Tag: James Rew

An English Side “Win” In Australia

A look at the second and final day of The Prime Minister’s XI v An England XI at Manuka Oval, Canberra and a large photo gallery.

This post looks back the second and final day of the match at Manuka Oval, Canberra between The Prime Minister’s XI and An English XI. The reason for the quote marks in the title should become apparent during the rest of the post.

A BATTING DAY

An England XI resumed overnight on 30-0 in reply to the Prime Minister’s XIs 308-8 declared. Tom Haines and Emilio Gay continued to bat well, with Gay in particular impressing. Their stand was only broken when soreness in the hamstring area induced Gay to retire hurt (this after all is not a match that counts towards anyone’s career record). The only disappointment of the day followed, when one of the most overhyped young talents in the game, Jacob Bethell, contributed a mere 16 before getting out. That brought James Rew, who at the age of 21 already has 11 first class hundreds to his name (11 more than Bethell’s current tally, and he scored his tenth FC century at a younger age than anyone since Denis Compton) to the crease. Rew never really looked other than the high class player his record shows him to be (and according to his county, Somerset, his younger brother Thomas, also playing in this match, is even better), and although Haines fell for a fine 77, Asa Tribe, a Jersey born Glamorgan batter who has also played for his native Island, joined Rew and also played well. By this stage it was obvious that only two questions remained to be resolved – would the English side go ahead on first innings, and would Rew reach three figures? The answers proved to be ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Rew and Tribe were still together when An England XI moved to 309-2, Rew 93 not out, Tribe 53 not out, and immediately declared, which was followed equally quickly by handshakes on the final result. An England XI thus won on first innings, and secured for themselves such credit as could be taken from a match of this nature. However it is not properly speaking a win, since by the stated playing conditions (as opposed to the agreement that the sides had clearly come to) this was supposed to a be a two innings match, and neither side officially forfeited an innings, and therefore it is officially a drawn match. Various bowlers had moments for the English side, and Gay, Haines, J Rew and Tribe all impressed with the bat. One of the first two named should have good chances of swift elevation, with Crawley surely close to exhausting even his super-feline stock of test lives, and while Rew have may longer to wait England should be looking for ways to include him.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

I am not entirely sure as to the species of this magnificent raptor which I saw flying overhead earlier this afternoon, but I have had a suggestion of buzzard for it. Update I have just been told that it is a Red Kite.

Cricket Season Approaches

A look ahead to the upcoming cricket season and a bumper photo gallery.

It is now less than a week until the English first class cricket season kicks off. In the meanwhile there has been some interesting action in the IPL, though I am following today’s game only through cricinfo, as this long weekend features Classic FM’s ‘Hall of Fame’ countdown – the 300 most popular pieces of classical music as voted for by listeners (you get to pick your top three if you choose to vote, and the pieces with the most votes make it into the charts) – and I always follow as much of this countdown as I can.

Surrey start the season as winners of the last two county championships. The last side to win three in a row were Yorkshire in the 1960s (1966, 1967, 1968). A decade earlier Surrey themselves set the all time record by winning seven in succession (1952-1958 inclusive).

I end this look ahead to the season by mentioning two youngsters who may well feature for England before the season is done. Somerset batter James Rew was simply magnificent last season, and if he can pick up where he left off he will have to picked. Surrey pacer Tom Lawes has shown considerable promise, and with Broad retired, Anderson surely nearing the end, Wood already 35 and with a history of injuries, Robinson’s fitness unreliable (to put it generously) there are more than likely to be vacancies in the pace bowling department.

PHOTOGRAPHS

I have a bumper photo gallery to finish with – the weather has been very springlike in recent days…

A view of King’s Lynn from the edge of Harding’s Pits
Getting the whole frontage of the town hall in a single picture is a challenge, but I found one place from where it can be done today.

A County Championship 2023 XI

With the penultimate round of fixtures in the 2023 County Championship starting tomorrow I have selected County Championship 2023 composite XI. Plus as usual, a photo gallery.

The penultimate round of fixtures in this year’s county championship gets underway tomorrow. In this post I pick a composite XI from this season’s competition.

THE GROUND RULES

I have focussed my attentions on division one. I have restricted myself to one overseas player, and the person concerned is an absolutely integral part of his county set up and has been such for many years.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. Dom Sibley (Surrey, right handed opening batter). He has had a very good season for the team who are heavy favourites to claim this season’s title, including anchoring a successful chase of 500 (against Kent, and he was there unbeaten when Surrey secured the win).
  2. Sir Alastair Cook (Essex, left handed opening batter). His England days are well behind him, but at county level there is little sign of either the will or the ability failing just yet.
  3. Josh Bohannon (Lancashire, right handed batter, occasional right arm medium pacer). The Lancashire number three continues to impress in that role, and with his average in FC cricket close to 47 after 65 matches one would expect that an England call up could be on the agenda.
  4. Jamie Smith (Surrey, right handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). A phenomenally talented batter, it was his stroke play that began to turn the tide Surrey’s way in the 500 chase mentioned earlier.
  5. +Ben Foakes (Surrey, right handed batter, wicket keeper). For those asking why the wicket keeper is due to come in after only four specialist batters the answer is very simple – the team who are very likely to be champions have been taking this approach all season, and it has been Foakes coming in at number five. The best keeper in the competition, he has also been batting superbly, and his continued absence from the England set up can only be down to wilful blindness on the part of the England selectors (“There are none so blind as those who will not see”).
  6. James Rew (Somerset, right handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). When I posted my all time Rs XI I mentioned a then 18 year old who already had centuries to his name in both FC and list A cricket as a likely candidate a few years down the line. James Rew, for he it was, has made that line look like the words of a soothsayer, as he is currently the leading run scorer in the competition, with 1077 at 59.83 (Bohannon is number two, only a few runs in aggregate, but 3.5 per innings behind), a haul that includes a sensational 221, and he is still only 19 years old. I fully expect to see him playing test cricket in the not too distant future.
  7. Matt Critchley (Essex, right handed batter, leg spinner). Essex are Surrey’s last remaining challengers for the title and Critchley’s contributions, especially with the bat (over 700 runs including two centuries) , are a significant part of why Essex are doing so well this season.
  8. *Simon Harmer (South Africa, Essex, off spinner, right handed batter). The best spinner on the county circuit and a decent skipper. Currently on 51 wickets for the season, third leading wicket taker in the competition.
  9. Gus Atkinson (Surrey, right arm fast bowler, right handed batter). A combination of factors means that he has not played a championship game since July, but his FC record is good (averages 28 with the bat and 26 with the ball) and he has done splendidly for England in limited overs cricket since being given the opportunity. His ability to produce the 90mph+ ball gets him – neither of my other seam/ pace options have that in their locker, fine bowlers though they both are.
  10. Brett Hutton (Northamptonshire, right arm medium fast bowler, right handed batter). His county are almost certain to be relegated, but he is the competition’s leading wicket taker with 54 wickets at 21.27 each.
  11. Jamie Porter (Essex, right arm medium fast bowler, right handed batter). The second leading wicket taker in this year’s competition so far, with 53 scalps at a miserly 17.39 each.

This side has a strong batting line up, with major performers in that department down to Critchley at seven and only the number 11 Porter a genuine bunny. The bowling is excellent, with Porter, Hutton, Atkinson and Harmer a seriously good front four, Critchley a genuine fifth option and Bohannon capable of rolling an arm over if needed. All 11 players have been in good form this season, though I acknowledge that Atkinson could be seen as a controversial pick in a county championship XI, I have explained the reason for that choice.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

I would have liked to be able to accommodate Will Jacks, but with Harmer having an ironclad case for selection I wanted my batter who bowls spin not to be an off spinner. The alternative to Atkinson would have been Jamie Overton, but the latter has had his injury woes this season. Feel free to suggest your own alternatives, though bear in mind that a) I chose to exclude division two players and b) the presence of Sir Alastair not withstanding this exercise is mainly about 2023, so I want players who have done big things this season.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Two From The Archives

A look back at my all time R and S XIs, with some comments mentioning developments in the year since they were produced that might lead to alterations, a brief comment on Stokes’ ODI ‘unretirement’ and a large photo gallery.

This post looks back at the two posts I created on the 15th and 16th of August last year, with comments bringing them up to date, with a sidelight on a recent development.

THE LETTER R

On August 15th 2022 I published my all time XI of players with surnames beginning with R. I see no need to change this XI just yet. Please visit the full post, but for the record the XI is C Rogers (Australia), BA Richards (South Africa), IVA Richards (WI), JE Root (Eng), KS Ranjitsinhji (Eng), *RWV Robins (Eng), +RC Russell (Eng), AME Roberts (WI), KG Rabada (South Africa), W Rhodes (Eng), T Richardson (Eng). However, last year when looking at the honourable mentions I said among other things:

“James Rew of Somerset is going places in a big way – at the age of 18 he already has centuries in both first class and list A cricket. I would be very surprised if a version of this XI in ten years from now did not feature him.”.

Rew has come on apace since that comment and is already knocking at the door. At the age 19 Rew now has 1,373 FC runs at 52.80, with six centuries and a best of 221, his List A record reads 572 runs at 31.77 with 2 centuries and 1 other fifty, best 114, and one solitary T20 appearance in which he hit 47 off 35 balls. I am not yet rewriting the XI to include him, but if he gets his chance at the highest level and takes it then for all his historic significance and undoubted class Ranjitsinhji will be in danger.

THE LETTER S

This post was created OTD last year, and was arguably the most wide ranging in the whole series. The XI for the record was AJ Strauss, H Sutcliffe, *GC Smith, SPD Smith’ =KC Sangakkara, G St AS Sobers, BA Stokes, GTS Stevens, M Starc, JB Statham, D Steyn. Ben Stokes has emerged as a challenger to Graeme Smith for the captaincy of this side in the time since I first created it. Also Rhianna Southby has demonstrated herself to be a superb wicket keeper, although accommodating her will be tough – the best option would probably be to drop Greville Stevens and put her in at number eight. If she keeps up her current keeping standards I will certainly have to find a way to get her in and leave Sangakkara to play as a specialist batter. One possibility would be to drop Strauss, open with G Smith and Sutcliffe, play one or other of Sobers or Sangakkara at three and slot Southby in at seven or eight (in the latter case, moving Stevens up one).

STOKES’ ODI ‘UNRETIREMENT’

Ben Stokes has come out of ODI retirement to play the 2023 World Cup as a specialist batter. I can the see the appeal for both him and England,, but him being in the team as a specialist batter does reduce flexibility.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

All Time XIs – The Jameses

An all time XI of players who all have James as one of their given names and a large photo gallery.

Today’s post honours two cricketers who are very different stages of their careers and happen to have the first name James. Both of course are in the starting XI.

THE XI IN BATTING ORDER

  1. James Burke (Australia, right handed opening batter). Usually known by the diminutive Jim, he was a dour opener with a respectable test record and a good first class one. I have not mentioned his off spin, as a) I don’t see it getting much use in this XI and b) to quote a spectator at one of his matches “bowl him one for a change Burkie – you’ll surprise him”.
  2. James Aylward (Hambledon, left handed batter). Anyone good enough to have scored 167 in a big match on the kind of pitches that existed in 1777, as he did, must have been an excellent batter, and I am pleased to honour him here.
  3. James Langridge (Sussex, England, left handed batter, left arm orthodox spinner). He was often called on to act as sheet anchor for Sussex, which is why I feel confident using him to fill what would otherwise be a tough slot. Even at test level his averages were the right way round, while at FC level he averaged 35 with the bat and 21 with the ball.
  4. *James Hildreth (Somerset, right handed batter, occasional right arm medium pacer). Very unlucky never to have to have played test cricket, he was one of the most prolific middle order batters of his era. I have also named him as captain of this side.
  5. James H Parks (Sussex, England, right handed batter, right arm slow medium bowler). The only player ever to score 3,000 FC runs and take 100 FC wickets in the same season.
  6. James Rew (Somerset, left handed batter, occasional wicket keeper). At the age of 19 he already has six first class hundreds with an HS of 221, with an average of 52.80 at that level. Elevation to the test ranks looks assured. He is the first of the two guys to inspire this post.
  7. +James Foster (Essex, England, wicket keeper, right handed batter). One of the finest wicket keepers ever to play the game, and enough of a batter to score 13,000 FC runs at an average of 37.
  8. Cedric Ivan James ‘big Jim’ Smith (Middlesex, England, right arm fast bowler, right handed very aggressive lower order batter). Took his FC wickets at 19 a piece. Among his many absurdly fast innings is the quickest 50 ever scored against genuine (as opposed to declaration) bowling – he reached the landmark in 11 minutes on that occasion!
  9. James Charles Laker (Surrey, Essex, England, off spinner, right handed lower order batter). Possibly the greatest of all conventional off spinners (Murali is in a category of his own), and good enough with the bat to have amassed two first class hundreds.
  10. James Bridges (Somerset, right arm fast medium bowler, right handed lower order batter). A fine new ball bowler for Somerset, and has the distinction of coming closer to having an FC century than anyone else who failed to score one – his HS at that level being 99 not out.
  11. James Anderson (Lancashire, England). He turned 41 yesterday, and he is guaranteed to remain England’s all time leading test wicket taker for some time to come, as his closest rival Stuart Broad has announced that the current test match will be his last. Anderson has not yet retired, and although he is unlikely feature much if at all in India this winter, he may be eyeing Sri Lanka at his him ground of Old Trafford next year as a potential sign off match.

This side has a solid batting line up, with most of the bowlers capable of weighing in as well, and a great bowling attack – Anderson, Smith, Bridges, Laker and Langridge, with James H Parks as sixth bowling option.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

James Pattinson (Australia) is the biggest miss by far, but I wasn’t prepared to drop any of my chosen specialist seamers to make way for him. James M Parks, son of James H, was a good middle order batter and some might have picked him ahead of his father. James Hallows of Lancashire would have given me a left arm pace option, but he was more batter than bowler, and his record in that department does not stack up. James Morton Sims of Middlesex was the best leg spinner to qualify for consideration, but I preferred three seamers and two spinners to really stacking the spin options. James Seymour of Kent was a good county pro in his day. Finally, James Lillywhite junior who could not be accommodated in this side deserves a mention for his historical significance – he captained England in the first two test matches ever played, and also helped to arrange a number of the early tours.

PHOTOGRAPHS

On this day last year I published my all time XI of players whose surnames begin with J. Now it is time for my usual sign off…

County Championship Round Three

A look back at round three of the 2023 County Championship (mainly Somerset v Lancashire, plus the closing stages of Middlesex v Nottinghamshire) and a bumper photo gallery.

Just before 7PM yesterday Nottinghamshire foozled what should have been an easy run out, allowing Middlesex to complete a four wicket victory with one over scheduled to be played and another round of county championship fixtures was at an end.

SOMERSET V LANCASHIRE

Somerset had a depleted bowling attack (Overton and Davey both out injured), and the Taunton pitch was very flat. Somerset batted first, and while I was at work on Thursday they got off to a shocking start, being 80-4 at low water mark. At that point 19 year old James Rew joined skipper Tom Abell, and by the close of play the fifth wicket pair were still together, both with centuries to their name. The stand was broken early on the second day, but Abell went on to a new career best, and the tail wagged more than a bit, meaning that Somerset eventually totalled 441 in their first innings. This score was soon put in perspective by the Lancashire top order and at one point it looked like a total of 800 was on (and Lancashire, as revealed by their captain, were thinking in such terms). However, on day three Keaton Jennings was hit and hat to retire hurt on 189, and then wickets fell. Eventually Lancashire had to settle for a lead of 113 on first innings.

The Somerset second innings again began poorly, but the Rew/ Abell pairing again shared a good partnership before Abell was bowled. Rew rode his luck somewhat this time round, including benefitting from James Anderson, a man who was taking top level wickets before Rew was even born, dropping an absolute dolly catch. When Rew was sixth out Somerset were far from safe, but another youngster, Kasey Aldridge, scored his maiden first class 50, while Lewis Gregory played a very solid innings at the other end, and once the second new ball failed to work any magic for Lancashire the draw was secure. After a token over from Colin de Grandhomme Lancashire acknowledged as much and hands were shaken. By that stage only one other championship game was still active…

…MIDDLESEX V NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Nottinghamshire had had rather the better of the opening three days at the world’s most overrated cricket ground (the one in St John’s Wood in case you had any doubts), but rain struck on day four, and Nottinghamshire faced with one session in which 40 overs were scheduled decided to gamble on their advantage of 248 being enough (remember that this was not officially a limited overs game, so there were no fielding restrictions and no ultra tide wide regulations) and invited Middlesex to go for victory. Middlesex took up the gauntlet that Nottinghamshire had thrown down and went for the runs. At the point I joined the coverage they needed under 100 at just below five an over and were only two wickets down. Although they lost four further wickets in the pursuit these were all given rather than being taken and the only thing that might have baulked Middlesex in the end was fading light. Nottinghamshire exaggerated the difficulty with the light, and put Stuart Broad on in the closing stages in the hope that the umpires would decide it was too dark for the England quick to be bowling. The finale was a moment of pure craziness – Middlesex went for a run that was never on and Nottinghamshire made a mess of the attempted run out, allowing the winning run to be scored.

PHOTOGRAPHS

I have a bumper gallery for you today…

A floating home for moorhen and chicks.