Embrace it - it’s not all Ceefax anymore!

By the time the 12 teams walk out, weather permitting of course, to kick off the 2017 County Championship season almost 200 days would have passed since Toby Roland-Jones delivered that title winning hat-trick at Lord’s.

I, like many, can still remember what I was doing on that dramatic afternoon. At Lord’s? No, I wasn’t there. I wasn’t even in front of a TV screen watching the action unfold. Unfortunately (or should that be stupidly?), I was at the opticians getting my eyes tested.

As I wandered down there, there seemed to be no worries that anything would be missed with Middlesex batting along nicely and Yorkshire still hoping to bowl them out and chase the target.

Following the first of a number of tests I got my phone out in the waiting room and checked the score. Middlesex had rocketed along thanks to some declaration bowling from opening batsmen Adam Lyth and Alex Lees. Indeed, I made sure to keep track of the score with both teams now fighting for a result. I don’t need to tell you how the next few hours went...

Over the past five years or so, checking a cricket score has become so much easier. And in the week many are unhappy in the changes in the game that will come about through a new T20 competition, I am thankful for the rise in county coverage.

Sky Sports broadcast that Lord’s thriller live, while BBC radio continue to do an excellent job.We at TCP aim to provide a different take on proceedings, and there’ll be a new report style this season with the first half of County Championship games this season beginning on a Friday.

Twitter has been a wonderful resource, with counties themselves regularly tweeting pictures and videos to keep all of those who can’t be at a game updated.

Indeed, I remember being at Canterbury a couple of years back watching Kent play Sussex in the One-Day Cup as Joe Leach took a hat-trick off the first three balls of the match for Worcestershire. I knew about it almost instantly. No having to wait for Ceefax to flick over.

So let’s not worry about any potential changes for now, but embrace what we have. Oh, and remember to give @TheCricketPaper a follow on twitter too. There’ll be plenty of updates throughout the season!