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News ArchiveWimbers Retires
Wendy Wimbush, who has been scoring for nearly forty years, has retired from international cricket. Wendy first scored for the BBC in 1969 and has covered every home Test series since and many abroad. There was a presentation to Wendy in the Investec Media Centre on the Friday of the Lord's Test v West Indies, 18th May.
Walk - thanks
A huge thank you to all the many members of the Cricket Writers’ Club who so generously sponsored Paul and me on the 150-mile Wisden Walk. We set out from Hugh’s home in Upton Grey (near Basingstoke) on Saturday 19 May, aiming for the Herefordshire offices of Matthew Engel, editor of Wisden 2007. We allowed ourselves ten days for the stroll… and we did it. I promise we walked the whole way. (In fact, we even nipped over the border into Wales on the last day, so spry were we.)
We were raising money for the Laurie Engel Fund, and to my delight and amazement it looks as though we will have collected around £8,000. And a sizeable proportion of that has come from CWC members. (The Fund is named after Matthew Engel’s 13-year-old son Laurie, who died from a particularly aggressive form of cancer in September 2005.)
The walk was an utterly wonderful experience, and one we somehow managed to negotiate without blisters. At almost every turn, the countryside was its vibrant early-summer best. For the first few days, it was impossible to believe that we were walking through the frantic, overpopulated, overtarmacked, overcommercial South-East. Unlike the Botham walks, one of our guiding principles was to avoid roads wherever possible, and until we reached Gloucester on Day Seven, we had passed more donkeys (four) than shops (three).
But another, and perhaps more important, guiding principle was to sample as many pubs as possible – and safely outnumbering donkeys and shops combined was the number of different beers we downed. Reflecting our rural route, almost every hostelry seemed to be called The Plough or The Harrow. And every brew the Hog’s Delight or the Shepherd’s Companion.
By and large, the weather was very kind. The first days were bright and mild, then a touch muggy, before it turned cool, and a trifle damp. Well, more than a trifle. On the penultimate day – Day Nine, in darkest Herefordshire – it rained. Every one of Old Possum’s cats and Battersea’s dogs waterfalled down on us. It was diluvian. But it cleared up for our last day, the bank holiday (while the rest of the country was drowning in that Noah-like flood). And the whole way, we met nothing but kindness, generosity and an unstinting welcome.
And just in case you’re reading this, thinking to yourself that you’d really meant to make a donation but, damn it, it’s too late now… Well, it’s not. You can either give online at www.justgiving.com/wisdenwalk or send a cheque, made payable to “TCT Laurie Engel Fund”, to my home address (in the Media Guide, or email me at hugh.chevallier@wisdengroup.com). But chances are you’ve given already, so thank you again. It’s enormously appreciated, especially by the Engels. The day we finished our walk would have been Laurie’s 15th birthday. Hugh Chevallier and Paul Coupar
Wisden Almanack Offer
A special offer for CWC members to buy Wisden Almanack.
The CWC offer for the standard hardback or soft cover is 50% off the cover price, plus £3 P&P. Plus Wisden is also available in large format. The large format "special edition" is about twice the traditional size, and is a limited edition of 5,000 copies. Each is individually numbered, has a ribbon bookmark and is housed in a slipcase.
The CWC offer for the large format edition is 40% off the cover price, plus £5 P&P.
Payment must be by cheque, made payable to John Wisden & Co, and sent to:
John Wisden & Co Ltd 13 Old Aylesfield Froyle Road Alton Hants. GU34 4BY
No copies will be sent out before the week of publication in April.
Pakistan Earthquake
Over fifty thousand rupees (£500) has been raised for the Edhi Foundation's Earthquake Appeal by the media and players touring Pakistan with the England Cricket Team during a quiz night hosted by former England players David Lloyd and Paul Allot. The Cricket Writers' Club has promised to match whatever was raised so £1,000 will finally be sent to the charity.
The Edhi Foundation started sixty years ago with just £50 and today has over 300 clinics, 600 ambulances, including an air ambulance, orphanages, homes for the destitute and homeless and a network of doctors and nurses. They responded immediately to the disaster which has, so for, claimed the lives of almost 100,000 men, women and children. The disaster struck shortly before the team and accompanying media arrived in Pakistan for the two month tour and both groups were keen to help in any way possible.
The winning team comprised two ex-chairmen (Colin Bateman & John Etheridge) and two committee members (Mike Dickson and Mike Walters) - how could they fail?
Thank you very much to everyone who contributed.
Graham Morris, CWC Chairman, Lahore.
Stop Press! The England team fitness consultant, Nigel Stockill, has donated his winnings from a dressing room wager with Alex Loudon. £100 on the tragectory of a piece of toast.
Pakistan Press Match
CWC Young Cricketer 2005 Winner
The CWC is pleased to announce that our 2005 Young Cricketer of the Year winner (with a vote of 77% of the members), Alastair Cook of Essex C.C.C., toured Pakistan with the England team in November/December 2005.
Alex Bannister
CWC Curator - William Powell has visited Alex Bannister a former CWC Chairman (1960) in Hemel Hempstead Hospital. He presented Alex with a get well card on behalf of the CWC. The card was signed by all the Members present in the Lord's Media Centre during the 2005 NatWest Series Final. William can report that Alex's health is improving and he thanks officers and members' of the club for the card and good wishes at this time.
Tsunami
Thanks to the Treasurer's enterprise the Club was able to respond to Clive Lloyd's call to all cricketers and £500.00 was sent to the Interational Red Cross before the world appeal was launched.
Ian Davis
The Club's first Membership Secretary, a staunch Northamptonshire man who followed the Cobblers and England (then in Port Elizabeth) to the end, died on December 20th 2004. The Club has made a donation to St. Thomas's Hospital.
Regional Representatives
In order to improve communication between members, the committee have appointed the following representatives: Bruce Talbot (South); Richard Latham (West); Paul Bolton (Midlands) and ex-chairman, Colin Evans, representing the North. Since then, Colin has had to stand down after being appointed Lanacashire's Communications Manager and the Club is in the process of finding a new representative for the north.
Committee Members
Mark Baldwin, Myles Hodgson, Pat Murphy, Mike Dickson and Julian Guyer have been co-opted to the Committee. Their nominations will have to be endorsed at the next AGM.
England v Australia Press Match
After complaints about the glare and heat, particularly on sunny days in the two lower rows, we took up the matter with the MCC and they were willing to install tinted glass instead of the present clear glass. They did point out that the cost would be in excess of £20,000 and it couldn't be changed back if the experiment failed to work. During the NatWest Series One-Day Final the Secretary polled the members who were present and the vote was - in favour of retaining the present glass - 33; in favour of a slightly dark tinted glass - 9; in favour of a darker tint - one. The result was been passed on to the MCC and the status quo will remain.
Wisden Learn Romance Isn't Dead
What's it like to be grilled by Jeremy Paxman? Matthew Engel tells all to Andrew Miller... It was all Steven Lynch's fault. It was Steven - author of the Wisden Quiz Book and conductor of the "Ask Steven" column on Cricinfo - who heard they were looking for teams on University Challenge - The Professionals, and suggested that Wisden should enter. UCTP is the mature spin-off from the quiz for students that has been running on British TV since John Logie Baird was an undergraduate. It ropes together groups of colleagues in offices or professions. The idea, alas, seemed irresistible.
Dogs in Press Boxes
After a plea from Ivo Tennant, the committee reaffirmed their previous ruling, barring dogs of all sizes.
New CWC Memorial Plaque unveiled at the Brit Oval
A new CWC Memorial Plaque was unveiled in the new Press/Media Centre located on the 1st floor of the newly constructed OCS Stand at the Brit Oval, yesterday 16th June 2005 by Paul Sheldon CEO of Surrey County Cricket Club and CWC Secretary Brian Scovell in memory of Sydney Pardon, who was editor of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack from 1891 to 1925. Pardon is widely acknowledged as the greatest of the Wisden editors. It was on his watch that the annual Notes by the Editor became a feature of the Almanack, and of his death in 1926, Wisden wrote: "however keenly he might feel, nothing but sound and gracious criticism ever emanated from his pen." CWC Chairman Graham Morris together with a number of officers, committee members and members of the club were present at the ceremony.
2006 International and Domestic Final Dates Released
The ECB Have released the dates for the 2006 Home Tests and ODIs and the two Domestic Finals. We welcome Sri Lanka first followed by Pakistan with no triangular NatWest Series. Members can now start to make hotel bookings for next summer. npower Test Series England v Sri Lanka: Thu May 11 to Mon 15 May 1st npower Test Lord's; Thu 25 May to Mon 29 May 2nd npower Test Edgbaston; Fri 2 June to Tue 6 June 3rd npower Test Trent Bridge. Twenty20 International England v Sri Lanka: Thu 15 June Rose Bowl. NatWest Series England v Sri Lanka: Sat 17 June 1st ODI Lord's; Tue 20 June 2nd ODI The Brit Oval; Sat 24 June 3rd ODI Riverside; Wed 28 June 4th ODI Old Trafford and Sat 1 July 5th ODI Headingley. npower Test Series England v Pakistan: Thu 13 July to Mon 17 July 1st npower Test Lord's; Thu 27 July to Mon 31 July 2nd npower Test Old Trafford; Fri 4 August to Tue 8 August 3rd npower Test Headingley; Thu 17 August to Mon 21 August 4th npower Test The Brit Oval. Twenty20 International England v Pakistan: Mon 28 August Bristol. NatWest Series England v Pakistan: Wed 30 August 1st ODI Cardiff; Sat 2 Sep 2nd ODI Lord's; Tue 5 September 3rd ODI Rose Bowl; Fri 8 September 4th ODI Trent Bridge and Sun 10 September 5th ODI Edgbaston. Twenty20 Cup Finals Day Sat 12 August Trent Bridge and C&G Trophy Final Sat 26 August Lord's.
Ex-Chairman joins Lancashire CCC
Colin Evans has been appointed as Communications Manager at Lancashire County Cricket Club.
Evans, 58, is formerly the cricket correspondent of the Manchester Evening News. Contacts: Colin Evans
The CWC wishes Colin the very best in his new appointment and from all his old friends, we look forward to being informed and 'entertained' at Old Trafford next season.
P.S. Colin has stood down from the Committee of the CWC but stays on as a member.
It is a newly created post, dealing with media relations and other aspects of communications at one of the biggest cricket clubs in the country.
Lord's Media Centre
Ken Kelly
The England v Australia Press match at West Malling Cricket Club on Wednesday, July 27th was abandoned without a ball bowled.
A British media cricket team, captained by The Sun's John Etheridge, were sucessful in securing the Salim Malik FairPlay Trophy as runners up in a TwentyFive/19 match against the Pakistan media at the Abdul Qadir Cricket Centre in Lahore. After being inserted in the sweltering 17 degrees, things didn't go to 'manager' Scyld Berry's (shurely shome mishtake?) original game plan. Leading from the front, Etheridge joint top scored with 36, alongside a "tired and emotional" Arlo White from the BBC, whilst the Hepplethwate all-rounder, David Clough (PA), managed a quarter century, leaving Radio Five Live's Alison Mitchell undefeated on seven.
Infront of a crowd of many lahks, our brave lads (and lass) managed to keep five of their batsman amused for 19 overs before reaching the target of 142. Sunday Telegraph slow bowler Berry helped (the opposition) with his unusual mixture of flight and guile but no turn. One spectator suggested he was not so much bowling to his field as the next one. His Flamenco style run up will be emulated by the many who witnessed it for years to come - though never on the cricket field.
In a totally unrelated incident, a second member of the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit was seen in the British media's hotel that evening, but any investigations would have to wait until he had collected his winnings!
A plaque commemorating the life and work of Ken Kelly, one of our longstanding members, has been put up in the press box at Edgbaston in time for the 2005 npower Test. Ken was a highly respected cricket photographer in the Midlands and much of his work is displayed in the museum at Edgbaston.
Wisden Almanack Offer
A special offer for CWC members to buy Wisden Almanack.
The CWC offer for the standard hardback or soft cover is 50% off the cover price, plus £3 P&P. Plus Wisden is also available in large format. The large format "special edition" is about twice the traditional size, and is a limited edition of 5,000 copies. Each is individually numbered, has a ribbon bookmark and is housed in a slipcase.
The CWC offer for the large format edition is 40% off the cover price, plus £5 P&P.
Payment must be by cheque, made payable to John Wisden & Co, and sent to:
John Wisden & Co Ltd 13 Old Aylesfield Froyle Road Alton Hants. GU34 4BY
No copies will be sent out before the week of publication in April. |
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