Wednesday evening demonstrated the true spirit of Englishness. Although the weather forecast was not promising a thousand or so good folk of Durham and Tyneside assembled at the riverside cricket ground at Chester Le Street between 4 and 6 pm in the hope of another exciting and enthralling cricket match in the 20 20 competition.
It has been a reasonable day, dry and warmer compared to Tuesday which hah been horrible. I had spent the day in writing for pleasure, for work research and in relation to the premature and preventable death of my aunt and care mother with the consequence that I did not set off until well after four arriving at the ground about a quarter to five. I was able to park in the first area of the end car park nearest the main roadway out of the Ground and the Riverside Parkland. There was still a number of car parking and change attendants with all the gates open at the ground although this time there were two police on duty checking bags for alcohol rather than the half dozen civilians. It was nevertheless a full scale operation intended for a crowd that never arrived.
I made my way immediately to Member's lounge when I needed a cold drink deciding on a J20 which at £1.80 was an expensive but enjoyable drink. I then made enquiries and established that the two rows of seating on the covered veranda were available on a first come first served basis, and selected a seat on the second row so that I could hop over without disturbing the others who were seated. I then watched the last part of the English innings against the New Zealand in the second one day at Edgbaston as we struggled to raise the scoring rate in what had become a rain effected and reduced over game. I had heard an interesting discussion about the politics and funding of the new 20 20 game which suggested an urgent need for the international bodies to reach quick agreement over what has happened and what impact the emergence of major prize and earning competitions will have on the game. For example Michael Vaughan the English Test captain does not play in the one day or 20 20 competition with Paul Collingwood of Durham captain of the latter. Paul has the opportunity of wining half a million in a game in the West Indies which is bound to attract world TV interest hence the ability to pay the prize money although it will only take one dropped catch or run out rather like a missed penalty for the team to lose out, What does Mr Vaughan makes of this and other Test Players not likely to make the 20 20 game.
My impression is that the English and other authorities have acted in a panic in order to try and keep our players from going off and making money for themselves and for the match promoters so our lot have come up with competitions which will make money for both players and our official organisation which in turn they will use to improve the County Game as well as promoting cricket in schools and village and town clubs. Later a Durham member suggested to me that test players had a guaranteed income of around £200000 which is so puts a different perspective and adds to gulf between such players and ticket prices and the rest of cricket. It is my understanding that the Test and County cricket board gives just £1million a year to the 18 first class counties.
Unfortunately the spits of rain on the journey down changed to a drizzle so that first the hard covers were brought over the wicket, then the bowlers runs ups, then the side areas to the hard cover and eventually the giant sheets which cover the entire area of the grounds used for wickets. Those experienced on such occasions noted that the decision was taken not to hold the toss as who was to bat first, a good indication that play was unlikely and then the addition of covers rather than their removal. The public address system remained optimistic reminding that if a pint of smooth bitter was bought would could have a draw ticket so that if a player hit's a ball directly in the three large containers around the boundary there would be a draw for £10000. The international 20.20 to be held in August at the ground was advertised with the last tickets available for £35. It will be interesting to see what the actual turn out is on the day is.
Another indicator of what was to come is that although it was raining the Durham All star dancing girls, eight this time, came out wearing their short shorts but all weather tops to do a full dance waving to crowd as they came on and then departed, I waved back noting that it was only children and young men who responded. It was then time for a plate of chips after drinking the hot soup I had brought with me. I did watch part of New Zealand's well played march to victory only to be robbed by the weather when with less than one over to go the rain brought the match to an end, and the game was declared no result. One of Durham's senior players came to talk to relatives who were sitting next to me and then I had a long chat with a long member who had been a teacher. There was continued hope that we might get some play in that it was still possible for sufficient overs to be played for a result to be achieved if the game could start before 27 minutes past eight o'clock and around quarter to eight the large motorised mopping up rollers started to clear water from the top of the covers. However at eight the decision to abandon play was announced and information given on how the tickets could be reused or reimbursed.
At one level given my advancing years and uncertain future spending over four hours watching the grass grow was not a good use of time although given the earlier activities I did not regard the experience as wasteful. It was all very English.
There was a similar restrained and serious atmosphere in the Commons because on top of the four deaths last week in Afghanistan a further four troops had been killed in a road bomb the previous day with another seriously ill. They were not named but later on the news I heard that one was the first female combatant soldier to be killed in what appears to have been a secret mission. The thoughtful reflection on the British role was shared by all three main leaders of the political parties before the Opposition challenged the Prime Minister to admit that the Irish no vote against the new European Treaty meant that along with the Constitution it was dead. The Prime Minister explained why it was necessary to proceed with the British Ratification process, side steeping the Opposition demand that there would not be no attempt to persuade Ireland to hold another vote or get round the effective veto in someway. The government is in a difficult position having previously promised a referendum on the new Constitution and then abandoned the idea when the Treaty was cooked up in order to have a means of operation to cover the expansion of the community. There is no doubt that whatever the benefits of the enlarged community if there is a referendum on anything to do with the European community the British public will vote no and there is no evidence that this will change in the foreseeable future. It is an issue which the government, any government needs to address with profound implications for our future.
It has been a reasonable day, dry and warmer compared to Tuesday which hah been horrible. I had spent the day in writing for pleasure, for work research and in relation to the premature and preventable death of my aunt and care mother with the consequence that I did not set off until well after four arriving at the ground about a quarter to five. I was able to park in the first area of the end car park nearest the main roadway out of the Ground and the Riverside Parkland. There was still a number of car parking and change attendants with all the gates open at the ground although this time there were two police on duty checking bags for alcohol rather than the half dozen civilians. It was nevertheless a full scale operation intended for a crowd that never arrived.
I made my way immediately to Member's lounge when I needed a cold drink deciding on a J20 which at £1.80 was an expensive but enjoyable drink. I then made enquiries and established that the two rows of seating on the covered veranda were available on a first come first served basis, and selected a seat on the second row so that I could hop over without disturbing the others who were seated. I then watched the last part of the English innings against the New Zealand in the second one day at Edgbaston as we struggled to raise the scoring rate in what had become a rain effected and reduced over game. I had heard an interesting discussion about the politics and funding of the new 20 20 game which suggested an urgent need for the international bodies to reach quick agreement over what has happened and what impact the emergence of major prize and earning competitions will have on the game. For example Michael Vaughan the English Test captain does not play in the one day or 20 20 competition with Paul Collingwood of Durham captain of the latter. Paul has the opportunity of wining half a million in a game in the West Indies which is bound to attract world TV interest hence the ability to pay the prize money although it will only take one dropped catch or run out rather like a missed penalty for the team to lose out, What does Mr Vaughan makes of this and other Test Players not likely to make the 20 20 game.
My impression is that the English and other authorities have acted in a panic in order to try and keep our players from going off and making money for themselves and for the match promoters so our lot have come up with competitions which will make money for both players and our official organisation which in turn they will use to improve the County Game as well as promoting cricket in schools and village and town clubs. Later a Durham member suggested to me that test players had a guaranteed income of around £200000 which is so puts a different perspective and adds to gulf between such players and ticket prices and the rest of cricket. It is my understanding that the Test and County cricket board gives just £1million a year to the 18 first class counties.
Unfortunately the spits of rain on the journey down changed to a drizzle so that first the hard covers were brought over the wicket, then the bowlers runs ups, then the side areas to the hard cover and eventually the giant sheets which cover the entire area of the grounds used for wickets. Those experienced on such occasions noted that the decision was taken not to hold the toss as who was to bat first, a good indication that play was unlikely and then the addition of covers rather than their removal. The public address system remained optimistic reminding that if a pint of smooth bitter was bought would could have a draw ticket so that if a player hit's a ball directly in the three large containers around the boundary there would be a draw for £10000. The international 20.20 to be held in August at the ground was advertised with the last tickets available for £35. It will be interesting to see what the actual turn out is on the day is.
Another indicator of what was to come is that although it was raining the Durham All star dancing girls, eight this time, came out wearing their short shorts but all weather tops to do a full dance waving to crowd as they came on and then departed, I waved back noting that it was only children and young men who responded. It was then time for a plate of chips after drinking the hot soup I had brought with me. I did watch part of New Zealand's well played march to victory only to be robbed by the weather when with less than one over to go the rain brought the match to an end, and the game was declared no result. One of Durham's senior players came to talk to relatives who were sitting next to me and then I had a long chat with a long member who had been a teacher. There was continued hope that we might get some play in that it was still possible for sufficient overs to be played for a result to be achieved if the game could start before 27 minutes past eight o'clock and around quarter to eight the large motorised mopping up rollers started to clear water from the top of the covers. However at eight the decision to abandon play was announced and information given on how the tickets could be reused or reimbursed.
At one level given my advancing years and uncertain future spending over four hours watching the grass grow was not a good use of time although given the earlier activities I did not regard the experience as wasteful. It was all very English.
There was a similar restrained and serious atmosphere in the Commons because on top of the four deaths last week in Afghanistan a further four troops had been killed in a road bomb the previous day with another seriously ill. They were not named but later on the news I heard that one was the first female combatant soldier to be killed in what appears to have been a secret mission. The thoughtful reflection on the British role was shared by all three main leaders of the political parties before the Opposition challenged the Prime Minister to admit that the Irish no vote against the new European Treaty meant that along with the Constitution it was dead. The Prime Minister explained why it was necessary to proceed with the British Ratification process, side steeping the Opposition demand that there would not be no attempt to persuade Ireland to hold another vote or get round the effective veto in someway. The government is in a difficult position having previously promised a referendum on the new Constitution and then abandoned the idea when the Treaty was cooked up in order to have a means of operation to cover the expansion of the community. There is no doubt that whatever the benefits of the enlarged community if there is a referendum on anything to do with the European community the British public will vote no and there is no evidence that this will change in the foreseeable future. It is an issue which the government, any government needs to address with profound implications for our future.
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