GerryShedd
Super Moderator
No joy for Gary Barwell and his team this year:
Full list of awards winners:
Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy (Multi-Day pitches)
Winner: Lee Fortis (Kia Oval)
Runner-up: Matt Merchant (Emirates Old Trafford)
Commendation: Vic Demain (Seat Unique Riverside)
One-Day pitches:
Winner: Lee Fortis (Kia Oval)
Runner-up: Richard Robinson (Headingley)
Commendations: Karl McDermott (Lord’s), Adrian Llong (The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury)
First Test Match Recognition Awards:
Richard Robinson, Headingley; England Men v Australia, 2023
Simon Tremlett, Wormsley Cricket Ground; England Women vs Australia 2013
Sean Williams, Seat Unique Bristol; England Women vs India 2021
Scott Hawkins, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton; England Women vs South Africa
Outground Pitches Award:
Winner: John Dodds (Scarborough CC)
Runner-up: Josh Marden (Beckenham)
Commendation: Nick Johnson (Blackpool CC)
I can't see anything yet on the Warwickshire site so I've had to look on the Somerset site to glean the following:
_"Derbyshire won three awards including sharing the Customer Retention Initiative Award and Best Development of a New Facility (under £500,000). The club also shared the Tickets or Membership Sales and Marketing Campaign of the Year with Midlands neighbours Warwickshire CCC, who led on their joint delivery of ‘Vitality Blast Off’ to launch the Vitality Blast season with a double header at Edgbaston.
The innovation preceded both clubs enjoying record years in terms of attendance and revenue and cemented Blast Off as a key fixture for next summer. Warwickshire also won the Best Domestic Spectator Experience award and was placed as finalists in four other categories."
More information here:
https://somersetcountycc.co.uk/news/club-news/hat-trick-for-somerset-at-business-of-cricket-awards/
Not quite sure what I think about this:
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/cricket/bears-ceo-stuart-cain-reveals-28069058
Like one or two recent overseas stars, it would seem that the fireworks didn't shine and sparkle last night:
Edgbaston Facebook page:
"Due to the atmospheric conditions and unfortunate weather conditions we know that our fireworks display was impacted.
We are currently investigating the issues that occurred and we will communicate with all ticket purchasers in due course."
Latest advertised vacancy at the Club:
https://edgbaston.com/news/vacancy-performance-nutritionist/
How times have changed since the days of Nancy, the cook at Lord's. She was a fearsome little Irish lady who cooked huge lunches for the players, appreciated by Mike Gatting in particular. It is well recorded that Middlesex captain Mike Brearley approached her and asked if her meals for the players could be more
in line with modern sporting dietary theory. Nancy's reply: "You worry about the effing cricket Michael and I'll worry about the
effing food!"
The subject was never raised again.
Not much of a Warwickshire content; but I can thoroughly recommend this book as good reading:
https://deepextracover.com/2023/10/book-review-footprints-david-foots-lifetime-of-writing-by-stephen-chalke/
Good to see three young Bears selected:
https://edgbaston.com/news/bears-trio-selected-for-england-under-19s-india-tour/
Essex are the only other county to have as many as three players selected.
Here's my season review:
https://deepextracover.com/2023/10/season-review-warwickshire/
As usual, happy to accept (constructive!) criticism.
Update from BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66613767
Three Bears in the top 25, though I don't know why they are identified as Birmingham Bears when the rest are identified by county:
https://www.thepca.co.uk/mvp-domestic/
Anyway, well done to Ed Barnard for making the top ten.
I know that we criticise our ground staff from time to time; but I'm not sure that they have ever been guilty of anything like what happened in Bristol today when the match had to be abandoned.
From Cricinfo:
".. an issue with the covers being caught in the wind left the pitch exposed, before the three mobile covers came on from Ashley Down Road End. The tractor dragging the covers ended up driving down what would have been just outside the off stump of a right-hander batting from the Pavilion End. There was also a delay in closing the gaps between the covers allowing the rain to get onto the playing surface. Groundstaff then had to squeeze under the covers where they were passed mats to towel down the damaged areas at both ends."
Starting off with a backwards look at the away fixture - it's a pity that this work wasn't done in the last close season:
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/sport/23810059.somerset-ccc-undergo-outfield-renovation-county-ground/
From The Cricketer:
"Fans of the County Championship are set to be disappointed by the look of next year's schedule, meanwhile. There will not be many four-day matches in the heart of summer again.
The problem is that the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA takes up all but three days of June.
Therefore schedulers are planning to sandwich the Blast either side of The Hundred. In a switch from this year's model of playing the entire tournament in an eight-week block, the Blast group stage will be played before The Hundred begins, with the quarter-finals (probably) and Finals Day (definitely) returning to September.
The One-Day Cup will again be played alongside The Hundred, with the final at Trent Bridge on either September 7 or 28. This year there were two Championship rounds in June, and three in July, a distinct improvement on previous years. Red-ball fans will pray 2025 sees a return to that."
When I arrived at Edgbaston yesterday with my daughter, I had no idea of the surprise that she and the Club were going to spring on me!
https://edgbaston.com/news/80th-birthday-surprise-for-lifelong-bears-fan/
As well as Will Rhodes, I got birthday wishes from the legendary OH-D and also Mark Robinson.
Many thanks to Brigg Ford for making it happen.
Here's an opportunity to air all the moans that have been expressed on here - and maybe even listen to what the Chief Executive has to say:
https://edgbaston.com/news/stuart-cain-to-host-members-forum-during-northants-fixture/
Mr Robinson has his say about this fixture:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66660069
And we learn:: "Robinson hopes Chris Rushworth (hamstring) will prove his fitness but expects to be without Alex Davies in addition to Hasan Ali while Liam Norwell is unlikely to return this season."
Details have been published:
https://edgbaston.com/warwickshire-ccc/membership/?utm_campaign=14073418_WCCC%20-%202024%20Full%20Club%20Launch&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=DotDigital&dm_i=1AFS,8DN4A,8II8VY,YJTQA,1
I haven't had chance to compare prices with 2023, but I'm sure someone will do that.
Spectator guide here:
https://wccc.co.uk/spectator-guide-worcestershire-vs-warwickshire-2/
My colleague Graham Smith has produced a comprehensive preview of prospects for the Metro Bank One Day Cup:
https://deepextracover.com/2023/07/preview-of-the-metro-bank-one-day-cup/