The Stanford Super Series is drawing closer and I am sure all cricket lovers are picking their teams, or rather leaving four unlucky players out of England's squad of 15
I am sure the main topic of conversation amongst the England players last week when they met up for a two day get together at Henley, where amongst other things they were rigorously put through various different rowing activities, was the arbitration that is taking place at the moment between Digicel and the Stanford Group, as to the rightful holders of certain sponsorship rights surrounding West Indian cricket.
The matter is in the High Court this week where hopefully an amicable solution can be found to better Digicel's grievances and also those of Stanford's, surrounding amongst other things who has the rights to sponsorship on the front of the shirt to be worn by England's opposition. The game is drawing closer and I am sure all cricket lovers are picking their teams, or rather leaving four unlucky players out of England's squad of 15.
Congratulations go to Durham County Cricket Club on being crowned County Champions of 2008 this is an incredible achievement when you consider that their first game as a first class county was in April 1992. The north-east has always been one of the hot beds of English cricket and we should not be too amazed at the meteoric rise of Durham when after their first few years of heartache, they have now become a major force in the first class game. The congratulations go to, not just the players, but also the administration up there, who have built solid foundations on and off the field.
At the other end of the table, Surrey, one of the most successful counties in the modern game got relegated along with Kent, who with two games to go still harboured ambitions of winning the title. This shows what a truly competitive Division One of the County Championship we now have, but Worcestershire and Warwickshire will replace those two in Division One and I am sure like everybody else they will be looking to recruit to make their staff even stronger for the 2009 season.
Last but not least, Australia's tour to India begins in earnest over the next few days; India will be after a big win in both the Test match and One Dayers following on from their acrimonious Tour to Australia earlier in the year. It will be great to see how good the Aussie's are presently and also who can best keep their tempers at bay; watch this space.