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Walk in past an optimistic heron staring at the Premier Inn pond, Mower World and over the river, arriving just in time to hear the Trent Bridge announcer welcome the 2025 County Champions onto the field.
A lovely message from Hoppsy, remembering the dear cricket writer Rob Steen.
The dying days of the Championship season is the most wistful time of year for many cricket lovers, a time to reflect on summers now departed and the passage of time, and never more so than this year for me with old friends departing. Matthew Engel has written a beautiful tribute to Rob Steen, once a cricket writer of this parish, and a decent and principled man, that you can read below.
If you can face a slightly laddish anecdote, Rob cut his teeth on an England A tour in the early 1990s. He had minimal work and, in desperation, filed an analysis of the tour on spec to a Sri Lankan newspaper. Nothing was heard and Rob was at a low point. So a plot was hatched where Michael de Zoysa, who had become a friend, and who was to go on to become a much-respected Sri Lankan cricket figure, phoned Rob purporting to be the newspaper editor and informed him that if his piece was rewritten to become more favourable to the Sri Lankans they could pay him a pittance and publish it.
Rob dutifully obliged, removing all positive references to the England tourists and left the rewrite behind reception of the hotel to be collected, as instructed. Again, no piece appeared. The following evening, as Rob bemoaned his lot in life, Michael appeared in the bar waving the piece, complete now with yellow marker pen (his idea) and accusing him of “bloody colonial attitudes.”
Rob was no colonialist, quite the opposite, and was about to launch into a passionate defence of his beliefs when he realised he had been had. All I can say in our defence for such a prank is that he earned considerably more in free drinks that week than he would ever have earned had the piece gone to publication. RIP.
Elsewhere...
At the Utilita Bowl, Surrey relinquished the title for the first time in four years, and the spotlight swung to their opponents, Hampshire, who need to match Durham’s result against Yorkshire to avoid relegation. Hampshire took a first-innings lead of 101 but Ralphie Albert, grandson of snooker’s Jimmy White, made an unbeaten 61 to ensure Surrey’s bowlers would have something to defend.
Mayank Agarwal’s stunning 175, including 20 fours and five sixes, had the Headingley faithful purring in their seats, and took Yorkshire to within 32 runs of Durham’s total, with five wickets remaining. Jonny Bairstow fell first ball, a third wicket for Ben Raine, who had earlier been Durham’s last man out for 101.
At Chelmsford against Somerset, Paul Walter’s highest first-class score of 158 took Essex close to safety in Division One.
Meanwhile, the Professional Cricketers’ Association refused to rule out taking strike action. The body’s chief executive, Daryl Mitchell, told the BBC that he was “disappointed and disheartened” by the first-class counties’ decision to stick with the schedule status quo.
“We will be led by the players,” he said. “The WhatsApp group last night was pretty animated and there were some high emotions. We are a union. I don’t think any union would rule out the possibility of strike action if their members wanted it.”
Notts are champions!
Scores on the doors
Chelmsford: Essex 295-2 v Somerset 433
Southampton: Hampshire 248 v Surrey 147 and 225-6
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 374v Warwickshire 258 and 7-3
New Road: Worcestershire 123 and 270-6 v Sussex 350
Headingley: Yorkshire 314-5 v Durham 346
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 265 and 41-2 v Lancashire 374
Canterbury: Kent 117-2 v Derbyshire 698-6dec
Lord’s: Middlesex 634-9dec v Gloucestershire 146-3
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire 189v Leicestershire 429 and 86-2
Preamble
Hello from, suddenly and wistfully , the penultimate day of the season. The Championship is decided, the beer cans empty.
There was no bunting in town when I went in to buy coffee and a bowl of chia seed overnight oats (this is the Guardian, and I highly recommend public and plants if you’re In Nottingham.) But I hope the city embraces their cricket team. The Championship is an arduous slog, to win, to beat Surrey, is a huge achievement.
Attention now turns to the other end of the table, where Durham, Hampshire, Yorkshire and Essex scrabble to escape the drop. Play starts here at Trent Bridge and around the grounds at 1030am. Do join us, and bring a cardigan.
