The Fourteenth Post : My First Published Match Reports. Part one.

I was recently lucky enough to be involved with the press/media for the games between Scotland and Ireland in Ireland for games in the World Cricket League Championship and the Intercontinental Cup.

It was a steep learning curve for someone who loves the game but hadn’t written professionally before but I backed myself and trusted that my enthusiasm would carry my ability along with it and that I would produce something print worthy for a reputable web site that had taken a punt on me and given me a trial run.

My first report was for the first game of the One Day International series between Scotland and Ireland in the World Cricket League Championship held at Stormont in Belfast. I was so nervous that I hardly said a word to the rest of the press people all day despite them being some of the friendliest people in the world. I did my best to look professional but things took a wrong turn right from the start as my computer decided to have a major meltdown as soon as I took my seat next to the seasoned pros. The bloody thing was working perfectly before I left the house in the morning too but as soon as the game started it froze and became unworkable. I tried turning it off and on again but it didn’t work, and having exhausted my technical know-how (the stupid machine not even responding to anything after the third time I turned it off/on again, the screen stubbornly staying blank), I was forced to revert to keeping it old school with a notepad and pen. My notebook (a gift from a friend during my Uni days)  had a picture of a pirate on every page with the added design that read “Pirates Rule” made me feel a little less than professional and the pen that kept running out made me feel positively amateurish. Nether-the-less I pushed on, watching the game and taking notes, feeling like an imposter, feeling out of place.

Once the game is done I rush home to see if six hours of non-use has done the computer any good and if it can be resuscitated. It makes promising noises before claiming that it needs to do a system scan that will take some minutes. Twenty minutes later it claims that the remaining time for system scan will take 1 hour 15 minutes. I go for a cup of tea.

Eventually the computer suggests that I reset the computer to a date when everything was working properly. I perform a system reset. More minuets tick by and the deadline creeps ever closer and I still haven’t managed to type any of my notes into a report whatsoever. Panic enters the room and sits on the edge of the bed saying “Don’t mind me; I’m just sitting here, minding my own business. I won’t even say anything. When’s the deadline again?”

The computer finishes its reset (piss off panic, you’re no longer necessary.) only to have removed both my spell checking programs!!! Panic rears its ugly head again and this time I can’t fend it off.

I bash out the best report possible with bugger all time and a useless online word processer program that fails to correct any spelling mistakes, capitalise new sentences, apply the dreaded apostrophe but does actually change the structure of my sentences rendering them useless in conveying the information I am trying to relate. In short, Worst. Spellchecker.  Ever !!!

I am forced to go through everything manually to find where the spelling/grammar mistakes are (as best I can), correct them and also change the sentence structure back to something that makes sense.

People who know me in real life will know that this is not an easy thing for me to even think about, let alone do. Post modern doesn’t really cover my attitude to spelling and many realms of grammar and I remain mortal enemies. (One day, apostrophe, I will destroy you!!!)

In the end I supply the following report. It’s not the best example of writing ever produced (feel free to feel superior by highlighting every error contained within) but all the salient facts of the match are included and I made it ever so slightly before deadline. Considering the mountain of tech disasters I had to trapeze I’m pleased that I managed to get anything submitted at all.

But the report is clunky and awkward and when it’s published the next day I notice that my name hasn’t appeared on the byline. It’s not the best example of my writing and I know I can do better and I’m a little embarrassed at what I supplied and, quite frankly, I’m not that bothered by the oversight of my name.

Here is a link to the published article ...

 

 

And here is the text I supplied to them. (You can play spot the difference if you want.)

After an uncharacteristically scrappy start by the Irish, that saw the usually tight Johnston give away four wides in a single over, and some scrappy fielding that saw an easy run out chance, (with both batsmen at the strikers end) go begging, Ireland settled down into their usual tight unit. The first wicket of Gardiner for six runs in the fifth over, caught by Dockrell off the bowling of Murtagh, helped sharpen the focus of their minds. Johnson was replaced by Sorensen after what must be Johnston’s worst spell of his life, and showed him how its done by lifting Freddie Coleman’s off stump out of the ground with his first ball.Machan looked good for 27 before chopping one one that kept low from Sorensen. MacLeod and Mommsen joined forces to steady the Scottish ship and bring up the 100 for scotland in the 24th over and the 50 partnership in the 25th. Before Scotland took the powerplay in the 35th over, Dockrell had MacLeod bowled for 21 and Stirling claimed Rob Taylor caught at long on for 11.
The powerplay saw the loss of Berrington caught at long off boundary trying to force the pace off the bowling of Dockrell and it wasn't long before he also had Murphy out, stumped, and Haq L.B.W. to one that kept low in a double wicket maiden to finish with his best figures in O.D.I.’s of 4/24.
Mommsen was left to rally the tail and ended with rewarding total of 91 not out and guided Scotland to a total of 223/4 from the full 50 oversIt was a fighting total but one that looked a little light especially considering the potential in the Irish batting line up.
The Irish response started splendidly with Porterfield taking a liking to the Scots bowling and racing to 24 off 22 balls. Sharif felt the brunt of Porterfield who took him to the boundary at will. Taylor replaced Sharif but it made little difference to the Irish scoring and the 50 comes up in 8.4 overs with a crunching cover drive by Porterfield for 4. After 10 overs Ireland are 55/0 and look to be cruising.
Majid Haq enters the attack and initially has trouble slowing the scoring rate but he eventually manages to claw it back and the initial breakthrough belongs to him as Stirling cuts one to short third man and is out, caught, for 30.
Porterfield scores a breezy 62 with shots all round the ground before being caught at point but even with both the openers gone Ireland still looked in control and the 100 comes up in the 20th over.
Haq continued to keep it tight and earnt Ed Joyce wicket ,stumped for 11 as the frustration rose. Next over Haq struck again as Wilson was caught behind for 2 giving Haq figures of 3/26 from 10 overs.
When Kevin O’Brien was caught behind for 3 to leave Ireland at 129/4 in the 30th over the skies started to darken with clouds and Duckworth/Lewis started to be considered.
Two overs later when Niall O’Brien was caught behind for 10 Ireland were behind the D/L method for the first time in the match. Ireland - 131/5 ...  D/L - 138. Edward Richardson relieved the pressure hitting two 4’s in the 33rd over but when he’s out for 12 the D/L target continues to rise.
The powerplay taken at the 35th over starts with Ireland on 144/6 (34 behind the D/L par) and ends with Ireland 171/7 and now only 11 behind the D/L par score.
Johnson is caught for 21 in the 41st over but Sorensen and Murtagh keeps a cool head. A top edge dropped at fine leg in the 46th over leaves everyone on the edge of their seat as the game swings Ireland's way.
Machan has Sorensen stumped in the 49th over for 31 and with 12 runs required off 6 balls and one wicket to do it with its a simple case of whoever holds their nerve, wins.
The last wicket pair take singles of the first three balls before Murtagh launches a massive 6 straight down the ground to crash into the sightscreen leaving 3 runs required off 2 balls.
A square cut for four ends the game with a win for Ireland in a super tight game with one wicket in hand and one ball to spare.

I was much more relaxed for the second game also held at Stormont in Belfast and even spoke to a couple of people in the press tent too. I felt lucky to be invited back to the press tent after the scrappy report from the first game. Mind you, thought i was excluded altogether when I arrived at the ground to find my name wasn’t on the press list and security wouldn’t let me in. My confidence took another beating when the girl who showed up behind me just as I was telling the security guard that I was there to write match reports for cricketeurope. Com proudly exclaimed “So am I !!!” (Panic joined the queue and started whispering “Gosh, that was a short career wasn’t it. And dumped so unceremoniously. She’s even prettier than you too. I’ll just go stand over her for a bit. Don’t mind me.”) However her name wasn’t on the list either and a quick call to my contact at CricketEurope soon sorted out the whole mix up and we were both let through without further incident. (I left panic back at the entrance gate. His name wasn’t on the list after all!!!)

I had taken the computer to the game but left in the bag preferring to keep it old school with the pen and pad for the time being.

Enjoyed the day and even had a laugh or two with some other press people. I even snapped a couple of photos of the World Cricket League Championship Trophy when it was put on the table right in front of me in preparation of the award ceremony after the game. Ireland had already claimed it even before this series began and there was champagne a popping everywhere at the speeches and photo call after the game.
 

I supplied a match report for this game well before deadline and it looked like this in its published state...

 

Here is the text I supplied to them. (You can play spot the difference if you want.)

Intense Ireland scunner Scotland.

With Ireland having qualified for the 2015 World Cup some time ago and having crushed Scotland’s dreams of joining them as second place qualifier in a last over thriller two days ago, this game is now, essentially, a dead rubber for both teams. With the pressure off you could have expected  some free spirited cricket and a more relaxed game from both nations. So when Scotland won the toss and chose to bat you might have thought they would have loosened their arms and swung from the hip as they tried to push the boundaries in the search for a few more runs, especially as the margin of defeat on Friday was only by a few runs.
But one of the things that sets this Irish team apart from the rest is their professionalism and never relaxing their intensity.
This Irish intensity was right on track from the first ball as Scotland’s openers found it difficult to get the ball off the square.
The intensity got to Coleman who fell to Sorensen in the fourth over for one run, his second failure in the series. Ireland’s intensity held and Scotland continued to find runs hard to come by finishing the 10 over powerplay on 28/1.
Eddie Richardson replaced Sorensen in the 11th over and had success with his fourth ball, Hamish Gardiner edging one to the keeper who takes a good one handed catch.
Machan is the next to go, caught at mid on after a good looking 23, failing to go on after making a start.
Mommsen is out shortly afterwards trying to pull a short delivery from Kevin O’Brien but only managing to to catch an edge on its way through to the keeper.
Berrington joins MacLeod and together they form the only partnership of note in Scotland’s innings adding 66 runs in 20.3 overs. They gave the innings some substance but very little style and at the 30 over point Scotland had crawled to 81/4 and were struggling to break away.
A rare boundary in the 31st over was the first for 16 overs.
With the powerplay taken from the 35th over, with the score on 107/4 and in need of a surge, Scotland still failed to turn on the power and the powerplay fizzled out in the 40th over with the score on 126/7, an addition of only 19 runs.
Kevin O’Brien’s first ball of his new spell after the powerplay earnt him the wicket of Berrington, caught at mid on off a rare attacking shot. Three overs later when Macleod was bowled failing to pick a Richardson slower ball Scotland had lost their last chance to set a decent total. The tail folded for scores of 4,0,4,and 0 leaving Scotland bowled out in 49.3 overs for the extremely below par score of 165.
Excellent bowling from all five front line Irish bowlers who all claimed wickets (Sorensen 3 for 36, K O’Brien 3 for 31) except George Dockrell who conceded only 25 runs from his 10 overs to go unrewarded.
Scotland attempted to show some of that discipline and intensity that Ireland are famous for and started admirably.
Wardlaw bowled Porterfield in the third over for 5 and after five overs Ireland have been pegged back to a score of 20/1 (at the same stage scotland were 18/1 ... honours even ?)
In the sixth over, after a long look, the umpire decided that Stirling did get an edge through to the keeper off Wardlaw. However this is the last time that Scotland could even think that they were in the game. Next over Joyce hits Shariffe for two boundaries and all momentum shifts Irelands way.
Even a rain break of twenty minutes couldn't slow Irelands scoring rate and by the 10 over point Ireland are almost double what Scotland were at the same time.
Joyce brings up Irelands 50 in the 11th over with a reverse sweep and it’s his partnership with Niall O’Brien, 69 runs in 12 overs, that see Scottish shoulders slump.
Haq eventually claims Joyces’ wicket (after two earlier edges had been missed by keeper and first slip) bowled for 39  with one that turned past the bat.
Wilson and Niall O’Brien scored runs freely and at the 25 over half way point had guided Ireland to 126/3 and needing only 41 runs to win. Cruise control saw this pair guide Ireland safely home to an easy victory with more than 17 overs to spare.

After the match Ireland were presented with the I.C.C. World Cricket League Championship Trophy and there were smiles all round the squad as champagne corks popped with confirmation that they had won yet another piece of silverware as the prove they are the leading associate nation by some distance ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Scotland’s squad had a look of a team that knows they can do better but have been too inconsistent during this competition.
Scotland can still make it to World Cup 2015 via a further qualifier to be held in New Zealand in January but their road is now much longer, and Ireland are are already there.
Adam Brook

I felt much better about this report and was proud to have my name attached to the article. There was still things to be learnt and to improve upon (I asked for feedback on what I’d written and was told that the editor had removed some of the ‘intensity’ from my report and also to watch the use of tense. Past tense is always best) but I knew that this was better than what I had submitted previously and that I was actually doing a good job.

I loved being involved with the press and writing about cricket for CricketEurpoe.com was a big thrill and a fabulous experience which had given me a new perspective on the game. I also didn’t feel like such a fraud after working on these two games.

Now I was looking forward to the four day game of the Intercontinental Cup to be played at Clontarf in Dublin with a renewed relish.

But more of that later ...



 

The Thirteenth Post : Fan Following

Cricinfo have a feature called ‘Fan Following’ that they run from their reader provided content pages called ‘The Stands’. It’s a fun thing they provide that anyone can do as long as you get in touch with them, tell them what game you’re going to and let them know you’d like to do a ‘Fan Following’ report for them. Then they get in touch with the rules and regulations and give you chapter titles that you are supposed to work from. It’s free, its fun, it’s for the fans by the fans and anyone can do it. I decided to have a go at it and see if they would publish something I supplied them.

I was going to go to the Australia v. Scotland game to be held in Edinburgh on the 3^rd of September and let them know I could do a ‘Fan Following’ for them if they wanted.

They replied that they did want me to do this, so I did.

Below is what I wrote and supplied to cricinfo … (and below that is what they published.)

Fan Following.

Choice of game.

Scotland v. Australia at the Grange in Edinburgh. As someone who spent the first 20 years of life in Australia and the next 20 years of life living in Scotland it’s not hard to see why this fixture was attractive to me. Some people would say that I cant lose in this game as I have duel nationality, but even though my accent is Australian my heart belongs to Scotland and that is where my loyalties and my support lie.

Team supported.

Scotland all the way. I’ve been watching the Scottish national team develop and grow and take steps forward (and also steps backward) since I moved to Scotland in 1993. We are coming out of a long rebuilding period at the moment and have the core of a very talented bunch of cricketers that should take Scotland forward to the next world cup, and beyond.

Having said that, before the game started I still thought Australia would hump Scotland even without many of their top stars.

Wow moment

Even though I know quite a lot of people who like cricket up here in Scotland, I still find it a bit of a chore to convince them to actually come watch a game with me. So, for the last few years I have been content to go on my own and enjoy the game.

The wow moment of the day was when, during the first over of the day, a good friend that I hadn’t seen for a couple of years (due to health issues) walked up the isle of the stand I was sitting in and turned out to be in the seat right next to me.

It was such a surprise to both of us that we exclaimed in unison “What a coincidence” and shared a great laugh. Spent most of the first innings slowly catching up on what we are both up to these days without any of those pesky day to day time pressures that usually accompany bumping into someone randomly elsewhere (like your bus turning up or rushing to the shops before they close).

We both love a game of cricket and a slow conversation that may or may not have a destination, and cricket is the perfect backdrop for all of those musings and ramblings that you can share while catching up with a really good friend.

Face-off you relished
I was really looking forward to watching Kyle Coetzer play. He has turned into a really class player over the last few years and is really moving his game forward at an amazing rate. He is easily Scotland’s best player. Unfortunately, a wrist injury sees him sidelined so my attention was turned towards the always reliable Majid Haq and the new to the Scotland national team Matthew Machan who also seems to be gathering quite a reputation too. As for the Aussies, I wondered what this Finch chap was going to be like especially after his fireworks in the first T-20 against England the other night!!!

Key performer
And it was Finch who had the most influence on the match. Scoring 148 in reliably quick time (116 balls) put the game out of reach for Scotland even before the half way point. For Scotland it was Majid Haq who, as always, had the best economy rate but could feel hard done by not to get a few more wickets, especially as he has a stumping missed and a catch dropped off his bowling.

Shot of the day
The third 6 of the match. A low full toss from Matt Machan to Finch who clears not only the rope, but also the entire stand and actually clears the seven foot stone wall that surrounds the ground. Can we have our ball back please !!!

One thing you’d have changed.
For year’s I’ve been saying that this is that last time I’m going to watch Scotland play cricket. I’m just tired of watching Scotland lose while freezing my butt off.

I wouldn’t mind freezing my butt off if Scotland won, or watching Scotland lose if the weather was good.

But, alas, as clichéd as it sounds the weather in Scotland is usually and mostly cold. So I rugged up warm in two jumpers, a jacket and a long sleeve t-shirt (not to mention the wrap around rug I also brought along to keep the chill out of my little leggies) only to find myself roasting away in one of the hottest days of the year !!!

If I had of known it was going to be a rare shorts and t-shirt day I would have left the jumpers behind and changed my outfit.

(Please note: I would not have changed the weather!!! Scotland lost by a massive and embarrassing 200 runs, but I don’t care. I had a great day watching cricket in the sunshine!!! )

Fancy-dress index.
There wasn’t really any fancy dress at the game. There were a few guys in kilts but that’s not fancy dress. That’s just Scotland.

The merchandise stall was selling those Australian type hats with the corks hanging from them (you know, the ones that NO ACTUAL Australian has ever worn, EVER!!!). I saw a few kids running around with them on. I saw a few adults wearing them too but none of them (NOT A SINGLE ONE) was an Australian.

Crowd meter

The stands were smaller than I expected but it lent an intimate feeling to the occasion as I felt like I was right on top of the players, almost fielding with them. Most of the stands were sold out but it didn’t feel squished at any point and there was a great atmosphere from supporters from both teams.

A wag in the stand to my right took to chanting “MITCHELLLL” in a slow and repetitively way when Mitchell Johnson started to bowl. It was difficult to tell if it was a heckle or good natured banter or something else, but the more he did it the funnier it became. Johnson must have been irked by it a bit because soon after it started he bowled a no ball that claimed Machan’s edge (it went on to be dropped by the wicketkeeper but by that stage the damage had been done. Free hit!!!)

Thankfully he stopped the chant before it became annoying but picked it up again during Johnson’s second spell. This time some of Johnson’s fans in the stand to my left echoed his chant with something of their own in return and we had duelling chants for a few overs near the close of play.

Overall
While Scotland’s effort on the pitch was poor, the day was fantastic with everyone in a great mood helped no end by the quality weather in Edinburgh. There needed to be some speakers dotted around the ground and a few announcements made on them to keep the crowd informed of stats and trivia (as well as vital match info). Sharing it all with a long lost mate was the icing on the cake.

Marks out of 10
Scotland’s performance =2

Australia’s performance = 8

The day in general =10.

Bio.

Adam Brook was a leg spinner before Shane Warne made it popular but continued to play cricket in the lower grades of rural Australia where he continued to fail to be picked in the 4^th grade side no matter how many times he said ‘I’m just like Shane Warne, except better.’ A move to Scotland with the catch cry ‘I’m just like Shane Warne, except fatter.’ Led him to be crowned the captain of ‘The Stockbridge Minnows’. He blogs as Adamski loves cricket … here ….

And here is a link to the published article. Very few changes to my supplied text but I did notice that they changed “I still thought Australia would hump Scotland” to “I still thought Australia would thump Scotland” !!! a little too sexually suggestive for cricinfo there then. Lucky I didn't say “… thought Australia would hand Scotland their asses to them on a platter” or something even worse but still startling accurate.

And this is my first published piece to appear on a major reputable cricket web site.

They also changed my CAPITAL EMPHASIS on the non Australians wearing those stupid bloody hats!!!

I hate those hats.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/thestands/content/story/668377.html

Still not quite a published journalist but another step in the direction of being so.

The Twelfth Post : Scotland and Netherlands Look Forward to a Future Without the English Domestic League.

Now that the remaining associate nations having been removed from the English domestic limited overs league (the YB40 formerly the CB40) I though a chat with each of the respective governing bodies would be in order to see how they felt about the restructure that removed them and where they go from here in their search for international growth and development.

Even when I introduced myself to the receptionist at Dutch headquarters and explained that I would like to have a chat with someone regarding their involvement/non involvement in the English domestic league there was a feeling of disappointment with the decision “Well, I don’t know much about it,” she said “besides that we’ve been booted out of it.” It was a sentiment echoed by Roland Lefebvre, National Junior Coach at K.N.C.B.

“We are very disappointed to have been kicked out of it.” He told me in pleasant and even tones. “There are now 12 games that are missing from our calendar. Games that are vital for gaining experience and exposure particularly for our younger players. These were some of the biggest benefits of being in the English league. Sometimes it can take a year or more for a youngster to develop his game enough to compete at a national level and these games were vital to giving that time to develop and grow. The regular intervals of games, highly competitive nature of them, high class opposition. It all went along to help bridge the gap between Dutch domestic cricket and international cricket. The platform is something we found very beneficial and something we will miss.

The issue of experience is one that was echoed by Ben Fox, Media Manager at Cricket Scotland.

(The Scots) At a time when Scottish cricket was looking to push through the professional barrier we were offered a chance to play in a professional league. Against opposition who do this, play cricket, every day. It was an opportunity we wanted to take to give a lot of our younger players a chance to test themselves against tough opponents and see if they could raise to the challenge. It was a chance to blood new players and let them see what was required of them if they wanted to make it to the top level. The chance to be able to play against top international players that were playing in the English county teams was inspiring for a lot of guys. Being able to chat with them after the games, pick their brains about various things was something that would never have been able to happen in Scotland alone at that time.  To be able to do this and play top cricket on a regular basis was what we were looking for and it helped immensely.

So experience was one of the major benefits of being involved with the English league but I wondered if there were any detrimental issues to being involved in with it?

(The Dutch) Well, probably just financial strain. Dutch cricket is still a developing affair and we don’t have large resources of funds to draw upon. Funding the travel to England to play the away games was a burden that could cost 40-50 thousand Euros over the course of the season.

The issue of financing travel was also a concern to The Scots as well as home players coming to compete against them.

(The Scots) Cost was always a factor. It was costly to go on tour to the English counties and when they came up here it was up to us to fund their stay in town. And with associate cricket there just isn’t much money around. So that was always tough. And when we first started in the competition the English counties didn’t really know what to expect and I think we had the advantage of their     overconfidence. They thought they could come up and easily pick off the plucky amateur upstarts meanwhile we could field close to a full strength national side as not many of our national team were on county contracts at the time. So we had the advantage of surprise on our side at the beginning and we were able to pick up a few victories as they underestimated us. But as time went on they were able to do better research on us and prepare better and then our better players would get picked up by the counties and offered contracts and before too long they would be playing against us. With the addition of the change of heritage rules by the I.C.C. recently allows Scotland to select players with Scottish parentage but born elsewhere to be selected for the national team, bringing our selection policy in line with the rest of the world, means that players like Matt Machan, Iain Wardlaw and others already in a county contract to turn out for our national team but be playing against the Saltires in the English league. It was a very different situation at the end than it was at the beginning.

Was the failure attract a genuine oversees star a problem?

(The Scots) We had Rahul Dravid from India for most of a season and he brought some star attraction for us and helped us win a few games too. His experience was a great thing for our boys to learn from at that time and many benefited from his wisdom during our time with him. But the thing about oversees professional stars is that you would have to pay them and money was always an issue with us as a developing cricket nation.  We just don’t have the payroll might of a team like Surrey who can afford to have a Graeme Smith or a Hashim Amla on their books. There’s just no way we could compete with that level of payout. Sometimes the professionals wouldn’t contribute that much to the team in terms of community. They would show up on game day, play, maybe win a game or two, and then disappear after the game. Not share that much with the younger guys in terms of experience or sharing knowledge.

In this last year of the comp we took the view of just using it to bed in some younger guys and give them a taste of what’s expected from them at the next level. It’s a shame that we didn’t pick up any victories this year, it’s the first year that the Saltires haven’t managed a single win, but we didn’t see that as a problem because the experience has done the younger guys the world of good and will stand them in good stead for the future.

Would you have continued to stay in the English league if they’d invited you too?

(The Dutch) Oh yes. I don’t know why they felt we wouldn’t be invited to participate again. I know they are restructuring the groups but I still feel that we could have joined them. It would be good if England took a more inclusive attitude to the associate nations on its doorstep like the Asian nations do. It seems that Afghanistan and other developing nations from that region are always playing competitions which involve the test nation in some form or other. Right now there is an emerging nations competition involving Afghanistan, U.A.E. and other developing cricket nations against the four Asian full members under 23 teams. England could be as supportive to its neighbour if they so choose, although they would probably not have the equal funds as some of the Asian nations have at their disposal.

The issue of continued involvement raised a more circumspect response from The Scots.

(The Scots) That’s a difficult one. I think that we at Cricket Scotland through our involvement in the competition had run its course. That it is time to move on to new challenges and start forging our way and concentrate on international cricket. We have a lot of cricket on these days too and finding time for all of it is something we have had to factor in. There’s a T-20 qualifier this year in November and if we don’t make the 2nd place in the world cricket league championship we will have to go to New Zealand to try and win our way in from that qualifying tournament in January. So it’s a busy winter and we often find ourselves playing cricket all year long. Plus the new Pro Series is giving us lots of cricket to keep up with and to keep challenging us.

While it was clear that The Dutch still wanted to remain in the English domestic league and The Scots were happy to give it a cheery wave goodbye I wondered if The Scots wished they had pulled out of the competition earlier?

(The Scots) No. we feel that it was good for the length of time that it lasted. That it has come to a natural end. It was good while it lasted, and it’s sad to see it go, but its time to move on.

Exciting time await us.

What now for Dutch/Scottish cricket?

(The Scots) Well, now we have to look to fill the gap in fixtures.

(The Dutch) Well, now we have to look to fill the gap in fixtures.

Filling the gap in fixtures is the tricky part though.

(The Dutch) Well, sometimes we have a very busy schedule and sometimes our schedule is quite empty.  It often depends on what qualifying events we have to attend. For example the world cricket league championship is wrapping up soon and depending on results in that will determine if we gain automatic qualification to the 2015 world cup. If we don’t gain automatic qualification we go to a further qualifying tournament in New Zealand in January. But that is one thing. Another is developing the Pro Series which we have already started with the North Holland Hurricanes and the South Holland Seafarers. We are looking at competing against regional teams from Scotland and Ireland and this could be the way to provide regular experience and competitive cricket at a high level and fill the gap left by been left out of England’s competition.

The Pro Series and potential Euro League is an attractive prospect for The Scots too.

(The Scots) Well, that is the challenge. There is now a gap of twelve games to fill. We obviously hope to attract some more full members to play us and of course there is the Pro Series that will provide high level competition for the players who are breaking through. There are even plans for a Euro League with teams from Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands competing against each other. One of our teams, The Highlanders, went over to Holland recently and one of their teams visited us in Scotland to play some games against The Reivers and it seems to have been a success, so, that’s something hopeful and interesting for the future.

Will T.A.P.P. (Targeted Assistance and Performance Program) funding from the I.C.C. be used to attract international games?

(The Dutch) Hosting more international games against the full members is an objective but the costs involved are often prohibitive. We would like to hold some three game series but with the costs of a home series being met by the home nation it is often
out of our reach. T.A.P.P. funding could partly finance something like this but at the moment we are looking at developing our raising own domestic cricket level and also the Pro Series.

The Irish had been competing in the same English domestic leagues as The Scots and The Dutch but left the tournament in 2010 to focus their resources on international cricket. Is this the model to follow to progress?

(The Scots) Yeah. Probably. The Irish left the English league a few years ago to focus on international cricket and that seems to be working out for them.

We try not to look at Ireland through the green eyes of envy, but they are doing very well at the moment. We have always had a great rivalry with Ireland that dates back as long as anyone can remember and they are our natural rival in cricketing circles.

Mind you, we can all remember a time a few years ago when Scotland used to beat them on a regular basis and win all the trophies going. So hopefully we can get that cycle working in our favour again.

We will be doing everything we can to do so and also to close the gap between us and the full members.

(The Dutch)  I know that the Irish left the English domestic league after a few years because they had quite a lot of their own cricket lined up and though it would be better to focus on that rather than the county scene. They have been quite successful in getting full member opposition to play them, although, still not as much as they would like.

That is now the challenge for Dutch cricket too. We need to attract big nations in order to fill the calendar and to keep moving forward.

It’s an exciting time.

Both countries have admitted that missing the experience provided by the English domestic league will be something they will have to counter and both are looking to their respective Pro Series and the proposed Euro series to fill the gap. An additional drive to get top international sides to tour is a common desire too while both admit that this is a financial difficulty that is hard to navigate. The only major difference in thinking from each nation was in their point of view regarding the end of their involvement in the English league with The Dutch desiring to remain in it while The Scots are happy to call it an amicable end. Both nations will now have to forge their own identity internationally. One thing that is certain is that Exciting and interesting times lay ahead for both nations.

 

I spoke with (The Dutch) Roland Lefebvre, National Junior Coach K.N.C.B.  and (The Scots) Ben Fox, Media Manager, Cricket Scotland, both of whom graciously gave up some of their time to have a pleasant conversation with me and make this article possible.

The Eleventh Post : County Memories.

With the Scottish Saltires’ ending their association with the YB40 English county domestic competition this summer, after ten years of involvement, the Cricket Scotland website encouraged fans and supporters to send in their memories of the competition and their highlights from over the course of their involvement in it.

It could be meeting an idol at the ground and discovering that they were everything you hoped they would be. .. or not! Or special Saltires’ moment; snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, a particular individual performance or even just mingling with the opposition fans.

I went for something a little more personal. 

Sometimes it's not about what you are watching, but who you are watching it with, or, how you managed to get the chance to watch it in the first place.

County memories.

I remember when the announcement was made that Scotland would be fielding a team in the English county one day tournament (the CB40 as it was then known). I was excited for Scotland, Scottish cricket and also for myself. This was a great opportunity for home grown players to bridge the gap between Scottish club cricket and the international world by adding a quality stepping stone of some high class experience. The chance to host some games on a regular basis would add to the exposure of cricket in Scotland too and with the rules allowing two international players in each team (added to the potential of England national players playing for their home counties when not on England duty added to the prospect of seeing some amazing international players that I would otherwise not have the chance to see play in the country I call home). All in all it was set to be an exciting time for Scottish cricket and cricket in Scotland. 

I looked on in envy as the schedule was announced and tried to set my work rota around when the home games were. At the time I worked as an underpaid, undervalued, assistant manager in a retail outlet in Stockbridge, struggling to make ends meet with the crushing weight of a mortgage and the tedious need to eat three times a day.  However, I did work close to where the games were due to be played at the grange ground and vowed that if I couldn’t get the days off I needed that I would rush round during my lunch break and peer over the wall, risking cuts from the surprisingly sharp and annoying holly trees (probably planted there by the authorities especially to discourage scallys like me from glimpsing some free high class cricket).

I remember when the supporter’s packs or members passes were announced. All ten home games included plus access to the members stand (the only place in the whole ground with any shelter providing welcome protection from the blazing sunshine we were guaranteed to get, and also offering one of the best/loveliest views of any cricket ground I have ever seen.) and also a nifty gold credit card sized gold members pass that you could whip out and show the security guard that would make him smile at you and politely move the barrier enough so you could swan past him like a big star entering the V.I.P. area of an exclusive club, leaving the hoi polloi behind, on the other side of the fence with the rest of the rabble, where they deserved to be.

AND on top of all that it ALSO included entry to the Scotland v. Australia full one day international!!!

And all for the ever so tantalizing, just out of reach (for a drone from sector 7G like myself), but actually really rather good value, price of £100.

I wondered how I could justify this expense to wife.

I’m no math wizard but I reckoned that if there were ten county games that I could go to that would make it a tenna for each game (saving about a third of each individual adult ticket) and then the international game against Australia would be FREE. Amazing value that just couldn’t be ignored.

I took this formula to the economic committee (the wife) and presented my case.

She said no.

I made a whining sound like a fan belt slipping in a car engine crossed with a cross two year old.

Wife said “If you can figure out how to squeeze a spare £100 out of this (she threw the household accounts at me) you can buy your bloody poncey pass.”

After several hours of juggling numbers, cooking various books and shifting decimal points and of forgetting to carrying the one, I went back to making the sound of a slipping fan belt and a terrible toddler.

Weeks go by and I continue to covert the gold members pass and the prospect of enjoying the debut season of the Scottish satires and all the promise of a bright future it contains while continuing to watch the bank account fail to grow enough to accommodate being a first hand witness of it.

Then one day, weeks after my birthday (the month after my birthday is not my birthday MUM!!!) my mother sends me a card. A birthday card. It contains a cheque. It contains a cheque for the precise and exact amount that a gold member’s season ticket to the Scottish satires debut cricket season in the English domestic league competition thingy would costs.

It must be a sheer coincidence.

Wife says “ohhhhh, that’s nice of your mum. You should put it toward something nice for yourself and not fritter it away on crisps and magazines.  Do you have any idea what you’re going to spend it on?

“Um, maybe.” I say rather sheepishly as a slow grin grows across my formerly forlorn features.

“Really?” replies wife. “HOWZATT”

I don't think I had smiled so much since I took 5 for 11 in a one day game when I was sixteen years old.

That reminds me, better buy her some flowers.

The Tenth Post : What Would Moe Berg Say. Part Three.

In my attempt to meet one of my guitar heros, Mr Moe Berg from The Pursuit of Happiness I sent off my weird little letters to all sorts of places including all of his previous record labels. I didn't hold out much hope of actually getting a response from anyone, let alone the great man himself, and genuinely thought the closest I would get to my rock idol was this out of office auto reply from the maplemusic website. Mind you, you should have seen my face when this bounced back back to me ... well excited !!!

Hi there!

Thanks for getting in touch with MapleMusic.com's customer support! Our office will be closed Monday, May 20th for Victoria Day. Orders can still be placed during this time, but packages WILL NOT be shipped out until Tuesday, May 21st. We will do our best to respond to any inquires you might have as soon possible once we return on May 21st. Thank you for your continued support!

I regarded it as a form of success and at least I would have something to tell for my efforts rather than just a lot of dead air.

So, imagine my surprise and delight when I recieved this in my inbox the very next day from the lady who runs the bands website ...

Hi, Adam.

I've forwarded your email to Moe, and hopefully he'll have a chance to respond. All the best for your trip!

Peace,

V...),

Webmaster, tpoh.net

I honestly felt like I had won the jackpot and at least I knew that Moe was actually going to get a copy of the email I had written to him in his own personal email box. Whether he read it or ignored it (or read it then ignored it) was something else altogether.

I was over the moon. I quickly replied to her in my most charming manner I could manage, thanking her for even considering passing on my message and proceeded to offer her the most pathetic of bribes imaginable (some free tickets for the theatre where I work if, and only if, she ever found herself in Edinburgh, Scotland,  while there was a show being performed (in house productions only, not Friday and not Saturday night, pending availability and management approval.) How could she resist !!!

A few weeks passed and then, before I knew it, I was actually out in Canada enjoying a fabulous holiday with my Mother (who was out there on a year long teacher exchange) but there was still no reply from Moe.

I decided to send one last cheeky message to remind him that I still existed, was still interested in interviewing him and was only in Canada for a limited amount of time. so I sent the following email to all the possible contact address I could find ...

Dear Moe Berg,

My name is Adam Brook and I have previously written to you to request an interview with you while I am on holiday in your fine country of Canada for a few weeks June.

I have been in the Toronto area for about a week already and so far on my trip I  have seen Niagara Falls (an impressive amount/volume of water and an impressive waterfall), a baseball game (my favourite team (the Toronto Blue Jays) score an impressive 6-1 victory over  the Texas Rangers) and spent a lot of time with one of the most impressive ladies I have ever known in my entire life,  my Mother.

The only way this trip could get any better is if I could actually land an interview with one of the most impressive bands and singer/songwriter/lyricists of all time ever, Mr Moe Berg from The Pursuit of Happiness!!!

I understand and appreciate that you are extremely busy with all sorts of projects so any time you could spare  for a nice chat would be greatly appreciated and valued.

Please let me reassert my genuine request for an interview with your good self with the utmost respect and reprise you of the details as follows ... This summer, up until the date of ...) I will find myself in Canada, Whitby, just outside Toronto, and it would give me great pleasure to be able to meet you in person and have a polite conversation in an interview format about all sorts of things but focusing on your life in music.

We could meet over a lunch or a coffee & cake or even a drink or two. Your choice, my treat.*

I would like to record the interview and transcribe it onto my blog “Adamski Loves Cricket” (it’s a (mostly) sports blog I have recently started as I look to change professions). I would, of course, offer you first copy to correct any errors I might make before publication on the web.

Please be assured that this is a genuine request from a genuine person who has genuine respect for you and your work.

Yours sincerely

Adam ‘Adamski’ Brook

*pending partner price approval. (I.e. the wife says it’s not too expensive!!!)

After I pressed send I realised that I had forgotten to attach my contact details and phone numbers. I kicked myself in the ass for about 20 minutes before I decided to bite the bullet and ran the risk of being labeled a spammer and re-sent the entire message with this little disclaimer at the top ...

Please forgive the duplicate nature of this e-mail, but this one does contain my contact details while in Canada ... you know, ... Just in case !!!

Thank you

I pressed send again and thought that I had kissed my last chance of meeting a personal rock legend goodbye by being a dunderhead and forgetting to attach contact details.

Still, perhaps he will think its charming.

I wonder what he will say.

Don't know who Moe berg is ... check out this classic from their third album ‘The Downward Road’  

‘Pressing Lips’ showcases the thoughtful and intelligent lyrics seen all too infrequently in any form of music, all set behind a beautiful melody and wonderful harmony.

(sigh) Being in love with a goddess is hard when you're only a mortal !!!

 

The Ninth Post : Go Away Champions Trophy ... Nobody Cared About You.

Now that the champions trophy has played its last gasp of its last game EVER perhaps its time to take a look back over its history, its origins, where it went wrong and why nobody really cared about it.

Don’t believe that nobody cares about it, well by way of proving how little people care about it I could tell you that south Africa won the first champions trophy in its inception year to shed the reputation of being perennial chokers at important points in world tournaments and New Zealand have also won it to shed their reputation of being perennial semi finalists in world events ... but nobody would believe me if I did say it, and the ones that did wouldn’t care. But first, some background …

It all started with the best of intentions (or at least the best of intentions that the I.C.C. ever manages). Back in 1998 the I.C.C. decided to add a second multi nation One Day International cricketing event to its schedule. The outward reason was to promote cricket in developing markets and use the money raised during the tournament to pump back into cricket in the nations below full member level, increase funding to emerging nations, increase exposure, increase promotion, increase involvement and spark the public perception/awareness in these countries. Introduce an injection of cash to help infrastructure and also give a phillipe of interest to the general public.

Growing and nurturing the game to a newer, bigger more global audiences.

But it was mostly to provide another stream of revenue during non world cup years to the ever increasingly money hungry governing body.

The world cup brings a huge amount of money into the I.C.C. treasury and its growing every event. But the world cup event is only once every four years. Something was decided to bridge the down-time between cash cows and the ‘Champions Trophy’ was born into existence.

The ‘Champions Trophy’ has always had a tough time gathering people affections for it. Not blessed with having the prefix ‘World’ attached to it and not actually being a ‘World Cup’ has seen it start from behind the balk line from the start. Easy to overlook, easy to misunderstand and easy to not care about it has always been standing in the cold part of the shade cast from the world cup, overshadowed and overlooked.

Dressing it up as a promotional tool for emerging nations differentiated it from the world cup but making it an official I.C.C. event required all the full members to attend despite their reluctance at having another obligation in an already (even then) crowded calendar.

The compromise was to produce a short event and the “The I.C.C. Knockout Tournament” was held in the cricket mad and emerging nation of Bangladesh in 1998.

The nature of the knockout event meant that the entire tournament lasted only ten days and that every game mattered. South Africa won it and it is a reflection of how little this tournament meant or means to the world that this is never mentioned. Because nobody cares. Bangladesh (not being a full member at the time) weren’t even allowed to participate in an event they hosted.

Nether the less, the event did raise the profile of international cricket even further in their country. So mission accomplished, I suppose.

The second instalment of this event was held in Kenya as they had been identified as an emerging nation in need of some development assistance along the way. They at least were offered the chance to qualify for the event they were hosting by playing a qualifying knockout game against England. They lost and took no further part in the tournament.

New Zealand won it and as a testament to how little this means to world cricket it is never mentioned by them, or anyone, despite it being their only world tournament they have ever won. But nobody cares.

In 2002 a change of format and a change of name was hoped to bring some extra emphasis to a competition that nobody really cared about and the ‘I.C.C. Champions Trophy’ was born proper. Dropping the knockout format (one of the things that was exciting and imaginative from the original inception) to a more standard group stage and now expanded to include the 10 full members and two qualifiers from outside the test boundary it was billed as a mini world cup. Being dubbed a ‘mini world cup’ would in most cases be a boon but the champions trophy has only ever been seen as a lesser tournament. Because nobody cares.

Unfortunate timed to be played a mere five months before the actual world cup, and in the Sri Lankan monsoon season, led the tournament to be a damp squid (pun intended) and interest was limited. It didn’t help that rain washed out the final and also the reserve day for the final leading to a bizarre circumstance whereby 110 overs were bowled, over two days, and still a full one day international was not achieved.

This led to the ‘Champions Trophy’ to be shared by India and Sri Lanka, and ironically the ‘Champions Trophy’ failed to produce a champion.

It was also during this competition that the focus started moving away from being a kind of ‘Goodwill Games’ for the associate and developing nations to a more mainstream (and bland) tournament.

Two associate nations were invited to play in the group round of this version and Kenya and the Netherlands made the best out of the opportunity afforded them, but the focus had changed from helping to develop/promote cricket in these countries (imagine the benefit The Netherlands would have gained if this had been played in their backyard) to merely inviting them to play a couple of games against the big boys. And as soon as this tournament was over the talk about how there were too many boring games against smaller nations clogging up the group games started.

2004 it was England’s turn to host the event and they did everything they could to make it a forgettable and dreary event. From scheduling it deep into September to not really promoting it with enthusiasm. The rain showed up in abundance and did a good job of making sure the spectators didn’t. Kenya and America were the developing nations invited to play along this time and both failed miserably to capitalise on the opportunity either during the comp (both getting knocked out without a good showing in any of their games) or after it (both failed to use the event to promote cricket in their home countries and both have fallen down the world rankings since this event).

The only good thing to come out of this event was the West Indies winning it and talking of how this was the beginning of a resurgence in west Indian cricket and not just another false dawn. (It was another false dawn by the way.)

In 2006 the tournament was moved to India and only the ten full members were invited. The move away from helping emerging nations and inviting developing nations into the fold is now complete. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the money raised from these events ceased going toward associate nations too.

Australia won it. Nobody cares.

The 2008 edition was due to be played in Pakistan. It was cancelled. Nobody cared.

In 2009 South Africa held the event. Australia won it. Nobody cares.

The rise of Twenty/20 cricket and the ubiquitous tournaments they produce including the every 2 years (on average) world Twenty/20 has seen the misunderstood, unpopular and unnecessary champions trophy being cancelled for good after the 2013 edition in England. (India won it. Does anyone care? Nope, didn’t think so.)

The last edition was an invite only event for only the top eight teams in the world.

This event has now changed so much from its original intentions that it is now excluding full member nations from its exclusive little club!!!

But the entire media were sold on the idea of exclusively having the top eight teams going at it, among themselves, in a short, sharp competition. It’s as if this is the only selling point it had to offer.

But I can’t help but think that the tournament has missed a trick in its farewell swansong by ignoring both its initial concept, that of helping develop cricket in emerging nations, and of not inviting them along to show how much they have developed since this concept was first conceptualised.

England held the 2013 event making them the only nation to have hosted the champions trophy twice but why England, the oldest and most developed of all the cricketing nations, was allowed to host something meant to be for developing nations once is a mystery, let alone twice, especially when there are three of the top four ranked developing nations right next door to it.

Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands form three major emerging nations, as far as cricket goes, and between the three of them could have easily held a tournament of the size and stature like the ‘Champions Trophy’. The exposure gained would have been invaluable and the excitement raised could have carried participation rates upward for many years afterwards. Just the sort of thing the ‘Champions Trophy’ was invented to do.

There could even have been a concession made that England gets to hold the final of the event, spreading the good will around, making it truly a ‘land’ of cricket.

The fact that this was never even considered shows a lack of forward thinking and missed marketing opportunity by the I.C.C..

Even if this type of promotion of the game was unthinkable to the I.C.C., who these days seem intent in keeping cricket as closed a club as possible, perhaps a quality warm up competition could have been incorporated.

The invited top eight could have played a warm up round against the not invited full members (Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who, I’m sure, would have loved to be involved somehow and not ignored outright) plus the top six emerging nations from outside the test fold. At current rankings these six teams would be Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Kenya, and the U.A.E..

By grouping two major nations against two developing nations and splitting these groups across four nations eg. Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and one more European nation… nominally France, would have given the build up to the tournament a proper zing to it (do you think Bangladesh or Zimbabwe would be happy about being left out of the tournament proper? You’d expect some hard edged cricket from them, even if it was only a warm up game for the invited bigger nations.)

It would also have served as a litmus test to see how much emerging nations had developed since the inception of the ‘Champions Trophy’. The progress of Ireland and the development of Afghanistan have been the standout story from the emerging nations and they would have loved to have the chance to put up some good performances against full members before a competition they had not been invited to. I can't imagine any soft games given these conditions.

Before this recent edition of the champions trophy Ireland played two ODI games against Pakistan. They tied one and lost the other by 2 wickets pushing the Pakistanis close all the way, and yet there is no opportunity to show the world how far they have come by playing in the competition that is partly responsible for their progress.

To add further insult to injury, the few games that were played against the full members by the associates in the run up to this comp weren’t broadcast by any television station in any land, not being deemed important or interesting enough despite being awarded full One Day International status (the Ireland v Pakistan was broadcast via YouTube through cricket Ireland's home channel but the Scotland v. Pakistan and the Netherlands v. South Africa matches weren’t so lucky), meanwhile several of the unofficial (and not conforming to One Day International standards) warm up games featuring full member against full member were privileged to full broadcast from the might of Sky broadcasting.

Further evidence of a skewed perspective if ever there was one.

And so, the ‘Champions Trophy’ has finally been put to rest and out of its misery. Its good riddance for good. No more missed opportunities or ill advised changes to its fundamental concept. The ‘Champions Trophy’ is dead. Nobody cared when it was alive so goodbye, so long, and long may it remain dead. The full members will just have to find some other way to ignore the emerging nations.

The ‘Champions Trophy’ is to be replaced by a test nation championship. A championship that is exclusive to the test playing nations and that only the full members are invited to participate in. I’m sure that it will fare better