England cricket 2019 (19 Viewers)

[superskyblue]

NZ are just the classiest set of blokes. Not heard anything from them other than how gutted they are to lose and how England deserve it. Great role models.

I'm delighted for England. Overcame a few blips on the way and over the last four years they've been head and shoulders above the other countries in this format. Excited to see what happens next with this team. Bring on the Ashes.

 

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[superskyblue]

Would be interested to gauge people's opinions on this WC. Do we think it's created any sort of buzz outside of the cricket bubble? As a cricket player and fan I find it hard to work out whether people who wouldn't usually engage with the sport are engaging.

 

[CJ_covblaze]

NZ are just the classiest set of blokes. Not heard anything from them other than how gutted they are to lose and how England deserve it. Great role models.

I'm delighted for England. Overcame a few blips on the way and over the last four years they've been head and shoulders above the other countries in this format. Excited to see what happens next with this team. Bring on the Ashes.

Kane Williamson’s post match interview says all you need to know about him. A perfect example of a sportsman and gentleman. Deserved his man of the tournament award.

 

[CJ_covblaze]

Would be interested to gauge people's opinions on this WC. Do we think it's created any sort of buzz outside of the cricket bubble? As a cricket player and fan I find it hard to work out whether people who wouldn't usually engage with the sport are engaging.

The kids in one of my schools normally just want to play basketball or football. When I arrived on Friday they asked me if we could play cricket on the walk to the PE shed. Never wanted to before. They loved it. Hopefully the interest continues to increase with what is on it’s way in the Summer.

 

[Alkhen]

Would be interested to gauge people's opinions on this WC. Do we think it's created any sort of buzz outside of the cricket bubble? As a cricket player and fan I find it hard to work out whether people who wouldn't usually engage with the sport are engaging.

Needs to be back on terrestrial TV for a start but even then it'll never be mainstream. Too much of a time commitment to play Sundays for most. Even watching is a bit of luxury.

Loved it today, luckily things fell perfectly with family commitments so I got to follow the majority on TV.

 

[Otis]

The main problem with cricket is it's only played by a small subset of the countries in the world.
Can you really call yourself 'world champions' of a sport most countries in the world don't play or have never heard of?
I've tried to explain it to the American guy who sits next to me at work.
I told him the USA actually has a national cricket team.
But he considers it a novelty sport and has no real interest in learning about it.

There are in fact 104 countries in the world that are associates of the ICC.

 

[Gazolba]

There are in fact 104 countries in the world that are associates of the ICC.

But only 10 compete for the 'World Championship'.
Even the women's World Cup in football had 24 teams, the men's had 32.

 

[Otis]

But only 10 compete for the 'World Championship'.
Even the women's World Cup in football had 24 teams, the men's had 32.

Yes, but you said it was only played by a small amount of countries.

At the highest level, yes, but it is popular around the world and 104 countries competed to make these finals.

And they have just reduced the numbers this time around for the cricket.

Last world cup it was 14 teams and the previous one to that, 16 teams.

 

[Covstu]

Would be interested to gauge people's opinions on this WC. Do we think it's created any sort of buzz outside of the cricket bubble? As a cricket player and fan I find it hard to work out whether people who wouldn't usually engage with the sport are engaging.

Personally I think it’s been minimum in main stream but been massive in Asian British community. The mainstream been very focused on women’s World Cup at the same time and the cricket World Cup has been mostly invisible. Even look at yesterday the sports it had to compete with? F1 in silverstone and Wimbledon albeit both very uninteresting!

The positive is that we roll straight into the ashes so the media will hopefully latch onto the success train and support the boys although most wont follow test cricket (heathens!)

 

[Mcbean]

But the competitions 48 games on the whole were great to watch or listen to - England having to win two games to progress was pretty impressive - the final had some luck within it and as above NZ boys very good sportsman - great advert for the one day game . Was a master stroke to make free to air and gained much positive ness for Sky - Ashes coming -biggest grudge match after anything involving the Jocks !

 

[tisza]

But only 10 compete for the 'World Championship'.
Even the women's World Cup in football had 24 teams, the men's had 32.

Not true. 10 qualified. Many others went out in qualifying tournament.
Your American friend doesn't do irony? Don't the nfl, baseball and basketball winners all get referred to as 'World champions'?
As for cricket appeal wherever you find Indians, Pakistani or brit expats you will find cricket. Even here in Eastern Europe they've been the motivating force behind starting small domestic leagues and even international team establishment.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

Not true. 10 qualified. Many others went out in qualifying tournament.

The ten best were there not a load of rubbish making up the numbers, it’s pointless having teams like Hong Kong making the tournament even longer

 

[SIR ERNIE]

What a tremendous tournament that was, topped off by the most thrilling one day match ever. Who said cricket is boring.
Really looking forward to the Ashes series and I'd like to see Jason Roy given a chance. There's no doubt he's a top drawer shot maker, it would be interesting to see if he can adapt his game to the demands of 5-day test cricket.

 

[tisza]

The ten best were there not a load of rubbish making up the numbers, it’s pointless having teams like Hong Kong making the tournament even longer

absolutely. even afghanistan should have 2 games but for poor captaincy.

 

[Grendel]

absolutely. even afghanistan should have 2 games but for poor captaincy.

Probably 3 - Sri Lanka. India and Pakistan

 

[oucho]

I must admit, I cried like a baby when we won...and then cried like a baby watching the highlights this lunchtime. I've been following England as a passionate fan for over 20 years and this was the most joyous moment I can remember.

 

[superskyblue]

I must admit, I cried like a baby when we won...and then cried like a baby watching the highlights this lunchtime. I've been following England as a passionate fan for over 20 years and this was the most joyous moment I can remember.

Likewise. Too tense to cry at the time but have since had a blub when watching the highlights. Very jealous of CJ being at Lords!

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

I saw sajid javid on the telly this morning saying that it was an upper class sport and not been open to ordinary people. What a total ignorant twat!
If he went to any cricket club to play or join they'd welcome him with open arms. Tennis clubs on the other hand are a different matter altogether.

 

[superskyblue]

I saw sajid javid on the telly this morning saying that it was an upper class sport and not been open to ordinary people. What a total ignorant twat!
If he went to any cricket club to play or join they'd welcome him with open arms. Tennis clubs on the other hand are a different matter altogether.

Lords is stuffy 99% of the time but get to any other county or test ground and you don't get an upper class vibe at all.

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

Lords is stuffy 99% of the time but get to any other county or test ground and you don't get an upper class vibe at all.

He wasn't even on about county teams though. Just ordinary clubs all around the country. I've been playing for over 30 years and never came across any club with that sort of mentality.

 

[Dimi_Konstantflapalot]

He wasn't even on about county teams though. Just ordinary clubs all around the country. I've been playing for over 30 years and never came across any club with that sort of mentality.

Agree, I've been playing league cricket for years and clubs are absolutely desperate for more numbers and increased player pool. It's very easy to join a cricket club and certainly everyone at mine would welcome new players. Javid is an arrogant wanker with no idea about grassroots sport

 

[Dimi_Konstantflapalot]

Unrelated, but Kevin Pietersen was at my club on Saturday watching his son play in the morning before our game started. His son is already very, very good aged 9 - 36* off 17 balls

 

[tisza]

I saw sajid javid on the telly this morning saying that it was an upper class sport and not been open to ordinary people. What a total ignorant twat!
If he went to any cricket club to play or join they'd welcome him with open arms. Tennis clubs on the other hand are a different matter altogether.

maybe if his party hadn't sold off all the schools playing fields it would be more inclusive andaccessible

 

[The Great Eastern]

maybe if his party hadn't sold off all the schools playing fields it would be more inclusive andaccessible

Excellent comment Tisza.
I try to get to watch East Anglian Premier League fixtures when I can and there is no hint of class distinction whatsoever. Top local club to Norwich, Swardeston, recruits through kids coming along to their training sessions and not through grabbing the lads from the upper class schools. The top nobs schools, however, might have the time and money to provide better coaching than the state schools.
Maybe things will change after this fantastic World Cup win ?

 

[Gazolba]

He wasn't even on about county teams though. Just ordinary clubs all around the country. I've been playing for over 30 years and never came across any club with that sort of mentality.

When I was at Caludon Castle school, cricket was a very minor sport.
I think we only played it once in 5 years.
I suspect the entire school had only one cricket bat and one ball.
Rugby and Football were the main sports at Caludon.
They had tennis courts but I never played tennis once in the 5 years I was there.
I'm sure cricket was more of a mainstream sport at the grammar schools.

 

[eastwoodsdustman]

When I was at Caludon Castle school, cricket was a very minor sport.
I think we only played it once in 5 years.
I suspect the entire school had only one cricket bat and one ball.
Rugby and Football were the main sports at Caludon.
They had tennis courts but I never played tennis once in the 5 years I was there.
I'm sure cricket was more of a mainstream sport at the grammar schools.

I reckon I used that bat when I was there!
Problem with cricket isn’t lack of fields it’s lack of interest from teachers. If a teacher at a comprehensive school likes cricket then they’re more likely to play it in lessons or after school. Otherwise it doesn’t happen.
In Nuneaton and Bedworth they do play it more but no chance in Coventry.

 

[tisza]

Problem is cricket clubs generally run by unpaid volunteers who only have so much time.
Main cricket season July/August = school summer holidays. No mass or co-ordinated system in place to offer large numbers of kids the opportunity to learn/play during this time.

 

[Dimi_Konstantflapalot]

Problem is cricket clubs generally run by unpaid volunteers who only have so much time.
Main cricket season July/August = school summer holidays. No mass or co-ordinated system in place to offer large numbers of kids the opportunity to learn/play during this time.

The volunteer thing I agree with, although your 2nd point is a little lazy. Age group cricket leagues and training are (generally) deliberately run from April to start of July to account for people being away during school summer holidays. There are many cricket camps run outside of this period in late July/August at clubs around the local area, and for the older kids (13+) there is usually the chance to get involved with senior cricket, either on a Saturday in the lower men's teams or on Sundays in friendly games. For younger kids, there's also the ECB All Stars Cricket initative for 5 - 8 year olds that has been running for a while.

Not sure if it is played in other parts of the country, but I know in Surrey there is also the 'Development' league on Sundays. 40 overs, coloured clothing/balls/stumps and a mix of junior and senior players - sort of a halfway house between boys and mens cricket and a great pathway for youngsters to start the transition to senior cricket.

A lot of the time however I think it's down to the parents - mums and dads who like cricket are more likely to try and get their kids involved in the sport whereas a lot of the time, people who don't like or understand the game/think it's boring/takes too long and distracts from school work will not take advantage of the information and opportunities that are pretty widely available. It's a stance I hate and really disagree, but have sadly seen it first hand (why deny kids the opportunity to try something just because you don't like it?)

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

When I was at Caludon Castle school, cricket was a very minor sport.
I think we only played it once in 5 years.
I suspect the entire school had only one cricket bat and one ball.
Rugby and Football were the main sports at Caludon.
They had tennis courts but I never played tennis once in the 5 years I was there.
I'm sure cricket was more of a mainstream sport at the grammar schools.

Rugby and football were the big ones for us as well because the PE teachers were more into it. X Country was also a big thing. We did play cricket and tennis but for nowhere near the same amount of time dedicated to the others.

I think part of it is also the kit - getting changed into the pads etc takes a lot longer so when we did play most of the time it was with a tennis ball. Same with hockey - did drills etc but almost never actually played games because it took forever for the keeper to get suited up. You ended up having about a 10 minutes game.

 

[chiefdave]

I went to Finham 85-92 and we had cricket there. Also played for Highway and it certainly wasn't for posh kids.

Don't think it being in the summer is a huge issue. We had nets all through the winter at Tile Hill sports centre and indoor cricket leagues, one of which was at Connexion.

Its a similar problem to football. The money is all at the top. Kids have got all summer off with nothing to do so remove the reliance on volunteers. Employ some coaches and run sessions over the school holidays.

 

[Terry Gibson's perm]

My lads are currently on Allstars cricket at Corley and loving it, they could have gone to a local club like Ambleside but I wanted to take them away from their friends and they have loved meeting new kids.

When I was young I learnt to play with a bat that my grandad made in his breaks at the council (it didn’t take long due to lots of breaks) at my school we had to practice with plastic bats.

With a very limited technique I managed to score a hundred for the school but then spent time with a friend of my parents who worked on my general technique and it all suddenly clicked into place when I batted for over fifty overs to save a game as the time in the middle was invaluable

 

[ccfchoi87]

https://www.ecb.co.uk/england/men/n...nnounced-for-the-inaugural-ireland-test-match

Disappointed that Foakes has been seemingly dismissed. Doesn’t look like Archer will be included for the first test either. Gregory is an interesting one.

 

[Gazolba]

Another thing is you can kick a football around on any small area of grass.
At one time you could hardly pass any grassy area without seeing a few kids kicking a ball around.
I never once remember seeing kids playing cricket.
Me, my brother and my father used to cycle up Shilton Lane on weekends to the playing fields by the Canal, near where the Jolly Colliers pub used to be.
We would play cricket there but there was only the three of us and we had only one bat and one set of stumps and bails
And my brother was never much into sports so me and my Dad were the only enthusiastic players.
I actually used to borrow books on cricket technique from the library.
To practice catching, I would thow a ball agaist a wall and catch it when it bounced back.
Never had the opportunity to play it at school though.

 

[Otis]

Another thing is you can kick a football around on any small area of grass.
At one time you could hardly pass any grassy area without seeing a few kids kicking a ball around.
I never once remember seeing kids playing cricket.
Me, my brother and my father used to cycle up Shilton Lane on weekends to the playing fields by the Canal, near where the Jolly Colliers pub used to be.
We would play cricket there but there was only the three of us and we had only one bat and one set of stumps and bails
And my brother was never much into sports so me and my Dad were the only enthusiastic players.
I actually used to borrow books on cricket technique from the library.
To practice catching, I would thow a ball agaist a wall and catch it when it bounced back.
Never had the opportunity to play it at school though.

Sowe Common? We used to play there too and we did play cricket on occasion, but mostly football.

I used to live in Ringwood Highway, so straight up Kenilworth Close and that then brought us up by the Colliers.

 

[Gazolba]

Sowe Common? We used to play there too and we did play cricket on occasion, but mostly football.

I used to live in Ringwood Highway, so straight up Kenilworth Close and that then brought us up by the Colliers.

We used to play where I placed the red star.