365 Sporting Days
Sharing a passion for Sport!
2021 sees a change to the way the Champions Cup is structured. The competition will consist of 2 Pool of 12 teams. The 24 teams, 8 from each league – the Premiership, The Top 14 and the Pro 14 have been put into 4 tiers. A draw was held to decide which team from each tier went into which pool. […]
I had an interesting exchange with Reuben Herbert in a County Cricket group during the summer and asked if he fancied putting his thoughts down. Here he writes as a guest blogger. His thoughts on structure would work across most sports in this country. I made a comment a while back that county clubs should be limited to 18 professional players with the development side of the game run through an amateur structure. This […]
I sat watching the re-started 6 Nations last night, a catch up game for Ireland against Italy. The scoreline was somewhat predictable as Ireland scored 50 points to Italy’s 17. A try in ‘extra’ time for Italy could have a big influence on the eventual winners on Super Saturday. Ireland are a point to the good with their 7 tries, […]
I heard someone talking about the media early on in the Covid Lockdown – it went along the lines of – It’s all about being first, facts aren’t important. Let’s hold that thought as I look back at the match between Saracens and Wasps last weekend. I realise I’m late to this subject but I wanted to be in possession […]
Lots has happened cricket wise since Round 4 of this summer’s red ball County Cricket competition. Not least the arrival of the Australians for a white ball only tour. Australia somehow managed to lose the first T20 from an unassailable position. They didn’t hit a boundary from the 14th over until the 3rd ball of the 20th! Dawid Malan had […]
A quick round up of England’s final test of the summer; Having had quite amazing weather virtually as soon as Lockdown started, the British weather decided to assert itself on England’s series against Pakistan. At least we had two complete innings in this third test. Zak Crawley well and truly introduced himself to the wider cricketing world with a truly […]
A refresh of the rules for this Summer’s competition A reduction to a minimum of 90 overs in a day’s play. Each county’s first innings of a match can last no longer than 120 overs. The follow-on will increase from 150 to 200 runs. The new ball will be available after 90 overs rather than 80 overs. Points awarded for […]
A reminder of the rules of the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy before a look at the happenings in Round 2. A reduction to a minimum of 90 overs in a day’s play. Each county’s first innings of a match can last no longer than 120 overs. The follow-on will increase from 150 to 200 runs. The new ball will be […]
After the disappointment of sitting through the most glorious Spring with absolutely no cricket, Saturday 1st August saw the return of County Cricket. It had been my intention to attend all but one of Essex’s County games and that only because I was due to be watching England play Pakistan. But that wasn’t to be this summer, I was however […]
With Joe Root away for the birth of his daughter Ben Stokes took the reins in Southampton in the first test if the summer and in fact the first test worldwide since New Zealand beat India in early March. Stokes took the decision to bat first and we saw England bowled out for just 204. The main stat I’m looking […]
I wrote this article in 2019 and thought an update might be interesting. There are plenty of places to find out about Central Contracts but here’s an attempt to put the information into one place. Central Contracts were introduced in 1999, the amount of international cricket was increased and the ECB wanted greater control of the England players. As far […]
This country and most of the rest of the World came to a kind of a halt in Mid March. Luckily for those of us in England the weather throughout March, April, May and June was pretty much perfect. That meant for me a new found obsession with gardening, rather than lots of time watching my beloved cricket. Sod’s Law […]
Rugby Union feels a long way in the past at the moment, what was a fairly unpleasant season as a Saracens fan came to an abrupt halt on the weekend of March 7/8th. Two teams had won 9 games from the 13th played, one sits at the top of the table, the other at the bottom. So, it wasn’t the […]
I’m going to lay out where I stand before I write about Surrey. I’m an Essex member and fan, but I’m also a Surrey member and have been for around 7 years. I originally bought membership so I could access international tickets; but I’ve enjoyed watching Surrey and the Oval is a great place to watch the game. I’ve always […]
This was my 3rd World Cup Match, but I must write this up before the Bangladesh v South Africa match, which in itself was a special result. (photos to follow) I got to Trent Bridge via the Clifton Park and Tram, it’s a great way to get to the ground, but having chatted for too long at my Airbnb I […]
Looking back to the final test of a great series between England and Pakistan. I wrote this at a time when I was adding in photos galore, they don’t necessarily tie up with the words, apologies for that. This series really saw my fondness for Pakistan cricket start, I was very late to that show. I saw them win the […]
