It's a Batsmans World

It was with glee last night that I sat down to read the 2007 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. I hadn't got 22 pages before I discovered this comment by Matthew Engel, the Editor, which really brought home the state of modern cricket and gave credence to my previous article Cricket's great conspiracy theory. It also put perfectly into words why cricket is such an enthralling game for so many:

'...the beauty of cricket cannot be measured by the number of runs hit in a day. It is a game of context, hinging on the delicate balance between bat and ball. That balance has been getting ever more out of kilter: batsman get stronger, their bats more effective, their padding more generous, the pitches less interesting, umpires more cautious, yet bowlers are scrutinised for the merest hint of ball-doctoring - they can't even get away with honest-to-goodness old-fashioned seam-picking any more'.

(Matthew Engel - Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2007. Pg 21)

Oh No! Outerbridge is out of the World Cup!

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. There will be any number of Indian supporters who are extraordinarily upset with our old chum Mr Outerbridge this week. There he is, wearing the colours of his proud nation, given the responsibility of opening on an overcast day against the sensational Bangladeshis and is he out nicking a big swinging delivery to first slip? Is he castled by a perfect yorker? Is he run out, an unfortunate slip leaving him stranded half way down the wicket after a gritty 60 minute knock in adverse conditions? No, our pal shovels a Mortaza short one straight down the throat of long leg having faced four balls. Nice. Don't go to Mumbai under your given name Stevie. You might not make any friends... At least you didn't have to wait for the umpire to give it... Soooo... let's have a look at that World Cup in full. Sri Lanka game? No... not selected. 9 in his debut against India... hmmm. Then a Heston Blumenthal (answers on a postcard will win a laudatory post) against Bangladesh. 9 runs at 4.5. What a sensational world cup. Wickman is not quite sure what Karma is and he has trouble spelling Shadenfreude but both words seem oh so apposite.

Club Dinner - Who got the other baubles?

Wickman felt a little queasy on Sunday morning. One too many celebratory something or others made the Sunday morning "you get up with them, no you" parental duties somewhat painful. Through the fug Wickman recalls that a number of gongs were handed out. Sadly he has no record of this owing to Mackie's Mum's tidying skills. So this "Still Life with Fielding Cup" will have to do. There were nominations in all the categories but Wickman's napkin on which all were hastily scribbled is long gone after an incident with a recalcitrant glass of surprisingly good Sandown Park red wine. Suffice it to say that those nominated were unlucky to miss out in a competitive season... Clarky picked up the fielding prize for topping the Fullers League dismissals table for 2006. Zam picked up the bowling prize for some quite delightful leg spin bowling which connoisseurs claim is the best seen from a young player at the Wick for many a year. AJ secured the batting prize for delivering real consistency and weight of runs across his curtailed season - and the small matter of two tons. If only he had stayed away from ironmongery perhaps he'd have outscored even Matty D and Gatesey. The much coveted player of the year prize went to Matty D. Matty could well have won the batting prize in another year and is turning into a player that can be relied upon to make a heavy contribution with his beloved BDM. However his captaincy swung the day. With only a couple of new additions to the Wick family Matty piloted the 1s through an unbeaten season for the first time in so long that no one can remember the last time it happened if at all. Frankly Wickman could see that trophy presented about 12 more times before the Wick has to give it back at the end of the season. Wickman loves Matty D or... Championees, championees etc etc.

Club Dinner - The Big Bauble

Forget the batting, bowling, fielding and player of the year award. The big prize on Club night is Wick Man of the Year. It's all very well getting out there and winning a prize for enjoying the facilities this great club has to offer, but, behind the scenes any number of stalwarts make sure that for those of us who turn up in the first week of May, stretch a bit and air out musty kit, everything is, if not quite boo, then certainly tickety. Many people were thanked at the club dinner on Saturday for their contribution to the club in 2006. Wickman would even put some photos up had he taken a camera, or if Mackie's Mum hadn't tidied away his download lead. Dave Fudge and Paul Hibberd give of their time freely to organise social events both during the season and also during the Winter. Mark Mackie is our press man and Sunday statistician. Goldy (how do you spell that surname?) captained the Sunday side - a labour of great love with a Sunday morning hangover and only seven confirmed... Andy Moore (the only man with his own club song) has dragged the 2s kicking and screaming to two respectable placings in two years. Chris Hirsch was also recognised for his fantastic contribution to the colts set-up which continues to flourish after 8 years with Chris at the helm. Three people were nominated for the trophy. Gareth Jones - 1s keeper and protector of the great tradition of wicket keeping sideburns started by the great Godfrey Evans - was nominated for having a fabulous season behind the sticks, for beginning the process of forging proper links between the senior sides and the colts and for revamping the club website. Jim Dowler was nominated for his tireless work behind the scenes. When Jim took over the running of the bar he demonstrated that it was extraordinary that a club like ours can't make money on its operation. His quiet revolution has ensured that there are systems in place to make sure that we continue to make money and the club goes from strength to strength. Kirk Laight received the final nomination. Kirk joined the club two years ago and last season was the leading wicket taker for the 2s with his big swinging lef arm over stuff. As former 1s skipper Pete Culham pointed out it's "amazing" that the one person who probably attended every net from January to September, was the season's most improved player. Not only did he achieve that, in 2005 he set up the HWRCC forum which has kept those of us with nothing better to do highly amused during the dark days of winter. But the winner came from outside this field. Keith has worked tirelessly for the club during the last few years. From the depths of despair in 2004 when the two Saturday sides managed fewer than five victories between them and there were seldom 22 players available, Keith has marshalled the club's resources and through almost Stakhanovite example has dragged the club out of a malaise caused by the retirement of virtually two full sides after the Millennium. He hasn't done it alone of course, but he's the one who has been everywhere, at all times of the day and night and at personal expense both financially and in terms of the time he lovingly devotes. He is what it means to be Wick. Wickman salutes him.

Ladies of the Wick - We Salute You!

The WAG's (damn I hate that acronym) of cricketers are notoriously long suffering. The term 'Cricket Widows' is apt indeed. The game is long and all consuming for players' partners

And so it is that we salute our ladies of the Wick. We realise and genuinely appreciate all you have to put up with so we can play the game we love and then stumble in drunk every saturday night from April to September...

But please remember just because we take you out to dinner, buy you flowers, offer to look after the kids a bit more often, or are just generally extra-nice without apparent reason doesn't mean we are trying to score points, so we can spend more time playing cricket.....

honest...

RIP Cricket

It's been busy down at the rumour mill this week. There has been more than the seasonal amount of hot air in the sails, and everyone has been working extra hours. It was hoped that it was just a contingency plan, but every cricketing nightmare became reality last night as it was announced that Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach had indeed been murdered.

There seems to be two obvious scenarios at this juncture.

The first and the one that everyone is quietly praying for, is an outraged 'fan' was so distraught at Pakistan's loss to Ireland that they have done the unthinkable . This raises many question about why the game has attracted this kind of fantacism.

The finger seems to be firmly pointed at the media and the sponsorship of the game which is pushed on us almost to the point forceful aggression. Players become corporate and then in turn, public property.

We have already seen the attack on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's house this week. The feeling of intrinsic belonging that the fan is developing has warped the keen watcher into the dangerous fanatic. And the media? Well they just all went along for the ride.

If this were the case, the cricketing fraternity could turn a blind eye, claim it was a string of isolated incidents, and walk on by. Tragic but not immediately damaging to a game that many hold sacrosanct.

The second touted reason, and the one emerging from the most calloused hands of those driving the rumour mill is altogether more sinister and reaches far back into the sinews of cricketing history. It is a shadow on the shoulder of cricket that has been a constant blot on the horizon.

There have been reports of games being fixed reaching back to the dawn of the game, and ever since, it has risen and subsequently faded away, only to rear it's monstrous head with frightening frequency. Time after time it has been dismissed with the blinkered hope that it had finally been eliminated. The truth was known. It was always easier to ignore than combat though.

And so it has come to this. A potentially apocalyptic watershed moment in cricketing history. A man much loved and respected within the game has been murdered. The hands at the mill are working fast and there are numerous match fixing conspiracy theories.

But consider this. If Bob Woolmer, who many saw as uncorruptable, (and if that was ever found to be untrue, my faith in cricketers would be well and truly destroyed), stood between a bookie and his ability to affect the outcome of a game of cricket, and has subsequently been killed then this truly is the end of the level playing field. Which player in their right mind would compromise the safety of themselves or their family for a game. If this is the case (and i say this as I hold a bag for the produce of the rumour mill, firmly in my hands) then our beloved game will be brought to it's knees.

"If ain't broke....."

Well i'm afraid this time it is broken and it needs fixing

Choked on cricket

Firstly I was genuinely saddened by Bob Woolmers death. As one commentator said he was the 'Real Mr Cricket'. To take on the role as Pakistan coach was brave, but to work within an administration that is so shambolic and take the team forwards was a phenominal achievement; but I also think he would be the first to realise that he hadn't got everything correct. He also came across as what is traditionally known as a 'Bloody nice bloke'.

Anyway...

As we all wait for the dust and media speculation over his death to settle, it has started to become akin to an Agatha Christie novel. I am just waiting for the press to announce that some little old biddy with NHS specs and a blue rinse has taken over the investigation.If there is indeed 'foul play' involved it really is a job for Miss Marple or Poirot.

You can picture the scene. Miss Marple, the classic English spinstress is out in the West Indies holidaying in the Carribean for the Cricket World cup with her nephew Montague. They are staying in the same hotel as the Pakistan team and get to know Mr Woolmer very well over afternoon Tea one day.

It then transpires they are staying in the room next to the Pakistan Coach. In the room on the other side is curious Frenchman named Monsieur Hercule Poirot - who is in the Carribean because his flight was diverted from New York on it's way to Paris. He is only in the hotel for one night.

The morning after the Pakistan v Ireland game they hear the maid scream and both rush in to see what is wrong. They are of course first on the scene. There is blood and vomit around Mr Woolmer. His death is 'Suspicious'.

The circumstances & the evidence:

-During World Crickets showpiece tournament the coach of one of the worlds most fanatical cricketing nations is found dead.

-There have been recent ball tampering and drug allegations. They have just crashed out of the tournament to a country which doesn't play the game on mass.

-He is the former coach of a team that was shamed with match fixing scandals and is rumoured to be about to expose all those involved.

Choked on Cricket....take it away Agatha....

please click on this link (http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/286676.html) for a serious response to what is disturbing times for the game of cricket. I was going to write one but then I read Sambit Bal's article and realised he had hit the nail on the head, and there was no point me attempting to match his argument.

Essential new training kit

As amateur cricketers up and down the land hail the official beginning of spring, minds are turning to that all important first game of the season. It is often a decisive marker to your teams fortunes and personal form.

It is with this in mind that fitness regimes have started in earnest - or slightly more faint heartedly in some cases.

So what is this years training equipment of choice for the amateur cricketer?

In the 80's it was the chest stretch. That incredibly uncomfortable piece of equipment consisting of 3 springs attached to two plastic handles which was impossible to stretch and if you could you were in serious danger of losing a nipple if one of the handles became sweaty and you lost your grip.

More recently we've had the Abdominal curler, used by many a club cricketer to iron out a few of those creases and winter wrinkles - only to then decide it was far too much like hard work and retire to the bar to work on the elbow groove.

Then there was those strange inflatable balls which resemble space hoppers with out handles. In fact i reckon space hoppers should be mandatory training equipment for wicket keepers. Great for leg strength.

And then our Ashes winning all-rounder and subsequently Ashes losing captain had a revelation. Get tanked up two nights before a game and get on a Pedalo! Great for the legs and aerobic exercise and you even get to go for a swim to complete the work out. Great for the club cricketer, but not sure it will take off on the international circuit. Bob Woolmer (RIP) was a great cricketing innovator, but I can't imagine he would have recommended Inzy and the boys try this one.

So remember, if you see one of the Wick boys out on one of Bushy parks' ponds or open stretches of water this season, remember it's all part of the training regime. I can picture the scene now: Goldy and Mackie racing round the fountain, only for Mackie to capsize and blame the size of his head. It's not gonna be easy. Any one got any experience?

Desktop Commentaries - Lively!

Is it just Wickman or have desktop commentaries got, well, amusing? Time was, looking for a cheeky bon mot amongst the monotony of "34.4 Giles tosses one up and Yousuf pats it back up the pitch" was like trying to find a flamboyant stroke in a Boycott stonewaller. Check out the work of Ben Dirs for the BBC here commenting on the South Africa vs Scotland game and his view on Graeme Smith's WAG. Here's Boycs after requesting the heavy roller aged 11 during the innings break at a keenly contested junior house match...

Second fiddle

Award for unsung innings of the tournament so far? How about Boucher in Gibbs' match against Holland, knowing someone had spanked six sixes and Kallis had scored a fabulous ton? Or what about Tendulkar today, batting in the shadow of Yuvraj and Sehwag? Either of those innings deserved a man of the match award on another day...

What a cracking week

Wow what a week in this world cup. Pakistan dumped on and dumped out. The "plucky" Irish making world cup history. India handed a cricket lesson by Bangladesh. Herschelle Gibbs becoming the first man to hit 6 big ones in an over in an International match. India recovering to top 400 against hapless Bermuda, Sehwag back to dangerous, swashbuckling form. Outerbridge failing to make double figures. Freddie back-pedalling and the England bowling looking toothless against "plucky" Canada. And the Aussies. Oh the Aussies. Could they look any better? Could they look any more like World Champions in the making? So how are those pundits doing? Anyone who fancied Pakistan... dowwwwnnnnnn...

Bob Woolmer - RIP

Wickman is astonished and gutted to hear the news that Bob Woolmer has died. As a young man Wickman lived in Kent. He could never work out whether he was a Man of Kent or a Kentish Man - but he followed Kent cricket nevertheless. Those were the days with Woolmer, Cowdreys, Iqbal, Ealham etc in the team. The county's done nothing since.

Does anyone think it's a coincidence that Woolmer died the day after his spineless charges succumbed to an Irish side that has shown it could bowl but has hardly threatened with the bat? Succumbed? Make that capitulated. Even if they had managed to muscle another 40 runs out of their sorry apology for an innings Pakistan would still be at the races. And only a couple of weeks after the controversy over the "fitness" of Shoaib and Mohammed Asif? And all the other extraordinary bull he's had to put up with over the last few months?

There should be heads hanging in guilt, not just shame, this week in the Pakistan dressing room.

Royal Cricket: Windies in decline?

Royal Cricket: Windies in decline? http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2032293,00.html

Windies in decline?

I may no longer be a student, but I still read Studenty newspapers. I've been brought up on the Guardian, which may explain my ability to be bland, agree with everyone, and generally be as uncontroversial as possible. Contrary to poular belief however, G2 in particular does have some decent stuff. Like this. What explains the decline in West Indian cricket. The article outlines the reasons of the decline, so if you care, you will clearly read it, I won't go into it further. My own opinions can be summed up in three letters, said in the style of Borat: U, S and A!

Outertheteam

Oh no! Our old mucca S Outerbridge has not made the starting eleven for the Sri Lankan game! Maybe he will get on the outfield with the refreshing sports beverages! Wickman may only be sat a desk enjoying a late lunch, but surely he's not suffering the same levels of disappointment... Oh well at least that will save the Sri Lankans from having to take 11 wickets rather than the usual 10.

Cricket in the West Indies - It's Wick

Can there be a better place for the cricket world cup to be held for the stay at home supporter from England or Wales than the West Indies? Take today's game for example. Kicks off at 14.30. Mostly the first innings of a one day game is fairly tedious give or take the Aussies setting South Africa 430 in Mick Lewis's match. One team is usually struggling to work out what a good target is. By the time work gets unbearable in late afternoon those of us with Sky or a surrepticious radio connection will be able to cash in on the last 10 overs. And then off to the pub for the innings break, the start of the reply, and back home in time to catch the denouement. Perfect.

Bowlers Get Good Work Out Against Zim says Pontnocchio

Australia's successful captain (not Mr Cricket) has elevated the art of post match spin doctoring to new heights following his sides rather dull win against Zimbabwe in the latest world cup warm up from the West Indies.

Pontnocchio tells us that he's really happy that his struggling one day attack didn't bowl out Zimbabwe on Tuesday because they got a better work out than England. I'm sorry? Old Papa Bucchano was telling us only a month or so ago that his bowlers needed to be challenged. Much of a challenge is it presented by Zim? So a work out consists of bowling for a long time does it? Isn't that what nets are for?

Wickman can't work this out. They bowl 50 overs at one of the World Cup's least fancied line-ups (who hasn't hammered them recently), fail to take all ten and Pontnocchio reckons that's a good work out. No. Wickman will take rattling up 280 odd and smashing a bad side (including Outerbridge) into the dust any day. All this has done is prove that the Australian attack can no longer take 10 wickets, even against the least competent batting line-ups.

An Outerbridge

Wickman wants to define Outerbridge. 1. To Outerbridge (verb) is to stand defiantly during a game of cricket having middled the ball and wait for an umpire to give you out. (Ideally the umpire suffers from poor eyesight and or hearing which will make the Outerbridge (noun) successful. 2. To spit on an opponent on a cricket field. Wickman saw an Outerbridge against England the other day when Stephen Outerbridge, playing for Bermuda, middled one to KP who snaffled him one handed at short mid wicket. Unbelievably he stood there. That's an Outerbridge if ever Wickman saw one. When frankly all the evidence is against you and you still feel compelled to have a look at the umpire. Wickman first saw one at the Wick in 2005 and he will be following Super Steve's progress through the world cup proper to see if there are any other Outerbridges... they're a lot more difficult to get away with on television...

Wickman Caught With Last Poster Tube

Wickman is in trouble. A colleague of Wickman's needed urgently to send a poster or other artwork out to a client. Wickman finds it necessary to earn money to pay for new edges for bats, whitener for his pads (LBW evidence) and other cricket related expenditure like Club Dinner Tickets. Wickman is forced to do this in an office. Wickman has, as a result, colleagues, many of whom do not understand cricket.

It irritates Wickman that he has never had the courage to take an old bat into the office (there's surely room for a mother-in-law joke here but Wickman passes up the opportunity, scorning such easy open goals) so, when the need arises to play the perfect forward defensive, imaginary off drive or flashing square cut (any batsman who has not been overcome by this urgent need in an office environment must surely be only pretending to be a batsman) Wickman must use the most bat-like thing available. Occasionally there is nothing to hand so he must only cock a wrist at an unnatural angle to indicate the presence of a bat.

Sadly for the colleague, now irate, Wickman works near the stationery cupboard. Here there used to be a ready supply of poster tubes. Poster tubes are almost perfect for the mimicing of cricket shots. Sure there are only a few batsmen (Fudgey is one) who would have so many rubbers on their bat that the grip would be that wide, but there is something about the pick-up on a poster tube, the wind resistance, the length, that almost perfectly mimics a 2lb 9oz Newbery or similar.

Which is why there are no poster tubes. Wickman has used them all to play crunching square cuts and off drives, delicate late cuts and has pulled a number of imaginary short balls. In his enthusiasm he has, more than once, clipped a desk or chair back, taking huge lumps out of his "bat" and rendering them unfit for purpose. So when the colleague was asking why there were no poster tubes left it probably didn't help that Wickman was flashing a square drive past an imaginary Outerbridge and jogging off down the office for a single to win an (imaginary match). The tube was in a sorry state and the bottom six inches was hanging off. Oh dear.

Cricket's great conspiracy theory

It may be because I am not opening bat, but I find one of the most exhilarating things when watching or playing cricket (at any level) to be the battle between the fearsomely fast bowler and the courageous opening batsman. The classic example which springs to mind for me is the battles Michael Atherton used to have with Allan Donald.

In that case it would be fair to say that the South African paceman had the better of the exchanges, but all that seems to have changed. The balance now seems to be well and truly with the batsman.

The problem is that pitches now are so slow, and this World Cup promises to epitomise this trend. The home side is a classic example. The West Indies is immensely proud of it's fast bowling traditions. If you look through the West Indies side now though you would struggle to find anyone with the pace to hurry most club pro's let alone top class batsman. It is a side full of players who can 'take the pace off the ball', and keep it tight during power plays.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The modern trend and ICC directives for pitch preparations and power plays to encourage big scores, are slowly killing off the fast men. Sure the best will always prosper as they learn new skills, and methods of out-foxing batsman, but once in a while can't we just have a quick strip or two. Must the ever-decreasing WACA strip be a clone of it's counter-part in Karachi. Fast bowlers must also be put on an even keel once in a while, and given a chance to put genuine fear into batsman, rather than just watching the ball whistle to the boundary with soul destroying reptition.

So here comes the conspiracy:

International cricket's governing bodies are now so dependent on huge broadcasting deals that they are desperate for matches to run their full coarse in order to keep sponsors happy and to avoid having to pay out large refunds to the ticket-buying public. To this end instructions have gone out to groundsmen that they must prepare pitches accordingly. The result is that most pitches are slow, low tracks - not much fun for any bowler of quality.

The worlds best cricketers are becoming one dimensional clones, just like the pitches they play on. They are losing valuable skills by not playing on a range of surfaces - For crying out loud it even seems to spill over into the post-match interview, such is their robotic like conditioning.

Some even argue for uncovered pitches again. Maybe not at the top level, but can we at least give the fast guys something to get their teeth into occasionally and make those flashy, arrogant twerps at the top of the order earn their runs. If he gets through the stage where he wonders whether he is going to get back to the pavillion alive, through courage and skill then he is worthy of his runs.

A multitude of fast runs does not always equate to facinating, absorbing cricket - At least not for everyone.

Why Minnows Won't Win The World Cup

Wickman is in the mood for a sweeping generalisation. The difference between the minnows and the big boys is the power of the big boys to bounce back when things aren't going too well.

Look at South Africa today. 66-7. That's a very deep hole they've dug for themselves. A fightback by Hall (60 odd) and Peterson and they scrape 192 together. Not a massive statement granted, but a Houdini-like escape.

They've probably given themselves more than a fighting chance (it's halftime in the game). The Irish were probably thinking (Wickman doesn't do accents) "This one, gentlemen is in the bag. Just a shame we aren't pulling this upset off in the tournament proper". Now there's every chance that they will be referred to as "Plucky" tomorrow in the popular news media. Nobody wants to hear that.

Similarly England weren't in rude health on a turning wicket at 132-5 and 186-6. Dalrymple's valuable 70-odd helped haul England to a more than adequate 286. For a moment towards the end of the innings, if you narrowed your eyes a smidge, with Saj and Plunkett giving it some tap, it actually felt like England were on top.

Wickman reckons the problem that the "lesser" sides are going to have is not in getting a few hearts to flutter on some sporty wickets, it will be in closing games down when they've got a breakthrough or two. Having said that, Wickman will be glued to the (rather sad) web scorecard on bbc.co.uk to see if our emerald isled neighbours can pull a fast one on the Jaapies...

World Cup off - Replaced by Lottery - Buchanan

In a piece for the Sun Herald (an Antipodean title) Sun Tzu Buchanan is at it again. The strategic genius from Oz tells us that leaking documents is a good ploy and that "...when it gets to the semi-finals (the Cricket World Cup) is a lottery." Right. So if Kenya get through to the semis again, and they're facing Australia he really thinks Australia have a one in two chance of winning? That you might as well get a velvet bag, drop two balls with Aus and Ken on them into the sack and persuade some nubile nymphette to draw out the winner? Hey why not? It would save us from having to watch a tedious one-sided bore fest. Wickman says why not host the final at the Wick? Wickman would happily scribble the names of the two protagonists on to a couple of pool balls and Nicholls could draw the winner out of an old jockie before organising a giant party. It would eradicate any worries about rain. Wickman does worry that there might not be enough room for the World's media... here's a particularly innovative lottery where they use dogs to pick out the numbers.

Club Dinner - 24 March 2007

Can you imagine this room full of Wick past and present? Can you see Bobby standing up and welcoming you, glass in hand, to the first Wick Dinner since - well - forever? Can you imagine seeing that trophy presented again to Matty D? Wickman hears that club dinner tickets are selling like hot cakes. The first club dinner for years is going to be a sell out and a massive reunion. Nicholls has taken a table. Richard Jell is rumoured to be involved in complex negotiations over a table. Ben Stephens has taken a table. Micky McMahon has taken a table. Old faces are flocking. Clownsy and Cranesy have been on the case and entertainment is booked. Raffle prizes are being assembled. Wickman is hoping that there will be a leg of lamb in the raffle. Pork at a push. There is talk of Karaoke. With Hibby in the room... are we sure? There will be speeches from club dignatories. The final few tickets are up for sale at the moment. Please get in touch with Dom, Cranesy or Clarky and let them know whether you can make it. £40. Bargain. Come and be part of the first memory of the season... 24 March...