Good to see Mr Regan offering a spirited defence of his club in this morning's Post, but I'm not sure adding to the cricketing lexicon is going to help much. We now have to contend with the addition of "post-rationalise" and my personal favourite, "verti-draining". No idea what either of these mean.
I'm inclined to be supportive - because that is my nature - ten years ago we wouldn't have dreamt of spending £600,000 on the outfield. We've shown ambition which should be congratulated - and to take a long term strategic view - eventually it will pay dividends.
There have been a catalogue of similar problems - we moan about the non-appearance of the YearBooks - but in fairness it's a fabulous initiative that all members are getting a free one. Many of us have had much fun at the expense of non functioning strangely hued webcam - but at least James had the ambition and the energy to instal one in the first place.
Sometimes we try too hard and overreach our available resources, but we shouldn't criticise the club for well intentioned ambition. Yesterday was a bad day - but it wasn't a disaster. We can't be sure that the pitch would have been playable last year inder the same conditions. It's cricket in the English Spring - it rains. It always has. And we can't blame Stewart for the vagaries of the over congested schedule which the ECB have arrived at, or the bizarre allocation of fixtures.
I just hope Messrs Regan and Butler et al haven't been claiming for floating duck Islands or moat cleaning - then we 'll really have something to complain about.
Meanwhile - and more importantly - has anyone got the result of the Bahrein vs Japan game......?
I was interested to read Mr Regan's defence. I would have been far more likely to be charitable if he'd actually told the whole truth.
One comment was along the lines that we'd had some county games that had gone well. Well I was one of those unforuntate enough to be at Headingley on the best day (so far) of the season. The Wednesday of the Worcester 4 day match was bright, sunny & (for April) warm. So did I enjoy a full days play .... NO ... because of 'problems with drainage' between the new outfield & untouched square the first session was 'washed out' ... & I think they only started after lunch after the captains accepted that conditions weren't perfect.
At the time we told 'it will all be right for the ODI' .. sorry but it wasn't. Having to watch various Sky bods critising Yorks yet again wasn't good.
Six hundred thousand quid to buy new drains. Couldn't we (and indeed other clubs)have spent a few more hundred pounds and have enough plastic to cover the entire playing area, or is that too simplistic?
They had the ''Brumbrella'' at Edgbaston twenty years ago but that was removed because it took something like ten minutes to fully unroll. I'm sure something similar would have saved three quarts of a days play yesterday and surely technology has moved on to do the rolling/unrolling a bit quicker?
Wimbledon has a roof on the centre court now but not on the other courts and they can fully cover a court in seconds. Granted a cricket pitch is a bigger area but surely not too difficult to fully cover in minutes?
On a slightly different topic, didn't the ICC bring in a rule recently that all ''nets'' or practice area's had to be in a separate area away from the playing area?
If that rule were fully adhered to then entire pitches could be covered, if need be, until the moment of start of play.
Bahrein beat Japan convincingly by 196 runs,and the drainage system worked perfectly.
It's very easy to be dismissive of ICC affiliatead countries for their lack of cricket experience,however we should admire The ICC iniative of encouraging the smaller nations.
Not so long ago Afghanistan were also in the lowest division of The World Cricket League ,and now they have achieved full ODI status.
Hopefully when they meet England at Headingley in the near future Mr Regan's drainage will be fully operational and there will be no need to refund £400,000 to dissatisfied customers.
And for the record, I wasn't being dismissive. I find it genuinely heart warming and strangely inspirational that people in Japan, Bahrein - and yes Afghanistan - are prepared to pitch stumps and pick up their bats..
I'm delighted to hear it Steve,and forgive me for interpreting your remarks as sarcasm.
The World Leauge Division seven tournament is currently taking place in Guensey,and includes Suriname, Japan, Bahrain,Gibraltar,Guernsey and Nigeria .Full results and upto date table can be found on Cricinfo.
This message has been edited by Cleasby on May 22, 2009 3:55 PM
Much as I admire much of what Mr R does, there is still one big question unanswered. Why couldn't we have simply been told much earlier that there was likely to be no play yesterday? I can accept all that has been said re the exceptional weather etc, but why could they have not been honest and stated prospects of play were very unlikely much earlier than 3pm? As someone who was there, I still feel that the information given to us was less than honest to encourage us to stay.
Mr R has done a lot of very positive things for the club, but like certain politicians there is a real risk that in attacking the critics, he really misses some of the genuine mistakes made. The drains may come good, but that does not excuse the lack of honesty on the day in informing the loyal supporters of the true prospects of play. Personally I would be more encouraged if in making the defence, Mr R was also more honest in recognising the mistakes made and was doing something to stop a repetition. Sat watching grass dry for five hours yesterday in the hope of some play has not convinced me that the management really cares about the loyal supporters, neither does the admin fee deducted from refunds!!!!
It also strikes me that much of the blame for the information on the day rests with the ECB management, but I'm already well aware that the ECB leadership has no interest in true cricket supporters and care much more about money and hype. Hence no proper terrestial TV coverage and the Stanford fiasco!
i can well understand the feelings of east riding tyke, but surely it is not down to the yorkshire county cricket club or any of its officials to inform the crowd about prospects of play.That decision must rest with the umpires.
I'ne long ben an an undisguised critic of Mr Regaan ,here and in other places.
However the responsibility of keeping the cowd informed on Thursday,did not lie with him but with The ECB.
Not all understand that for International cricket it is the ECB who take over all the runing of the ground on that day and all descisions as to informatiom omparted lies with them.Yorkshire have merely a peripheral role.
Secondly if the game had been called off much earlier,there would have been even more critiscism from everywhere as to why with the drainage system in place and the warm sunshine,play would not be possible later on.
As the day progressed it became increasingly clear that no improvement was likely to the conditions and despite the best eforts of all play was out of the question.
I do not absolve Mr Regan of all responsibilty however ,as he clearly wanted yet another inspection, and the cash tills behind the bars clinking away after 3 o'clock.
Credit is due to the umpires for making the descision when they did,when it would have been easy to aquiese to such a request.
Not a good day for Mr Reagan,made worse by his unconvincing defence of his much vaunted new drainage,the benefits of which he's been telling us about for so long,and now appears to have a slightly different version to impart,but others share the blame for the fiasco too.