GerryShedd
Super Moderator
Interesting article here about past Aussie Bears:
https://edgbaston.com/news/webster-joins-roll-call-of-aussie-bears/
Not sure who wrote it, though it has a Brian Halford feel to it.
I had totally forgotten about E. F. Waddy, an Aussie schoolmaster at Rugby School. It seems that a century ago, he was doing exactly what it has been suggested should happen now - sending Warwickshire's way cricketers from the school, though none of them achieved very much. In later life, as well as being vicar of the Littletons in Worcestershire, he was a beekeeper and an expert conjuror. Not a lot of people know that.
The article also mentions one half of my favourite Bears related quiz question - who are the two players who played together in the same first-class team and were not related but no-one else with the same surname has ever played first-class cricket?
He is speaking at the Cricket Society meeting at Edgbaston next week:
"Steve Perryman, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Tue 21 Jan, 2.00pm
Former Warwickshire, and Worcestershire cricketer in conversation with Brian Halford."
Well worth attending.
Signed for the first part of the season until the end of July - could be a good signing:
https://edgbaston.com/news/aussie-test-allrounder-webster-signs-for-warwickshire/
The latest county cricket census carried out by Wisden makes depressing reading for Bears fans who would hope that a club of the size of Warwickshire would be able to produce more than its fair share of home-grown talent. But:
- in a table of what percentage of players were born in the county or an adjoining one, Warwickshire came 12th out of 18 counties
- in a table showing where county players learnt their cricket, Warwickshire came 13th
- looking at the % of home-grown players, Warwickshire were 15th; and in the table of who had signed the most from other counties, the Bears were second
- overall, Warwickshire were 17th out of 18 in looking at the balance between creation and purchase of players
The New Year report card must say "could do better".
This tournament went (perhaps rightly) under the radar; but from this report, it would appear that, as well as Ethan Brookes, Ed Barnard and Alex Davies also played for the England team:
https://wccc.co.uk/brookes-part-of-england-squad-for-hong-kong-sixes/
Losing to Nepal and Oman doesn't suggest that it was a very successful venture.
This year's winners:
Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy (Multi-Day pitches):
Winner: Lee Fortis (Kia Oval)
Runner-up: Richard Robinson (Headingley)
Commendation: Karl McDermott (Lord’s)
One-Day pitches:
Winner: Adrian Llong (The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury)
Runner-up: Gary Barwell (Edgbaston)
Commendations: Andy Ward (Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road), Ben Gibson (The 1st Central County Ground, Hove)
Outground Pitches Award:
Winner: Josh Marden (The County Ground, Beckenham)
Runner-up: Christian Brain (Cheltenham College)
Commendations: Nick Johnson (Blackpool CC), Brad Jeffries (Kidderminster CC)
Outstanding Contributor:
Tom Cowley (Hampshire County Cricket Club)
Business Of Cricket Awards, Rising Star:
Jasmine Nicholls (Yorkshire County Cricket Club)
If you want to depress yourself and also can get past the paywall, read the article in The Telegraph today:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2024/10/29/short-format-leagues-twenty20-prize-money-financial-riches/?WT.mc_id=e_DM443444&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_PrS_New&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_PrS_New20241030&utm_campaign=DM443444
Amongst other topics, it describes how some players sign up for franchise competitions without knowing until they arrive which team they are playing for; and how sometimes it's in a player's interests for his team to lose and not qualify for the later stages because the player is signed up for a different competition that overlaps - what the players call “double dipping”: earning from two competitions being played at the same time.
According to The Telegraph, for 2025, the ECB plan to place two rounds of Kookaburra action in the middle of the summer, and two in a similar slot in early September.
A record set at Edgbaston fell today - England's highest ever Test partnership, set in 1957 when Peter May and Colin Cowdrey added 411 together. Root and Brook went well beyond that with 454.
Someone with more time and patience than I possess has calculated who has scored the most (first class) runs and taken the most wickets at Edgbaston.
Any guesses as to the identities of the two players?
Ed Barnard declared as Player of the Tournament for the second successive year.
As in the Blast, the Bears beaten by the winners! Congratulations to Glamorgan.
What a sensible decision (for a change) for the authorities to look at the forecast and reduce the match to 20 overs a side which they just completed before the rains came down again. And well done the groundstaff!
Here's the table with just this one match to play:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/county-championship-division-one-2024-1410191/points-table-standings
Details of the Members Forum here:
https://edgbaston.com/news/members-attend-season-review-forum-qa/
Hardly an upbeat preview here:
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/warwickshire-vs-essex-tuesday-17th-september-2024/#match-match-previews
Preview here:
https://deepextracover.com/2024/08/vitality-county-championship-match-preview-warwickshire-v-kent/
We thought we had a long injury list but it looks like Kent have at least seven out through illness/injury.
What do we think the team will look like? Do we know if Sam Hain is fit?
Graham Smith previews the semis here:
https://deepextracover.com/2024/08/metro-bank-one-day-cup-semi-final-previews/
I was saddened to hear of his death last week; but made even sadder by finding out that he took his own life when he was struck by a train.
Rob Yates and Hamza Shaikh are in the squad for the match against Sri Lanka starting next Wednesday so won't be available for the match against Notts in the One Day Cup - but Notts also have two players in the squad.
https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4078900/england-lions-name-squad-for-sri-lanka-tour-game