That's good news.

Yes, I tend to think that maybe it was a slip.
Just to go back to what Neil Snowball said, it was all of ten years ago:
"On the cricket side, I don’t think it’s a glib statement to say that we should be competing in all three forms of the game. I would like to think that we had won some silverware in each of those [next] five years. That is a challenge we should set ourselves and what we should aspire to do.
We’ve got a target at the moment of having 40% of our players home grown. I’d like to see that increased to north of 50%.
I’d also like to see the next generation of Warwickshire players playing for England."

Thanks for this, Reabank.
Apart from the financial assessments that are as interesting as usual, I was struck by what you highlighted in your separate but linked Warwickshire assessment - namely what is missing from the Club's "playing pillar" which talks about “ creating sustainable success for the Bears (20 overs cricket) and Birmingham Phoenix (men and women’s)” (Hundred teams)." In other words, there is no mention of success in the County Championship or the 50 over competitions. Also the fact that there is no reference to the development of players for men’s and women’s international teams.
I can recall that when I interviewed ex-CEO Neil Snowball a few years ago, he was very specific on including winning trophies across all competitions and developing international players as key objectives. If these really have been dropped, that is very disappointing.

The Club has now posted something:
https://edgbaston.com/news/warwickshire-county-cricket-club-is-mourning-the-passing-of-norman-gifford-mbe/?_gl=1*1peijby*_up*MQ..*_ga*MzMzNDE2ODIwLjE3NjkwMDU0Mjc.*_ga_NE7BBXK3VR*czE3NjkwMDU0MjYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjkwMDU0MjYkajYwJGwwJGgw*_ga_ZHXWMN2QK2*czE3NjkwMDU0MjYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjkwMDU0MjYkajYwJGwwJGgw

The Warwickshire website hasn't caught up with it yet; but Worcestershire have announced the sad news:
https://wccc.co.uk/news/norman-gifford-mbe-1940-2026/

Well, here's a surprise (if true)
https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2026/01/13/moeen-ali-lined-up-for-shock-return-to-english-domestic-cricket/

A great innings from Jacob Bethell!
There's an article in the Telegraph today about his childhood in Barbados, how his appetite for practice was insatiable - he would get his mother to bowl to him at 5.00 am.
My own very short direct experience with him confirms that dedication. I went to the pre-season media day in 2022 - the day when the players get photographed and are available for interview. The interviews took place on the practice ground where the players were in the nets. Three of us (George Dobell, me and one other) asked to interview Jacob Bethell who was in the nets batting. Whereas everyone else called for interview came over straight away, the message back from Jacob was that he was busy batting and would get to us afterwards.
When he did eventually come over, he was very charming and helpful - but batting came first!

According to an article in The Telegraph, when Jacob Bethell applied to go to Rugby School, he needed three references. One was provided by Sir Garry Sobers and a second by Sir Everton Weekes. The article doesn't say who provided the third but I suspect that it didn't matter too much.

Yes and a Happy New Year to all Bears fans everywhere!

As always, many thanks, EB, for keeping this Forum going. Long may it continue!

I'm glad that the Club reached out to you for your opinion, even though they didn't go with every amendment that you suggested.
If it's not confidential, who was it in the Club that contacted you?

Let's hope that he can score some runs in a "proper" Test match at Sydney. He played a key knock at the MCG but it was more like a white ball innings.

I agree that it's asking too much of him to come in without match practice at this stage of the series. I think he is more resilient as a character than some who have been put in that situation so my guess is he will survive.

Rob Key is getting a bit of a roasting after what seems to have been a disastrous press conference. Most telling is the ridicule in this article from Barney Ronay:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/dec/23/ashes-autopsy-english-cricket-meets-spinal-tap-rob-key-ecb
I particularly like:
" The England and Wales Cricket Board has mistakenly hired a broadcaster. It has confused cause and effect, presentation and delivery. The Honey Monster has been put in charge of global puffed rice production."

Underlying all this is the fact that longer form (red ball) cricket is the poor relation in England, played at the front end and back end of the season. It's not the best set up for producing Test match players.
Sadly, that's not going to change.

https://edgbaston.com/news/warwickshire-bears-behind-county-lines-2/?_gl=1*1fno31u*_up*MQ..*_ga*ODY2NzI3MDMwLjE3NjYzNDA5Mjk.*_ga_NE7BBXK3VR*czE3NjYzNDA5MjgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjYzNDA5MjgkajYwJGwwJGgw*_ga_ZHXWMN2QK2*czE3NjYzNDA5MjgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjYzNDA5MjgkajYwJGwwJGgw
I'm not sure who wrote this but it is quite a detailed attempt to give the history of both the county of Warwickshire and the cricket club.
I think the writer (or sub-editor) should maybe have avoided the use of the term "county lines" in the heading because it has other connotations.

Latest on the re-build:
https://edgbaston.com/news/stand-demolition-paves-way-for-next-stage-of-edgbaston-masterplan/
I see that the Club has now decided that the recently demolished stands were opened in 1958. I think that's a year or two early. But maybe the Club has looked up chapter and verse; and it really doesn't matter.

Nice work if you can get it:
"The Cricketer understands that the left-hander will earn £350,000 from being retained as one of Phoenix's pre-auction signings."

Pleased for Michael Rae - as I said after seeing him in 2024, a wholehearted trier.
As for Zak Foulkes - yes, he did play for us, though not in 2004!

Add to the above:
Chair of the Board
and
Senior Partnership Sales Manager