Simon Dennis 💙

@GeoffreyBoycott @Pearl_Valley @RachaelBoycott @BabyBoycs Great to see you out and about again 😊

Finally back on the course… to say I’m a little rusty is an understatement! @Pearl_Valley

@RDBCroft10 Headingley Crofty, Hope you’re well

Guess where?

@Marcus60s70s80s @DavidKHopps @SharpyKev0604 Think it was his last year on the staff. My first year was 1980 and I was never on the staff together with Rocker.

@DavidKHopps @SharpyKev0604 He's got the capped sweater so it would fit in that way. Was he perhaps 2nd XI captain?

Peter Ingham back left, it’s not Mike Bore, it’s Arthur (Rocker) Robinson

@SharpyKev0604 Yes 😂 1979

Can you name this squad!!!

Not sure how we end up with MP’s with no understanding of the basics of how this works 🤷🏼‍♂️

Yes, we once did first day of Championship game at Headingley on Saturday with Sunday League fixture at Taunton next day. Back to Headingley for Monday. Happy days 😊

And a more difficult one - does anyone know who “Gibson” was that the cup is named for?

@Marcus60s70s80s @pushkar_g_singh @SharpyKev0604 They were tough leagues. I remember Mark Greatbatch making a Saturday afternoon very unpleasant at a small Farsley ground in the later 80’s. Farsley ground was 100% too small to bowl at Mark 🫣

@simonsjd @pushkar_g_singh @SharpyKev0604 Wonderful to hear! I remember him playing for Pudsey St Lawrence in 1981 too

In Feb 1982, the kiwi selectors blooded a 19-year old raw yet promising batsman against Australia in Wellington. In a rain affected draw, this young lad made just 9 before being run out in his only innings. Although he also bowled 4 overs, he would primarily be known as a batsman. He would go on to become the greatest batsman from his country. This 18-year old lad was called Martin Crowe. Crowe had a torrid start to his test career. He was thrown at the wolves too early. He averaged 15.25 in his first 7 tests with a highest score of just 42. He managed a fine 💯 vs England in his 8th test, but his poor form continued. He looked out of place in test cricket. He’s very young. He averaged just 28 in his first 20 tests with the 💯 against England his only 3 figure score. NZ toured the mighty WI in early 1985. As expected, Crow struggled in the first test. But in the second test at Guyana, the best batting wicket in WI, he scored a magnificent 188 against Marshall, Garner, and Holding. It’s a new dawn for Crowe. Thanks to his heroics, NZ eked out a dare against the mighty West Indies. Crowe was considered the best young batsman in the world. He soon became the best batsman in the world. 1987 was his annus mirabilis, when he became only the second non-English after Don Bradman and the 7th batsman overall to score 4,000 runs in calendar year. @McleanOnCricket says he watched Crowe make all those runs in 1987. I believe him to a certain extent. 😆 From his 188 at Guyana onwards, Crowe averaged a magnificent 52 in a time when 50 was reserved for all time greats. However, this 52 average doesn’t tell the entire story. Crowe played some magnificent innings all over the world. He’s the best batsman in the world despite playing for a weak side. I doubt many other batsmen have ever carried the fortunes of their teams like Crowe did in the late 80s and the early 90s. He’s the long and the short of the NZ batting, a batting superstar who along with the great Richard Hadlee kept the side afloat. Wasim and Waqar rate him the best batsmen they bowled to. I know I ended the last sentence with a preposition. My writing, unlike Crowe’s batting, is imperfect. Crowe remained a glorious batsman until the early 90s when knee injuries started taking their toll. He averaged under 40 in his last 22 tests and just 19.45 in his final 7 test. I saw him score his last 2 💯 vs England at home in 1994. These were his parting shots, his final hurrah. He was no longer the great batsman of his prime, but he’s still beautiful to watch even though he was hobbling on one good knee. He remains one of the most beautiful batsman I’ve watched in the last 30 odd years. Crowe was a batting colossus in an injury prone body. At his peak, he was as good as anyone in the history.

@Marcus60s70s80s @pushkar_g_singh @SharpyKev0604 Remember this game and the battles with Martin in the Yorkshire League Scarborough v Bradford 😊

@pushkar_g_singh 19 year-old Martin Crowe was the/a groundsman at Bradford CC in 1982 (he was playing for them in the Yorkshire League) During this game on 'his' ground, he sought out Sunil Gavaskar who gave some greatly appreciated advice about his head/eye position @SharpyKev0604 @simonsjd

Thanks for this Graham, lovely piece, brings back so many wonderful memories, apart from losing at St George’s of course. Really looking forward to tomorrow ⁦@YorkshireCCC⁩ ⁦@shropshireccc⁩ ⁦@wellington_cc⁩ ⁦@simonsjd⁩ yorkshireccc.com/news/yorkshire…

@SharpyKev0604 It was a fast journey 😱🫣

It was! We were outplayed by a very good Shropshire side

@SharpyKev0604 I had to travel back with Bluey 😡😤😵‍💫

Looking for something fun to do on Saturday … why not head down to North Marine Road! #beerfest #scarboroughuk #scarboroughcricketclub

🏏 Scarborough Cricket Club🏏 Can’t get over how nice this ground is! You don’t get many proper cricket grounds in this country, but this has to be one of the best! #crickettwitter @bracecricket @StickyPalms @135notout

Lovely afternoon and great to reunite with old friends.

This was a really important interview with the former Yorkshire physio Kunwar Bansil thetimes.co.uk/article/5e6a2a…

@ThemapNeil Well that’s a really good point Neil 🤷🏼‍♂️. Hope you’re well

@simonsjd Would he have been on strike?

Very hard on New Zealand but Stokes wouldn’t have pushed for two off the last ball if three had been required. May have ended up in the Tavern 💁🏼‍♂️

@mattmaynard25 @HelpforHeroes @CricketersTrust Well done Matt. Incredible effort 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Last day ✅. John O’Groats to Lands End ✅. A total of 1189 miles and 47 days. Many many thanks for all the support I’ve received. It’s been great challenge and one I’m very proud of completing #wellymanwalking #aiglewellies @helpforheroes @cricketerstrust #crxcompressionsocks

@abutch58 Both looking well, say hello to Maddy 😎

…. And then ended up here 👍

Joined in a cricket match this morning! Great fun! #Dharmashalla #India @markbutcher72 😀