Day 90: Who is R. E. S. Wyatt?

How many of us who are not Warwickshire members, historians of the game or 150-year-old know much about R.E.S Wyatt? I would imagine not very many could tell you anything about the former England captain.

 I am ashamed to say I couldn’t tell you much other than he has a stand named after him at Edgbaston. It, of course, makes you assume that he was a person of not.

When we think of the 1930s and cricket, we think of Donald Bradman, Len Hutton, Harold Larwood and many more. This period is something I would like to study more, with it nearly 100 years since there is a big project in there somewhere.

Bob Wyatt was the England vice-captain to Douglas Jardine and eventually replaced him as captain. Wyatt played 40 times for England and was captain of both Warwickshire and Worcestershire on either side of the Second World War.

I mention Wyatt because, at the start of the year, I started to buy old cricket books to broaden my history on the subject and see the different ways that cricket is and was written.

So I was interested to see there was a book by Wyatt. Published in 1936, Ins And Outs of Cricket isn’t an autobiography; it is more of a manual about the game. Wyatt gives his opinions on picking a side and how batsmen and bowlers go about their crafts.

I’m about to read it, and |I will do so with interest; there are many topics covered, such as bodyline and the spirit of cricket, although they are in separate parts of the book.

The one part I am looking forward to is the short player portraits of every county side. As someone that wants to know more about the game in this period, it is a good starting point.

I will go in with an open mind and let you know how I get on with it. It may be time for someone to write a fascinating biography about Wyatt.

Day 89: County Cricket's charm

Cricket has something for everyone. That can be from the atmosphere where the only sounds are bat on ball, the chirp of a fielder and the hum of general conversation. Or if you want the razmataz of a T20 game with its loud music, big-hitting batter whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

I like the relaxed atmosphere of a county championship game. In attendance are many different people—the committed supporter who is cricket every day, whatever the weather. Then you get those who do the crossword or read the paper during a quiet session. There are usually two friends who talk nonsense, reminiscing about past matches or having a friendly 20p wager on the next ball's outcome.

The county cricket community is often underestimated; just because you aren't at the ground (we can't all take six months of the year off), it doesn't mean our interest is any less. We care deeply, we have our allegiances, but we are less tribal than some other sports, and a holiday in another part of the country may coincide with a day at the cricket.

While the counties have some responsibility in keeping us informed of the goings-on around the country, we still need objective reporting of the game. That needs to be a group of well rounded impartial reporters who have a good eye for the game and the ability to put that in words that inform and entertain in equal measure.

When cricket has so many records, there are many being broken every day, and as fans, we love it when we know that the tenth wicket partnership by two players both born in Chippenham has been broken at Northampton, the last time it happened was in 1904.

What county cricket gives us, though, is a community of like-minded people. We may see each other rarely, but we know who to start a conversation like no other group. We are bonded, we know the pain that our teams misfortunes, and when people repeatedly tell you how boring your passion is, you know we are in the same camp, and long may that continue.

Day 88: When I faced the raw pace of the bowling machine

I must have been about 14 when I was asked to have an afternoon of coaching at Arundel as a Sussex junior member. It was one of those days I cannot recall much about these days. It was a long time ago. I remember doing some bowling and fielding practice on the outfield.

What I do remember most was facing the bowling machine. It was the first time I had been up close to such a contraption. It fired out solid plastic balls at what seemed an unimaginably fast pace. I tried my best, and not being much of a batsman, it was hard work.

As I walked out of the net to take my pads off, I managed to get a brief glimpse at speed. Indeed it must have been a fast 75 mph; I was excited to see what I had just faced. That was when it hit me; it was only 40 mph. It bruised the ego a little; I hope I didn’t let it show.

Sussex arranged a few things like that for their junior members. I remember an event that they organised for an England under 19 game. They got a few players from the academy side to offer some training. I failed at the one-handed slip catching (stupid right-hand bias!), and it was a good day. Who were those young players that offered to coach us? One was Shaun Humphries, a young wicketkeeper and a bowler of promise called James Kirtley. I wonder what happened to him?

 Of course, he is now Sussex T20 coach, which does make me feel old. There aren’t many coaches out there that exudes calmness and will to make Sussex a force in the game like when he was in his prime.

It looks like a big task that both himself and Ian Salisbury have ahead of them, but I feel they have that love and passion for the county they played for.

Day 87: Am I scared of change? You bet I am.

 Am I scared of change? You bet I am. I’m not sure what it is precisely; the comfort of what you know, I guess, plays a massive part in that; better the devil you know and all that. I went from working 14 years at Tesco to a period of instability, and for the first time since I was five, I was neither in education or employment.

The change to a stable base was slow and infuriating. It was then that I knew I had to start taking the writing seriously. I have travelled the country and written a lot of match reports along the way. I haven’t received any payment for them; I don’t mind so much as I know I had a lot to learn and still do.

Cricket is one of those sports that consumes you. I’m not sure why; many things make it unique, and if you take it too seriously, it gets at you, it eats away, and this thing that is supposed to be fun no longer is.

I think that is why cricket is a sport that has taken mental health seriously and has done for a while now. It is excellent that we have players that can be so open and honest about their struggles.

Few sports can exacerbate those feelings of pressure; it is a team sport where much of the emphasis is on individual performances were not just form but the correct statistics to go with it. How much pressure must someone like Dawid Malan face knowing that despite being ranked the best T20 player in the world, his place in the England team isn’t certain?

To be fair to him, I do think a lot of that is media talk. But there can be this nagging feeling that you are never good enough, even if you are bossing every aspect of your game.

Not being a particularly great cricketer, my successes have been few and all the sweeter when they have emerged. I remember going in at eleven one game with 60 runs still needed. I finished on 17 not out, and we won with three balls to spare. There was no real pressure on me that day. I could have been bowled the first ball, and we would have got to the bar quicker.

There I think, lies the most significant difference with the world-class players who these things day in day out. Ben Stokes is expected to play a Headingley type of innings every time he goes out to bat. He has trained for it; there would have been coaches that will have picked up on a big match temperament.

That isn’t to say that it can be a struggle for the best; those doubts, those moments where the world starts spinning or stops depending on who you are, can be crushing.

There can be no easy fix; if a bowler from the Third XI gets the yips, it isn’t the end of their career; they find a new role or find another way to spend their weekends.

When I felt like I was making some progress in the media role I had created for myself, that is the time I felt under the most pressure, the “hey, when am I going to get that thing?” became too great; I ran and hid. I even wept on the beach at Hove; it got that much.

I’m a shy person from a reserved family, so talking about feelings is never easy, and I know it is a healthy thing to do.

Am I scared of change? You bet I am. The thing I am scared of more is the waiting in between for things to change. This pandemic has put that into perspective. I am working in a job where I feel under more pressure than writing about cricket.

I constantly want to improve, but the doubts that I can do it hold me back; I start to procrastinate and look for easy excuses. I can and will do much better. Not because there is the pressure but as a release. I have met so many wonderful and encouraging people, and I am determined not to let any of them down. Change is scary, but it can lead to the best parts of your life, which I will do.

Day 86: Time to expand horizons

 There are county teams I don’t know enough. I’m not afraid to admit it. I always start the season to invest more in those teams. There are many reasons, one of the biggest is geography. To watch teams such as Somerset, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Durham, and Northamptonshire take planning, effort and money to get to.

It shouldn’t be the case; I should plan better and give all the 18 counties equal time, and I mean that Hampshire!

As a Sussex fan for the best part of 30 years, there are obvious reasons why they jump to the top of the queue. Although being based in Nottinghamshire means that several trips to Trent Bridge every year is a must.

This year I want to be more of an advocate for the county game. It is the right time to do so; county cricket has never faced so many threats for its survival, and it would be shameful if the teams that provide England’s finest were to fall by the wayside.

To an extent, that is where I want you to help me; I want to know what it is about your county that makes them unique, what and who I should be looking out for? Who are the ones to watch? Who do you think will be walking away with the silverware by the end of the season?

If I was to some sort of YouTube channel or podcast, what kind of content would you like? I want to broaden the coverage of the domestic game in England and Wales, both women’s and men’s. I know some great people are doing fantastic work in this area.

I need to start broadening out from just writing. I want to do a bit of commentary, maybe see how that feels. Some would say I have a face for radio, and they are probably right. It is just whether I have anything interesting to say.

Most of all, I want to have a bit of fun, and it is something you enjoy it as well, all the better.

Day 85: Long live England's positive approach

I didn’t see much of the India versus England ODI today. It took place while I was at work; I did see the mini-collapse that England went through. They type in yesteryear would have seen them mess things up royally.  

Ben Stokes always tends to leave those explosive bits of batting for when I’m not watching. The World Cup Final being the exception. When he single-handedly won that Test match at Headingley, I was on a bus back from a KSL game at Trent Bridge.

What has made England one of the best ODI sides to watch over recent years is their approach to chasing. When it goes wrong, it looks horrific, as the first ODI the other day proved, but when you get a group of batsman like England have at their disposal, then there are few targets they cannot chase down or are afraid of chasing.

There are days when some of those batsmen look all at sea, and there can be reactions that say they should be replaced, and when you have players like Alex Hales on the sidelines can be an easy reaction to make. Liam Livingstone, of course, did himself a few favours today as he came in at a time that new players may have been forgiven for losing their nerve.

Given a good tract at a place like Trent Bridge, and you would imagine, they would not fear chasing down 500.

It would take a massive dip in form for Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow not to open the batting a partnership of 110 in 16.3 overs today showed just why that is.

One of the best decisions today was to have Stokes come in at three. He had a chance to control the game, scoring his first fifty from a pedestrian 40 balls. He faced just 12 more balls and departed on a frustrating 99.

Being an England fan should never be easy, and there will be days where England will perform disastrously, but long live the days when it goes right, and we get to see them smash the world’s best all over.

Day 84: Clocks go back and we dream of the cricket

 For many, the clocks going forward is one of the best things to happen in the year. It is a sign that summer is on its way. Spring is underway, with lambs running free in the fields and daffodils growing in numbers that would make Glamorgan crowds look small.

It is also an indication that the cricket season is just around the corner. The evenings are lighter, and everyone is starting to get their daily dose of vitamin d.

It is still too cold for those attending preseason friendlies to sit outside for six hours without several layers and a hot drink to hand, but it is a sacrifice worth making. We see the players juggling hand warmers, and woolly hats are in evidence.

I have been to many early-season games; there was a chilly game at Trent Bridge, where I first saw Chris Liddle in action for Leicestershire from the pavilion's comfort.

The university matches against the counties are always an excellent chance to see players about to emerge and flourish or slip into obscurity. I was happy to see Jame Bracey included in the England bubble last season and perform well in one of the warm-up games.

In a game against Lancashire for Loughborough University, he looks assured with the gloves. While I don't want to heap pressure on a young player, there is only one wicket-keeper who I have seen that good at that age, and he was also on the books at Gloucestershire. Chris Read did all right in his career, and there is no reason why Bracy can't follow in those footsteps.

There are obvious reasons why we won't be at the early games this season, but once we can be at the ground right next to the action, I will be there, and I'm sure you will be as well.

Day 83: A day to remember

 There are always games that stay with us,  matches that went down to the wire, games where your team has been battered or inflicted a crushing victory. I have seen Sussex do all those things at Trent Bridge. It may not be the obvious ground to see Sussex do these things.  Being based in Nottinghamshire, it was always more likely than most Sussex fans. However, I'm sure that some of the Martlets' followers' travelling band would have been at every occasion.

Other than the day that Sussex picked up their second-ever championship trophy, the occasion that resonates with me the most is the 2008 finale, where the winner would win the league. It would be Chris Adams last game for Sussex, and what a way to go.

Sussex looked like blowing it. Sussex were set 227 to win from their 40 overs, although it looked like Samit Patel had put in a match-winning performance with both bat and ball -78 from 83 balls, and three for 36- and when Patel bowled Michael Yardy for 53, it appeared that it would be Nottinghamshire's day as wickets started to fall at regular intervals.

At 130 for 8, I had packed up my stuff and was just compounding my misery watching Notts win the title that Sussex had done so well to compete for all season. I was taking it an over at a time.

Notts v Sussex pro40 highlights

With Murray Goodwin still batting, there was still hope; it was a slim type of hope that would require Mohammad Sami not just to keep batting at the other end but keep scoring at the same time.

With an over to go, Sussex needed 16 runs to win; it should have been out of their grasp; Goodwin, however, was in the mood to break hearts by the Trent.

Charlie Shreck Was the man tasked with bringing it home for Notts, and with a ball to go, it was likely that the home team would win. Shreck charged in, but Goodwin's bat swung harder, and the ball landed in the Ratcliffe Road stand to start the Sussex celebrations.

You can see me hugging the Sussex fans around me in stunned relief and joy in the highlights. It is still a game that will live with me for a long time.

Day 82: Please let me change the record

 It feels odd on a day that India’s women have comprehensively won a T20 International, beating South Africa by nine wickets with 54 balls to spare. It was maybe a little unfair to say it was a consolation win against a South Africa side that was already dreaming of returning home.

The action on the field today from India was in stark contrast to how their national board, the BCCI, seems to treat the development of the women’s game with disdain.

I don’t want to write that, as I have done several times this year. India have the potential to be the best women’s side in the world, not just in the short term but for years to come.

One of the ways they can achieve that is to treat the domestic competitions. What has been suggested for years now is a proper women’s IPL. It doesn’t have to be on the same scale as the men’s competition which drags on for what seems like an eternity.

What India’s women deserve is more than a few exhibition games cobbled together as some afterthought. Suppose the BCCI truly want their women’s side to be the dominant force in world cricket. In that case, they need to think of expanding the T20 tournament beyond its three-team competition with one that not only celebrates the women’s game but allows some of its domestic players to play regular cricket against some of the best players in the world.

You could argue that South Africa have moved up to second in the ICC ODI rankings without an IPL style competition, but you get the sense that the players who represent their nation are given all the tools to succeed.

It wouldn’t take much to make India world cup winners; it would also spark an already thirst from fans in India for the women’s game. I know people in India who are trying their best to make that dream come true. You have to look at the things that Women’s CricZone are doing to promote the game worldwide and, in particular, India.

If their national board replicated their passion, I wouldn’t be writing things like this but praising their foresight and how the rest of the world could catch up.

Day 81: what could have been

 There is always a part of me that wonders what would have happened if I had taken playing cricket and hockey more seriously. I don't think I would have become a world-class allrounder taking wonder catches, but I don't see why I couldn't have been a decent club cricketer or at least better then the one I turned out to be.

I played cricket for the school team; it was an easy in. I was the only one in my school who lived and breathed cricket. It was at club cricket that I failed to make the breakthrough. I was probably at the wrong club for me. I don't think that was anyone's fault; I wasn't good enough to make the under 15s team. It never occurred to me that I would drift out of the game for around eight years, there were some nets at University, but I was never in danger of taking it as seriously as I should have.

It was in 2005 that I would finally start to play regular club cricket for Sherwood Colliery. They only club in the area I knew where they netted in winter, and that was my fate sealed.

I had forgotten how to bowl at that time. The ball came out of the hand all wrong, just looping up in the air or being dragged down short and wide. It took years and a change in grip to get things under control.

In that time, I had become the sort of player that made up the numbers, not reliable with the ball, not a great fielder, although the occasional reaction catch would stick. It was demoralising at times; one player even suggested I would never be a bowler. But I stick at it even as I approach 40.

I do enjoy it, even though the thought of packing it all in favour of watching more of the professional game appeals.

I have also reached the stage were I given the opportunity to play hockey is more appealing, but once you play cricket and the opportunity and the body allows, I think I would find the thought of not playing difficult. There is still a chance that Sussex will come calling, and I will be the next big thing. We can only dream, but that is the beauty of sport; anyone can be a hero for a day.

Day 80: A bit of a ramble

 I have been doing a fair bit of reading about cricket this year. That might not sound odd for someone that wants to write about is as more than a hobby, and I genuinely do. I have noticed reading a biography about Learie Constantine, Fire in Babylon, and an assortment of others is just how scared that the authorities that Test match cricket has been under threat from leagues and organisations that have been willing to pay cricketers a decent wage.

League cricket in the 1930s was big business in the north of England and attracted some big-name players. Constantine was not the only West Indian player earning a wage in Lancashire, George Headley, one of the great batsman of generation. They both had more opportunities to secure a profession from the game in the leagues than in their home countries.

Then again, cricket has always seen clear distinctions in class until the 1960s that was evident in England with a split between professional and amateur. When we think of amateur, we associate it with not being very good, a bit shoddy, and someone who does something for the love of it.

The 1970s saw the introduction of World Series Cricket, which focused on national teams but was aware that the best players deserved to be treated better.

Of course, the modern-day threat to Test cricket is in the variety of T20 league that has sprung up worldwide. These leagues offer players the chance to earn money in the space of eight weeks that most cricketers wouldn’t make in a career.

It isn’t easy to turn down, and I know most of us would if given the opportunity to earn more money in a shorter period; who wouldn’t take it?

We tend to hold our sports stars to a different standard. I’m not sure why we do this, is there a hint of jealously there? To an extent, yes. What I think it boils down to is that we follow one team's ups and downs in a sport in our lives. We expect the players to have the same loyalty as us. That it is more than just a job.

We feel it when a player plays a poor shot, or bowls a bad ball or has the temerity to drop and easy catch. It is us that pays their wages, and they should remember it.

This is rubbish, of course, and if we applied it to our day jobs or god forbid when we play for the club side at the weekend, we would never be able to stand the scrutiny.

Getting back on track, Test cricket faces challenges, and I am far from having the answers to any of those challenges, but I think we have to cut the other formats some slack. They are, after all, the reason we have Test cricket in the first place. Let us all enjoy cricket in whatever shape or size it comes in.

Day 79: out if ideas

 I don't have anything for today :(

Day 78: Derby hots up as venue for women's cricket to excel

 

There is only one benefit to the early county championship matches being only able to view via a stream. That is, the temperatures outside can fluctuate wildly. I can remember many an April day spent in warm sunfilled skies but equally just as happy to be wrapped in several layers, a sleeping bag and hot water bottles.

That being said, I have been freezing cold in August at Derby, in the days T20 and when Derby was still an open ground with the last remnants of its racecourse days.

The locals humourlessly dub the city Derbados. I graduated from the city’s university, and I have spent some happy days watching cricket at Derby.  

It does have it’s detractors, and I guess there are many reasons for that. Derby has quietly become a good venue. It hasn’t lost that ground over a stadium feel, but the building of the media centre and other facilities has made it feel like ground going in the right direction.

In 2017 it saw not just one remarkable innings in a women’s game but two.

Harmanpreet Kaur scored the first in a World Cup semi-final against Australia. It was an innings that grew in stature as Kaur got used to the conditions and the bowling. By the end, Australia had run out of ideas. Kaur would finish on 171 not out, smashing 20 fours and seven sixes in the process.

A month later, Suzie Bates scored an unbeaten century in a Kia Super League game and finished unbeaten on 119 in 72 balls.

Bates also took three for 15 and took an outstanding boundary catch to cap an outstanding individual performance.

Derby has become a regular venue for women's international cricket and staged its first game in 2006. It isn't the only Derbyshire venue to host international cricket for women as Queen's Park, Chesterfield has provided the setting for games between Australia v New Zealand. Australia also played India there in 2011.

Day 77: Phoenix look an exciting prospect

 

Birmingham Phoenix announced that they will be welcoming Ellyse Perry to their team when they take part in this year's Hundred competition.

It is a remarkable signing that must make the midlands side not just one of the most exciting teams in the tournament but one of the favourites.

Perry is one of the leading allrounders in the women's game and a box office player. She has excelled in all formats of the game, including a double hundred in an Ashes test match. As well as representing Australia at cricket, she has played international football as well.

It will come as a relief to Amy Jones, who will also represent the Phoenix side. In 2019 Perry seemed to have the measure over her former Loughborough Lightning teammate. Other former Lightning players in the squad include Sophie Devine, Kirstie Gordon, Thea Brookes and Georgia Elwiss.

The rest of the squad are just as exciting; Issy Wong is a young, fast bowler on the fringes of the England side and should be a fixture at the international level soon.

Devine is one of the most explosive allrounders around, and if she doesn't fire them to victory with bat and ball, then Ashley Gardner, the Australian international should be in the runs.

With Scotland set to have an exciting summer of qualifying for next years T20 World Cup and Commonwealth Games, it will be interesting to consistently see how Abtaha Maqsood steps up to playing against world-class players.

Every player in the squad makes me want to be in the Edgbaston crowd when they start in the summer. Evelyn Jones and Marie Kelly had terrific seasons for Central Sparks last year and should excel when playing on good tracks against good bowling. Emily Arlott is a good opening bowler who will only benefit from playing alongside Devine and Perry.

Day 76: Day tripping cricket fan

 While cricket isn't as tribalistic as some other sports where you literally have your team's crest tattooed to your skin as well as a place in your heart, cricket can be different. Of course, we have a team that we would spend the rest of our lives following around the country. It is also quite feasible that being in the right place at the right team, a cricket fan will watch two random county sides do battle.

 You may have guessed my allegiances, but I have travelled the country watching teams I don't know a great deal about in places I have never been. I don't think I would have visited Gloucester otherwise, well, maybe to visit the cathedral, but I would have no other reason to be there.

When I tell people, I have been to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the primary purpose wasn't to visit Shakespeare's birthplace but to see Warwickshire play Lancashire.

On my last trip to Cambridge, there wasn't much cricket, but I did get to see Nottinghamshire's cricketers play an impromptu game of football in a park just down the road from the cricket ground.

 I love the fact that I have a decent grasp of 18 of the countries counties through cricket. I wouldn't be adverse to explore the national counties, exploring the different rivalries that don't get as much attention as Devon v Cornwall or Norfolk v Suffolk.

 These counties, of course, got some exposure when there was a knock-out cup competition in the domestic calendar. That doesn't seem achievable with the cramped fixture list, but it would add a bit of colour. Everyone knows that Nottinghamshire's real rivalry would be with Lincolnshire.

 It is a shame that there are fewer games at outgrounds these days, with some counties not venturing away from their county headquarters.

 I had a look at some of the grounds I have been lucky enough to play at. While the game I played at Chesterfield's Queens Park was over far too quickly, it was a fantastic experience knowing that some of the game's greats have trodden the same path as myself, even if they didn't get hit into the stream.

 

I genuinely want to complete the set of the main first-class grounds in England and Wales, and I'm only two away from that. Taunton and Cardiff, I am hopefully making my way to you soon.

Day 75: Wood would be in my starting line up

 

I only saw one ball of the T20 between India and England today. With the game scheduled for a time I was at work, it was inevitable, and there will be another T20 game comes along before too long.

 I saw Mark Wood bowl to KL Rahul; it beat the Indian opener all ends up, and Rahul was starting the long walk back without scoring.

 When a lot of attention is given to Jofra Archer, and rightly so in the fast bowling stakes, you can forget how good Wood is. The Durham fast bowler is one of those honest sorts of people and performers. He is a joker as well, riding around the outfield on an imaginary horse.

 It has been unfortunate for both Wood and England that he has been plagued with regular injuries. Wood was part of the side that won the 2019 World Cup, and if England could guarantee that Wood would stay injury-free, then there is no doubt that they would win everything in sight.

With the way England is resting and rotating players of late, it may be to Wood's advantage. He is a shoo-in for the white-ball formats, and one would wish he could string several Test matches more often.

 Wood is the most recent of a string of fantastic pace bowlers to have been nurtured by Durham, and England has been able to get the best out. Steve Harmison is the best of the lot, having helped England to the 2005 Ashes.

 I’m thinking of starting a cricket podcast. It would be good to broaden my horizons in a media world where the written word isn’t enough. I saw an advertisement for a commentator for one of the regional sides, which sounded something I would love to do. However, I don’t have the experience; how does one go about getting it?

 

A couple of wonderful women’s cricket podcasts/ vodcasts make me feel I would struggle to gain an audience that would do it justice. I want to do a general podcast of the domestic game in England for both the women’s and men’s game.

 

If this is something you like the sound of it, then let me know what you’d like to hear. I’m not afraid to mistakes in trying to get it right. It would be good to give it a go, I know it is out of my comfort zone, but I need to go there more often to see where it takes me.

Day 74: Taylor and Sussex fit like a glove

Today Sarah Taylor was announced as the new Sussex wicketkeeping coach. It is a fantastic appointment and continues the Sussex coaching team's trend of finding good coaches and coaches who have a passion for the club they have represented as players.

A World Cup winner in 2017, Taylor has been an outstanding servant for both England and Sussex over her career. She will now be working with the Sussex men's first team and the Sussex pathway players.

 Taylor played 226 times for England and soon became recognised as one of the world's best keepers.

She will join head coaches James Kirtley and Ian Sailsbury, both of whom played for Sussex and England in their playing careers.

 When Taylor was just 23, there were rumours that she could have played a handful of games Sussex men's second XI. It didn't happen, but there was no doubting that Taylor was good enough. A few years later, she would go on to play men's grade cricket in Australia.

When I interviewed Taylor for Women's CricZone back in 2019, she said, "This is where I grew up; this is my home essentially. The support we have at Sussex is unbelievable."

That is the type of person that Sussex are looking for to drive them forward. When they were at their most successful, they were lead by people that got the idea of what it meant to play for Sussex and go out there and make them winners.

While much will be made of the fact that Taylor is the first female coach in the men's game, she is there on merit.

 Having come through the system at the same time as first-team captain Ben Brown, both know each other well and the levels of respect is huge.

 I expect it to be the start of something special, and Sussex will continue their long tradition of producing fine wicketkeepers for years to come.

Day 73: South Africa are looking to move to the next level

 Sometimes you are better off disregarding the ICC ODI rankings; they are complicated and can fudge who the best teams are. I think right now, it would be difficult to disagree with them. Australia are top by a decent margin, and then there is England, South Africa battling it out for the second spot. New Zealand and West Indies trail some way behind them.

South Africa have out of the top ten teams to have played the most games. It is their regular schedule that has helped their players form a tight-knit squad.

They have won a series in India with a game to spare and missing key players in their line-up, including Dane van Niekerk and her replacement Sunne Luus. The only other side to come away from India with a series is Australia.

Laura Wolvaardt continues to impress, and with the added burden of captaincy in the last two games has lead from the front.

All the top four of South Africa’s passed fifty today, with Lara Goodall (59*) and Mignon du Preez (61) built on Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee’s 119 runs first-wicket partnership. It was an imposing target for South Africa, and many teams may have crumbled under the pressure of maintaining the chase.

When you consider Luus and Van Niekerk are to comeback into the batting line-up, South Africa can become a real force in international cricket. They should be targeting at least the semi-final at every major tournament from now on.

They can’t be that far off reaching a final. In their previous semi-finals, England at Bristol 2017 and Australia at the SCG in 2020, they narrowly missed out to the eventual winners on both occasions.

With that experience behind them, they will go into 2022 confident that they can bring back a piece of silverware somewhere.

As for India is where do they go from here? Do they need to ask some of the players they recently discarded to come back? Maybe. What perhaps they need to do is learn from the international sides ahead of them.

A women’s IPL is a must, a strong domestic structure and given all the support it can to thrive is also a given. India’s national team also needs to play more matches, not just in India but worldwide. If they are invited by any other side to play, they should take it.

It would be a shame if India could not build on their recent success in reaching two World Cup finals, not because they haven’t got the players, but because they weren’t given a chance to build on some firm foundations.

Day 72: Trip to Northampton saw Duckett at top of game

 I have only ever been to Northampton once. It was at the start of the 2016 season. Northampton, I would guess, is a better place to access by road than by any other form of transport. It was how I got there with a friend. Some train routes included a journey to Coventry.

It was a glorious April day, and on the way down, it was a reasonable assumption that play would start on time. Once in the ground, it was a different story; sheets of ice had been removed from the outfield, and play would be delayed. It was a game where rain would wash away the final two days, so it didn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

With any new season, there is always a sense of optimism. For Sussex fans that started to fade on day one. It should have been a day to welcome George Garton to Championship cricket, and Danny Briggs had moved from Hampshire with something to prove in the red ball game. Ross Taylor, the New Zealand batsman, also made his Sussex Championship debut for Sussex in the match, although he would not get the opportunity to bat.

Ben Duckett stole the show for the home side as he started to go about amassing a mammoth 282 not out over the course of the two days of play. Duckett is a player that many feel has not gone on to fulfil his potential throughout his career. It is a real shame, as Duckett proved throughout that innings, he has the ability.

A bowling attack for Sussex that included Steve Magoffin, Ollie Robinson, Garton and Ajmal Shahzad should never be easy to score against early in the season. With Sussex happy to bowl first, that was the expectation.

Duckett, in that innings, was helped along the way with the help of opening partner Jake Libby (42) – a player he would play alongside at Notts- and Alex Wakely (51), his Northants skipper.

Duckett's standout performance was in a year when there was a call for a young opening batsman to prove they were worthy of an England squad.

Unfortunately for Duckett, his career has been plagued by off-field incidents such as the one that saw him sent home from Australia in an incident that James Anderson described as "a bit of a non-event" at the time.

There is no doubting Duckett can play, and if he knuckles down at Trent Bridge this summer, he might finally be able to put some of his previous behaviour behind him. He isn't the only player with a reputation at Notts, and together they will look to put their ability on the pitch to the forefront.

Day 71: Morgan's men giving it their best shot

It was a good day for England. They won the first T20 of their series with India. It was a performance that makes the number one ranked side in the format one of the favourites for the next T20 World Cup scheduled for October and November this year.

I don't think you will find anyone in the England camp to admit it publicly. It will take something special for anyone to break into this squad, which sounds like bad news for Alex Hales. The Nottinghamshire opener lost the senior players' trust in the run-up to the 2019 World Cup and has been trying to regain his place ever since.

Hales's problem is that Jason Roy is just as effective at the top of the order on his day. With England also opening the batting with Jos Buttler, spaces are at a premium. England could even bat Jonny Bairstow in that place as well.

It was a welcome return of form for Bairstow today after his red-ball struggles. With the game as good as won by the time the Yorkshire wicketkeeper-batsman came to the middle, he could free his arms and take the attack to the bowling. Bairstow finished with 26 not out from 17 balls as England won by eight wickets with 29 balls to spare.

In T20 terms, that is about as comprehensive a victory you can get. Much of the win was built on England's bowling. There is genuine pace in Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, good death bowling for Chris Jordan, and Adil Rashid's spin giving England's attack real match winners.

What is even better for England is they have other options in the bowlers they use. David Willey and Chris Woakes are useful options, and Moeen Ali is a handy second spinner.

England will expect India to come back at them for the rest of the series, and it will be an actual test of England's chances to bring back another T20 World Cup. It won't be easy for the ODI World Champions to hold both trophy's, but Eion Morgan's side will give it their best to achieve it.

Day 70: Have laptop will travel

I have big plans for the coming cricket season. In the past, that would have been to take 20 wickets in the Mansfield and District League. I have no plans to stop playing, but my goals for this season are from the boundary edge. I know for sure that includes writing as much as I can. Those of you following this blog will know that I have been writing every day this year.

What are my plans once the first umpires of summer call play? I want to be coving as much domestic cricket as time will allow me around the day job. In particular, I will concentrate on women's cricket. I outlined a few reasons in this post https://bit.ly/3qBMdjl

I will outline the competitions that I aim to cover; if you have any other ideas of what I can do to bring the coverage they deserve, please let me know. We all need to make sure that the content of women's sport is the best it can be and that we get the message out that it worth investing time, effort and money into. That starts with us.

County T20 Cup

This starts while there are lockdown restrictions still in force. This will make it difficult to cover anything more than local, combined with Sunday games and my only option to get to games is public transport makes it more difficult.

I like the format of three games in a day, and the games are usually entertaining. If I can get to the ground, I will be there, offering updates on how unfolding events.

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

I enjoyed this competition last year. There is a real sense that the domestic game has taken an enormous step forward. The games were played at some exciting grounds, and I was lucky enough to be at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge to report on games last year.

I want to continue to support this competition. I will be pleased to see some of the southern sides in action, although the Midlands sides will remain a focus due to their location. Still, adventures further afield will be on the cards by the time the action kicks off.

Some outstanding players in the RHFT deserve to have their stories told. I have started to interview players and plan to arrange more over the coming months. Having these players and their coaches stories told is essential in giving new supporters a way to find out more about their new favourite players.

When the same sides turn to T20 action, I plan to be there as well.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup European Qualifier

This is probably the most exciting event on my radar. I'm not sure about logistics yet. How will I get there? Where will I stay? Would I be able to stay for the final? The summer holidays end the day of the final, and it is a long way from home.

What I will not exhaust is a way of getting there. We must support the associate nations; the game needs to grow beyond its traditional areas, and encouraging countries such as France, Germany, and Turkey is important. Just look how much fun it was to have Thailand at last years T20 World Cup.

Having a Scottish heritage that I am proud of doesn't go amiss, and spending some time in the country that my ancestors lived in is important to me.

The Hundred

Love or hate the concept; there is no getting away from the importance for women's cricket that the Hundred has to the women's game. It will be the official shop window for the game, even more so that England games in some respects.

With games set to be broadcast on free-to-air television, it will be the first time that a large audience will see women's domestic cricket.

It coincides with the start of the school holidays, and I will have time to devote to detailed competition coverage.

Men's domestic cricket

If there is time left after, I would like to cover some of the men's county competitions, such as the championship, T20 blast and 50 over competition. With Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire on my doorstep, staying local isn't a problem. Having been a supporter of Sussex for nearly 30 years now, I have a vested interest in their games.

Looking for any opportunity

Besides writing, I'm not sure what I am capable of, I have helped record a baseball podcast in the past, and I'm not sure if I could do something similar. There are already others doing great stuff in that area, and would I be a voice too many?

I'm willing to give anything a go. Let's work together.

Day 69: Lets hope for more Tests

 It appears suddenly that India wants their women’s team to play more Test matches. It has come as a surprise to a lot of us. The BCCI has been criticised for how they have been running the women’s game of late. It has appeared for years that Test match cricket outside of the Ashes was consigned to the past.

It isn’t bad that women’s Test cricket has reappeared on the radar; it has just caught many off guard, including the ECB, who are still finalising the women’s international calendar this summer.

In 2006 I was at all four days of a Test Match between England and India at Leicester. England declared at lunch on the last day and were two wickets away from an unlikely win by the end.

If Test cricket is to become a part of the international landscape, it would also need to become more of a factor at the domestic level. This is starting to become more of a possibility in England and Australia, with new levels of professionalism.

With the regional system in England, there are different ways multi-day games could be scheduled. Matches between the other regions show clear games to prove the best teams in the north, midlands, and south. Or a mix of the best players for the north and south regions.

If you want to implement more Test matches, it will help to get players used the format. There will be game plans developed, and skills will be developed to the benefit of the players.

Some players have been deprived of playing what is seen by players and commentators as the ultimate version of the game. There are players like Laura Wolvaardt who may never get to play the format she is suited to.

Hopefully, it is just another reason why the women’s game is the way forward.

Day 68: Happy to be a loser

 I was thinking about why I support some of the sporting teams that I do. Geography doesn’t always play a part. I had never been to Norwich or Loughborough before I took an interest in their teams.

Two of the cricket teams I have an affinity to are down mostly to geography. I was born, and for a long while, I have lived in Nottinghamshire. I have been going to Trent Bridge regularly for as long as I can remember. My first game was the Test match with the famous duel between Michael Atherton and Allan Donald, albeit the day after. £4 for a days test cricket, what isn’t to like?

But for me, it will always be the team from Hove that will have my loyalty. I lived in Crawley for a short time, and when my family moved over the Hampshire border, I knew that the six martlets team were my side.

It was never built on wanting to support a successful side but a team I could identify with. I missed the era where Imran Khan played for the ultimate South Coast side, but that never mattered. I cried when Sussex lost the Nat West Trophy Final in 1993. I soon satisfied that this team was never going to win anything. I was content with my happy go lucky losers.

Chris Adams, Peter Moores, and Mark Robinson ruined that. They found a way to make Sussex winners, and it was great while those glory years took place.

There was a mix of young players and experienced pros. All with a will to win and united under strong leaders. It was great; I was in my element and far away from the county, I found inventive ways to watch them play as often as possible.

What it did was raise my hopes and expectations. I was happy supporting a team that finished nowhere. I really was. Now that Sussex have crept back into their old ways, I still hope that they will put a string of victories together and add to the three County Championships that were won during the years that Mushtaq Ahmed spun Sussex to the top of the first-class tree.

Although I’m happy with Sussex being a team that only I could love, and for me, that is the most important thing.

Day 67: Positives of International Women's Day

 It will take a lot to surpass the International Women's Day of 2020; that day saw over 86,000 watched the Women's T20 World Cup final. The Australian team's iconic moment dancing with Katy Perry after the tournament's last ball started to become a memory.

Yesterday we saw two different series being played on the same day as India played their first international in nearly a year. Much has been made of India's absence on the international scene. One started to wonder if the women's team was a high priority in the BCCI.

Today they surprised more than a few people when it was announced that India will be playing a Test match when they visit England this summer. India have not played a Test since 2014.

England and Australia have remained the only two sides to still compete in the longest format. It will be good not just for the fans but the players of the top nations that there is a prospect of playing Test cricket.

There was also an announcement by the ICC stating that the Women's World Cups in both the ODI and T20 formats would be extended to include more teams. While they both won't take place for a while, it is a step in the right direction and indicates the ICC know that the women's game is a growth area.

The World Cup will move from 8 teams in 2025 to ten teams in 2029. Similarly, the T20 World cup will move from ten teams in 2024 to 12 teams in 2026. A six-team T20 Champions Cup will also be introduced in 2027.

It gives hope to the teams outside the top eight ranked sides of making a World Cup. The appearance of Thailand at last years T20 World Cup was a joy to behold. They never let themselves down, and it would be great to see more associate nations have a place at the top table.

Day 66: England show depth while South Africa prove they are a match for anyone

 I cannot think of the last time that Heather Knight missed an international match for England. I'm sure it wasn't that long ago, and I will find out for you. It shows how crucial she has been seen to the prospects of the team that she leads.

It is also a testament to her side that her team rallied and won with relative ease when a slight injury ruled her out. Natalie Sciver took the reigns, England stepped up their game, bowling out New Zealand for 96.

There weren't any real stand out performances with the bat, although Sophia Dunkley and Amy Jones steadied the ship that enabled Fran Wilson to score a rapid 31 not out.

The depth in England's batting is impressive; Freya Davies would be among the world's better number elevens.

Each of England's spinners in the final game of the tour will have legitimate aspirations to be considered all-rounders in the future. Sophie Ecclestone has continued to develop her skills with the bat and scored an impressive fifty in last years Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Trent Bridge. Sarah Glenn has opened the batting in county cricket and can move up the order for England.

They will all see just how Katherine Brunt continued to believe in her ability with the willow in hand.

What has not been forgotten is just how well they can perform with the ball, and Jones benefitted from three stumpings due to her bowlers' guile. Maddy Villiers with 3 for 10, Ecclestone 2 for 19 and Glenn 1 for 21 shows just how important it is to have a variation in your spinners.

South Africa got their tour of India off to the perfect start as they comfortably beat their hosts by eight wickets. India were indebted to Mithali Raj (50) and Harmanpreat Kaur (40) to post 177 for nine from their 50 overs.

Laura Wolvaardt (80) and Lizzelle Lee (83*) proved too good as South Africa coasted to the win with 59 balls remaining.

It was just under a year since India's women took part in the T20 World Cup Final. It has been a bizarre year for most of the world, even more for a team that came close to being the world champions.

There was genuine amazement at the squad selected for the series. It wasn't that some players had been dropped or new players brought in - although that played a part - there was no justification for the selections.

South Africa have played Pakistan in international fixtures, and with a good group of players, they have proven that any team shouldn't underestimate them.

Day 65: Time to be brave in selection

If you are England’s selectors, what is your main priority when you take on New Zealand for the final game tour? Is it to select your best team in the hope of securing a clean sweep of the T20 series? Or do you try new combinations hoping that even if the result goes against you, you have looked at your options going forward?

While Sophia Dunkley managed to get out in the middle of the second T20I, she didn’t face a ball. She must get a chance to bat for a while. There is nothing better than having the experience of getting bat on ball. Even if it is a struggle, it will allow Dunkley to work on aspects of her game.

I would also not be opposed to giving Sarah Glenn a chance to be floated up the order. If the runs are flowing, it would be good to see Glenn allowed to smash it to all corners of the ground. She has impressed the coaching staff with her range of hitting.

One of the biggest problems with England’s batting is that there are too many openers for too few spaces. Amy Jones moved down the order to an unfamiliar role to her, but at six, the principles of scoring quick runs are much the same.

Freya Davies needs to be given a run of games now. If that means that more senior players are rested for T20 action, then so be it. We know what Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt can do.

Would it be worth giving Issy Wong a game tonight? I think it would be. Just allow her to run in and bowl with some pace. The more she is trusted to tear through teams, the sooner Wong will get it right.

It is difficult to say when the England players will be available for the regional hubs, but I hope that as many players get given a good run out. With the county T20 competition set to start the domestic season at the end of April, there is a sense that it is a proper season rather than sporadic blocks of cricket through the season.

Day 64: Brilliant Beaumont

It is hard to imagine an England women's side where Tammy Beaumont isn't accumulating runs; if they were a physical entity, she would have to pay an excessive charge in extra baggage on her return from New Zealand. An ODI average of over 45 with seven hundreds and twelve fifties.

When you consider that Beaumont started her England career batting at ten in 2009, her rise to the top has been remarkable. Now ranked the number one batter in ODI cricket, Beaumont is at her consistent best. She has taken the ODI form into the T20 format and as her innings of 63 from 53 balls proved.

The second T20I saw another outstanding performance from England. There were runs for Beaumont and four wickets for Freya Davies, who has been a key performer for Western Storm during their successful Kia Super League days is finally getting a more consistent run with the England side.

It is not just good for Davies but also for England, who have a busy 2022 ahead. With the next 12 months, England will get an excellent opportunity to look at their side's make-up for the next few years. The inclusion of Tash Farrant for the current tour shows that the door is not closed to anyone.

With the workload of Katherine Brunt being monitored and Anya Shrubsole struggling with injury in the past year, it is imperative that England have a group of players who can step up when needed.

There are a group of bowlers outside of the England team that have a decent chance of impressing. Katie George would have been on tour had it not been for injury, and Issy Wong and Lauren Bell are the players after that who have a chance to impress.

There are also players like Sophie Munro, improving with the regional hub system with another season of games under her belt, who should be raising their hands.

This week's 'No Balls Podcast' was an emotional one. After the tweet that Alex Hartley sent last week that caused more fuss than it merited, she spoke about how she has coped with the aftermath. There is an argument that it was a clumsy tweet that Hartley and Kate Cross both acknowledged it was, but the abuse that social media seems to attract was out of order.

If you have got valid criticism, that is one thing, but once you forget you are dealing with real people, you lose all respect from me.

Day 63: is the bat mightier than the pen?

 One of the most difficult aspects of commenting on any sport and cricket, in particular, is how do you talk about a player who is going through a rough period of form? How do you do it, objectively? It is far from easy. There are many reasons why you may criticise a player. They may have played a rash shot, bowled a poor spell or dropped an easy catch.

What is easy is to get carried away from the drama of it all. The way the crowd (when they are around) add to the occasion. As a writer, feedback is welcome because you want to get better and engage with your reader in an informative and entertaining way.

We will always have someone that reacts poorly to something you have done as a cricketer or a writer. Those that write about cricket were fans of the game long before they eulogise about it. Sometimes that makes you get wrapped up in what is happening too much. That objectivity disappears because we want a particular player to do well.

The player knows what they have done wrong and doesn't need the advice of someone who makes up the numbers village third team and plays the game for the teas.

Then again, I would doubt they look forward to former England players' opinions who may have forgotten what it's like to be in that pressure environment. Those on the sidelines commenting have been through a rough patch, had their technique found out and had to readjust.

Therefore the process of the cricketer is much like the writer, searching for perfection. The cricketer hits the nets, and hours of throw-downs while the writer goes through a process of editing; strengths that would be useful on a particular day are put away for the greater good.

It could be argued that the writer, the journalist, television pundit, is there to do a job and describe and give analysis of the day's events. There will be outspoken views on the game; one may be from a deep well of knowledge who can articulate their opinion with great skill.

They will always be the "it was better in my day" type who want to relive their glory days. It can, of course, be entertaining with their different perspective, but then it can also come across as boorish.

On the other hand, it can come across that you aren't giving an accurate account of the game if you gloss over the play's negative aspects.

There is a middle way, and as long as you are objective, fair to everyone and carry no bias, then most people will realise you are doing the best for the sport in general. With most games televised or streamed, someone will call you out on it if you are none of these things. Or they may have an agenda that goes against all that, but for now, I will let you decide.

Day 62: Impressive win for England and other good news

What a win for England in the first T20 against New Zealand? (https://www.womenssportdaily.co.uk/article/2021/03/03/england-ease-t20-victory-over-new-zealand) In a format where a couple of payers can be the difference in winning or losing, England had a team of players that contributed with bat or ball. Heather Knight run out can be exempted as her captaincy skills cannot go unacknowledged.

It was great to see Danni Wyatt look at her attacking best, and it is something for her to build on. If England are to be successful in the next 18 months or so, then runs at the top from Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont will be crucial.

More good news in the women's game is the announcement that France and Germany will meet in July for five T20 internationals. It will be useful preparation for both sides who will be competing against each other in Scotland at the end of August. The ICC T20 Qualification tournament will pit the sides against hosts Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Turkey and each other.

With the T20 format being encouraged to grow the women's game, it is exciting to see nations that you wouldn't traditionally associate with cricket. It is one of my ambitions to promote the European teams in particular, and hopefully, I will be in Scotland for most of that qualification tournament.

England's men go into the final test of their series against India in the early hours of Thursday. Let's hope that there is more talk about the actual cricket than the state of the pitch. While it is true that the pitch can be the deciding factor in a game, it would be better if the skills of the players were at the centre of the action.

I hope there is a recall for Dom Bess; he has taken wickets consistently this winter, but without the control, at times, he would have liked. He is a young player, though, who talks well about his game and how he strives to become the best bowler he can be.

With the confirmation of Jeetan Patel this week as England's spin bowling coach, I can see a profitable period for Bess. They have both worked together in the past; Bess has spoken about the help he has received from Patel.

Day 61: Hit your way into form

When you are out of form, it can feel like nothing you try works. You can, of course, go back to the drawing board and start from the basics with a coach. There is another course of action just to go out there and play some shots.

To feel bat on ball is the ultimate confidence booster; you might get lucky early on a lofted shot evades the fielder a ball that you might have chopped on misses the stumps by inches. The innings then feels like you can do noo wrong. This helps to bring back the old you, and five games down the line, you are back in the swing of things.

One player that might benefit from such an approach is Danni Wyatt. In the recent ODI series, Wyatt was struggling for runs. What is glorious about the T20 format is how those early powerplay overs can reward a batter who throws everything at them. When you are out of form, you feel like there is nothing to lose. It also feels like it is Wyatt's best format, and it will be good to see her get through those early overs and kick on.

There was good news for Wyatt's opening partner Tammy Beaumont, who moved to the top of the ODI rankings. A super ODI series against New Zealand was able to showcase her abilities.

Beaumont has become a consistent player since the 2017 World Cup and had the 2021 World Cup had gone ahead around this time, and she would have been in peak touch.

It will be interesting to see who England select in the T20 series with the Commonwealth Games and a T20 World Cup to come next year. England will want to look at some of the players on the fringes, as it could be that with such a busy year, England's first-choice side may not always be available.

It might be time to look at some of the batting slots, not because there is much wrong with the top order, but to give players a run of games will help develop younger players and provide them with a taste of international cricket.

I would imagine that Maddy Villiers will join Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn in the starting line up. It will be interesting where Sophia Dunkley fits in. It would be a shame if she was in the squad and didn't get a game.

The T20 series should be closer than the ODI series, but I wouldn't bet against a similar scoreline. Let's hope for a few fireworks from the bat of Sophie Devine as well.

Day 60: Stop annoying me!

 One of the things that infuriates me is how people who don't like cricket take pleasure in telling me. It is with absolute glee, and I'm not sure why. I don't think I ever denigrate anyone else's hobbies in the same way. I don't think I would enjoy doing plenty of things, but I would never lay into anyone for doing something they love. I don't particularly like golf, but if that is your thing, then fair enough.

It is the same as people's reaction to women's sports; fair enough, if it isn't your thing, that is fair enough. But leave those who do alone. What joy can anyone possibly get from telling an athlete who has put years of training into becoming the best at their event as possible?

If you are one of those who sees a post on social media of a women's sporting event and are urged to reply, 'no one cares,' I can assure you there are plenty of us that do.

I have met many women who play competitive sport and have seen the passion they put into playing the game and inspiring those that come after. When you write an anonymous message to someone who is putting all their heart into what they are doing, you confirm that we could never be friends.

I don't want to be so negative all the time, but here we are. I will always do my best to promote women's cricket, particularly as I have said before; I need to improve the standard of my writing.

Anyway, let us talk about something more encouraging and exciting. As we move into March, we aren't far away from the start of the cricket season. That anticipation of things to come starts to warm the heart.

I'm looking forward to a mix of different kinds of cricket.

I will hopefully get to play for Sherwood Colliery in the Bassetlaw League. I want to watch and write about as many games as possible, both women's and men's. It's not a case of one over the other. Cricket is cricket, and that is where I want to be.

I have recently interviewed some inspiring cricketers and a fantastic coach. I am working on transcribing those interviews and hopefully bring them to you soon. If you can get them to a wider audience, let me know, and we can work together.

Are there any players or coaches out there you would like to hear about? If you had the opportunity to ask any questions, what would you ask?

Let's make this a fantastic season where the action does the talking, and there are wonderful stories to be told.