Cricket Captain 2020 – Discount Promo!

Where to start. It’s all to much. This article might not be coherent!

We did it! We gained promotion back to County Championship division two in the most nail-biting fashion. In our final game we lost the toss, conceded 428 and were made to follow-on despite opener Matthew Revis carrying his bat. We set Derbyshire a paltry 127 to win with C Fry claiming 9-83 (!) but reduced them to 89-9 thanks in the main to our spinners. Their final wicket pair then produced the highest partnership of the innings to reach 120-9 when Matt Fisher, who had struck a vital 63 not out from number ten in our second innings, bowed out of professional cricket with the promotion sealing wicket. A full house went wild. There were tears, screams of jubilation and lots of bubbly. We’ll be back in the big time in 2032!

Forget the T20 campaign and we blew a good start in the One-Day competition but it’s top flight First Class cricket for Yorkshire once again. There were lots of contributors with the bat throughout the campaign including a century on debut from 17-year-old gloveman Chris Patrick. Homegrown talent Norman Dobson brought his white-ball skills to the four-day game to lead the way with the red orb. Oh… and batsman and part-time leg-spinner Fred Albright claimed nine wickets in a innings!

In the crucial match against Derbyshire, all-rounder Phillip Morris scored a century that nearly denied us promotion. We’ve had our eye on him for sometime (Because he shares his name with my dad!) so signed him up after the match. We’ve also signed a couple of specialist T20 bowlers (Jason Daniel-WI/Lakmal Sharman-SL) after New Zealander Geoffrey Donald’s horror show. We thought we’d recruited a third (Ranga Wijetinge) but accidentally got him to put pen to paper on a reserve overseas contract not a T20 contract (!) so unless captain Josh Phillipe is away with the Ozzies much, we won’t be seeing a lot of the Sri Lankan all-rounder!

Jordan Thompson, who made some useful contributions but also missed a chunk of the season due to playing in The Hundred, has been released once again as has young batsman Martin Woodcock.

We’ll see you in 2032 for County Championship division one cricket. I’ve rejected offers from Baluchistan amongst others to lead Yorkshire for a thirteenth campaign. My heart is a white rose!

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Cricket Captain 2020 – The Year 2030!

In 2030 we celebrated my ten-year tenure by winning only one match in both First Class and List A cricket (Though for the second year running we were involved in a tie!). We did at least win five T20 games but could only finish sixth in our group. Finishing bottom of County Championship division two and once again failing to reach the knockout stages of either white-ball competition for the eleventh year in a row was a disappointment.

On the plus side prolific homegrown batsman Jon Baldwin won long overdue Test recognition. Sadly he slipped out of the picture quite quickly as teammate Dennis Brindell continues to be selected ahead of him despite struggling to adapt to Test level. Michael Hurst continues to perform well for England’s limited overs sides.

Albert Boxall (350 LA runs) and James Wharton (434 T20 runs) performed extremely well whilst Ed Barnes racked up 19 T20 wickets.

Oh, we did score 808 against Kent in the County Championship with our top four batsmen all scoring centuries!

Long serving captain Jonny Tattersall has been released at the age of 35 whilst teenage batsmen Chris Drinkell has also departed following a tough baptism at professional level. Fellow batsman Vic Walton as well as Australian T20 bowler Richard Hunt, who failed to back-up a good first campaign at Headingley, have also headed out the exit doors.

Josh Phillipe will return as our overseas player for a fourth year. Having captained the side in limited overs cricket the Australian will do so in the First Class format. Teenage wicketkeeper Christian Patrick has also joined us and New Zealand pacer Geoffrey Donald has been recruited exclusively for the T20 Blast.

I’ve rejected offers from Sussex and yet another offer from New Zealand to try and put things right in a twelfth season at Headingley!

Cricket Captain 2020 – Season Ten

After losing our opening T20 match, we went on to win five in a row under the leadership of new captain Josh Phillipe. Sadly the poor scheduling that allows the County Championship to interrupt the T20 Blast disrupted our rhythm. We crashed out of the knockout qualifying places following defeat in our last match. In truth our batting unit didn’t set the world on fire. Harry Brook (489 runs) performed superbly though and had a strong season across all formats. However it was our bowling attack who were to a man, excellent. Inexperienced Australian pacer Richard Hunt (28 wickets) led the way.

As normal, there was little to cheer in One-Day cricket. We did feature in a thrilling tie but it was the wooden spoon for us once again. Albert Boxall (234 runs) and Dom Leech (9 wickets) were the better performers but their low numbers confirm what a difficult campaign it was.

In four-day cricket we did okay but were always a little short of making a genuine promotion push. Josh Phillipe totalled 1089 runs but Matthew Fisher (63 wickets) was in phenomenal form throughout the campaign. Opener Matthew Revis continued his improvement and in the final match of the season, played his 100th First Class game. Curiously, he’s only ever played five limited overs games.

Spin-bowler James Logan has surprisingly retired and pace bowler Josh Rippenden has been released. Josh Phillipe will return as overseas player for a third season and Richard Hunt will rejoin us for some Twenty20 action. After a few years away from the professional game, we’ve resigned all-rounder Jordon Thompson, in particular to strengthen our limited bowling stocks.

In 2030 we’d dearly love to make the knockout stages of a white-ball competition or/and get promoted back to division one of the County Championship.

Cricket Captain 2020 – Failing to Get Over the Line in Season Nine!

After nine seasons of County Championship division one cricket under my leadership, it all came crashing to an end. There would be no last day of the season rescue job this time.

Needing to not just beat Glamorgan but thrash them in the final round of games to send them down instead of us, we just couldn’t do what we did against Derbyshire last year (Please refer to the scorecard above).

Our batting unit actually performed well. Opener Matthew Revis (1227) led the way with the likes of James Wharton and Josh Phillipe among others also contributing significantly. Our bowling unit wasn’t too bad either but the experienced duo of Ben Coad and Sam Cook, released at the end of last season, were missed. Spinner James Logan topped the charts with a healthy 67 wickets.

Sadly we finished bottom of our group in both One-Day and T20 cricket for the second consecutive season.

I’m delighted to confirm that I’ll remain in my role and look forward to helping the club regain its first division status. Joe Root has retired whilst George Hill and Jared Warner have not had their contracts renewed. Australian pacer Richard Hunt joins us for T20 cricket only.

Cricket Captain 2020 – Season Seven

Some say that seven is a lucky number… they must be joking!

My seventh season at the helm of Yorkshire County Cricket Club promised so much but ultimately provided so little. We started both white-ball formats well only to finish bottom and when second or at least third place seemed an almost certainty in the County Championship… we slipped to fifth following the final round of games.

Dennis Brindell (1337) and Sam Cook (67) led the way on the runs and wickets front respectively in First Class cricket. Feroze Khushi, signed from Essex a few seasons ago and having overcome injury problems, starred in the List A games with 356 runs including a maiden professional century. Ed Barnes claimed 12 wickets. In T20s Jon Francis smacked 504 runs while Matthew Waite picked up 18 wickets.

A special mention to Matthew Waite and Matthew Fisher too. The loyal Yorkshireman, both of whom have captained the side during my tenure, each made maiden First Class tons in the same innings… then each recorded a second later in the season for good measure. Both Fisher’s centuries came batting at number nine!

We’d actually started the season with three consecutive victories in the County Championship however following injury to captain Jonny Tattersall, Brett D’Oliveira took time to grow into the role. Grow he did though. We were incredibly unlucky not to win a couple more T20 games than we did and started the One-Day competition well. We registered a few more positive results in the final segment of the County Championship campaign and D’Oliveira performed admirably throughout, making vital contributions with bat and ball. It was clearly all too much for him though… as he promptly retired at the end of the season!

Wicketkeeper Ben Birkhead has also left the club after not quite grasping his opportunities, including a big one this year when Tattersall was absent. Ken Wainwright has also departed. We would’ve loved to provide more opportunities for Ken but theory of numbers and selection consistency just made it impossible. Brett Hutton and Frank Gillet both leave Headingley after not featuring in 2026. In the case of Gillet, we just can’t provide opportunities for an extra fast bowler. We’re playing in England not Australia! 24-year-old off-spinner Andy Kevan, promoted from the youth team at quite a late age, also sets sail following the emergence of Michael Hurst.

Australian international Josh Phillipe joins us as both a batting option for all formats and also a capable gloveman to back-up Tattersall and George Lavelle. We’ll have a smaller squad in 2027 but can afford additional training and physio sessions.

Cricket Captain 2020 – Six Seasons In!

The 2025 (I think!) campaign was by far our most respectable to date. In the County Championship we finished fourth for the second consecutive season. Once again Jon Baldwin (1242) and Sam Cook (47) topped the run scoring and wicket taking charts respectively in the First Class format

In the One-Day competition we placed a respectable 6th in our group. Jon Francis (642) and Ed Barnes (15) led the way stats wise, the former chalking up three tons and a 99 in a scintillating run of form at the top of the order.

We even performed a bit better in Twenty20 cricket by finishing 7th. Fred Albright (483) did alright and overseas player Scott Collins (21) earned his generous salary.

Harry Brook experienced a renaissance, scoring over 1052 County Championship runs including three hundreds. Brook benefited from an injury to James Wharton and didn’t look back!

As we look to ahead to 2026, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Jack Shutt and Scott Collins have not had their contracts renewed. Kohler-Cadmore has barely featured at all in recent seasons due to The Hundred and England duty. We would’ve liked to retain Jack Shutt but due to finances and lack of playing time it’s probably in everybody’s best interests if he moves on at this stage. Collins won’t be available for the whole of next season and his salary is a strain on our finances. We have limited coaching and physio resources for the upcoming season having had an abundance this year.

Disclaimer: Had I not made a selection cock-up I’d like to think that Baldwin would’ve scored even more County Championship runs!

Cricket Captain 2020 – Season Five

Finally, after five seasons in the job, things have started to progress. This season saw a fourth place finish in the County Championship but had we been able to turn a few frustrating draws into wins it could’ve been even better.

At the top of the order the combination of the stoic Matthew Revis and aggressive James Wharton complimented each other well.

Jon Baldwin topped the CC run charts with 1387 including a best of 277. Dennis Brindell came good too. He made four consecutive centuries in the latter stages of the campaign and fell only nineteen runs short of making it five. England Test cap Sam Cook claimed 51 wickets.

In the One-Day competition we finished fifth in our group. After a century in the opening game it was a huge shame that James Wharton missed the rest of the tournament through injury.

Jon Francis accumulated an impressive 547 runs with a best of 151, one of two centuries that he registered. Matthew Fisher, captain for the format in the absence of Jonny Tattersall (Playing in The Hundred) claimed a club best 16 wickets.

Sadly, we only mustered two victories in the T20 format. In an inglorious campaign we were even dismissed for 49!

Fred Albright did chalk up an encouraging 373 runs while Jared Warner made the most of a run in the side to claim 15 wickets.

All in all though, there was much improvement and much to build on.

Experienced duo Adam Lyth and Dawid Malan, neither of whom featured for the first team this season, have left the club. Getting said players off the wage bill has freed up funds for additional coaching and physio sessions.

Australian leg-spinning all-rounder Scott Collins, capped in both ODI/T20I cricket, replaces Rahkeem Cornwall as our overseas players. Sadly Scott will be unavailable initially as he’s been signed to play in the IPL. We’ve also added free agent Ken Wainwright, a batsman, to our squad to provide cover for The Hundred call-ups.

Meanwhile I’ve rejected offers to join both Durham and Otago. My heart lies with Yorkshire!

County Snippets!

A quick glance of the county scores this morning and a few names caught my attention.

James Killer Weighell, surprisingly underplayed then released by Durham, is turning out for Leicestershire. Meanwhile another all-rounder, Yorkshire’s Ed Barnes, is making his professional debut as a loanee at Derbyshire. Barnes was actually loaned out to Sussex last season but didn’t make it onto the field. Wicketkeeper Brooke Guest is also on loan at Derbyshire but his move will become permanent next season.

Tom Loten, George Hill and Jared Warner are among the reasons that the aforementioned Barnes has had to go out on loan. All are playing for Yorkshire, alongside more established young players such as Jordon Thompson and Harry Brook. Dawid Malan, fresh from a double ton but only just back from injury, joins Zimbabwe born Gary Ballance on the sidelines.

Fellow Zimbabwe born player Nathan Gilchrist is making his premier professional outing for Kent on loan from Somerset. Meanwhile Blake Cullen and Will Sheffield are also registering their professional debuts as Middlesex host Sussex.

Spinner Simon Kerrigan, infamously once capped at Test level for England, is representing Northamptonshire and the very best of luck to him and all the players mentioned above.

Isn’t it great to have some First Class county cricket to follow?

Cricket Captain 2020 – Fourth Year

Four years into my tenure and still we haven’t added any silverware to the trophy cabinet. I know that the fans are growing frustrated but in 2023 there was some encouraging development of our project.

Once again we retained our County Championship division one status. Selection consistency was a huge part of our progress whilst having sufficient stocks to rotate our bowling attack appropriately. Jon Baldwin developed as so many had hoped by totalling 1220 First Class runs. Sam Cook led the way with 48 wickets to earn the former Essex man an England call-up.

Sadly it was the wooden spoon for us in the One-Day competition. This was despite Harry Brook (271 runs) grabbing a career lifeline and leg-spinning all-rounder Brett D’Oliveira (12 wickets) excelling on his new home turf.

We suffered heartbreak in the T20s as our experienced and youth composite so nearly got us to the knockout stages courtesy of six victories before falling away come crunch time. Again it was Baldwin (360 runs including a score of 99) who led the run-getting while Matthew Waite claimed 18 wickets.

All-rounder Waite captained the One-Day side, shorn as usual of The Hundred players. Wicketkeeper Jonny Tattersall stepped into the role for the four-day format and led the side particularly well in Twenty20 cricket.

Sadly Gary Ballance has left us and I’d like to place on record our gratitude to our former skipper who wasn’t able to make a first team appearance this season. Jordan Thompson and Nathan Ellis (Due to lack of funds!) have also left the club.

Our fans will however be hugely excited by the arrival of West Indian icon Rahkeem Cornwall. The off-spinning all-rounder will add a new dimension to our team. We can’t wait to see him take to the Headingley field in 2024. See you then!

Cricket Captain 2020 – Season Three

My third season in charge of my native Yorkshire followed a familiar pattern. We made a reasonable start to the County Championship before plummeting into the relegation zone. Last season’s star performer Nathan Ellis earning international (Australian) recognition didn’t help! We fought back however to stave off relegation and preserve our first division status once again.

We failed to buck the trend in white-ball cricket too. As usual we were stripped of nearly an entire playing XI come the One-Day competition as players sauntered off to The Hundred. We made an horrific start and genuinely looked like we’d struggle to win a single game. We did however as a number of young players displayed glimpses of quality and even hinted at consistency. Sadly though, we finished bottom of our group.

It was a similar story in the T20 format where, despite a few wins, we were left to dine using a wooden spoon!

Despite our white-ball travails, there were some hugely encouraging signs of progress from a number of our less experienced players. Our batting unit isn’t getting any younger (Lyth, Ballance, Malan) but we’ve already begun the transition phase and I’m confident that some players (Jon Baldwin & Jon Francis among them) can really push on next season.

Among this season’s highlights were match figures of 10-169 for rejuvenated off-spinner Jack Shutt who also notched a maiden First Class ton. All-rounder Ed Barnes scored a second County Championship century and claimed a maiden five-wicket haul in the same game while opener James Wharton produced a knock of 135 in a One-Day game.

We had to make some really tough decisions at the end of the season and I’m sorry to say that the following players have not had their contracts renewed: Will Fraine, Tom Loten, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Duanne Olivier, Matthew Pillans and Josh Poysden

We have however recruited Feroze Khushi, Sam Cook, Brett Hutton and Brett D’Oliveira who bring a strong skillset to compliment what we already have. Roll on 2023!