With snow still falling in parts of South East England, the domestic cricket season feels a long way off... but, a glance at the calendar shows that it's only 36 days before Essex take to the field for the opening friendly match of the 2010 season against their counterparts from Worcestershire.

The gentle thwack of leather on willow will resume at the Ford County Ground at 11.00am on Wednesday, 31st March - weather permitting of course!

By way of a diversion from the dreary winter weather, I thought I'd take a quick look (via the medium of some previously unpublished images) at the players that will be taking the field for my home county during the forthcoming summer.

Essex CCC skipper Mark Pettini steered his team back into the top flight of the County Championship after six years in the lower division. Pettini has also inspired his men to significant success in the shorter versions of the game in recent years...



James Foster has been in a rich vein of form over the last few seasons, both with the bat and the wicket-keeping gloves. Many believe that he should feature far more frequently behind the stumps for his country...



Former Zimbambwe player Grant Flower has posted numerous invaluable performances in one-day games for the Eagles. He is set to leave Essex at the end of the season to take up the role of batting coach to his home country...



Experienced paceman David Masters has shown great consistency in opening the bowling attack. Masters arrived at Chelmsford for the start of the 2008 season after making the move from Leicestershire...



Danish Kaneria is a firm favourite with the Essex faithful, taking 108 wickets in all competitions in 2009. He also recently became Pakistan's leading Test spinner of all-time...



Graham Napier's 152 not out from just 58 balls against Sussex Sharks in the Twenty 20 Cup in June 2008 will live long in the memory. He also made his mark in the County Championship in 2009 with some sterling showings to propel Essex towards promotion...



Matt Walker boasted an exemplary batting record at Kent before joining Essex at the start of last season. He collated no less than 933 County Championship runs in his inaugural Chelmsford campaign...



Tim Phillips has been dogged by injury over recent seasons but he will be pushing for more first team action in 2010 on the back of some excellent NatWest Pro40 performances...



Batsman Ravi Bopara featured in four of the five Ashes Test matches in 2009. He returned to his county to score a stunning 201 against Surrey at Colchester in August...



Firmly established as an integral part of the current England set-up, Alastair Cook still contributed 493 runs at an average of 35.21 to his county's Championship campaign in 2009...



All-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate continues to be a crucial member of the Essex team. His 108 from 59 balls in the final game of last season at Derbyshire proved to be the match-winning and promotion-clinching innings...



Tony Palladino experienced injury problems in 2009 but he still remains a significant part of the county's plans in 2010...



Pace bowler Maurice Chambers made five County Championship starts in 2009. He will be looking for even more first string appearances in 2010...



Promising young batsman Jaik Mickleburgh was called up to the England Performance squad over the winter of 2009/10 and will be one to watch in 2010...



John Maunders constructed an excellent century on his home Championship debut for Essex against Warwickshire in September 2009. The left-handed batsman will undoubtedly seek to cement a first team spot in 2010...



Mervyn Westfield finished 2009 as the County's leading wicket-taker in 2nd XI cricket. An injury-free 2010 may well see him pushing hard for first team action...



Tom Westley illustrated his great potential with two vital innings at Derbyshire when promotion was secured in the last game of 2009...



Adam Wheater took advantage of James Fosters' call-up to England's World Twenty20 squad in 2009, making several first team appearances...



A series of outstanding performances with the ball and bat in 2009 saw Chris Wright seal his spot as a first team regular. More success surely beckons in 2010...



Bowler Max Osborne has graduated from the Essex Academy to sign a two-year pro deal...



Batsman Billy Godleman is seen here playing for his former county Middlesex at Chelmsford in May 2008. He moved to Essex CCC at the end of last season...



All-rounder Michael Comber will be looking to put injury problems behind him to make an impact in 2010...



Essex CCC coach Paul Grayson has overseen recent success in all disciplines of the game and will certainly be very optimistic about the forthcoming campaign...



Click HERE for a full list of Essex CCC fixtures for 2010. TGS Photo's cricket coverage can be found HERE.

Here's to a spectacular summer!

Labels: 2010, Chelmsford, County, Cricket, Essex, Essex CCC, Ford County Ground

Firstly, a very big THANK YOU to everyone that has registered as a fan of TGS on Facebook. Your support is very, very welcome and much, much appreciated.

We've hit 200 fans now and, in celebration, TGS is running a promotion until the end of February...



Simply enter the code 200FB10 at checkout to claim your discount. This offer is valid until 28th February 2010. The code will also work with our 'Personal Use Downloads' should you wish to enhance your own Facebook pages or your computer desktop with a digital image of yourself in action!

If you would like to pay a visit to our Facebook Fan Page, please follow this here linkety-link: http://tgsphoto.co.uk/facebook. The more fans the merrier!

While I'm passing through blog-land, it's time to catch up with some recent usages. Dagenham & Redbridge gained a vital win last Saturday over AFC Bournemouth at Victoria Road. Dave Simpson's image of Mark Arber's winning goal from the penalty spot made the Mail on Sunday and, below, Monday's edition of The Sun...



The recent inclement weather has certainly made a right old mess of the TGS diary. Far too many matches have been postponed but we're still trying to plan ahead. Here's what (should) be in store over the next few weeks...

16-02-10 AFC Hornchurch vs Tonbridge Angels
17-02-10 Bethnal Green United vs Barkingside
20-02-10 Rochdale vs Dagenham & Redbridge
20-02-10 West Ham United vs Hull City
20-02-10 Grimsby Town vs Lincoln City
20-02-10 Upminster HC 5th XI vs Romford HC 3rd XI
20-02-10 VCD Athletic vs Romford
21-02-10 Hackney & Leyton League
23-02-10 Aldershot Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge
23-02-10 AFC Hornchurch vs Canvey Island
24-02-10 Tottenham Hotspur vs Bolton Wanderers
24-02-10 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies vs Arsenal Ladies
26-02-10 Boxing at York Hall
27-02-10 Dagenham & Redbridge vs Grimsby Town
28-02-10 Hackney & Leyton League
02-03-10 Torquay United vs Dagenham & Redbridge
06-03-10 West Ham United vs Bolton Wanderers
06-03-10 Bury vs Dagenham & Redbridge
07-03-10 Hackney & Leyton League
08-03-10 Colchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
09-03-10 Dagenham & Redbridge vs Colchester United
13-03-10 Chelsea vs West Ham United
13-03-10 Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rotherham United
14-03-10 Hackney & Leyton League
14-03-10 Arsenal Ladies vs FCR 2001 Duisburg

We're always aiming to add additional coverage so keep an eye on our HOMEPAGE to keep fully up-to-date. Don't hesitate to CONTACT US to commission images from your event.

Before I go, here's a recent pic that I was quite pleased with. The exposure isn't perfect but the moment of impact of Steve Williams' right hook to the head of Michael Grant tells a story in itself. Williams went on to win the win the English Light-Welterweight Title at York Hall last Friday...



More from the excellent Matchroom boxing show can be seen here: http://bit.ly/aCSBaG

TTFN!

Labels: Boxing, Dagenham and Redbridge, Facebook, Fans, Football, Images, Promotion, Published, Special Offer

Five very short words to send a chill down any snapper's spine: "Did you get the goal?"

I've covered a fair few matches involving Romford Football Club this season and I've been asked this very question on numerous occasions!

"Did you get the goal?" Romford's first competitive match of the season was a momentous one. Having watched their team win promotion to the Ryman League Division One North, Boro fans travelled in goodly numbers to Theobalds Lane to watch their team's first outing at the new level.

The first goal of the campaign arrived courtesy of Paul Kavanagh who scored with his left foot from close range. From my position, this lined up reasonably well with scorer, goalkeeper and ball all present and correct in the frame. So, yep, I reckon I 'got' this one...



"Did you get the goal?" Jimmy Noakes gave Boro a 2-1 lead shortly after half-time. Fortunately the key moment happened pretty much right in front of me as Noakes fired a snap shot on the turn into the net.

In these situations, it's quite easy to end up with no ball in the frame - it's only there for a split second. Fortunately I'd woken up from my half-time slumbers and managed to squeeze the shutter at the opportune moment...



"Did you get the goal?" This time round, the answer was very nearly a resounding "No!"

The ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty area and Danny Jones fired his shot through a crowd of players. I was slow to react and struggled to get a clear view of Jones with the handheld camera. Instinctively I felt that a goal was coming so I held down the shutter button regardless. This, in turn, triggered the remote camera lurking behind the goal. Here's the result - a view of what turned out to be the match-winning strike. Only you can decide if I actually 'got' it though...



"Did you get the goal?" This time, "Yes, twice!"

Boro's second match on the 2009/10 FA Cup trail brought Concord Rangers to Mill Field in the 1st Qualifying Round. The homesters fell a goal behind but Jimmy Noakes took the tie to a replay with a beautifully struck, right foot volley. Here's the view from the handheld camera. If you look closely, you can see my fellow snapper, Tony Fowles of the Essex Enquirer, in the background...



...and here's the same moment in time from the remote device behind the goal net. Doubly bubbly...



"Did you get the goal?" You do need luck in this game. You need to have a clear view of the scorer and a little bit of time to anticipate what is about to happen.

So, which side of the goal to sit? It can be an arbitrary decision, a real 50/50 shout. Sometimes the direction of the light and what's in the background influence the choice. No room for a remote camera behind the goal at Leyton's hemmed in Hare & Hounds home - so no second chances!

Sometimes fortune smiles on the lonely snapper. Paul Burnett's bullet header opened Boro's account...



"Did you get the goal?" At least with a penalty, you know where the shot is coming from! Photographing the dead ball kick from 12 yards just comes down to timing. Snap too early and the player hasn't struck the ball. The image just doesn't look quite right. Press too late and the ball is long gone. I should have moved a yard or two to improve the background in this one but I guess the ball is just about in the optimum position as Paul Kavanagh makes it 2-0...



"Did you get the goal?" It's peachy when the onion bag bulges as it receives the ball.

Martin Heed headed Romford's third unanswered goal at Leyton from very close range and, luckily for me, he was on the 'right' side of the goal. Had I been on the other side of the net, this may not have made much of a pic...



"Did you get the goal?" Here's a trio of examples of where it all went (very) wrong!

Jerry Lyons scored Boro's equalising goal when he pounced on a loose ball during a home friendly match with Thurrock. It would have made a nice image... had I been sitting five yards closer to the goal post. Doh!...



Paul Clayton scored a memorable winning goal away at Maldon Town back in late August. It was the only goal of the game. I struggled to locate Clayton through the goalmouth mêlée (you can just about make out his captain's armband). Sigh...



Aaaaaargh! Fortunately for me, this Chris Thomas effort only turned out to be a consolation goal against Ware, but my timing was way off as you can see. Just the merest hint of ball remains...



"Did you get the goal?" I'll finish with a couple that did line up sweetly.

Romford romped to a 4-1 win away win at Waltham Forest last Saturday. Kurt Smith bagged half the visitors' goals and his second strike made for a particularly satisfying snap. The goaly trinity of goalscorer, ball and goalkeeper all making an appearance...



"Did you get the goal?" Ditto the fourth and final Boro strike. Chris Thomas drives the ball past the Stags goalie. It's also quite handy that there are a few travelling supporters on the terrace in the background...



For those that would like to see a few more images of Romford FC's progress this season, click HERE.

For more information on Romford FC, visit their website at http://www.romfordfc.com/ and their new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=287382147814&ref=ts

I just can't wait for the next time I hear those words: "Did you get the goal?" ... or maybe I can! ;-)

Labels: Boro, Goal, Goals, Images, Isthmian, Remote, Romford, Score