Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2017

24 Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society twitter: @scloverssociety As a mark of appreciation to Steven, the Society presented him with a framed picture of Headingley. A fine cricketer and great professional. Wednesday 27th January 2016 It was a pleasure to welcome back Mike Watkinson (Winker to his dressing room colleagues), who played county cricket at Lancashire for the best part of twenty years. He made his debut in 1982 under Clive Lloyd’s leadership and went on to become first-team captain, head coach, cricket manager and cricket director at the club. As a player he appeared in numerous one-day finals, winning far more than he lost. Capped by England just short of his 34th birthday, Mike played in four Tests, scoring a match-saving 82 not out against the West Indies and taking a total of 10 wickets at 35. Nowadays that would have led to a longer run in the side. A qualified draughtsman, Mike told us he was one of the last county players who had a professional non-cricketing job in the winter. His engineering experience was put to good use in his duties as cricket director, where he was involved in the realignment of the cricket square and in planning future ground developments at Old Trafford. In 2014 Mike swopped the frenetic world of county cricket for the quieter pastures of Manchester Grammar School, where he is Director of Cricket, a path also trodden by Derek Randall (Bedford School) and Paul Pridgeon (Shrewsbury School), among others. Wednesday 10th February 2016 We were pleased to welcome BBC cricket broadcaster Kevin Howells, who addressed some of the key discussion points in the game today. He began by reviewing England’s selection policies and the effect of personalities on the team and management, as well as the improvements already wrought by the new Test regime. The issue of journalists’ and commentators’ impartiality was discussed, along with the pressures arising from a tightening market for sport – a greater need to win and entertain; the rewards for star performers; and sponsorship. Kevin also welcomed the increased exposure of women’s sport in the media. Moving on to Yorkshire’s next defence of the County Championship title, Kevin argued that while the playing squad was strong, Test match call-ups could hinder the team’s chances. Those players not in the Test team would surely learn more by playing in the County Championship’s first division. The question of Jason Gillespie’s influence on the squad, and whether or not he will stay, was also raised. Kevin closed his talk with some thoughts on ‘the spirit of cricket’. In his eyes players must seek to be the best, but not to win at all costs; the prospect of yellow and red cards was not for him. A lively Question and Answer session followed, touching on: T20 and the future of Test cricket; the opportunities and threats posed by T20 city franchising – the audience said they would not follow a team called ‘Leeds’ rather than Yorkshire; the relative roles of the counties and the ECB; Scarborough’s future; and players’ after-play reactions to the media. A warm vote of thanks was extended to Kevin for his thorough and authoritative presentation. Wednesday 24th February 2016 Our guest speaker this evening, Derek Brewer, took up his post as Chief Executive of the MCC in 2012. The Indoor Season... ...continued from page 16