King Cricket

September 29, 2008 County cricket / West Indies

Durham’s championship winning batting

< 1 minute readDurham’s bowling attack is getting all the attention, but don’t forget that they’ve prepared pitches to suit it and their batsmen have had to bat on those very same tracks. Not many of Durham’s batsmen have prospered. Most of their 2008 averages aspire to mediocrity. Of Durham players who’ve played

September 28, 2008 County cricket

Durham win their first County Championship

< 1 minute readCounty champions are sometimes garlanded with caveats in the wake of victory, but Durham deserved their win. Regardless of weather and the occasionally misleading influence of bonus points, Durham were the best side. Quite simply, they won more games than anyone else and that’s what the game’s about, isn’t it?

September 26, 2008 Regulars

Laurence shows his mental strength

2 minute readI am due to bat at number 10. How can I impose my will on the game from there? What is the point? When the time comes for Laurence Elderbrook to take his stage, I am fast asleep. Roused by a team mate, I lash out with an arm to

September 25, 2008 Australia

Peter Siddle’s UNBELIEVABLE skill

< 1 minute readEveryone’s got a skill. Everyone’s got one thing that they’re inexplicably good at. For many people it’s something useful, like having the ability to retain facts. Other people have more specific abilities, like being good at table tennis without every really having played before. Our skill is drinking litres and

September 24, 2008 Australia

Can there be any justification for adopting Jason Krejza – let’s put it to the vote

< 1 minute readOn the one hand, he’s a spin bowler with a really mediocre record and people are lining up to, er… not know who he is – which is quite endearing. On the other hand, he’s Australian, which isn’t endearing. It’s a quandary and no mistake. Former Aussie spinner, Ashley Mallett,

September 24, 2008 Match report

Car Colston v Thurgaton match report

< 1 minute readJo Fitz writes: Here’s the match report as seen from the perspective of an umpire. Car Colston is a village just east of Nottingham that centres on its cricket pitch. Pavilion on one side, pub on the other. The pitch has the “Big House” end and the “cow” end. A

September 23, 2008 County cricket / England

Darren Gough retires

2 minute readThere’ll be a bit of Twenty20 next year, but basically this is it. This is as close to a definitive goodbye as he’ll give us. The very reason why Darren Gough didn’t go out in a blaze of glory is the very reason why he deserved to do so. He

September 22, 2008 Australia

Self-effacing Hayden looks forward to India tour

< 1 minute readMatthew Hayden is the kind of man who looks in the mirror and smiles at what he sees. “Having played over there and played well over there, I think I’m going to be the obvious target.” Really he should look in the mirror and immediately burst into tears before punching

September 21, 2008 County cricket

Glen Chapple tries to deny Lancashire’s batsmen division two

2 minute readDon’t think for one minute that we don’t like the wisened pile of freckles that is Glen Chapple. We always moan about Lancashire’s ageing medium-pace all-rounders, but the truth is we’ve nothing against either Chapple or Dominic Cork. It’s just that having both of them clogs the side for younger

September 19, 2008 Regulars

Laurence embraces the lower order

< 1 minute readFor some reason I am being asked to bat at nine. I don’t know why. I sit and watch our innings with the haunted air of the disenchanted. After what seems like weeks, it is my turn to bat. The time has come for Laurence Elderbrook to take his stage.