Ireland v England – The Alternative View

Nothing like playing up to a stereotype

“I’m supporting my two home teams” chirped one South African-come-Irishman as Craig Kieswetter and Jonathan Trott strolled out to bat at Clontarf. Very good, I thought. You can’t fault him for accuracy, although some questions remain over his relationship with his Irish chum next to him with a Leprechaun on his head.

Next to me is another local who appears to know his stuff; at least as far as being able to identify the counties to which some of England’s debutants are from. But there is little shrift for the notion that the visitors’ two South African openers are being skippered by a Dublin lad… “farce” I believe is a term I heard being used.

A braver soul than I might’ve raised Boyd Rankin’s exploits with England Lions, but let’s roll this back to the beginning. To Stansted Airport. And to a lovely pint of Magners enjoyed in the Wetherspoons. It is quite a shock how quiet Ryanair’s holding pen is during normal hours. Everyone else left at 5am for Malaga I guess.

By using the toilet on the flight over, I appeared to have sold my soul to Satan. Or Merv Hughes. My punishment was to think nothing ill of visiting the Temple Bar and being a tourist. If Ireland says it has paid back the UK’s loans in full, the pint and a half of Guinness in Temple Bar will tell you where those funds came from.

I had looked to @tomdotcom1 for some restraint, but I think he considers a man who, by 11pm, had been wearing flip-flops and a straw hat for approx 20 hours to be beyond such help. Fortunately, sleepytime called. I wouldn’t have let a lack of sleep ruin the following day’s play; we had the rain for that…

For the past fortnight, the forecast had been a changeable-yet-complete arse. The only constant was rain. This is Ireland, after all. But we had sunshine to start and threatening clouds were skirting the ground as we arrived. My aims were clear – get a free t-shirt, a free poncho and something with 4/6 on it to wave maniacally.

The rain did come before the start of play, but I was prepared. With the flip-flops on, I would avoid the annoyance of having wet shoes and socks. Meanwhile, with the poncho deployed to cover my seat, I wouldn’t get a wet that way. The hat can do the rest… it’s a hat, it has magic powers like that.

Rankin? Number One Test Team apparently

After the rain, play starts more or less on time. And Ireland – with something of a point to prove after the World Cup – begin well on a greeeeeeeeen surface. Yep, that’s how green it is. Rankin seems to me to have a tendency to stray onto leg a little too often, but Trott and Kieswetter aren’t setting the world alight with false shots and tickles.

By the time of the next rain interruption, England are two down and going along at a less-than-brisk 3-point-something an over. Eoin Morgan is, however, at the crease and you already sense there’s a key wicket here. But we’ll have to wait and see, because my feet are getting wet and the bar’s now open for Beamish. Nice.

The break gives one a chance to reflect; mainly at how many spectators were up in arms for catches taken off one bounce. This is serious cricket, not one bounce one hand rules. But with the unpredictability of the ICC, perhaps such a format is but months away from being introduced to keep the Associates off their case.

And it also at this point you get to admire the torrent of purple that has washed in over each of the stands at Clontarf CC. It’s very much Poncho o’Clock and the speed at which some have gone from ‘bagged poncho’ to ‘bagged in a poncho’ is amazing. The €5 cost of Beamish, meanwhile, is almost welcome after last night.

See. Blue sky. Just over there...

The restart is preceded by a crackly PA announcement about England going to a 4-4-f**king-2 formation, or something. I knew Andy Flower was absent, but did he have to send Mike Bassett? Turns out I was wrong anyway…. the game had been reduced to 42 overs. And Morgan was off, swinging momentum to the Englishsouthafricanirishmen.

Ireland’s policy of containment throughout the innings and into the sunshine at the latter stages almost kept England to under 200. Tail end bat throwing helped the visitors cause, but it had left Ireland with a challenging enough chase on that surface. But you would probably argue that the hosts had done their job.

Textbook

The interval brought with it kids onto the pitch with a Kwik Cricket set and a desire to bump off a few people in the stands. Some of the batting on display would put my best efforts to shame; two shots cleared the stand and a third spent the rest of the day bouncing along the top of the Portaloos in the corner where fancy dress lived.

Did I mention the kid bowling off a full run up? One for England to nick perhaps.

After the fun in the sun came the pain in the rain. Ireland’s start mirrored that of their guests – slow scoring and two early wickets. In fact, the Irish became rather bogged down (no pun intended) before the rain break. But they were on an equal footing going into the rain delay. If clouds could talk, these ones were swearing.

The rainbow. It's holding up the sky!

It was a much-longer rain delay and the wind whipped up to create an autumnal feel to the afternoon. The flip flops suddenly seemed a bit foolish. There were at least some moments of sunshine, but ICC rules categorically state that you have to wait for more rain to come after a rain break before you can attempt to get the action re-started.

A revised target of quite a lot from not very many left Ireland with a tough task to pull off the victory. I retain the opinion that Jack Duckworth has done nothing to help the game of cricket with the method he devised with Morse’s sidekick. Yes, I know Eoin Morgan transformed England’s innings, but duh, Kevin O’Brien?!

Wickets started falling, Ireland started getting behind the required rate. Kev got two meaty sixes away but eventually yorked himself against Dernbach… and the earlier rain had pretty much washed away any lingering hopes. There was some defiant resistance down the order, but six-an-over ain’t enough when needing 12.

The final margin of victory was 11 runs and Eoin Morgan was named Man Of The Match… it was cricket’s way of telling Ireland “let’s see what you could have won” and gave England newbies a nice champagne spraying session to enjoy. It didn’t rain again that day, y’know…

That night, the flip-flops were dispensed with. Sleeping aside, they’d seen around 30 hours of action in two days – that’s 1,797 minutes more than Ravi Bopara had batted and 1,800 more than Tom Cleverley has managed for the England football team. I don’t think any winners have come out of that particular perspective.

Lost in Dublin...

As an addendum, you can rest assured that the flip-flops were given the Friday to recuperate as the Guinness Storehouse became the “place to be”. It slightly irks a former barman of little repute like me that any old fecker can get a certificate for pulling a pint there, but I suppose we’re all equals in the eyes of dear old Arthur.

Then again, maybe it was my shamrock that set me apart from the rest. Certainly apart from Tommy, who was too busy making a mess by leaving the tap running. But he’s from Barnet and has flippers for hands. I know my triumphs. And now I have a certificate to prove one of ’em… some things transcend cricket, y’know.

The Legacy of Paul Russell

In so far as Sunday announcements go, this admittedly wasn’t one that was going to have BBC News reaching for flashing red graphics or 24-point type declaring a piece of “Newyddion Breaking”. But the departure of Paul Russell as chairman of Glamorgan County Cricket Club comes as a bit of a bolt from the blue.

It had been the initial intent that Russell’s tenure would end with a handing over to Nigel Roberts at some point in the future. The fact that Roberts will remain as deputy chair suggests that it wasn’t something immediately on the horizon. Barry O’Brien steps into the interim role, and at a pretty crucial time for the club.

According to the Western Mail, a Glamorgan delegation will be heading to Lord’s in an effort to secure an Ashes Test match in 2013. That trip – in itself – is already an example of the legacy that Paul Russell leaves the club. After all, it was he who spearheaded the determination to bring international cricket to Cardiff.

And despite some negative offerings, Cardiff excelled in delivering the 2009 epic between England and Australia. To be sat in the grandstand on day five is still an unequivocal personal favourite of mine – in terms of sporting events attended. If you need further context, I was also at the Oval on the day we nabbed the Urn.

Fingers might start pointing at a pretty dismal Test match featuring Sri Lanka in the early part of this summer, but somewhat unfairly in my opinion. It was a Test that didn’t had the allure of Australia, nor India. And the rain just made it worse. But that’s South Wales in early summer for you. It’s been lush since…

And hopefully that will extend until the Indians come to town for a one day game later this summer. You’ll see the SWALEC at its best – a raucous atmosphere and another fantastic tie, we hope. By then, we’ll also know – or at least be a lot closer to knowing – who will host an Ashes Test in 2013 (and other games to 2015).

I’ve not always agreed with some of the decisions that have been taken under the leadership of Paul Russell. The fall-out of last winter’s resignations, sackings and general confusion still rankles. And it appears as if the ends will not be justifying the means, in terms of the on-field performances this year.

But it would be harsh – amid the bitter taste left by those various departures – not to accept that there is a certain debt of gratitude owed to Paul Russell. The future of domestic cricket is far from being rosy, but if Glamorgan secure an Ashes Test in 2013, it’ll be as much down to Russell as it is to the delegation tomorrow.

The A-Z Guide Of… The ICC

"Where exactly are the Netherlands"?

Following on from the relative success (i.e. more than 5 views) of The A-Z Guide of Chokers, turnandbounce now throws itself upon you with the latest offering – Bow heads and pray silence for the I.C.C!

A – Arseholes (Bunch of)
It is only within the capabilities of the faceless, self-serving group of egits at the ICC to simultaneously alienate the fans, players and commentators of the sport it purports to serve. But whatever progress had been made in convincing the world that cricket was open for business has been blown out of the water in some style.

The illogical decision to have a 10-team World Cup in 2015 featuring just the Full Members doesn’t even ensure that the best 10 teams will compete. Ireland – at 10 in the rankings – are not invited while Zimbabwe – yep, 11th – do. Zimbabwe have played as many Tests as Ireland in the last six years. What’s in a status, eh?

But the bottom line is that Associates are excluded. Without so much as a chance to prove themselves otherwise. Hope is a wonderful thing. It is even better when you take it away from an industrious upstart who might show up the Old Guard.

More: http://www.cricketwithballs.com/2011/04/06/god-hates-the-associates-claims-icc/

B-Z – More of the same…

Glamorgan’s Winds of Change

Finally. A reason for that unique swing off the Taff End

It seems that Nigel Roberts has done alright for himself. I have nothing against the man whatsoever, but it was little more than three months ago that he threw in the towel as Glamorgan deputy chair after the sweeping personnel changes at the SWALEC, which saw off Jamie D and Matthew M.

Paul Russell and Alan Hamer moved to bring him back into the fold a couple of days later; it seemed like a long-lost sense of harmony and tranquility had been restored to God’s Own County. I do think that, given a failed bid to oust Russell by some members, this week’s announcement comes as a surprise.

The club statement that declared Nigel Roberts had become chair-elect made no reference to any specific timeframe, but the fundamental detail is that Roberts is to take the helm at some point in the near future. So how did this come about? It is unclear to those not in the know, but from the outset it appears a major shift.

Roberts quit saying: “I put a proposal to the committee… they unanimously rejected my proposal and really left me with no position but to fall on my sword.”

Is this the same proposal that now sees him on the verge of taking control of the county that he evidently appears to care deeply about? I offer no answers, only a sense of surprise that Paul Russell is to step aside. It appears to be unprompted – I wish I knew the circumstances that is breathing change into the club.

The manner in which Alviro Petersen was appointed captain and the resulting end to Jamie Dalrymple, Matthew Maynard, Peter Walker and Tom Maynard’s time at Glamorgan still makes me very uncomfortable. Surely it could have been done a bit better? Alas it’s done now. Changes, it seems, are continuing.

Throwing aside all sense of conjecture, the season is forthcoming and the time is now to accept and move forward, regardless of how distasteful it all seemed from the outset. Russell has been a good servant of Glamorgan CCC – his work means Cardiff now sits alongside Sydney, Cape Town, Lord’s etc as a Test venue.

But the change of chairmanship to Nigel Roberts offers a chance to draw the line under changes that took place in the on-the-field department before Christmas. Now the task is to turn deficits into profits and losses into gains – a tall order? It may be so, but it’ll be made harder if we continue to dwell on what’s occurred.

So onwards into the 2011 season. These are interesting times, but I’m just going to let optimism take over and see what happens… Forza Glamorgan.

More Council Cash For Glamorgan

England v Australia at the SWALEC

Cardiff Council has agreed to provide Glamorgan County Cricket Club with a further £1m towards the cost of transforming the city’s SWALEC Stadium into what is now a fully-fledged Test match venue. I say additional – the council has already contributed £4.5m in late 2006.

At face value, it could be seen as worrying indictment of the club’s finances and places this winter’s turmoil into greater context. But reading into the report put before councillors, it sheds a little more reassuring light on the situation – both from the club and the council’s point of view.

The cost of transforming the SWALEC Stadium was believed to be around £9m. But revisions to the England and Wales Cricket Board’s demands for grounds to attain international status –  a hover cover, an extra floodlight and the provision of a tri-vision sightscreen to name but a few – forced it up to more than £11m.

The council report said: “The club went ahead and met the cost overrun with extra short term funding from Mr Russell, a bank overdraft and accelerated use of staged naming rights income. Carrying the additional burden of the cost overrun has led to cash flow issues for the club.”

By securing the additional £1m from Cardiff Council, the club plans to remedy these cash flow issues and ensure that it is capable of bidding for another Ashes Test in the coming years – complementing the other international games due to be held in Cardiff between now and 2014.

The cut-throat nature of the Test match bidding process means that Glamorgan have had their hand forced. Financial incentives that come with hosting such an occasion as an Ashes Test match are too alluring to pass up, but there’s a surplus of clubs to notice this – some will lose out.

Those incentives are very handy when it comes to paying off the debt accrued in the process of redeveloping the SWALEC. And this is where this winter’s mess is to make its entrance – poor Twenty20 form means matchday revenues fail to do their bit and prompted a wave of personnel changes that have been a PR failure.

Glamorgan’s proposal: “The council’s further advance would be used by the club to reduce its bank overdraft to £0.3 million and to address its ongoing cash flow challenges.” So, £1m on top of the £4.5m equalling total liability of £5.5m, minus £500,000 waived in return for a community partnership grant scheme.

That’s the ‘take’ half. The ‘give’ half from the club is that the full amount (£5m) would be repaid to the council more than four years early – October 2023, not the initial loan period ending January 2028. I’m not an apologist for the public sector bailing out the private, but at least there is compromise.

It’s in Cardiff Council’s interest to look after Glamorgan’s interest in some ways. According to the report, an Ashes Test match is incredibly valuable to the city’s economy; bettered only by a Heineken Cup Final that usually results in an army of Irishmen invading the city…

The £1m will come from the Public Works Loan Board, rather than the council’s own coffers, and if it helps Glamorgan secure another Ashes Test match (or two), the short-term outlay will be recovered. Another sweetener was perhaps a pledge by the club to provide a ‘community benefits package’. Alan Hamer told Wales Online: “The loan will be paid back in full at commercial interest rates and the club will provide additional benefits, which total in excess of £900,000.”

The issue that is the most concerning, however, is the references to Glamorgan’s cashflow. In a year that has included little on-the-field success but the visit of an England game, how will the annual results fare? Does the need for an additional £1m from the council mean that a loss is inevitable?

County cricket finances are coming under scrutiny at present, especially with the likes of Yorkshire and Lancashire staring at seven-figure losses. Other clubs have seen six-figure losses, and a minority are in the black. And Glamorgan? Time will definitely tell…

Found Mott We’re Looking For?

Matthew Mott: From one MPM to another.

After it was confirmed that Matthew Maynard had agreed a settlement with Glamorgan, the club wasted no time in announcing his replacement as First Team Coach. In a dubiously-headed media statement, it was confirmed that Matthew Mott had signed a three-year deal at the SWALEC.

Coming in from New South Wales, Mott’s credentials stack up quite nicely – Sheffield Shield and domestic Twenty20 honours bode well for Paul Russell’s aspiration that the Dragons do more than just make up the numbers when it comes to limited overs cricket.

Mott’s appointment is definitely encouraging. The suggestion that Herschelle Gibbs – the lost Bee Gee – may be returning to Glamorgan as a Kolpakker is a further cause for optimism, if it comes off. I would even have to concede that I might actually be looking forward to the new campaign.

Lest we forget the mess that preceded it though. A settlement has been reached with Matthew Maynard and it appears likely that Tom will follow him out of the door. Meanwhile, the presence of Jamie Dalrymple is another gap that needs to be filled. Is the reported resurrection of Mike O’Shea’s career the way forward? Forgive me if I’m not counting that as progress…

[tweetmeme source=”petehayman” only_single=false]At the very least, Mott’s appointment guarantees a degree consistency lost in the purges. As one Matthew Peter leaves the club, another comes in – it’s good for regaining that sense of stability. No-one needs to re-letter a tracksuit. MPM is dead, long live MPM!

 

My Year In List(s)

"I listened to Geoffrey. I ignored Geoffrey" - Tamim Iqbal smashes his way to a Lord's ton

While gazes have been a-fixed on Australia’s somewhat Audley Harrison-esque attempt to dethrone England as holders of the Ashes, it might come as surprise to learn that 2010 – a ragtag collection of 365 days – is coming to an end.

If I were an ITV commissioning editor, I would have already lined up a series of D-List “celebrities” for a whimsical End of Pier Year shindig in which the frankly laughable Corrie tram crash would be fawned over as if it were current affairs.

But thankfully (for you), I have no affiliation with ITV. And so all I can offer with the following splurge of words is the men and/or performances that I think to be worthy of honourable mention in this cowboy autopsy of the year gone by:

Tamim Iqbal – Bangladesh arrived in England during the summer to provide a some pre-Ashes frivolity a la 2005. You know the old adage “prepare for the best by playing the worst”. It fell apart with the Australians’ slide into mediocrity, but further compounded by the determination of one man in particular to prove that the Tigers were here to be counted. And so it came to pass that Tamim Iqbal was to join luminaries such as Punter and Sachin on the Lord’s Honours Board with a breathtaking hundred. All thanks to Boycott apparently…

Mark Cosgrove and Gareth Rees – I am determined to continue milking this one for all its worth, because it doesn’t happen often. Having conceded a 125-run deficit against Leicestershire, the Glamorgan bowlers dismissed the hosts for just 77 runs to leave a chase of nearly 200 to win. Being Glamorgan, this target would normally induce a nervous panic that precludes a collapse. Not this time. Messrs Cosgrove and Rees were assured, unwavering and unflappable in the pursuit and wrapped up a 10-wicket win that was better than winning the league. Looking at you there, Sussex…

Paul Collingwood’s England – World Twenty20 champions. What the fuck?

Paine for captain, Cheggers for the UN

Ricky Ponting – Give Ricky his dues, he’s now surrendered the Ashes on three separate occasions. You could suggest that 2005 was the more spectacular, with the resources at his disposal (Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc) but there was some fortunate luck involved there for England. Winter 2010/11 marked the time that the Poms thrashed Punter’s men. Regardless if those ‘men’ include Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson and Philip Hughes. Cricket Australia can’t dismiss him though – the alternatives would be like appointing Keith Chegwin to lead the United Nations.

Paul Russell – The changes implemented at Glamorgan during the close season would make Stalin proud. The BBC has since commissioned a new game show – 101 Ways to Leave The Swalec.

Nottinghamshire – For being the winners of what proved to be an epic County Championship season. Somerset fans can look away – it was about to be them ’til the Trent Bridge boys got their freak on. And what do they get for their troubles? The reward for their efforts? Four days in Worcester next year. Life isn’t fair.

Salman Butt – “D’ya want a 99 with that wad of cash?”

[tweetmeme source=”petehayman” only_single=false]Robert Croft – Murali bags his 800th Test scalp and Sachin racks up his 50th Test century – mere footnotes to the greatest achievement of the year recorded on a lukewarm Swansea afternoon. Crafty Crofty – the Leek of Tweak – picked up his 1,000th wicket, a mere 59 years after making his Dragons debut. Doesn’t look a day over a 40 y’know.

The War of the Daffodils

Word gets out that Allenby could leave too

I suppose there was always the threat it was going to get out of hand. Masses of people descending upon Central London. The discontent simmered away as the cold winter darkness closed in; anticipation of what will emerge…

By 6pm that Thursday, we knew. Nothing more than we already did, but we knew. Decisions had been taken ‘in the best interests’ – a bullish, unwavering stance advocated within the oft-walked corridors of power.

Resignations have been tendered, sweeping reforms made. Is the process over? Apparently not. Once completed, he says, “adequate and due reflection” will be afforded to the events that have taken place over the last few weeks.

“We could not continue as we were going” is another justification for the recent alterations. But who knows where we are going now… improvements are said to be expected under this new regime, almost immediately. The proof seems a long way off. By September 2011, we’ll see consequences take shape.

But we must get one thing straight – the frustration that continues to linger amid the implemented changes should never have been directed at the Prince of Wales – a patron of affairs and no more involved with the policy making than you or I.

“I think [the division] is more reported in the press than is the case” – not exactly what the people on the streets suggest. Changes can be made if for the better, but it is hard to see whether that will transpire. Regardless of what is said among the massed cameras and microphones.

What chance a u-turn? Well, young ‘un, put down that fencing, for we might just have one. One is better than none – and the funding implication of this change of heart is to be welcomed. Certainly in the short-term, you’d hope.

The level of resentment is understandable, palpable if you will. For it is has been oft said: You cannot piss off Matthew Maynard without pissing off everyone else. But hostile scenes were a somewhat surprising accompaniment to Paul Russell’s press conference… that is what had everyone up in arms last Thursday? Right?

* for a rundown of the press conference, check out Wales Online

Bid Up ECB

"Pakistan ODI. Talk to me."

While us esteemed English cricket fans continue to salivate over the records that fell during the 1st Ashes Test in Brisbane, some attentions have already turned to the 2013 series – not least the venues that are hoping to catch a piece of the action.

Cardiff’s emergence as a Test venue in 2009 was as much as a kick up the proverbial for some clubs as it was for those with aspirations beyond welcoming Fred, John and Rover for all four days of a rain sodden County Championship fixture.

But there is something fundamentally troubling about the approach. It’s barely a secret that it took a lot of wonga – some if it from the Welsh public purse – to deal the persuasive hand upon the ECB. And what happened in return? Old Trafford and Headingley benefiting from multi-million pound facelifts.

I say ‘benefiting’ guardedly; are clubs now too quick to gamble sustainability on a short-term international fix? Staging a Test match is the preserve of those able to afford it as much as anything, and the big money bids count. “You say 10, I’ll give you 20,” says T. Tibbs of Somewhereshire to the ECB. “OK. Have England v West Indies, 2nd Test” is the reply.

If money helps a ground secure an Ashes Test match, for example, it has to come from somewhere. One obvious source would be filling the grounds for the limited overs games, particularly Twenty20. And if that is the case, then it somewhat has an impact on what the ambitions are at a particular club.

With most of the 2013 Ashes Test rights up for grabs, clubs are probably already looking to the bank balance to see how much they can push their bids – alas there is no ‘Buy It Now’ price. But the money has to come from somewhere, no?

Gate revenue would seem the most plausible source of income that could then be set aside for The Bid. Filling the ground up for a Twenty20 match in the sultry July heat lights up the accountants’ eyes like you wouldn’t believe. Imagine that repeated all the way to Finals Day… ker-ruddy-ching!

Twenty20 has been accused of threatening the vitality of the longer form of the game almost since its iconoclastic inception. But perhaps there’s a point. Is it dictating the ambitions and targets of men off the field; particularly those of a county in search of international gratification.

So, when Glamorgan implements sweeping changes in search of a richer vein of one day form, what is the real motivation? It is evident that the last day failure to gain promotion to County Championship Division One held little sway when the axe fell on Jamie Dalrymple’s captaincy.

The rest would be history, if it wasn’t so badly steeped in farce… but the demand for one day fulfilment is so prevalent in Glamorgan’s lurch from relative on-the-field stability to absurdity that it suggests the financial rewards that accompany limited overs success (in terms of attendances) are too much at the forefront of policy-making.

If Cardiff wants to host an Ashes Test in 2013, it’s going to have to pull out the stops. Old Trafford and Edgbaston are upping their game, Headingley already has. But this competitive scenario is to be loathed. Somewhere along the line, someone’s going to push themselves too far…

That is why the bidding system for international fixtures must be brought to an end. It is doing the domestic game no good. This may be filed under Rants and Ramblings, but I am not alone in this. Speaking at the Business in Sport and Leisure conference recently, Keith Bradshaw of the MCC urged the end of the bidding system. Geoffrey Boycott last year too.

And it turns out that Deloitte had some pretty concerning figures to back up such concerns; during the summer, a report revealed that Test venues were in debt to the tune of £91m!

Look at it another way. Clubs want to host an international fixture, so upgrade their facilities. To fund this, ticket prices go up. And what follows? Attendances start to fall. It’s as described: an unsustainable model.

Meanwhile, the haves and the have nots in English cricket grow further apart and the have nots want to keep an exhaustive Twenty20 schedule in order to maximise revenue streams.  The flaw being not everyone can afford to pay to go to umpteen Twenty20 Cup group games. Catch 22? Not ‘alf!

I’m not pretending to have any solutions to the problem. But the current system cannot continue. It could just be harming the game in more ways than you may care to think. Keep the speculative bidding for that nice cardigan on eBay.

FOR ANOTHER VIEW, check out Steve James‘ blog over at The Telegraph

GCCC – Points of View

"And they said Eurovision was silly..."

Alan from Cardiff writes to say…

Dear GCCC (Member, and indeed the general public),

I would like to… “explain the changes that have taken place at the Club over the past two weeks.

“The club has taken a number of difficult decisions – these have been taken with the objective of improving the team’s performances over the coming seasons.”

Yours, Alan

It couldn’t remain quiet for ever, one would suppose. And now The Letter – a very public explanation of how things have played out at GCCC recently.

Certain elements of the seven-point grovel are predictable and almost justifiable; one day form has been poor and needs to improve. Even if I’m a tad cynical as to the reason why – after all, four-day cricket doesn’t pay.

But there are concerns: What has Jamie Dalrymple’s alleged off-field conduct to do with anything? Have your reasons, but don’t contrive new ones. And why wasn’t Matthew Maynard involved with the appointment of Alviro Petersen as captain? Did no-one want to sit next to him on the plane?

And onto Colin Metson. Identified by a headhunter for the role of managing director. Says Alan to the Welsh press. Forgive the curiosity, but headhunter? Did this headhunter leave his desk or just point at the first person walking past the open door? All that can be said David Pleat was managing director at Spurs once…

The Letter offers a deserved right to reply but does it really address the issues? Surely you take your head coach to get a new captain, even if he doesn’t agree with the situation; telling him in the first place would be a start. But the risk of heading round in circles is a potent one.

In any case, Mrs Maynard has already said it better than I ever could.

The positive news of late has been some warm words from Mark Cosgrove, in spite of the revelation that he has other offers. If its in any way an incentive, I’ll take him for a pint in Dempsey’s and a late night Burger King to return for the T20s. That’s a promise Mark. A promise right there on the table.