Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2015

29 Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society www.sheffieldcricketlovers.org.uk what is so wrong with a hundred dead flies on our desk every morning? 3. BEST MOMENT OF THE SEASON? Martyn Moxon. It is said that professional sport is a results business so whilst Martyn was largely viewed as playing a pivotal role in the success of Durham, their trophies came after he left. So on the day Yorkshire lifted the Championship it was Martyn I felt happiest for. I have always found Martyn to be one of the decent men in the game. I always look forward to the moment when that human quality is rewarded in an arena where it is not always given the value I wish it was. 4. WORST MOMENT OF THE SEASON? India’s Tour matches. I can’t be certain who was most at fault here but the manner in which those matches at Leicester and Derby were played was disgusting. Stripped of first class status and thrown out of their own home dressing rooms counties should never be placed in this position again. The matches brought the game of cricket into disrepute. Like so many ills, ugly greed and its consequential fear, was the driver. 5. IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN COUNTY CRICKET? Yes. The day someone asks me that question without an agenda of ignorance is the day I will answer it fully. No one would dare suggest it’s the crowd puller either live or at a distance that some other sports offer. But a few hundred thousand follow it regularly just on line with many more keeping an ear and eye on it in many other ways. The most disappointing thing is when I hear players, served well by the domestic game all too quickly forget what it gave them. 6. WHY DO YOU LIKE COUNTY CRICKET SO MUCH? Genuine hard-core. It entertains me. The people who follow it at the grounds are wonderful. Some are grumpy and some happy. The ones I know are fun and very well informed on what the game should be about. Duplicity is one of my least favourite things which at the time of writing is at the core of higher profile games. Just look at recent disciplinary issues and the contradictory way in which they are dealt with. Domestic cricket has more room for honesty when its burning motivation is to play, play well and play it right. 7. FAVORITE INTERVIEW OF THE SEASON? Steve Kirby. See the above answer. Honest, at times flawed, no more than the rest of us and human playing a game he loved. I wish him all the very best in retirement. 8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WAY ENGLAND STOPS PLAYERS FROM TURNING OUT FOR THEIR COUNTIES? Time to climb the wall. This issue will never go away until the big revolution when the domestic game has found its financial feet. Until then individual relations led by the England coach will better or worsen the situation. But I think more often than we realise, it’s the players who make the fuss and whilst we could say just make them play, personnel management isn’t that simple. We should never let it go as an argument. The fact that professional sport administrators can get away with admitting that people pay for tickets to see teams which are not always at full strength is one of the unbelievable yet seemingly unchecked frauds in existence. Cricket is in no way on its own for this. There is simply too much cricket. 9. FAVOURITE PLAYER? Ed Joyce a batsman for all seasons. Scoring runs in all circumstances and leading Sussex. Luke Fletcher has improved as a bowler, and will hopefully continue to do so, plays the game to win but never at the expense of humility and a smile. 10. DO YOU REALISE YOU HAVE THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD? Yes and I’m very grateful to every person who has made it possible.