' fekin good.

The only sports not worth watching are in no particular order, bowls, dressage, gymnastics, wrestling of any variety, diving, synchronised swimming and of course any sport that men usually play but wimmin are playing such as football, cricket and golf.

I used to have to play it at school, batting was fine for ten minutes then six or seven hours of boredom. My mates are like you, they love to get pissed on cider watching the cricket, I would rather watch a fishing rod. As for the sex, I would rather have sex with an old smelly tramp than have to travel to London to watch a days cricket.

i'm more of an international cricket follower given there is no "local" team to support two ashes to come

I played until I was just over 50 yrs of age and then retired to the bar/balcony to watch my sons playing.
What other sport can you enjoy when you leave the house well before lunch and rarely get home before midnight ? Three hours in the field. Three hours in deck chairs, schmokin and chatting to yer mates and at least three hours in the bar. That's Saturday done. Now let's do it again on Sunday ! ......... and if the women can behave they can bring pic a nic baskets, booze and the kids, cos Sundays aren't so serious lol !
I remember the joy of digging the cricket bag out of the loft pre season . The waft of grass n jock strap was tantalising.......... but for me as a wicketkeeper, that first outside edge of the summer, safely gloved, was what life was all about.
I may have mentioned it before but this remains one of my favourite places in the world. We may be a small, provincial town of 13k population but we mix it with the big boys of club cricket.

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Played against and had a beer or two this lovely man in 1986, when he was in the Whitbread Old England X1 at Tring Park , as part of the club's 150th year celebrations.
When he was batting and I was 'standing up' as wicketkeeper to a medium pace bowler, he played at one just outside the off stump and as it passed the outside edge and I took the ball , there was the slightest whisper. I paused briefly [it was only a friendly] before flipping the ball to slip. Arthur quietl asked, 'Did you hear something then?'
'I think I did,' I replied.
'So did I'.
Had I appealed, I know he would have 'walked'.

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Later that summer, we played in front of about four thousand spectators, in a match as part of Joel Garner's Testimonial year for Somerset. It was just after Somerset had released Garner and Richards, and Botham had resigned in protest. All three of them played in the match, along with other internationals like Gladstone Small and Derek Pringle. An experience I shall never forget.
At tea time , Beefy appeared in our dressing room, approached me personally and asked if he could borrow my keeping gear as he fancied a go in our innings. I still have the pads in the loft. He was the last man to wear them.

Love cricket.

So we had England openers Marcus Trescothick and Nick Compton opening the batting for Somerset, facing England Lions and ODI regulars Stuart Meaker and Jade Dernbach for Surrey having seen Ashes hero Chris Tremlett rested; the bowling side captained by South Africa captain Graeme Smith. In the slip cordon we had England ODI capped Steve Davis as ‘keeper next to former England Test batsman Vikram Solanki and promising opening bat Rory Burns. After Dernbach bowled Compton with a fine yorker in a decent opening spell, in came South African Test batsman Alviro Petersen to consolidate for Somerset. When England capped off spinner Gareth Batty had Trescothick trapped in front, in came England Lions captain James Hildreth. Next in is ODI keeper Craig Kieswetter, followed by ODI capped Jos Buttler and the explosive Peter Trego. Future England all-rounder Jamie Overton is in the side unlike his brother Craig who also has a great long term shot at international recognition.

Just sometimes, the County Championship has some real quality lurking within, and although the headline writers seem to prefer it when it snows, even the Sun is shining on the Oval today.

Not a great start from Somerset. They were beaten in a low scoring game at Durham last week on a bowler friendly wicket, and today are 318-6 on a great batting wicket which is almost entirely down to debutant Alvaro Petersen who is 167 n.o.

I think they will need at least a hundred more to be in with a shout as I can see Graeme Smith scoring heavily for Surrey.

Worrying form from Compton as far as England are concerned too.

Greenjock wrote:

Not a great start from Somerset. They were beaten in a low scoring game at Durham last week on a bowler friendly wicket, and today are 318-6 on a great batting wicket which is almost entirely down to debutant Alvaro Petersen who is 167 n.o.

I think they will need at least a hundred more to be in with a shout as I can see Graeme Smith scoring heavily for Surrey.

Worrying form from Compton as far as England are concerned too.

338-8 now!

Peterson out for 167 and no-one else really making a decent score.

Chris Gayle just smashed 175no from 66 balls in the IPL.

Broad strikes!

NZ 1-1 chasing 239.

Actually a very decent Test match.

You don't "play" cricket you participate, it's not a sport it's a pastime.

Incoming, DUCK!

Broad having the time of his life - NZ 2nd Innings 67 - 9 Broad 7 - 44

They think its all over - it is now.....68 all out!!!!

Comedy last ball ending.

One for greenjock i feel but open to all

What are the odds for England to win back to back Ashes this year?

at a guess, only about 13/8 or maybe 15/8 i reckon. cant see the odds being very big

I don't mind cricket, it's not my favourite sport that would be Kabaddi. Anyway went off to watch my local team play on Saturday (Hale End AFC Vets in case you're wondering). I drove past a game of cricket in Buckhurst Hill. There were temporary traffic lights in the road so I watched the batsman go about his business for about a minute before the lights went green.
It took me about half hour to then drive to the pitch in Collier Row, watched the game then drinks and nibbles in City Pavillion bar for about an hour. Then half hour back to Buckhurst Hill where I got stopped at the same temporary traffic lights where exactly the same batsman was still going about his business as 4ish hours earlier.
Fair play to him I thought. I don't get it, but fair play to anyone that can concentrate for that long.

Chingers wrote:

I don't mind cricket, it's not my favourite sport that would be Kabaddi. Anyway went off to watch my local team play on Saturday (Hale End AFC Vets in case you're wondering). I drove past a game of cricket in Buckhurst Hill. There were temporary traffic lights in the road so I watched the batsman go about his business for about a minute before the lights went green.
It took me about half hour to then drive to the pitch in Collier Row, watched the game then drinks and nibbles in City Pavillion bar for about an hour. Then half hour back to Buckhurst Hill where I got stopped at the same temporary traffic lights where exactly the same batsman was still going about his business as 4ish hours earlier.
Fair play to him I thought. I don't get it, but fair play to anyone that can concentrate for that long.

Maybe he has a twin? Many club cricket Premier Leagues start play at 11am, have a break for lunch after 2hrs and then the batting side complete their innings after lunch by about 3pm. So it is possible for one or both of the openers to still be occupying the crease 4hrs after the start of play.

I'd reckon England are nailed on to win this summer, and I'd rate it about evens down under...

Tringreen wrote:

Chingers wrote:

I don't mind cricket, it's not my favourite sport that would be Kabaddi. Anyway went off to watch my local team play on Saturday (Hale End AFC Vets in case you're wondering). I drove past a game of cricket in Buckhurst Hill. There were temporary traffic lights in the road so I watched the batsman go about his business for about a minute before the lights went green.
It took me about half hour to then drive to the pitch in Collier Row, watched the game then drinks and nibbles in City Pavillion bar for about an hour. Then half hour back to Buckhurst Hill where I got stopped at the same temporary traffic lights where exactly the same batsman was still going about his business as 4ish hours earlier.
Fair play to him I thought. I don't get it, but fair play to anyone that can concentrate for that long.

Maybe he has a twin? Many club cricket Premier Leagues start play at 11am, have a break for lunch after 2hrs and then the batting side complete their innings after lunch by about 3pm. So it is possible for one or both of the openers to still be occupying the crease 4hrs after the start of play.

A chap called Neil Curnow got 229 for St Just against Redruth in the Cornwall premier last week,not sure how long it took him,i think the CCPL is overs limited rather than time.He was out for 1 playing for Cornwall against Devon the day after,ups and downs of cricket i guess.Poor old Thai Green was a Redruth supporter,awfully sad that he's not still with us,i expect he'd have been able to give us the run down on Mr Curnow's innings.