Cricket in Jersey: “we’re punching above our weight”

Tie-breakers always seem unnecessarily cruel. No matter what method is used, no matter what decision is decided, it always seems unfair in one way or another. And the European Division One Twenty20 tournament, held this month in Jersey, was no exception. Coming into the final day of play, the victors of the two main matches … More Cricket in Jersey: “we’re punching above our weight”

Jo Angel; ‘It’s a pretty simple game overcomplicated by people’

When, at the end of the 2003/04 Australian domestic season, Jo Angel decided to retire, a giant presence was leaving the Western Australia ranks. A giant man too, at six-foot six-inches tall. For more than a decade, Angel had been the man WA turned to match after match. The final statistics said it all: 485 … More Jo Angel; ‘It’s a pretty simple game overcomplicated by people’

Clive Eksteen; ‘they stuck the badge on with glue!’

It’s November 12th, 1991. India are hosting South Africa in the second match of a three-game ODI series. South Africa are playing their first series back from isolation, so the historic occasion isn’t lost on anyone. The Gwailor crowd are cheering their home fans on, with Kris Srikkanth and Navjot Sidhu putting on a fantastic … More Clive Eksteen; ‘they stuck the badge on with glue!’

Building the County Champions: The Mick Newell interview

Sports coaches have possibly the most fragile jobs in the world. In all sports, but particularly football and cricket, coaches are the first to have their head on the chopping block after a defeat. Even in the quiet fields of County Cricket, the job of a coach is tenuous at best. Most survive one cycle, … More Building the County Champions: The Mick Newell interview

Andrew Hall: From Cronje to Kolpak (part two)

Part one of Andrew Hall’s interview can be found here, discussing his international career. Part two concentrates on County cricket. Case C-438/00. Held in the fifth chamber of the European Court of Justice, the case was between Deutscher Handballbund eV and Maroš Kolpak. None of that will have made much sense – apart from that … More Andrew Hall: From Cronje to Kolpak (part two)

Bangladesh, from botched to brilliant

“Best Team In Europe”, the sign read. In one of the Blarney Army’s greatest moments, that was the placard they unveiled late in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. While England failed miserably, losing to Bangladesh, being slaughtered by New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, and only scraping victories against Scotland and Afghanistan, Ireland were at their … More Bangladesh, from botched to brilliant