Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Controversial Talk by David Frith

I attended another meeting of the Leicestershire Cricket Society recently.

Meetings take place during the close season at Grace Road, the home of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

At each meeting there is a speaker. Previous speakers whom I have encountered have been Alan Oakman, Jim Cumbes and Roy Cavanagh.

This time it was the turn of the writer David Frith, the former Editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly.

David had some controversial opinions, which he was not afraid to share with us, about the state of cricket today, and many of these opinions struck a sympathetic chord with most members.

In particular, he was scathing about the number of Kolpak players, many of whom are not particularly outstanding anyway, who now infest the county game.

With sadness, it has to be said that Leicestershire have been especially involved in this from the outset.

Less controversially, David regaled us with tales involving many of the personalities who have graced the game, such as Don Bradman, E. W. Swanton, John Arlott and Jim Laker.

Those of us who love cricket are now, in March, getting excited as we do every year, as it is not long until the start of the season.