Follow On
We came across this article from The Cricketer on social media and thought it
was a great follow on from our article on red and yellow cards in Issue 25. Thanks
must go to The Cricketer for their kind permission to reproduce the article.
‘Yes’ Says David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd
‘No’ Says Dickie Bird
I’m not comfortable with the level of dissent that has crept
into the game. Maybe I am old school, but I don’t want to
see challenging of the umpire’s decision to go any further
than the Decision Review System (DRS).
I don’t like the idea of red and yellow cards. I know there
has been some bad behaviour in league games but people
who play cricket are supposed to be gentlemen and a
simple word or two from the umpire should be enough to
get them to behave. I never had any problems with anyone.
I don’t want cricket to get like football!
The ICC says its umpires are capable of managing any
on-field incidents. But I’m most concerned about the
recreational game, where there is just too much
confrontation.
Players tapping their bat or shaking their head when they’re
given out or if they haven’t won an appeal…years ago, you
would never have touched the floor. The umpire would have
reported you to the captain immediately.
I was watching Lancashire v Surrey the other day, and one
lad had an LBW appeal turned down. He snatched his
jumper and engaged the umpire in conversation – I assume
about that decision. That should be a yellow card.
So should foul and abusive language to an opposition
player. And if you do it to an umpire, that’s a red. I wouldn’t
want to use the word ‘brandishing’, but umpires should be
able to show cards. Whoever’s watching from the sidelines
would know something’s gone on.
Those who are worried this is like football…well, I’d just
argue this is a good idea. Maybe we can learn things from
football sometimes, just as they should from cricket.
Huw Turbervill’s Thoughts
For the fifth time, the fast bowler’s appeal is rejected by
the umpire. The profanity is heard by everyone – fine-leg,
fans in Row Z, infants in the local primary school. The
umpire reaches into his pocket and raises the red card.
The crowd go wild. As the bowler trudges slowly off to the
changing room, fans bay, wave, goad and sing, ‘Cheerio,
cheerio, cheerio!’ Horrendous thought, isn’t it?
OK, bowlers have got out of hand in the past. Shane Warne
used to put the heat on umpires like a New York cop grilling
a suspect. Andre Nel tried to terrify batsmen, even if his
efforts were sometimes more comical than scary. Batsmen
have even got out of hand – think Javed Miandad waving
his bat at Dennis Lillee. And Robert Croft and Mark Illot’s
fracas in 1997 was also a poor show…but, I hate to reach for
The Little Book of Clichés, brandishing cards just would
not be cricket.
Leave it to umpires who command respect – Peter Willey
wouldn’t need cards – a glare would do. Football is going
through a sticky patch – West Ham fans hurling bottles at
Manchester United’s coach, Hibbies invading Hampden.
Cricket has its own distinct identity, it does not need to
encroach even further on to the football field.
In the Slips
Professional Footballer/Cricketer
Eagle-eyed Bill Whittaker identified another professional footballer who also happened to be a professional cricketer
that we overlooked in issue 25, page 21.
Chris Balderstone played for Leicestershire CCC where he was part of the team that won its first championship in 1975
after eight years at Yorkshire. He also won two Test caps versus the 1976 West Indies side. Chris’ football career started
at Huddersfield Town before he moved to Carlisle United, where, on one occasion, he played against Doncaster Rovers
during the middle evening of a three-day game. He became a First Class umpire in 1988 where he stood in two limited
overs internationals against South Africa, and made history in becoming the first third umpire to be used.
Front Cover
We had a few enquiries about the location of the front cover picture that showed a storm venturing up a valley. A variety
of cricket clubs in the bosom of the Cumbrian hills were a popular guess.
However, they were slightly off-piste – the photo was taken on 4 March 2002 at Queenstown Events Centre,
Queenstown (New Zealand) during the Otago v England three-day warm-up game.
Caption Competition
John Flatley got in touch regarding the result of the caption competition for photo B. He agreed the reference was
obscure but noted that some of the facts were not quite right:
Mr Hodge was wrong about the title of the Frank Ifield song that was at number one in late 1962. It was not ‘I Remember
You’ but ‘Lovesick Blues’ which kept Chris Montez at number two.
‘I Remember You’ was indeed a number one hit for Frank Ifield, but in July