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.