Transcript
Tom Evans: Okay.
Tom Evans: Hello and welcome to the Last Hour Cricket Podcast, an episode they said would never happen. My name is Tom Evans from Merseyside Cricket Online. Joining me as ever is Jamie Bowman. how are you doing, Jamie?
Jamie Bowman : I'm okay, Tom. We've been dogged by technical issues this morning, haven't we? Like Zach Crawley's batting.
Tom Evans: That's just as funny as the first time I heard it. i mean
Prenno: Mm-hmm.
Tom Evans: This is actually take three at recording this episode. um So here's take three, my my ah my guest introduction. On the show for you today, we have a living legend of sports journalism on Merseyside, a former Liverpool Echo sports writer whose name is known across the region and beyond, and someone who's an absolute terror on the Fiverside football pitch.
Tom Evans: But enough about the hosts. Our guest is David Prentice. How are you doing, Breno?
Prenno: I will never ever tire of hearing an introduction like that. Third, fourth time, or however how many.
Jamie Bowman : And
Prenno: I can only apologize.
Tom Evans: Oh, I'm sure I can give it another go, what wait for one of i one of our laptops to break, or the gardener to show up or something.
Prenno: No, it's been all my problem, I'm a afraid. my I was on ah a work laptop which has insane security systems on it and basically wouldn't play.
Tom Evans: LAUGHTER
Prenno: But I'm on a different laptop now. Everything, fingers crossed, seems to be okay. So let's see how it goes.
Jamie Bowman : and we should say at this point that Preno is a mentor to both of us, isn't he?
Prenno: but
Jamie Bowman : The Brearley to our both of them, Tom.
Tom Evans: Oh, I've never heard that before. Yeah, that's great. No, death death definitely him those those old days at the at the Echo, Preno standing on the balcony, urging us to give it some welly.
Prenno: and
Tom Evans: Very much.
Prenno: I have heard that several times and I still dispute it.
Tom Evans: Good stuff. This is about as far as we got with any of our previous attempts at recording. So we're in uncharted territory here. Let's go. Let's give it a go. um As I'm speaking, it's Saturday morning, July the 19th.
Tom Evans: We're speaking before this round of comp fixtures and the episode won't be out until until some tomorrow at the earliest. So we're not going to sos focus too much on the league. But luckily, we've got plenty of other stuff to talk about.
Tom Evans: Starting last Sunday with with your side, Preno, Formby, winning the the regional T20 on finals day. It was ah an excellent day of entertainment. I was put up at Northern myself to put on a Good show, as they always do, as as as did the comp, and um worthy winners in the end, definitely. um Everyone at the club must be delighted, and the supporters too, for now.
Prenno: Absolutely thrilled. I mean, ah unfortunately, I couldn't get up to Northern, so I was only enjoying it ah by proxy. But yeah, it sounds like a hell of a day. i mean, what was the semi-final? Won by one run, scrambled on the last ball by taking one less wicket. You know, it was sounded like an incredible way to get through to the final.
Prenno: And then Rainford, you know, sort posted at the a decent target by all accounts and, ah you know, sort formally somehow managed to restrict them. It's been a great season all around. I mean, the whole... idea of Air 4MV is just to enjoy yourself, I think, to go around there and to, you know, sort of enjoy a convivial afternoon on the balcony there watching some decent entertainment.
Prenno: But it helps when you win. and Winning more often than not this season. and And yeah, it's it's been a great time. And it's funny, before I came on here, I was just thinking, you know, so how... how fitting that is really the kind of season having. Cause it's only, was it 18 months, two years now since we lost Charles Mills, the president of Formby, who was such a huge figure at the, at the cricket club and such a well-respected and well-loved guy.
Prenno: And ah he'd be loving, you know, he's looking down from wherever he is now, he'd be looking what's happening right now. ah So yeah, it has, it's been a, it's been a great season so far and it could get even better. Lancashire Cup semis tomorrow. So we'll see.
Tom Evans: Yes, Ian Cobain's side up at Salisbury near Blackburn to their first ever Lancashire Cup semi, uncharted territory for them as well. um The other semi-final is between ah Burnley and Northern, so we've got the possibility, um but both comp sides are away, we've got the possibility of an all-comp Lancashire Cup final um to be presumably reigned off in September, which will be exciting. so
Prenno: yeah
Tom Evans: um
Jamie Bowman : And co Cobain's having in an amazing season, isn't he? um it It must be an emotional time for him as well, I imagine.
Prenno: yeah
Jamie Bowman : And yeah, he's having a cracking season, isn't he?
Prenno: It is. Sorry, yeah i've very remiss me not to mention his dad, who, of course, was a huge figure you know so at the cricket club again. ah has it's been ah It's been a very poignant time for former cricket club over the last few years.
Prenno: um you know so A very, very long-established historic club, but in a really, really good place at the moment so as a result of those two figures. So, yeah, so yeah it's it's been an emotional time.
Jamie Bowman : How long have you been watching them for, Preno?
Prenno: Oh, gosh. I go back to the cricket clubs of the 1980s in the days when pubs closed at three o'clock in the afternoon. And one of the few places you could go to get a pint was formed by cricket club.
Prenno: and so yeah Or hockey club, when hockey was being played there in the winter. And so you'd go and watch what was on offer then. ah Liverpool competition was like an incredible competition.
Tom Evans: is
Prenno: Well, still is. But, you know, so back in the 1980s, we had all manner of, you know, sort of high profile figures playing in there in the competition. So, yeah, going back to then, we've had our ups and downs there throughout that time.
Prenno: And I must say, I'm not a regular every week, so I go down there. Obviously, I ah have been a football reporter for so many years, and you know so so much of my time is spent, even in the summer, here, there, and everywhere.
Prenno: But I do try and get down there as often as I can, you know so three or four times every summer. they're Bumped into Tom there you know so many times. And it's just around the corner from where I live. And it's just, it's a lovely setup. It's a lovely feel, really nice people there.
Prenno: And as we mentioned, the quality of the entertainment this summer has been ah been excellent so far.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, it's no I think it's known throughout the comp as the a batsman's paradise, isn't it funbi
Tom Evans: I
Tom Evans: was going to say it's a lovely place to bat as well.
Prenno: Yeah, it is.
Tom Evans: but
Prenno: it's the I mean, it's just just ah it's a lovely set setup, a lovely feel. Even the name Cricket Path, it just sounds very very welcoming and very cordial, and it is.
Jamie Bowman : and
Jamie Bowman : it? It's path actually, Dirk Pernod, cricket path.
Prenno: Apologies. Well, I'm from Bootle. Come on, give us a a chance. yeah.
Tom Evans: don't Don't tell him that he'll be banned.
Jamie Bowman : Thank
Tom Evans: But yeah, and you mentioned Cobain Jr.'s season he's having. Obviously, ah is we're about halfway through the league season. Obviously, more cup games are stacked in the early the early part of the season, so it's not quite halfway through his performances for the season.
Prenno: yeah
Tom Evans: But he's on 1,666 runs, which is his best ever return in club cricket. you know Still with plenty of games to half the league season and plenty of, well, hopefully a few cup games to play.
Tom Evans: So, um yeah.
Prenno: Best ever with half the season still to go. That's pretty impressive. Yeah.
Tom Evans: It certainly is, yeah. And I think um it's it's been a good season for batters.
Prenno: Yeah.
Tom Evans: We haven't had much rain, which means, obviously, number one, that the pitches are better for batting and number two, that the games don't get rained off completely.
Prenno: yeah
Tom Evans: um
Prenno: Looking out the window now, you've just jinxed that, haven't you?
Tom Evans: So, you know, the...
Tom Evans: but There's a couple of others in the comp who are within striking distance. Matty McKinnon, Lee, even Creek at Bootle, and Gary Knight, captain of Ormskirk, who are also having excellent seasons themselves. Cobain is about 100 runs, I think, ahead of the out of the best of those. think...
Tom Evans: you know think The last summer that was comparable to for batters was 2022 when it was... and I think there were two games rained off all season across all three divisions of the comp and we ended went up with four batters in the Premier League, topping 1,000 runs.
Prenno: Really? Wow.
Tom Evans: um i don't think it'll be quite quite as good as that, but it's certainly the the the theme of the summer so far.
Jamie Bowman : Even I'm averaging 24, Tom, you know, with the bat this season.
Tom Evans: um
Prenno: ah
Tom Evans: But my equivalent was 2018 when I averaged double figures.
Prenno: ah We're not going to talk about our own personal experiences playing cricket, are we?
Jamie Bowman : Do you know how many runs I've scored? Do you know how runs I've scored?
Prenno: Because...
Jamie Bowman : No, no, no. I just want to point out I'm averaging 24. I have only scored 24 runs, but I've only been out once in
Prenno: Well, my one and only experience of playing cricket at any competitive level was for St Paul's second 11 in the South Portland District League. Two innings, first innings, a golden duck.
Prenno: Second innings, I faced two balls out for a duck. But it was all right in the in the field. ah I ah decided that I was better off spectating from that point on or playing five-a-side football.
Tom Evans: You're improving, Dad. You're improving.
Prenno: Yeah.
Tom Evans: I once got a five ball duck and managed to talk myself into that having so helped save the game for my team because we drew it in the end. We we wedrew drew it nine down. And if I'd got a four ball duck or a three ball duck, then, you know, maybe the wicket would have fallen.
Tom Evans: So, you know.
Prenno: The power of positivity.
Jamie Bowman : You can score a good, you can score a good duck.
Prenno: Absolutely. Think positively.
Jamie Bowman : Don't worry.
Tom Evans: You can indeed. um You mentioned the the the semi-finals of the finals day have been particularly exciting. And they were, like you said, Formby squeezed past Wallasey in the semis, ah having tied by virtue of having lost one fewer wickets.
Prenno: Yeah.
Tom Evans: Wallasey, as they should, as teams always should, had the ball went through to the keeper on the last ball of their innings. They ran a bye. um keeper Jack Carney managed to throw down the stumps standing back, which, you know, it's it's an impressive thing for the keeper. You do feel like if they hadn't if they hadn't gone for that run, as it turns out, Formby would have needed two off the last ball rather than one. And, you know, it's all sliding doors moments, isn't it? But it was very very tense, very tight, exciting game of cricket.
Tom Evans: um The second semi, I mean... ah not going focus too much on league cricket today, but Ormskirka got very strongly. They're the only unbeaten side in the league. um And they were they were in control of it, to be honest with you. They were, with five overs left, they needed 23 runs, I think, um with with with five wickets in hand.
Tom Evans: And Rainford, who seemed to do better when they're the underdogs, um pulled it off. they They took the last five wickets with great spell of bowling and and fielding. So,
Tom Evans: um Yeah, two very exciting semi-finals. The final was a bit of a but of an anti-climax, but a very good performance by Formby. Worthy winners and best to look to them in the and the national rounds.
Tom Evans: um
Jamie Bowman : um And although we can't really call Form be a kind of plucky little underdog, it was good to see some new names, wasn't it Good to see. I mean, we we are getting used to an Ormskirk Northern domination, aren't we? But it was good to see some some different teams doing well on, um on on you know, in in the finals day.
Tom Evans: Absolutely. Especially you know with Northern having won won the National last year and Almskirk winning the league two seasons running, looking good for a third. um Like you say, they're
Tom Evans: It's hard to say that it always gets boring because the reason it gets boring is because they're so good. that They're excellent cricket sides with excellent cricketers and you know they don't owe it to anybody else to give other people a chance.
Tom Evans: um But yeah, it's good it's good to see other clubs like Rainford winning the Bigman the other year um and Formby winning the T20 this year just shows that as well as two top quality clubs, you know that' there's more sort of maybe the level just beneath them. Yeah.
Tom Evans: and fighting to improve, which is excellent to see. It's good for good for the health of the competition.
Prenno: 100%. We'll take anticlimactic final victories any day of the week.
Tom Evans: Absolutely. i Looking a little bit further afield, things ah things are looking up for Lancashire, aren't they, Jamie?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah, ah ah the a pretty good ah campaign in the blast and obviously lost the Home Roses game, but then... won the awake away Roses game. And yeah, they've qualified for the quarterfinals with a home tie, which is given all the upheaval and all the trouble at Lancashire this this season is, you know, pretty good. that they've They've been pretty dominant, been some good performances. I've been really impressed with Chris Green, really good player.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Mm
Jamie Bowman : good with the ball and bat. He's been ah been an excellent x in addition to the squad. Luke Wells has performed well with the bat. I saw him hit two of the biggest six I think I've ever seen at the at Old Trafford last week. He hit hit two into the upper tier of the yeah stand. ah Two consecutive balls as well. They've been led well by by Keaton and and also, you know, James Anderson picking up wickets in his in his sort of comeback season in T20. So, yeah, it's looking rosy for Lance, maybe another finals day appearance on the horizon, but obviously back to the league soon. So that's ah that's that that's where they really need to improve and pick up some wins.
Tom Evans: They did get their first win of the season. it sir it's It's too easy, probably, to put it down to the the the changing coach and captain, like you said. But it's it's it's it's a good sign for Stephen k Croft, isn't it having taken on the role that things have improved under his tenure.
Tom Evans: I think for the for the blast, it always helps when you can welcome back a player the quality of Joss Butler, for example. um you know
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, and Phil Salt as well, of course. Yeah, it's it's like yeah it's a pretty formidable
Tom Evans: but they would They would improve pretty much any T20 side in the world. So...
Jamie Bowman : it's a pretty formidable batting line-up, really, especially with Salt and Butler. yeah So ah ah fully expect them to, with a home quarter-final, to get to finals day. And yeah, let's see what happens. Could salvage something from what's been a pretty diabolical season so far.
Tom Evans: Definitely. I think promotion is probably out of the window in the championship. So it's just a case of building for the building for the future, I guess.
Jamie Bowman : And who knows what happen to Croft? I mean, if he does well, he wins a trophy, he could get the job, couldn't he?
Tom Evans: Definitely, yeah, definitely. his sir he's He's doing well in his interview anyway. but don't know if they've got anything else lined up longer term that they had in place you know a while ago, but we'll see. He's definitely impressing. um Obviously, Croft are a member of a but what is still, for now, Liverpool competition side and Lytham, but they are, don't know if you're aware this, Lytham are leaving the comp at the end of this season, going to the Northern Premier League.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, it's a shame that, isn't it? I mean, so i mean i'm not i suppose there's been a lot of players who will be very pleased pleased not to make that long away trip to Liverpool. It is one of the quirks of the Liverpool comp that yeah you can play Liverpool one week and then Colwyn Bay the next, isn't it?
Tom Evans: Well, they to play each other as well, that's the thing.
Jamie Bowman : right ah Yeah, yeah. I mean, there are some crazy, crazy journeys. So I kind of respect Liverpool's decision to do that. And, you know, they that they're probably...
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, save a lot on petrol money, won't they? it's ah But yeah, it's always a shame to go.
Prenno: right.
Jamie Bowman : Nice place to go. And ah they've been, not in the last few years, but they yeah they've been a pretty successful club ah on occasions. And yeah, it'd be a shame see them go, I think.
Tom Evans: Comp champions. I'm trying to think back to her when Mike Grealis quizzed us on this ah in the last episode, which was a long time ago. 2015, 2016, Lytham won the comp?
Jamie Bowman : It was definitely when I was reporting. Yeah, they won the comp.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : That sounds about right. Yeah.
Tom Evans: Obviously, they were relegated my first season doing it in 2018 and never and managed to get back, but they were very close.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: um I think 2021 or they were very close. um in the last ah last game of the season. Good stuff. i Looking even further afield, obviously the England's Test Series against India is one of those that's really capturing the imagination. and The third Test at Lord's was an absolute thriller, think it's fair to say.
Tom Evans: um Slightly haphazard thriller. um You know, some some slightly dodgy batting by England to get us where we were on the last day. But um that that last day defending, well,
Tom Evans: defending a fairly low, seemingly gettable target. um And the melodrama of Jadeja batting with the tail. um i don't want to talk about this for too long because it will just turn into me ranting about how Ravindra Jadeja should have played more shots.
Tom Evans: um But it was it was it was a great test match and it and a great one to win.
Prenno: It was wonderful. i was ah I was sat in work with the the screen on, with the sound turned down. I'm just wandering around the office because see so many laptops with the people, you know, sort tuning into It wasn't quite, you know, so Australia 2005, but it was, you know, so along those lines, it was, it was, it was,
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Prenno: ah Great Test cricket final days always seem to fluctuate. And this one fluctuated you know in so many different ways. And in the end, ah felt quite I felt quite sad you know because for for India in the manner in which they finally lost this.
Prenno: It was like, you know what a way to lose a Test match. ah But it was getting a bit too close for comfort by that stage. It was it was it was great to watch, great entertainment, and it was everything, you so test cricket should be.
Prenno: ah Let's not you know so i'll talk too much about the sledging issues and the little bit of rancor that appeared to her afflict that the match on occasions.
Prenno: But, you know, the actual cricket was tremendous.
Tom Evans: ah We all want a bit of spice in it, though, don't we?
Prenno: It was, it was great.
Tom Evans: want a bit of that.
Jamie Bowman : um i
Prenno: A little bit, maybe.
Jamie Bowman : I'm really enjoying, I'm really enjoying, is it Sonil Gavisgar's theory that the bales were different, that they were lighter, which is why the, which is which is why why the bales fell off.
Prenno: Yeah.
Prenno: Oh, no. um
Tom Evans: That is incredible.
Prenno: yeah
Jamie Bowman : You know, the bales, the bales wouldn't,
Tom Evans: The bales fell off because the ball hit the stops.
Prenno: Yeah. It was one bail, wasn't it? My word.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah.
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : he's He's very angry about that, Tom. I'm surprised you haven't engaged him on on on social media because you seem to have been engaging most Indian fans this week with your opinions on Jaday just batting.
Tom Evans: Well, ah since since I put myself on lock, I... Well, right, here's the thing. like They came, what, 22 runs short? Are you telling me in all that time...
Tom Evans: Gideja's got three first-class triple centuries, right?
Jamie Bowman : Hmm.
Tom Evans: That's more than there is in the entire England top order. Are you telling me in all that time that he was batting, he couldn't have found 22 more runs?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: And he wasn't it even shielding the tail enders effectively. He was giving them two balls and over. um you know They obviously... Bunma played a silly shot Siraj got unlucky with one that spun back onto his stumps.
Tom Evans: but But that's the sort of thing that happens when you're batting with tail enders. that That's why they're tail enders. And I just think he didn't have to go full Stokes 2019, but he didn't seem
Tom Evans: it didn't seem to
Tom Evans: I'm reluctant to say, because obviously he knows much more about batting and test cricket than I do, but he didn't seem to try. He didn't seem to play any shots at all. he He was just focused on getting to that fourth, fifth ball of the over and getting a single.
Tom Evans: um
Prenno: Hindsight's a wonderful thing, Tom.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Prenno: ah
Tom Evans: But I think...
Prenno: If you'd have flashed at one, like saw 10 overs earlier and been caught, you know, who knows?
Tom Evans: Well, that would have been risky, but what were his his approach was risky as well, and his approach was risky in ah a way that was safer for him personally, I think.
Prenno: Yeah.
Tom Evans: think if you look at the reaction from India, he's been he's been absolutely glazed for his performance. he's been He's been praised. so i I saw someone saying he should be moved up to number three on the back of that performance.
Prenno: Right.
Tom Evans: you know And I think if he had played a big shot early on and got caught, then the the outcome of the game would have been the same. Jadeja personally would have come in for more criticism. And I think that would that would have been unfair because as the last remaining batter, your job is to score runs as well when there's a target to chase.
Tom Evans: Different matter if if there'd been 10 overs left in the game and they'd been going for the draw, of course, then his approach would have been the right one. But... Anyway, um I promised I wouldn't rant about Vindra Jadeja too much. and We move on to Old Trafford in the week, which is test match.
Prenno: Thank you.
Tom Evans: The series nicely poised, England 2-1 up with two to play. They could seal the series Old Trafford, couldn't they? Which, um you know given how India have probably won more days and more sessions over the course of the first three tests, would be quite an achievement, wouldn't it Jamie?
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : It would, it would. And ah think what's going to be interesting really is the kind of wicket we get at Old Trafford, isn't it? It's been tough. It's been tough for Lancashire to bowl out teams there. It's been ah it's been quite stodgy wicket for a number of seasons now with, you know, quite flat, big scores.
Jamie Bowman : So it's going interesting. i can I can well see it going to the fifth day again, you know, being... one of these slow build, you know, building up to a crescendo. So it could be a could be a classic again, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : And I think especially now we've got a proper spinner in the England side as well ah with Liam Dawson.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : And yeah, i'm I'd be very interested to see how we go. I think and you know what was one thing that's been fantastic has been the atmosphere, isn't it, at the grounds, you know, with all the Indian fans as well.
Jamie Bowman : That's going to be the same at Old Trafford. I think it's going to fantastic atmosphere. And yeah, i can't wait. I think I'll be there a couple of days. And i think you're you're going as well, Tom. it's Yeah, it's going to be brilliant, I think.
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : Just pray for the rain. pray Pray not for the rain, sorry.
Prenno: Well, I just looked then while you were talking and Thursday and Friday are both good.
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : Because last time I...
Prenno: You know, the Met Office only goes as far as that.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Because I remember last time being this excited for an Old Trafford test.
Prenno: So fingers crossed.
Jamie Bowman : It it was the the Ashes game where it rained...
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : You know, the same weekend, wasn't It was the same weekend the Open was on, wasn't it? At Hoylake. And it was, yeah, it was just a very, very wet, damp squib in the end when England were in a commanding position. So we just have to pray for soba some some good weather at Manchester, which is always ah a bit of a ah bit of ah wing and a prayer, isn't it?
Prenno: Thank you very much, sir.
Tom Evans: that I think that's ah the the various comings and goings in the in the cricket world. dealt with ah Jamie, you wanted to mention a couple of Cheshire League sides, didn't you?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, did. I did. we've've We've kind of neglected the Cheshire League of a little bit, which I feel bad about. And a few people have mentioned it to me, but... so Yeah, tough times in the Tresher Premier League for for two of our teams, Oxton and Neston, both in the bottom three.
Jamie Bowman : was kind of I was kind of thinking, I know we we talk a lot about this, Tom, that you there's so many sides on Wirral, but yeah there are some some struggles for a few of them at the moment, isn't there?
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Jamie Bowman : And Neston and Oxton, two great teams, from the you know we know from, yeah especially Neston from the comp as well. So it's, ah yeah, tough times for them in the bottom three.
Jamie Bowman : So I hope hope hope things can improve for them. i also wanted to mention, I don't know about you, Tom, but as a cricket reporter, do you get used to writing someone's name every week just because they perform every week?
Prenno: Mm-hmm.
Tom Evans: Delanka Awart at Ainsdale.
Jamie Bowman : So I've
Tom Evans: I don't know how to say his name, but I know how to write it.
Jamie Bowman : got to...
Tom Evans: Six or seven wickets every week.
Jamie Bowman : and In the Wirral Globe, I have a chap called Chris McArthur, who is an Australian guy who plays for Upton in Division 2 of the Cheshire League.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Tom Evans: It's Upton, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Now, ah pay I seem to write his name every week for getting a 50, and I was just looking at his stats, and he's played 20 games this year, 850 runs, an average with five 50s and two centuries.
Jamie Bowman : And he's at 102 boundaries and 24 sixes. I mean, that's a serious batsman, isn't it? And I was looking at his score, looking at his stats from last season.
Jamie Bowman : He scored 1,474 runs, an average of 64.
Prenno: Wow.
Jamie Bowman : So take a bow, Chris McArthur, anyway. That's what I wanted to say.
Tom Evans: Upton going well, aren't they? They're looking for back-to-back promotions.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: They're going well.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah, they are. Yeah. So, and Irby going well as well. Should should mention them. that They're going well. Port Sunlight are going well. So, it's not all doom and gloom on the wheel. ah There are some teams doing well.
Jamie Bowman : But, so yeah, chris I wanted to just mention Chris there because he's one of those players who just seems to grind it out every week, week after week. So, take a bow on some.
Tom Evans: Good stuff. Hope he's listening. um i think yeah i think that's everything all the cricketing business dealt with. um Time to turn turn it over to our guest for his submissions our submissions for Dressing Room 101, where Jamie and I ask our guests to tell us their little cricketing irritations or frustrations, and we judge whether they are irritating or frustrating enough to consign them to Dressing Room 101.
Prenno: for
Tom Evans: So, Prenno, what have you got for us?
Prenno: Well, quite in keeping with ah with the way we've gone with this or this podcast, this was my third attempt because, first of all, I was going to throw the 100 in there, and I noticed one of your previous callers had already done so done that.
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Prenno: I then was going to be quite boring and just throw rain. But no, I mean, everybody hates rain. So you can't really like sort mount a convincing argument about that. So I thought quite appropriate given near the timing this week.
Prenno: Old Trafford. Old Trafford's going. Now bear with me, not just Old Trafford as a venue. Old Trafford for tests, great. For 2020 is great. One day games, absolutely fine.
Prenno: Old Trafford for county championship matches, Throw that in room 101. a because look at the attendances for county championship matches at Old Trafford. you know It's quite soul-destroying sometimes, tuning in and scening, sort of empty seats and what have you.
Prenno: When you go to the coastline, you go so form beat also so you go to Bourkedale, you go to Liverpool, you know Blackpool, it's always rammed every time. And here's the absolute crunch. 77 years Lancashire went without winning the county championship until...
Prenno: until Old Trafford's getting redeveloped, they start staging their games in Liverpool, what happens? Lancashire go and win the county championship. I was driving back from Accrington on Tuesday night where the weather was biblical, a biblical you know downpour.
Prenno: Dropped off my friend's daughter in Salford where it was absolutely lashing down and then we go along the M602, you get towards Formby, you get towards the coast, clear skies it's been a beautiful evening all day that wasn't a one-off that happens all the time so my submission is that county championship matches henceforth should be staged on the coast and not at old trafford controversial but go on
Tom Evans: i I mean, I agree. More cricket should be closer to where i live. I agree.
Prenno: well
Tom Evans: I mean, you know, the the reasons for not doing that are obviously the members. and you that The hardy few who do turn out at Old Trafford for the county championship games, um as much as they like coming to Southport or Blackpool or Egbert as a one-off, um they won't do it.
Prenno: Yeah.
Prenno: yeah you know
Tom Evans: They wouldn't want to do it every week. They would be up for. um But it's it's it's a good point, isn't it, Jamie? Like, the... in general, the county championship doesn't attract crowds that go anywhere near filling um the the the big test grounds.
Tom Evans: And, you know, like I said, like Southport last year an amazing atmosphere, wasn't it, when Jimmy Anderson was taking so taking a seven for against Nuts and...
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah i mean Yeah, I mean, obviously I live 10 minutes from Egbev, so i'd I'd be all for that. And my first season covering cricket for the Echo was the year they won the they won the yeah they won the league there. so And that was just wonderful to go there every game and watch you know wonderful cricket and watch Lancashire win the league. So, no, i' I'm quite biased now.
Jamie Bowman : And I've lost... I do. I mean, obviously, i love I love Old Trafford. I go there a lot. I work there a lot. and But I did lose patience with it a little bit on Sunday when I was stood on that tram platform for over an hour waiting for, as a succession of trams with two carriages went by trying to transport 20,000 people after a T20 game back into Manchester.
Tom Evans: But you wouldn't get that problem after a championship game, I guess.
Jamie Bowman : yeah Yeah, but it did make me think it is it can be very awkward, ah Old Trafford, to get to, isn't it, for us folk down the m sixty two especially if you want to go by train and public transport on a Sunday.
Jamie Bowman : So, you know, whereas I can just walk to Egberth. But, I mean, yeah.
Prenno: it's It's quite a selfish argument because I'm only 10 minutes down the ah the road from Birkdale and I've seen some wonderful cricket matches there, you know, still down in the years.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Prenno: But yeah, like you say, Tom, the atmosphere just, i mean, is that because they are so rare and we treat it a little bit differently because, you know, we're not used to seeing, you know, sort county championship matches, so the once a season or twice a season that we see it there, we get so excited and we ram the place. Would it be the same?
Prenno: Argument against myself here. But would it be the same you know so if it was there on a a more regular basis?
Tom Evans: Mm-hmm.
Prenno: I suspect it would be. um but yeah feel
Jamie Bowman : I think, I think, yeah.
Tom Evans: and
Prenno: I just feel so, don't know, soul destroyed when you see empty seats, ah you know so a county championship match, and you very rarely see that when it's on the coast.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The concept of, you know, the cricket festival is, you know, obviously i think Essex play, Essex have got one coming up at, cha is it Chelmsford they play? They play, isn't it? Or,
Jamie Bowman : um there's there's ah there's some lovely games coming up. yeah You can go to the Scarborough Festival. you can go It's a big part of the cricket season, isn't it? it would be it would I think it would be nice if you could absolutely be guaranteed a game at Southport every season. and
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : And obviously that isn't the case, is it? It's kind of potluck. It's kind of what they decide to do.
Tom Evans: They do have other outgrounds to keep happy as well, you know, and there's a couple of......in
Jamie Bowman : Obviously, but yeah, they've got black Blackpool. They've got Sedbra now. to have this new ground, aren't they, up near Preston?
Tom Evans: Preston, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : So it's ah yeah it's a tricky one.
Tom Evans: But and I do think in general they should make, not just Lancashire as well, counties in general should make more efforts to bring the game to the people.
Tom Evans: And the second biggest city in Lancashire's catchment area is Liverpool. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Hmm.
Tom Evans: and you know They haven't played a game there for four years. They've got two one-day cup games coming up coming up next month, which is ah which is exciting. But if you look at Yorkshire as well, they play at Scarborough. But and I looked this up not long ago.
Tom Evans: since Since the war, I think they've played more home games at Chesterly Street in Durham than they have in Sheffield, say. it's it's I don't know what the what the grounds are like in Sheffield. I don't know what the biggest cricket club in Sheffield and the one most able to host a first-class game is.
Tom Evans: But it shouldn't be impossible.
Jamie Bowman : It used to be Bramall Lane.
Tom Evans: Of course, yeah, they've played a test match at Bramall Lane, but it it shouldn't be impossible to play some cricket at outgrounds where the people are and help get people into the game. I think that's a that's a wider problem than than just Lancashire.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, the other thing we've got to think about, if every Lancashire game was at Outgrounds, then that will cause a hell of a headache for club groundsmen and clubs in general trying to get their games on. Because if Lancashire were playing at Southport and Birkdale every other week for the first half the summer, what are Southport Birkdale going to do?
Prenno: Yeah, I never really thought through that aspect of it.
Jamie Bowman : Tom, tom always always on the groundsman's side. I like that.
Prenno: well
Tom Evans: sure But, mean, you know, it's it's it's it's it's blue sky thinking. It's say it's it's a nice idea.
Prenno: yeah
Tom Evans: um i'm I'm just sort of mulling over how much we have to deal in practicalities here, Jamie.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah. like I'm trying to think what Liverpool did when Lancashire played.
Prenno: I was just thinking exactly the same thing, you know, so of what happened then?
Jamie Bowman : They
Tom Evans: um
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : didn't play on that bottom ground, did they? and they can't have done.
Tom Evans: I wasn't the Echo's cricket reporter at the time, Jamie.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, if only there was someone who who was who had his eye on the ball at that time.
Tom Evans: know someone if There was someone who just said that they were Echo's cricket reporter at the time on microphone but for everyone to listen back to.
Prenno: but
Prenno: and I just remember that it was one of those rare occasions when Lancashire actually made the back page of the Liverpool Echo. ah you know So having won the county championship.
Jamie Bowman : That was the quality of the writing wing as well, Prono.
Tom Evans: Yeah, that was me.
Prenno: Of course it was. Of course it was.
Jamie Bowman : But ah yeah, yeah, no, I mean, yeah, I think i think tom Tom's kind of ah pulled out some important points there, which means it's going to be a difficult one to put in and dressing room 101, it?
Tom Evans: It's a reluctant no from me, but a good effort.
Prenno: I'll accept that. I'll accept that.
Tom Evans: okay Okay, our second regular feature is s Stump the Hosts, where our guest um tries to s stump us with some cricket trivia. So, Penna, what have you got for us?
Tom Evans: Good.
Prenno: Right, this is very trivial, but I've mentioned earlier about my days watching the Liverpool competition for the first time when I was ah a wet behind the ears reporter working at the Southport Visitor, going back to the days 1985, 1986, so way before you know so your your time.
Tom Evans: Good.
Prenno: But and at that time, um Chester Boughton Hall invited a young cricketer over from Antigua on a Vivian Richards scholarship A gentleman called, let me give him his full title, Kirtley Elkhorn Linwall Ambrose, one of the greatest bowlers of all time, played in the Liverpool competition for Chester-Bortem Hall.
Tom Evans: or
Prenno: Now, he claimed 84 wickets, that's an average of 9.8%.
Prenno: 61 were clean bold. He took five wickets or more on 11 occasions and a best of nine for 58 at Hightown. However, the previous year, at the previous season, Chester Boughton Hall had another young cricketer from the West Indies called Winston Benjamin, who...
Prenno: performed even better than Kirtley Ambrose. Now, I want my host to tell me, and I'll probably give you five either way, how many wickets did Winston Benjamin take in his one season in the Liverpool competition for Chester-Borton Hall?
Prenno: So, like guess said, I'll give you five either way. I'll give you a slight clue.
Tom Evans: i
Prenno: He did even better than Kirtley Ambrose. Correct,
Tom Evans: Okay, so 84 was Ambrose's figure of wickets, wasn't it?
Prenno: yeah.
Tom Evans: Right. i think I presume those 61 clean bowls were because the batters were taking guard at square leg.
Jamie Bowman : I do. i i have I have a little bit of knowledge of this because we have a picture of Kirtley bowling.
Prenno: I you'd be too young. yeah
Jamie Bowman : we have a no We have a picture in the Sefton Park clubhouse of Kirtley Ambrose bowling to Sefton Park in ah in in in that that season at Sefton Park.
Prenno: Right.
Jamie Bowman : And my goodness, he looks...
Tom Evans: you know Does it say on the picture how many wickets Winston Benjamin got the year before?
Jamie Bowman : he No, it it doesn't it doesn't.
Tom Evans: No, right.
Jamie Bowman : But i do I am friends with someone who did face him without a helmet that day and and and and claims he hooked him for six.
Prenno: Wow.
Tom Evans: like
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : And then realised the mistake he'd made.
Prenno: I meant he woke up.
Jamie Bowman : And the next ball looked looked to see his stumps absolutely splattered and was more than happy to walk off. So, yeah, Winston, though he was a good bowler as well, wasn't he? I mean, i'm um I'm thinking it's got to be 100
Tom Evans: one
Tom Evans: See, I'm thinking...
Tom Evans: i mean, it was it was one one division back then, wasn't it? trying think of how many games they would have played. ah don't know what the fixed lists were like, whether they played some clubs more than twice. I don't know how they arranged it.
Tom Evans: um No, we're not looking anything.
Prenno: Don't be looking for clues. Just, you know, try and...
Tom Evans: up my My hands are here. um i mean, I'm thinking...
Tom Evans: um up up I don't think 100. going to go 94. I'm going to go 10 more than Ambo's.
Prenno: Okie dokie.
Tom Evans: What you going Jamie? but you goingnna go je
Prenno: Ten more on those. Okie dokie. Jamie.
Jamie Bowman : I'm going go, I'll go for 102. bad. Jeez.
Prenno: Okie dokie. Right. I did say i would give you five wickets either way. Tom. You flashed outside off stump and being caught behind. Jamie, almost spot on.
Prenno: 106 wickets Winston Benjamin took.
Jamie Bowman : not bad
Prenno: That's an average of 7.57. 69 were clean and bold.
Jamie Bowman : ge
Prenno: He took five wickets or more on 11 occasions and his best wasn't quite as good as Curtly Ambrose's. He took eight for 20 at Neston, but 106 wickets in one season. I remember it because I was working at the Southport Visitor Sports Desk at the time.
Prenno: And we were reporting a lot pool competition regularly. And just this, we didn't know who Winston Benjamin was. He was just some kid from the West Indies.
Tom Evans: no
Prenno: And it was just a phenomenal, you know, sort of seeing his figures every single week. And it became an attraction. People were going to watch the Liverpool competition and wherever he was playing because he was such an incredible character. And then obviously became, like so you know, sort of a test cricketer.
Prenno: and But yeah, halcyon days in the Liverpool competition. So yeah, the days watching Winston Benjamin.
Jamie Bowman : I should mention there's a brilliant book called Sticky Dogs and Stardust written by a scouser, actually. Gary, it' sorry, Scott Oliver, who's from from this this parish, which is all about ah when cricket legends played in the leagues. And I think he features...
Jamie Bowman : he might, and he definitely features Ambrose in that book, but it's well worth a read. Some amazing stories of players playing in the Liverpool comp and especially the Lancashire League and tales of Shane Warne bowling at Accrington.
Tom Evans: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Bowman : And yeah, it's it's ah it's a great book.
Prenno: but so You never know quite how these players are going to develop, do you? you know So you're watching them as the the very, very young men. And you know you're in you're in the presence of greatness, you know so even though you're not aware of it at the time.
Tom Evans: I guess that's one one of the upshots of sort of the global T20 merry-go-round is that for promising young cricketers, there is a much more lucrative way of spending their English summers than, you know, there's T20 leagues in Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the West Indies and at the IPL sort of overlaps with the start of the the English season.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: And it's kind of, And it's probably the last, you know, we've probably seen the back of those days when, you know, genuine future greats, for one, I think they get identified as future greats much more early and sort of fast bowlers in particular would be sort of wrapped in cotton wool.
Prenno: Sure.
Tom Evans: But yeah, that that they're not going to be spending their summers playing league cricket. And I think that's a shame because it does sort of enrich the experience.
Jamie Bowman : saying that, Tom, there was a proud moment in the recent West Indies-Australia debacle where West Indies were out for 27. The two former Sefton Park players were ah the first wicket and the third wicket in Scotty Boland's hat-trick. So, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Two former Sefton Park players formed formed formed took part in that inning. So maybe not greats of the likes of Kirtley Ambrose but you know and Winston Benjamin.
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Jamie Bowman : But yeah, two former. We had ah justin Justin Greaves and Jamal Warrickon both played in that in that in that West Indies line-up, both formerly of Sefton Park.
Jamie Bowman : So i just thought I'd get that in.
Tom Evans: Good stuff. I think probably the highest profile overseas player we've got in the comp this year is Ashutosh Sharma at Wigan, who played for the Delhi Capitals and and but done very well as a finisher for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
Tom Evans: um his His returns have sort of tailed off a little bit in the comp after an explosive start, but um we'll we'll see what he can but can manage to do for the rest the season.
Jamie Bowman : Still Aaron Redmond, still going as well.
Tom Evans: Oh, and Redmond is still going, yeah. and he's not on ah he's not yeah he's he's He's just part of the furniture at Wigan now, isn't he, I guess? He's ah
Prenno: Thank you.
Tom Evans: But yeah, I'm obviously, I guess, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : That's what happens when you marry into the club.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : But yeah, I mean, you know, he had a very decent, decent, ah you know, career, played a number of tests. So yeah, there's still, there's still but the opportunities. And now I remember seeing Wazim Jaffa a few years ago, playing in the comp.
Jamie Bowman : so that that you
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : So the occasional player does that does turn up. But yeah, it the halcyon day days of the 70s and eighty s seeing ah West Indian legends, I don't think we're going to see that again.
Prenno: If I can just mention as well, one of but one of the legends of cricket that I had the ah the the great fortune to sit next to for an entire afternoon, a former cricket club, only about, was it five or six years ago, ah Charlie Mills invited to me along, ah so spent an entire afternoon, sat alongside Henry Blofeld.
Tom Evans: Good Richards at Richton.
Prenno: And he was absolutely riveting company. As you can imagine, he was just a top class all the way through. ah exchanging stories and anecdotes. He then went onto the microphone later on to commentate during got a Legends match in the afternoon when it lashed it down all day, but he still provided great entertainment.
Jamie Bowman : don't know. Do you not remember who his co-commentator was?
Prenno: That day, oh gosh, no idea.
Jamie Bowman : It was me. it was me.
Prenno: Well, he then he then exchanged phone numbers and everything. He was he was he with great value, went home.
Jamie Bowman : was lovely. ah we We shared a ah few glasses of wine that day and he was, yeah, he was great.
Prenno: Well, he did. He he actually he messaged later on that evening to say he'd arrived home safely where the corkscrew received plenty of activity.
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Jamie Bowman : back
Prenno: He was, he was. He was great value on Earth. Yeah, that was a very, very memorable and cherished afternoon at Formby, that one.
Jamie Bowman : Yes, I met Devin Malcolm that day. He played in that game, didn't he? And I got a lovely picture of him.
Prenno: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : He was ah he was a real hero of mine growing up. So that was that was great.
Prenno: Absolutely.
Jamie Bowman : But they're great fun, those charity games, aren't they?
Prenno: Absolutely.
Jamie Bowman : So, yeah, yeah, good opportunity. Oh, memories.
Tom Evans: but speaking Speaking of blowers, and the man who's known for his catchphrases, obviously, did did he call you my dear old thing at any time?
Prenno: He must have done. i can't ah can't actually remember.
Tom Evans: You see, when when when we invited you on, fanner we were hoping for two things. We were hoping for a how the devil are you, and we were hoping for a distinctly average.
Prenno: Oh, I'm distinctly average this morning.
Tom Evans: um
Prenno: Yeah, absolutely. no
Tom Evans: but That'll do. that that' that That's what the listeners want, I think.
Tom Evans: Good stuff. Well, it only remains me to say thank you very much to to David Prentice for coming on and being part of the part of the podcast. um Thank you also, Jamie, for co-hosting duties. Thank you everyone for listening and subscribing and sharing and spreading the word. um Also, please get in touch if youve got any suggestions for guests or any kind of improvements you could suggest.
Tom Evans: um with but you know We're still very keen to to really make a go of this. So thank you very much for your time. um Perno, thank you for coming on.
Prenno: Thank you for inviting me. Thoroughly enjoyed it. A little bit out of my comfort zone talking about a sport, which I'm not entirely, you know, an expert on by any stretch of the imagination, but you've steered me through it well. So thank you very much.
Jamie Bowman : Are you looking forward to the new new season, Preno, the new ground, new season, all ready to go?
Tom Evans: Anytime is a pleasure.
Prenno: Oh, absolutely thrilled, yeah. um i I was over in Accrington on Tuesday and felt like a little buzz of excitement, you know, so before a pre-season friendly, never leaves you, heading off to Blackburn shortly to watch the ah the second game.
Prenno: And yeah, I've had the good fortune to watch the two test events at the new stage and both being absolutely wonderful. but I was there last night, strangely enough, for a soft launch for one of the lounges. And yeah, I can't wait, you can't wait for the new season to start. It's going to be historic, it's going to be exciting,
Prenno: And hopefully it'll be a little bit more successful in recent years of BAME.
Jamie Bowman : so Good luck.
Tom Evans: Okay. As we're on the subject of Everton, I'll stop the recording now so Pranay can tell us where the Art Hatter money is.
Prenno: ah
Tom Evans: Okay. Thank you for listening, everybody. Bye-bye.
