Kent Cricket Supporter’s Blog

The “Sunday League”…

The first Yorkshire Bank 40 home game of the season against Worcestershire was certainly one for the diehards. With exasperating showers thwarting a prompt start combined with an excruciating mid-winter chill once the watery sun eventually set, plus a live Europa League Final featuring an English club live on terrestrial television meant for a somewhat sparse crowd. Those that stuck it out rather than watching the live coverage on Sky from the comfort of their sitting rooms or the pub were ultimately rewarded with a tense low scoring victory for Kent. It wasn’t pretty and at 45-6 in the thirteenth over chasing 111 to win in the abbreviated 25 overs even the most optimistic Kent fans were fearing the worst (or just dreaming of hot soup)…

That Kent battled their way to a potentially vital win was some reward assuming the frostbite isn’t permanent! It has to be said though that evening games under lights in mid-May given England’s default climate can be a bit of an attritional test for spectators…

I grew up on 40 over stuff in my formative years. The “Sunday League” was just that back in the late 70’s and 80’s. With little else on the television on a Sunday afternoon in the summer, let alone sport, the 40 over League caught the nation’s imagination. It helped that the fixtures were predictable (2 pm on a Sunday afternoon every week) and that it featured on the BBC. With few alternatives viewers would happily watch an afternoon of cricket from Tring or Chesterfield. Thirty years ago the international calendar was not year round, we had an earlier version of the IPL with overseas stars glittering for every team, the League was logical and often came to a thrilling last day conclusion. My first proper (traumatic) Kent memory is of us losing on the last day to Middlesex in 1979 to see the title end up at Taunton.

However this season marks the end for the 40 over format. Next season (for at least four years) the re-jigged fixture list will feature the Championship, a revamped T20 and a YB50 – less games but matching the International format with half an eye on the 2015 and 2019 (in England) World Cups. I can appreciate the logic and understand cricket has changed radically in the last thirty years, but I will feel a little sad when the curtain comes down on this season’s final 40 over competition. Hopefully I will have thawed out by then…

Eddie

Eddie Allcorn was born in Canterbury and now resides in Harbledown. He started watching Kent in 1979 and has been an active Member since the mid/late 1980's. Eddie will be providing further blogs during the 2013 season. Many thanks Eddie.