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6 days ago
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”Now then Tanya!” Hello there Tim Maitland.
“Welcome back!
”Firstly, while you buggers might be basking in freakish sunshine for the start of the county championship season (how often does that happen?), here in the subtropics we’ve been “freezing”. We were down to 10C last weekend, which is unheard of in March.
”To put that in perspective, the many unheated, government-run, open-air swimming pools opened on Tuesday. Rather than lose three hours out of my day schlepping to the nearest heated pool, I went to my local baths on Wednesday. Afterwards the lifeguards, who scuttled into position on my arrival, told me I was their first customer of the year.
”If anyone is struggling to understand the subtext of this admittedly pointless story, it’s this: I hope you get snow over Easter.
”On a more important note, a suggestion for the ECB before it gets its snouts in the trough of the Hundred franchise sales and awards itself huge bonuses: stick enough of the money in trust and use the interest/proceeds to fund the counties, but only on expenditure that grows attendance or consumption of the championship itself.
”I also still believe the championship would benefit from a marketing spend and branding as “Proper Cricket” aimed at luring future curmudgeons into the so-called joys of the longer game. All done in suitable shades of off-white.”
Ah thank you Brian Withington. Here is the link to common BTL terms.
And with ten minutes to go at Chelmsford, the ground has been cleared apart from a couple of men with a brush. And the big news is that the toilets have been redone.
Bat or bowl? Essex and Yorkshire buck the trend
Chelmsford: Essex won the toss and will bat
Southampton: Yorkshire won the toss and will bat
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire won the toss and will field
Taunton: Somerset won the toss and will field
Edgbaston: Warwickshire won the toss and will field
The County Ground: Derbyshire won the toss and will field
Sophia Gardens: Leicestershire won the toss and will field
Lord’s: Lancashire won the toss and will field
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire won the toss and will field
Olly Stone to miss the start of the summer
Poor Olly Stone, before a ball has even been bowled. Stone (Nottinghamshire) has been ruled out of all cricket for 14 weeks following scans and subsequent surgery this week, which confirmed a right knee injury. He started feeling discomfort during Nottinghamshire’s pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi.
He is aiming to be back to full fitness by August.
There were queues at Chelmsford -or should I say the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground - this morning. And some name changes (at least to me) – what was the River End is now the Sir Alastair Cook end, and the Hayes Close End is now the Graham Gooch end.
Season preview
Trophy cabinet or wooden spoon?
Division Two fixtures
The County Ground: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Leicestershire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Lancashire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Kent
Division One fixtures
Chelmsford: Essex v Surrey
Southampton: Hampshire v Yorkshire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Durham
Taunton: Somerset v Worcestershire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Sussex
Preamble
Good morning! Magnolia – tick. Sunshine – tick. Daffodils – tick. Cricket – tick. Yes, it’s back, the County Championship, 18 counties battling it out for one title, April to September.
If you’re a regular to this blog– welcome back! Hope the trials and tribulations of winter haven’t been too onerous.
If you’re new here, come on in, the water’s lovely. Readers regularly chat about the cricket, and life, underneath the blog (BTL – below the line) – so please do join in. Somewhere is a glossary of terms used by older hands which I’ll link to when I find it.
Here at rickety, faithful, Chelmsford, the players are out in the middle, footballs are being kicked, run-ups measured, calves stretched. I’m off to find a filter coffee, but settle in and open the curtains – it’s beginning.
