|
Post by karma on Apr 2, 2024 20:27:09 GMT
Regarding the Guardian article that's all fair enough but I'm afraid I'm going to be Mr. Grumpy again as I never found the 'enthusiastic Darren Gough' that enthusiastic at Yorkshire
Yes, he was a great cricketer and a likeable chap and some people hung on his every word. Most Yorkshire members welcomed his appointment, a great Yorkshire cricketer returning home at a time of great strife at Yorkshire. I know he had a limited budget, because he told us that several times, but I was not overly impressed with most of his signings.
Most of the meetings I attended (AGM, GM, member's forums) I arrived before him ,not 10 minutes after the meeting started. I appreciate I didn't have another job, like him, delaying me, but neither did I have a financial package of £1/3mill ,presumably including a company car. And I always had the impression that he'd rather be somewhere else.
I suppose what was the final straw (for me) was the several times postponed member's forum from November 2023 coinciding with Darren's apologies from Abu Dhabi (I think). I appreciate there were other things going on but the member's forum is essentially about cricket matters.
As a player and person, I like Darren. As a DOC I don't think he was worth the money.
Other opinions will be available
|
|
|
Post by slowleftarmer on Apr 3, 2024 7:48:08 GMT
I think Darren was the type of appointment that aimed to please everyone, Barnsley connections with Rafiq, Yorkshire born former player and someone media savvy to navigate us through a challenging period. A bit like David Bairstow in the 70s and 80s, he got on with all sides of the arguments so could sometimes be the peacemaker.
Sadly, Darren does not seem to have much of an idea to spot a decent cricketer when you look at some of the players signed on his watch - maybe we were strapped for cash after overpaying him and Gibson, but Edwards, Mike and Moriarty are not going to improve our chances.
He also seemed to be distracted by his other interests. Graves is a hard nosed businessman and if he is paying 250k to someone who is not delivering in a role, he will see through that and not want to waste his money
|
|
|
Post by karma on Apr 3, 2024 9:32:16 GMT
It's the other £75,000 of Goughie's 'package' on top of his £250,000 salary that might surprise people. As a director he would have been an employee and Yorkshire could have been paying 10-15% of his earnings into a pension (£25,000-37,500 pa) plus National Insurance, Death in Service cover/critical illness, a car commensurate with his position, travel and hotel etc etc
Anyway my belief is that Lord P thought he was worth it but that view has changed with a change in Chair 🪓
|
|
|
Post by newby on Apr 3, 2024 10:17:15 GMT
I think overall it was a good PR move to bring him in at the time when the cricketing side of things was very much an afterthought. Equally I'm pretty sure we have enough cricketing knowledge in and around the club now to manage without him, or indeed any DOC for a few months.
Decisions will have to be made though towards the end of the season in terms of the playing and coaching staff, so I hope we can bring someone in to get to grips with the position in good time.
|
|
|
Post by karma on Apr 3, 2024 10:41:36 GMT
And an essential to my new season is the
PLAYFAIR CRICKET ANNUAL 📖
Went into Waterstones today. None. Out tomorrow they say, (I hope)
By the end of the season my copy of this is full of notes, amendments , figures etc that it's almost unusable but at least it works, when the Internet doesn't.
|
|
|
Post by tykemania on Apr 3, 2024 15:22:36 GMT
Sadly, Darren does not seem to have much of an idea to spot a decent cricketer when you look at some of the players signed on his watch - maybe we were strapped for cash after overpaying him and Gibson, but Edwards, Mike and Moriarty are not going to improve our chances. I think you are being unfair to Moriarty; he may not be the second coming of Hedley Verity but he is a decent to very decent spinner, crucially of the left arm variety, and with lots of years on his side. I suspect he will do more than respectably well for the club.
|
|
|
Post by slowleftarmer on Apr 4, 2024 7:17:44 GMT
But if Dom Bess finds form, then his batting and fielding would see him selected as the front line spinner ahead of Moriarty in the CC and definitely in white ball cricket
|
|
|
Post by davemorton on Apr 4, 2024 8:49:12 GMT
|
|
|
Post by karma on Apr 4, 2024 12:12:53 GMT
County cricket Hub is worth it for Dave's photo's alone and Kenny's info is comprehensive and up-to-date.
In fact they all have something to offer. I'm a constant scribbler and find something to write on that doesn't require a battery or connection also usefully. Could be a scorecard or whatever you have on your pocket
|
|
|
Post by newby on Apr 4, 2024 12:16:10 GMT
Some encouraging views from those who ought to know:
County captains survey – anonymous predictions for the 2024 red-ball season: Which county (not including your county) do you think will win Division One?
12: Surrey, 2: Lancashire, 1: Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Warwickshire.
Which two counties (not including your own) do you think will be promoted from Division Two?
14: Yorkshire, 9: Middlesex, 7: Sussex, 4: Northamptonshire, 2: Derbyshire.
Which player (not from your county) will be the leading run scorer in Division One?
3: James Vince (Hampshire); 2: Dean Elgar (Essex), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Dan Lawrence (Surrey); 1: Tom Abell (Somerset), David Bedingham (Durham), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Nick Gubbins (Hampshire), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Dom Sibley (Surrey), Tom Westley (Essex).
Which player (not from your county) will be the leading wicket-taker in Division One?
5: Simon Harmer (Essex); 3: Matthew Potts (Durham), Dan Worrall (Surrey); 2: Kyle Abbott (Hampshire), Sam Cook (Essex); 1: Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Nathan Lyon (Lancashire) 1, Chris Rushworth (Warwickshire).
Which player (not from your county) will be the leading run scorer in Division Two?
4: Leus du Plooy (Middlesex), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire); 2: Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire); 1: Cameron Bancroft (Gloucestershire), Finlay Bean (Yorkshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Chris Dent (Gloucestershire), Shan Masood (Yorkshire), Sam Northeast (Glamorgan), Jack Morley (Derbyshire), Prithvi Shaw (Northamptonshire).
Which player (not from your county) will be the leading wicket-taker in Division Two?
3: Ben Coad (Yorkshire), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex); 2: Ethan Bamber (Middlesex), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ryan Higgins (Middlesex), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Ben Sanderson (Northamptonshire); 1: Zak Chappell (Derbyshire), George Scrimshaw (Northamptonshire).
Who will score the most runs for England Men in Test cricket this summer?
10: Joe Root (Yorkshire); 3: Zak Crawley (Kent); 2: Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire); 1: Ollie Pope (Surrey).
Who will take the most wickets for England Men in Test cricket this summer?
12: James Anderson (Lancashire); 2: Matthew Potts (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire); 1: Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Mark Wood (Durham).
Who are, in your opinion, the two most exciting young England-qualified players (not from your county – and aged 23 or under at start of year) to watch out for in the Vitality County Championship this summer?
11: James Rew (Somerset); 4: Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Tom Lawes (Surrey); 2: Ben McKinney (Durham), Tawanda Muyeye (Kent), Ollie Price (Gloucestershire), John Turner (Hampshire); 1: Finlay Bean (Yorkshire), James Coles (Sussex), George Hill (Yorkshire), Noah Thain (Essex).
|
|
|
Post by newby on Apr 4, 2024 12:30:02 GMT
Just to highlight the ECB fiddling about during the Close season.
Drawn matches: Back to 8 points each for a draw rather than the 5 points they trialled last season.
Batting BP's: Same as last season to cover the first 110 overs, first point at 250 to a max of 5 at 450.
Bowling BP's: Unchanged at 3, 6 and 9 wickets within the first 110 overs.
Kookaburra: 4 games using the Aussie ball, up from 2 games last year. Same for all teams, dates not released yet.
Hybrid pitches: Allowed to be used for the first time in multi-day cricket.
Good to go.
|
|
|
Post by byased on Apr 4, 2024 14:40:36 GMT
Seems odd that professional cricket starts tomorrow, but Birmingham League, and presumably others around the country don't start for another two weeks. Even then, clubs are doubting that conditions will be playable, and an extension of the league finishing times may be applied for. My son in law and grandson play for Worfield in premier div 2 of the Birmingham league. It looks interesting with Kidderminster dropping in from div 1, and Old Hill promoted from one of the feeder leagues. Both have won major honours over the years, but have struggled in recent times. Old Hill, along with Stourbridge, virtually disbanded at one stage a few years ago. My grandson is first team keeper at age 16, and just signed on for Warwickshire and Staffordshire for age group cricket this summer, so looking good. Worfield have just signed Will Rhodes, who played for them a couple of years ago. He is expected to play in 6 or 7 league games plus a few knockouts. I normally pop in to watch the odd Saturday game, so look forward to meeting him.
|
|
|
Post by davemorton on Apr 4, 2024 17:27:06 GMT
Yes, I am looking forward to watching a few league games during the Great Midsummer Pro Cricket Desert. I've got good cricket on my doorstep, Prestwich CC, and if the weather is kind I want to try to photograph pretty club grounds I've not been on, previously.
Back to the here and now, Mike Atherton has written a good piece about the Surrey Stewart dynasty - 70 years since Mickey signed his first contract - and the Club's quest for a very rare threepeat, which Yorkshire were last to achieve 1966-68.
Elsewhere in the Times, it is reported that Dawid Malan has taken up a coaching role at YCCC. He had opted out of f-c cricket to manage his workload, but now it seems possible (likely, even) that that workload may be zero, and he could have a rethink about Yorkshire red ball, which he loves, he says. [Except for the fielding, perhaps?]
And finally, is it possible that I might spend the first day of the new season at Old Trafford? If the Headingley drains are as bad as we think they are, and given the reciprocal Members' agreement, that might be a really good option. Free tram + free entrance makes it a sensible option, if play were to begin mid afternoon, for example.
|
|
|
Post by slowleftarmer on Apr 5, 2024 6:59:30 GMT
No sign of any cricket at my local club judging by the lack of a cut strip, although the weather has been grim all week too.
I hope they have a home game next Saturday as they are also hosting a charity beer festival so combining the two could make for a perfect afternoon, even more so if the sun shines
|
|