Richard Clarke AKA ‘The Grumbler’

This is where you will find all The Cricket Paper’s Richard Clarke AKA ‘The Grumbler’ news, opinion and content.

Richard Clarke: Luke Fletcher, Joe Leach a dying breed

22 September 2024 0 comments

There was a time when Luke Fletcher’s preparation for a cricket match consisted of two paracetamols plus a double sausage and egg McMuffin.

Richard Clarke: T20 Blast finals day is magical, unique

15 September 2024 0 comments

It is 10am on September 4, 1993 and I am shouting at cricket fans as they shuffle into Lord’s. To a man, woman and child, they ignore me.

ANYONE FOR TENNIS?

14 July 2024 0 comments

Richard Clarke Richard Clarke wonders, with Test cricket likely to be played in a window in future, what the sport […]

ACCESS ALL AREAS

7 July 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler RICHARD CLARKE SAYS ENGLISH CRICKET NEEDS TO GET ENGAGED Everything we’ve done up until now […]

THE HISTORY BOYS

16 June 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler The phrase “history is written by the winners” has been widely misattributed. Ironically, most people […]

Rapid pace of change sees members stuck in the middle

9 June 2024 0 comments

Richard Clarke AKA The Grumbler This column is called The Grumbler for good reason. It is the pseudonym I first […]

The hare and the tortoise

2 June 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler If Jerry Springer was still on the telly, my relationship with the County Championship would […]

Focus on the fans

26 May 2024 0 comments

By RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler How red-ball cricket can survive if attention is paid to those who are still […]

Time for transfer talk to get real

19 May 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler In the next week or so, the county cricket rumour mill will start to turn. […]

The long goodbye?

12 May 2024 0 comments

Richard Clarke AKA The Grumbler As you might expect from one of the world’s most literate sports, county cricket has […]

Handle with care

5 May 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE This week, two contrasting voices uttered the most sacrilegious statement in British sport – the Premier League is […]

Listening to the voices of reason

28 April 2024 0 comments

Richard Clarke AKA The Grumbler Picture the scene. In 20 years’ time, the first Grumbler grandchild clambers upon my knee […]

Grounds for concern

21 April 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler My local non-league football club were eyeing promotion before the winter flooding. But between Boxing […]

Of county and country

14 April 2024 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler For many Essex fans, Stuart Turner remains something of a folk hero. Yes, Graham Gooch […]

Winners one and all…and an alternative set of County awards

1 October 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Grumbler’s first annual county cricket awards gala dinner. It […]

Let us not go down the football route

24 September 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler The relationship between modern sport and morality has become increasingly strained in the past few […]

Durham good guys doing the business

17 September 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler There are very few things in cricket upon which almost everyone agrees. Fence-sitting is out […]

An Olympic return is such a game-changer

10 September 2023 0 comments

Richard Clarke Every four years, without fail, I take up an interest in a new sport. Despite never being the […]

Championship is still favourite with fans

3 September 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler Miss Rogers was a nice teacher. She was my form tutor for a year and, […]

Pulling power

27 August 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler Jimi Hendrix always used a Fender Stratocaster, Bruce Springsteen is never seen on stage without […]

That’s how the game should be

20 August 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler We are told the future of cricket is city franchises. Like Brigadoon, the fabled Scottish […]

A method to Jack’s madness

13 August 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler It is apt that, during a summer in which the bucket hat is once again […]

Look how much it’s changed!

6 August 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler Late in the evening on September 7, 1963, a musical variety show at the Victoria […]

Is there method to bananas madness?

30 July 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler The Savannah Bananas are a baseball team like no other. Owner Jesse Cole has turned […]

Passing on the legacy of Beefy

23 July 2023 0 comments

RICHARD CLARKE AKA The Grumbler At the end of the first day at the Old Trafford Test, reserve umpire Martin […]