C Ellis: England Cricket Diary (1 Aug 1998)

Geoffrey Boycott is likely to face conflicting commitments this autumn after being contracted by TransWorld International, the television network, to commentate on the coming Australian three-Test tour of Pakistan

01-Aug-1998

1 August 1998

England Cricket Diary

By Clive Ellis

Geoffrey Boycott is likely to face conflicting commitments this autumn after being contracted by TransWorld International, the television network, to commentate on the coming Australian three-Test tour of Pakistan.

The series is scheduled for October, followed by a one-day tournament in November. These dates, however, coincide with the expected retrial in France of the case against Boycott involving assault on a former girlfriend, Margaret Moore.

Boycott, who did not appear at the original hearing, is determined to present his defence in person this time and believes the outcome will clear his name.

"After all the time and money that has gone into preparing an answer to the allegations I have every intention of being at the trial. There are

several days between the Tests and if necessary I shall commute between Pakistan and France."

The exchanges between Mike Atherton and Allan Donald in the Trent Bridge Test were cucumber sandwich polite compared with the bad-tempered interruption to a Pembrokeshire League match last week.

The ill-feeling was sparked when Narberth wicketkeeper Asher Stanford was struck in the mouth by a short-pitched ball from Lamphey's Australian professional Brendan Nash.

Accordingly to Lamphey secretary John Green, who was fielding at short leg, Narberth's Matthew Johns came on to the pitch and verbally abused Lamphey's Australian captain Dave Lovell while his father, Mike Johns, Narberth's opening batsman, grabbed all-rounder Peter Hall by the throat.

Lovell, 29, who appeared for Derbyshire and Warwickshire 2nds, said: "I've played all over the world but I've never seen anything quite as extraordinary as this."

Green said tensions between the sides stemmed from an incident in 1994 when future Sussex and West Indies pace bowler Vasbert Drakes was racially abused at Narberth.

Eastnor, of Herefordshire, are reflecting on a lot of wasted effort after being thrown out of the National Village Championship.

Eastnor had Lord's in their sights after seeing off six opponents to reach the last 16 of the competition, but fell foul of the rules against Plumtree, from Nottinghamshire.

No sooner had Eastnor completed a seven-wicket win than Plumtree complained that the Pakistani who engineered their downfall was ineligible, having been in this country for only seven months. Plumtree meet Himley tomorrow.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)