Cricket diary: Slater on a journey into the unknown (5 Sep 1998)

5 September 1998

Cricket diary: Slater on a journey into the unknown

Clive Ellis

THE Australian Cricket Board's refusal to excuse Michael Slater from a three-day 'team bonding' get-together in Brisbane this week, forcing him to undertake a 25-hour flight back for today's NatWest Trophy final, has halted contract negotiations between the player and the county.

Derbyshire accused the board of "an appalling breakdown in communications" over the get-together, about which Slater knew nothing until it was mentioned in casual conversation with Worcestershire captain Tom Moody.

Having had to disrupt their preparations for Lord's and lay out £5,000 to fly Slater to Brisbane and back, Derbyshire are now seeking "firm, written undertakings" about Australia's demands on Slater next summer.

ALEX TUDOR set the standard for suffering bowlers this season when he conceded 38 off an over in a championship match against Lancashire in June - courtesy of Andy Flintoff's formidable hitting powers.

Another bowler from Surrey went two 'better' than Tudor at the weekend, shipping 40 runs in a game between Tilford and Redingensians.

Worse still for Tilford's Chris Purdie, he dropped Gary Cox off the first ball of the over and was no-balled when he switched from left-arm over to left-arm round without notifying the umpire.

The sad sequence was 4,6,6 (no-ball),6,6,6,6.

DERBYSHIRE'S main sponsors, the Sheffield-based Ward's brewery, have celebrated the county's success in reaching today's final by producing a limited edition beer called 'Glory Bound'.

This strong, cask-conditioned brew (ABV 4.5%) has been on sale in the pavilion at the County Ground as well as selected pubs in the area and the company's area sales manager, Paul Humphreys, says: "We hope it will give the lads the edge over Lancashire at Lord's."

Not very likely in view of the fact that the close-of-play drinks tray for the Derbyshire dressing-room these days holds nothing stronger than orange juice, Lucozade and 'isotonic' sports potions.

Gone are the days when that greatest of all Derbyshire seamers, Les Jackson, could down three pints of 'black and tan' during the lunch interval without risking censure from a club dietician or fitness coach.

PHIL TUFNELL has been stung three times this week - firstly by the England selectors on Tuesday when he was left out of the Ashes tour party and for the rest of the week by the Southampton wasps.

They twice left their calling cards on Tufnell's legs and by the end of the championship game the Middlesex spinner was reduced to tucking his trousers into his socks to prevent further attacks.

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