Almost here

posted by John Winn

The poet Horace advised his readers to 'Drop the question what tomorrow may bring' which was all very well for Horace as for  his audience tomorrow was possibly not such a key day in the year. It is of course the start of the first class cricket season with games at Fenner's, Derby, Glamorgan, The Parks, Hove and Headingley. I shall of course be at the last of these looking forward to seeing old friends, many of whom I have not seen since September and hoping that they have 'wintered well'.

The start of the season is earlier than ever and will go largely unnoticed by the media and wider public. In its 'week ahead' feature this morning's Guardian makes no reference to the matches and for some, these games are an irrelevance before the championship begins on Sunday. That too will begin with a whimper, for only 10 of the 18 counties are in action, and the 5 opening  matches are absent from The Guardian's diary. It does tell me, however, that on that day in  the final of the ICC World T20  tbc will play tbc: something that has been known since the competition was allocated its current slot in the international calendar.

 Contrast this faltering start with the build up to the baseball season in the USA where the ceremonial first ball has in recent years been pitched by people like Jimmy Carter, George W Bush and Barack Obama. How's this for  a scenario? The cricket season begins next Sunday with Durham playing MCC at Lord's ( now there's an idea) with David Cameron bowling the first delivery, I hear he packs a mean doosra, and simultaneously there is a close to full programme of matches in the championship. Yorkshire would of course be at home and the new President would get things under way. Even if this didn't get national coverage I'm sure Harry Gration could be persuaded to be there. My imagination is beginning to run away with me because it has conjured up a picture of Harry and Dickie travelling from pavilion to the middle on a tandem. Time to move on and to think about what I need to take to Headingley tomorrow. Hope to see you there.