Late start today as I'm working late tonight, so I thought I'd just round up a response to a few comments that have come in on older posts. I don't always see these, so have set it up so that I do from now on. They're talking points, so worthy of comment.
On Tom Knight's fielding, I think notoveryet sums it up quite nicely in his comment below the last piece. For your convenience, it reads:
"Just a quick word about being 17, which some of you (like me) just might remember vaguely. I remember all sorts of insecurities without having failings paraded in public. He has the nerve and composure to bowl tight overs in front of several thousand people in exposed situations that most of us can only imagine. So let's cut him some slack and celebrate what we have, rather than what we'd like. Time enough for that if he hasn't improved in a couple of years. I'd rather our coaches focused his time and attention on his bowling. In any event, I'd remind you of Fred Swarbrook. No athlete, he'd still run through sightscreens and over covers (literally) trying to take a catch or stop a boundary. Perhaps if he'd been able to focus on his bowling more, his hugely promising career wouldn't have come to the sad end it did."
Quite. When I was 17/18 I was a terrific fielder (by club standards) but not remotely good enough with bat or ball to make any serious level. I still don't think there's an issue with Knight's fielding and he just needs more work at all facets of the game. If he was going to have a weakness though, its better for it to be that than bowling or batting, I'm sure you'd agree?
By the same token, my comment about Whiteley was apposite. When he first broke into the team there were comments here and on the Falcons Forum about his standard of fielding after he dropped a catch or two. None of us have any idea what it must be like getting under a high catch when 2,000 pairs of eyes are watching and a lot is at stake. I've dropped plenty over forty years of playing and have held some crackers. That's the way it is. IF the lad has fielding issues the coaches will be aware of it, but I really don't think he would have made the first eleven if he was a liability.
Whiteley is a brilliant fielder, but people can make hasty judgements on initial perceptions and they can come back to bite. Like the 'Anon' a few weeks back who said that Groenewald, Palladino and Madsen would all be following Smith out of the door. Hmmm...
On to other things and speaking of Wayne Madsen - to open or not to open? I think the bottom line is that if we need an opener he will do, if we don't he could drop down. Master Villain rightly points out the centuries he has scored as opener and doubtless will again. He hasn't scored any in one day games but batting at 4/5 it is rare to see players do so. Time is often the major reason, but if the first two go quickly it is usually because conditions favour bowlers. Madsen will score loads of runs for us over the next three years and whether he opens or bats in the middle order I'm just happy that he will do it for us after signing the new contract.
Overseas player? Someone mentioned Ramnaresh Sarwan. He's a good player who had a mixed season with Gloucestershire a few years back. At his best he is very good and he seems to be out of favour with the West Indies Board just now (like most of their bigger names.) I read suggestions that his weight was an issue, but that might just have been a little mud-flinging of the type that goes on when there is a fall out.
I would also agree that we could do with an experienced bowler for next season to replace Stef Jones. The likes of Alan Richardson, David Masters and Dominic Cork have shown the merit of experience. Jones was an integral part of our T20 side and my concern is that if anything happens to Palladino and Groenewald we are left with only Clare, Footitt and Turner. We don't want Clare to have too big a workload and the latter two have their spells of wildness. If Ross Whiteley emerges with the ball it would help immensely, but neither Atif Sheikh nor Matt Higginbottom have played much cricket this year.
Like him or not (and I know you're not a fan, Marc!) Greg Smith's departure would leave a gap in our resources that we would need to fill somehow.
Maybe I should get myself really fit over the winter. Just in case...
Fair points Peakfan. As i said,im not knocking Knight,its just an area he must sharpen up on.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree we need to strenghten the seam department. Even if Jones was staying i would still say the same. Ideally we need two bowlers as any reliance on Sheikh and Higginbottom would be foolhardy to say the least. After those two the cupboard appears to be bare.
I don,t believe Smith,s departure would leave any gaps in our resources. We are quite well catered for in the spin department. Fair enough,both Knight and Burgoyne have much to learn, but learn they will. Durston and Hughes are both useful dobbers,at least as good as Smith,so i can,t see where his bowling will be missed at all. It,s not as if he,s taken many wickets or indeed won us any games. On the batting front we have players who could easily surpass Smith,s meagre run total,if they were given anything like the opportunities he,s enjoyed. Don,t forget we are not just talking about this season,are we?. I don,t think we would miss Smith in the slightest. The mistake would be to keep him.
Perhaps Mr Park can take Knight in hand with his fielding?
ReplyDeleteFreddie Swarbrook - takes me back to my childhood. A very underrated bowler in my opinion and handy nuisance with the bat. I recall him swooping in from the boundary on many occasions.........or is that my rose tinted specs getting the better of me?
I always thought of Fred rumbling more than swooping but absolutely determined. Tragic that such a talented bowler ended up unable to let go of the ball.
ReplyDeleteMarc, come on. I understand that you might not like the way Smith has gone about handling his career in the last couple of years, but his record shows that he's a good player. Even in an indifferent year for him, he's our third highest run scorer, more half-centuries than anyone apart from Durston and Redfern, fourth highest average of our home players, more wickets than anyone apart from Groenewald, Palladino and Clare. Batting average of 35 and bowling average of 38.
I've asked this before but can you suggest another player of his versatility and performance who is likely to be available to us? If you can't, he is obviously going to leave a gap, and if there is a chance of compromise now that there doesn't appear to be a long queue of counties wanting him, we'd be cutting our noses off to spite our faces not to take it.
I'm not so sure Fred swooped as much as plummeted! As for Smith, I've been critical of his supposed demands but if he left there appears to be a gap in the squad.
ReplyDeleteMind you, there was a similar gap when Graham Wagg left and we've not really missed him this year.
Good Lord,i just can,t get this image of dear Fred hurtling though a sightscreen out of my mind. I don,t think Major Tom realised quite how much danger he was in when Fred came on to bowl. I kept breaking into fits of laughter at last nights pub quiz.
ReplyDeleteNow there was REAL pressure. A tie-break situation with the ladies over 60 book club. One from each team,standing in the middle of the pub to answer a question with all eyes upon you and no help from any team mates. The question "How many novels did Barbara Cartland write in her career" was tailor made for them. The answer is of course 723. Surprisingly she didn,t get it right,but was alot closer than my 123 and won the consolation prize of 20 quid. At times like that you just melt back into your seat and hope there,s a bomb scare or the fire alarm goes off. No,that is real pressure.
723 books and all she did was change the professions of the main characters... Remember being shown a passage from a Mills and Boon once, which described the hero standing with his hands in his pockets holding a tennis racket.
ReplyDeleteNow that's what I call pockets!