Cricket
Over-anxious
Alan Gibson
Anew season is supposed to bring lifting to a cricketer's heart, the la' in the sky, the linnet on the hawthorn, the prospect of salmon mayonnaise for lunch, that sort of thing. This one I approach, n°1 quite with foreboding, but without the usual enthusiasm; Perhaps it is just that , am getting older. Yet there are things amiss in the game — at least, in the first-Glass game, and habits seep downwards. I knct for instance, that I shall see this season many examples of bad field manners, any one of which would have caused a Cen- sorious stir even 20 years ago. There will be dreary time-wasting. The rule which says that 20 overs must be bowled when an h°11',' is left to play is a good one, but its eat tiveness was diminished when the lar realised that the time could be wasted in the penultimate hour. We shall see plentY bouncers and helmets. You can argue a casee for either, but they do not add to t, elegance of the game, they bring no liMet on-the-hawthorn touch. It is, mildly, encouraging that the Indian: have agreed that a minimum of 96 overt should be bowled (16 an hour) in a full Tesa day. Glancing back into the books fote parallel, I see that on the first day oft"d Trent Bridge Test in 1938, when Eng',15 scored 422 for 4, Australia bowled overs. Still, I suppose 96 is something fcle which to be thankful after what must ha :r been a grimly creepy series in India (f°, which we must have been as much to blame as them). But the overs — this dal revolutionary new rate of overs — sh be allotted to the separate periods of P'"'d say 33 in the morning and afternoon, aye 30 in the evening. Otherwise we shall 1.19b occasions when bowlers, unconcerned Ow fulfilling their quota, simply move si°vi and more slowly, waiting for the light 11, to fail. If the batsmen decide to go off, '14., rest for the weary. If they decide to stay °"' there is always a chance of a wicket. I view more cheerfully the appointniv'ee of J. R. Burnet as chairman of a conllit,it v to ease the problems that have so beset native county, Yorkshire. Burnet, althouttgb not much of a player, pulled the clo together — after a bit of quick work '14 the axe — when he was unexpectedly
he pointed captain in 1958. He led them to
championship in 1959, and then gracefully retired. If anyone can pick up the sprawling giant, he will. The best possible thing for English cricket would be for Yorkshire to win the championship again: though it will not be this year, I fear. The favourites are Somerset, which is odd on the face of it, because they have never won it, despite successes in other competitions in the last few years. They have never really come close to it. Yet Lad- broke's made them favourites for all four competitions, 4-1 against for the champion- ship, the Benson & Hedges, and the John Player, and 9-2 against for the best of the knock-out competitions, which I suppose we must learn to love by its ugly new name, NatWest. (I have nothing against the bank, but I detest its abbreviation.) I know of several Somerset men who have a modest stake on the quadruple. They have the abili- ty to win anything. They will lose at least Botham to the Tests, but not, this year, Richards or Garner, and they have a strong supporting cast, mostly locally brought up. I was pleased to hear that Slocombe, a good Young player born in Weston-super-Mare, had decided to stay with them, though he cannot be sure of his place in the side, and must have had tempting offers from else- where. This suggests a good spirit in the club. It is the championship Somerset must go for. Even three successes in the limited- over competitions would not compensate for its loss. They have never had a better chance. In the full Somerset tradition, they have made a bad start. There never was such a county for winning when they are expected to lose, and losing when they are expected to win.
It will be interesting to see how Rose
does, i might, I suppose, still come into the reckoning as a possible England cap- tain, if he can get plenty of runs. He has shown he can bat successfully at Test level, and as Botham's county captain, seemed to get on well with him, even when Botham bound captain of England. But selectors are Pound to be chary of anyone who has had to retire from a tour with eye trouble. Eyes are unpredictable things. Some years ago I if ad some bother with mine, and wondered might have to give up cricket-writing. Friends were kind after their manner. One said he thought that being blind would Make no difference to the quality of my reports, and another, who had just had two Unlucky leg-before decisions, said I could always take up umpiring. As I write, I have not watched much, ex- cept for Oxford and Cambridge and a red-off game at Taunton. But I dare say
at Pringle will be one of the coming
batsmen. He is tall, and powerful, and not afraid to go for his strokes. At Fenner's ex- perienced judges were saying he reminded , of Peter May, and at Fenner's they "e cautious of talking in terms like that. It is l- encouraging that May, who left the game es a Player too soon, is now high in its counsels. We are approaching a time when 01, firm and generous judgment will be needed, and this he will provide.
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