Whats Wrong With Southerners?

[GIMH]

Whats Wrong With Southerners?

How long have you got?

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

It is an interesting question as to why?

I'd hazard a guess that it's the amount of coal northerners eat, must be conductive to pace bowling somehow. Though we can't overlook poor body odour and Labour MP's.

 

[wpdavid]

Not quite as significant as the fast bowling but there is a definate Southern flavour to the batting.

It is an interesting question as to why? As with the bowling, maybe its a residual cultural hangover from the old Am/Pro days, or possibly more likely the selectors have had streotypes in their heads and liked the idea of a bluff Northerner doing the hard work and having batsmen from fashionable and important counties doing the batting.

There surely is an element of regional bias involved in both areas, just a matter of how much.

It's probably not a concidence that all of the northern batsmen (exc. a certain allrounder) are openers, whereas the southerners are mainly from the middle order. I suppose that fits with the northerner doing the hard work seeing off the new ball so that the fancy dans from the south can blaze away with impunity once life is easier. Something like that, anyway.

 

[wpdavid]

Where's the line between N and S, BTW?

Good question. I think the good folks of Worcestershire would be surprised to see themselves described as northerners, if that's why Snow is categorised as as such.

 

[steds]

Where's the line between N and S, BTW?

Forget about the France thing for the time being. Only map I've got.

 

[Goughy]

Traditionally the N/S divide has been seen as a line drawn from the Severn to the Wash (as shown below by the Pink line).

Its all up for debate though. What is a Northerner to a Northerner is different to what a Northerner is to a Southerner.

In addition the fact that certain places like Worcs are in the Midlands means they are by definition not in the South. It hasnt been mentioned that Worcs is in the North.

 

[silentstriker]

Part of France?

 

[steds]

Steady on now, Kev. Can't let any old riff raff (and Wales) in.

 

[Tomm NCCC]

Southerners are too addicted to Liqour

 

[PhoenixFire]

Southerners are soft basically.

Generally, cricket has been more prevelent in the South due to the climate etc, obviously there are some notable expections, like Yorkshire and Lancashire, but most of the best counties are more South.

 

[Scaly piscine]

England Players debuting Post-WW2 with over 4000 Test runs (Southern born and raised in red) (overseas born in blue)

ME Trescothick
MP Vaughan
MA Butcher
GP Thorpe
N Hussain
AJ Stewart
MA Atherton
RA Smith
AJ Lamb
MW Gatting
DI Gower
IT Botham
GA Gooch
APE Knott
G Boycott
JH Edrich
ER Dexter
KF Barrington
MC Cowdrey
TW Graveney
PBH May

If that list doesn't get people to recognise that southerners are soft compared to northerners then nothing will.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The north/south dividing point is, traditionally, the Watford Gap service station near Rugby. Or so I was always lead to believe.

Some of the bowlers claimed as "northern" are really only "northern" in the same way as Andrew Symonds is a Brummie. Botham was raised & educated in Yeovil from the age of four, Fraser went to school in Harrow (Gayton High rather than the public school) & Willis in Guildford. For mine upbringing is far more important than birthplace.

Broadly speaking tho there is some measure of truth in the nothern bowler/southern batsman stereotype. It does come back to class in my estimation; seamers are very much the labouring class of cricket, whereas batsmen are more likely to be of what was once called the officer class. It's no coincidence that the vast majority of England captains have been batsmen either. Of course the theory stands or falls on the "south: rich, north: poor" stereotype. The homogenising effect of the 21st century means the differences between the north & south have lessened, but they do still exist, if only as shared cultural memories. It could be that these memories are still informing & shaping the make up of our cricket team.

 

[steds]

Some of the bowlers claimed as "northern" are really only "northern" in the same way as Andrew Symonds is a Brummie. Botham was raised & educated in Yeovil from the age of four, Fraser went to school in Harrow (Gayton High rather than the public school) & Willis in Guildford. For mine upbringing is far more important than birthplace.

Agreed.

 

[simmy]

In reply to OP, its colder up north, like practically arctic, so its easier to run around all day without getting sweaty. Simple biomechanics really.

 

[PhoenixFire]

In reply to OP, its colder up north, like practically arctic, so its easier to run around all day without getting sweaty. Simple biomechanics really.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Because Southerners spend too much of their childhood crying.

 

[steds]

Haha!

 

[Neil Pickup]

Actually, facetious and flippant as I may be, when does it stop being acceptable to cry? I can remember any tears past the age of about 7 or 8 to have resulted in serious mickey-taking and the word "bealing" (is that exclusive to Grimsby?) being strewn around like confetti.

Down here year sixes (age 11) cry and it gets sympathy...

 

[silentstriker]

Puberty?

 

[Richard]

Actually, facetious and flippant as I may be, when does it stop being acceptable to cry? I can remember any tears past the age of about 7 or 8 to have resulted in serious mickey-taking and the word "bealing" (is that exclusive to Grimsby?) being strewn around like confetti.

Down here year sixes (age 11) cry and it gets sympathy...

Depends whether you're male or female.

Can't remember crying since about age 7 or so, so I'd guess that'd be about it for lads.