State-school cricket at Lord's? Bring it on
The new T20 competition was launched at Lord's by Michael Vaughan and Heather Knight, both state-school-educated England captains, and it will be known as the Knight-Stokes cup (Ben Stokes was also state-educated). There will be a girls' and a boys' final hosted on the main ground at Lord's from next summer. Get your entries in now.
England's current batting line-up is a great advert for public-school sport. Opening with Zak Crawley (Tonbridge) is Ben Duckett (Stowe); Duckett was not just an awesome run machine from his first year at Stowe; he also amassed nearly 1,000 runs the year before at his prep school. After them come Ollie Pope (Cranleigh) and at No. 5 Harry Brook (Sedbergh). All very well, but if there's a fraction of that talent learning the game on what remains of the playing fields at state schools, we should surely try to bring it on. The first five batsmen in the first Test England played after the war (against India at Lord's) were all state-school-educated: Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook, Ben Compton, Wally Hammond and Joe Hardstaff Jnr.
Whoever would have imagined that the worst two teams in county cricket at the moment, currently battling it out at the bottom of Division 2, would be Kent (the county of Cowdrey, Knott and Underwood) and Middlesex (the county of Compton, Strauss and Gatting)? Meanwhile, at the top of county cricket various acts of torture were committed during Surrey's monster innings of 820 for nine declared on Monday. Surrey's skipper, Rory Burns, was presumably muttering to himself as he delayed his declaration through the longest, hottest afternoon of the summer: 'If they were dumb enough to put us in to bat, they deserve to pay for it.'
While quite what the Durham skipper Alex Lees was thinking as he kept spinner George Drissell on for 45 overs while he took one wicket for 247 is hard to imagine. Only 14 of Surrey's runs came from extras, which shows you how regularly poor Drissell and his fellow Durham bowlers managed to hit the full face of the Surrey bats.
I've never met an Aussie I didn't like, but it would be nice to stuff them at the Ashes this winter. Australia's batting line-up is pretty terrible. The current order features Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja (who is almost as old as me), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Beau Webster, none of whom are a patch on Hayden and Langer, Ponting or the Waughs. These Ashes could be England's for the taking, which would be a fitting climax to Ben Stokes's extraordinary, driven, focused cricket career.
These Lions could be one of the best teams our islands have ever sent abroad. The rugby is fluent and assured, free-flowing and attractive, with a mighty powerful front five. One of the most vibrant players is Henry Pollock. There seems to be a refusal by the more grizzled members of the rugby commentariat to acknowledge quite how much fun the 20-year-old flanker is to watch. It's no surprise that everyone who plays against him wants to clock him. But he's a game-changer and the sort of player who can bring the spectators flooding in.
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Humble Wimbledon star Jack Draper still drives seven-year-old VW Polo despite earning millions in prize money
Draper has revealed why he has shaved his legs SET OF WHEELS Humble Wimbledon star Jack Draper still drives seven-year-old VW Polo despite earning millions in prize money Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JACK DRAPER still drives the same old Polo car to training because he does not see the point of having a flashier vehicle in London, according to his pal Jack Pinnington Jones. Jones's Wimbledon dreams were fuelled as a teenager during early-morning car journeys with Draper listening to UK rap on the stereo. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Jack Draper drives the same VW Polo he had when he was a teenager Credit: PA 5 Draper used to drive mate Jack Pinnington Jones to training Credit: EPA 5 Humble star Draper would listen to rap music to get him in the mood for playing Credit: Swansway Motor Group The 22-year-old – who lost to Italian Flavio Cobolli in round two today – recently turned professional, having quit his studies at Texas Christian University. The Surrey star, who has earned so far £99,000 in prize money, had long dreamt of this position, particularly on those sunrise motor trips with Draper. They would travel together to Roehampton's National Tennis Centre before dawn in the winter months and before the school rush, put on the tunes and talk rubbish. The funny thing is that Draper, who has pocked career earnings of £5.9million, still drives around in the same Polo car and refuses to trade up for a bigger, better and more expensive model. READ MORE IN WIMBLEDON BREAK UP POINT Tennis power couple 'split up' after both lose in first round of Wimbledon Jones, the world No.281, said: 'I'd probably practise at maybe 10-11am. We'd be driving through Cobham (in Surrey). 'The traffic is just a nightmare if you go any later with the school run. 'So, Jack would say: 'Right, I'm going to be there at 6.30am. You're either there or you're not.' I'd be half asleep every time. 'It'd take 20 minutes on the roads because no-one else is awake. You'll have to wait till 8am for breakfast. It's just us sitting there at the NTC. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 'Music-wise, it'd be UK rap at the beginning of the week. If it's the end of the week, something probably more chilled. 'I was about 15 or 16. I didn't have a licence. Jack has the same car now. This little Polo. 'He treats it awfully. He's like: 'I don't need a nice car in London, I'm going to ding it anyway.' 'It's the same car he got when he first passed. He loves it. He has some boxing gloves in the wing mirror.' The two Jacks are very close pals and Draper reckons Jones has the makings one day of becoming a top-100 player. The decision to leave college, forego his degree and go pro was 'a big decision' and tennis is 'obviously now a job'. British No.11 Jones, who hails from Kingston, plays golf to a reasonable level and was hitting balls at Andy Murray's club the other day. He is probably one of the guys that took the mickey out of Draper for his attempts at shaving off his stubble before his first-round win over Sebastian Baez. Indeed, Draper – who now plays former US Open champion Marin Cilic this afternoon – is hoping the only close shaves this Wimbledon fortnight will be on his legs. And Britain's tennis hero has told fans to expect plenty of different hairstyles throughout his career – because it is a chance for him to experiment and rebel. Draper, 23, said: 'Yeah, I shave my legs. I mean a lot of athletes do. 'It's because of the (resistance) band work we do between our legs. 'I'm fed up of ingrown hairs and getting slapped with the bands – it sort of hurts a lot. So, I get rid of the hairs. 'When I put the bands around my leg, it pulls on your hair and it rips them off. And it's the same with the massages as well. 'I mean it's not ideal but if I'm going to be in less pain, then it's worth it.' Draper had blonde highlights done in his hair pre-tournament but will not be visiting the barbers until the event is over. The British No.1 said: 'One thing you will see with me over the years is a lot of different hairstyles. A lot of different things. 'Because I'm very experimental with that sort of stuff. Do I get bored? Yeah. 'There will be a lot of different things. My brother doesn't like it but there will be a lot.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Humble Wimbledon star Jack Draper still drives seven-year-old VW Polo despite earning millions in prize money
JACK DRAPER still drives the same old Polo car to training because he does not see the point of having a flashier vehicle in London, according to his pal Jack Pinnington Jones. Jones's Wimbledon dreams were fuelled as a teenager during early-morning car journeys with Draper listening to UK rap on the stereo. 5 5 5 The 22-year-old – who lost to Italian Flavio Cobolli in round two today – recently turned professional, having quit his studies at Texas Christian University. The Surrey star, who has earned so far £99,000 in prize money, had long dreamt of this position, particularly on those sunrise motor trips with Draper. They would travel together to Roehampton's National Tennis Centre before dawn in the winter months and before the school rush, put on the tunes and talk rubbish. The funny thing is that Draper, who has pocked career earnings of £5.9million, still drives around in the same Polo car and refuses to trade up for a bigger, better and more expensive model. Jones, the world No.281, said: 'I'd probably practise at maybe 10-11am. We'd be driving through Cobham (in Surrey). 'The traffic is just a nightmare if you go any later with the school run. 'So, Jack would say: 'Right, I'm going to be there at 6.30am. You're either there or you're not.' I'd be half asleep every time. 'It'd take 20 minutes on the roads because no-one else is awake. You'll have to wait till 8am for breakfast. It's just us sitting there at the NTC. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 'Music-wise, it'd be UK rap at the beginning of the week. If it's the end of the week, something probably more chilled. 'I was about 15 or 16. I didn't have a licence. Jack has the same car now. This little Polo. 'He treats it awfully. He's like: 'I don't need a nice car in London, I'm going to ding it anyway.' 'It's the same car he got when he first passed. He loves it. He has some boxing gloves in the wing mirror.' The two Jacks are very close pals and Draper reckons Jones has the makings one day of becoming a top-100 player. The decision to leave college, forego his degree and go pro was 'a big decision' and tennis is 'obviously now a job'. British No.11 Jones, who hails from Kingston, plays golf to a reasonable level and was hitting balls at Andy Murray 's club the other day. He is probably one of the guys that took the mickey out of Draper for his attempts at shaving off his stubble before his first-round win over Sebastian Baez. Indeed, Draper – who now plays former US Open champion Marin Cilic this afternoon – is hoping the only close shaves this Wimbledon fortnight will be on his legs. And Britain's tennis hero has told fans to expect plenty of different hairstyles throughout his career – because it is a chance for him to experiment and rebel. Draper, 23, said: 'Yeah, I shave my legs. I mean a lot of athletes do. 'It's because of the (resistance) band work we do between our legs. 'I'm fed up of ingrown hairs and getting slapped with the bands – it sort of hurts a lot. So, I get rid of the hairs. 'When I put the bands around my leg, it pulls on your hair and it rips them off. And it's the same with the massages as well. 'I mean it's not ideal but if I'm going to be in less pain, then it's worth it.' Draper had blonde highlights done in his hair pre-tournament but will not be visiting the barbers until the event is over. The British No.1 said: 'One thing you will see with me over the years is a lot of different hairstyles. A lot of different things. 'Because I'm very experimental with that sort of stuff. Do I get bored? Yeah. 'There will be a lot of different things. My brother doesn't like it but there will be a lot.' 5
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
County cricket: who cares for records when almost every match is a draw?
Surrey nudged one point above Nottinghamshire at the top of Division One after they could only draw with Durham. There were five matches played in the latest Kookaborra round of matches and four were drawn. OK, you do need to bat well to score 305, as Dom Sibley did, or to declare on 820 for nine, as Surrey did, but the champions fell 10 (yes, 10) wickets short of their objective. So Rory Burns' strategy was, at best, suboptimal. Which raises the question: do such absurd scores in the first innings of a match reach and pass a tipping point where a draw becomes more likely than a win? I can't quite rationalise it, but it feels like it's not just leaving time to bowl out the opposition twice that counts, but leaving them a sliver of hope that the match is still alive. Perhaps the most damning judgment on the whole debacle of using a ball wholly ill-suited to promoting balanced, attacking cricket was offered by the radio commentary team at the Oval, who could barely conceal their contempt for whatever it was that this version of first class cricket had become. Congratulations to Durham, and especially Alex Lees with two centuries, but if so varied and skilled an attack as the champions' concede 362 and 262 for none, and cricket fanatics on the mic are tearing their hair out, it's time to send the ball 10,000 miles home. Or into space. Nottinghamshire also drew having come no closer to the win than Surrey, but they secured three fewer bonus points in doing so and slipped into second as a consequence. If someone had told me a decade ago that I would be writing about draws, record scores and bonus points, I might never have started this column. To be fair, Notts had a tougher ride than the Londoners, finding themselves three down and still 236 runs in arrears of Somerset's first innings. Cue centuries from Ben Slater and Jack Haynes, and handy contributions from Ishan Kishan and Lyndon James. But once a dashing Tom Kohler-Cadmore and a circumspect Tom Abell came together to bat out the match's last 40 overs, the draw was inevitable. Could Notts have done more to force a win because they will need them to overhaul Surrey, who know how to manage a run-in? Probably not, the match 'enjoying' three innings, all progressing at a tad above three an over. If the experiment really is intended to allow English seamers to develop the skills required to take wickets overseas, I'm not sure the 95 overs delivered by bowlers answering that description (for four wickets), nor Jack Leach's 53.2–7–121–6 helped at all. It's not often that you get two double centurions in one innings, but Worcestershire captain Jake Libby (228 in well over 10 hours) and Adam Hose (266 in well under six) did so against Hampshire. But, following on, the old hands, Ben Brown and Liam Dawson, batted for three hours to see out the draw. Evidence perhaps that the tipping point for a first innings is not Surrey's 820 or Worcestershire's 679, but something quicker and lower? So, in four-day cricket, do you ever need more than 500 batting first? Instinctively, I doubt it. And if you pull out at that score as a rule, you're not going to lose too many are you? The result that bucked the trend came at York, where Essex, having started well, fell off a cliff in response to Matthew Revis and Ben Coad racking up 169 runs for the home side's ninth wicket, demolishing the visitors' fragile confidence. Revis's 150 and Coad's 89 represented career highs, the all-rounder and the bowler completely upending the match with bats in hand. But, as the previous points attest, scores were one thing, wickets quite another and Jack White and Coad shared 12 in the match, the opening bowlers ably supported by the back-up seam and spin to deliver a crushing ten wickets victory. Both remain just above basement dwellers Worcestershire but will it matter? A pow-wow this week will finalise the structure of English domestic cricket next year, despite the fact that the current Championship season is well past the halfway mark. Honestly, what other sport would get itself into this situation? Runaway leaders Leicestershire have prompted speculation that they might already have the Division Two title in the bag. But I doubt it was in the plan to test that theory out. After a draw last week, they took a shellacking from Middlesex, the margin an innings and 127 runs. After Sam Robson and Ben Geddes had led the way to 534, the home side were eight down at Grace Road before three figures were on the board. A late rally helped them above 200 but, following on, the pattern more or less repeated itself. Two young Middlesex bowlers did most of the damage. Noah Cornwell, a left-armer pacer in his third first-class match bagged four wickets. Naavya Sharma, a year younger and right arm also in his third match, helped himself to six scalps. Is the future looking brighter for the longsuffering Middlesex members? Well, it's a start. Speaking of starts, Lancashire, under up-and-coming stand-in skipper James Anderson notched an entry in the win column at the ninth attempt. At 132 for six, it was another sigh and another 'here we go again' for Red Rose fans, but Keaton Jennings found a partner in Chris Green and both scored tons, Jack Blatherwick and Tom Bailey contributing too. Anderson removed both openers, but it was George Balderson who ripped out the middle order and, for once this season, Lancashire were ahead in the game. Ashton Turner was the century maker in the second dig and Anderson was soon running in with a lead of 512 and plenty of time, thinking this captaincy lark is a breeze. The other fortysomething skipper, Wayne Madsen, led the resistance, but Balderson, enjoying quite a match, picked up four victims and Lancashire were over the line and out of the bottom two. This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog
