The T20 World Cup is behind us. Your Guerillas have been on air every day to bring you all the action and all the fun. And I think we have all agreed that it was a lot of fun.

India were worthy, if expected, champions, but there was rarely a dull moment and some awesome performances amongst the less fancied teams too. Forza Italy and Zimbabwe for a start! The four semi-finalists ultimately were deserving of their places, if England did make hard work of it along the way.

Our guest in the old Bishop and Bear, sporting whatever passes for the Indian equivalent of a Cheshire Cat grin is writer, raconteur and expert on India cricket Anindya Dutta. He’s never backwards coming forwards where self-promotion is concerned but we are happy to recommend his excellent article Motera Massacre: T20 Bleeds Blue.

So who were your heroes, villains and fall guys from this WT20. Listen here and see if you agree with our selections for Player of the tournament overall; Bowler; Batter; Villain; Happy surprise team and Wooden Spoon team.

As the last orders bell rings, we also have time to celebrate the wicket taking heroics of Brett Randall (IYKYK – the Bear didn’t) and ponder whether England might consider splitting the white and red ball coaching roles.

If you want to catch up with any of the games we covered, just check out our Guerilla YouTube channel.

And the best way to enjoy Guerilla Cricket with loads of extra benefits is to support us at Patreon.  Please consider doing that right here

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s a rapid fire limited overs (pints) Bishop and Bear today as we squeeze in this chat during our daily World T20 coverage.

 Fittingly as Sri Lanka sit proudly top of Group B our guest is Nick Brookes, author of “An Island's Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket”. Its won multiple awards and in the words of Simon Barnes ‘This is a great tale, and what’s more, it’s beautifully told.’  If you haven’t yet got your hands on a copy, then you can do that right here:

 “An Island's Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket”

In rapid order after discussing his book, Nick, your landlord and episcopal barman move seamlessly into dissecting the World T20s to date and touch on:

· Why it’s more fun than we expected

· England and the Kryptonite of Asian Spin

· The BMac walkie talkie – Is he relaying tactics or booking a golf round?

· Nick’s Sri Lanka lads topping Group 2 – but tougher games to come

· Associate Nations - Colour or Cannon Fodder?

· Can Scotland do a Denmark?*

· Can anyone stop India?

· Why a  ‘weakened’ Australia are  still a threat?

All wrapped up with a quick group by group look to predict the Super 8s before we dash from the pub to the studio for today’s game!

Remember we are covering at least one game every day. Don’t miss it with us at guerillacricket.com or just come to our Guerilla YouTube channel.

And the best way to enjoy Guerilla Cricket with loads of extra benefits is to support us at Patreon.  Please consider doing that right here

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s all rather appropriate that we are recording our analysis of the Ashes in a pub, albeit a virtual one. In the wake of England’s defeat there has been a LOT of news and revelations about England’s love of a beer or two. I’ll hold our hands up here though. I’m not sure your Guerillas are shining beacons of sobriety and upright behaviour. That said, we weren’t the ones playing to win the Ashes either.

We indulge in a bit of role play in the Bishop and Bear. Our Head Teacher and Head of PE are internet radio’s favourite double act, Annie Chave and Messy Jezz. The Bear and I send into their study England’s Management and Players. Some for a sharp telling off, others for a pat on the back. All for heartfelt advice.  Oddly, Messers seemed best versed in exactly what type of publication to pop down the back of one’s trousers should more severe punishment be forthcoming. But honestly, we live in modern times and Guerilla Cricket would not be that sort of school.

Not forgetting that Australia were there too and played pretty well, the central question we do not shy away from is “Ultimately where does the bulk of blame lie for England’s Ashes failure. Management or players?”  Listen to find out where we landed on that one!

There’s time too to look forward briefly to the Sri Lanka series coming up. Although that is already mired in visa issues for two of England’s players.

We will, of course, be with you for every ball of the Sri Lanka series. Don’t miss it with us from 8.50 am on 22nd January at guerillacricket.com or just come to our Guerilla YouTube channel.

But as Patreons, you know all that already and for keeping us on air, we have you to warmly thank for your consistent and invaluable support. So, THANK YOU!

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Our guest for this Ashes special is lovable, if loquacious, Liverpudlian Gary Nayor. BUT, and here’s the shock, the lad struggles to actually get a word in as the Bear’s boosterish optimism ploughs forth like a runaway train!

You don’t need me to tell you the situation. England are a familiar two down in an away Ashes. A media frenzy is declaring the death of Bazball. England’s captain is questioning whether there might be some ‘weak men’ in the England dressing room, while coach BMac thinks they have probably practiced too much. And let’s not forget that Australia, albeit a key man or two down, are downright formidable on their own turf.

Is there any hope? Yes always. Until there isn’t. A bit like ‘everybody having a plan until they get punched in the face’ to quote Tyson (Mike, not Frank).

Your episcopal barman struggles manfully (Ben Stokes would approve), to keep order as the Bear and Gary go full steam into these discussion points.

Too much prep? Or the wrong kind of prep?   

Do we blame BMAC or is the problem deeper rooted in the structure of the English game?

·      Can England adapt approach on the fly to be more competitive in Adelaide?  Should they?

·      Ben Stokes thinks it’s a mentality at key moments. Is he missing the point or just saying what he can?

·      Changes for Adelaide on either side. Is Bethell a number 3? Does one gritty knock make a summer and give Jacks a go?

·      What other alternatives are there?

·      Is Noosa a holiday destination or a rope England are putting around their own neck?

Wewill, of course, be with you for every ball of the Adelaide Test. Don’t miss it with us from 11.20 pm on 16th Dec (UK time) or 10am on the 17th Dec if you are in Adelaide, at guerillacricket.com or just come to our Guerilla YouTube channel.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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With us at the bar are Arnav, Ed and William, all Sports Journalism students at Brighton University and all now enjoying placements with us. We have a great relationship with Brighton and are delighted to provide the chance for them to write and broadcast on Guerilla Cricket. With Hendo and your Episcopal Barman to steer their journalistic and broadcast training and the Bear to oversee lifestyle choices and moral welfare, I think you’ll agree the lads could not be in better hands!

There is no shortage of things to discuss. As well as telling us about themselves, our trio are straight into tackling the big questions of the moment. Is AI dragging the standard of cricket journalism down or driving it up? Did Travis Head win the Perth Test, or did England lose it? The Pink Kookaburra – is it a ball or a Brighton nightclub? And speaking of pink balls, England are not playing a warm up match with one before Brisbane– is that arrogance or pragmatism? Given Australia and England’s contrasting records in Day Night Tests, are there any reasons to be optimistic for England?

We don’t just stop with The Ashes either. India come under the Brighton University microscope too as we examine just what has happened to their home Test form. Is Gautam Gambhir’s job under threat? Have home turning pitches turned against them when the likes of New Zealand and now South Africa have top quality spinners and there is no Ashwin for India? And why are the all-conquering WTC Champions South Africa playing so little Test cricket?

Our gallant trio do a fine job in answering these as well as coping with the Bishop and Bear in the process. They were very much the grown-ups in the room if you ask me. Let us know you think too.

We will, of course, be with you for every ball of the Brisbane Test, which we all hope will last longer than two day/nights. Don’t miss it with us from 4am Uk time on 4th December on guerillacricket.com or just come to our Guerilla YouTube channel.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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The Ashes is so close we can almost touch it! Friday morning 2.30 UK time. Every ball will be on guerillacricket.com or just come to our Guerilla YouTube channel to see us in the flesh. And there is a lot of flesh, most of it covered, fortunately.

 Everyonehas a point of view in the pre series media frenzy. Some things never change. Glen McGrath reckons 5-0. But others say this is England best chance in years.  Alongside your Pommie Landlord and Episcopal Barman, are two Aussie guest to balance things up.  Cat Jones and Dan Liebke, a much more established and probably more reliable pair than Khawaja and Weatherald, makers of the excellent Can’t Bowl Can’t Throw Podcast and regular Guerillas too. 

 And so we don’t forget, Dan has just written the perfect book for pre, during and post Ashes reading. It’s called The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments. A celebration of the funniest, weirdest and most absurd moments from Ashes cricket, it’s a richly amusing exploration of this timeless rivalry. Available at all good book stores including here.

You probably won’t hear a more balanced (or longer) podcast anywhere. As well as laughing at Merv Hughes and hearing how Jake Weatherald peppered Yorkshire graves with cricket balls, we touch all the bases others have and plenty they haven’t including:

·      Will England live to rue white ball battering and Lilac Hill beer match as their only prep?

·      Why don’t English players play more for Aus clubs or states?Aussies are quick enough to grab county experience after all.

·      Pound for pound match ups. Is this really England’s best chance in years?

·      Root and the Aussie Hundred Albatross? Will it finally fly free?

·      Weatherall and Doggett. Who?n Bashir – Why?

·      The England bowling break down derby

·      Aus haven’t won a series in England since 2001. Twenty four years ago! Why doesn’t anyone ever mention that?

·       Mitchell Johnson used to sing songs from Frozen when running in to bowl.  What might be the songs for bowlers on both sides in this Ashes?

·      Predictions – Actual and Moral victors?

 We’ll be with you for every ball of the Ashes. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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This was recorded just two days after we got the awful news about the passing of Sean Tracey, one of our long time Guerillas. We thought long and hard about whether to delay recording.  But then we said that it’s going to be all about cricket and music. What could be more appropriate as a tribute to Sean? The show therefore went on, with him in our thoughts and hearts.

Once we had come up with the idea of our Bishop and Bear Cricket Island Discs 100 celebration, we knew immediately who we wanted not just a guest, but as guest host. A man whose music podcast, Sombrero Fallout, was the number one music podcast in the UK, New Zealand and Australia. He knows a bit about cricket too. It is, of course, Ian Forth, or Forthy as we know him.

Forthy takes over behind the bar and with a mix of musical expertise, urbanity and a firm controlling hand where necessary, he teases out of your ursine landlord and episcopal barman their most memorable cricket moments and a music selection to accompany them on their desert island.

We meander our way through our first and then most memorable matches, our top Guerilla experiences, the player we would have wanted to be and our best ever Guerilla guests. Each accompanied by a carefully and lovingly selected musical choice. We even nominate a player and relevant musical selection for each other. There is a mix of fabulously memorable cricketing moments and a distinctly eclectic music selection to go along with them. Do let us know what you think!

For your further delight and delectation, you can find our music choices here:

The Bishop Playlist:

The Bear Playlist:

And we of course, heartily recommend checking out Forthy’s excellent Sombrero Fallout too.

Hopefully we will see you for the New Zealand series. To make sure you don’t miss a ball, click here for our broadcast schedule.  If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

And do please raise a glass to Sean too.

 All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s number 99. That’s dedication for you and as the late Roy Castle sang "Dedication is what you need if you want to be a record breaker".

Next week, England travel to Ireland for 3 T20s at Malehide (a place dear to our hearts). To help us look ahead to that we have a very special guest in our pub today.  A cricketer who seems to make a habit of breaking records wherever he goes and who knows may break a few more next week. It’s Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher, no less!

Grab your drink and settle back as Curtis enjoys his Guiness and gets well and truly into the Guerilla swing of things. We natter about his background, how and why he chose Ireland (and loves it!), those records including his 5 wickets in 5 balls, and his recent 123 off 68 balls as Essex battered Surrey at Chelmsford in the One Day Cup.

But of course, we then get onto the Ireland vs England series which we all hope doesn’t get too rained on. There is a reason Ireland is so green.  Just how do Ireland prepare, who are their match winners and do they feel even faintly by miffed England’s squad selection?

Curtis is a fine and fun conversationalist, so we get plenty of time to hear how a modern international cricketer copes with the stresses and strains of international travel and what he does in his spare time too. The Bear even probed the poor lad on why Ireland doesn’t play more Test cricket, which Curtis answered both honestly and with consummate tact. We even gave him some advice on a speech for the forthcoming wedding of his brother. To be honest, he may be best advised to ignore that though.

Hopefully we will see you for the Ireland series. To make sure you don’t miss a ball, click here for our broadcast schedule.  If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

 All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s been nearly a month since the end of the thrill packed roller coaster ride of a Test series between England and India. Most of us have got over it and moved on, except perhaps Guerilla Hendo.

Your episcopal barman has found plenty of distraction in the One Day Cup, while others may have enjoyed The Hundred in all of its sugary snack glory. BUT, our focus is now back on international cricket and most particularly the ODI and T20I series between England and South Africa, which starts on Tuesday. To make sure you don’t miss a ball, click here for our broadcast schedule.

To mull over all things South Africa (cricket wise at least) our guest is Guerilla, South African cricket expert and host of The Full Quota Podcast, Tim Dale Lace.

We seem to recall that the last time Tim popped into the old B&B, we were castigating South Africa for putting everything behind the SA20 and fielding weak Test teams and yet, here they are, World Test champions. World Cup Semi Finalists, WT20 Finalists and have just beaten Aus on their own patch in ODIs. So the big question for Tim was “What are his Proteas doing right and should we now be discussing them as part of a ‘Big Four’, muscling proudly in with the big money boys India, England and Australia?”

Tim’s insight into the impact of coach Shukri Conrad and the positivity he has injected into all parts of the South African game are well worth a listen as you enjoy your drinks in the convivial surroundings of the internet’s favourite cricket boozer.  We look at both team’s chances, players to watch out for and of course, give our predictions. There is even a bit of time for some reflections on the One Day Cup too.

We’ll be with you for every ball of the England vs South Africa series and England’s trip to Ireland of course. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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 It’s England vs India – The Decider. A kind of Podcast 6th Test.  Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman are the all guns blazing BazChatters, against powerhouse Indian opposition in the form of our guests, BB regular and Indian cricket sage Anindya Dutta and Raj (the man David Brook chased round Lord’s) Patel.

 A bit like the recent England vs India Test itself the conversation is fast, feisty and fun but despite our best efforts, I’m not sure anyone wins. Except our listeners of course.

 As the drinks are sunk, we plough headlong into some of the BIG questions. Was a draw a fair result? Did the result even matter when the entertainment was so good? (spoiler alert, it did to the Bear and our guests). What were the moments of the series? How did the captains face off against each other? (Ollie Pope had a letter from his mum and wasn’t included). And crucially, where did this series rate amongst the greatest of all time? There plenty of diversions along the way too.

 That all got us thinking, that if we have just seen five great Tests, all five enthralling days, how on earth could anyone even think that four-day Tests are a good idea?  And, how can the ICC improve the World Test Championship to ensure everybody gets to play longer, more, exciting Tests. Raj has an article coming out soon with a number of great ideas and you can rest assured; we will share that first with our Patreons and then publish it onto our website

 For good measure we have a quick look forward to England’s white ball series with South Africa and we ask our Indian guests just how much does India really care about the Asia Cup?

 We’ll be with you for every ball of the last two England vs South Africa series and England’s trip to Ireland. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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A huge welcome once again to The Bishop and Bear. What a week for Test cricket it’s been. As you will know if you have been watching or listening with us, we have been gripped by the 5-day drama of that Lords Test.  If you haven’t been with us, where on earth have you been? 

Meanwhile, in Jamaica a rather shorter but equally dramatic Test Match was taking place where the West Indies had a real tilt at breaking New Zealand’s 1955 ‘lowest score record’ and Mitchell Starc was pink ball swinging his way into the record books with a five-wicket haul in his first 15 balls.

To celebrate and marvel over both events, your ursine landlord and episcopal barman have the company of Ajit with his ever present armchair and David Brook, who, as you will hear, is both scathing and insightful on the state of West Indies cricket and certainly does not hold back.

In animated conversation we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly from Lords including last day drama, Flintoff and Lee vibes, slow pitch and battered balls, over rates and the seeming injustice of only England being docked points, Zak Crawley’s Oscar nomination, Jofra’s return, Siraj and Maradona, English batting and the forthcoming return of the Prodigal Dawson.

With a pause to refill glasses we lean exactly how the replacement balls make it into the magic box. It’s not as scientific a process as you might think by the way. From there it’s a race to the last orders bell to unpick the pink ball ballistics from Kingston and debate exactly why it happened and just where the West Indies go next. Does Brian Lara have a point in saying the team only play Tests to get picked for the global franchises?

We’ll be with you for every ball of the last two England vs India Tests. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

Allthe best

YourUrsine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Our guest, as he so often is ahead of an India series, is the fabulous author, raconteur and expert on Indian cricket and particularly its spin bowlers, Anindya Dutta.

Armed with an Indian pink gin, Anindya helps us to forensically probe prospects for the series. And a fascinating one it promises to be (the series, not the gin). A new look India, shorn of the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and led by rookie captain Shubman Gill is packed with potential, but some of it unproven. England, for their part, seem to be pretty solid in batting depth, but can’t keep bowlers fit. They will need all the experience in UK conditions that Chris Woakes can bring.

Of course, we each make our predictions, so let us know if you agree with them or not!

We also have time to celebrate South Africa’s World Test championship win and air some divergent views on the ICC moving ever closely to espousing four-day Tests.

We’ll be with you for every ball of the England vs India series. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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A huge welcome back to the Bishop and Bear. The English international summer has barely got under way and yet already, it seems, we are as busy as one legged tap dancers.

Today our main focus is on the forthcoming World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa at Lords on 11th June. To help your landlord and episcopal barman assess the prospects we have two fabulous guests. At the Baggy Green end of the bar is none other than Cricket Bat Cat, whilst bounding in like a turbo charged Springbok for South Africa is Richard Asher, Lords ticket in hand for Day 1 and a map to find our studio for days 2 to five (or 6 if need be).

We start by asking Richard just how South Africa got to the final by only playing the minimum 12 Tests and go on to explain just how the format works. Which oddly it seems to, as it has served up a very tasty looking Lords final.

It’s not, you may be surprised to know, the first Test between Australia and South Africa at Lords, so we have a brief look back to 1912, when the Daily Telegraph reported that “there is a surfeit of cricket and English supporters have little interest in watching South Africa play Australia”. Fortunately cricket fans’ attitudes have changed. Perhaps not so much those of the Telegraph?

We also move on to chat about England getting on their bikes to win a fairly one sided one day series against West Indies and to celebrate Virat Kohli’s IPL win at the 18th attempt. Good for him we say. Keep those Kohli Cam operators in business!

We’ll be back in our new studio to bring you every ball of the WTC Final and the West Indies T20Is before that. If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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The old Bishop and Bear has been closed for refurbishment since late March, but we are delighted to pull up the shutters again and welcome you back.

A special occasion demands a special guest and we have one of those in the shape of St. Annie of Exeter - national treasure, Guerilla and now best-selling cricket author too. Whilst liberally knocking back our finest rum, Annie undergoes the usual friendly but forensic examination we reserve for some of cricket’s finest authors.

The book in question is “Cricket Changed My Life – Eleven Personal Journeys”. Its, personal, heartwarming and genuinely delightful in the opinion of your barman who had diligently read every word. No doubt our landlord will agree when he gets around to reading it too. But we will forgive him this time. New studios don’t set themselves up after all, so his ursine paws have been rather full.

From a Pakistani teenager left for dead by terrorists to England’s first black international cricketer, from journalists and broadcasters who have battled adversity to forge careers in cricket to a pair of Syrian refugees, and from one of England’s greatest all rounders to the inimitable David’ Bumble’ Lloyd, Annie tells the stories of eleven very different people for whom the game of cricket has been transformative.

Each and every one of the 11 chapters is unique and delivered in Annie’s own style, always allowing the subject to shine and to clearly enjoy themselves whilst doing it. It’s charmingly understated in places, no more so than when she says “there’s an element of the extrovert about Dan Norcross” (who? Ed).

Listen in here and enjoy the chat. In fact, do that and also buy the book. You can do that here.

For good measure, we also have a look forward to the Zimbabwe Test and have to say that we are rather looking to seeing all 6 foot 8 inches of Blessing Muzarabani and wonder if the Joel Garner like bowler might just trouble England’ Baz Ballers if they are not on their mettle.  We’ll be in our new studio to bring you every ball and for that, so join us if you can.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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The effect of climate change cannot be ignored in sport generally and in cricket particularly. Intense heat, drought, storms and flooding impact all levels of the game. We’ve seen it with international cricket at the top of the game, but think of those challenges faced regularly by your local cricket club and others at the grass roots of the game.

Our guest in the Bishop and Bear, Tanya Aldred, is one of the world’s foremost voices on cricket and climate change, contributing the Environment column to the Wisden Almanack since 2017. She is also a founder of The Next Test (a non-profit organisation, providing climate education and resources and collaboratively seeking climate solutions within the world of cricket).

Fortified with a Sauvignon Blanc, specially selected from the B and B’s ecofriendly and fully sustainable cellar, Tanya tells us about the very practical steps that can be taken by cricket clubs to address the challenges of climate change and make a tangible difference. In her own words, “grassroots changes are like singles, the small steps from which a significant innings is compiled”.

That’s where The Next Test is geared up to provide practical support to clubs in taking those steps. If you want to take that first single for your club and need help, then you can start here.

To help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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There were some big subjects to cover in the old B and B this week, so propping up the bar is a man more than able to address them…at length. It is none other than The Mersey Mouth, The Tooting Trumpet, maker of occasionally dubious points, but always with hyperbolic conviction, Gary Naylor.

We look back to the Champions Trophy which inevitably leads to a chuckle or two at how poor India had the odds stacked against them, or at least that’s what Gautam Gambir (subject of perhaps our shortest ever jingle), thought. We thought they were worthy winners though despite that.

We put our brains together using, it must be said, rather different analytical styles to figure out how England can restart their broken white ball motor. Suffice to say your landlord rather shot from the hip using ever more colourful vernacular, whilst our guest and episcopal barman took a more rounded view. Interestingly we ended up in the same place.

Add to all that, the unearthing of divergent views on whether the 150th Anniversary Test should be a Day/Night Pink baller. No, no, raged your barman. Since 1877, there have been 2,581 Tests but only 23 under lights. Why celebrate the history of Test cricket by playing it in a way that is not how the majority of Tests have been played? Your Landlord was, shall we say, less a defender of history and tradition and more for living in the moment. Where do you stand?

Finally, we round things off by asking if Pakistan Cricket’s malaise is a long-term issue and are the MCC really losing £4 million because India are not in the WTC Final.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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You can see Dan in action here: OurCricket Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ourcricketpod

Support Guerilla Cricket: If you want to help us keep Guerilla Cricket on the road and great cricket match coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

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Despite the fact that the Champions Trophy hasn’t turned out to be everything that Pakistan, or indeed England or Bangladesh, might have hoped, it is still well and truly underway. Mog, Messy, and Forthy have had a go at giving their perspective on what happened in the first week, and look forward to the coming matches. Fortunately, this was recorded before England’s loss to Afghanistan, so we are spared any analysis of this.

Many thanks to all of you for your ongoing support – the Guerillas 

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There’s a few Guerillas stood, sat or drunkenly slumped at the old B&B bar this week. Whatever their state of sobriety or inebriation, they have gathered to preview the 9th edition of the Champions Trophy, which starts on Wednesday. Rest assured, your Guerillas will be covering every ball too.

The ICC Champions Trophy was inaugurated in 1998, a cunning ICC plan to be a short form tournament to raise funds for the development of the game in non – Test playing countries. A very worthy ambition and one which we hope continues.

Along with Tawhid, Messy, Anindya* and Jim Burchill, your ursine landlord and episcopal barman dig into the chances of all eight countries, leaving no stone unturned to assess squads, form and chances. Don’t worry, every Guerilla has his feet to the flames to predict a winner too, although we all felt the format and timing gave just about everyone a puncher’s chance.

Grab yourself a drink, settle in and whoever you are rooting for they will covered in this chat.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

All the best

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

*Author of the best- seller “Wizard’s – The Story of Indian Spin Bowling” available at all reputable book stores.

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Our guest on the Barstool of Bravado is Stephen Brenkley, former cricket correspondent for the Independent and the Independent on Sunday who once commented that our predecessor Test Match Sofa ‘were not as funny as they think they are’. Clearly a man of great perspicacity.  He’s here though to chat about his new book A Striking Summer (How cricket united a divided nation). The summer in question was 1926. A post war Britain was riven by a general strike and by class divide. Anything but the land fit for hero’s that Lloyd George had promised. England’s Cricket team had lost 3 consecutive Ashes series winning just one Test all of them. An Ashes series took place that transfixed and united the nation. Over 30,000 people thronged to Victoria station just to see the Australian team arrive for goodness sake!

Along with Stephen, we dive into the drama of the series, delve into the characters of the players and look at just how, in such troubled times, the game of cricket briefly united a deeply troubled nation. It is a superbly engaging read and comes heartily recommended. At the bottom of these notes you’ll find exactly where to get the book at a special Bishop and Bear price.

Fuelled with a couple of generous gin and tonics, Stephen stays to reflect on the battering England have received in the India T20s, the battering our Women were dealt in the Ashes and the less than stellar performances for the Lions and the U19 Women too. We ask the question “Are the ECB more focused on franchise sales than international competitiveness. Or is one a route to the other?”

Here is where you can find Stephen’s book.

A Striking Summer by Stephen Brenkley is published by Fairfield Books:

Buy the hardback for £16 + p&p with coupon code GC20: https://www.thenightwatchman.net/buy/a-striking-summer

Buy the ebook for £3.99 with coupon code GC20: https://www.thenightwatchman.net/buy/a-striking-summer-ebook

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here.

Cheers

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Once again, the internet’s favourite virtual cricket pub has thrown open its doors and first through them for 2025 was our Richard ( Brim-full Of) Asher. And he was certainly brim – full of optimism and New Year cheer now that his South Africa have decided that they actually do like Test Cricket and have made it the WTC final.

As we crack open a drink or two (a cider for Richard), we pick the bones out of that enthralling South Africa and Pakistan series and lament that it was just two Tests. Having warmed up with that, we celebrate a fabulous (and fabulously attended) Border Gavaskar Trophy pausing to consider who were stars, who were the fools and why did Virat Kohli act like a spoilt child?

We cast an eye on the Women’s Ashes too and of course, discuss Richard’s 2024 review and just what he thinks about Vernon Philander’s punditry. Let’s just say he was a fine bowler but not such a fine wordsmith in Richard’s eyes (or ears).

We are really looking forward to your company this year. Not long now until we are back on air. By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers and Welcome Back

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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The halls and walls of the Bishop and Bear are decked with boughs of holly and our Barstool of Bravado guest to look back on the New Zealand series and the year in general is the admirable, ambitious and prolific Hector.  

Hector has been our man on the spot at all three New Zealand Tests, hobnobbing with media glitterati, asking the tough questions in press conferences and drinking and dining with Fleet Street’s finest and former England Test alumni alike. If you haven’t been following his daily match previews, reports, interviews where have you been?!

Settle back with a drink and enjoy the chat as we find out just what else the lad has been up to as well as ask why England are so much like the little girl in Longfellow’s poem – “When they are good they are very good, but when they are bad they are horrid”.

We chew over the Test year in general, pick our magic moments and horror stories and look, not just at England, but at Test cricket in general. To round up, as our Ursine Landlord is about to shut up the shutters for Christmas, we each reflect upon what we would we do if we were in charge for a day of the ICC and the ECB respectively.

And finally we let Santa know, loud and clear, what’s top of our Cricket Christmas list and what our cricketing New Year resolutions are.  What are yours by the way. Let us know.

If you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Season Greetings from

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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We were lucky enough to catch up with the great Jack Meacher – one-half of the cricketing social media sensations, Cricket District. Having risen rapidly in the world of YouTube content creation, Jack has helped amass a following of close to 400,000. He has spent the last few years traveling the world, filming content with some of the best players to ever do it – including the likes of Ben Stokes, Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Rashid Khan. 

Alongside debriefing the first Test between England and New Zealand, we chat to Jack about his progression through the ever-developing world of cricket YouTube, what it is like filming with the captain of England midway through an Ashes series, and the dynamic between mainstream and social media. 

Thanks as ever for listening! 

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Hang on what? Well, that is correct, just for today. Alas, our Ursine Landlord has been called away by family duties so your Episcopal Barman is flying solo serving drinks, mopping tables, changing barrels and with a broom firmly inserted to ensure the floor is swept as he goes.

Fortunately, he has for company former New Zealand captain, scorer of 174* against England in 1984 and general renaissance man, Jeremy Coney. What better guest could there be ahead of the fascinating series coming up between New Zealand and England?

Jeremy gives us the full run down on the seam attacks and what we might expect at the very seam friendly Hagley Oval where only once has a winning captain chosen to bat first. We celebrate the Black Cap’s extraordinary series win in India and ask what, if any, relevance that may have on the series and then meander down many other diversionary alleyways of discussion and discovery.

Do you know how many draws there have been from 40 Tests this year? Listen and find out and see if you agree with our summary of the new adrenaline and money fuelled fast forward cricket landscape and its impact on Test Match results.

Of course we also provide our predictions for the New Zealand vs England series before, for some reason, lurching off to lament the prominence of nasal hair in one’s more senior years. Which, as I’m sure you will agree, was about the right time to pull down the shutters of the Old B and B for the evening after what had been a fabulously entertaining hour.

Grab yourselves a drink and join us. We love having your company. By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord (in absentia) and Episcopal Barman

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England collapsed and lost the deciding Test to Pakistan in two and a half days. On the upside, your Episcopal Barman got a Sunday lie in he hadn’t been expecting, but that is really not a consolation for the meekness of the England collapse.

Pakistan looked across the border to India and said “forget our illustrious tradition of demon reverse swing. Wasim and Waqar - Who were they? Rawalpindi Express? Only the slow train for us now. Used wickets, rakes, big fans and most importantly a highly quality left arm and right arm spin duo is the way to go”. No English man had an answer to Noman. The sparkly eyes and twirly pantomime villain tache, not to mention camp celebrations of Sajid Khan bamboozled and battered shoddy English batting defences.

So much to unpick and our guest in the Bishop and Bear to help us do just that is young Billy Stevens. After your highly responsible Landlord had demanded to see proof of age of course. He may not have known that Billy Whizz was a famous Beano character, but with a Guinness in hand, the lad knows his cricket!

There’s more too. We celebrate the magnificent Kiwis in India with Santna Baby hurrying down the chimney three months early to leave a present of India’s first home series defeat since 2012. Guess who NZ play next in Tests. Yup, England!

Finally, as we switch from red ball to white, we chew over whether it will be a Caribbean Holiday or Death in Paradise of England’s experimental side.

Grab yourselves a rum punch and settle in to join us. We love having your company. By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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We’re delighted to get back together with you in the very short window of time allowed between the 1st and 2nd Multan Tests. And after records tumbled in the first, we now have all sorts of pitch shenanigans to discuss as it looks as though the 2nd Test will now be on the same pitch! And quelle surprise, on an old track being sundried and fan blown as we speak, Pakistan are packing their team full of spinners (mainly left arm and leg).

Our guest to review the first Test and look ahead with a sharply critical eye is our very own Tooting Trumpet and Mersey Mouth, Gary Naylor. Don’t expect one word answers, but do expect some cracking insights.

For good measure, we also find time to ask whether Australia can be beaten in the Women’s World T20, nod in passing to India’s humungous thumping of Bangladesh and even chew briefly on the gristle of packed cricket schedules.

Grab yourselves a drink and settle in to join us. We love having your company. By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It is great to have you join us, and with the cricketing summer a thing of the past, it is vital that we can get our cricket fix from somewhere.   

Now of course, every England fixture, we are treated (either via our TV channels or even better, in the flesh), to the dulcet tones of the Barmy Army. Widely renowned as one of the most creative, loosest fan networks out there, the Barmy Army have sent shivers down many an Australians spine.  

Have you ever wondered how such an operation works? Whilst the group's main purpose is to incite crowds to get behind our national heroes, there is also a large amount of charity work, travel planning, and essentially business-running going on behind the scenes. We thought that it would be interesting for the listeners to get the inside scoop as to how such a successful organization is run.    

Who better to talk to than the die-hard fan, Rob Lewis, aka Randy Caddick. The man who stole our hearts way back in 2021, stood atop the fort of Galle to watch our team play in such desperate circumstances, belting Jerusalem out as Rooty made lightwork of tricky conditions. 

In this episode, we talk to Rob about his time in the Barmy Army (since recruitment in 2021), his future plans to get stuck in during the Ashes next year, as well as all the rogue news that recently has appeared in the world of cricket. And of course, his views on the slightly underwhelming English summer...  

We hope you enjoy this episode and please get involved in the donations section to keep us up and running! 

Thanks again for listening! 

 H and H 

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The English cricket summer is finally done, so late that Santa’s reindeer are already in pre-Christmas training. But if you think that means a short break for Guerilla Cricket, oh no, think again. England start a Test Series in Pakistan in just a few days’ time. 

To look back with the Bear and I to the summer gone and forward to that Pakistan series, our guest is comedian, BBC voice of Pakistan cricket, winner of the Live Stand Up Comedy Award at the 8th annual UK Enterprise Awards 2024, but most importantly a Guerilla Cricket alumni – Aatif Nawaz.

Not only do we reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly from the summer (Lords ticket prices for a start), we also find out what it’s like to get a lift off Jimmy Anderson, what car he has and indeed how many of them. And if you have some questions about ECB policies and decisions, just wait until we light Aatif’s blue touchpaper about the PCB. Safe to say, we well and truly poked that particular sleeping bear. Not our Bear of course, Heaven forfend!

We all seemed to agree that none of us expected much from the late, late Australia white ball show, but actually really enjoyed it and we even find time to reflect on Cricket’s Manchester City, aka Surrey and their Oval Invincible alter egos winning again. And poor old Somerset not winning. Three times.

And if you want to know why David Gower’s invitation for Aatif to go swimming in Pakistan turned out to be an empty promise, then you will find that answer here too.

It’s a lot of fun, so grab yourselves a drink and settle in to join us. We love having your company. By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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An absolute smorgasbord of discussion topics this week, so your ursine landlord and episcopal barman needed to find someone of weight and forthright opinion to help navigate through them. And we did find one too. Who else, of course, but our own Hendo.

Delicately sipping a coffee liqueur or two , Hendo gets fully stuck in with us to cover all of the following and more besides:

·     The Sri Lanka series to date

·     A disappointing Sunday crowd for a great day of Test Cricket and what’s to be done?

·     The Lords Man of the Match Award

·     Breaking news about that award winner – Gus Atkinson

·     A look forward to the Oval Sri Lanka Test

·     The September return of the Kookaburra

·     Farhan Ahmed, WG Grace and Abraham Lincoln (and does the Bear know the connection between them?)

·     BMac as supreme ruler across formats and the impending Aussie white ball series

·     Bangladesh making history in Pakistan

Do grab yourselves a drink and settle in to join us for the chat. We love having your company.

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Your hosts, Hector and Henry, are avid badgers of the game, with very different cricketing careers. Henry is looking to go the distance, playing for the Derbyshire academy, and travelling out to Adelaide to play for the Darren Lehman academy, whilst Hector spent the summer gradually being dropped down the order from opener to number 8! Like with all fans, we are unified in our love of the game.

Together, Hector and Henry (that’s us – think Bishop and Bear, but much younger and better looking, probably), will interview a range of exciting guests, from current players, to content creators, to provide you with a short engaging discussions.

Episodes will be released every fortnight, and we are keen for this show to be refreshingly different – so please feel free to send in any suggestions/questions for us to ask our guests to guerillacricket@gmail.com

To kick off this series, we have a great guest, as we were lucky enough to speak to recent back to back Hundred champion – a vital part of the Oval Invincibles team, and potential future England superstar, Nathan Sowter.

We chat about his time in the Hundred, his views on the future of Test Match Cricket and County cricket, what it’s like bowling to Kieron Pollard, and much more!

Thank you so much for listening, we really hope you enjoy it and bear with us as it is our first try!

By the way, if you want to help Guerilla Cricket keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s always great to see you and even more so when a Test series is just around the corner. This one is against Sri Lanka. Perhaps not the force of old, but not to be underestimated either.

Also not to be underestimated are the two guests on the barstools of bravado. It’s our Sri Lankan Olegasegram double act. Bennett and Son - the works never done, at least not until they have given us the lowdown on this year’s Sri Lankan tourists.

The son is Dylan who explains how the times are a-changing for Sri Lankan domestic cricket and the truth behind B – Love Kandy. A Sri Lankan Cricket franchise apparently, not a chocolate aphrodisiac .

We start with England though and debate not just how they will fare without Ben Stokes, but also whether his three appearances, four runs and no wickets for the Northern Superchargers was worth the few extra bums on seats in the Hundred as far as the ECB is concerned. Probably not, but we doubt they’ll admit that.

From there, it’s a thorough review of the old, new and returning Sri Lankan squad, who have just beaten India in a One Day series don’t forget! They will have a very familiar name as batting coach for this series. None other than our old favourite Ian Bell…Bell….Bell….Bell.

Finally, we circle back to the Hundred again. Mainly to assess Jimmy Anderson’s desire to play in it and other franchise tournaments. To us that seems a bit like asking Michelangelo to don his overalls and slap a lick of paint over cracks in the Bishop and Bear walls. But Jimmy has earned the right to do whatever he wants.

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Sorry, but that’s as much French as we are going to get despite our landlord having just returned sun bronzed from the south of France.

It’s a bon retour aussi (sorry a bit more French slipped in there) to our special guest, St Annie of Exeter. The wonderful Annie Chave of course, who was very quick to get in the French spirit with several large glasses of our highly quaffable Côtes du Rhône.

Hopefully you find us in up-beat, but also reflective mood as we chew over things from the wonderful world of cricket. We start by paying our tribute on the tragic passing of Graham Thorpe, taken too young, but a man who we and indeed all England fans, remember with great fondness.

From there we look back to Jimmy’s final Test farewell, seeing it as reflective of an era’s end, not just a magnificent career. We celebrate some great cricket (and decent crowds) in the One Day Cup, consider the implications of the Hundred sale with Hampshire seemingly leading the way, consider the implications of England’s new selections for the Sri Lanka series and finally, for good measure, assess who might fill the shoes of the departing Mathew Mott.

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There are loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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It’s raining outside our pub window which can only mean one thing. There’s an England Test Match starting next week AT LORDS against the West Indies in Jimmy’s farewell. We will look forward to that and also briefly back at the World T20.

BUT first you may know that the first time the West Indies won a Test in England was at Lords in 1950. A thumping 326 run victory inspired not just by Ramadhin and Valentine, BUT also by a 2nd innings 168* from Clyde Walcott.

Our special guest today on the Barstool of Bravado is author Peter Mason, whose book “Clyde Walcott – Statesman of West Indies Cricket” is released in September. It’s an essential biography of a cricketing great exploring his achievements as a player, manager and political activist. Peter's book gives us a timely reminder of the huge impact that Clyde Walcott had both on and off the field. It is also a fascinating exploration of how theWest Indies came to dominate the game for so long at the end of the twentieth century. You can preorder the book at most good bookstores and there is a link below to point you in the right direction.

It’s the start of a West Indies series, so no surprise that our other guest is the ever-eloquent David Brook. Together with Peter, we look back to the World T20 and more importantly forward to the England Vs West Indies series and Jimmy Anderson’s Lords farewell.

You can pre order your copy of book “Clyde Walcott – Statesman of West Indies Cricket” at most good bookshops, including here.

By the way, if you want to help us keep our show on the road and great cricket coverage free across the internet, then do please consider supporting us through Patreon here. There’s loads of great benefits as well as our undying gratitude of course.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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“As strange as it sounds, what I want to be doing right now is playing cricket. Sweating and getting tired at training sessions, the ball hitting my legs and body.

But I have a sniper’s rifle in my hands instead of a bat and a grenade instead of a ball”.

Those are the words of Ukraniain cricketer and now soldier defending his homeland from Russian invasion, Sasha Romanenko. His story, and others like him, is brilliantly told in the book “Getting Out – The Ukrainian Cricket Team’s Last Stand on the Front Lines of War”.

It’s author, Jonathan Campion is our guest in the Bishop and Bear today to discuss not just of how Ukraine’s cricketers helped the people around them to escape from Russia’s invasion (including first – hand accounts of the war), but also about the growth of cricket in the Ukraine to the cusp of ICC membership before Putin’s aggression.

Personal, harrowing yet heartwarming, your ursine landlord and episcopal barman strongly recommend it. You can find a link on where to buy it below.

Of course, we also take the opportunity to chat with Jonathan about the World T20, now at the Super 8 stage and we look at the two groups and ask “Can anyone stop another Australia vs India final”? Yes, is the answer, so listen in to see who we favour.

You can buy ‘Getting Out – the Ukranian Cricket Team’s Last Stand on the Front Lines of War’ at all reputable book stores, but here is one of them.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Having just staggered across the finishing line of the IPL marathon, don’t think for a second we have time to put our feet up in the Old B and B. Oh no! The WT20 looms. All 20 teams, 4 groups, 2 countries, nine venues and specially grown and flown drop in pitches of it.

So much to talk about with our special guest Gargi Raut, presenter, broadcaster and writer with Revsportz in India. Gargi and your episcopal barman have worked together before, so it was high time she had an invite into cricket’s favourite virtual pub! Is a lively chat too.

We dissect the IPL and agree, to put it nicely, that this year was far from its finest showing. Certainly, the final wasn’t. We conclude that six, six, six truly is the number of the beast as most bowlers were reduced to mere cannon fodder. Jason Holder has had some interesting things to say about that and we tend to agree with him. 

Should they stay or should they go? We also discuss whether English players should have been hauled home or whether staying in India would have been better World Cup prep. Michael Vaughan thinks they should have stayed. But hey, that’s Michael Vaughan.  

With Gargi’s insight, we also dive into the cult of personality and the intrusions on player privacy that cricketing celebrity in India entails. It is, we all tend to think, bonkers.

Finally, or course, we look ahead to the World Cup and ask whether India can finally bring home an ICC Trophy again or whether a cheeky punt on Uganda at 1,500/1 might be worthwhile (probably not, but it’s up to you of course).

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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If you fancy a cracking night out, plenty to eat and drink, plus the chance to play some cricket and even face some of the world’s best bowlers, there is a bar you can go to. It’s called Sixes. If you are in the UK, you probably already know it. If you are in the USA, you soon will as they are have already opened in Dallas and will be opening more there too.

At Guerilla Cricket, the social side of cricket is central to what we do. It’s the philosophy of our guest today too. Andy Waugh is the co - founder of Sixes Social Cricket and shares with us the story of Sixes, and tells us about some of their backers and fans which include the likes of Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer and others. How did a Scotsman who never played cricket, end up creating a chain of social cricket experience bars? You are in the right place to find out.

Andy seemed to feel straight at home in the Bishop and Bear and the conversation quickly turned to how social cricket and Sixes is a perfect opportunity to help people find their way to the game. Our thoughts also turn of course to the World T20 and the run fuelled IPL amongst other things.

It’s a lively chat, so do have a listen and let us know what you think.

And, if you haven’t tried Sixes yet. Get down to one and give it a go. We are planning a Guerilla night in one very soon.

Do enjoy the chat and see you again soon in the Bishop and Bear.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Many cricket supporters will have recently heard a resounding thud on their door mat (or more likely a tiny tap on the door followed by the rapidly retreating footsteps of an Amazon delivery driver) – because last week saw the launch of the 161st edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack!

Quite a year it’s been for cricket on and off the field and in its 1,552 pages The Wisden Cricketers Almanack captures and comments on much of it. Our own Gary Naylor has contributed 0.097% of those pages. How on earth, did they get him to be so brief?

We think it’s editor, Lawrence Booth, deserves a very large drink. And as luck would have it, he’s in our pub today.

If you thought the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack was just a coffee table thud book for cricket tragics (which ok, we know we are), you would be wrong. This year it puts forward some very forthright views on everything from the distribution of wealth in the game, equality and diversity and the spirit of cricket, as well as some great pieces by the likes of Mike Brearley (on the psychology of BazBall), a celebration of Stewart Broad and the impact of January 28th (Super Sunday). Plus of course, the Wisden cricketers of the year and so much more too.

It's a rich read indeed. And hopefully a great listen too as we chat to Lawrence.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

PS you can buy the 161st Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack at all good bookstores as they say. But of course, this is one of them.

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Most guests in this pub would probably agree that they want cricket to grow and be healthy. They want it to be more diverse, inclusive and attractive to new younger fans. They also, want to watch national teams to play entertaining winning Test cricket and be successful in other formats too. For many of us, that is England. But by no means exclusively. Those of us that follow English counties want them to entertain us a play great cricket and, ideally, win things.

And yet, in a theme we constantly return to in the B and B, for English cricket, the lure of money and the proliferation of franchises sets traditionalists against modernists, romantics against pragmatists. Even your ursine Landlord and episcopal barman, feel a little, well dirty, frankly as we cover the IPL.

Our guest today on the Barstool of Bravado, is Ben Bloom, who spent last summer travelling the country speaking to more than 100 of the game’s most important figures for his book – Batting for Time: The Fight to Keep English Cricket Alive. The concern and discontent he uncovered from all quarters was palpable and left him concluding that English cricket is in crisis.

It gets brilliantly under the skin of English cricket, giving a fair voice to those who represent all sides of the argument, including many of those we know as friends, not least Annie of course.

It’s a great chat with Ben, so do have a listen. And we can thoroughly recommend the book, available, as they say, from all good booksellers, including here.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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The chat this week is very much focused on the IPL as this year’s marathon begins. Who are the runners and riders? Where is the smart money going? Who are the stars and who is missing for each team? What makes the new smart replays smarter than the average replays? Why do Sunrisers Hyderabad get battered everywhere? Is their website still a UX disaster? (Don’t bother looking - it is I can assure you). Who is Jake Fraser McGurk and what happened to the monkey that bit him?

To answer these and so many other questions, we have our own ‘Oracle of the Odds’ and IPL aficionado Andy Ward. Andy is going to be steering our weekly IPL coverage and he seems to be limbering up in fine form, albeit with a Guinness Zero.

We even make time to debate the morals of Australia’s Afghan withdrawal and ponder why no one is mad about the Roy.

Here is our very loose running order:

·     IPL 2024

-      What’s new for 2024?

o  Bouncers

o  Smart replays

-      Guerilla Tips – where is our money for this year?

·     Australia pull out of Afghanistan Mens T20 – A fair stance or looking for an excuse?

·     Why is no one mad about the Roy?

·     A decent start for England’s Women vs NZ despite missing some WPL starts

·     Our IPL Coverage – what to expect

Thanks, as ever for your company. Do let us know what you think and join us for our weekly show.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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A fabulous if ultimately unsuccessful Test series for England is behind us, but there is plenty to reflect upon. The IPL stretches out before us. No less than 66 days of, well pretty much the same as last year, but it will be fun.

As we look back to that enthralling Test series in India, we have two guests propping up our bar to cogitate on that and much more besides. Anindya has been busy penning his thoughts on whether or not India saw the death of Bazball as a strategy. If you haven’t read “Death of a Strategy? The Curious Case of 'Bazball' in India” then we can heartily recommend it. You can find it here.

We also welcome the late Sagir Parkar. Not “late as in in the late Dentarthurdent”, but apparently detained on his way to the pub by a traffic accident.

He picks up the pace of conversation like a pro though.

It’s a lively chat I can assure you we answer many questions as we go including:

·     Was Baz ball battered?

·     England’s dilemmas

o  One attitude – flexible approach?

o  Making way for Brook?

o  Duckett’ technique (and his dog)?

o  Leach – should he stay or should he go?

·     Will the Jazz Whale stay in tune wherever he plays?

·     Jimmy 700 – For a fast bowler a record that will never be beaten?

·     New Zealand against Australia – Is it a mental thing?

·     Fire up the clown car – who wants tickets to the IPL circus?

Whether you agree with any of the answers is of course, entirely up to you, but do get in touch and let us know.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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I’m not sure you can ever fully trust Google Translate, but that should be Icelandic for “Hello and welcome to the Bishop and Bear”. If you happen to speak fluent Icelandic and it accidentally says something else, I can only apologise. Blame the landlord not the barman.

There is a reason we have gone full Icelandic though. Our guest on the Barstool of Bravado this week is Kit Harris. Not only assistant editor of Wisden but also author the extraordinary “From Lords to the Fjords – The Saga of Icelandic Cricket”.

From Lord’s to the Fjords is the uproarious tale of cricket in Iceland: how the national press believed a stag party from Oxford were the official England team, how Sky Sports accidentally sent a crew to televise an Icelandic Cricket Cup final that didn’t exist, how the lead singer of Iron Maiden flew a passenger jet into a match under the midnight sun, how Henry Blofeld umpired in a blizzard on top of an ice cap, how the Iceland team was sold to the world’s public and became a viral Twitter sensation (incurring the wrath of Jofra Archer), how an Icelandic ‘mystery spinner’ signed for an Indian Premier League team, how the Iceland team fulfilled their dreams by playing their first international match – and how historical evidence proves that the Vikings were absolutely, definitely playing cricket in the tenth century.

It's a fantastic read so we’ve included a below where you can avail yourself of it.

Don’t worry there’s plenty of other cricket chat too as we cast an eye over events in India, discuss how to engineer more playing time for young spin bowlers, lament the frustrations that seem to surround Ollie Robinson and even look ahead to what’s coming up in The Wisden 2024 Almanac published in April.

Here’s that link we promised for “From Lords to the Fjords”.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Well, it was a right old battering for England in Rajkot. The young Jazz Whale played all the right notes in exactly the right order and there were way too many bum notes from England against Bumrah and co. The Yorkshire middle order of Root and Bairstow looks under pressure and out of sorts. Can they battle their way back into some form in Ranchi? Ben Stokes thinks the pitch there looks “interesting very interesting” to appropriate the words of the great Barry Davies.

Our guest this week is the ever-erudite Forthy, who joins your ursine landlord and episcopal barman to ask and attempt to answer some of the questions vexing England’s management. If indeed they ever do get vexed, which at least to external eyes they seem not too. We also celebrate the power of Indian run scoring and dig a bit behind Jay Shah’s comments that Indian players shouldn’t prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket.

Here is a rough idea of the topics we chat and drink our way through:

• Bazball out Bazzed in Rajkot
• What do we expect in Ranchi?
• Strong Yorkshire Strong England – what’s in the heads of Root and Bairstow?
• “BCCI says don’t prioritise IPL over domestic cricket” – sorry what??!!
• Umpires Call – is it the blind the leading the blind? (Sorry Joel!)

Settle in, enjoy your drink and do please get in touch and let us know what you think.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Our guest this week is no stranger to the bar in the old Bishop and Bear. She has a stool and pint glass with her name on it. It’s the one and only St Annie, county cricket natterer and matterer supreme. And there is so much to talk about, starting with the dismissal, or rather non-dismissal, that has had our Guerilla WhatsApp group in a lather of excessively verbose opinion.

So here are the things we meander our way through with plenty of detours en route.

·     Neil Brand – out or not out?

·     Visakhapatnam Test

o  20’s and 30s don’t win you Tests (Alastair Cook)

o  Blowing the Jazz Whale’s trumpet

o  Brilliant Bumrah

o  Jimmy Jimmy

o  Can Shoaib, Tom and Rehan learn fast enough to haul England back in front?

o  Is Joe Root trying too hard to Bazz?

o  Runs in Rajkot

o  Changes for Third Test?

·     South Africa C getting what CSA deserve in New Zealand?

·     U19 World Cup – India and Aus into the final

·     County Cricket Matters – What’s coming up?

Settle in, enjoy your drink and do please get in touch and let us know what you think.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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What a week for Test Cricket, culminating in its own Super Sunday. Two incredible Tests, two extraordinary results. Three heroes in the form of Shamar Joseph, Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley. The latter, we think, bears an uncanny resemblance to the great Hedly Verity. Google some pictures and see what you think.

It really was riches indeed for Test cricket fans and on our Barstools of Bravado, your ursine landlord and episcopal barman are joined by two passionate and knowledgeable guests. Aryan Surana, our resident Guerilla news hound and the irrepressible David Brook, represent India and the West Indies, but take a refreshingly non-partisan view of events.

Fortified with rum and coffee, we dive not just into the two matches, but more importantly perhaps, the statement they have made in the context of challenges faced by Test Cricket generally. And we answer important questions like “How far is it from Old Trafford to Hyderabad? Just what was did the Windies put in Shamar’s magic toe spray? And exactly how should we pronounce Visakhapatnam”?

For good measure, we tackle KP’s tweet asking for people’s opinions on the balance of T20’s and Tests, so grab yourself a drink at the bar and settle in to enjoy the chat.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Our two Barstool of Bravado guests this week are the lads from The Cricket Podcast (and Guerillas of course) Jack and Max. Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman certainly have to be on our toes with T20 knowledge. There may be a suspicion of some hurried googling in the Ursine department.

We unpick the extraordinary double super over events from Bengaluru this week, the expanding and contracting Big Bash, plus cast a critical eye on the quality of some of the global T20 franchises.

For good measure, there is a passing tribute to the great Muddy Waters and we also learn that the Bear’s portly neighbour wears bamboo underpants. Don’t ask how he knows that, just listen to find out!

Here’s the full chat list:

·     Two Super Overs – Too good to be true?

·     Three times same result for Pakistan in New Zealand – two to go

·     Big Bash – less bash since it got bigger and then smaller again?

·     SA 20 – DSG make the early running. No great surprise looking at squads?

·     IL T20 starts 24th – is global talent pool being spread too thin across global franchises?

·     Adelaide Test – 3 Days is one more than expected?

·     Drinking TNT – We were always ready for that

·     Oh go on then – India vs England. Will England win a Test?

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Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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To be honest we are a bit confused as to which number Bishop and Bear this is. Looking back, we seem to have missed 62 completely, had 64 as our Christmas Special and then released 63. So, this is either 62 (delayed), or 65. “But frankly”, as Barry Davis once said about the errant German Hockey team’s defence, “Who cares?”

What does matter is that we have a cracking guest in the old B&B this week. It’s Kiwi cricket writer, broadcaster and author, Andrew McLean. Although from Wellington, Andrew lives in Bali now, so your episcopal barman had selection of Araks, Jamus, Bintangs and Young Coconuts ready to pour.

Settle yourself down with your own drink of choice and listen here as Andrew and your episcopal and ursine hosts get stuck into a meaty agenda including:

• That Cape Town Pitch – no surprise about the ‘unsatisfactory’ rating
• Chris Broad was match ref. Might a different ref have had a different opinion?
• Does New Zealand really produce the best wickets in the world?
• SA20 – its’ on Sky over here in the UK – will it prove worth it for CSA or does it just put another nail into Test Cricket?
• New Zealand starting WT20 year with a home series against Pakistan – On balance pretty well matched?
• West Indies in Aus – can the Windies pull off a miracle?
• Smith to open now Davie W has gone?
• Who might shine for the Windies?

Remember, thanks to all kinds of nifty, cutting-edge technology, NordVPN keeps your devices malware free and your browsing safe from strangers’ eyes. How safe? It would take the world’s most powerful computer billions of years to unencrypt your data — that safe!

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Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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A Very Happy New Year! We have a great chat for you to start 2024. Let’s face it, you might have a bit of time, especially if you had been planning to watch days 3, 4 and 5 of the Cape Town Test!

Special guests seated on our Barstools of Bravado are Shelley - Destroyer of Worlds and India’s biggest fan and critic, Anindya. Not surprisingly, we focus on the extraordinary Test in Cape Town – a conversation that last’s almost longer than the Test itself. Records tumbled and Harry Butt finally has some company as the only player ever to be dismissed twice on his very first Day of Test cricket.

Armed with drink of choice our intrepid duo, along with your ursine landlord and episcopal barman get stuck into a New Year feast of:

-      Dismissals and Dumps in Cape town

-      Are South Africa really committed to Test cricket?

-      Farewells to Elgar and Warner – same vintage very different players

-      Pakistan doing Pakistan things in Sydney

-      India haven’t lost a Test series at home since 2012/13 and in that time have won 36 Tests and lost only 3 at home - Will England need all of their 3 days prep?

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Grab your EXCLUSIVE GUERILLA CRICKET NordVPN deal by clicking here https://nordvpn.com/gcradio to get a huge discount off your NordVPN Plan plus 4 additional months for free! It’s completely risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! When prompted, remember to use the special discount code GCradio.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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As the drink flowed, everyone was more than happy to share their highs and lows of the year and we had our own Guerilla style awards too. Heroes, Villains, Clowns, Top teams and Magic Moments (both on and off the field) were proposed and cogitated over. And a very broad selection we ended up with too, from Australia to Uganda and Josh Hull (who – listen and find out) to Glenn Maxwell. 

Along the way, we dive in and out of all of the following.

·     New Zealand series draw and the defeat that was a win for cricket

·     Diamonds on the soles of Joffra’s shoes in Kimberley

·     Bangladesh – The forgotten series

·     IP Hell 2 months, 74 matches and a Duckworth Lewis Final

·     Ireland’s 4 day Test (but they prioritised World Cup qualification – which went well)

·     Australia World Test Champions – and India practice being runners up

·     Moral Ashes – Broadway Broad and Dozy Jonny B

·     Women’s Ashes Draw and World T20 – but not great Tests for England Women against Aus or India (despite Tammy’s double ton)

·     New Zealand’s Never-Ending Tour

·     Surrey Champions again – are they the Manchester City of English Cricket?

·     World Cup Disaaaaster Darling (and Moody Modi)

·     Much Wobbling in the Windies

Do have a listen and most importantly, let us know who your choices would be for

Hero; Villain; Clown; Team of the Year; On field moment and Off field moment.

Our very best to you and yours for a fabulous holiday season and new year. We will be back to welcome you into the internets favourite virtual cricket pub in the new year.

Cheers from

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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India are in South Africa, although Durban seemed a bit more like Durham or Dundee yesterday and the first T20I was rained off. But that does not deter our two guests from delving into the prospects for the series in all formats.

Representing World Cup runners up India is a man who doesn’t need a barstool as he travels everywhere with his own armchair, it is of course Ajit. And in the Proteas corner, simply oozing charm and cricket expertise, none other than Tim Dale Lace.

Together with your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman drinks are drunk and thoughts are thunk across all of the following:

·     South Africa and India all formats

o  Can South Africa build on the promise of the World Cup?

o  Can India travel better than they usually do? Did they bless the rains down in Africa?

·     West Indies vs England – what have we learned from the ODIs?

o  The Buttler/Mott axis isn’t working for ODIs?

o  Can the T20s offer more hope?

o  You gotta beat the clock, you gotta beat the clock – just a minute - no hesitation, repetition or deviation

·     India Vs England Women – great start for England in T20’s. But will the Test be a different ball game?

o  England spinners looking good – particularly Sophie Ecclestone

·     England Test selections for India

o  Shoab Bashir – Who?

o  No Jacks or Dawson

o  Foakes returns – he must keep surely

o  Stokes as batsmen only – what is the right balance

·     Mitchell Johnson vs David Warner

o  Handbags at dawn or does Mitchell have a point?

Grab yourself a drink at the bar and settle in to enjoy the chat. Don’t forget, you can help us keep cricket free and global by becoming a Patreon, with loads of benefits by way of our thanks. If you can, do join us here.

And don’t forget to message us and let us know what you think.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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So that’s where we start and look at two sides testing out new and younger talent in the white ball arena. For what’s its worth, none of us think it’s going to be that easy for England even though there seems to be some unrest bubbling in the West Indies camp. 

Here's our full conversational menu for your delight and delectation:

·     West indies Preview – What’s the story with Bravo? And now Shane Dowrich too. Who might shine for England?

·     World Cup Wrap – Did India dig their own hole?

·     Cricket Writers Awards – A Brook on Brook appraisal

·     Ben Stokes and the Battle of Wounded Knee

·     India and Australia – still slugging it out – Why?

·     Shanto Panto in Sylhet – Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes, it is!

Grab yourself a drink at the bar and settle in to enjoy the chat. Don’t forget, you can help us keep cricket free and global by becoming a Patreon, with loads of benefits by way of our thanks. If you can, do join us here.

And don’t forget to message us and let us know what you think.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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https://auctions.bhandl.co.uk/lots?term=percy%20fender&categoryCode=SME

Live Auction to be held Dec 5th at 10am. Address details below

At Guerilla Cricket, we are huge fans of Percy George Herbert Fender. He has a starring role in our theme tune after all. 

Often presented as a divisive, comical, Bertie Wooster, monocle wearing figure (he never did wear one, but his wife did), he was in fact the polar opposite. Sharp, witty, principled, forward thinking, a master tactician and someone who fought for inclusivity and fairness.

Perhaps he did more to reinvent cricket than any other person of his age. A renaissance man (he wrote musicals and books), and, it now turns out, was an impeccable archivist of his own life.

This year Percy’s son Peter sadly died, but from that has emerged a treasure trove of papers, memorabilia and photos that Percy had assembled and Peter had lovingly kept. Much of it goes to auction on December 5th but before it does, we’ve had access and sight into the contents and with it an insight into Percy Fender’s world, including a remarkable series of never heard before recordings that Percy made in the 1960’s for his son Peter and for posterity.

They chart his life, his career, most of it with Surrey, his feelings, and perhaps, most telling of all, his role in Bodyline, the 1932 Test series in which cricket went to war.  

Amongst some amazing memorabilia in the auction is an extraordinary letter the Percy typed towards the end of his life where he tells “the truth about Bodyline”. 

The auction takes place at 10.00 am on December 5th at  BHL St. Edmund's Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU. It will also be live here and select “Sporting equipment and memorabilia.

Listen here as Tony Bishop is joined by Dan Norcross, Jon Surtees from Surrey and most importantly, Percy’s two grandsons, Guy and Nick as we learn more about the remarkable Percy and unearth his truth about Bodyline. 

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https://auctions.bhandl.co.uk/lots?term=percy%20fender&categoryCode=SME

Live Auction to be held Dec 5th at 10am. Address details below

At Guerilla Cricket, we are huge fans of Percy George Herbert Fender. He has a starring role in our theme tune after all. 

Often presented as a divisive, comical, Bertie Wooster, monocle wearing figure (he never did wear one, but his wife did), he was in fact the polar opposite. Sharp, witty, principled, forward thinking, a master tactician and someone who fought for inclusivity and fairness.

Perhaps he did more to reinvent cricket than any other person of his age. A renaissance man (he wrote musicals and books), and, it now turns out, was an impeccable archivist of his own life.

This year Percy’s son Peter sadly died, but from that has emerged a treasure trove of papers, memorabilia and photos that Percy had assembled and Peter had lovingly kept. Much of it goes to auction on December 5th but before it does, we’ve had access and sight into the contents and with it an insight into Percy Fender’s world, including a remarkable series of never heard before recordings that Percy made in the 1960’s for his son Peter and for posterity.

They chart his life, his career, most of it with Surrey, his feelings, and perhaps, most telling of all, his role in Bodyline, the 1932 Test series in which cricket went to war.  

Amongst some amazing memorabilia in the auction is an extraordinary letter the Percy typed towards the end of his life where he tells “the truth about Bodyline”.

The auction takes place at 10.00 am on December 5th at  BHL St. Edmund's Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU. It will also be live here and select “Sporting equipment and memorabilia.

Listen here as Tony Bishop is joined by Dan Norcross, Jon Surtees from Surrey and most importantly, Percy’s two grandsons, Guy and Nick as we learn more about the remarkable Percy and unearth his truth about Bodyline. 

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https://auctions.bhandl.co.uk/lots?term=percy%20fender&categoryCode=SME

Live Auction to be held Dec 5th at 10am. Address details below

At Guerilla Cricket, we are huge fans of Percy George Herbert Fender. He has a starring role in our theme tune after all. 

Often presented as a divisive, comical, Bertie Wooster, monocle wearing figure (he never did wear one, but his wife did), he was in fact the polar opposite. Sharp, witty, principled, forward thinking, a master tactician and someone who fought for inclusivity and fairness.

Perhaps he did more to reinvent cricket than any other person of his age. A renaissance man (he wrote musicals and books), and, it now turns out, was an impeccable archivist of his own life.

This year Percy’s son Peter sadly died, but from that has emerged a treasure trove of papers, memorabilia and photos that Percy had assembled and Peter had lovingly kept. Much of it goes to auction on December 5th but before it does, we’ve had access and sight into the contents and with it an insight into Percy Fender’s world, including a remarkable series of never heard before recordings that Percy made in the 1960’s for his son Peter and for posterity.

They chart his life, his career, most of it with Surrey, his feelings, and perhaps, most telling of all, his role in Bodyline, the 1932 Test series in which cricket went to war.  

Amongst some amazing memorabilia in the auction is an extraordinary letter the Percy typed towards the end of his life where he tells “the truth about Bodyline”.

The auction takes place at 10.00 am on December 5th at  BHL St. Edmund's Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, EX4 1DU. It will also be live here and select “Sporting equipment and memorabilia.

In part one here, Tony Bishop is joined by Dan Norcross, Jon Surtees from Surrey and most importantly, Percy’s two grandsons, Guy and Nick  as we explore Percy’s early life, his flying career taking pot shots and zeppelins, his captaincy of Surrey and learn about a record that he still holds to this day.

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Excellent timing to invite Anindya Dutta into the old rub a dub this week. Who better to help us remember one of India’s great spin wizards Bishan Bedi, who sadly left us this last week. Anindya knew him well and shares here some of those memories.

After that, what else could we possibly talk about? It’s the World Cup of course and England’s feeble, some would say non-existent efforts to defend it. Or attack its defence as Jos Buttler no doubt thoroughly regrets having said by now. We dig into some of the reasons we think lie behind England’s alarming demise including, age, central contracts, selection, captaincy and well, just about everything! We also look ahead to the clash with Virat Kohli and ten other blokes on Sunday in Lucknow.

How will England approach that? Will the almost certain failure to reach the semis just free them up a bit. Or for England fans will it be hard hats on for another shellacking, all over and done my lunch time on Sunday, in time to head to the pub at least.

Grab yourself a drink at the bar and settle in to enjoy the chat. Don’t forget, you can help us keep cricket free and global by becoming a patreon, with loads of benefits by way of our thanks. If you can, do join us here.

And don’t forget to message us and let us know what you think.

Cheers!

Your Ursine Landlord and Episcopal Barman

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Will the England captain roll his arm over? The lack thereof may spread the hosts thin as Jack Leach is out injured, Broad-Anderson ought to bowl in bursts, and asking too many overs of Joe Root thaws the potency of the attack against an arch-rival dominating the batting charts in the second iteration of the World Test Championship.

Aryan Surana tweets at @iamaryansurana, Tony Bishop at @tonybishop1 and Jeremy Henderson at @messyjez.

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Even with England missing a few regulars, at the start of a World Cup year, this series undoubtedly meant something to both sides. England, woefully out of ODI form, needed to start gathering momentum. South Africa needed wins just to automatically qualify.

2 -1 it was in the end to South Africa, but that win for England in Kimberley, with tons for Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan, plus, of course those super six wickets for Jofra Archer will have meant England walked away feeling a lot happier than they might have.

You can listen here as we celebrate a well- supported series, some big positives for both sides and also dig into who may, or may not, be worried about their places.

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11 times County Champions, the club has a proud history of developing many of the game’s greatest known cricketers, including the likes of Denis Compton, Mike Gatting, John Emburey and Andrew Strauss to name but a few and this tradition continues to the modern day, with a very exciting group of young talent coming through like Robbie White, Ethan Bamber and Luke Holman.

The CEO of Middlesex is Andrew Cornish. Listen here as Andrew tells @tonybishop1 about the steps the club is taking to broaden the member base, inspire participation in the game, increase inclusivity and diversity of team and fans and lay foundations for the long-term success of Middlesex and the game as a whole. And, as Middlesex fans will be happy to hear, win silverware along the way.

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Three times county County Champions, their illustrious history boasts the likes of CB Fry, David Shepherd, Ted Dexter, Tony Greig, Ranjitsinghi, Maurice Tate and John Snow. Now, they are promoting some young and exciting talent like Tom Haines, Tom Clarke and Archie Lenham and blending that with the likes of Stephen Finn and new arrivals Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Riswan.

The CEO of Sussex is a familiar sporting name. Rob Andrew. Listen here, as Rob tells @tonybishop1 about Sussex’s plans to inspire cricket across the county, to promote and support young talent and to support the Sussex cricket community.

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Yet when England get battered in a Test Series, there are those who point an accusing figure towards our first - class County game. Some would even question the status of Counties at all.  So, it’s a tough brief, especially when you are not based at a ‘Test Match’ Ground.

Here, Sean tells @tonybishop1 about Leicestershire’s partnership with the Cricket Supporters Association, #CountyTogether and a broad ranging action plan to and to attract new fans to the County.

A tough brief it may be, but it’s one Sean is tackling with commitment, determination and no little humour. If you are a @leicsccc follower or just a lover of the game, Sean’s passion and enthusiasm are inspiring. Listen here and let us know what you think.

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Their fan base is passionate, loyal and care deeply for their beloved county.

Listen here as Gordon Hollins, Somerset CEO, tells @tonybishop1 how they have navigated through the pandemic and have a long-term plan for success and growth, starting with filling that one large gap in their trophy cabinet at the earliest possible opportunity. Taunton may not a ‘Test Match Ground’ but it does stage international cricket. It also represents a broad area of this country’s cricket community and Gordon is looking to expand that further ensuring the future health of the club and its community.

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Here in conversation with @tonybishop1, the ever-engaging Gladstone recalls that match and how Ashes history was changed forever by the unlikely intervention of Sir Elton.

Inside the Tour - The Ashes 1986/87 is available on all major podcast platforms. For more information and to subscribe to the series visit auddy.co/ITT and follow @InsideTourPod on Twitter.

And to support Guerilla Cricket in bringing you un geo blocked coverage of international cricket please go here: https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

@GladstoneSmall

@InsideTourPod

@alastaireykyn

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Inside the Tour - The Ashes 1986/87 is available on all major podcast platforms. For more information and to subscribe to the series visit auddy.co/ITT and follow @InsideTourPod on Twitter.

And to support Guerilla Cricket in bringing you un geo blocked coverage of international cricket please go here: https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

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Two teams of Guerillas, one from Australia and one from England, got together for the ultimate pre - series Jingle off. Along the way they also found time to opine on the real cricket coming up.

Our selectors supplemented current players for each country with some ringers, chosen more for their jingletasticness than their cricket (although terrific cricketers too it must be said).

The Guerillas

Australia: Cricket Bat Cat, Messy Jezz, SOK

England: St. Annie of Exeter, Jack Hope, The Bear

With love and thanks to our amazing jinglers – Mog, Jeff Perkins, James Sherwood, Men With Ven, Senor Peel, Pryke in Munich, plus many others.

To find out who won the Jingle Ashes and who our Guerillas think might prevail in the real Ashes, listen here.

To support Guerilla Cricket in bringing you un geo blocked coverage of international cricket please go here: https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

And don’t forget, Guerilla Cricket will be covering every single ball of the series. If your fancy something a bit different, with music and chatting with cricket fans around the world, then join us https://www.guerillacricket.com/

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To help, you can donate your unused or second-hand cricket clothing and equipment via your school or local club. 

It sounds simple and as an idea it is. But to make a difference to so many lives and in so many different places is something else.

One of the remarkable things about Bat For A Chance is that its founder and driving force Will Gaffney is still at school.  Here Tony Bishop meets Will to learn more about the charity’s story and remarkable work.

To find out for yourself about how to help by donating kit, donating money or becoming a partner, click here: https://www.batforachance.org.uk

And to support Guerilla Cricket in bringing you un geo blocked coverage of international cricket please go here: https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

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Over 3000 cricket fans, across all age ranges, responded to the 5th Annual Cricket Supporters Association Survey. Major topics covered include The Hundred, the role and importance of the County Championship, whether fan’s views are listened to and acted upon and whether cricket should be more accessible via free to air coverage of tournament cricket.

Watch here as @tonybishop1 discusses the results of the survey with Becky Fairlie Clarke, Co – Founder of the CSA and discover where cricket fans stand on the most important issues. Crucially, how are the survey results being presented to the ECB and what can we expect back in response from the game’s governing body?

You can find out more about the Cricket Supporters Association here: https://www.cricketsupporters.com/

And to support Guerilla Cricket in bringing you un geo blocked coverage of international cricket please go here: https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

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He was for many years a statistician for Manchester United’s TV channel, has been invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden party in celebration of his work as well as interviewed by John Humphries on the Today Programme no less.

What makes these achievements exceptional is that Andrew Edwards is autistic and has had to use every ounce of determination and will to overcome the odds and succeed. His autobiography is entitled I’ve got a Stat for you. My life with Autism. Listen here as he tells @tonybishop1 his inspiring story of triumph over adversity.

To get exclusive access to all our podcasts, visit https://www.patreon.com/Guerillacricket

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A central pillar of giving fans that voice is their annual survey, the fifth edition of which will be launched this month having started in 2017. Tony Bishop @tonybishop1 meets Becky Fairlie -  Clarke, co – founder of the CSA to find out two things:

1. What has changed over the 3 previous issues and most importantly, what impact has it had and why cricket fans should ensure they take part
2. What are the key issues to be covered in the survey and how can cricket fan’s still shape those?

The survey has grown in reach, depth and relevance since its launch and Becky explains exactly how the supporters voice on key issues gets to leading authorities in the game.

If you want your voice heard and feel that there is something vital to be included in the next edition of the survey, you can go here: www.cricketsupporters.com/haveyoursay or you can email the CSA here: info@cricketsupporters.com

But hurry, as the survey will launch in the third week of March.

You can keep up to date with the CSA on Twitter too @yourcricketsa

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Whilst India will point to a number of factors in their favour, including the return of some big guns and familiar home conditions, England are a very tough nut to crack anywhere in the world these days and there are reasons for English optimism, not least of which are the 5 consecutive test wins away from home they have just registered for first time in over 100 years.

15 times these two have locked horns in India and the home side have the upper hand, winning 7 series to England’s 5 with 3 drawn.

We put two Guerillas together in the virtual ring to exchange verbal blows and predict who is likely to come out on top.

Representing India is Anindya Dutta @Cric_Writer, a man who keeps company with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni on Amazon bookshelves. He wrote Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling. He knows his Indian cricket.

Waving the English flag is a man almost old enough to have watched England’s first triumph in India in 1933 @tonybishop1 .

Argument and counter argument are traded as Tony meets Anindya’s devilish spin with stoic defence and some neat verbal footwork.  Alas they couldn’t agree on the score. But they did agree it won’t be dull.

Watch here to see who you think has it right.

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The ACE Programme was launched by Surrey County Cricket Club in January 2020 in response to this alarming decline with the bold intent of doing something about it. Watch here as @tonybishop1 meets Chevy Green, Director of Surrey’s ACE program to find out exactly how they are doing and hear about successes so far.

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In this episode of Guerillashire @tonybishop1 meets Last Wicket Stand author
Richard Clarke, perhaps better known as @The_Grumbler

Last-Wicket Stand is an honest account of one man's search for meaning, purpose
and reinvention, both for himself and the sport he loves. At the start of the 2020
season, English county cricket faced radical change. The Hundred was coming,
introducing new 'franchises' playing a new format in the hope of attracting much-
needed new audiences. Its inception was controversial. Advocates argued only
drastic action could halt the decline of cricket in the UK. Opponents feared it would
undermine the very fabric of the much-loved county game. One devoted Essex fan
set out to document the last summer before the big change. He toured the country in
2019 chronicling this often-ignored sport, from the gentle lullaby of the County
Championship to the bawdy singalong of T20 Finals Day. Richard Clarke was in his
50th year, at a personal crossroads and fearing his best days may be long gone.
Change vs tradition, growth vs security, money vs meaning - these perennial
struggles lie at the heart of this absorbing and revealing journey of redemption.
In an additional treat, Tony and Richard also find time to discuss an all-time great
@EssexCricket XI.

Thanks to Jeff Perkins for the theme tune and jingles and to Jon Stone for editing
and production support.

To get exclusive access to all of our podcasts visit
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• Did England really doom themselves with their decision-making, or did they just not play as well as the West Indies?
• Does Ben Stokes realise how good he is?
• Is Kraigg Brathwaite back? Was Shai Hope ever here?

We play 2nd Test selector too, trying and failing to scan John Campbell's foot from 200 miles away:

• Denly the human shock absorber or Crawley the coming man?
• Broad for Wood is simple - too simple?
• Rakheem Cornwall has to play - but will he?

Sync us up to your TV with Hotmic - go to hotmic.io or download the Hotmic app from the App Store or Google Play Store, and enter the code GCRADIO at sign-up - every sign-up supports the show. You can also help us out by becoming a Patron, or buying yourself some quality quality merch.

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Throughout the rolling, tumbling, dice throwing mayhem of the Dickwella Broad Owzat Trophy, we’ve been partnering with JDRF UK.  

In this special episode of the Guerilla Cricket Podcast, Guerilla and DBOT finalist Tony Bishop, meets Daniel Newman of JDRF UK. Diagnosed at 10 years old with Type 1 Diabetes, Dan’s journey has been challenging, deeply moving and inspiring in equal measure.  He tells us about the amazing work of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and his role in their work to improve lives and one day eradicate the condition for good. We also talk about famous cricketers who have Type 1, Pakistan and Lancashire legend Wasim Akram amongst them.

JDRF:

• Fund world-class researchapproved and administered by their international research programme to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes;
• Make sure research moves forwardand treatments are delivered as fast as possible
• Give support and a voiceto people with type 1 and their families

They need your support.  Listen to Dan’s story and please go to our DBOT (Very Loud and Animated) and help us to help JDRF.  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/db-owzat-trophy

Join a global movement to create a world without type 1 but with the world’s best independent cricket commentary.

Thanks as ever to Jeff Perkins for the theme tune and jingles and to Nigel Walker for editing and production support.

Get all Guerilla Cricket podcasts BEFORE ANYONE ELSE at patreon.com/guerillacricket

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• ANUJAYA KRISHNA: A scholar and practitioner of sports law who talks to us about her critical analysis of the ICC's Anti-Racism Policy and Conciliation Process: what it does and doesn't address, and how it's implemented.
• GULFRAZ RIAZ: Chair of the National Asian Cricket Council, who advise the ECB on South Asian inclusion and representation, and founder of the African Caribbean Cricket Association.

We also read an excerpt of a powerful call to international consciousness from cricket administrator, scholar & activist Professor Hilary Beckles.

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• MEL FARRELL - superstar freelance cricket writer and broadcaster
• ANKIT MISHRA - co-founder and editor of CricTracker
• PHILASANDE SIXABA - anchor and sports reporter at Newzroom Afrika Channel 405 in Johannesburg

*EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AHOY! $5-and-above Patrons get 15 minutes' content that will never be heard on the free feed. If you're already signed up at $5 or above you'll get this bonus material automatically - lucky you! But if not, become a Patron or upgrade your pledge at patreon.com/guerillacricket.*

For the next 7 days, we're running a fundraising campaign for ourselves and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, who do amazing work tackling Type 1 diabetes - stick around to the end for why this cause is so close to our hearts, and contribute to the cause on our JustGiving page. Thank you.

Subscribe and download on your preferred podcast app:

• APPLE: https://co/2Yyu5fR
• PODBEAN: https://ly/3fgKz2n
• SPOTIFY: https://fi/2Syi1rb
• ACAST: https://ly/2SvJLN5

Produced and edited by Jon Stone. 

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Telling host Nakul Pande how their love of cricket and their time on Guerilla Cricket began this week:

• SEAN TRACEY
• ALAN HOTCHKISS

Over the next couple of months, we're running a fundraising campaign for ourselves and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation UK, who do amazing work tackling Type 1 diabetes - stick around to the end for why this cause is so close to our hearts, and contribute to the cause on our JustGiving page. Thank you.

You can get all our pods BEFORE ANYONE ELSE at patreon.com/guerillacricket - and thanks as ever to our producer and editor Jon Stone.

Subscribe and download on your preferred podcast app:

• APPLE: https://apple.co/2Yyu5fR
• PODBEAN: https://bit.ly/3fgKz2n
• SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/2Syi1rb
• ACAST: https://bit.ly/2SvJLN5

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• KHALID MOHIDIN: Owner and editor, Cricket Fanatics Magazine
• ANKIT MISHRA: Co-founder and editor, CricTracker 

• APPLE: https://apple.co/2Yyu5fR
• PODBEAN: https://bit.ly/3fgKz2n
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• ANNIE CHAVE: Unofficial president of the Marcus Trescothick Fan Club and actual founder and editor of County Cricket Matters
• GARY NAYLOR: Cricket writer, theatre critic and devotee of the aesthetics of cricket and those who play it
• PAUL HOWARTH: Village green hero turned club wicketkeeper turned all-round sports enthusiast

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• IAIN O'BRIEN: Former New Zealand fast bowler, creator of the Youtube channel 108 with IOB and friend of the show
• GLADSTONE SMALL: Much-loved former Warwickshire and England fast bowler and current tour host for The Black Opal Group, pod debutant
• IAN PONT: Pioneering fast bowling coach, author, and head coach of the Ultimate Pace Foundation and the National Fast Bowling Academy

The panel talk bowling fast from every angle: physical, technical, strategic and psychological - it's your indispensable guide to what being a fast bowler is all about.

Become a Patron, at any level, at patreon.com/guerillacricket and get all of our podcasts BEFORE ANYONE ELSE - help keep independent cricket commentary alive! And many thanks as ever to our producer and editor Jon Stone.

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• Former meerkatologist, current statistician and forever Paul Collingwood stan Dr Katy Scott
• Al-fresco scorer and intrepid worldwide cricket coach Jules Farman
• Millinery connoisseur and cricket's most devoted Jamaican-Irish Hampshire fan Roger McCann

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To tell us about the challenges faced by smaller boards, what's being done to deal with them, and what the ICC are doing to help (spoiler alert: actually something!), host Nakul Pande got a crack crew together:

• Warren Deutrom, CEO of Cricket Ireland
• Tim Cutler, co-founder of EmergingCricket.com and former CEO of Cricket Hong Kong
• Guerilla regular Machel St Patrick Hewitt, co-host of the Caribbean Cricket Podcast

We also hear a submission from Raf Nicholson, co-founder and editor of leading women's cricket website CricketHer, outlining the specific issues facing the women's game in the time of COVID. Thanks as ever to Jon Stone for his production and editing work.

For early access to all of our podcasts, become a Patron at patreon.com/guerillacricket! 

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• Martin Cropper, Personal Development Manager at the Professional Cricketers' Association
• Mark Boyns, founder of suicide prevention and mental health non-profit Opening Up Cricket

• Ankit Mishra, co-founder and editor of our long-standing partners CricTracker

• And, be still our beating nerdy hearts, Rob Moody, prolific curator of the Robelinda Youtube channel

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• Will there be cricket in 2020, and who makes that call?
• SHOULD there be cricket in 2020, and does it even matter?
• Should the Hundred be postponed?

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In this edition, we have a special treat for followers of Lancashire as Gary Naylor of the Guardian and long - time Guerilla selects his greatest ever Lancashire England team. In his inimitable way (that we all enjoy imitatating), Gary picks players he has actually seen play in his life time, but never fear, together we explore Lancashire’s finest from John Abrahams to Zahir Khan.  Archie MacLaren and Reggie Spooner rub shoulders with Clive Lloyd, James Anderson and Brian Statham amongst others. You can even hear how Gary’s Mum once trapped poor Freddie Flintoff in a two - hour conversation, although history doesn’t record how much poor Freddie got to say!

Lancashire fans, get in touch on Twitter using #Guerillashire and let us know who would make your team.

Thanks to Jeff Perkins for the theme tune and jingles and to Jon Stone for editing and production support.

Get this episode and all our Guerilla Cricket Podcasts and articles first by becoming a patron.

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