What a shame...

No play at Chesterfield yesterday, which is a real shame as a good crowd would have been pretty much guaranteed and, as I wrote on Friday, there's nowhere better to see a game of cricket. New Road at Worcester is nice (when its not flooded) and I know that Cape Town with its views of Table Mountain is highly regarded Yet there's nothing to dislike about Chesterfield, especially since they've upgraded the facilities there.

The famous crooked spire is less evident now as the trees have grown tall, but the ground's beauty is evident and it is a great day out. If you've younger children you could keep them royally entertained with the play area down by the new cafe, the small lake and the miniature railway, aside from the grassy expanse in the park itself. I've previously written of how my family all enjoy Chesterfield, a combination of good shops (especially for computer games), excellent markets, good places for food and the pleasure in a lunch at Queens Park. On one dodgy day we still went to the park and ate lunch in the rain while sheltering in the bandstand.
In the old days the bands would play while the cricketers did, producing an atmosphere redolent of the festivals at Hastings or Scarborough. If I had the benefits of a time machine I'd love to dot back in time to see matches there in the 1950's, then hop back to the 1930's before seeing what it was like in the early part of the century when the game and the world was perhaps a more genteel place.

On a different tack, it was interesting to read on the club web site that South African Wayne Madsen has been playing with success for the Second XI, scoring heavily after averaging over 70 in the Central Lancashire League last year for Unsworth. Madsen plys his trade for Kwa-Zulu Natal and currently averages in the mid-30's in first class cricket back home. A right hand batsman, he also bowls a little, although his performances in the Leagues suggest he has some talent. In one game this year he scored a hundred and took eight wickets, while in another he scored another century and took seven.

I came across an interesting article in the Bury Times, which said that Madsen hoped for a county career through his Italian citizenship and at 25 he is the right age for such a move. Whether he is good enough for the county game is a decision for people far better qualified than I to judge, but Madsen has three good years as a professional at Unsworth behind him. As with Chesney Hughes, I'm especially pleased to see that John Morris and Karl Krikken are picking up these players and giving them an opportunity to show what they can do.

He wouldn't be the only player to use an Italian passport to play the county game, of course, but let's just hope that we don't miss out on a decent player like we did with Mr Di Venuto...

One to watch, beyond any doubt.