The Teesra

Category: Good Cricket

as opposed to bad cricket, of which there is too much; very subjective — my “Good Cricket” might bore you to tears, but it is still good for me

  • Review — Beastly Fury: The Strange Birth of English Football — be careful what you wish for!

    Review — Beastly Fury: The Strange Birth of English Football — be careful what you wish for!

    In the continuing debate about the future of professional cricket in England, there is an iconoclastic strand that would see the end of the “First Class” system — a big “no” to the elitist, closed shop of the MCC and the Counties.

    One repeated theme has been the need for an “FA Cup of cricket”, open to all teams, whether (old-style) County or club or, presumably, franchise.

    As if the model of professional football is somehow more equitable than the (admittedly flawed) First Class cricket and County system we have in England and Wales.

    So it was very interesting to read Richard Sanders’ Beastly Fury: The Strange Birth of English Football, to find out a bit more about the early years of the professional game in England.

    And it might appear that a little caution would be advisable!

    (more…)

  • What makes a good “development” club?

    I posted earlier today on a proposal for an alternative development pathway for U13 cricket in England.

    In that post, I included a set of criteria for identifying a “good” club — good, in this context, meaning one that could be entrusted with leading a local development cluster at U13.

    The list originated in a discussion of a fictitious “Top 100 Clubs” feature article for one of the cricket magazines, to sit alongside their “Top 100 Schools” pieces.

    I left the list as a work-in-progress, but it is, perhaps, an interesting project it its own right.

    My initial list:

    • Retention — do players stay with the Club over time, or drift in and out again?
    • Accessibility & inclusion (both by ability & age — good clubs welcome late starters).
    • Diversity of players & coaches (contentious; needs to be context-sensitive; difficult to quantify).
    • Parental engagement (see above).
    • “Lived” coaching philosophy — do coaches “walk the walk”?
    • Outreach & recruitment (active or passive?).
    • Further down the list: games won — I do believe that winning matters!
    (more…)
  • The root of all “Mankad’s” (with apologies to Vinoo)

    The root of all “Mankad’s” (with apologies to Vinoo)

    At the end of term we try to play a “proper” game with the age group classes, even with the younger players.

    On Saturday, a small group of Dad’s gathered at the side of the hall to watch and encourage their children.

    And we had calls from one father for the non-striker to “start walking” and “back up” as the bowler ran in…no wonder young batters are trying to “steal” a yard and straying out of their crease before the ball is bowled, if this is what they are being told to do!

    (more…)