In praise of Minor Counties cricket

I had a long chat with the parents of the Gordon brothers, Jacob and Finn, at Wimborne Minster. Dad is a Kiwi, the elder boy (Jacob) has just won a professional contract there, after a successful season last winter. Good career with Oxford Uni, and hoping to get taken on by Worcestershire.

The younger boy, Finn, is accepted as the better of the two. Only 17, he is already making big waves with Hampshire, and is hoping to get selected for England U19 in due course. I also had a chat with the grandparents of one of the other players, not sure which one, whose home club this is.

At North Devon, I sat between rival supporters. Not needed as a peacekeeper! But Berkshire (and their noisy coach) were a bit in yer face, and a very strong and balanced team. I have named what players I could in my Flickr account of the games.

The Devon v Berkshire game was in the NCCA Western Division 1, the other in Div 2. Lovely, civilised cricket, and competitive, which surprised me, having pigeonholed the old Minor Counties stuff as middle aged businessmen mutually hooray henrying, Ronnie Burnett types, with money and time.