www.ovalworld-online.com/itsasurreything.htm VOLUME.27 ISSUE NUMBER.1 JUNE 2012 EDITED BY MARCUS HOOK PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE PURELY PERSONAL OPINIONS. ANY CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING ‘OVAL WORLD’ SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO MARCUS HOOK AT FLAT 1, 67 BIRDHURST RISE, SOUTH CROYDON, SURREY, CR2 7EJ or E-MAIL [email protected] FIRST INNINGS - WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Marcus Hook I'm not one to run to Kevin Pietersen's defence, but if ever evidence were needed that the ECB will do anything to keep SkySports happy, the £2,000 fine he was given for criticising Nick Knight on Twitter was, to use KP's words, ridiculous. If he had criticised SkySports' coverage as a whole - which, I guess, would be akin to a Surrey player saying that Kia cars are rubbish - I could understand it. Never bite the hand that feeds you, and all that. But, honestly, how many viewers, let alone pros, consider Knight to be a decent commentator? He routinely sits on the fence, in fear of expressing an opinion of his own, and yet, if a private conversation he has had with one of the players illustrates a point, he'll quote it on air. Like many things on the internet, Twitter, if used responsibly, can be such a big positive. Just look at what happened when Ben Hollioake's kit and other memorabilia was stolen. I've seen how Twitter brings players and fans closer together. Dishing out fines for expressing widely held views will simply make the England players think twice before tweeting anything of real interest. As for Nick Knight, the sooner Ian Ward leapfrogs him in Sky's pecking order, the better - for all of us. Just a week after being fined, Kevin Pietersen's relationship with the ECB sunk to a new low when he announced his retirement from one-day international cricket. KP said he would readily continue playing international Twenty20 cricket, but the England management used the event to re-site the goalposts. Having allowed Andrew Strauss to retire from international T20 cricket, but not ODIs, Hugh Morris of the ECB said the policy, now, is for England players to make themselves available for both or forget it. You can't help feeling the ECB have chosen to make an example of Pietersen. Knowing Chris Adams to be pretty shrewd, I imagine he will put his arm around KP and fire him up for the Lions' Friends Life T20 campaign. In-between playing Test cricket and appearing in the IPL, one assumes it means Pietersen will be available to play a lot more for Surrey. We shall see. All I will say is that a top order of Hamilton-Brown, Davies, Roy, Pietersen and Maynard in the FLt20 would make for an awesome spectacle. Much as it pains traditionalists like myself to see four-day cricket being played in early April, it's just as well we are. Had the season begun when it used to years ago - in the last week of April - the first round of the County Championship would have been washed out; which, no doubt, would have prompted the ECB to call, once more, for the competition to be reduced to 14 games per team. Had Surrey not notched up a championship victory over Sussex before all the rain arrived, we would still be awaiting a first win in the champo. The pre-season form did not augur well, neither did just managing to hold on to beat the students by two runs. But, for once, the boys were quick out of the traps (it was only the second time in 17 years that Surrey have won their opening four-day fixture). What has followed has been a tad frustrating, though. Apart from the wash-out with Durham, Surrey have been in potentially winning positions in every one of the subsequent championship games. At the start of the season I wrote, in my column for the Surrey Mirror, that most of us would settle for mid-table obscurity in the County Championship. So, the fact that Surrey are competing with the other teams in Division One is, in many ways, a positive and gives us hope that they can claim at least three more wins from the nine that remain to make things safe. Tom Maynard and Rory Hamilton-Brown, in particular, have been in inspired form with the bat. Steven Davies's glovework, when standing up to the stumps, continues to show improvement. On their day, Stuart Meaker and Gareth Batty have looked like real match-winners with the ball. But given that Somerset were without Buttler and Trescothick, it did seem a strange decision to rest Jade Dernbach. I believe you should always field the eleven most likely to win the game, unless the title has been wrapped up or, in the one-day stuff, there's no chance of progressing in the competition. Leaving Dernbach out against Somerset was a mistake, as was not playing a second spinner on a turning pitch against Warwickshire. It was interesting to note Matthew Spriegel taking a seven-fer for the twos the same week. Unlike Keeners (see Keenose Komments), I would always play at least one front-line spinner. I just think you need a bit of balance. But with Murali Kartik about to make his debut and Zafar Ansari due to break-up from university in a month's time, I doubt we'll see Spriegs play in the championship. Quite a few of the members I spoke with at the Club's AGM questioned the need for Jacques Rudolph. Some, but certainly not as many, also queried why Surrey had signed Jon Lewis. Over the years I have seen what Lewis is capable of. I'll never forget the way he sent Ali Brown's off stump flying when taking 7-72 to wrap the game up inside three days at Bristol eight years ago. And the early weeks of this season have simply underlined what a quality signing Lewis is. Sadly, the knockers were proved right with Rudolph failing to come to the party. If I was able to detect that he has a weakness against full length deliveries aimed at the base of middle and leg, I'm sure Andy Flower and England's management team have as well. Anyway, I can't sign off without saying that I have driven a Kia car (I hired one once), and I'd swap if for our Peugeot 206 any day. SUPPORTERS' CLUB NEWS FUNDRAISING EXCEEDS £60,000 Thanks to the continued success of the Century Club, run by Sarah Atkins, the Surrey CCC Supporters' Club recently handed over a cheque for £2,000 to Paul Taylor of the Surrey Cricket Board. It now means the SCCCSC has raised over £60,000 over the years for initiatives such as the Outreach winter coaching programme, which goes out to schools in South London and most of Surrey. This programme has reached thousands of children and has, we hope, contributed to the development of a future cricketer or two and, just as important, established a bond with Surrey amongst tomorrow’s cricket-following public. GUILDFORD MARQUEE: 15 JULY At the time of going to press, we were waiting to hear whether the Supporters' Club has been allocated a marquee at Guildford for Sunday, 15th July - when the Surrey Lions play host to the Nottinghamshire Outlaws in the Clydesdale Bank 40. The SCCCSC has never taken the use of a marquee on the Sunday of Guildford for granted. But if this facility is extended to us again, the arrangements will be the same as they were last year in that no refreshments will be available in the marquee. That said, Supporters' Club members are more than welcome to bring along packed lunches and enjoy the game in the more relaxed setting. OVAL WORLD BY EMAIL? By way of a reminder, if you would prefer to receive this newsletter as a .pdf document, by email, instead of having it sent to you by post, simply inform Marcus Hook at [email protected]. GUILDFORD ROOM This season Surrey CCC have kindly allowed the Supporters' Club use of the Guildford Room on home match days at the Kia Oval. The room, which is situated on the top floor of the Main Pavilion, affords spectators an excellent view of the game. Visitors are always guaranteed a warm welcome from Ann Atkins and various other members of the Supporters' Club committee. MEMBERSHIP 2012 If you haven't yet renewed your membership of the Surrey CCC Supporters' Club, please make sure you do so as soon as possible, or you could miss out on future editions of Oval World. The annual subscription rates are £6.00 for full members, £4.00 for senior citizens and £1.00 for juniors. Subs, along with a note of your current address, should be sent to Chris Payne, 105 Milborough Crescent, Lee, London SE12 0RP. Cheques should be made payable to: 'SCCC Supporters' Club'. FANTASY LEAGUE - EARLY-SEASON STANDINGS As at May 22, the standings in the Oval World Fantasy Cricket League 2012 were as follows: 1 Marcus Hook Depeche Modi 227.3 23 Anthony Earl ACE XI 161.7 2 Jamie Dowling The Cherry Pie Chuckers 215.2 24 Nick Robinson Comeontheree 161.2 3 Chris Payne Theakstons Old Peculiars 196.4 25 Grahame Cove Jason Roy Lewis 159.7 4 Nigel Sharp Nigel's Nurdlers 193.8 26 Adrian Lofts World Of Sport Umbrella 158.0 5 Andy Woodhouse Aines Blankey Boys 193.6 27 Alistair Gordon Alistair's Allsorts 157.6 6 Ann Millington-Jones Ann's Allsorts 192.7 28 Tracey Field Victoria Sponge Warriors 157.3 7 Paul Blake Blakey's Eleven 191.1 29 Roger Hudson The Wild Rovers 157.2 8 Brian Cowley Ruislip Ramblers 185.9 30 Leigh Jones Coaches Galore 154.8 9 Jean Galsworthy Rosebery Ramblers 184.7 31 Paul Jeater Essex Wombles 153.5 10 Bill Bateman Deflated 180.0 32 Jim Forrest Forrest Firecrackers 152.8 11 David Pearce Pears Hopefuls 179.9 33 Ann Atkins Ann's Team 150.6 12 Michael Greensmith Blackway Allstars 2012 178.6 34 John Lofts John's Crackerjacks 146.7 13 Sarah Atkins Yet More Hash Browns 175.9 35 Nick Wheeler Demons + 1 143.7 14 Paul Witney Sunbury Prides 173.4 36 Tony Raisborough Onecanonlyhope 140.6