When Patrick Kidd of the Times’s Line and Length blog gives you a shout out you know you’ve arrived. April 15th 2009, a day to remember. I became a small, particle of dust small, footnote in cricket history. The history claim over eggs things a bit but who cares?
(click on 100 to 1 £10 bet to watch vlog)
William Hill gave me some odds to get this ton for charity. They’ve got a special bet department - for punters who want to wager their son ‘ll play for England etc - and after a busy Grand National weekend for them, I went in for a chat.
He said nothing of the sort but I thought I’d go tabloid for a headline. First the backstory. It had been a morgue of a week but there was some cheer today. I went to an early season jamboree; the Great Exhibition.
I stumbled on academic paper called Batting and Memory last year. I didn’t understand most of it but bits I did get resonated. One passage had me nodding, smiling and eventually laughing.
(click on Odds from… to read full post)
A nameless loved one has convinced me to get this hundred for charity.
“How do I do that” I said.
(click v Bowling Machine to read full post and watch vlog)
Went to see cricket coach Steve Selwood. I’d tried a sports psychologist. What harm could a coach do? The plan was to strip my batting to its bare essentials. I wasn’t sure if I’d gone to see the right coach. Selwood was an aggressive left hand opener for Derbyshire who failed to reach a 100 by one run. What he would give to face that ball again on 99 again.
(click v Pinner CC to read full post and watch vlog)
After journeying hundreds of miles to some fine well tended grounds, I ended up on a park pitch in Pinner. You get what you deserve but no one deserves to bat at Pinner CC. The outfield and wicket are one the same.
(click v Bessborough to read full post and watch vlog)
‘Young bloodaxe’ Mark Ramprakash learned his cricket here and he scored his 100th 100 this summer. Perhaps some of his luck would rub off. You’ve got to be a jammy so so to bang that many runs. I ran myself out.
(click title to read full post and watch vlog)
I got of a to flyer, flyer for me- 26 of 10. I thought the track was even and hard; a mortuary for medium pacers but I got one that slowed of the deck and mistimed a drive into the bowlers hands. Cricket, when I bat, is a bowler’s game. Did the bowler
(click v Incogniti to read full post and watch vlog)
I played against the Incogs for a second time two weeks later and was out for a 4 ball duck; caught behind by a Grandpa keeper who had a bit too drink- before start of play at 11.30.