Friday, February 20, 2015 theCRICKETpaper www.thecricketpaper.com 24 GOSSIP Dream Team JAMES HARRIS The Middlesex bowler picks the best XI he has played with and against 1. MATTHEW ELLIOTT had one of the bigger impacts – Retired on my career. He welcomed He used to do a thing where me into the team when I first you could tell what he thought arrived at Glamorgan. It was WATCH OUT IN THE SLIPS, LADS! about the bowler by how high tough for me because I was in up his arm his sweat band was. that team just before my 17th FIELDERS will definitely The matches are played become soaked and Cholmeleians, St Moritz, If the sweat band was near the birthday and I was particularly want to keep hold of their on Lake St Moritz, which unplayable on the ice. and Winterthur, with each bottom, towards his gloves, he nervous. He was just great catches and not Let It Go this freezes solid in the winter You get more for your team facing each other meant that he rated the bowler behind the stumps and we weekend with cricket being and also hosts horse racing strokes, too, with higher once in a round robin highly. Whereas if it was high, remained very close friends. played in frozen conditions! in the shadow of the famous altitude meaning the ball format. around his elbows, it meant 7. RAVI BOPARA While the World Cup Cresta Run. travels further in the air. Old Cholmeleians beat St that he didn’t think the bowler takes place in summer There are differences in The pitch is artificial mat- Moritz in the first t20 game – Essex heat, the Cricket on Ice the cricket equipment, of ting. on Thursday morning after was any good and would start He’s just a serious cricketer. He whacking him out the ground. tournament started yester- course. The four teams involved the hosts could not chase does well with the bat and the day at St Moritz, The ball is made of hard in the tournament are down the 121 run target, 2. CHRIS ROGERS ball and he’s a really good Switzerland. rubber as leather balls Lyceum Alpinum, Old falling short by nine runs. – Australia builder of an innings. He’s also He looks at things slightly a brilliant guy. He’s really differently to some people and funny, a great guy to be around he’s been great for me. He’s in the dressing room and a fine obviously scored a huge player to go along with it. number of runs and he’s 8. ROBERT CROFT rightly nailing down that spot – Retired in the Australian team. It was I have to pick him, or he won’t sometimes hard to have him as talk to me otherwise. He was captain because he set such my hero growing up. I started high standards and he h expected so much, but a great at Glamorgan when I was 16 or t ird MAn guy to have in and around the 17, so I couldn’t drive. team. Thankfully he lived two miles 3. MARK COSGROVE away from my house in Swansea, so in the first year I A weekly look at the other side of cricket and cricketers – South Australia was very gratefully ferried He just decided to wallop around the country to all our people everywhere. As a games by him. I’ve paid him bowler he would just scare the back because I think I’ve done life out of you. He would just hit most of the driving since. NOTHING BARMY the bowlers all over the park 9. STEVEN FINN and on his day you pretty much couldn’t bowl at him. He – Middlesex could just take the game away There aren’t many bowlers from opposition in a session worse to face than Finny on ABOUT HARMY JOB and a half. He’s also an under- song. When he can bowl rated seamer – he can’t bowl 90mph and bowl it down from many but he’s not bad. 6ft 7 and a bit, bowling back of a length, trying to combat him By Joshua Peck having every Tom, Dick and Harry have their latest win over struggling 4. JAMES TAYLOR a go at me so that won’t bother me. Sunderland RCA, having won ten of their – Nottimghamshire is particularly tricky and I’ve been on the end of it. IT MAY have come as a sur- “The one thing to say in every walk of 31 games this season. We more or less grew up with life is ‘never say never’. I only applied But for Harmison, the location of his each other. Every time we’ve 10. SIMON JONES prise to most but for Steve for the Ashington job because I have had team – 15 miles north of Newcastle – come up against each other it’s – Retired Harmison, his transfer from past cases where I look back and think I means it will be difficult to rope any of been a great contest and it has He had a great impact on me in cricket to football was no should have done something. his cricket pals in to help although he gone both ways. He’s got some my early career when I was more head scratching than “I’m good pals with Lee Anderson, won’t say no to any who come knocking. runs against me but I’ve starting out. It was so helpful to switching between Tests and who’s the club captain and my assistant Harmison, left, added: “We are miles definitely got him out a few be able to call on the t20s. now, and he thought it was the right time away up here. It’s a great part of the times. So it’s pretty even at the knowledge and that wealth of Harmison, 36, recently took over as for me. I applied and thankfully I’ve world just so far away, but we play a lot moment. experience and he played in manager at Northern League side Ash- been successful.” of teams where I know people. We have 5. EOIN MORGAN just about any situation you ington in the ninth tier of English Ashington are 16th in the table after Durham City away on the last game of – Middlesex could think about playing in. football and has impressed so the season so there will be He’s brilliant to work with. He He was obviously a lot faster far, winning his first two games time to see people then, brings a calming influence into than me in terms of pace, but 1-0. especially as the cricket times where it’s unbelievable talking about reverse swing he And the former England season will have started. for someone to be calm. His was particularly great. bowler, who won the Ashes “I used to train with var- skill level as a batsman is 11. JASON GILLESPIE twice in 2005 and 2009, is now ious Non-League clubs immense and he’s probably – Retired looking at making a name for him- when I was trying to keep got too many shots to play Although he’s gone to self in the dug outs. fit so I’ll be the same and make sure rather than not enough. Yorkshire I still talk to him He said: “I’ve been around Non- the door is always open for players to 6. MARK WALLACE quite a bit and when I see him League football, and Northern League pop along. The cricket boys are always welcome. It can be useful during the we always have a chat. He’s football especially, since I was able to – Glamorgan winter! given me some great advice walk. My dad, Jimmy, used to play and I The amount of games he’s played when I was 16. My brother James “I try and join in when I can but it over the years. As a young played consecutively for the is part of the team now. hurts the next day! I don’t mind the buck, coming through the club is amazing – a man who is “The people who know me know I love soreness because it’s something I enjoy really talented, a very good ranks at 16 or 17, to have football. There will be people who will but I couldn’t do an Andrew Flintoff and keeper and a very good someone like him around at mock the decision and make fun of it, but return to professional cricket. My body person. He’s someone who has Glamorgan was so valuable. I've spent 20 years in professional cricket is in bits.”.