Latest news with #pitch
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Pitch for double-header used for one night only
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola and Everton counterpart David Moyes had a bit of a grumble about the state of the pitch at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday follows on from complaints during the recent Club World is not ideal given the venue will host the World Cup final in 12 months' good news is, it won't be the same pitch. In fact, the surface used last night for the double-header which also saw Manchester United beat West Ham was a different one to the Club World pitch was laid at the beginning of the week after three shows by country music star Zach Bryan and will be taken up this week in time for WWE's Summer Slam on Saturday and pitch will be taken to a local farm where it will be used to make compost soil.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Poem of the Week: What I Did on the Sideline
Felt my stomach twist like the grip of my hurl when the coach said to hammer the other team, to shove and kick. Shivered in my damp, bulky skort, rough socks. Picked at my knees like chicken skewers. Consoled the girls who'd been dropped, others petrified they'd bleed on a pitch with a hedgerow for a toilet. Watched my team puck, pass, score. Grass scattered like secret notes between their studs. Listened to some dad call the goalie a 'useless cunt' as he smacked the metal lid of the dugout. Waited to be at least 7 points up, ran my tongue along the bar of my retainer as the sliotar soared over the goal. Would've died for a run. Patted the cup like a newborn when we won. Pictured the Powerade blue of the tumour bulging in my granny's neck to make myself cry when we lost. Her small body morphine-patched, terrified. Roared 'c'mon, c'mon, c'mon,' helpful as a plaster trailing an open gash. Today's poem is from Molly Twomey's recently published collection, Chic to be Sad (Gallery Presss)
The Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Ian Botham criticises ‘appalling' Taunton pitch after game ends inside two days
Lord Botham criticised the 'appalling' pitch former county Somerset produced for their Rothesay County Championship clash against Durham which ended inside five sessions. Somerset coach Jason Kerr hailed the 'incredible surface…arguably the best we've had this year' after his side wrapped up a five-wicket victory to boost their hopes of a first ever Division One title. But Botham begged to differ after posting photos of a heavily-used strip ahead of the contest, where 22 wickets fell on Tuesday and which was over just before 4pm on Wednesday. It is understood the match referee rated the pitch 'below average' and Somerset could now face a points deduction by the cricket regulator, which operates separately to the England and Wales Cricket Board. Botham said on X on Wednesday night: 'Before a ball is bowled… As an ex Somerset player I find this appalling.' Botham has a chequered history with Somerset, where he started his extraordinary cricket career in 1974 before leaving acrimoniously 12 years later when the club sacked Viv Richards and Joel Garner. He has a stand named after him at Taunton but is now honorary president at Durham, where the former England all-rounder finished his playing career and served as the club's chair until earlier this year. The 69-year-old's rebuke also included a reference to Somerset's wish to keep the status quo of 14 championship matches next year, at a time when the counties are debating changes to the calendar. Durham are among the clubs who wish to reduce the red-ball season to a dozen matches – backed by the Professional Cricketers' Association – in a bid to improve standards across the competition. Botham added: 'At a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for International Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. These are not first class cricket conditions in midsummer. 'Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started… change is needed…both Somerset and Durham have high quality batsmen… Somerset do not need to do this… reduces the game to a farce.' The last 18 wickets of the game fell to spin, with Jack Leach claiming six for 63 and Archie Vaughan – son of former England captain Michael – four for 85 after opening the bowling to turn the game in Somerset's favour. But Kerr argued 400 runs being scored on the opening day – where seamer Craig Overton took six wickets – highlighted there was something for everyone. 'I thought it was an incredible surface, I spoke to Nick (Pepper, Somerset's head groundsperson) and it was arguably the best surface we've had this year,' Kerr said at his post-match press conference. 'There was something in it for the seamers and a little bit in it for the spinners from the foot holes of an existing game earlier in the year. 'There was some really poor cricket from both sides and some incredible bowling.'
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Lord Botham ‘appalled' by Somerset pitch on which 35 wickets fell in five sessions
Lord Ian Botham has launched an extraordinary tirade against his first county Somerset over an 'appalling' pitch they served up for the Championship match against Durham, which was over in just five sessions. England legend Botham, 69, represented Somerset between 1974 and 1986 but left in acrimonious circumstances after they fired his great friend Viv Richards. Botham moved first to Worcestershire, then Durham, where he was chairman until earlier this year. Despite being replaced in the chair by Phil Collins, Botham is now the club's honorary president and has gone in to bat for Durham over a County Championship match they lost on Wednesday by five wickets before tea on the second of four days. Botham posted pictures of the heavily-used pitch at Taunton (where there is a stand named after him) before the match. It was played using the Kookaburra ball, with which bowlers have struggled to take wickets. There were no such struggles at Taunton, with 22 wickets falling on the first day and 13 more on the second. The last 18 wickets all fell to spin, with jack Leach eventually taking a match-winning six for 63 for Somerset. It is understood that the pitch has been graded 'below average' by the match referee Simon Hinks, with an investigation to follow from the cricket regulator which could lead to a deduction in the 19 points Somerset picked up in the match. Botham said conditions like these were putting the England hierarchy off selecting players based on county form, and criticised Somerset for their desire to stick at 14 Championship matches per season when some clubs – including Durham – are pushing for a reduction to 12 in search of greater quality. Botham said on X: 'Before a ball is bowled… As an ex-Somerset player I find this appalling... at a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international [cricket]. 'Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. These are not first-class cricket conditions in mid-summer... I am not surprised that Rob [Key] and Ben [Stokes] unfortunately have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test quality appearances. 'Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started... change is needed... both Somerset and Durham have high quality batsmen... Somerset do not need to do this... reduces the game to a farce.' The Somerset head coach Jason Kerr described the pitch as 'incredible', pointing to the fact that 400 runs were scored on the opening day. The Durham chief executive Tim Bostock disputed this. 'We made our displeasure clear before a ball had been bowled, both to Somerset and the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board],' Bostock told Telegraph Spor t. 'I've no doubt the pitch will attract the attention of the ECB. 'Somerset are one of the counties who want to keep the Championship at 14 matches, but if they continue to prepare pitches like this then there's little point in that. The wicket was used, and not fit for first-class cricket. Yes, 400 runs were scored on the opening day, but that is only because of batsmen attacking at very aggressive strike-rates before the pitch inevitably got the better of them, confirmed by the fact that 22 wickets fell for those runs. 'In the cold light of day I am sure Somerset will be disappointed with that pitch, irrespective of the result.' Graham Onions, the Durham bowling coach, said 'there was excessive turn', adding: 'The bottom line is that it is day one and a half and the game is over, which is not good for county cricket.'
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spencer Steer's game-tying hit by pitch
Spencer Steer is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Matt McLain to tie the game at 2 in the top of the 8th inning
