The way we were

And so the 2008 domestic season begins. The first matches in the LV County Championship start tomorrow, but I made my season debut at Fenner's yesterday for the final day of Cambridge University v Essex. In a rain-troubled match that was always heading for a draw, there were a few moments of brightness, not least the aggressive hitting of Jason Gallian, Essex's new signing and the former England opener, who made 79 off 59 balls.

Yet Gallian's batting was one of the few areas where a comparison could be drawn with the brave new world of the Indian Premier League. The players still wore white, there was scarcely any advertising (one billboard advertising the Spirit of Cricket was broken in half and just said "Spirit"), the crowd numbered little more than a dozen and the players happily mingled with them in the Pavilion during the intervals and when they were waiting to bat. Technology was more or less absent - no wireless internet for the two journalists present (in fact, there wasn't even a press box) and if I wanted to plug my laptop in I was told to use the socket in the umpires' room but not when they were using it.

I know I'm an archaic old dinosaur, but isn't this what cricket is all about and what makes it wonderful? The modern world can go hang, with its cheerleaders, music and razzmatazz. Give me an open field, a well-stocked bar and 22 men in white and I'll be happy.

Comments

[Oscar the Grouch]

Ah, Patrick, surely you realise the dichotomy inherent in blogging nostalgically?

Of course, in this wide brown continent, even at the local cricket club level we don't have mellow autumnal games where the only pertinent question is: are there crumpets still for tea?. It's more: is the beer still cold, and have the flies got to the sausages yet?

Still, we must all embrace change, at least gently. I for one am contemplating sadly the retirement of the old brass-bound, hand-hewn oakum-caulked Esky with the cast-iron wheels and the wicker handle for something in a tasteful plastic with an embossed image of David Boone's moustache on the front that I can actually lug around without having to stoke up the traction engine. A young relative of mine has also commented on the availability of moving images of cricket matches apparently beamed into one's own domicile via some sort of adaption of radiotelephony! All very well, I say, but will it replace the charm of a chap clicking a pencil on a coconut husk and saying 'And that's a four to Guffington'? Ha! I say, Ha!

[Pablo]

Cricket is Tradition. If Tradition ends up going out the window, so will Cricket.
Cricket is much more about long efforts and carefully timed strategy than about flashy moments, coloured shirts, and cheerleaders. This doesn't mean I'm against Twenty20 or 50-over Cricket (or cheerleaders), but if somebody tries to turn the game into something like NFL Football, I think in the long term it won't work and it will take a toll on the game.
Just to support this, let me put the example of baseball in the US. The classic feeling of baseball is gone forever and the love and the attachment of the people to the sport are gone with it. As a result, TV ratings and average attendance are hitting all-time lows every year. Only in those cities where some the classic feeling still exist (Boston, Chicago, NY) baseball remains a major attraction.

[King Cricket]

That makes cricket wonderful, but so does the IPL.

Cricket's variety is its strongest attribute.

[chris Skinner]

Hi Patrick,
Don't you think that county cricket would be a little more appealing if it wasn't £15 a ticket for a championship match?

like you, i delight at the prospect of andre nel and graham napier bundling in, but it's not a big enough pull at that inflated price.

Chris