Essex Outfielder : The Unofficial Essex CCC Forum
Off-Topic => In The Hut => Topic started by: jimmy on May 05, 2015, 07:39:43 AM
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Does Tony Choat need to deliver his informative daily address to the public live each day or could it be recorded in order to spare his vocal chords for other messages throughout the day. This could have the added financial bonus of possibly selling the recordings on CD or as a download so that we can listen to Tony at our leisure or through the winter in order to conjure up images of care free summer days, and if we have a warm day and there's no match on then Tony can remind us to stay hydrated and to use whatever protection best suites us from the comfort of our own homes.
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Good idea Jimmy. I always arrive after the start of play in order to avoid listening to Tony's lengthy preamble although I understand there are always some real gems hidden in there
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By lengthy preamble I take it you mean it lasts longer than Greg Smith at the crease?
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By lengthy preamble I take it you mean it lasts longer than Greg Smith at the crease?
OK I now declare it is open season on GS.
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Certainly - could see the 12 inch remix selling well on ITunes.
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Without the pre match announcement you might not get to know the name of the opposition scorer every match.
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Isn't this an Essex tradition?
I remember a classic many year back. Pringle got his highest ever score and the announcement came and he was promptly out. Then later Gooch got his and the announcement was 'I'm not going to make an announcement about Gooch getting his highest score' ...
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How many remember Peter Edward's announcement.
I have the latest scores on our 24 inch teletext Radio Rentals colour television set.
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FWIW I think Tony does an excellent job, compare what we get for 1 day games & his measured and assured tones are most welcome. One small point, sometimes we don't get the other scores at Lunch/Tea but that is a minor criticism & I am certainly happy with what he does.
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FWIW I think Tony does an excellent job, compare what we get for 1 day games & his measured and assured tones are most welcome. One small point, sometimes we don't get the other scores at Lunch/Tea but that is a minor criticism & I am certainly happy with what he does.
agreed i think he does an excellent job and he ensures his announcements dont interfere with the game.
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
To get back to the original point, it has been suggested - seriously - in the past that I pre-record the "lengthy pre-amble" before the start of each day's play but I have resisted on two principal grounds:-
1. I believe that pre-recorded messages sound exactly that - pre-recorded and soulless. By doing them "live" each day I am free to leave out the inappropriate ones on a daily basis and even "ad-lib" a bit if I feel it appropriate.
2. Sometime, somewhere the disk is going to be mislaid and I will have to do it live anyway!
Yes, I am truly sorry that most of you have to listen to the same messages each day but, just think, I have to read them every day!! They are, however, necessary in case there are people in one day who were not in on the previous day.
In any cricket match, I am told, there are 3 teams - the 2 opposing teams on the field and the team of Officials. This Team consists of 2 Umpires and 2 Scorers. The umpires are introduced to spectators when they enter the field of play each day - so why not the Scorers? Most Grounds have the Scorers named over the Tannoy these days.
I am very grateful for the comments made by Ilfordeagle and sufcessex - it is nice to feel appreciated and I thank you.
Sorry about the lack of other scores sometimes Ilfordeagle but 40 minutes for lunch and a "comfort stop" and then 20 minutes for tea, and a "comfort stop", does not leave much time before the game re-starts - especially if I have to deliver a print-out or two to the dressing room!! I do try to do it as often as I can within the time available and will continue to do my best.
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
I'm sorry but, for me, the efforts of those who have produced the scoreboard (and the software behind it) are a long way from marvellous. It took days to get it into the state it should have been delivered in and even now when it is starting to look like a scoreboard (name of current bowler would be a worthwhile addition), it often updates too slowly. Providing something that starts of as garbage and becomes adequate is not cause for celebration.
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In any cricket match, I am told, there are 3 teams - the 2 opposing teams on the field and the team of Officials. This Team consists of 2 Umpires and 2 Scorers. The umpires are introduced to spectators when they enter the field of play each day - so why not the Scorers?
...... because the umpires and players do things and the scorers merely record the actions of others ?
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In any cricket match, I am told, there are 3 teams - the 2 opposing teams on the field and the team of Officials. This Team consists of 2 Umpires and 2 Scorers. The umpires are introduced to spectators when they enter the field of play each day - so why not the Scorers?
...... because the umpires and players do things and the scorers merely record the actions of others ?
No - because they give assistance to the on-field Umpires by radio in such matters as number of balls left in the over and during breaks in play when re-calculation of overs left is necessary. In one-day matches the calculations surrounding D/L are very much their province and they form a team with the Umpires to ensure that current regulations are applied fairly during the match. They are regarded by all Counties as being an important part of the running of the match and are deemed Officials by the ECB.
From your use of the word "merely" I assume that you are not a Scorer yourself, Mick.
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Aztec, Thank You for your thorough reply & fair play re what you have to do each day I now appreciate why we don't always get up to date County scores etc, Keep up the good work.
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Sadly I fear the announcements are not always heeded. During a match in early May the sun came out for ten minutes and the temperature climbed to 17 degrees Celsius. Tony had to repeat his advice about prevention of dehydration because, as he informed us, some spectators had stumbled dazed and confused to the first aid post due to their reckless disregard for their own well being re taking on board plenty of fluids , preferably water, and were suffering from heat stroke. You just can't help some people. (Guess they may have already been dazed and confused due to the fact they stumbled to the county ground.)
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
I'm sorry but, for me, the efforts of those who have produced the scoreboard (and the software behind it) are a long way from marvellous. It took days to get it into the state it should have been delivered in and even now when it is starting to look like a scoreboard (name of current bowler would be a worthwhile addition), it often updates too slowly. Providing something that starts of as garbage and becomes adequate is not cause for celebration.
Mick, I'm sorry but you are being very harsh on people who had nothing to do with the ordering or late delivery of the scoreboard and it's associated software. They are the ones who have had to pick up the project and make it work after the person originally responsible left the Club. Because the new board was erected in front of the old board it was a question of getting something up and running as soon as we could and, therefore, we started off by providing what I admit was basic information but we felt it was better than none at all. We have been experimenting with various layouts and combinations of layout without any pre-set guide to go by and no formal instructions or suggestions from the manufacturers. The program is run through my scoring laptop and my own training consisted of sitting down one evening and experimenting to see what could be achieved. If you feel that it does not update quickly enough it is probably that it is not simply a question of pressing a button. I have to plot where every scoring ball goes to produce information for the Players/Coaches before the button can be pressed and that is what causes minor delays in the update.
I don't mind constructive criticism, Mick, but before you do so please make sure that you know the complete story rather than making sweeping assumptions based on ignorance of the facts. We will always be open to suggestions for improvement to the board but whether they can be adopted or not will have to be set against considerations of space, quantity and visibility from the Pavilion side of the ground. If we try to put too much on the board the font size may have to be reduced and cause problems for people trying to read it from a distance.
We are trying to give everyone a good service but it is going to take time to get it right. You cannot, I regret, expect a project like this to run perfectly from the start - please be patient a little longer. I feel that we have made good progress given the situation which was thrust upon us and we will eventually have a board which will be better than the one that we had even if we cannot please everybody all the time. I, therefore, repeat my thanks to Grant and James for the work they have done so far.
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In any cricket match, I am told, there are 3 teams - the 2 opposing teams on the field and the team of Officials. This Team consists of 2 Umpires and 2 Scorers. The umpires are introduced to spectators when they enter the field of play each day - so why not the Scorers?
...... because the umpires and players do things and the scorers merely record the actions of others ?
No - because they give assistance to the on-field Umpires by radio in such matters as number of balls left in the over and during breaks in play when re-calculation of overs left is necessary. In one-day matches the calculations surrounding D/L are very much their province and they form a team with the Umpires to ensure that current regulations are applied fairly during the match. They are regarded by all Counties as being an important part of the running of the match and are deemed Officials by the ECB.
From your use of the word "merely" I assume that you are not a Scorer yourself, Mick.
Thank you for clarifying. I had no idea the on-field umpires needed regular help in counting the balls left in an over nor in doing routine calculations after unscheduled breaks in play. I know D/L can be a little complicated but I thought it was, nevertheless, prescriptive.
You are, of course, correct. I abandoned my first cricket scorebook about half a century ago in order to concentrate on watching and enjoying the cricket rather than recording it.
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
I'm sorry but, for me, the efforts of those who have produced the scoreboard (and the software behind it) are a long way from marvellous. It took days to get it into the state it should have been delivered in and even now when it is starting to look like a scoreboard (name of current bowler would be a worthwhile addition), it often updates too slowly. Providing something that starts of as garbage and becomes adequate is not cause for celebration.
Mick, I'm sorry but you are being very harsh on people who had nothing to do with the ordering or late delivery of the scoreboard and it's associated software. They are the ones who have had to pick up the project and make it work after the person originally responsible left the Club. Because the new board was erected in front of the old board it was a question of getting something up and running as soon as we could and, therefore, we started off by providing what I admit was basic information but we felt it was better than none at all. We have been experimenting with various layouts and combinations of layout without any pre-set guide to go by and no formal instructions or suggestions from the manufacturers. The program is run through my scoring laptop and my own training consisted of sitting down one evening and experimenting to see what could be achieved. If you feel that it does not update quickly enough it is probably that it is not simply a question of pressing a button. I have to plot where every scoring ball goes to produce information for the Players/Coaches before the button can be pressed and that is what causes minor delays in the update.
I may not be a scorer, but I've been involved in the project management and implementation of many major IT projects over the years. The project management in this case appears shambolic and, sadly, that is not the first time this word has been used in conjunction with some of Essex's recent efforts.
You are clearly having to muddle through as best you can with the assistance of these IT guys to redress the damage and as I said it is improving. Good luck with that, but it really shouldn't be that way and I'm still uncomfortable with the words "marvellous" and "scoreboard" in the same sentence.
I hope the players and coaches are making good use of all these stats regarding the position of the ball in scoring shots. Without that information, who knows how much lower we might be in the leagues ......
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
I'm sorry but, for me, the efforts of those who have produced the scoreboard (and the software behind it) are a long way from marvellous. It took days to get it into the state it should have been delivered in and even now when it is starting to look like a scoreboard (name of current bowler would be a worthwhile addition), it often updates too slowly. Providing something that starts of as garbage and becomes adequate is not cause for celebration.
I don't mind constructive criticism, Mick, but before you do so please make sure that you know the complete story rather than making sweeping assumptions based on ignorance of the facts. We will always be open to suggestions for improvement to the board but whether they can be adopted or not will have to be set against considerations of space, quantity and visibility from the Pavilion side of the ground. If we try to put too much on the board the font size may have to be reduced and cause problems for people trying to read it from a distance.
The facts on which I was basing my comments were those known to me. We introduced a scoreboard which has incrementally gone from embarrassing to poor to slightly better and now (thanks, it appears, to your efforts) to adequacy.
I do fully appreciate the issue of font sizes and visibility; the need to balance the amount of content against clutter. Without knowing the capabilities and limitations of the system it's difficult to make suggestions but name of current bowler and fielder are often displayed on such scoreboards. Occasional display of bowling figures between overs is not unheard of.
I am hesitant to make any further suggestions as it seems that one person (and his laptop) is doing an awful lot in this process.
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...... because the umpires and players do things and the scorers merely record the actions of others ?
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No - because they give assistance to the on-field Umpires by radio in such matters as number of balls left in the over and during breaks in play when re-calculation of overs left is necessary. In one-day matches the calculations surrounding D/L are very much their province and they form a team with the Umpires to ensure that current regulations are applied fairly during the match. They are regarded by all Counties as being an important part of the running of the match and are deemed Officials by the ECB.
From your use of the word "merely" I assume that you are not a Scorer yourself, Mick.
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Thank you for clarifying. I had no idea the on-field umpires needed regular help in counting the balls left in an over nor in doing routine calculations after unscheduled breaks in play. I know D/L can be a little complicated but I thought it was, nevertheless, prescriptive.
You are, of course, correct. I abandoned my first cricket scorebook about half a century ago in order to concentrate on watching and enjoying the cricket rather than recording it.
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Mick,I did not say that they needed regular help but it is a useful tool for them if they occasionally need re-assurance that they are correct especially where wicket(s) have fallen during the over and/or there have been several instances of wides or no-balls. The confirmation of overs left in the day after an unscheduled break is an example of team-work to confirm that their calculations are correct and fair to both sides.
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I'm sorry my response to your various points is a month after the original post but I have been concentrating most of my "spare time" efforts on trying to see that you get a reasonably presented new scoreboard - one for Championship Matches and another for 1-day Matches. The IT guys, Grant and James, have been marvellous in getting the boards to where they are and I would like to thank them for their hard work in this project.
I'm sorry but, for me, the efforts of those who have produced the scoreboard (and the software behind it) are a long way from marvellous. It took days to get it into the state it should have been delivered in and even now when it is starting to look like a scoreboard (name of current bowler would be a worthwhile addition), it often updates too slowly. Providing something that starts of as garbage and becomes adequate is not cause for celebration.
I don't mind constructive criticism, Mick, but before you do so please make sure that you know the complete story rather than making sweeping assumptions based on ignorance of the facts. We will always be open to suggestions for improvement to the board but whether they can be adopted or not will have to be set against considerations of space, quantity and visibility from the Pavilion side of the ground. If we try to put too much on the board the font size may have to be reduced and cause problems for people trying to read it from a distance.
The facts on which I was basing my comments were those known to me. We introduced a scoreboard which has incrementally gone from embarrassing to poor to slightly better and now (thanks, it appears, to your efforts) to adequacy.
I do fully appreciate the issue of font sizes and visibility; the need to balance the amount of content against clutter. Without knowing the capabilities and limitations of the system it's difficult to make suggestions but name of current bowler and fielder are often displayed on such scoreboards. Occasional display of bowling figures between overs is not unheard of.
I am hesitant to make any further suggestions as it seems that one person (and his laptop) is doing an awful lot in this process.
I am beginning to rethink my previous description of the current state of the scoreboard as "adequate".
I think it's been a bit embarrassing both days and is rarely up to speed with the other (manual?) one. We were treated to virtually a whole over of adverts yesterday, whilst play was moving along.
There is rarely an over when the wrong batsman is not indicated as on-strike for at least one ball and Napier's replacement was in and batting whilst Napier was still shown as the non-striking batsman.
All pretty dismal really but at least we had the satisfaction of a couple of competent days on the field.
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It'll all be running smoothly by October, come on down to the ECG and take a look, and while you're at it why not visit the club shop, we have a wide variety of the latest cricket books on sale but please be safe and avoid accidents with heavy machinery by taking on plenty of fluids preferably sun cream......... no hang on a minute........
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Mick - I have already given you the answer to the apparent slow up-date of the scoreboard as compared to the small board which is independently run by someone who has merely to press a button as runs/extras are scored.
I have told you before that I don't mind criticism if it is constructive but you seem to be constantly watching the board in order to criticise it's running. Like all new equipment and operating methods it takes a while for everything to "bed in" and that is the phase which we are going through at the moment. I am human and therefore I make mistakes - it is by making mistakes that we learn and I am trying to make less of them as I gain experience. This is why I have asked for a little patience which you, unfortunately, don't seem willing to give. By the way, whilst you were watching the board for my mistakes there was a good game of cricket going on!
Jimmy - It's all very well to take the "mickey" out of the notices that I read out every morning but please remember that you are "shooting the messenger". I do not write the notices nor do I decide which of the "Safety " messages should go out. Having said that, I believe that it is right to put them out and I will continue to do so unless told otherwise by Management.
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I'm not sure anyone was being dug out personally but it is symptomatic of the club that it would take eons for a cricket scoreboard to work properly.
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It'll all be running smoothly by October, come on down to the ECG and take a look, and while you're at it why not visit the club shop, we have a wide variety of the latest cricket books on sale but please be safe and avoid accidents with heavy machinery by taking on plenty of fluids preferably sun cream......... no hang on a minute........
You've forgotten ...
...for our older viewers ...
Don't forget to take your medicines/pills
Have you brought your cardy?
Have the non-league fixtures come out yet? or Colchester/Southend United?
Don't forget to go to the toilet regularly, your bladder isn't what it used to be
Make sure you don't miss your bus or train home
Be careful of those nasty people waiting to mug you on the way back to Meteor Way
Don't burn yourself when pouring your Horlicks from your flask
Have you got your spare set of teeth?
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It'll all be running smoothly by October, come on down to the ECG and take a look, and while you're at it why not visit the club shop, we have a wide variety of the latest cricket books on sale but please be safe and avoid accidents with heavy machinery by taking on plenty of fluids preferably sun cream......... no hang on a minute........
You've forgotten ...
...for our older viewers ...
Don't forget to take your medicines/pills
Have you brought your cardy?
Have the non-league fixtures come out yet? or Colchester/Southend United?
Don't forget to go to the toilet regularly, your bladder isn't what it used to be
Make sure you don't miss your bus or train home
Be careful of those nasty people waiting to mug you on the way back to Meteor Way
Don't burn yourself when pouring your Horlicks from your flask
Have you got your spare set of teeth?
Where am I?
What's that in there?
Are those my feet?
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As we never play on the fourth day of a match perhaps that would be a good day to spend improving the scoreboard situation.
I understand it's all new and takes some time to learn, but is there someone else able to operate it if in the unlikely situation Tony is indisposed?
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One of the former scoreboard operators was at the last match, sporting what appeared to be a black eye. It was actually the side effects of medication.
Someone did ask "Have the club "persuaded" you to operate the mobile scoreboard at Colchester"?