The Club Cricket Conference Yearbook 2020

PeterHayter DerekPringle AdamCollins MartinJohnson PaulNixon Brilliant views! Brilliantly expressed! Simplythebestfor countycricket... ENGLAND PRAYING FOR POPE Surrey ace Ollie is a man on a mission paper CRICKET the pages16-17 £1.80 Issue 331: Sunday,September 29, 2019 outEV RYSunday FromTestmatchtovillagegreen Lavalette: Why Mickey Arthur is the right man for the top England job page20 page18-19 Pringle: Selectionprocess isa throwback to thedaysofFletcher Auniqueopportunity toacquirea stunningCountryHousewith5.2acres including itsveryownCricketGround. Located inRockley,nearRetford -close to theA1,withgood train links toLondon. IdylicCricketHome forsale ALLABOARDTHE ESSEXPRESS! SIMON HARMER predicted a new goldeneraforEssex after crowning an ‘unbelievable season’ byhelping his teamclinch the County Champi- onship title for the eighthtimeinadra- matic nale at Taunton. Having just watched skipper Ryan ten Doeschate lift the trophy and collect a £10,000 cheque for being named the overall PCA Most Valuable Player of the Season, the 26-year-old SouthAfrican suggested it could be just the start for this young and hungryEssexsquad. The club’s first title back in 1979was accom- panied by Benson and Hedges Cup glory that season and led to seven years of unprecedented success that brought successful over the next fiveyears.TheyareEssex boyshungry toputmore trophies in thecabinet.” Harmerhad the confi- dence to target 80 Championshipwicketsat thestartof theseason.He finishedwith 83, includ- ing ten five-fors – a statistic bettered only by MushtaqAhmed in2006. “If youhad toldme in April itwouldallend like this, I probably would havegivenyouaslap,”he laughed. “Atone stage I thought thatSomersetweregoing to run away with the Championship, just like us in 2017 and Surrey in 2018. “But ourhome record was so strong.We have been superbly led by Ryan and hats off to AnthonyMcGrath, who when things were not going sowellwasalways thevoiceof reason.” Harmerexclusive–p3 Report-p6-7 DerekPringle-p10 three more Champi- onships, three Sunday Leaguesuccessesandthe NatWestTrophy. Now,having seen their teamwin theT20 compe- tition for the first time this seasonaswellas the Championship, Essex supportersaredreaming ofmoregloryyears. Harmerhasno doubts itcanhappen.“Going for- ward,wearegoingtobea force tobereckonedwith in all forms of cricket,” hesaid. “Onlymyself andRyan ten Doeschate didn’t come through theEssex Academy or local boys teams.Nine of the guys on the field have come through the system from grassroots level. “There are other youngsterswaitinginthe wingsand if we cannur- ture that talent there is hugepotentialforustobe ByRichardLatham Allsmiles: SirAlastair CookandEssex captainRyanTen Doeschate celebratewiththe CountyChampi- onshiptrophy PICTURE: Getty Images TEAMOF THEYEAR Whohasmade oureliteXI from theCounty Championship? pages8-9 Du Plessis: I’d love toplay inTheHundred Taylor: Quittingwas right formyhealth page29 page11 ISSN 2049-5749 39 9 772049574019 paper CRICKET the FromTest matches to the village green Out Every Sunday £2 IN SHOPS EVERY SUNDAY Name: Address: Postcode: Telephone No: Email: 10 issues for £20 20 issues for £40 40 issues for £80 (Please tick) Subscription form For postal subscriptions fill in the section below and send it along with your cheque for £20, £40 or £80 made out to The Cricket Paper Ltd to: Subscriptions, The Cricket Paper Ltd, Tuition House, St George’s Road, Wimbledon, SW19 4EU. Prices are for UK only, other country rates on application. Proudsponsor of For breaking news, online and postal subscriptions visit www.thecricketpaper.com Followus @TheCricketPaper Postal subscription form (inc P&P)