McGrath and Moxon frustrated on cricket's 'Christmas Eve'
Anthony McGrath knows all about miserable starts to a county season in Leeds having spent his entire playing career here, but Essex’s new head coach was unable to recall anything quite like the past few weeks.
The opening day of the Championship game between Yorkshire and the defending champions was abandoned shortly after lunch with an on-time start for day two already in doubt. The wet weather also cost the county their three-day friendly against Leeds/Bradford MCC University last week, so this was not a major surprise.
“I can remember playing in snow during a pre-season game in the mid‑2000s, against Durham I think it was,” said McGrath. “We were in the old dressing rooms over on the rugby side of the ground and I tried to sneak off the field. But Martyn Moxon shouted at me: ‘Get back on.’
“I can’t remember a continued spell of rain like this, though. It’s been throughout most of the country as well. Just talking to a few of the Yorkshire lads, they say the wet weather keeps topping up what they’ve had all winter and it’s got nowhere to go.
“We’ve been quite lucky at Chelmsford. We managed somehow to get outside netting for four days from 1 March, before we went to Barbados. That was a remarkable effort from our ground staff. We’ve also been outside for the last week but only with bowlers off shortened run-ups.”
Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, was equally frustrated following overnight and early morning rain. “To mark the start of the season like this is particularly disappointing. It’s been grim for a while.
“We’ve managed to have a couple of practice sessions this week but only with floodlights on, woolly hats, gloves, the lot. It has just been so miserable it’s not funny any more. Realistically, it’s going to take a long time for it to be fit. I doubt we’d lose the whole game but it’s not going to start on time for day two either.”
It was quite apt given the weather that McGrath would reference mid-winter when asked how hard it is to keep players focused during such weather interruptions.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “If it’s mid-season, it’s a bit easier. But now everyone is so excited. The night before the county season is almost like Christmas Eve. Everyone is raring to go.”
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I thought that maybe it was balmy at Southampton, now I know differently. Quick roundup: at 520 on the first day of the season, we have four games abandoned without play, and Middlesex v Northants looking unlikely to resume despite the floodlights at Lord’s. At Southampton, Hampshire are all out for 290, with 75 for Gareth Berg matching Vince’s 75 earlier in the day; and four wickets for Joe Leach. Worcestershire should get a few overs in the gloaming. Thanks for your company!
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Cricket: why we love it...
@tjaldred Hi, picture here in case you’d like to use it from Hants v Worcs at Southampton pic.twitter.com/HAlsqTvb6e
— Ollie Lane (@ollielane10) April 13, 2018
In the one remaining match, Hampshire are 214 for 6; Will’s favourite Leach has 3-37. Early-season Vince still the only man all day to pass fifty.
Ok, so now play has been abandoned at Edgbaston for the day too. So that’s six matches, four abandoned without a ball, one suspended for bad light, and one in bonny Southampton rocking and rolling along: 193 for 5, with 36 not out and a brace of chillblains for Amla.
At Lord’s, bad light has stopped play with Middlesex 132 for 4
Weather permitting, there will be 104 overs tomorrow at Old Trafford, with play starting at 11. Interestingly, or not, but I think it is, the last time there was no play on the first day of the season at Old Trafford was in 1999, also on April 13...
2 weeks ago Hashim Amla was playing in glorious sunshine in Jo'burg basking in the glory of winning the troubled Test series against Australia. Today he's at the Rose Bowl where it's a balmy 12deg. I wonder how many jumpers he'll wear to bat in.
— Neil Henderson (@NeilHen31084888) April 13, 2018
Off again
Bad news from Old Trafford - play called off for the day here too.
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At Headingley, the early morning rain disappeared a few hours ago and pretty much all of the covers had been removed in hope rather than expectation. But umpires Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth inspected and abandoned the day shortly after lunch, owing to a wet outfield.
Prior to the umpires’ decision, Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon even admitted: “I doubt we’d lose the whole game, but it’s not going to start on time for day two either. At best, we could be waiting around for a few hours at least because it’s not drying.”
At Southampton, Amla, not out 21 and Northeast, out for 17, have taken Hampshire to 160 for 4. A recovery of sorts at Lord’s where an unfamiliar looking Middlesex are 102 for 4. Elsewhere rain has stopped play either permanently or temporarily.
And a little plug for the Lancashire Cricket Matchday Archive, produced by their heritage team. They have produced a more informative scorecard after requests from members at the AGM.
The team are looking for details on the five men on the Lancashire war memorial, whom they are hoping to honour this centenary year. If anyone has any details on
Alfred Hartley, Williams Knowles Tyldesley, John Nelson, Harold Gwyer Garnett or Egerton Lownes Wright, please contact maxcricket@btinternet.com
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Play abandoned for the day at Headingley but it is getting marginally lighter over the Pennines.
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2.30 inspection at Old Trafford. Good news for Paul Speller’s dad. “In these uncertain times, the fact that, in spite of the weather, my dad did not hesitate to head for OT this morning is extremely reassuring.”
Will he be sitting under The Point Paul? I hope so. There’s a small and largely silent, but welcoming, community for him. A bit of movement actually, someone has unzipped their jacket and there is a little gathering on the stairs.
An update from Edgbaston: a further inspection at 3.
At Old Trafford, a handful (is there a collective noun for cricketers?) of Lancashire players run round the outfield in shorts and woolly hats. Glenn Chapple and groundsman Matthew Merchant examine the covers; funny how cricket people eschew the huge football manager shin length puffa jacket. A bit nesh, perhaps. Ah, now the super sopper is back and the covers are being lifted.
In the guardian inbox, people mull over the main photograph above the blog:
“Inzamam Ul-Haq’s entire pre-season training routine as demonstrated by Worcester’s keeper and slip cordon – one proper star followed by 4 efforts of declining athleticism / enthusiasm?” wonders Ian Sargeant.
To Chris Moore, it is, “a particularly poor attempt at YMCA (apart from one very enthusiastic participant).”
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Lunch roundup:
Old Trafford: inspection at 1.30. An sickly-grey outlook but no rain.
Headingley: Start delayed. Rain.
Southampton: Hampshire 131 for 3, 75 to Vince, who wasn’t caught at slip, and 33 to Adams. Leach 1-23; Magoffin 2-38.
Lord’s:Middlesex 64-4; Cartwright 30, Sanderson 2-14, Hutton 2-17.
Canterbury: Play abandoned for the day.
Edgbaston: Start delayed, inspection at 1.15.
Thank you for your tweets and messages: James Barham you are not alone at despairing over the scheduling - though this is actually a later start to the season than we’ve had some years.
Oh, and that’s Vince gone, for 75, bowled Magoffin. Lovely while it lasted. Neither enough, nor too few.
Middlesex are 64 for 4 - two each for Hutton and Sanderson.
Now I don’t want to jinx things but Vince is properly whizzing along at Southampton, 64 off 62 balls, 12 fours, and a sparkly turn to finish. Could we even dream of, I don’t know, a hundred before lunch?
Currently re-buying all the stocks in James Vince. 50 up in 49 balls, 10 fours.
— Alex Smith (@Alex_PJ_Smith) April 13, 2018
Fifty for Vince! Oh sweet beauty.
“When the glorious day dawns and, glory be, it’s only light drizzle, wrap up like Captain Oates and set off to the ground stocked with thermoses” a lovely read by Gary Naylor to pass a few happy minutes. Lunchtime here at Old Trafford but there is still drizzle in the air. Meanwhile Vince has a pretty 30...
At Lord’s, Hilton Cartwright successfully defends Ben Sanderson’s hat-trick ball. At Old Trafford, two men in tracksuits slush across the outfield, the scoreboard shows Lancashire’s official partners and a few hardy souls really are sitting out under The Point. I can count 20, each is wearing a dark anorak and 13 are sitting alone with at least a couple of empty rows separating them. I love the sheer eccentricity of it, the not-giving-a-damn-ness, the tenacity and the stubborn-ness.
I’ve found another cracking record, though not quite as good as Chanderpaul’s, this time for James Vince who is currently 10 not out at Southampton. First century of the season to Vince would be somehow fitting in a kind of what-the-heck-do-we-do-now way.
There will be no play before lunch at Emerald Headingley, where umpires Richard Illingworth and Ian Gould are expected to draw a line through the whole day when they inspect again at around 1.40pm.
I have just been down on the outfield and water is coming up with every step taken. The likelihood is that the start of play tomorrow will be delayed as well, with the suggestion being that it will come around tea time if we get some sunshine and wind over the next 24 hours or so.
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A wicket! Hampshire’s Lewis McManus has the honour of being the first man to be out this County Championship season, a wicket for Joe Leach, taker of 69 Division Two wickets last year and snappily captioned by cricinfo as “thickset and bustling.” Hope he doesn’t mind too much.
And, lo, the season started - with overs for Ben Sanderson for Northants and Joe Leach for Worcestershire. Anyone there? Is there actually real sun? Did you bring sandwiches?
I saw a tweet yesterday asking for crowdfunding to form the Iceland cricket team, and they promised in return medieval poetry, but I’m not sure anything can beat this from mesnilman. Can i paste things from btl? Let’s try
APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Jinxes out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Warm tea with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Tests in forgetful losses, feeding
A little life with dry one-dayers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Severn Estuary
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the pavilion,
And followed-on in sunlight, into Sophia Gardens,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
By ‘eck an all lad, thas not from Barnsley, proper Mordor.
And when we were children, staying in Aigburth,
Our spinner, he took a Michelle on a greentop,
And I was excited. He said, Mes,
Mes, hold on tight. And down we went.
Into Division two, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go to sleep in the winter.
An Archie crept softly through the vegetation
Dragging its lego stinger on its back
While I was reading below-the-line
On a winter evening on my laptop in work.
Musing upon the king Sanga’s retirement
And on the effect on all fantasy players.
White jumpers drying on the low damp ground
And New Road cast under floods again,
Rattled by the Severn’s anger, year to year.
But at my back from time to time I hear
The sound of horns and motors, which shall bring
Sweeney to Mrs. Porter in the spring.
O the moon shone bright on Mrs. Porter
And on her daughter
They wash their feet in soda water
Et, O ces voix d’enfants, chantant dans la coupole!
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A dismal dampness round-up:
Old Trafford: inspection at 12.40
Headingley: Rain, not much chance of play
Southampton: Play to start on time! Hampshire to bat first
Lord’s: Play to start on time! Northants have elected to bowl.
Canterbury: Play already called off for the day
Edgbaston: No play before lunch.
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Also, I should have said, the nice folk below the line have arranged a County Cricket Fantasy League for the season. You still have time to join: this is the link and the code is AADNYWGH
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News from Old Trafford: no play till at least 12.40, with lunch taken at 12. The super soppers dutifully meander over the soggy outfield while puddles sit here and there on the covers.
Still, everyone in good spirits in the pressbox – with a fabulous first-day statistic from Ken Grimes: Lancashire now have a world-record breaker in their ranks. Shiv Chanderpaul is the new holder of the man to play at the most first-class grounds, 116, after a winter game at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba. He knocks dear old Tom Graveney off his perch.
More rain news to follow after a coffee.
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Good morning from a soggy Emerald Headingley, where prospects of play don’t look too promising for this Division One opener between Yorkshire and champions Essex. One thing is for sure, we will not be starting on time.
The rain is very fine at present, but the weather over the past couple of weeks means the chances of play at all today are slim. Only last weekend, Yorkshire’s University friendly, due to start on Friday, was called off two or three days beforehand.
When we do start, Essex will hand a debut to their overseas Australian seamer Peter Siddle, signed for the first five Championship matches before Neil Wagner returns. Yorkshire are in the midst of an incredible injury and unavailability crisis. They are without seamers Liam Plunkett and David Willey (both IPL), Matthew Fisher and James Wainman, who have side problems, and Steve Patterson due to a broken finger. Ben Coad is also a significant doubt as he recovers from a hip flexor problem, meaning Josh Shaw and Matthew Waite are in a 12-man squad. Coad was initially ruled out of this match, but now he may be risked.
Essex hammered Yorkshire twice last season, including inside three days at Chelmsford to end the campaign. Former White Rose captain Anthony McGrath takes charge of Essex for the first time as head coach.
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Welcome back!
This April morning, like so many before, a couple of hundred young men woke with their hearts thumping, their bathroom reflections questioning every dry-mouthed gulp of anticipation and fear. As they unpack their bags of box-fresh whites in six dressing-rooms around the country, we wish them luck and fortune over the following months. For counties big and small, there will also be doubts: will the new signings, only ever chosen with as much whim as certainty, work; will the weather be kind; will England whip away their stars; will the eyes and knees of the trusty stalwart hold out for just one more year?
Out on the pitch, we have six cracking contests – Hampshire, boosted by Sam Northeast and Hashim Amla, play promoted Worcestershire at the Ageas Bowl; Lancashire take on Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford; and at the plum tie at Headingley champions Essex spearheaded by Jamie Porter, freshly crowned Wisden Cricketer of the Year, take on the Yorkies, still smarting from the last-minute losses of Liam Plunkett and David Willey to the IPL and without their Voice of Cricket, legendary broadcaster Dave Callaghan who died last month aged 63.
In Division Two, Kent, under the temporary leadership of Joe Denly with Sam Billings at the Chennai Super Kings, take on Gloucestershire at Canterbury. A slightly creaking Warwickshire are at home to Sussex who have a new coach in Jason Gillespie, who in 2014 and 2015 coaxed Yorkshire to the title. Middlesex, who went from 2016 Champions to relegation in a year, play Northamptonshire’s motley crew at Lord’s.
Two young’uns to watch: Yorkshire’s Harry Brook who captained England’s U-19 World Cup side, and had a good tournament despite being dropped for a misdemeanour off the field; and near-namesake, the strapping Henry Brookes of Warwickshire, who was injured out of the World Cup and is desperate to make up for lost time.
Here at Old Trafford it is cold, grey and damp, but there is much to see. The Lancashire top four: Haseeb Hameed, on whom so many hopes are pinned, Keaton Jennings, fresh from Durham, Alex Davies and new captain Liam Livingstone all have points to prove. There’s no Jimmy Anderson, tasty as he’d be on an April pitch. Maybe that explains the signing of Graham Onions from Durham – and Lancashire also have a fancied young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson up their sleeve, although this may not be his kind of day. Nottinghamshire, fresh from Division Two promotion, start their campaign with three difficult away games. New captain Steven Mullaney, Billy Root, Joe’s brother, Tom Moores, Peter’s son, and Jake Ball, back from a disappointing winter tour, all have shadows to eclipse.
There has been change here too. Last year’s county blog superstar Will Macpherson has hopped across to a super new job at the Standard while Vithushan Ehantharajah has been snaffled by Cricbuzz for the summer. We wish them both much luck (they won’t need it), so bear temporarily with your late call-ups – think a dressing-gowned Ted Dexter vainly perusing his astrology charts. Below the line remains unchanged and is waiting with open arms for your whimsy and wisdom.
Eoin Morgan this week questioned the future of the County Championship. “I’m not sure the Championship matters to everyone anymore,” he said. “I would say I am the last generation of people who care about it.” But, squeezed though it is into the arse-ends of the season, it is hanging on – there are England places to be won and resurrected, and a summer of glories, small and large, to be savoured.
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