A day full of tension - even for the neutral - yesterday in what remains the best domestic red ball competition - despite all sabotage attempts

Enjoying a re-read of Barclays World of Cricket for the next WCM column on 50 Books: here is an extract from Benny Green’s essay on ‘Some Cricket Eccentrics’

Top night for a top man

Popped in last week to the free @senatehouselib.bsky.social exhibition In The Grip of Change: a great little collection of written and oral history paying tribute to Caribbean pioneers, including two familiar to all cricket lovers. Recommended for anyone at a loose end in London - closes 12 April

Having established himself as the best batter in the world, Len Hutton became the first official professional captain of England in 1952, breaking a long-standing tradition of amateur leadership. From there, it was a bumpy — if ultimately successful — ride

IT IS HERE! The next edition of County Cricket Matters. For those of you that like Patrick Eagar’s work there is my interview with him and featuring some of his early photographs. And the usual fantastic articles. To order please follow the link below - www.countycricketmatters.com/shop

I’m currently trying to tell something of The Story of Cricket in 50 Books for Wisden Cricket Monthly and will occasionally post some supplementary material here @wisdencricket.bsky.social