Ian Blackwell’s record, Tim Wigmore once wrote, “made him arguably the best county all-rounder of the 2000s.” That record was very good: he played for a decade and a half, making over 11,000 First Class runs, averaging barely a shade under 40, and picking up over 600 wickets (across formats) to boot.
[Read part one here] “You can’t win singlehandedly…” St John’s Wood, postcode NW8. Once part of a Royal Forest, now the most expensive rental area in London. In the 692 years since ownership of the woodland passed to the Knights Hospitaller, it has gone from forest fragment to the fifth highest house prices in London. … More Geoff Humpage: Unwavering Warwickshire (part 2)
“That’s probably the best one.” Ray Illingworth, a 51 year old veteran-to-end-all-veterans, was trundling in to bowl his winding off-spin. Despite having supposedly retired several years earlier, and despite having been a First Class cricketer for over three decades, Illingworth’s performances in 1983 were more than commendable. Leading a Yorkshire side ruptured by internal schisms, … More Geoff Humpage: Unwavering Warwickshire (part 1)
Paul Smith. It’s a name most have heard of, but generally only in the occasional ESPNCricinfo piece detailing cricketers banned for recreational drug use. The story is always the same, along the lines of: ‘Paul Smith was a Warwickshire fast-bowling all-rounder who never made full use of his talents. He played between 1982 and 1996, … More Paul Smith; ‘sport can change things for the better’
When George Dobell wrote his profile of Warwickshire’s Rikki Clarke for ESPNCricinfo, he probably felt quite justified in penning the line “Promoted too early and written off too soon”. On the surface it seems a fair assumption. Selected for England the year after his First Class debut, Clarke was then discarded after two Tests and … More Rikki Clarke: more than a journeyman
In 2014, the County Championship was a season plagued by Yorkshire. With Lyth and Lees at the top of the order, Williamson, Bairstow, Ballance, Rashid, Gale, Leaning, Pyrah, Finch, Root and Hodd vying for middle order spots when available, and with Rashid, Plunkett, Brooks, Sidebottom, Patterson and Bresnan completing the bowling tasks, it was one … More Five to watch: County Championship 2015.
Mind The Windows 