The morning after the night before

Hands up if you don't care about this one day series?

After just three games, it's fairly obvious that this contest embodies the very meaning of the word 'anticlimax'. And there's a plethora of reasons as to why public interest in this arduous series is on the wane.

A lack of big names, some dire cricket, September-like weather, an outrageously long schedule and the fact that it directly followed a gripping Test series; you can take your pick from excuses to avoid the action. Injuries to Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff and the absence of Ricky Ponting have robbed the series of some of it's most reputable players meaning that there isn't as much of a pull to the general public as the Test series had.

If there is blame to be had, then a portion of it belongs to the administrators. Whoever decided it would be a good idea to schedule a seven match series ending on the 20th of September needs a change in profession. Ignoring the fact that audience focus would naturally be on the Test series anyway, seven matches is simply far too much. There's no urgency to it - a team could lose the first two games then still win the series (a team more competent that England, that is). I genuinely feel for the beleaguered bunch of players who will see out the series in the cold and bitter reaches of Durham in late September.

The fare on offer so far has been sub-standard. At The Oval and Lords, England bowled with great skill only to see their batsman let them down when chasing a relatively easy total. At The Rose Bowl last night, the batsmen again let them down, this time setting a mediocre score for the Aussies to chase. The games may have looked quite close on paper but the slow scoring and lacklustre fielding on display are deadly ingredients in the recipe for audience killing cricket.

This is all after England were making reasonable progress in the shorter form of the game. Consecutive series wins over the West Indies had manifested a degree of confidence - a confidence that has been rolled away by the combined efforts of Cameron White and Callum Ferguson and co. The powers that be will certainly panic and make widespread changes. Don't be surprised to see the likes of Eoin Morgan and Adil Rashid rudely dismissed from the squad, despite having genuine promise.

The failure of the series so far also points to the apparent decline of the one day game. With the ECB cancelling the domestic 50 over game from next season onwards, it would appear that public for demand is decreasing. And this series so far will have done nothing to re-awaken that interest.

So, frankly, it's a dire contest and not one that people are too concerned about. A 7-0 defeat is never desirable but there won't be too many tears shed if that's the outcome. It may sound harsh but, with players like Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and Tim Bresnan, England are never going to be a thrilling side. Collingwood typifies the current malaise of the team; slow, a bit boring and unable to deliver when it really matters.

Is there anything else on?

Interview with Aaron Norton

Breaking into the music scene can be a gruelling task and it’s certainly not one for the easy dissuaded. The glory and adulation provides a strong motive at first but, all too often, the time and perseverance required to make it to the top is all too much. But there’s one local musician who has his eyes firmly set on spreading his music to the masses and it’ll take a great deal to stop him in his quest.

Aaron Norton is a supremely gifted musician. Armed with his acoustic guitar, he’s been turning heads on the local music scene for some time now and it appears only a matter of time before he cracks the big time. With an army of local and dedicated fans, his gigs in and around the Kingston area are always popular events and as the biography on his website says, ‘His desire to perform and to entertain the world with his music is now unstoppable’.

Curious to learn more about the hype, me and a friend went to one of his gigs: an intimate performance at the Waggon and Horses pub in Surbiton. And we were not to be disappointed as Norton thrilled the closed in crowd with a variety of his own songs and some contemporary classics. Alone on a small stage with nothing but his guitar and a pint of Guinness behind him, he immediately captured the undivided attention of the assembled throng and didn’t lose it all night.

He wowed the audience with soulful renditions of well known songs such as Wherever You Will Go by The Calling and Fall At Your Feet by Crowded House. Later on in the night, he chose to present his acoustic take on some more alternative numbers such as Umbrella by R’n’B songstress Rihanna and the immortal reggae classic No Woman No Cry by the great Bob Marley. His choice of songs was a considerable success and clearly a big drawing point for his fans – by performing his renditions of crowd favourites, Norton immediately established a rapport with his followers and it’s clearly fundamental to his success.

So where does he see himself going in the big, bad world that is the music industry? “I look at artists like James Morrison and Paulo Nutini. That’s the kind of genre that I’m aiming at. It would have been nice to corner that market first but those guys have had success already so it’s just a case of emulating what they’ve achieved.”

The list of venues he has performed at reads like a where’s where of south London music scene haunts. From the Rose Theatre in Kingston to the grand London Palladium, he’s even managed to squeeze in two live performances on Capital FM radio. Norton has impressive and burgeoning CV to his name - so does he have a favourite venue? “The Oak (a Kingston pub) is always a popular place to play, I always enjoy it there. Every crowd you get is different. There’s a different atmosphere or a slightly different age group.”

Whether he makes it to the big time or not, no-one can fault the guy for attitude. When you speak to him or listen to him play, he gives off a powerful aura of relaxed confidence and determination. As we conclude our conversation, he tells me he’s confident that the opportunities will come if he keeps trying his hardest. And with talent and bravado like his, it’s difficult to imagine him not getting all he wants. Watch this space.

(Chessington Chat Magazine, 2009)