My 2018 Cricket Season

Sitting here in my university room, 2018 cricket season’s an absolute lifetime ago, but 2019 season also seems a lifetime away as I eagerly await the start of the season again, so I thought this would a good time to reflect on my own 2018 season.

This season started with the inevitable, me lugging around revision guides and flashcards to Edgbaston to witness Warwickshire’s start to their promotion hopes. However, come July, textbooks were out the window, exams sat for the second time round and my summer was devoted to cricket, just for a change, and it was a full on season…

As always, a large part of my summer is spent cheering on, in my opinion, the best county in the country, Warwickshire, and this season was no different. Warwickshire are always my priority, whether they are home or away, we always make the effort to show our support. After a slightly disappointing previous season, I went into this year with hope that Warwickshire could return to Division 1 and secure promotion connivingly, and they just did that! In terms of red ball for Warwickshire, all season they displayed excellent performances to give them the deserved Division two title, and put them in the top tier, back where we belong! The team this year looked revitalised, with signings such as Will Rhodes & Dom Sibley making good first impressions and settling into the team very well. Veterans Trott and Bell showed that class truly is permanent as time and time again their incredible form was on display for everyone to see. Although, it wasn’t all cheerful, as Trott announced that this would be his last season for Warwickshire which was a sad day for us all, but watching him flourish in his farewell season was a pleasure. Its undoubtable that he will leave a huge hole at Edgbaston, both on and off the field but he has been an outstanding player for both England & Warwickshire and he deserves the upcoming rest I think!

  

Over to limited overs cricket for Warwickshire, which was less successful than the County Championship, as in the RLODC and T20 Blast, they failed to progress past group stage unfortunately. White ball cricket has always been a strength for Warwickshire, however this season it wasn’t to be, but next year we will come back stronger! This wasn’t to say there was some amazing performances, such as Ian Bell scoring a magnificent century in the Blast, against Northants where he scored 131 off 62 balls in front of an energetic (slightly inebriated) Hollies stand. Another stand out performance is the crowd at Edgbaston that Warwickshire fans immerse themselves in. The Hollies stand boasts one of the best atmosphere’s in cricket and this is no different for a T20 game at Edgbaston under the lights. The support for the lads is incredible, the chants are non – stop (We all love you Jeetan…oooohhh) and provides ample entertainment on a Friday night!

Watching Warwickshire for the majority of my cricket season is something which I love doing and one thing I miss more than anything during the off-season is the people that I am used seeing every week in the stands. I maintain the opinion that one of the best things about cricket is the people you meet through it, and these people continue to show me why. Edgbaston is one incredible cricket ground, and not a bad meeting spot either. These have been the making for some great cricket trips this year, from the beauty of Tunbridge Wells, the rivalry at Worcester and some midland trips to Nottingham and Derby.

My season isn’t complete either without the usual antics of travelling around the country to see England play, with this summer taking me of course to Edgbaston, as well as Trent Bridge and Southampton.  Firstly, it was the start of the ODI series against the strong India side at Trent Bridge, and for this game India proved to be too strong for England as they dominated the whole game and England slumped. However this game did prove to be an anomaly in the series as eventually England won 2-1 after some incredible white ball cricket from them after the slight slip at Trent Bridge.

Then came the first day of Edgbaston test match against India, where the brilliance of Sam Curran put us in strong position against India, although I was gutted that I couldn’t see the England victory in the final days of the test!

To conclude the India series, I took the trip down to Southampton with Lettie, which is always one of my favourite cricket weekends, and thanks to England winning the test series here, that isn’t changing soon! Nothing beats sitting in scorching hot weather, watching England on top in the test match and listening to the grumbles of the India fans whilst England fans are in full voice as we headed to another test series win. However, that weekend came with a bittersweet feeling, as when we departed Southampton it was announced that the next and final test of the summer would also be Cook’s last test for England, fair to say I got a few looks on the train having a little cry to myself…

This season was different for me though, as for the first time some of the time watching games was spent sat in the press box, reporting on the game. The opportunity to experience journalism in cricket was one that I welcomed with open arms and has been absolutely amazing this season. Therefore, special mention to everyone at Deep Extra Cover who have been so welcoming this season, put up with all of my rookie questions and gave me this chance! The opportunity from this has been something I could have only previously dreamt of, such as reporting on the prospect and trail days of the proposed ‘The Hundred’ format and getting to interview some of Warwickshire’s top performers. I always wondered what it would be like to be a journalist in cricket and this season I got a glimpse of it and realised its something I would love to continue. Plus, its quite funny to watch the shock on people’s faces when you tell them you write about cricket in your spare time and the reply is, ‘’but you’re a girl?’’, sorry is it really that hard to believe a girl can be into cricket these days!? It’s a good little bonus as well that when its freezing outside, I have the warm press box to sit and watch cricket from!

Now I’m at University Of Birmingham, and even closer to Edgbaston, bring on April when cricket will be back down the road and my summer devoted to cricket will continue…

2018 season, you were incredible…

Until 2019…

Birmingham Bears Season Preview

Birmingham Bears’ T20 campaign begins with an away trip to Trent bridge, where the Bears will face the defending champions, Notts Outlaws. The defending champions, Notts, beat Birmingham Bears to the title last season, so the Bears will be looking to show just how far they have come and get a win under their belts to kickstart what could be a very exciting campaign for them. 

T20 season is always a thriller, the newly branded “Vitality Blast” provides an incredible spectacle across the summer months with spectators enjoying sunshine, brilliant cricket and an all-around experience! Birmingham Bears play at one of the best grounds in the country; Edgbaston providing an atmosphere like no other ground I have been to, and on a Friday night it’s unbeatable. It’s an atmosphere that the players can thrive of and they use the crowds energy and passion to put on a show, and the Bears never fail to do that! 

Narrowly missing out last year was ultimately disappointing, however the way the team played their cricket in the latter stages of the tournament was a pleasure to watch. They came out with a fearless, aggressive style and much more intent which gave us a really good chance at final day, with every Bears fan believing we could come away with the title. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, nevertheless the cricket that was played was a very high standard and it will be even better if this could be carried on into this season so we can go that one bit further and secure the title. With the return of our NZ captain Grant Elliot, and T20 stalwart Colin De Grandhomme, the squad is looks incredibly strong. It is also undoubtedly strengthened by Sam Hain returning from his England Lions stint, where he looked in phenomenal form, averaging 115 when playing for Lions, which we all hope he convert when arrives back to the Bears. 

Some fresh talent to take note of is Ed Pollock & Henry Brookes, who are two of the younger players within the squad, but can light up a cricket ground with their electric performances. Pollock made his debut last season, making 60 of 44 balls on debut, and made an eye-catching half century in the semi-final against Glamorgan, showing that he can deal with high pressure situations while concurrently also continuing to play in a fearless manner that many others admired. Brookes has come onto the scene since making his debut last season in championship cricket and has been very impressive in all of his matches.  He has been bowling with great pace, and could be a key bowler in the squad; as he looks to be one of the most promising young bowlers in the country. These young players will be raring to go in such an exciting competition, as with all the hype around the competition, it provides ample opportunity to be recognised for their emerging talent.

The fixture list sees Birmingham Bears have 7 home games, with 3 Friday night games and the last one being the infamous Bears/Pears derby (always rather be a Bear than a pear…). Edgbaston also welcomes a double header with the Kia Super League, where Loughborough Lightning take on Western Storm before Birmingham take on Lancashire, and that is looking to be a exciting showcase. Away trips for the Bears take them to New Road, where we can get one up on the Pears early in the season, as well to other counties such as Derbyshire, Northants and Lancashire where there will likely be a large Bears following, me included! Watching the Bears at Edgbaston is always time well spent, with plenty of drink flowing (thank god for members discount!), way too much food (the donuts are too good) and an unforgettable night spent with friends cheering on from the Hollies!

With the young talent emerging in the team, world class overseas and senior players using their plethora of experience there is no reason that Birmingham Bears cannot go all the way. It is going to be an exciting season in our search once again for the silverware, and I would encourage anyone to get down to Edgbaston to witness how amazing it can be.