It was in the mid 1980’s that the educational establishment’s fixation with MBA Degrees (Masters of Business Administration!) really took off. As the increasingly huge volume of degree clutching hordes exited the Universities and Polytechnics of the land, the business world quickly became flooded with them. Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma Methodology, an Established Formal Process for every eventuality, quickly became the rage and the norm. BS5750, BS 4799, and the race to achieve the longest corporate paper chain in what we had all been told we about to become “the paperless society” became frantic. Having flooded and choked the corporate and manufacturing world, the on-going flow of graduates had to target other areas of employment. The EEC, the Civil Service, Education, The Health Service, all became flooded with these self-righteous, and totally convincing highly educated pen pushers (keyboard tappers!)! New Systems of Work followed. How could Teachers possibly teach if they didn’t have a written and documented “Lesson Plan” for every lesson? A Syllabus and an ability to teach were no longer enough! How can you sell Bananas throughout the EEC if you did not have an agreed definition of a “Standard Banana”? How can you know if your Accident and Emergency Departments at Hospitals are efficient and effective if you do not have Targets to demonstrate performance against? These MBA apostles made the old “Time and Motion” man of the 1960’s look like stone-age man! Targets for everything, Processes for everything, Qualifications for everything (however trivial or unnecessary). If people object that the cost of this new administration is crippling their business, or diverting their focus from their core reason d’etre, then scare them to death with the prospective effects of “Non Compliance”. Let’s [...]

Morning Rita – “How are you? I ask as my jolly cleaner comes into the house after being away ill for a few weeks. “A lot better thanks” she replies, and almost immediately continues “I see your lot got thrashed by our Foxton Cricket team in the Keatley Cup the other week!” “I wouldn’t call it thrashed” I replied – “we did lose yes – we didn’t play very well on the night”. “I hear that you are out of the Village Cup as well” “Yes – we didn’t play very well on the day – but we’re doing well in Herts Division 1.” “Foxton are doing OK in their league and they are in the inter-county rounds of the Village Cup. We are going to Mistley on Sunday to watch them”. “That’s nice” I reply, “I hope they win, and that you have a good day out. We beat Mistley very comfortably last year so you ought to be all-right for a win”. Later in the day I am walking in Royston when I bump into another cricketing acquaintance. “Hello John, long time no see – I see your lot got stuffed by Thriplow in the Keatley Cup the other night!” “I wouldn’t say stuffed exactly – we didn’t have that strong a team out and we didn’t play very well on the night” I replied. “I heard that 5 of your Lords Final team played?” “Well, Yes, but …..” “I suppose that all that success goes to peoples heads and they just think they have to turn up to win?”. “I don’t think I would agree with that, but I’m sure we are a big target for everyone – Lovely to see you [...]

As a player in his 50th year of competitive Cricket, a part-time SHCL “Dispensated Umpire”, and a regular watcher of the game at all levels, the psychology of some of those playing the game never ceases to surprise me. This season once again many of the usual stereotypes have already been witnessed and reinforced by players of both sides in various matches involving Reed teams. Most Umpires in Cricket stand NOT for the money (very few qualify for, or are offered remuneration) but because they enjoy the game and want to help a match take place in a sensible, safe, and controlled environment. Very few proper Umpires are really incompetent, or cheats, and those that are, and do travel regularly with Clubs/Teams, will soon find that their repeat fixture invitations are reduced and/or that they receive some telling communication from their league organisers. So, how to best influence an Umpire to your advantage – or at least ensure you get a “fair” crack of the whip! I suppose that we can immediately split the “attempted influencing” and also the “inadvertent influencing” into two categories, “Team behaviour” and “Personal behaviour”. All Umpires are human, and even the most thick-skinned will become tired and irritated by irksome team “Umpire intimidation” tactics, and particularly by any personal abuse/bad behaviour exhibited by unhappy players. Such abuse can only be interpreted as trying to make the Umpire look foolish or incompetent. Being human, Umpires make the occasional mistake, and as Cricket players we all know that Cricket is a game where the match outcome is often/always determined by personal mistakes – most often those of bowlers or batsmen, but sometimes Umpires! If you cannot tolerate instances of mistakes occurring without [...]

Past halfway now in the 2013 SHCL League campaign and things are going pretty well for us at Reed. In Division 1 our 1st Xl are comfortably consolidating their position in the top Division, sitting 5th of 10 with the top 5 having established a 36 point “cushion” between themselves and the bottom 5. 4 Weeks without a win (but with good points from each match) has been a little disappointing and it was particularly frustrating on Saturday when we could not manage to take that last Luton Town wicket, despite being clearly the better side for 95% of the match. Our 2nd Xl meanwhile sweep away all before them, including a good win on Saturday against previously unbeaten league leaders Abbots Langley, despite the fact that we had our skipper and several other key players unavailable. Marcus’s men have recovered from the “Selectiongate” – 14 Point Fine” setback and now sit 15 points clear at the top of their Div 7 table and 33 points clear of the 5th team – so “touch wood” promotion is looking a “shoe in”! Masseeh’s men in Division 9 also suffered a frustrating day on Saturday having their opponents 9 down but unable to snatch the win. They are in 4th position with a 23 point gap to the 5th placed side. 4 go up so again it’s looking promising. In Division 13 Rob Willoughby’s 4th Xl suffered a setback this week but a late run for a promotion place is still not out of the question. Meanwhile, on the international scene, slow starting England managed to scrape a win in the first Ashes Test Match – the win owing a huge debt to the magnificent Jimmy Anderson. [...]

So the much vaunted, and highly hyped, Ashes Series is upon us and somewhat predictably the “in transition/in melt-down/low grade” Aussie side is at the moment taking a pasting. Even with the previously imperious Alastair Cook having failed to really fire to date, and the much heralded return of the destructive Kevin Pietersen proving to be a virtual non-event, England have a 2 – 0 lead after the first two tests with the DRS Reviews and Umpiring howlers providing the most consistent level of interest. With a few exceptions (Anderson, Swann, Bell, and Root) some poor over-hyped Cricket is being played out to packed houses whilst the cricketing media desperately try to justify the exaggerated build up that the series generated. As an English Cricket fan one enjoys seeing the Aussies in such disarray, it is our turn to gloat, but it is not really good quality competitive Cricket.The matches have had their interesting aspects without being “quality” cricketing classics but am I the only one to be severely disappointed at the media offerings? From this I exempt the magnificent LIVE Sky TV coverage, which, if you can afford the subscription, is always very professionally produced and full of interest. But – for those unable to watch all day, due to perhaps the inconvenience of things like work (!), what has happened to the previously magnificent SKY Highlights package? Some years ago these highlights programmes were 3 HOURS long. Two and 3/4hrs of recorded match highlights with a 15-minute summary/discussion session at the end. Particularly for England’s overseas tours this provided a reasonably lengthy, usually interesting viewing package of the days play, rather than just “crash, bang, wallop” highlights. In the last few years this [...]

The unaccustomed lengthy spell of very hot weather was forecast to drift away last Saturday with thunder and lightening promised for the Reed area from around 2pm. That prospect seemed destined to deny local cricket lovers the prospect of their Saturday Cricket “fix”. However, the rain was substantially delayed, until around 8pm, but many followers of the Reed 1st Xl still missed out on their Saturday Cricket. Most Saturdays one can saunter up to Reed Village Green around 3.15, watch the tail end of the first innings and after a welcome cup of tea settle down to watch the 2nd Innings reply and avail oneself of a pint or three as the sun sinks slowly in the west! However this past weekend those arriving at 3.20 could only witness the players departing the field – with the match already over! Incredibly a Herts Division ONE match was all over in 2 Hours 20 minutes (including 10 minute changeover between innings)!! Is this a record? Probably! Old Finchleians travelled to Reed sitting in 2nd place in the League some 29 points in front of the home side, and having already beaten Reed earlier in the season. Reed had failed to record a win in their last 6 matches. Finchleians win the toss – choose to bat – and then on the Reed “Road” slump to 75 all out in only 22.3 overs! Have they all got to get home for a wedding? Have they just signed Mervyn Westfield? Have Reed just signed Jimmy Anderson!! Well just 9.0 overs later it is all over with Reed 79 – 2 closing the gap on Finchleians to one point. Tension gripped the air! Would the visitors stay for tea? [...]

So the Aussies were down but not out. Or were they? When is anyone in or out in Test Cricket anymore? You can be Out but then back in, or In and then Out. Playing Test Cricket has become like taking part in the “Okey Cokey”!!! – “IN – OUT – SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT…..” you do the Okey Cokey and turn it all around – THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!! The last several Test Matches have become an absolute farce with loosely framed DRS Rules being Mis-interpreted/Re-interpreted by bemused 3rd Umpires seemingly making it up as they go along! How difficult is it for a panel of experienced Cricket professionals to sit down and devise a series of DRS Rules that clearly state the way the systems will be reviewed/handled and which devices/decisions will take priority and in what order? Surely given enough time every eventuality can be covered in rulings on prioritisations. Then will then be no/less confusion! However, given the way that the various technologies contradict each other or fail is it not time to just return to the time tested system of “The Umpires decision is Final”? Of course the main body against such a move will be the TV Companies – mainly Sky TV – after all – the technology is theirs and at the moment they are actually in many cases indirectly deciding the outcome of the matches. With no DRS Sky TV would actually have to REDUCE the length of their new ludicrously long “The Verdict” programme – and they seemingly wouldn’t like that! Currently the Discussion Programme is just as long as the Highlights Programme – as per one of my previous gripes! Since no DRS is [...]