The original headline on Yorkshire county cricket club's prolific website yesterday was a little misleading. I think it may have changed now, but it gave the impression that Australian Women's International player Beth Mooney was to be added to the first team squad along with the four other overseas players already signed.
However, it appears she has been signed for the Yorkshire Women's team for the coming season as a wicket-keeper batsman. This may add to the grumblings, already going the rounds, about the volume of overseas players reducing the prospects for our home grown talent. Cannot Yorkshire women find a wicketkeeper?
This is just a small part of the usual pre-season discontent, which for once is not confined to Yorkshire. It seems that nine of the New Zealand squad to tour England this summer have been signed on for the Indian Premier League. This means that they will only get to England some two days before the first test match. This has already caused problems for two warm up games against counties and the one at Worcester has already been declared non first-class, so that it can be used as effectively net practice for the players who will be available, possibly including a few from league cricket.
This same thing happened at Derby last season when the tourist game was ruined and became a travesty of a proper competitive cricket match. Many people, including myself, may not now travel to Worcester and the sales of hospitality packages will inevitably suffer. The Australians are due to play a three day game at Derby later in the summer, before the Test matches start and one wonders whether the same will apply here. One of the reasons I renewed my Derbyshire membership was the hope of seeing a proper game of cricket, but this now seems very unlikely.
Never mind Colin Graves is now in control and we hope that he will have a positive input into the many problems which face the game in this country, including the question of T20 city franchises.
Fortunately the professional cricket watchers have many alternatives and I feel that many more may turn their backs on the first class game and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Minor Counties, county second XI, junior and schools cricket. The attached picture from the cover of the newly published Cumberland year book shows one such place - the lovely ground at Sedbergh School. Roll on the first week in July when Cumberland will play Lincolnshire over three days on this ground.
Sedbergh School ground
One further item of bad news from Headingley this week has been the closure of the rugby stand seating for all cricket due to long term health and safety problems. This will be a blow to all those who enjoyed the best view of the ground from the top deck,despite the very cold temperatures endured as this part of the ground never got any sun. However the last item is good news, in that James Middlebrook, the popular former Yorkshire, Essex and Northants all rounder, whose services were dispensed with by the latter county, has been appointed to captain Minor County Bedfordshire for the coming season. We are sure he will do a good job and wish him well.
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