*Official* England\UK off-season 2008/09 \ build-up to 2009 season thread

[GIMH]

Smith named Durham captain

 

[Richard]

As was expected then.

It'll be interesting what'll happen if he turns-out to be a one-season wonder then. As he's never done anything much before last year and there's no guarantee he'll repeat it.

 

[Richard]

Haha, Derbyshire have signed Tim Groenewald and Garry Park. Clearly haven't tired of importing proven useless players (that's only really Groenewald, Park hasn't played a lot but still I'd be surprised if he amounts to that much) and somehow expecting them to amount to something just via a change of county then.

Middlesex have once more released Christopher Peploe as well. Wonder if he'll get another reprieve this time. I see Robert Ferley's time at Notts was short-lived, they evidently realise that signing proven rubbish players doesn't tend to help you much as well...

Yorkshire for some reason have decided Lee Hodgson would be a worthwhile signing. Let's recap, he's a 22-year-old (will be nearly 23 next season) who's played 10 Second XI games, averaging 18 with the bat and 32 with the ball. What a nice waste of money that is.

Meanwhile, and most interestingly amongst this nonsense above, Worcestershire have re-signed Ashley Noffke, which, if he doesn't get called-up to the Ashes (or ODI) squad, should hopefully for them be an inspired signing.

Imagine the potency of an attack containing Noffke, Mason, Kabir Ali, Simon Jones and Gareth Batty. Certainly the strongest in the country if its perjoratives remain fit and don't get international calls (and all except Mason could quite conceivably do so).

 

[Neil Pickup]

Intriguing use of pejorative.

 

[Richard]

Nah, I didn't use pejorative, I used "perjorative", which isn't a word - deliberately misspelt. Thought I might reel you in though, and not surprised you waited until after post-editing time... coincidentally enough almost exactly after said time had expired.

The best word for what I actually meant would probably be "constituents", BTW.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I actually think you wanted "protagonists".

 

[Richard]

Nah. That conjures thoughts of "objective protagonist" (out of Civilization 2) in me and hence I never tend to use said word.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Ian Blackwell signs for Durham

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/378775.html


Interesting. Guess it's inevitable Durham would look for a spin bowling batsman, Wiseman is getting on a bit and Breese didn't play so much this season gone.

 

[Richard]

Blackwell's average should take a nice tumble there then. Nice big ground and a sporting surface is quite some change from Taunton's dinnerplate and road.

What a terrible career move. Wonder what on Earth he's thinking. Oh well, Blackwell and thinking hasn't been something I've often thought of going hand-in-hand anyway.

Hopefully this means we've seen the last of Paul Wiseman though.

 

[UncleTheOne]

Middlesex have once more released Christopher Peploe as well. Wonder if he'll get another reprieve this time.

probably the worst cricketer i have ever had the misfortune to see play for middlesex. hope that's the last we see of him.

 

[Woodster]

Herschelle Gibbs confirmed as Glamorgan's overseas player for 2009.

 

[fredfertang]

Well that's closed the book on that one ..................................................... perhaps

 

[Richard]

Herschelle Gibbs confirmed as Glamorgan's overseas player for 2009.

Good.

 

[Goughy]

I thought this was interesting from an article on T20

In the U.K. that format is responsible for increasing the back page media coverage of the game by some 40%. A similar pattern is echoed throughout the cricketing globe and that spells success for the game in general.

He doesnt cite a source (maybe we can find it) but that is an attractive number in the increase in newsworthyness and profile of cricket.

 

[fredfertang]

The source would be interesting – in England I don’t suppose the tabloids touch the LVCC anyway so 20/20 being covered at all will be a huge increase in column inches on it's own and I would think Graham Napier in isolation is probably responsible for most of the increase – not sure it will make any difference in the broadsheets but you can’t escape the maxim “all publicity is good publicity”

What I can't see ever happening (or perhaps I just don’t want it to happen) is for 20/20 to get remotely close to the front pages where, of course, the 2005 Ashes series sat comfortably for a large part of the summer

 

[Chubb]

I see Ed Smith has retired. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere else, so I thought I'd seek out this thread.

I think it is a shame because he was one of my favourite players, mainly because he lived my dream life; First in History from Cambridge, published and acclaimed writer, excellent cricketer with international caps... he's a very lucky man and I hope he succeeds away from cricket. He must have become disenchanted with the game after the incidents at Kent with Symonds and Key, and then a certain amount of friction at Middlesex last season. County cricket has lost one of its more intriguing professionals.

 

[Richard]

Real shame that, 31 years old, he should be in the prime of his career, not retiring. Must be said, though, he looks a hell of a lot older than that:

Always thought it was really disappointing that Smith left Kent, thanks to Andrew Symonds. He was Kent through-and-through, had served the county well and if all had continued to go well he could've been with them to 2013 or 2014. Sadly, an unexceptional overseas-player who was only at the county for the short-term forced him out.

Fulton-Key-Dravid-Smith-Wells-Walker was potentially one of the strongest county batting-line-ups I've ever seen. Such a shame Fulton and Wells were both totally out-of-nick that season.

 

[Langeveldt]

Yeah shame to see him go.. If he did have an argument with Symonds, I bet I can guess who was wrong and who was right..

 

[Chubb]

Yeah shame to see him go.. If he did have an argument with Symonds, I bet I can guess who was wrong and who was right..

I don't know if you've read his diary of the 2003 season, but the argument was apparently sparked by what Smith wrote about Symonds in it. I can't understand it myself, because all Smith does is poke a little fun at how stereotypically Australian Symonds is- he fishes, hunts pigs, and swears if things go wrong on the pitch.

 

[fredfertang]

I suppose he takes the view that he has better things to do with his life than be a journeyman pro

Even so I think Winker ought to give him a call