A portal to the world of cricket

Today marks the start of Line and Length's third year in the blogosphere. A lot has changed since this humble effort was launched back in 2006 (Remember then? Ah, the clothes we used to wear, the silly haircuts, the fact that England held the Ashes...).

Thank you to everyone who has dipped into L&L over the past two years, especially those who have become regular fixtures in the comments section. I think it is fair to say that this is the only blog to have Andre Nel and Oscar the Grouch as correspondents, and to judge from the votes for the Pillock of the Month this blog has readers in such unlikely places as Guatemala, Bahrain and Romania. I hope you all keep on coming back regularly and, as ever, do let me know what I'm doing wrong or right via the comments button beneath each post.

To mark the occasion, I have compiled a list of links to my favourite cricket websites, which you may want to save on your favourites (click the title of this post to get it as a separate webpage) and use as a portal to discover some gems all around the world.

The top ten, which I read almost every day, are listed below. Click "continue" to see the remainder. If I've missed anyone, let me know and if I have linked to your site, then perhaps you can return the favour. I haven't included any websites that haven't posted in a while, such as Nutley to Nagpur, but will update this if they resume.

Line and Length's Must-Read Cricket Websites

1. Cricinfo No denying that this is the big daddy. Great for news, profiles, ball-by-ball commentary, features, everything you could really need. Now owned by Disney, but fortunately that has not led to any dumbing-down. I could fill a Top 30 just with Cricinfo regular features but will limit myself to one...

2. Cricinfo's Statsguru Such a useful tool that it is worth having as a separate link. Geeks of the world rejoice, this website gives you access to just about any statistic you need. It takes a while to work out how to use the various menus, but once you've clicked it you can amaze your friends with just how sad you really are.

3. Cricket Archive Another stats website but one that offers a clear and easily-searchable database of first-class, limited overs and minor cricket records (Statsguru just does international matches). Want to know how many innings it took WG Grace to reach his 100th first-class hundred? The answer is here.

4. King Cricket Ticks all the right boxes: funny, anarchic, knowledgable and, most importantly, updated regularly. Alex, who writes it, supports Lancashire, so may become insufferable if they finally win the championship this year, but for some reason worships Rob Key. Famous for a series of photos of pets being indifferent to cricket.

5. The Corridor One of the longest-running cricket blogs out there. Run by Cricinfo's Will Luke, one of the bright young stars of cricket journalism (that'll be a pint of Guinness, Will), but with a string of occasional contributors who add their tuppence-worth. Occasionally drifts off into non-cricket matters, such as politics, transport traumas and the state of Britain today, which is welcome.

6. Test Match Special The BBC radio show is also a blog, with regular contributions from Jonathan Agnew and other reporters such as the admirable Kevin Howells. Also the home of the Ask Bill Frindall column, in which the Bearded Wonder shows off his statwonkery.

7. Are You A Left-Arm Chinaman? Juvenile, puerile and brilliantly done. Has a similar low-brow, anarchic approach to King Cricket, but the King doesn't recreate Test matches using plasticine. An opportunity missed, I think.

8. Stick Cricket An infuriatingly addictive game, apparently the second biggest reason for the economic recession in the City after Facebook.

9. Harrow Drive An impressively detailed coaching website that covers drills for batting, bowling and fielding, dietary advice, fitness tips and ways to improve the mental side of your game.

10. Cricket = Action = Art How to turn ordinary cricket photos into works of art with a bit of Photoshoppery. Not much more to this website than that, but it always pays a visit.

You may also enjoy...

English blogs: Nick Hoult; Tim de Lisle; The Googly; Different Shades of Green; Third Umpire; Charlie Randall; Fourth Umpire; Fine Glance; Suave's Republique Cricket; Cricket 247; Last of the Summer Whine; Nigel Henderson's Reverse Sweep

Blogs from the rest of the world: Cricket with Balls (Australia); Beyond The Boundary (associate nations); Miss Field (Aus); Caribbean Cricket (West Indies); ABC Grandstand (Australia); Nepal Cricket; Cricket 24x7 (India); My Two Cents (India); Cricketing View (India); Doosra (India, not Dileep's one for The Times); Beige Brigade (NZ); Sportizen (India); Cricket Viewer (Pakistan); Sideline Slogger (NZ); Cricket Blog (Aus); Rick Eyre (Aus); Stumpcam (Aus); Mike on Cricket (NZ); BigStar Cricket (India and elsewhere); Well Pitched (Pakistan); Just another Silly Point (India); Outside the Line; Well Pitched; Terry Jenner

Stats: HowStat; David Barry

Counties: Derbyshire; Durham; Essex; Glamorgan; Gloucestershire; Hampshire; Kent; Lancashire; Leicestershire; Middlesex; Northamptonshire; Nottinghamshire; Somerset; Surrey; Sussex; Warwickshire; Worcestershire; Yorkshire

News/Governing bodies: ECB; Lord's; ICC; CricketEurope; Cricket Australia; Professional Cricketers' Association; Lord's Taverners; BCCI; New Zealand Cricket; Pakistan Cricket Board; West Indies Cricket Board; South Africa Cricket Board; Sri Lanka cricket; Indian Premier League; Indian Cricket League; Stanford 20/20

Extras: Bill Frindall's website; Blind Cricket (UK); Howzthat (Game); Last Man Standing (Game)

Comments

[Yorkshire Fan]

I'd put in a mention for 'Last of the Summer Whine', a blog about Yorkshire's season.

http://lastofthesummerwhine.wordpress.com/

It's worth a look.

[Oscar the Grouch]

Oh, heck, fumblefingers, that should have been Ruddaceous Prime Minister. Mac, pass the XXX...um...X....

[Oscar the Grouch]

Rusty - thank you - how COULD I have overlooked our Buddaceous Prime Minister?

[Rusty]

Just to add to the general air of back-scratching pervading this post...

Patrick, you're such a thoughtful, gentlemenly host, bravely upholding tradition in the face of the New Order, how could your blog not be admired and loved throughout the free world? Especially when you just gave all those free plugs for those New Order players. (Makes me wish I had a cricket blog, just so I could be part of the happy family).

Oscar, how kind - I had no idea I was adding to the lexicon. Positively, of course! (not sure Patrick would agree with that). But L&L would be shadow of itself without you, Andre, Bear, Peter McG (and don't forget, the occasional Hon. Kevin Rudd), keeping up the tone.

Here's to another two years!

[Peter McGuinness]

That is brilliant Oscar.

Mind you, I had to read it 8 times before I thought I understood it.

After all, I only drink XXXX because I can't spel bier.

[Obaid]

Hi Patrick. Thanks for compiling this great list and also including wellpitched in the mix. We will go ahead and add a link to L&L as well! Keep up the great blogging

[James]

www.cricket247.org - doesn't look like it showed up in my first message! Lots of good knowledgeable posters, many from the old BBC TMS boards. Keep up the good work and come on Essex!

[David Hinchliffe]

They say the first 1500 blog posts are the hardest Patrick.

Thanks for the mention, here is to the next 2 years and beyond.

[The Atheist]

Thanks for the plug, Patrick, an e-Guinness is on it's way.

I think that JRod's www.cricketwithballs.com is definitely in the top ten. Talk about Juvenile...

[James]

An excellent forum site on the great game (a lot of posters are from the old BBC TMS forums).

[Brian Carpenter]

Congratulations on your second birthday, Patrick, and thanks for the mention.

I haven't really got into Statsguru, probably because I'm worried where it might lead. I must have a look at it sometime soon.

Another Indian blog which, though irregular, sometimes really hits the mark is 'Just another Silly Point' (http://nonstriker.wordpress.com/.)

[Q]

Thanks for the recommendation Miriam and thanks for adding Patrick.

Hope you keep visiting Well Pitched. We just added an interview with Javed Miandad.

[A Nelle]

When did George Clooney play for the Republic?

He looks fast I must say.

[Oscar the Grouch]

Patrick, I'm sure it's the deeply instructive nature of L & L that draws the cognescenti. While I am touched that you should mention me (and I am sure, being the charitable chap that you are, you meant it in a positive way), so many of your regular bloggers have contributed richly to the pool of human knowledge. Indeed, some of them have contributed to the development of richness in our language, e.g.:

to draw attention to a regrettable lack of focus and accuracy in reporting is to be Andregenous; to hold an implacable and irrational hatred of a player from another country - Anntipathetic; delivering considered pearls of wisdom on the philosophical and existential nature of Test cricket while admitting to the odd libation is of course Macturation. Steadfast even-handnesses in argument is a Pavlovian response, a witty take on current issues would be Rustyfication and that most wonderous of qualities, being able to stand bare-arsed but unchallenged as a senior citizen of the spectatorial crowd would require Beartification.

I could go on, but I suspect everybody already knows that...

[Pablo]

On King Cricket, and following on Miriam's lead, let me also praise their inmense contribution to the game with those two invaluables new strategies they put forward in their section of captions for pictures: dismissal "no genitals" and dismissal "hunchback at second slip". They are a powerful reminder for all of us to keep our eyes open while at bat.

[Patrick Kidd]

Thanks for the recommendations, Miriam, which I've checked out and added.

Andrew, I think your managing editor needs to find a wife, but thanks for notifying me of the subbing change.

[Miriam]

Hi Patrick, you've already got most of the sites I visit (and will no doubt have seen my family's cats on Kingcricket), but can I recommend a couple more of my favourites?

http://republiquecricket.com/ - if you like Kingcricket and AYALAC you'll enjoy this too. Founded on the principle that there is no picture that cannot be improved by a hover caption, and noted for its six-word reviews of players.

also:

www.wellpitched.com - a passionate but non-ranty Pakistan cricket blog which keeps an eye on the rest of the world too.

also, for stats-lovers, David Barry's blog:

http://pappubahry.blogspot.com/ - total geek paradise, and I mean that in a very good way.

[Andrew Nixon]

Thanks for the little plug for Beyond The Boundary and for CricketEurope. Just a quick note though, CricketEurope is written as one word without the space... our managing editor gets annoyed at that, and I wouldn't want you to get on anyone's bad side!