I've got to stop this prediction malarky...

I'm getting altogether too good at it. Dominic Cork was voted off Dancing on Ice, and whilst better skaters are still in, I have to say that the vast majority of them are z-list snoozefests. I'd hardly heard of any of them, and the ones I have heard of (with the exception of the modest and lovely Johnson Beharry) I wish I hadn't.

Anyhow, hard luck Dom. You weren't the best, but you have more class than some I could mention!

Times; they are a' changing

So, it would be safe to say that the pre-season team re-jigging has well and truly begun! We have already:

Released Usman Afzaal

Presumably lost Andre Nel

Gained Kevin Pietersen permanently

Gained Zander de Bruyn

Gained Tom Maynard

Gained Yasir Arafat

Signed up Rory Burns, Zafar Ansari, Tom Lancefield and Tom Jewell from the lower ranks.

Actually, if you have all of the team (or at least most of it) firing at once you are in danger of having a cohesive little unit for what seems like the first time in an age. You have a wealth of youngsters who the skipper knows very well, you have older heads like de Bruyn (who I shall hitherto refer to as Zander because I’m struggling with typing his surname in repeatedly) and Ramps (when/if fit) and the occasional appearance of Pietersen. From a Surrey point of view it’s a real shame to lose Tremlett to England although understandable - and well deserved – but I do think that the signing of Arafat has been a canny one, especially as he will be available all season. Of course, most of the Rampants were very pleased by the fact Yasir’s rather easy on the eye as well, but that of course didn’t come into my line of thinking at all.

I’m guessing Liz is shaking her head at me now. Hehehehehe...

Tom Maynard’s an interesting acquisition. He had a lot to prove and left his beloved Glamorgan in unfortunate circumstances, but he certainly has the ability to be a very destructive batsman and I could see him making a mark in the one day games in particular. The young Surrey lads are all potential stars waiting in the wings to make an impression, much as Jason Roy has already done.

The loss of Andre Nel is a difficult one to quantify. Perhaps he hasn’t done as much with the ball on those flat, beautiful Oval wickets as you would hope, yet there’s just something about Andre that made him a box office draw. That wonderful stand with Dernbach last year will stick in my memory for many years to come. As for Afzaal, I wish him well at Derbyshire. I’ll miss him running over to Ramps every time he took a wicket with an improbably slow ball, and hearing how Mr R kept running out the way!

We have new sponsors. Brit Insurance have gone after a solid amount of years supporting the team, which means unfortunately my Surrey drinking mug is out of date! Does this mean I have to buy a new one or do I just pretend that nothing’s changed, as the ignorant so-and-sos at work won’t know any different (except perhaps Ian, who strikes me as the sort of person who would know that kind of thing)? Kia is now the official sponsor at the Oval. I keep wanting to say ‘IKEA’ but that of course is another kettle of flat pack self-assembly furniture...

And last but certainly not least, Bill Gordon is no longer head groundsman, although he is still there in an assistant/advisory capacity. If the new fella that’s come in has understudied Bill he will no doubt be very successful (and I want to point out again that I was not the Rampant who made reference to Scott Patterson being extremely ‘fit’). I mean, honestly! Also, a big thanks to whomever it was who agreed that we could have Deirdre’s ashes scattered at the Oval. I’m sure the idea would have tickled her, and it will give every future trip to Kennington a certain poignancy.

Whilst players come and players go, Dominic Cork continues to wobble and weave his magic on the ice every Sunday night (although for how long remains to be seen). I don’t think he’s going to win Dancing on Ice. I’m not even sure he’s going to be there next week, but fair play to him for having a go at what is an extremely tough sport.

You should’ve done Strictly, Corky!

Janet Betts is fundraising for CHASE Hospice Care for Children

Janet Betts is fundraising for CHASE Hospice Care for Children

The Rampants have set up a justgiving page in memory of Dee, who as I mentioned in my last post sadly passed away last month. Dee used to work with children, and given her love of Surrey CCC we decided the best thing to do would be to combine the two and selected CHASE as the chosen charity, which is close to many Surrey supporters hearts.

If anyone would like to donate to this worthy cause, or even draw attention to it by blogging, tweeting or simply mentioning it to friends, please do!

Many thanks,

Miah xxx

Thanks for the memories

 
I had such plans to blog about the final of Strictly, having dutifully reported on every show up until final week, but then Christmas came and went, and with it my impetus to continue! Suffice it to say that in my opinion the right couple won on the night, and congrats to Kara and Artem on lifting the glitterball. I was sorry that Pamela and James never got second spot as I would love to have seen their AT, but it was not to be.

England have lifted the Ashes and given the Aussies a damn good thrashing in the process. The best tribute I can give to them is that I went in to the series as a complete neutral and ended up an England convert. Okay, the fact that Mr Tremlett was playing certainly helped but I have to be honest and say I was impressed with the way Andrew Strauss quietly and solidly went about marshalling his troops. I’m pretty sure this was his finest moment to date. His dignified leadership pretty much made him the unsung hero in Australia.

It was fitting that Surrey man Chris Tremlett claimed the winning wicket in what otherwise was a very sad day for the Rampants as we discovered that Deirdre, Ramps fan of many years and Surrey radio devotee, had passed away just before Christmas. Whilst Dee wasn’t in great health over the last few years she never complained or mentioned how poorly she may have been, and as such it came as a considerable shock to us all to find out that she had died.

Dee had an amazing sense of humour and was a genuinely warm person who took a real interest in how everyone else was. She also had possibly the greatest, loudest laugh I have ever heard! Although she was not well enough to come to our very first Rampant Annual General Meeting back in 2007 she was nevertheless given a special place at our gathering care of a mobile phone which was passed joyfully between us all, so that we each had several minutes of time to speak with her. My only regret in retrospect was that I couldn’t think of anything particularly intelligent to say!

But that wouldn’t have bothered Dee at all, who was a fun-loving individual. Her collection of huge – and sometimes rude – earrings, bargain hunting on e-bay (which once resulted in her becoming the proud owner of several Barbie dolls) and nail polish kept us amused over the years that we knew her. Those amongst the Rampants who follow the Surrey cricket commentaries will have often heard her e-mails read out by Mark Church, and it feels very strange to think that she won’t be around to contribute any more. She was a wholehearted supporter of Surrey as a club, of Mark Ramprakash in particular, and was delighted to be able to listen in to his exploits via the ball by ball coverage on the internet. I think it may have helped to take her mind off the fact that due to ill health her world had become somewhat limited, so I extend a thank you to Churchy on all our behalf.

Whilst we sadly won’t be able to pass the mobile phone around our assorted band of cricket/dance enthusiasts and hear that wonderful, booming laugh, many of us are hoping to meet up this year...maybe watch some cricket and raise a glass or several in her honour. And above all I think it should be about having fun, because that is exactly how we will all remember her: laughing, and making us laugh with her.

We’ll miss you, Deirdre! xxx