iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

2/2 The younger ones play small-sided, not 11-a-side, so not 330 players every Sunday morning…but with squad rotation it could be nearly this many. And the local council are trying to evict the Club, so West Ham can take over the ground as a training venue…

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

There is a lot of organised junior football, locally to me, at least, but more structured. One community club was running 30 junior teams, boys & girls, all with a designated coach. They do still have 8 senior XIs (Saturdays) and 3 Vets (2x over35; 1x over45, in a County-wide league). 1/2

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

I do follow an author on Substack, whose lengthy and frequent posts often chime with my own opinions…Substack has a licensed-in AI detector, which consistently ranks these posts as 100% AI.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

2/2 Lost the corporates (Banks & insurance companies, BP & Lensbury). Only Civil Service and West Wickham in the 1st XI Div1 that you would remember.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

Think this is a widespread phenomenon (not sure FA would dare report stats). My old club now fields 4 teams on Saturdays; used to be 9, before COVID. The old Southern Amateur League is smaller & more diverse, with many clubs fielding just 1 or 2 XIs. 1/2

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/09/2026

My readership (almost doubled over previous 12 months) is 50% from the States (accounting for most of the growth). One high-ranking city in NJ is a hotbed of Indian expat cricket, so _possibly_ genuine? Then UK (20-25%), with China & Hong Kong distant 3rd & 4th…but both 200x increase on last year.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 25/09/2026

As the ECB pursues its aim to make #cricket “the country's most inclusive team sport” in England & Wales, Rudransh Khurana on News18 reports on the struggle for many youngsters in India even to afford to play the game. Rich Man's Religion: How Cricket's Cost Makes It Out-Of-Reach To Half Of India.

news18.com

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

How many Tier 1 players have developed through their employer’s pathways? Very few, at Essex, at least. Two of the players I happened to know through coaching were “poster girls” (literally) when Essex were awarded tier 1 status. Neither received a professional contract.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

5/5 Watching the game is only a small component of the learning mix IMO. Yes, it inspires players to learn new skills. But those skills then need to be tested and refined under match conditions.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

4/5 On a related line of thinking, is the #coaching they receive appropriate to their (relative) lack of playing experience?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

3/5 So when do younger players get to learn from more experienced teammates & opponents? Even those lucky enough to get a gig in TheHundred are only there for 3 weeks, and might not get much playing time. …

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

2/5 …young players can progress from club to County Academy to Tier 1 squad & national selection with little time to absorb any learning. In the ongoing absence of international players, or of the archetypal “old County pro” as found in the men’s game, what is the standard of County cricket? …

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 21/09/2026

I hesitated before posting this. But… I wonder. Players are playing more, but how much of the cricket is at a level that challenges them to learn? The women’s game, only now developing breadth & depth in the playing population, promotes rapidly… 1/5

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 19/09/2026

I don’t know. Never been a member; play for the over60s, umpire a few u13 District matches, used to coach, buy tickets to watch at Chelmsford. See next to nothing (but they ditched bluesky).

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 15/09/2026

Indeed - just checking the scores.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 15/09/2026

Hope the ECB pitch inspectors see it the same way.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 15/09/2026

19 wickets on day 1. Points deduction incoming?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 14/09/2026

Meira en bara íþrott 👏

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 13/09/2026

Female bowlers play one or two Test matches each year, at most, and prepare for and play predominantly short format. So compare what the body is trained for and used to, perhaps? (But best to ask someone better qualified than me…)

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 13/09/2026

wrt workloads — possibly unfair to make a comparison between male & female bowlers. More realistic might be to look at training & habituation. Most male bowlers train for the heavier workloads of multi-day cricket, then bowl lots of competitive overs.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 12/09/2026

First day of "term". Back to Saturday morning #coaching, starting with a new intake of 5 & 6 year olds. Bright blue sky as I wait for the train. Even a little chill in the air...be Christmas, soon. #CricketCoaching #CoachingCricket #EarlyStarts

View along a long, straight, railway platform. Low early morning sun lights up a footbridge across the twin lines, but leaves the platform & tracks in shadow.
Beyond, a bright blue sky, with a few wispy white clouds & a decaying contrail.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 07/09/2026

Having played the game, even to the highest level, and commentated, doesn’t guarantee you will be even a half competent coach. And only a mentor if you recognise your own previous faults.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 07/09/2026

@hannahpeel.bsky.social Just catching up with August editions of Night Tracks. You played a wonderful version of Black is the Color of my True Love’s Hair on the 17th August show, but it was not the John Jacob Niles version listed in the playlist. Who was it, please?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 31/08/2026

Was going to question Valley End as a “mid-way” venue (less than 10 miles from Heathrow) but it is actually fairer than I thought (measuring distance from respective County grounds — I know you travel much further). And you won’t have to hack around the M25, like the Kent lads. Good luck on Tuesday!

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/08/2026

No ties? Surprised they were allowed in the Long Room dressed like that!

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/08/2026

Well batted! And a good win. Surrey were the strongest ream in the SE group - beat us very convincingly, twice. FWIW Kent are strong but not generally fast scoring.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 26/08/2026

I do wonder if the Secret Cricket Coach has, unwittingly, identified part of the issue. Former players transition into coaching roles, sometimes with little experience outside the dressing room. Is it any wonder that the drinking culture is normalised?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 11/08/2026

Go well! We had a chance of a semi-final place against you, but we need a miracle today (us to win - good chance; Kent to lose _and_ get very few bonus points - very unlikely).

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 11/08/2026

Often, these players have been recruited relatively recently — “one of our own” by virtue of being acquired by a wealthy County, not by long association with a local system. Essex inherited the old Sunrisers squad — not many players from Essex. Long question. How “local” are Tier 1 County squads?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 11/08/2026

I have noticed this especially in the (very good) social media presence of @kiaoval.com , highlighting the performances of “Surrey” players in international and TheHundred teams.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 11/08/2026

Coming to this very late, but… “Six of the eight Hundred teams share a home ground with a Tier 1 county. And yet, on average in 2026, fewer than a quarter of each squad comes from that local system.” A question — how many players in a Tier 1 County squad have come through the “local” system?

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 06/08/2026

2/2 But the Cricket Gully article appears to have lifted elements from this piece from Will Macpherson, on 14 July, which does indeed state that pitches will be relaid. www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2026...

telegraph.co.uk

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 06/08/2026

The article states “Lord's has currently decided not to replace any pitches.” (In spite of the headline, and also quoting Mark Nicholas as saying “In the search for long-term improvement, we will relay key pitches that are under-performing.") 1/2

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 05/08/2026

Interesting. I see games at Copdock, Hertford, & Peterborough (each reasonably accessible by public transport) in August. Perhaps I should get on the train.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 05/08/2026

Also true The short formats are wrong. [Bold statement!!!] Limited overs should mean limited players - see 5-a-side football or rugby 7s. Perhaps t20 should be 9-a-side? To reinstate the value of an individual wicket. And let bowlers bowl (up to) 5 overs, not 4.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 05/08/2026

Perhaps because high scoring is no longer news-worthy? Highest, fastest, youngest. “And that’s another [sponsor’s name] maximum”. Cricket is (meant to be) a game of bat & ball — now the ball is in permanent retreat.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 04/08/2026

2/2 Until the breadth & depth of the women's game increases, "playing with the boys" might be the only way to experience a consistently challenging level of competition for many.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 04/08/2026

Possibly something more than _just_ survivor bias? It would be interesting to see the playing histories of some of the top players, world wide. My suspicion is that many would have played mixed cricket during their #cricket -ing formative years. 1/2

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 31/07/2026

Not ideal, but possibly have a look on amazon? See page from Mountain Warehouse website. www.mountainwarehouse.com/help-centre/....

mountainwarehouse.com

Mountain Warehouse

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 30/07/2026

2/2 So the games themselves have to be events to pull in the crowds. Not just a game of cricket. London Wing Fest 2026 attracted 10-20,000 attendees to its 3-day festival, at the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. For chicken wings.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 30/07/2026

But isn’t that the point? People who know the game, who have some idea of who the “big” names are, might want to see some franchise cricketers performing. But the Hundred isn’t for existing cricket fans (or so we were told). And pick-up teams of drop-in players mean nothing to casual spectators. 1/2

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/07/2026

Indeed. I’ve had two family members taken into care - less for the family to do directly, but still emotionally challenging. Saw my mum today. She does still smile, a lot.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/07/2026

It’s a horrible thing. Even when it’s “only” memory that fails.

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Andrew Beaven @theteesra.com · 27/07/2026

Yes, but (and with due respect to my coaching colleagues) there is a world of difference between "knowing" the "right" (technical) solution and helping a player find the solution that is right _for the player_. And having the coaching "smarts" to help the player make the necessary changes.

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