Posted by 
The County Championship starts tomorrow (Friday). It begins in classic county cricket style with most, but not all, of the counties in action. Excited to see how Surrey start their defence? Well, you’ll just have to wait until next week.
The Tour de France makes a really big deal of starting. They call it the Grand Départ. County cricket’s entrance is moins grand. It’s more like a cheap meal out where you can’t be bothered waiting for everyone to turn up.
Just 12 of the 18 counties are in action, because… why? Have they suffered a fixture pile-up already? The answer to that is probably yes. We’ve a feeling this entire week comprises preponed fixtures. Innovative.
In many ways it’s a big year though, because this is the last county season before…
- The Hundred starts
- The 50-over competition becomes an emaciated husk played by reserve team players
- The first division of the County Championship becomes bigger (10 teams) and completely unbalanced (14 matches)
At the same time, it’s a very small year, because county cricket is going to be trampled into invisibility by the World Cup and the Ashes.
Awake from your slumbers dibbly-dobbly seamers of this green and verdant land! Go forth and nibble it about a bit!
I don’t like the split infinitive in the headline, KC.
I’m not totally agin split infinitives, but sometimes they grate and could easily be replaced by a more elegant construction.
Meanwhile the eve of the county championship has, in London, been hailed with…
…hail.
Or, as the ECB call it, ‘Perfect weather for county cricket.’
Back in the mists of time I jotted down some cricket-related satire at the start of the cricket season:
http://ianlouisharris.com/1993/04/17/cricket-sound-bites-newsrevue-jotter-presumably-17-april-1993/
Even if you don’t like the soundbites, the reggae links are worth a click.
That same year, I stuck the boot in to the then despised Tory Chancellor, now seen as cricket-loving, voice of reason, Tory grandee of Nottinghamshire; Ken Clarke.
I’m well proud of these lyrics which I had completely forgotten about until I got to them in my Ogblog trawl today:
http://ianlouisharris.com/1993/11/08/1993-autumn-budget-mini-opera-based-on-various-tunes-from-oliver-newsrevue-lyrics-8-november-1993/
Well, that’s a better Leics score than I expected to wake up to.
Durham started well too, I see, Balladeer. Wonder where they got that Raine fellow from?
I’d feel guilty, but I think he left of his own accord out of what was essentially homesickness.
Still, doesn’t feel good to take from the little chap. Thank goodness they’ve not also stolen, ooh I dunno, Ned Eckersley…
Eckersley’s up there too? Well, good luck to him. I always liked him, don’t think Leics should have released him.
And what’s this? Runs for Hameed? (at Loughborough, but still…)
Ton up!
Double ton up!
Anyone doing fantasy cricket this year? I hastily picked a team on the Telegraph game and hardly any of my guys are playing this week.
Stoneman
Hildreth
Bancroft
Duckett
Rhodes
Foakes +
Willey
J Patel *
J Overton
Gregory
Plunkett
Hildreth and Gregory will get to play if the rain stops, but you’ve picked the wrong Overton twin. Stay tuned for news from the CACG! (Ideally somewhere where news from the CACG is transmitted!)
The Overton window has moved.
Please yourselves.