HX Skipper comments on the new league structure

Sorry folks, EC's post has suffered the same fate as KF's infamous post about *******.

Another date for your diary...no live band this time

A reminder that there is a ESCA meeting regarding the proposed restructuring of Scottish cricket on Thursday (Sept 15th) at Myreside -starting at 7.30.

The focus of the meeting will be on the The National Reconstruction Report  HERE

Read all about it

Last night I recieved a text from Tillekeratne Dilshan informing me he'd just bumped into a top Scottish Cricketer on Princes St.

"I'd been hanging about all day with my autograph book hoping to meet one of the Holy Cross Cricket team" said Dilshan, "then, just as I was giving up hope of ever seeing one of my heroes, around the corner strolled Ellis Charles".

Ellis was in action on Saturday blazing his way to 222* against Victoria FCC as 'the Cross' reached 47-17 in a league decider somewhere near Glasgow. Fortunately for the Glaswegian villagers the game had to be abandoned before Charles could take 10 wickets probably for no runs.

"I've memorised Charlie's book 'Coco - Chicago's Worst Pitch' ( book link ) and have never given my wicket away since" gushed the Sri lankan captain. "It was much better than that nonsense his captain wrote about what to do when its wet, overcast, the pitch is a bog and your up against the best attack in the league on their own patch ( book link )". Although I thought he did look a bit worse for wear, maybe it was the recent floods in Morningside".

Charlie Ellis invented the "Chuck".

Norrie Tastic & Ziggy Licious were unavailable for comment.

KF on Scottish cricket (part 4 of a continuing series)

[The season may have finished but KF continues to do what he does best: smack balls over straight midwicket provide insightful commentary on the game].

For those of you who can't wait until the forthcoming Ashes commence for my insightful, innovative, thought-provoking and all round amazingly brilliant dissection of England's inevitable drubbing (the cricket media are doing the England football thing and declaring Ashes victory already, reality will bite by about lunch time on the first day of the First Test. Early prediction: panic call-up for Pietersen at 0-2), I'd like to take the opportunity of regurgitating a previous post from the soon to be if not already legendary 'KF on Scottish Cricket' series.

As I write this, I can hardly see the screen due to the sunlight beaming in through my window. The temperature outside is nearer 20 degrees, the breeze is light and, er, the cricket season has just finished.

Harking back to last December's scribble, here are some quotes.

"Come the end of August and into September, once the season has ended for most folk, its flip flop and barbecue time."

"I believe it's time to look at adjusting the season as I believe it starts and ends too early"

If cricket is played in the summer, and the season has just finished, and this is winter (humour me here please, there are no rules about internet posts having to be watertight), then I think we should begin playing Winter Cricket asap.

I'll leave it at that and will make sure I return to this subject every year at the same time. Now where did I put the suntan lotion (not in my effin cricket bag, that's for sure)?

......postcript by cje...

Lengthening the season is something I'd love to see happen - though those who share facilities with rugby/ football clubs would face difficulties.

Before Popey relates his stories of Yorshire cricket, I'll point out that the Sunday team I played for in Sheffield (Firvale CC) have their last fixture this season on Sept 19th.

From a groundsmanship point of view, one problem with playing into September would be the impact on post-season renovation of cricket squares (you need the new seed to germinate and establish itself before the temperature drops).

KF on Scottish Cricket (part 2 of a continuing series)

With the Ashes now over and the South Africa vs South Africa 2nd XI test series yet to start, in his latest posting KF turns to one of the er ..... burning issues of the day.

Climate change !!! Is it really happening? As I'm about 99% unqualified to judge (with a 1% error margin), I feel I must waffle on this contentious topic immediately. Is it colder now than a month ago ? Yes. Is it warmer than it was last night ? Yes. Seems like a no brainer to this no brainer. Indeed, if the climate didn't change it would surely be time to worry.

But what has this got to do with the East League fixture schedule, I hear you ask ? The ESCA website has announced that the fixtures for next season "will run from Saturday 1st May until Saturday 28th August inclusive". Meaning the usual pre-season friendlies will be on the 17th and 24th April. You may see where I'm going with this now. Indeed, I could say you are already getting warmer (or colder).

I don't recall any "t-shirt weather" during this early period of the season and my memories of playing cricket at that time primarily involve at least two jumpers. Come the end of August and into September, once the season has ended for most folk, its flip flop and barbecue time. Cricket doesn't necessarily require the players to be warm, but it does require the best of weather conditions to get a decent or at least playable pitch. I believe it's time to look at adjusting the season as I believe it starts and ends too early.

Squinting briefly at Scottish football, there is often talk of a winter shutdown. The obvious problem with this being that our winter can last about 8 months, so which 2-4 week period do you close down for ? Trying to nail down exactly when, or even if, we have our summer isn't much less difficult.

A serious look must be had at historical temperature records, rainfall charts and anything else of use. I wouldn't be surprised to find that there's been no cricket played on the 3rd of July for 120 years or something similar, but I'm sure those records would back up my intuition that the open and close of the season require amendment. As the days shorten in September the kick-off times might have to be brought forward an hour.

In the meantime, I'm sure Jon B will take orders for club fleeces or maybe for long johns (with embroidered badges ???? fnarr).

It is now time for you to shout down my simplistic idealism with unfortunate realities like overlaps with the rugby season or pitch availability or whatever ......