First taste of cricket in 2013

After taking a year out of cricket after a seven-year stint as press officer for Langley Mill Cricket Club, I approached the 2013 season with doubts about whether I still wanted to follow the game. Having a year out enabled me to take more holidays than I previously would and to spend more time in the garden.

The appalling weather during the 2012 season meant that I barely missed the game, so I wasn’t expecting much when the start of the 2013 season arrived.

Mansfield 103.2 sticker (2007) (Photo credit: radiothings.com)

During the close season, I received an email from the Nottinghamshire Premier League saying that Mansfield 103.2 FM were planning to cover the League extensively this season. They were planning a Friday evening preview, full coverage during the games on Saturday and a Monday evening reports programme.

If I had wanted more involvement, I would have been at the front with my hand up when they asked for volunteers to train as reporters for the games, but I decided I didn’t want to commit to a full season of work. However, ‘the follow on‘ regular, and neighbour, Gary Edgington expressed an interest after I pointed him in the direction, and he became one of the reporters.

Gary was assigned the Kimberley Institute v Rolls Royce Leisure game and I went along after tea to see what he had to do. The Friday preview show and the early Saturday afternoon show, called First Innings, were very good, if a little amateurish in places, so I was looking forward to seeing how the programme worked at the grounds.

Trent Bridge cricket ground (Photo credit: Dunc(an))

As it turned out, the programme was excellent and kept everyone informed about what was happening in the other matches.

After a casual remark to Gary about sponsorship, which he passed on to the programme presenter, Tony Delahunty, I was invited along to the recording of the Monday evening programme. I was expecting a short interview, but I was there through the recording of the show, along with the other guest Charlie French. We were asked for our opinions at regular intervals throughout the two-hour show.

After discussing sponsorship, which I eventually turned down, I was asked if I would like to help on this week’s Saturday evening programme, The Run Chase. I agreed to give it a try, and I will be there on Saturday at 5:00 pm for the live show.

All this has rejuvenated my interest in ‘the follow on’ and this week, I have started up a Facebook page for the site, which now has a website, Facebook page and Twitter account, all linked.

Time will tell whether I keep this revived interest in cricket, or whether I become bored with it after a few weeks of the season.

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