November 2011 – Limited Overs

November 30, 2011November 30, 2011

Cape Cobras v Dolphins at Cape Town, Franchise 1-Day Cup

This morning I was scheduled to write about Essex County Cricket Club, but I then I thought I would take a break from County Cricket for a day and explore some of the other domestic cricket competitions taking place right now: in Banglandesh, in India, in New Zealand, in Pakistan, in South Africa, in Zimbabwe…it seems the entire Southern Hemisphere is alive with cricket. (Missing from that list is Australia, but it looks as though The Sheffield Shield returns on 2 December, the Ryobi One-Day Cup on 7 December, and of course, the BIG BASH LEAGUE ramps up on 16 December.) Plus, writing about a County might not seem like it, but it is a time consuming effort, and I could use a quick morning post.

So let’s chat about Zimbabwe’s Stanbic Bank 20 Series instead.

It is a short competition, lasting only from the 25^th of November through the 4^th of December, barely a week. It features five clubs, the same five clubs that I discussed in my post on Zimbabwe’s other domestic competition, The Castle Logan Cup.

Each club plays each other club once, with the top four teams advancing to a knock out stage. (Yeah, 80% of the teams make the playoffs, that’s almost a higher percentage than the NHL has.) The knockout stage is single elimination, two semi-finals and a final.

This year, the competition features several international players of note: Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes, Ryan ten Doeschate, and of course the enigmatic Chris Gayle.

Gayle plays for the Matabeleland Tuskers, and his squad has already played their four matches, winning three and losing one, and has advanced to the knockout stages. The Mountaineers and the Mid West Rhinos have also advanced, so the last spot is left for the Southern Rocks and the Mashonaland Eagles (ten Doeschate’s squad) to fight over. The former has two points to the latter’s none, but the Eagles have a match in hand.

The semi-finals are on Friday and the final on Sunday. As I have previously mentioned, the matches are available live on Willow.tv, and the final is actually on at a not too ungodly hour: 6am CST. Will I watch?? We will see.

The Zimbabwean Cricket Association is bullish on the tournament, and sees it as a chance for ZC to show the ICC that cricket is growing exponentially in their country. Big crowds are expected this weekend at the finals, as it is a school holiday.

Now, I am no big fan of Twenty20 (especially at the international level) but for cricket to grow, in my opinion, domestic competitions in lesser nations, not just test nations but in all Associate member nations, competitions such as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series, need to succeed and thrive. I really believe these tournaments will feed test cricket, which is what we all want, at the end of the day.

Of course, like most folks, I hate the idea of the best international players flying all over the world to play in 15 different domestic tournaments a year, but that might have to be the catalyst which helps these domestic leagues grow. I point to Major League Soccer and their “designated player” rule, which has seemingly worked quite well.

So, here’s hoping nothing but success for the Stanbic Bank 20 Series.

Until next time.

November 29, 2011

Punjab v Railways at Mohali, Ranji Trophy Elite

Normally, Tuesdays are no blog days, as I have an early meeting and class in the afternoon. But the meeting this morning was cancelled, so I thought: let’s write a blog damn it.

And I am glad I did.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Derbyshire was one of the youngest first-class counties in England, but at the time I was not aware that not only was Durham younger, but the significantly younger.

Durham County Cricket Club was formed in 1882, but did not make its first-class debut for 110 years, against Leicestershire at the Racecourse Ground. That’s right, Durham has only been playing first-class cricket for 19 years – and were the first club to be promoted since 1921. Lincoln was the US president when Lancashire played its initial first-class match, but Bill Clinton was US president when Durham did the same.

I don’t mean to harp on the club’s age, as they do have a long and significant history in the lower divisions (including a six year undefeated run between 1976 and 1982), but I did find the above a bit shocking.

However, since joining the elite ranks of County Cricket, Durham has enjoyed a fantastic run of success: A Friend’s Provident win in 2007, followed by County Championships in 2008 and 2009. That is a run of form that most clubs would drool over.

Durham has played the majority of their first-class cricket at the Riverside Ground (now known as the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground) which is located in Chester-le-Street, Durham, England.

It has a capacity of 19,000 and has hosted both ODIs as well as tests, the first of the latter being England v Zimbabwe in 2003 and the most recent being England v West Indies in 2009.

Considering its minor county role for the first 100 years of its existence, the club does not really boast a great many notable players. However, it did act as a bit of a feeder club in its lower division days, sending players such as George Sharp, Colin Milburn, and Bob Willis down south to ply their trade on the big stage.

Colin Milburn is one of cricket’s sadder stories. He played in nine tests for England in the late sixties, averaging over 46 and knocking two centuries. However, he was involved in a motor accident in 1969 which took his sight and prompted his retirement. He died very young from a heart attack in 1990 and his funeral was attended by hundreds of cricket lovers. Ian Botham was a pall bearer.

Currently, the club boasts several players of note: Internationals such as Michael Di Venuto, David Miller, Ian Blackwell, Paul Collingwood, Phil Mustard, and Graham Onions.

Three cheers for Durham County Cricket Club!

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Back on the pitch, lots going on: India is chasing the West Indies’ 211 in their first ODI. It is the 22^nd over, the current RR is 4.57 and the required is 3.96, and the hosts have 5 wickets in hand (Patel, Sehwag, Gambhir, Vohli, and Raina: all gone.) Meanwhile in Dhaka, Pakistan crushed Bangladesh by 50 runs in their first and only Twenty20.

Plus there is a whole slew of domestic cricket happening, way too much to get into at this time, as I still have 11 more counties to write about!

Until next time.

November 28, 2011November 28, 2011

No matches found

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the youngest clubs in the County Championship. They were formed in 1870 and played their initial First Class match the following year.

Unfortunately, Derbyshire has never really enjoyed a great deal of success. They have only won one Championship in their entire 132 year history (1936), and they were actually kicked out of the Championship for several years in the late 19^th century due to a terrible run of form.

Even their one day successes have been few and far between: one Gillette/NatWest/C&G title in 1981, a Sunday League crown in 1990, and a Benson & Hedges Cup in 1993. That’s it.

I am not sure of if it has anything due with the lack of success, but the club has been quite the nomadic bunch over the years, as well. They have hosted First Class matches at 14 different grounds since their inception: Abbeydale Park, Bass Worthington Ground, Burton-on-Trent CC Ground, County Ground, Derby High Ground, Ind Coope Ground, Miners Welfare Ground, North Road Ground, Park Road Ground, Queen’s Park, Recreation Ground, Rutland Recreation Ground, Saltergate, and the Town Ground. That number bumps up to a shocking 21 when you add in List A and t20 matches.

However, the majority of their cricket has been played at two grounds: The County Ground and Queen’s Park.

Respectively:

The former ground holds 9,500 folks and features a brand new stand and a new marquee. It has hosted several ODIs, an FA Cup Final, and is the former home of Derby County Football club.

The latter holds 7,000 and was the home to Derbyshire from 1898 to 1998, and then again from 2006-Present after a major refurbishment. The ground is within the city limits of Chesterfield and looks to feature quite the picturesque setting.

Notable players? Well, Kim Barnett scored the most runs in Derbyshire’s history, with 23,854 over a nine year stint with the club from 1979-1998. However, his career was marred by contract disputes and his place on Mike Gatting’s rebel tour of South Africa.

Les Jackson took the most wickets for the club, with 1,670, playing for them from 1947 to 1963. He actually had an extraordinarily interesting life. The son of a miner in born in Derbyshire, his brother was killed in the Creswell colliery disaster in 1950, yet Jackson would work in the mines in the off season for most of his life. He was genuinely feared by batsmen, especially on uncovered county wickets. He could swing the ball both ways and employed a short run up, hence his longevity. He passed in 2007 at the ripe old age of 85.

And that, in so many words, is Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Usual sources…blah blah blah…

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Back on the pitch, not a great deal happening. There actually is not single international match taking place today, so I will leave the chatter on the upcoming matches for another day. However, one programming note: the entire Bangladesh-Pakistan series is going to be available live on ESPN3. One t20, three ODIs, and two tests. Happy days.

Until next time.

November 25, 2011November 25, 2011

India v West Indies at Mumbai, 3rd Test

I thought I would take a break from the County Cricket write-ups and post a quick and dirty Thanksgiving blog.

That’s right, it is Thanksgiving here in the states, that means a long overdue four day weekend, and it is also why there was no post yesterday.

Anyway, here are the cricket related things I am thankful for this year:

The rebirth of test cricket

The Two Chucks video-cast

Kumar Sangakkara

The ability to spell Sangakkara on the very first try without cheating.

The people, few as they are, that read this silly little blog.

Twitter, generally speaking

The County Cricket Championship

Willow.tv, grudgingly

ESPN3

The Associate nations

My place of employment for the unfettered Internet access and the free hour or so in the morning to write.

Cricinfo.com. Not only do is it far and away the best cricket site, of course, but I truly believe it is the best sports related site on the Internet. So many great writers in one place, such great coverage of every match, big and small. Keep it up, boys (and girls.)

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It has been a fun year so far, keeping this blog up. I started it on a whim right after the World Cup, and I am truly thankful that did.

Now, I just need to decide which County to write about next. I think it might be time for simple alphabetical order.

Which means: Derbyshire, then, one of the Championship’s younger sides, relatively speaking.

Oh, and at some point I will need to read the full Morgan report. I don’t like the idea of two fewer four-day matches. I don’t like it at all.

Finally: this picture weirds me out.

Until next time.

**UPDATE** How could I forget? I am extremely thankful for my trip to London in March and for the chance to see Lord’s.

November 23, 2011

Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi, 5th ODI

Today: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Why?

Two words: Trent Bridge:

Yes, I know I have posted this picture before, and yes, there is a fancy new stand now which makes the picture obsolete, but shoot it sure is a lovely shot, eh? And as I have mentioned before, it reminds of my early days of falling in love with the sport: April and May 2007. When I was quitting smoking and just thinking about test cricket gave me a thrill. I am not kidding.

So, considering the above, Trent Bridge and Nottinghamshire hold a special place in my heart.

The club as we know it today was formed in 1841 and dominated throughout the 19^th century, those years of the “unofficial” championship (I learned this morning, thanks to good old Sam Collins, that the County Championship proper was not formed until 1890.) They have won five “official” County Championships, the first in 1907, the most recent in 2005. Interestingly enough, they have actually won fewer one day tournaments: only three (four if you county a division two Sunday League title in 2004. I don’t.)

Regarding Trent Bridge: I found some great pictures on its Wiki page. I was thinking of posting them all, but for now, just these:

That last one’s a heart stopper, eh?

The ground is the former home of Notts County and Nottingham Forest football teams, and is a regular stop for international touring cricket sides. It has hosted tests since 1899, the most recent this summer when India came to town. (And lost.)

It currently seats 17,500 and has been home to Notts CCC since the mid 19^th Century. (Actually, I had hard time finding a solid date. The ground’s foundations were laid in 1889, but Notts have played on the land since 1838 when William Clarke laid out a cricket ground in the meadow next to the Trent Bridge Inn.)

Oh, and the Trent Bridge library currently boasts the biggest collection of cricket books in the UK.

One Notts player of note that I wanted to talk about was Sir Richard Hadlee, the New Zealand all rounder who played for the county between 1978 and 1987. Sir Richard had a very minor role in the infamous underarm bowling incident in 1981, as he was lbw’d by Trevor Chappell with the second ball of the final over of the match.

The underarm incident is something I will write about in more detail at a later date, as it is one of those odd little cricket moments that really define the sport for me.

And, hey, that’s Notts CCC, more or less.

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A couple interesting articles of note:

DeepBackwardPoint alerts his readers to the fact that cricket has always been insecure, and has always been declaring itself dead. This is really why I think I get along with the sport so well, we are very similar, personality wise. Cricket with Balls a few months back described cricket as: “…not smooth or charming, it’s kind of accidentally vulgar and offensive, but in an intellectual way.” That’s me to a tee.

(Hm. It looks like the above post has been removed from Jarrod’s archives. I guess pissing on other people’s books is not recommended when you are trying to sell your own books. Still available in my Google Reader though.)

Finally, here is a neat article on street cricket in London.

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This is usually where I head “back (to) the pitch”, but I really need to get some work done.

Until next time.

November 21, 2011

Victoria v Tasmania at Melbourne, Sheffield Shield

Lords 3 — Lord's, Middlesex v Surrey, 1895

I decided to write about Middlesex County Cricket Club next, as theirs is the only ground that I have actually visited. Yeah, I didn’t see a match at Lord’s, and I didn’t even go inside the ground, but I did steal a glimpse of the famous sloped pitch, and I did get a picture in front of the famous sign, and I did touch the exterior bricks…

Middlesex County Cricket Club as we know it today was formed in 1864, and won first division titles in 1903, 1920, 1947, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1990, and 1993. Plus they shared the title in 1949 and 1977. They have also won seven first division one day competitions, including the 2008 Twenty20 cup.

The club was relegated to the second division in two different formats in 2006, but won the second division title in 2011 and therefore will be back in the County Championship’s first division for the 2012 season.

Since 1877, Middlesex, of course, have played the majority of their home matches at the self proclaimed home of cricket: Lord’s Cricket Ground in St. John’s Wood. A stone’s throw from Abbey Road Studios, 221 Baker St, and Regent’s Park: quintessential London.

What can I say about Lord’s that has not already been said? It seats 20,000, was established in 1814, and has gone through several major renovations throughout the years. It has hosted over 100 test matches, and was the venue for the 2000^th test match this past summer.

(By the way, a real thriller of a test match is concluding in South Africa as I type. Australia need five runs with two wickets left in hand.)

Famous players? Almost too many to count. Patsy Hendren scored the most runs for the club, with 40,302 between 1907 and 1937. (Thirty years with the same club…unimaginable nowadays.) Fred Titmus took the most wickets with 2,361 between 1949 and 1982. (Thirty-two years with the same club…I guess there is something to be said for employing amateurs…)

Currently, the team features England’s test captain, Andrew Strauss, as well as England’s fourth choice fast bowler, Steven Finn.

Oh, and the club wears pink during its 20/20 matches in support of a local Breast Cancer Charity. So, I don’t know, I think that’s pretty cool.

And that, dear readers, is Middlesex County Cricket Club.

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On the pitch: Australia won by two wickets, leveling the series.

Yesterday, Pakistani cricket hero, Shahid Afridi, single handedly hauled his country over the line yesterday, beating Sri Lanka by 26 runs in Sharjah. He scored 75 off of 87 with the bat, and took 5 for 35 with the ball. A legendary performance.

Until next time.

November 20, 2011

Mumbai v Karnataka at Mumbai, Ranji Trophy Elite

“Good Old Sussex By the Sea
Good Old Sussex By the Sea
And we’re going up to win the cup
For Sussex by the Sea”

Along with Kent, the Sussex region of England can also claim to be the birthplace of the sport – invented in the area by the Normans in the 13th Century. The club as we know it today was formed in 1839…

…but the county did not win a First Division County Championship until 2003…a period of 164 years. The Chicago Cubs have nothing on long suffering Sharks’ fans.

The club did win several lesser cups in that period of course, so it is not really an apples to apples situation. But holy crap 164 years!!??

(Side note: the Pro40 County One-Day competition used to known as “The Sunday League.” That is so brilliant it makes me cry a little.)

Sussex play matches at grounds throughout the county, but their official home ground is the County Cricket Ground, aka the Probiz Ground, in Hove, England.

“Hove” as it is affectionately known, has been home to Sussex CCC since 1872. It has a capacity of 7,000 and has hosted one ODI: India v South Africa in 1999.

Over their long history, Sussex has employed many memorable players. John Landridge, whom Wisden called “the greatest cricketer to never play a test match,” starred for the club from 1928 until 1955. He accumulated over 34,000 runs for the county in his time there, the most by any Sussex cricketer in the club’s history. Also, John’s brother, James, who did play in eight tests for England – played for Sussex at the same time – taking 1,416 wickets, the fifth most in the county’s history (the great Maurice Tate took the most, with 2211.)

Another bit of trivia regarding the Landridge brothers: in 1938 the two brothers player with two other sets of brothers: Charlie and John Oaks and Harry and Jim Parks.

Currently, thanks to England regulars Matt Prior, Monty Panesar, and Michael Yardy, as well as internationals such as Murray Goodwin and Ed Joyce, Sussex has enjoyed a nice run of success. They had to wait 164 years for their first County Championship, but only three years for the 2nd, and then they won it a third time the very next year. The drought surely is well and truly over for Sussex .

Celebrity fans? Still nothing. However, Sampson Collins, he of the “The Two Chucks,” wrote the history of Sussex CCC for Cricinfo…so, um, that’s something.

And that, in 374 words (and counting) is Sussex. (Sam’s history was way better, so I am not going to link to it.)

As always, my sources include Wikipedia, SussexCricket.co.ok, as well as Cricinfo.

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Back on the pitch: in Johannesburg it is stumps on day four. Australia will bat tomorrow needing 173 with seven wickets remaining. The way the Aussie’s have collapsed in this short series, I think this might be South Africa’s match to lose.

Meanwhile, there is a thriller of an ODI happening at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the U.A.E:

Sri Lanka are 157/5 chasing Pakistan’s 200. Their current run rate is 4.04 and their required run rate is 3.97. Like I said: a thriller.

Finally, I inserted the above photo for two reasons:

1) I love photos of cricket stadiums. Love, love, love.

2) If the current internet copyright legislation that is being discreetly and dangerously rushed through Congress is passed into law, this blog could be shut down permanently and I could be fined thousands of dollars…just for posting a copyrighted image on a blog nobody reads. Heck, even if a reader (stop laughing) posted a link to copyrighted material in the comments section of this blog, I could be shut down forever with no access to my site, my writing, my archives. Scary, huh? This is worse than net neutrality, this is the death of the Internet.

So do me a favor, if you live in the U.S., read this, and this, call your congressmen and congresswomen, sigh the online petition, and let’s save the fucking Internet, okay?

November 18, 2011

KwaZulu-Natal v South Western Districts at Durban, CSA Provincial Three-Day Challenge

I was going to write about Sussex County Cricket Club this morning, but I am going to hold off until Monday, or maybe even this weekend, as I had to leave the office early yesterday and I am playing catch up this morning. I still wanted to write a post this morning, so I will keep it on current material, and make it short.

One thing of note: Bangladesh has been a test team for 11 years now, most recently completing a two match series against the West Indies, a series that they lost 1-0, despite the fact that they were on home soil and were playing one of the weakest West Indian test sides in a generation.

Over those eleven years, their final tally: played 71, won 3, lost 61, and drawn 7. Not exactly a stellar record.

Now, I am not in a position where I can say something like: “they don’t belong here, they belong with the likes of Namibia and Ireland and Canada.” I am not familiar enough with their development to make such a claim. But three wins in 11 years? It almost feels as though Bangladeshi cricket would be better suited if they were moved back into the Associate Wilderness.

Again, it is not my place to say, but I bet there are at least six current Associate members who could double Bangladesh’s win total within five years.

At this point, however, there really is no going back. Bangladeshi Cricket has invested in their team (have they?) and pulling the rug out from under them now would be a major blow.
Something I do want to read and learn about is how countries go about getting “promoted” to full test status. That would be worthwhile, I think. That way I would stop spouting off at the mouth on subjects I know very little about.

(I was going to make a comment on how the ICC should take GDP into consideration when promoting countries, as they would be more likely to have the infrastructure to build a successful test playing side, and that Bangladesh maybe should not be promoted, considering their low GDP, in comparison to other Associates. However, according to the IMF, Bangladesh is ranked at 57 out of 183 countries. Top third, not bad. Only five spots behind New Zealand, only 10 behind Pakistan, and 15 spots ahead of Sri Lanka, who is ranked 5^th in the world in the test rankings. So, yeah, I don’t know what I am talking about.)

All of the above said: I love that Bangladesh is a test nation because ESPN3 has all the rights to their home matches, so I get to watch test cricket live and with ESPN3’s top notch media player.

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On the pitch: South Africa collapsed, and then Australia collapsed, and we are in a bad light delay near the end of day two. Meanwhile, in Dubai, Pakistan put a respectable 257 for Sri Lanka to chase. The match is only in the third over of the 2^nd innings, so I am looking forward to following this one all morning.

Until next time.

November 17, 2011

South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg, 2nd Test

Unfortunately, I got a little bit of a late start this morning, and therefore cannot spend as much time as I would like discussing Kent County Cricket Club.

As I mentioned over on Twitter yesterday, I was doing a bit of reading on the club to get ready for today’s post and I was overwhelmed with their history.

First of all, according to some sources, the sport of cricket was invented in the area of Kent, in or around 1300 C.E.

Further, Kent played a side representing London in 1719 in what is widely held to be the first county cricket match.

However, getting a date for the actual birth of the club proved to be difficult, but it looks as the though the club as we know it today was formed around 1842, in Canterbury. That was 18 years before Lincoln’s inauguration. Heck it was even a few years before the U.S.-Mexican War that preceded the U.S. Civil War. I don’t mean to make this American blog all American-ey, but part of me really wants to put the County game into some sort of historical context. These teams are old, folks.

In 1847, the club move to the St. Lawrence Ground, which has been their home ever since.

The ground holds 15,000, has been host to four One Day Internationals (most recently Australia v Bangladesh in 2005), and it is one of the oldest first class grounds in the world.

Also, um, there is a tree in the middle of the outfield:

Yes, a tree. For the first 158 years of the ground’s existence, a lime tree was within the boundary. Only four times in its history had the tree been cleared for a six. Unfortunately, a wind storm and heartwood fungus spelled out the 200 year old tree’s demise, finally snapping in two in 2005 leaving only a stump.

A new tree has been planted within the boundary, but currently it is only six feet tall.

Kent has won the County Championship seven times, most recently in 1978. They also shared the title in 1977, and won three Benson & Hedges Cups in that decade, as well.

Most recently, the side won the Twenty20 Cup in 2007.

Frank Woolley is probably their most famous player, and probably the greatest all-rounder England has ever produced, scoring almost 60,000 runs for the side, while also taking over 2,000 wickets, and making over 1,000 catches. He retired from cricket in 1938 at the age of 51.

Of course, the County Championship was not held due to World War II between 1939 and1945, so I like to think he would have kept on playing if not for the war.

Finally, and most importantly, Mick Jagger is a fan of Kent County Cricket Club.

Other celebrity fans? Still having a hard time tracking those down.

Postscript: There is one other first class cricket ground with a tree growing within the boundary line: the Pietermaritzburg City Oval in South Africa:

It even hosted a couple matches during the 2003 World Cup, India v Namibia (India won by 181 runs, Tendulkar and Ganguly hit centuries) and Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets after bowling out Bangladesh in 31 overs.)

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Back on the pitch: This morning India forced the follow-on and beat the West Indies by an innings and 15 runs. While in Johannesburg, South Africa and Australia are on in the middle of an innings break on day one of the final test of the tour. South Africa chose to bat and are all out for 266. There is talk of bad light, so that might be it for today.

Until tomorrow: Sussex.

November 16, 2011November 16, 2011

India v West Indies at Kolkata, 2nd Test

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 County Champions: Lancashire.

The club was founded in 1864, as the American Civil War raged across the Atlantic, and played its first match a year later. They have won the County Championship nine times, most recently, of course, this past season. The last time they won it out right was 1936, during the great depression. (No, not this great depression, the other great depression.)

Despite the long drought between championship titles, the club has enjoyed a great deal of success at the one day game.

They play their home matches at (ugh) Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester:

The ground has hosted test matches since 1884 (the last one in 2010, England v Bangladesh) and has been the home for Lancashire since its inception. It seats around 20,000 and is going through a major renovation as we speak.

Sachin Tendulkar knocked his first test century there in 1990, at the age of 17.

Notable players in Lancashire’s history include Ernest Tyldesley (1889-1962), who scored the most runs for the club with 34,222; and Brian Stratham (1930-2000) who took the most wickets with 1,816. Oh, and Archie MacLaren knocked a quadruple century for the club in 1895 against Somerset.

And, of course, last but not least, the great Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff all-rounded for the club from 1995-2000. His only club side if you don’t count the Chennai Super Kings (which I don’t). He played in 183 first class matches for his home county, scoring over 9,000 runs (including 15 centuries), taking 350 wickets, and making 185 catchess…all for Lancashire. He also once hit for 38 runs in a single over against Surrey. (6-4-4-4-4-6-6-0 and two no balls for two runs each.)

I had a very difficult time finding celebrity Lancashire fans, so I am just going to assume Noel Gallagher is a fan. Because, you know, he is from Manchester. Oh, and Freddie Flintoff I guess is a celebrity fan of the club, but I don’t know if he counts.

While searching, however, I did see that current Doctor Who, Matt Smith, is a Blackburn Rovers football fan. Holy crap that is disappointing. How could Doctor Who support that clan of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals? Doctor Who should be an Arsenal fan.

And that, dear readers, is Lancashire. Short and sweet.

Sources: Wikipedia, Cricinfo, and Lanchashire’s official site.

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Back on the pitch, the Windies still trail India by 283 runs with 7 wickets in hand. It’s stumps on day three. Good fight back here from the West Indies, though the hometown team is surely still in control.

Until tomorrow: Kent.