After a two and a half year break from the England Test team, his hard work, and determination to return to top-flight Cricket earned the selectors recognition and his superb performance as England’s leading wicket-taker in the series(despite only playing 2 out of a maximum of 3 Tests) has fully justified the faith shown in him by Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss.

Monty is a great example to all. He has a deep love and respect for the game. His ability to connect with others and the time he gives to people distinguish him as a special human being. Long may his star continue to shine.

Angelo Dundee was a legendary ‘corner-man’ to some of the world’s greatest ever fighters including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman.

Jim White of ‘The Daily Telegraph’ wrote an insightful tribute yesterday, and I have taken this excerpt from his piece which I think highlights the outstanding qualities required by ‘the man behind the man’:

”Having someone you can rely on unequivocally makes all the difference.  Angelo Dundee was sounding board, and sympathetic ear, counsellor and adviser.

He was a man who smoothed the rough edges and polished the dull bits.

Behind every great champion is often an unseen hand. Such men are prepared selflessly to subsume their own ego into the cause of promoting their charge, and are happy to live their own life entirely through the success of the other.”

Many of boxing’s leading names from inside and outside of the ring have showered fulsome praise on Dundee’s contribution to the success of his performers. He was obviously a remarkable man and his quality personal example of subsuming his own ego offers us all a powerful message.

RIP Angelo Dundee…

As a cricketer, Hove was one of my ‘lucky’ grounds. I scored my maiden County 2nd XI Century there (for Essex  in 1984), and scored 347 runs at an average of 173.50 in First-Class innings (due to 8 not outs innings) on the ground! With a career avaerage of 30, this statistic suggests there were plenty of grounds where I managed an average of less than 10!!

The ground has changed considerably since I retired in 2003 but the homely character of the seafront ground remains. New stands, a brand new shop and offices, new pavilions for players and for members, a new Indoor School, and permanent floodlights bring the place up to the standard required for modern-day professional sport.

However, most importantly, they remain a people-focused club.

The highly-personable Dave Brooks is a modern Chief Executive. He combines a love for the game combined with a considerable business experience, having run much larger businesses in his professional life to date. Professional Cricket Manager Mark Robinson is one of the most popular and respected people in the modern game. Renowned for his effort, honesty and control as a former opening/first-change bowler with Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Sussex, he was regarded as a ‘Cricketer’s Cricketer’. His smooth transition from playing to coaching as Peter Moores’ succcessor has surpassed the expectations of many. ‘Robbo’ is a determined and ambitious individual who could be destined for greater things one day, especially if Sussex continue to achieve in the coming years.

I bumped into three of Robbo’s loyal assistants today, as both Keith ‘Grubby’ Greenfield and former spinner Mark Davis were in the Indoor School working with the next generation of Sussex professionals, along with the energetic Fielding Coach Carl Hopkinson who is about to embaark on a team coaching role with Sussex 2nd XI in 2012 . All three are dedicated Cricket people and view a career in the game as a privilege not a right. I also saw the personable Jerry Heath, a former Sussex batsman too, and a coach of the Sussex age group teams who is loving putting his time and experience back into the game after a period working in another industry after his playing career ended in the mid 1980′s. Sussex like to keep it in the family.

Robinson and Davis, in particular, have both been very influential in helping Monty Panesar re-discover his form and confidence by allowing him to play a leading role, and providing the support off the field which is vital in helping a new player settling in to a new team and club. Monty and Matt Prior may be a long way from Hove right now as they seek a victory for England in Abu Dhabi in the 2nd Test v Pakistan, but I bet both of them are in touch with the Club on a regular basis as the link between the Sussex players and coaches is a strong one.

I also observed some of their younger charges hard at work today, and thought young Callum Jackson looks a wicket-keepr/batsman of immense promise based on the small snapshot I gained today. I am aware of the considerable work former Sussex Captain Alan Wells has put in with him at St Bede’s College along with several other gifted young players. It would appear that Wells’ contribution to Sussex could end up being greater than his immense commitment as a player over the twenty years he graced the county’s colours. If the production line of gifted players from his school continues, Sussex could end up being regarded as the Ajax of Amsterdam or FC Barcelona of English Cricket. Organic growth must be the the way forward.

What is it about Sussex and their ability to develop Wicket-keeper/batsmen? Is it the sea air or is it the legacy of Peter Moores?

When Peter was Sussex Coach he transformed the whole coaching programme and worked with the age-group teams himself as well as the professional playing staff. Cricket coaching knows fewer people with so much enthusiasm and passion as the former England Coach. He led a big turnaround in Sussex’s fortunes after former player Tony Pigott insitigated a vote of no confidence in the old committee and provided the catalyst for Sussex to become the successful Club it is today.

Today, was a special day for additional reasons. I took a very promising young cricketer, Billy Rogers, of Finchampstead CC, London County Colts and Berkshire Under 14′s, to select a new bat from Newbery for his upcoming 14th birthday.

We were hosted by Newbery Managing Director Neil Lenham, the former Sussex batsman. Neil and I are the same age and played a host of cricket matches against each other as schoolboys and became teammates with England Young Cricketers on Tour to West Indies in 1985. Neil was Captain, and an exceptional player at youth level, who, but for regular finger injuries may have developed into a top-class batsman for England. Instead he contented himself with a highly successful career with his beloved Sussex, the club his father Les, also represented in the 1960′s. Such family links are not uncommon, as former Captain Alan Wells’ son Luke is now excelling as a promising top order batsman for the south coast club, following in the footsteps of his father and also his Uncle, Colin Wells.

Neil looked after young Billy superbly today and spoke with real passion about cricket bats and the craft of Newbery as a bespoke bat-maker. His love for the game almost matches that possessed by his father, who has been one of the legends of cricket coaching in England since 1970. Les is still coaching the art of batting to the professionals and schoolboys in Sussex with his rare mix of gentle encouragement and deep technical knowledge. I remember going on NCA ‘South of England’ coaching courses with Les as the Head Coach when I was a 12 year-old full of dreams about a possible career in the game. To be coached by Les and his fellow Sussex & England colleague Don Smith along with Middlesex Legend Jack Robertson and Leicestershire’s Maurice Hallam was a privilege. The memories are vivid, even today.

Les used to insist we carried the bat in our top hand at all times and was a stickler for discipline, and always immaculate in his dress. He loved talking about the game and purred about some of theg reat batsmen especially those he knew well such as Ted Dexter, a Sussex and England legend.

When we left the Newbery bat-making area and made our way up to the Sussex Indoor School for a rare opportunity to practice alongside young professionals, Billy was beaming from ear to ear. New bat, new gloves, new pads and the chance to bat against the bowling machine in front of Sussex’s professional coaches. He was buzzing!

Personally, it made me feel that despite being his Coach, I wanted to turn back the clock (be 13) and live my life as a cricketer all over again! What a privilege it is to play such a great game where so many people quality people inter-act and genuinely care about their sport. It is a profession, but it is also vocational for so many.

From the Langridge brothers through to the Parks and Lenham father and son, the Greig brothers and the Wells brothers, Sussex remains the most homely of Clubs. It was a pleasure to be in the company of my former England Young Cricketers Captsain and see him still excited about the game and Sussex Cricket. He was off to see his father in the evening and no doubt the subject of batting and Sussex’s prospects for 2012 and beyond will be on the agenda over a glass of something special.

Long may Sussex continue to stay true to such values of being a family, and a person-centred organisation. English sport needs living, breathing examples of ‘community clubs’ who enjoy ‘all-round’ success.

With England 35-4, after conceding a 1st innings deficit of 146, the omens look bleak for the team rated as world’s number one rated Cricket nation.

Most interestingly, three of the top 10 batsmen (based on ICC World Rankinings) have made a combined total of 14 runs between them from six innings in this match! Alastair Cook (ranked 3rd) made 3 and 5; Ian Bell (ranked 4) made 0 and 3; and Kevin Pietersen (ranked 10) made 2 and 0.

Captain Andrew Strauss (ranked 26) made 19 and 6 to ensure that four of the top 5 made a gross total of 39 in the match! Has a top order ever scored so few runs in a Test Match before?

At such challenging junctures in a match, players tend to trot out some well-worn cliches and hope to move on as quickly as possible. Form is temporary, class is permanent is one cliche which may be in use right now.

However, each and every England player will be impatient for the next innings. Such desperation can contribute towards a lack of mental balance and the player can start to deploy a mental ‘force’ rather than accomplish the mental ‘flow’ that is present when a player is playing close to their best.

England is in for an uncomfortable few days as they seek to learn some key lessons and work their way back into a series which is only three days old. The portents do not look good, but England has shown over the past two years that it has considerable resilience.  With 3 of the world’s top 4 ranked bowlers at their disposal, England will hope to work their way back into the series. To do so, they will require their batsmen to learn more from their own failings, rather than consult the wisdom and experience of the estimable Graham Gooch and Andy Flower.

However, Pakistan look good and have a calmness about their Cricket to match their idiosyncratic playing quality.

Lancashire County Cricket Club won the County Championship for the first time in 77 years this past summer, under the excellent captaincy of Glen Chapple and a team full of Lancastrians.

Manchester City are the FA Cup holders.

Manchester United, three times European Cup winners, are the current FA Premier League Champions, winning their record 19th title in 2010-11) and European Champions League finalists.

BBC  has relocated to Salford from London and the nation’s favorite sporting programme ‘Match of the Day’ will be screened from the new BBC home in Salford in two weeks time.

The Commonwealth Games was a great success when held in Manchester recently.

The International Sports Management (ISM) Company is based in Mere, near Manchester, and (until last week), represents World Golf’s Major Champions in 2011: Rory McIllroy, Darren Clarke, Charl Swartzel, Louis Oosthuisen and previously represented Graham McDowell and Ernie Els, both Golf Major Champions.

British Cycling, is based in Manchester, and has been at the forefront of so many innovations and successes in recent years.

Manchester’s global sporting recognition came to major prominence with hte tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, when Sir Matt Busby and his Manchester United ‘Busby Babes’ were involved in a terrible tragedy which took the lives of the legendary Duncan Edwards and other members of the great team who were pioneers in Europe for British Football.

Manchester gave birth to sport’s first rock-star, George Best in the swinging sixties. Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the world’s most respected sportsmen remains a high profile but understated iconic figure at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson is regarded as the most successful British Football Manager of all time. David Beckham, one of the world’s most famous people, was made in Manchester.

The sporting capital of England (and arguably the world) would appear to be Manchester & District!

In 1915, ‘The Great Cricketer’, or ‘The Champion’ as he was known, passed on to the great Pavilion in the sky. He was mourned by one of the largest processions as he was laid to rest in Elmers End cemetry, South London, near his Mottingham home, at the age of 67.

He pioneered back-foot play and his quality of ‘all-round’ cricket transformed the game into a major spectator pastime in England. Grace was ahead of his time and like all geniuses, his legend has grown beyond his death as time marks how incredible his career and life were.

Grace was the first to :

score a triple century;

complete ’The Double’ of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in a season of English First-Class Cricket was in 1874 when he scored 1664 runs and took 139 wickets. He did ‘The Double’ on 7 occasions in total; 

score one thousand runs before the end of May;

score 100 First-Class centuries

score a Test century for England (and on debut);

pair of brothers to open the batting in Tests (1880 v Australia at The Oval with E.M. Grace)

to be involved in a century partnership in Test Cricket (with ‘Bunny’ Lucas);

captain England over the age of 50 (a record which is likely to stand forever);

play 44 seasons of First-Class Cricket;

were among his many ’firsts’ in Cricket.

54,211 runs and 2.809 wickets plus 876 catches (and 5 stumpings!) from 870 First-Class appearances takes some doing!

27 years after they won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, the ‘All Blacks’ have satisfied a nation, and ended the pain of ‘under-achievement’ at previous tournaments where they have been tipped as favorites but unable to deliver against the expectation.

The Christchurch earthquake and the Pike River mining disaster destroyed communities but in the wake of disaster, the human spirit can prove to be incredibly powerful.
The country’s hopes have been met on the rugby field and hopefully, off the field, a proud and warm-hearted nation can continue it’s re-building.

I wonder if the injury to the world’s best player Dan Carter early in the tournament reduced some of the expectation of the host nation’s fans and subsequently allowed the team to ‘breathe’ more in the run-up to the critical semi final against Australia? It is amazing how often teams emerge stronger without their ‘star’ player, even if the individual is a highly committed team player. 

The final in Auckland looked very tense despite the eary score by the host nation. Rigourous defence and high-level fitness supported the ‘All Blacks’ against a French onslaught right up to the final whistle, proving a victory for the experienced coach Graham Henry and his support staff, as well as a nation in mourning from the terrible earthquake which cost many lives recently.

A sporting victory of this magnitude can help a nation to heal its’ wounds, and create some new heroes for a future generation to look up to. How wonderful that New Zealand can enjoy the mother of all parties tonight…

The early passing of any cricketer is always very sad: one thinks of Graham Kersey and Ben Hollioake at Surrey, and how those events devastated the Surrey County Cricket Club for years subsequently.

Graham Dilley was a Surrey Coach at the time of Ben Hollioake’s emergence as a young cricketer of considerable promise.

Ben’s brother, Adam Hollioake, who was to become the successful County Captain, commented on Facebook this weekend on how considerable ‘Dill’s’  impact was, on a bunch of young players who were to form the backbone of an era of great success at The Oval in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s.

Successful Coaching is a selfless profession. A top coach empowers his players to develop and then ensures his charges are the ones who enjoy the limelight when playing success materialises down the road. Graham Dilley was one such Coach, and man.

Monty Panesar was one of the first to come forward publicly to acknowledge the big contribution ‘Dill’ made to his career at Loughborough University beofre he became a full-time professional cricketer with Northamptonshire and England. Others followed suit very quickly – men and women County and England cricketers, who had been nurtured by the former England fast bowler.

It will be as a Greek-God looking fast bowler who helped win the Ashes in 1981 and 1986-7 that Dilley will be most remebered by the cricketing public. He could bowl fast and swing the ball late. I will always remember his fantastic spell of top quality fast, outswing bowling on the first morning of the Lord’s Test against  Sir Vivian Richards’ all-conquering West Indians. He had them reeling at lunch after blowing away the top order,  including the world’s best player.

I played against him most often when he was a key man in Worcestershire’s success in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s. Dill, Neal Radford, Phil Newport and Ian Botham were a formidable attack to back up Graeme Hick’s phenomenal batting exploits.

On Friday of last week, I was at a Golf Day in aid of ‘Brain Tumour UK’, and amongst some of Kent County Cricket Club’s ‘great and good’. ‘Deadly Derek’ Underwood and John Shepherd were stunned, but also generous in their praise of the former fast bowler who became an England legend after he helped Ian Botham turn around the greatest of all Test matches at Headingley in 1981.

He suffered from injury and lack of confidence, despite being a very gifted bowler. In fact, after the famous Headingley Test of 1981, he was dropped and soon found himslef in Kent’s 2nd Xl, such was his fall from grace and dip in confidence after bowling ‘very poorly’ (in his words) during Australia’s first innings.

Life is full of ups and downs, and it would seem that ‘Dill’ experienced some extreme highs, and several lows during his life. He can now join his friend and former Kent and England team-mate in ‘the Pavilion in the Sky’ to reminisce about all the good times. No doubt ‘Wooly” will be coaching the everyone up there and telling them all how well ‘Dill’ will fit into the team he is coaching in the heavens…

As a man, I always found him enjoyable company, except of course, from 22 yards away when he had a cricket ball in his hand and about to release it from his long ‘dragging’ delivery stride!

He was a sensitive man, appearing to lack the self-belief which could match his personal skills and characteristics. He was funny too, and always ready with a dry quip. He was under-stated as a man, and always happy to help others. The last time I saw him was appropriately with Beefy at  James Erskine’s new film ‘The Ashes’ at its film premiere in Mayfair last summer.

Coaching seemed to be the perfect profession for a man of his qualities. How sad that Cricket has lost one of its best so young.

Dill, R.I.P. my friend.

The quality of Cricket on display was of an excellent standard and the level of competitiveness was very high on the field of play. Off it, everyone integrated superbly and much fun was had by all.

To have contrasting formats of a two innings T20 Match (where the 10/10 innings split was between the start of day one , and the conclusion of day two as a climax to the Special Event) provided the boys with the challenge of moving from a high-energy, fast-paced game to a more sedate pace. This was in the form of the 2-Day four innings match which was played as ‘the main course’ of the London County Special Event.

‘Compton’s Xl’ (young gentlemen of the south) enjoyed a ‘moral victory’ in the drawn 2-Day game, having finished in the ascendancy after a difficult first day when the qualit yof the bowling from ‘Hutton’s Xl’ was most impressive. Yorkshire’s new ball pair of Matthew Taylor and Ed Barnes could be a ‘Gough & Hoggard’ in the making, while James Logan looks a natural left arm spin bowler. Will Cousins of Nottinghamshire added solid support with his seam bowling and good catching, while Lancashire’s wicket-keeper, James Seward, led the team with intelligence and drive.

Berkshire’s Max Stevenson played the ‘stand-out’ innings with 98, having been dropped at slip second ball of the match, having made a nought in the 10/10 45 minutes previously. What a game Cricket is, and how often one’s personal success can sit on the sharpest of knife-edges!! Max’s concentration, patience and discipline were admirable throughout his innings until being undone by an interval which seemed to affect his steady rhythm, and the taking of the second new ball which led to his dismissal when ‘bounced out’ by the hostile Yorkshiremen who excelled with the new ball late n the evening and early the following morning.

Surrey’s Ryan Patel made a telling contribution for ‘Compton’s Xl’ with the bat in the lower order to provide his team with a competitive first innings total, before excelling with the ball later in the game on day two.

There was enterprising captaincy from both Nathan Baxter (Kent) and James Seward (Lancashire) on the second day where ‘Hutton’s Xl’ declared on 150 behind to set up the opportunity of a 4th innings run chase.

‘Compton’s Xl’ played very well to set up a 275 lead with Surrey’s Ollie Trower making a classy half-century and Kent’s Marcus O’Riordan providing some intelligent batting before and after the lunch break to put his team in a dominant position.

‘Hutton’s Xl’, chasing 276 to win off a minimum of 58 overs, replied with a solid start but the quality of Kush Patel’s (Middlesex) leg-spin bowling and the excellent fielding support by his team pegged ‘Hutton’s Xl’ back and a drawn match became their only realistic goal as Will Cousins (Nottinghamshire) and James Seawrd (Lancashire) led them through some choppy waters and towards the shore where they were able to emerge with much credit from the drawn game.

The contrast was then created with a ‘manic’ 10/10 which required the two teams who were depleted of much of their energy reserves, to raise their games for a high-paced, intense effort to score as quickly as possible from 10 overs each.

I purposely placed a limit of half an hour on the Captain Nik Rawal (Middlesex) to complete the first ten overs of the match, with the penalty of deducting each over they had not completed in that time period from their batting reply. I wanted to expose the boys to the experience of having operate under great stress where time is at a premium and chaos surrounds them.

Connor Marshall (Nottinghamshire) played maturely and Harrison Phelan (Lancashire) played sensationally at the end of the innings, striking two straight sixes over long off to ensure the final over put their team in a dominant position with a three figure team score.

‘Compton’s Xl’ were always likely to struggle in pursuit of such an imposing total once the first over went for only three runs and their dominant strokemaker Marcus O’Riordan was run out in a mix-up. His Kent team-mate Zak Crawley replaced him and unfurled some delightful strokes before his dismissal to a fine catch (one of many throughout the 2 day experience) on the boundary.

It seemed a bridge too far for ‘Compton’s Xl’ , with 45 needed off only three overs, but Billy Rogers (Berkshire) played the innings of a lifetiome when he struck three successive sixes over long on and deep mid-wicket to give his team a lifeline and ‘only’ 25 more to get from the last two overs. Middlesex’s Kush Patel enhanced his growing reputation as a player of promise over the two days with a few more glorious strokes to the boundary, leaving him and Billy Rogers with 12 to get off the final over. Kush hit a boundarey off the first ball, scored nothing off the second, and struck the third over extra cover towards the boundary, where Connor Marshall ran round from long off and dived forward to toake a courageous and remarkble catch on the move at full tilt. It was ’the champagne moment’ in a couple of days which were filled with several other contenders for the honour.

With three balls remaining and 8 runs needed, and Billy ROhgers back on strike, ‘Compton’s Xl’ were still in the match but with only one scored off the fourth ball to long off and a new batsman on strike needing 7 off two, it was a tall order in the fading light once the day’s dazzling sunshine had dropped over the horizon. Nik Rawal played and missed off the fifth and could only manage a couple of runs off the last to conclusde a remarkalbe match and a superb couple of days.

I loved it, and it was a pleasure to be able to work with 26 gifted and delightful youngsters.

My thoughts were shared by my fellow Professional Coaches and Professional Mentors, all of whom added great value to the process with hteir observations and interventions throughout. Fabian Cowdrey (on the ground opened by his late grand-father Sir Colin)and Paul Jarvis, the former Yorkshire and England fast bowler, were assigned as Coaches to the two teams, while Graham Charlesworth, Lloyd Scott, Mo Pardesi shared umpitring duties in between engaging the boys in conversation on and off the field about their lives and how best to move forward. Devon Malcolm’s huge presence and insightful contribution over lunch was another highlight, as was the invaluable contribution of the evergreen Jack Birkenshaw who remains as enthusiastic about the game as a young cricketer on Christmas Day receiving his first cricket bat.

Having such experienced Cricket people as part of our London County process is what helps to add to the richness and diversity of our professional mentoring work. I thank you all for your wonderful contributions.

Akhil Rawal performed the scoring duties with his usual reliability and good natured humour while the staff at SHneley under the direction of the charming Glucka Wijesuriya and Tony Reeder, helped to make the event do special. And finally, a special thank you to all the parents for supporting the event with such enthusiasm and for being so respectful of the ‘team space’ which allowed me to facvilitate the learnign experience in the best way I could possibly have wished for.

A special thank you to Barry Hearn and his Matchroom oganisation, Monty Panesar, Gemaal Hussain,Glucka Wijesuriya, NBC Sports Management, and Dilip Jajodia at Dukes Cricket Balls for being such generous sponsors and supporters of London County’s work in developing people to grace the game.

The sun shone gloriously, and the Cricket was exceptional. The boys arrived as strangers and left as friends. Parents met for the first time, while others were re-connecting. It was special to have my own parents in attendance too – they have alwys beeen a source of great strength and support in my life. For them to see so many others going through the trials and tribulations of watching their sons pursue excellence at Cricket must have been a fascinating process for them to have observed. Mum and Dad (Marie and Roy) have been through the mill watching my brother Ian and me play County Age Group schools cricket, and also with the professional football dream too. Their unconditional loving support has been continuously amazing.

That’s one of the many reasons I love Cricket.  What a game!!

He joins Monty Panesar and Gemaal Hussain as sponsors of the Special Event, which is designed to identify and develop future talent for ‘top-class’ cricket.

Barry Hearn’s Matchroom organisation have been instrumental in transforming many sports over several decades and as Chairman of the company, the popular Essex-based self-confessed ‘sports nut’  has been central to identifying and developing sporting and commercial talent, and providing the platform for it to succeed.

Matchroom’s support of London County has come through the long-standing friendship between Barry and myself, since we first met when I was a young wicket-keeper/batsman at Essex in the 1980′s during Essex’s golden spell of Championship-winning days under the captaincy of Keith Fletcher, and then England legend Graham Gooch. At the same time, Barry was busy with another Essex and England sporting success, the legendary Steve Davis, who became the six-time World Snooker Champion.

However, Cricket has always been a deep passion for the fun-loving Chairman of so many sporting organisations these days that it is hard to keep up with him and his zest for life. Leyton Orient, PDC Darts, World Snooker, PGA Europro Tour Golf, Poker, Fish-0-Mania, and marathon running to name but a few.

Barry’s son Eddie, himself a fine cricketer and former Essex Schools All-Rounder, is now playing a major role at Matchroom’s Essex-based headquarters, and is delighted to add his weight to the opportunity London County Cricket Club is creating for highly promising young cricketers to play quality Cricket, on good grounds, under the watchful eye of experienced Cricket people.

Barry Hearn and the Matchroom team are a passionate group of fun people who love their sport. It is great to have them on board as a sponsor of young cricketers to help nurture the future generation of England cricketers to maintain England’s push to remain at the summit of the game.

Barry, I thank you and all of your great team…