Printer-friendly pageWednesday, May 10, 2006
The cricket world is today in turmoil following the shock announcement from the out-going London Saints Cricket Manager of the provisional squad list
of 14 players plus the standby list of 5 for the first fixture on Sunday May 21 v FRAMFAB .
Normally known for his ' reserved ' selection policy and for being loyal to his ' players ' ( yes we all wonder why Steve Keenan still keeps on getting picked !! ) he has today shocked everyone by this selection policy . Although he said 6 months ago that he already knew his squad for the first game , many seasoned observers of the game believe that his imminent departure ( after being duped by the fake sheik into taking over a cricket school in Dubai ) from his post has freed him of his previous inhibitions and so he has decided to throw caution to the wall.
This can only explain why he has ditched seasoned professionals such as Kumar Yogeswaran , Paul Wathan , Trevor Mayhew and Gary Cronin . The Wath was so shocked by his ommision ( " I was the leading wicket taker of the recent tour to Sri Lanka " ) that he immediately booked a holiday . Some scribes are also doubting the wisdom of including players who are currently injured such as Garry Burrell ( bruised / broken metatarsal ) , Dave Thomas ( bad back ) and Tony Grimes ( old age ).
Doubts are also being cast about the wisdom of including John Griffiths in the provisional list - is his mind right ? - has he overcome his psychological problems following his defeat in last weeks local election .
The provisional squad of 14 in alphabetical order is as follows : -
Garry Burrell
Peter Berkeley
Steve Cotton
Arran Frood
John Griffiths
Tony Grimes
Neil Hotston
Steve Keenan
Gavin van Marle
Dave Nanton
Paul Pearce
Gary Speedtwin
Dave Thomas
Daniel Thomas
And the 5 on Standy by are ; -
Martin Dewhirst
Andy Jones
John Loomes
Troy de Ruyter
Eric Shadick
The obvious immediate shocks are firstly the inclusion of Gavin van Marle (although his case for inclusion had been widely touted ) but the incredible selection of 8 year old Daniel Thomas who when he plays will smash Stephen Ramdial's record as the youngest ever London Saints cricketer .
When asked about this surprise inclusion the Manager admitted that he had only made up his made upon this selection first thing this morning and what was even more surprising was that he admitted that he had never actually see him play in a game . " I do realise that this is a big jump up in class for Daniel " stated the Manager " but I have had good reports back from his teacher and I've been down to the Barnet Colts Cricket Club training ground , watched him in action and have been very impressed " In a squad of 14 why not take a risk with one player " retorted the Manager to further probing from the tabloid hacks. It remains to be seen how the senior players who have been overlooked in this squad will react to being overlooked by this rookie .
On a more serious note - the squad is so large as I am still awaiting many people's availability - I bet Sven Goran Erikson doesn't have this problem ahead of the World Cup !
Please can everyone either send me their season's availability - or at the very least the first 3 games - or those who have check , on the attached , that I've recorded it correctly
Obviously attending Nets before the first game would be an advantage both to your own form and in helping to be selected
Trevor Mayhew responds: My official line is "I had hoped to be selected, but will use the time off to get a well earned break and come back fully refreshed to claim my place when the new manager is appointed" - clearly, I would not want to appear to the new manager as a player who would publicly slag off the existing manager. Unofficially, DT is a w****r, and any one selected ahead of me has 2 hopes of using my bat at nets next week. During the game I shall escape to my holiday home in Dorset to avoid the inevitable scrutiny from the press - but as it happens, I will be available to 'Waterloo Sunset' on my mobile if they want a few quotes.
