Cricket fans around the world are passionate about their teams and we wanted to find out what they think makes their team so special. From County sides, Women's Franchises, IPL and State; I asked around to see why fans support the teams they do.
To start off this week's edition I thought I'd ask Cricket District's founder Toby why he loves Kent.
Kent
Name: Toby, Cricket District Founder
Favourite Current Player: Zak Crawley - What a summer this guy has had! He excels in all forms of the game. Definitely a future England captain. Kent though and through!
All-time Favourite Player: Darren Stevens - His record speaks for itself; over 15,000 First Class runs and 546 wickets...and counting. He is the most phenomenal bowler and a pretty handy batsman too. He continues to break records in his 23rd year of professional cricket and has won games for Kent on his own on too many occasions to count!
Favourite Memory: Long afternoons at Canterbury - I remember sitting on the grass banks at the St Lawrence Ground with my Dad as a kid watching Rob Key and Geraint Jones batting the afternoon away. Absolute bliss.
Favourite Out-Ground: The Neville Ground, Tunbridge Wells - Just the most beautiful place to watch cricket, I’ve also been lucky enough to play there a few times too.
Surrey
Name: Nick, Doctor
Favourite Current Player: Ollie Pope - Such a talented batsman, it’s always such a good feeling to watch a player come through the ranks and make it with England. He has a natural aptitude for all three formats and so I hope he gets a chance in the near future in international white ball cricket too.
All-time Favourite Player: Gareth Batty - As a bowler myself, I idolised James Anderson growing up but while Jimmy was setting the international stage alight, Gareth Batty was taking wickets season after season for Surrey. The immense anger that he plays with is a joy to behold, his passion for the game cannot be understated.
Favourite Memory: The Oval in 2005 - Although this may not be a county memory, the Oval itself is my favourite ground in the world and the 2005 Ashes is perhaps my first memory of the ground. The perfect stage for the most incredible of finishes to a Test Series. I have been lucky enough to go a few times since and nothing beats it.
What Is Your County Best At: Big name players - Surrey have always brought some world class talent to south London. Amla, Ponting, Finch, Sangakkara, Harbhajan, Morkel, there was even talk of Kohli one year until he got injured! It makes for exciting viewing at the Oval!
Lancashire Thunder/Lancashire Women
Name: Connie, Student
Favourite Current Player: Alex Hartley - She stands out as a massive part of cricket in Lancashire and Manchester. Despite going down to Middlesex for a bit she does love Lancashire. Really hope she gets another chance with England after playing so well in the RHF Trophy!
Why Did You Pick Them: World Class Players - I always enjoyed my cricket going up and going to games with my family so when I moved to Manchester for Uni I finally decided to pin my colours to a mast and chose Lancashire and the Thunder! Always helps that they’ve got such great players like Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross and Alex Hartley!
Favourite Memory: England performances - Not really a specific memory but I love when Lancashire players get a chance at the top level and perform well! Sophie Ecclestone currently being the best T20 bowler in the world right now is a pretty special achievement!
What Is Your Team Best At: Bringing the area together - The Thunder represents a huge part of the North West, not only Lancashire but also Cumbria and Cheshire. Giving opportunities to the women in these areas is so important for the growth of the game!
Glamorgan
Name: Allan, retired, cricket club chairman
Favourite Current Player: Michael Hogan - Hogan is a fantastic bowler, even now he’s in his late 30s, absolutely delighted he’s coming back next again for another year in 2021.
All-Time Favourite Player: Alan Jones - Absolutely wonderful batsman and was unfortunate not to play more for England. His one appearance against a Rest of the World XI in a Test Match was later downgraded and he therefore lost his Test Cap. Thankfully justice was eventually achieved and he was re-awarded the cap earlier this year, number 696, some 50 years after the game itself! He scored over 40,000 runs for Glamorgan which is an unbelievable achievement.
Favourite Memory: Greg Thomas bowling - I went to watch Glamorgan play down at Neath against the touring Australians in 1985 and watched Thomas bowl in that game. He was frighteningly quick, if not a bit wayward at times. Watching him bowl to Dirk Wellham and physically see the Aussie batsman shrink in his crease at the pace of the ball was fantastic to witness.
Favourite Out-Ground: Pontypridd - Unfortunately Glamorgan no longer play at Pontypridd but it is an incredibly picturesque ground with the mountains in the background. The last First Class game was against the Pakistanis in 1997 but I feel that it should be a strong contender to host Glamorgan again.
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