mad
Member
3 good discussion pieces on BBC Breakfast this morning including chats with Roland Butcher and Jonathon Agnew
Agnew clearly upset after a chat yesterday with a former colleague who had experienced racism in his playing days
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0011g46/breakfast-06112021
Forward to 1 hr 31, then 2 hr 29 and finally 3 hr 35.
Damning assessment of the ECB here. Spot on too. All the issues Yorkshire have caused over the years including the monkey chants at Gladstone and Alvin 1982 semi final. TCCB at that time and now the ECB far too cosy with Yorkshire it seems.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/nov/05/racism-cricket-ecb-azeem-rafiq-yorkshire-cricket
the ECB is “not fit for purpose”. But then, this model was always a punt, a 25-year experiment in how to run cricket based around TV rights and the England team.
Other things have been neglected along the way: the wider mission, the need to see more than just a commodity to be harvested. In Harrison, a marketeer and a salesman, the ECB probably has the figurehead it deserves right now. But sport must be more than this
Interview with Tom Harrison here well worth reading
From this I'm still not entirely sure the ECB have got a complete handle on this or realise the magnitude of the abuses up at Headingley. Talk of similar punishment to what Durham had handed out to them. Surely it'd have to be more severe than that!
Is this issue simply bigger than the ECB or are they just too intertwined with YCCC to act as independent overseers?
Rana Naved (Yorkshire's overseas player in 2009 who played alongside Azeem, Shazad and Adil Rashid in the T20 match at Trent Bridge) has corroborated Azeems allegation against Vaughan.
Another Asian player has spoken of racism in the early 2000's at Yorkshire
I'd suggest Vaughan's media career is toast
I hope Bresnan is not one of the names as he played that day too
Michael Vaughan is named in the report. I presume his is the incident Rafiq has previously described from Trent Bridge 2009 a T20 match when a senior player told him as they walked onto the field "there's too many of you lot, we need to have a word"
He's likely to deny the allegation and it's a trickier one to pin down but does speak to the culture at the club
Well he's long advocated a reduction in the number of counties playing first class cricket so at least we now have one that can be scrubbed from the game...
Worse still to come in terms of the evidence to be presented too. Genuinely feel it might lead to Yorkshire being expelled from first class status for a season or two. They might not be able to afford to field sides at that level either.
I wonder if other counties will get dragged in. I see Gloucestershire put out a statement a month back apologising for not following up a racist incident towards Syd Lawrence at Cheltenham in the 80's. It was almost certainly rife in much of the game back then not just Yorkshire where the culture seems to have carried some of these aspects 25/30 years longer than elsewhere.
Azeem Rafiq put 43 incidents to the investigation. A large number were not even considered by the investigation which has been described as like marking one's own homework.
Fixtures will be delayed no doubt. Can't see them being issued much before Xmas now although I notice the Minor Counties fixture dates are out now and there's another of those slots for 50 over game First Class v National Counties showcase - July 30/August 1st which suggests the 50 over comp will be in August again
Good summary of the case on Radio 4 interview this morning 8.30am. Gary Richardson with George Dobell
from 2 hours 30 mins https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00114m4
This is indeed a wider issue of the game as a whole at club/county and school level but particular issues exist within Yorkshire at county and club level historically that only probably exist on a much smaller scale elsewhere (Essex and East London with their Bengali communities perhaps?)
ECB will hold a meeting at 6pm tonight then Yorkshire EGM tomorrow
Dobell is quite right the up to a dozen perpetrators from 2008-2018 need help as opposed to ostracising for going along with something that was clearly ingrained in the clubs "win at all costs" and show "true northern grit Yorkshire" mentality but the club (and Yorkshire county cricket structures) needs transforming and needs to let go of its rather dated 1960's/70's outlook
I'm not that surprised. I doubt he'd have forced his way into the ashes on the back of 2 practice games. He can use first half of winter on his technique and if Australia open up after Xmas he could go play in Perth for one of the club sides for a couple of months. Far less hassle and with a view to his long term career prospects
Uneven split goes back to 2016 when they sought to make more room in the schedule for rest/other formats so created an 8-10 split. In 2018 the counties voted to go to a 10-8 split from 2020 season onwards so only Notts were relegated and 3 promoted. 10 teams is thought to be a better representation of the fringe England talent pool than the 8 we had. I remember the Worcester chairman talking this change up as it would likely help their (at the time) yo-yo county have more chance of stabilizing in Div 1.
Equal divisions of 9 and 9 which we had from 1999 to 2015 was the best format if we have to have divisions as it meant 16 matches (8 home 8 away) but it always meant 1 team in each division had a week off every round of matches which made scheduling other formats and rest periods tricky. It'll be interesting to see the fixtures when they come out in the next few weeks and which 5 teams we end up having to play twice and which 4 teams we only play once. Will fixtures be based on seedings? If so will they take into account our 2019 standings when we finished 7th or 2021 when we won it?
Personally I quite liked the conference format that we've had as it potentially meant the chance to visit different counties/grounds each season if they stuck with it and mixed the groups up each season.
However the idea of it only being around for another season seemed trite so I'm glad they've gone straight back to 2 divisions even though 11 counties voted in favour of either continuing the conferences for 1 more season or using 2021 placings to determine the make up of the 2022 divisions.
Middlesex (not quite sure why?) and Notts (more understandable) are fuming about the decision today but personally I think it is the correct one. Northants are likely to struggle big time next season but I reckon Gloucestershire may do quite well.
According to Richard Gibson in the Daily Mail he'll be around in Oz
Alex Lees is to be recalled to the England Lions set-up more than six years since his last involvement, while another left-handed opener in Warwickshire's Rob Yates will also be asked to travel to Australia along with his county colleague Dom Sibley, who was dropped from the Test team during the home series against India.
Championship player of the year - Burgess
Young player of the year - Yates
T20 player of the year - Lintott
Overall player of the year - Miles/Briggs/Yates/Rhodes/Burgess
Batsman of the year - Yates
Bowler of the year - Miles
Fielder of the year - Bresnan
Moment of the year - OHD striking two fours to get an extra batting point versus Notts first game spectators were allowed back in
Clanger of the year - Folding to 100 all out after skittling Hants for 80
“Turning point” of the year - Briggs securing the extra batting point versus Somerset to keep belief which took us through the last 2 days
Neil Snowball was on at lunchtime. Seems as though next season will be very similar to this season save for perhaps 1 or 2 more Championship matches in June and July as opposed to the measly 2 we had this season. Suggested the 50 over cup would still definitely be played during the Hundred so no change there - so no proper cricket in that 5 week period tail late July into late August. He will hardly have helped membership sales with what he suggested. Fixtures out early November he suggested. As if...
Vote today will be to approve this and 2 divisions in 2023 or throw it out and go straight to 2 divisions next season
Saw it mentioned on twitter that the Bob Willis Trophy should become a mini-tournament with small groups and a final during the hundred. Three-day matches first class cricket with no baring on the Championship. Would mean YET ANOTHER competition but would provide first class cricket at the height of summer which Root has called for. Questionable how competitive it would be however and where would that leave the 50 over competiton? All played in April with semis and a final late May?
Would be over the moon to see Norwell go away this winter and Yates get a go next summer. We do have players to come back and the way we won the championship as a team effort suggests we'd cope with their loss better than we might expect especially with Davies to come in, the Brookes brothers, Bethell and Mousely next season too
paulbear wrote:
At 2pm yesterday I was discussing with one of the stewards, how we had probably blown it. He was as grumpy as me. Just before I left the ground, I saw him and another steward having photos with the trophy. What a day.
Was it JT and the lady at the main gates? Hope so. Great characters. Hopefully this win and the stories from yesterday will help reverse a long term decline in the membership I have reason to believe we are down to something like 4000 which from the heady 1990's days when we had the biggest membership in the country and the largest away followings is some drop. Great day yesterday. I shall watch a replay of the YouTube of the 6 hours of play on Xmas Day this year
Woakes, Bairstow, Malan available for Leeds on Sunday perhaps?
Would be a bit weird if both us and Notts win our last 2 matches meaning Notts win the championship and then we complete a treble over Notts by beating them again at Lord's in the BWT Final. Think I'd take that from this point mind would be something to take out of the season
Hain was a tad unlucky with his decision. There was a noise as it passed the bat but he didn't look happy. Burgess one of a trio out fishing at wide ones along with Benjamin trying to get on with it and Miles. All three will be disappointed to get out in that fashion. The others you'd have to say were got out by good bowling. Barker has run through much more seasoned top orders for yonks and I thought Abbas in particular was the standout bowler of the day tight accurate and persistently threatening. It just seemed to jar somewhat with the overhead balmy conditions you'd have been able to comprehend such a day had it been a misly April in Southampton
Thought they dug in pretty well, Avoided exposing the tail to Saqeeb with the newish ball
Now have the opportunity to bat Lancs out the game get to 400 + and finish Day 2 350 ahead would make it very difficult for Lancs to manufacture a win. Be interesting to see how Holder goes with the new ball later
https://beingoutsidecricket.com/2021/08/29/lies-damn-lies-and-the-hundred/
An excellent analysis of the event I can't even remember who won it now and it's only been a week