He has managed just 79 runs in 5 first-class matches this season including bagging a pair last week against Worcestershire.  As a result, Surrey have announced he has been left out of their next LVCC match against Somerset.

In a first-class career spanning a quarter of a decade, Ramprakash has amassed approaching 36,000 runs (He currently stands at 35,614)at an impressive average of 53.23.

By his standards, although partly due to injury, 2011 was a lean year for him scoring 700 runs at an average of 33.33.  Compare that to his previous years.  In 2010, he scored1595 with an average of 61.34, in 2009 he scored 1350 at an average of 90 and even in 2008 when Surrey were relegated from the first division he scored 1235 runs.

Having watched him at the back end of last season and beginning of this, he is a shadow of his former self.  He looks scratchy and unsure of himself.  He has had some bad luck this year though, he got out to a grubber at Lord’s and a very good ball then a leg side strangle at New Road but even so, he doesn’t look like the wonderful, confident fluent batsmen we saw for so many years.

Of course, class is, they say, permanent and form is temporary but there’s a reason why there aren’t many 40 odd year old professional cricketers.  It’s not just that the body goes and the fitness goes – this is less important for batsmen than fast bowlers.  The reactions slow, the eyes go a little.

So he is now faced with 2 choices.  Either fight for some form and try and get runs in the 2nd XI or give it up and retire.  I suspect he will see out his contract at Surrey although he is not involved in one day or T20 squads.  He is a very expensive second XI player and one wonders whether Surrey, given how close they are to the county salary cap, might not be too upset if he announced his retirement.  Especially with a crop of young talented batsmen waiting in the wings – most notably Jason Roy.   Freeing up his salary would allow for them to invest for the future in a couple of youngsters.  Of course, they recognise and are grateful for all his service and what an fantastic player he has beenbut he is expensive.  He’s a six figure player and that’s a lot of money to be spending on someone who isn’t playing.

He’s a man with an amazing knowledge of the game, incredible insight and experience and he will find plenty of work within the game after retiring – either in the media (and he already is a regular on Sky and on IPL coverage) or in coaching or administration.

It will be a sad day when he goes.  Whilst his England career wasn’t the raging success it might have been – having what we call “a touch of the Ramprakash’s” meaning the step up to International cricket was tough for him mentally – he has been one of the greats of the county circuit for so many years.

How I became a part owner of a football club……..

I’ve no idea what a false number 9 is nor an inverted winger. I can’t tell my 4-4-2 from Dustybin’s 3-2-1. I still think Man City play at Maine Road and Arsenal at Highbury.  I don’t live anywhere near the South Coast. I’m a cricket writer with an unhealthy shoe obsession.   So how on earth did I become a member of the wonderful Lewes FC?

It’s a bit of a convoluted tale but essentially a combination of Twitter, Stuart Fuller and Danny Last are to blame.

Bare with me…………

Ffor reasons unknown to both me and I suspect now to them both Stuart and Danny started following me on Twitter a couple of years ago. I assume they were stupidly hoping for sporting pearls of wisdom and insight. What they got was a combination of county cricket, shoes and my crush on Juan Roman Riquelme.

Anyway, there’s an award ceremony called the Not One Hundred Percent Accurate awards – or the NOPAs for short.  It’s essentially an awards night for amateur football bloggers and podcasters.  In 2010 Danny’s marvellous (RIP) European Football Weekends website was nominated for an award.  (  I’m not the type of girl to let an awards ceremony go by without trying to wangle an invite so I put out a slightly desperate pleading tweet that went something along the lines of

“I’d really like to go to the NOPAs, will anyone take me as their plus one – I promise you don’t have to actually go out with me afterwards”.

Danny and Stuart responded to my mini Cinderella pleas and invited me to join then for the evening.    Bless their hearts taking pity on a woman who wanted an excuse to wear her new frock.  They were marvellous company for the evening along with Cynical Dave.

Now the rather large football blogging fraternity (sound geeky? It is) have a regular meet up called Socrates.  It so happened that the Socrates following the NOPAs was to be held at our very own Dripping Pan.

Down I trotted to meet up with the geeky anoraks sorry I mean lovely not at all geeky bloggers.  I very quickly realised that Lewes FC was the very epitome of a friendly, welcoming, well run and marvellous football club.  Proper football with proper people.

Fast forward to the next season (11/12) and a balmy South West London evening at Old Kingstonian.  As it’s not very far from me I thought I’d rendez-vous with Stuart and the guys and take my little boy to watch some proper footy (none of this Crystal Palace nonsense that his dad takes him to see).    This was to be my 4^th time watching Lewes (I’d been down to the Pan a couple of times and to Hampton and Richmond when we played there last season) and I’d never yet seen them win.  Well – come 94 minutes later and I still hadn’t seen us win but in a moment of weakness I got my cheque book out and handed over a cheque to Mr Fuller.  I’m still not totally sure why but it felt the right thing to do and Lewes felt like something I wanted to be part of.  And maybe one day I might een see us win.

I had to wait until a few weeks ago to do that.  The home match against Hendon.  I walked into the bar at the Pan to cries of “go away you massive Jonah”.   Awww the lovely Lewes welcome.  Anyway – I broke my Jonah curse that match with the 5 minutes of mentalness straight after half-time.  Which, incidentally, was just before Cynical Dave got some wholemeal pitta bread and hommous out of his coat pocket?  On a football terrace? I ask you.

A couple of weeks later I was back for massive local derby – the match against Hastings.  Another win.  No longer can they scream Jonah at me.  Or threaten to burn me as witch.

Because of cricket and playing hockey on a Saturday, I’m not at The Pan as much as I would like tobe but when I am it’s wonderful. Even when I’m standing in the jungle with the rain coming sideways at me I still manage to laugh and smile because of the great company.  Sometimes the football isn’t too bad either.

Good Luck to everyone at the club for today’s match and fingers crossed for a play off spot and a play off victory and a rise back up to the blue cheese square or whatever it’s called.

@hantscricket  - Official Feed

Dimi Mascheranas – @dimimascherenas

Michael Bates @batesy10_16

Sean Ervine @slug_7

Adam Rouse @rousie20

Danny Briggs @dannybriggs19

James Vince @vincey14

Chris Wood @cwoody27

Michael Carberry @carbs646

Liam Dawson @daws128

@durhamcricket – official feed

Alastair Maiden – academy coach @ali6dots

Michael Richardson @richo18howu

Chris Rushworth @rushworth22

Jamie Harrison @jayharrison13

Liam Plunkett @liam628

Mitchell Claydon @mitchellclaydon

Scott Borthwick @borthwick16

Ben Stokes @benstokes38

Phil Mustard @colonel19

Gordon Muchall @gmuchall

Will Smith @willsmith_2

Graham Onions @bunnyonions

Richard Coughtrie @rgcoughtrie

Richard Dawson – spin bowling coach @billydogdaws

Alex Gidman @agiddo

Graeme McCarter @graememccarter

Craig Miles @cmiles34

David Wade @wadey461

David Payne @sidpayne7

Ian Cockbain @iancoey

Ian Saxelby @saxelby21

Chris Dent @cdent15

Jonathan Batty @jonathanbatty

Jack Taylor @jacktaylor141

Liam Norwell @LCNorwell24

James Fuller @james_fuller246

Paul Muchall @muchdawg14

Ben Philips @bennyphil13

Sam Wood @samwood33

James Taylor @jamestaylor20

Adam Voges @acvoges

David Hussey @davidhussey29

Harry Gurney @gurneyhf

Sam Kelsall @kelsall93

Luke Fletcher @fletcherluke

Riki Wessels @rikiwessels

Jake Ball @jakeball30

Scott Elstone @scottelstone

Steven Mullaney @mull05

Stuart Broad @stuartbroad8

Alex Hales @alexhales

Mark Wagh @markwagh

Andre Adams @andreadams

Graeme Swann @swannyg66

Andrew Hall – @AndrewHall99
James Middlebrook – @midders07
David Willey – @david_willey
Lee Daggett – @LeeDaggett
Christian Davis – @daviscal123
Niall O’Brien – @niallnobiobrien
Jack Brooks – @BrooksyFerret
Kyle Coetzer – @MeerGoose11
Christian Davies @daviscal123

And thanks to Ian Ashworth – here’s some former Northants players

Allan Lamb – @Legger294
Toby Bailey – @Tobybailey76
Johan Botha – @johan_botha
Davy Jacobs – @davyjacobs82
Andre Nel – @AndreNel89
David Wigley – @Davidwigley
Tom Brett – @TomBrett24
Ryan Cummins – @RAGCummins
Mark Nelson – @magnelson24
Vishal Tripathi – @Vishal_Tripathi

@sussexccc – official feed

Scott Styris @scottbstyris

Matt Prior @mattprior13

Andrew Hodd @hoddfather

Luke Wright @lukewright204

Matt Machan @mattmachan

Ben Brown @ben_brown26

Will Adkin @willadkin

Luke Wells @luke_wells07

Will Beer @willbeer18

Chris Liddle @chrisliddle11

Marcus North @marcus_north

Will Bragg @wdbragg22

Graham Wagg @ggwagg

John Glover @john_gloves

Andrew Salter @andysalts

Simon Jones @si610

Michael O’Shea @mikeoshea13

Nye Norman @mrbean1927

Alex Jones @Aj_jones27

Chris Cooke @cooky_24

Chris Ashling @chrisashling32

Will Owen @swillo88

Stewart Walters @stewiewalters

Ben Wright @bej29w

Mark Wallace @markwallace18

James Harris @james_harris9

Rob Ahmun – S+C coach @robahmun

Robert Croft @rdbcroft10

Gareth Rees @garethprees28

Paul Farbrace – asst coach @farby75

Jason Gillespie – Coach @dizzyyccc

Ajmal Shazhad @ajshazhad

Alex Lees @aleesy14

Joe Sayers @joe_sayers

Joe Root @joeroot05

Adil Rashid @adilrashid03

Oliver Hannon-Dalby @OHD12

Moin Ashraf @moinA23

Scot Mcallister – Physio @fizzlad

Jonny Bairstow @jbairstow21

Richard Pyrah @pyrah27

Andrew Gale @galeylad

Gerard Brophy @brophy20

Azeem Rafiq @azeemrafiq30

Tim Bresnan @timbresnan

Ryan Sidebottom @ryansidebottom