Sellsy's Sunday Supplement - on a Monday

Me and my big mouth! Why did I volunteer as Tour Manager? Answers to Jack Rich please! Yes, AGM time, time to stand up and say your piece, time, also, to volunteer for things which will make my winter months busier than usual.

So where to go next season? When to go? Who is going to go? What will be the itinerary? How many games shall we play? So many questions, a lot more to come no doubt and I have already had a sleepless night thinking about it!

Without a tour last season, I am sure the players from Over Stowey will be chomping at the bit to go away next season. Julian Pocock has already given me an idea of when to go, he said February. Food for thought, no cricket gets played in the UK that time of year (except indoor), so that will be three days flat out on the you know what!

I expect there will be plenty of ideas flashing around over the next month, I will collate all ideas of when, where, who, what etc. And when I have gone through everything, I will decide what looks good for me and do that!

Seriously, anyone who can come up with any ideas of where we could go on tour, let me know and I will do the ground work in getting prices. I still think the time of year when we should go on our travels should be August or September, so as not to clash with any major cricket finals, oh and we have a little thing of the Ashes next summer. Now that could be a thought, London, Lords and not many games!

Saying that, I see that the ECB has granted Somerset approval to move the County Ground to the technical specifications required for international one day cricket, how exciting is that, and tight on my door step. To be fair, Taunton is a much better ground than Bristol, just can’t understand how Bristol ever got international status. Anyway, great news for Somerset.

On a sad note former Somerset player Martin Crowe has been diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer. One of New Zealand's most celebrated batsmen, Crowe, 50, had played 77 Tests between 1982 and 1995, before he was forced to quit international cricket due to a bad knee. Crowe joined Somerset as their overseas player after the sacking of Viv Richards and Joel Garner, which was followed by Ian Botham quitting the club. So he arrived at a difficult time, knowing that the club was still split over the loss of those three great players.  

Right, nearly time for skittles, no SSS next week, away on a short walking break in the Brecon Beacons! I wonder if they have Thatchers Cider in Wales?

Sellsy's Sunday Supplement

So what happened last night? Can any of the cricketers from Over Stowey remember? Can anyone recall who won what?

Last night was Over Stowey Cricket Club’s annual presentation evening, the event I look forward to most throughout the cricket season, where Stowey celebrate their recent season and where awards are handed out to those who have achieved and, in one case, a non achiever.

Now I am struggling to recall who did win, I know I wrote the names down somewhere, back of a napkin knowing me, but have lost the thing. The only way I can make any head or tail in who won what is by looking at a few pictures which I have taken for the paper, but that is useless without editorial to send to say who won what. Plus I want it for our website and the next edition of the local parish magazine.

Ok the cider flowed, everyone was joyous, all having a laugh, especially at my speech no doubt, so I was easily distracted somewhat, no wonder I lost the thing, I know I wrote down the winners, but where is that napkin?

Less about my woes, I am sure I can find out who did win what, if not I will make it up!

Out of all the awards handed out at the evening, the one, in my eyes, is the most important is the Players Player award. I say this as this is the only award voted for by all of the players on the night. No one knows who’s going to win until all the votes are counted, whereas others are done on averages, a captains’ pick or a committee pick.

Now that I have stopped playing I do not get to vote for this award, which is a shame really, because I am the only person in the club who actually votes for me. I was always guaranteed at least one vote. Kelvin, who adjudicates the vote counting, must off wondered over the years who the hell voted for me, now the secret is out!

Congratulations to Micheal Barrow who won the Players Player (one winner I did remember), fully deserved. Other winners were Jack Rich, Ben Enever, Nick Rich, Lee Rich, Rhys Satchell, David Rowsell and Phil Rich. I don’t know what they won, but their faces appear in my photo, looks like Jack won a few awards.

Another award which I like is the Hole in the Hand, the award for drop catches throughout the season or in other words the award no one wants to win. This year the award did not go to someone who dropped catches, but to someone who actually caught the ball, but subsequently ran over the boundary in his celebration and disbelief, thus six runs and the batsman was therefore not out! 

 

Well actually the laws of cricket say that if the act of making the catch shall start from the time when a fielder first handles the ball and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement. So in other words the catch should of stood. Oh well, it’s very funny, thank you Dan Butson for entertaining us and congratulations on your award. 

The format of the evening is that we arrive early, have a few pints, then have a sit down four course meal, where a few more pints are consumed, plus some wine. This is followed by speeches, some heckling, another pint in between the speeches and finally the awards. 

After we all retire to the bar, some photos are taken; we then congratulate each other on a tremendous season over a few pints, the odd spoof and a walk home in the early hours of the morning!

Ok, its 10.57, do I dare go for a pint? Or should I do the press release? 

Don’t forget, AGM next Sunday evening.

Sellsy's Sunday Supplement

So England limply bow out of the World T20 in the Super Eight stage, not hardly surprising, they never competed in all areas of the game, in fact it was just awful to watch and the only two teams they beat were Afghanistan and New Zealand (no disrespect there NZ). And to think I planned my days off work around their fixtures, it turned out to be a complete waste of my holiday entitlement.

We can look at all aspects of their game, the batting, bowling and fielding, but we could be here all day and I would get bored in repeating the same old stuff time after time. There is no doubt we have not progressed as much as other nations since England became World Champions two years ago, plus the likes of Collingwood’s retirement and Pietersen not being selected has not helped. It was embarrassing to watch some games; it was like rabbits in the headlights.

There were a few things which angered  me: Firstly, the amount of wides bowled. In the shortest format of the game giving the opposition extra runs and balls to score runs is just criminal. In England’s five games a total of 24 wides were bowled, compared to just 12 from the opposition in those games, twice as many. These games can go down to fine margins, especially if things do come down to the last over or even NRR, so giving runs away in the form of wides is just utter rubbish. 

Ok, the bowlers are themselves looking for fine margins, trying to bowl in areas where the batsman can’t hit the ball, but some of the deliveries which balloon over the batsman’s head are just laughable. 

Next, the batting, well where do I start. The only World Class batsman England has, in this format of the game, is an Irishman! And why do the still pick Ravi, he looked so poor I thought it was a club cricketer out there. It just mystifies me why he gets picked. People say he is a talented player, well he may well be against Division Two bowling in The County Championship, but he is just not international class. His last six games for England Ravi has scored just 30 runs, including three ducks and one score in double figures. You can work out his average yourself and England still pick him! And I wonder what James Hildreth must think.

The English batmen seem to be petrified when a spin bowler appears. The Indian bowlers must be licking their lips when the Test series start in a few weeks time (I know, different format and perhaps a completely different batting line up, but do you remember last winter against Pakistan?), but these batting strips in Asia are just a spinners paradise. Surely the England coaching team knew this and it would be trial by spin, and the batsman couldn’t hit the ball.

Other batsmen are young enough to learn from this experience and will probably make up some of the squad for the next World T20, but they have a lot to learn and fast. Others, like Ravi, may have had their day. But who is there to replace them? 

The fielding, at times, is good, but other times it is just sloppy and they get the basics wrong. I know it is tough conditions out there in Sri Lanka (believe me, I know, it is just baking hot out there), but we are talking international cricketers now, and they should be able to adapt to any conditions, surely? Somehow I think England may have chosen the wrong type of player as captain of the T20 side, a bowler. In this format of the game he needs to be thinking all the time in the field about where he should put his players and he can’t do that while he is bowling as well. Eoin Morgan should be given the chance as captain, he is great in the field, an inspiration in fact, and with his experience he would make a better leader than Stuart Broad.

I hear Kevin Pietersen is being re-integrated back into the England set-up. He may off charmed the hierarchy, but it’s the dressing room that counts. Enough said about this the better, wonder what Somerset’s Nick Compton is thinking about it.

Abdur Rehman, Somerset’s overseas player for the later part of the 2012 season, has seemed to let everyone down. To quote, "I apologise to my family, the PCB, the ECB, Somerset County Cricket Club, my team-mates and my fans," he said. “It was an error of judgement on my part that will cost me dearly and I would like it to be a lesson to all others in sports elsewhere. I will do my best to stay fit and focused during my suspension, and God-willing, will be available for selection for the India series should the PCB see it fit for me to be selected." Apologies accepted.

On the subject of being let down, I remember on a cricket tour to Marldon, near Torquay one year, when Les Biffen had a drop to drink one Saturday afternoon, falling over the kit bags and then being bundled into the back of the bus. He subsequently fell asleep for the rest of the evening. Next day, Phil Rich said to Les, “Les, you have let me down.” Les replied “I was only having a drink with my friends!” In which Phil said “not the whole of Marldon Les!”

Awards night next Saturday, when Over Stowey’s finest come together to celebrate the 2012 season at their annual presentation evening. For me, one of the highlights of the year, I wonder who's going to win what. I have a hunch that Dave “Rabbit” Rowsell will pick up a few awards, but we shall see.

Ok, that’s that for this week, sorry about last week, was hanging somewhat. It's not quite 10.57, so I will have to go and clear the drains instead! Next week, a presentation evening special.