AS I write this waiting to go out to bat against Middlesex, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before our rivals Durham win the County Championship.

As disappointing as that sounds from a Yorkshire point of view we shouldn’t be too down.

We have played some fantastic cricket this year and personally I’m happy and pretty satisfied with how my season has gone to this point.

I’m not one for stats normally, but Durham have won nine out of 14 games this year, which is incredible and fair play to them.

Last week we were down on the south coast against Sussex.

You’d think the weather would’ve been better than further north, but disappointingly it was cold, wet and gloomy every day.

Eventually we succumbed to the conditions and settled for a draw, but not before the two teams did their best to set a game up.

Although watching our part-time bowlers lob up buffet bowling was probably the most boring two hours of my career, it was a necessity as we had more chance of chasing down the runs than bowling them out.

The highlight for me was watching our former Australia international Phil Jaques claim his maiden first-class wicket in nearly 200 games with what can only be described as a meat pie.

Somehow Ed Joyce, a former England international, scooped it up to me at mid off.

I nearly dropped it through sheer surprise of receiving a catch off Jaquesy. Not many batsman enjoy facing declaration bowling, as you don’t tend to concentrate and you're expected to bosh a few boundaries every over off very slow bowling.

Joyce summed it up as he walked out to bat when he chirped: “This is my worst nightmare.”

Coming from a batsman of his class, it sums up how funny cricket can be sometimes!

IT was good to see friendly faces in the form of some of my former teammates and my brother Nathan at Tiddington come down for the match at Hove.


One of the lads claimed he would be the first person aged under 30 to watch every day of a Championship game. Clearly Kingy’s got nothing better to do!


Now the club season has finished I’d like to congratulate my former sides Oxford on getting back into the Home Counties Premier and Tidd firsts, who are finally promoted into Division 1 of the Cherwell League!


Winter well, guys!