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Principles
underpinning match reporting
It's now a year and half that the web site has been up and running
so it was thought
it would be helpful if the principles underpinning the match reports were set
down so that should any of them give cause for concern a member can raise it
with the Club’s officials who will consider it accordingly.
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Reporters.
It is the aim to share this duty around. In 2006, when the web site began,
only a handful of people wrote reports. Already this season, over a dozen
members have been commissioned to provide reports, covering 18 games played
to date. From time to time members are reminded that it is open to anyone to
contribute a report and are encouraged to do so.
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Copy submitted.
It is not the practice to subject reports to editing save in two respects:
to correct misspellings where this is spotted before uploading or to amend
figures and statistics where those referred to in the copy differ from the
scorebook or the Club’s records.
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Editor’s comments.
These are added where it is felt such comments aid understanding (eg. about
the game’s laws or League rules), clarify feats and performances (eg.
referring to Club statistics), provide a balancing view or comment (eg.
where a reporter may not be in a position to know the background to an event
or incident) and to enhance enjoyment of the report.
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Style, length and content.
Each reporter is allowed to write in whatever style they wish and to be as
long or short as they feel is required to do justice to the game. The aim is
not to describe everything in a linear fashion or every aspect of what went
on; it is left to the discretion of each reporter to decide what is worthy
of inclusion and draw upon previous reports to give a flavour of the sort of
incidents that merit mention. In general, the report will reflect faux
pas, fun, pork scratching moments, life's ironies which are so often
highlighted within the sporting arena, and the repartee and banter enjoyed
by all within the Club and these are recorded and reproduced in the same
manner in the expectation they will be read in similar vein.
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Language.
The only restrictions placed on the use of language are that words that
would be caught by a reasonable setting on a ‘net nanny’ and words or
expressions that are clearly racist or otherwise designed to be gratuitously
offensive will be excluded. To date, with nearly a half century of reports
written there has been no occasion where action has been needed in respect
of these provisions.
Several
threads run through other clubs' web sites and it is not believed that any would
be appropriate to the Cavaliers. Firstly, many of their match reports tend to one of two
extremes - either bland renditions of scorecard details, or are arguably
defamatory and inflammatory about opponents in particular (indeed, one club in the east of England was
disciplined by its local League body for the content and tone of its reports).
It is considered that, while we may not always reach a Swantonesque standard in
every respect, Cavaliers match reports are enjoyable to read for players,
opponents, spectators and those unable to have been there. Secondly, for many
clubs there is a considerable time lag affecting the currency of information -
the Cavaliers are fortunate that all members who undertake this duty get their
report in speedily and
that the webmaster is equally as quick in uploading the reports. This timeliness
enhances people's ability to enjoy the match reports while incidents are fresh in
minds.
In summary the
aim of having a match report section is to celebrate the game and spirit of
cricket, to reflect the richness, colour and diversity of those who comprise the
Cavaliers, to recognise excellent Club and individual performances, to share the
humour enjoyed within the club and above
all, in true Reithian tradition, to educate, inform and entertain.
This
section was last updated on 6 August 2007
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