Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 3h

Been lots of head-scratching about this survey. More in this blog

Partly a product of lack of trust ECB have created.

Remember the survey that 'proved' need for H*ndred. Incl need for new format to grow game

Then it's sold & owners change it to T20 🤥

Tell me what you want (what you really, really want)

Sport inc. asks the questions that the ECB omitted. Plus an empty echo in Delhi

sportinc.substack.com

1 2

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 20h

It is the poor thinking/management that leads to our international failures.

Which have been going on forever, espec modern era see pix

We've plenty of resources & talent

The management has been prob

(In other words, when we get spanked in Oz look at yourselves, not counties)

2

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 20h

Along with being a great red-ball comp in own right, Champ's job is to create fully-rounded elite cricketers

These experiments are part of it. Some won't work (eg pink ball), some are good for latter, bad for former

That's OK if balanced

This saga is more divisive mismangemt

1 2

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 20h

This annoys me

We tried it, extended it. Fans, coaches complain - dull games, not used by Eng ints but, typically, a bullish Key says it's great. 'Wants it every round'

Then, per DTel, he's not fussed, leaves decision to Dir of Cricket.

Crap leadership

www.telegraph.co.uk/...

2 5

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 1d

Slightly surprised it did not go to Critchley

Only player to play every game in all comps.

2nd top run-scorer in Championship, third top wicket-taker.

1 2

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 1d

With Cook only playing six Championship games, if Porter had not stepped up so well we could have gone down easily

5

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 1d

These two are going places. International places

Won these young player awards by a mile!

2 1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 1d

Personally, I don’t listen to any of the chummy celebs and celeb cricketer podcasts. Insufferable self-satisfied nonsense with little insight most of the time. Only listened to the apology part of this one.

But maybe that is just me

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 1d

Chef is far too polite to tell him where to stick his apology

...but I'm not

You can't buy Chef's class

Morgan apologises to England cricket legend for calling him a 'weasel'

He was later blocked from returning in 2015 by then-England director of cricket Strauss, who cited 'massive trust issues' as the reason.

www.dailymail.co.uk

2 3

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Yet, I think what has been done will see a non-hosts or two or three go under or amalgamate in 15-20yrs.

Decision-makers will be long gone. But it is on them

Hope I am wrong

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Sincerely hope to be wrong. And best of luck Gloucs. Chelt is on my list and was under threat. This and the recent great work at club keeps it going.

But in a sport that always kicks the can down the road. This is one huge welly.

1 1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

And always remember these payments are a golden handshake but hosts get ongoing cash

If any non-host fails to create a viable biz (BTW never been able to do it before) then there is no safety net in 10-15 years time.

One econ crash, major biz mistake or long dip & they're gone

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Actually it is the opposite. All the resources/focus have been put into something that erodes it. (EG forget the schedule row, nothing works when August is sold)

This is all going on BEFORE the inevitable probs, rows, self-int of franchise owners that move goalposts & sway ECB

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Not trying to be unnecessarily churlish as this has moved the question from 'how do we keep the lights on' to 'how do we grow?

Debt-free. That's huge

But the answer to the latter is creating a biz AWAY from county cricket b/c nothing been done to make CC attractive or viable

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

V good news for Gloucs that probably would not have happened in this way without H*ndred money.

Proposed alternatives would've done some of this but most imp, it doesn't solve the fundamental prob - county cricket loses money

So the debt will come back

Gloucestershire Cricket 'debt-free' in 'seminal moment'

Gloucestershire Cricket say the club is now debt-free after receiving money from the sale of teams in The Hundred.

www.bbc.co.uk

1 1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Any team in Essex able to help Danbury find a new ground?

Could be a troubling precedent

Danbury cricketers stumped as council bans all play

People in an Essex village are upset the sport has been banned after a passer-by was hit by a ball.

www.bbc.co.uk

2 2 3

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 7d

Says the US owner of Birmingham City...

...and the Edgbaston franchise in the H*ndred.

But it is not his job to look after the lesser teams in English cricket

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 8d

Good numbers

Long live County Cricket!

1 8

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 8d

Where was all this sun last week?

2

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 9d

🙏

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 9d

🙏 Thank you

1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 10d

Last one of the season.

I’m told that this is now a Cricket Paper tradition

3 1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 11d

Durham down. Absolutely fell apart there

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 11d

Hang on! I thought Hampshire were gone after the drama of this morning. Great comms from Mark Church

But Durham are SEVEN down, 47 behind to make Yorks bat again and have 46 OVERS left in the day

Vertu Live Stream - Yorkshire v Durham - Rothesay County Championship - Day Four

Live Rothesay County Championship coverage from Headingley as Yorkshire host Durham in the final match of the 2025 season. Brought to you by Vertu: https://www.vertumotors.com/ https://yorkshireccc.com/

www.youtube.com

4 3

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 11d

Hang on! I thought Hampshire were gone after the drama of this morning. Great comms from Mark Church

But Durham are SEVEN down, 47 behind to make Yorks bat again and have 46 OVERS left in the day

Vertu Live Stream - Yorkshire v Durham - Rothesay County Championship - Day Four

Live Rothesay County Championship coverage from Headingley as Yorkshire host Durham in the final match of the 2025 season. Brought to you by Vertu: https://www.vertumotors.com/ https://yorkshireccc.com/

www.youtube.com

1 1

The Grumbler @thegrumbler.bsky.social · 11d

Charlie Allison thumps Jake Ball into the Tom Pearce Stand for the winning six.

If he continues to improve at the same rate he’ll end next season in the England conversation

1 2 2