What we're doing with the Patreon page

Oh hey. You look nice. Good to see you. Really should have posted this episode last week, but then Easter happened and we actually turned off the computers for a few days. Hope you found it in the podcast feed. Or on the video, up top.

What are we doing?

Since we're trying to catch Jimmy Anderson by reaching 614 patrons and beyond, here's an update on what those numbers mean. Now that Story Time has become a permanent second show and the research is more involved, we're both spending three full days a week just on the two podcast episodes. Prep and planning, promo, correspondence, stats, ideas, troubleshooting, maintenance.

We've also used the support to put effort into video. We did stylish shoots when we were in the same place with Cam Fink running the camera, and have brought on board our excellent video editor Ashton Ferrao to make our long-distance shoots more interesting than a screen recording. We've done short stuff entirely for YouTube. The channel is here. 

If we can keep growing the Patreon then we're more likely to be able to fund travel to get us together in the UK this year, or at the T20 World Cup in India. We could bring Cam on more trips to shoot video. We'd love to do more ambitious things like our short film Holy Ground. 

And those trips would increasingly be made with The Final Word as our priority. Right now freelance budgets have disappeared at lots of outlets, at the same time as tours have been cancelled. The way we used to work may not be possible. But that might let us go all-out on TFW instead. 

Update for those without a monthly cap on their pledge: weekly posts occasionally come around five times a month, when the calendar says so. Given the extra shows being made we'll start doing those fifth weeks as paid posts, where until now we've capped those at four per month. But you can choose your own monthly max on your Settings page, feel free. Any questions, holler.

Microwave stops play

The video of the last weekly show is above, and here's the audio link if you need it. 

Season 9, Ep 27: Steve Smith wants back in as Australian captain. Over in New Zealand, is it Jeff Jeff or Microwave Jeff? A West Indies classic plays out in Antigua, and there's last-ball luck for the Kiwi women. Final Word fave Suwanji Madanayake needs a groundswell of support. Queensland notch a first in the WNCL. Cricket South Africa manage to screw things up again, with Karen Smithies in the shrapnel zone. Plus there's Nerd Pledge, Bannerman, and our most informative Zoleo adventure yet.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
4.21 – David Crock
6.14 – Peter T.
1.49 – Ash Parajuli

Story Time 41 – Ruthless, perhaps, but necessary

Audio here.

Including a language warning near the end that some found educational but others may enjoy less, about this classic Australian hip-hop track. 

Before that, hear about when the USA fronted up against the might of Ricky Ponting's Australia; the tale of one of Hampshire's greatest sons; and of what could be the first century ever made in first-class cricket. You tell us. There's still time to revisit masterclasses from Imran Khan, Harmanpreet Kaur and the man who goes by the name of Bulbul.

Your new Nerd Pledge numbers:
1.66 – Bryan R. Caine
3.00 – Mrs. Sorby
5.34 – Matt
5.52 – Fred Cowen
1.36 – Andrew Turner
6.63 – Nick O’Connell
7.23 – Cam Again
1.71 – John Leather

Plus revisits and confirmations.

For a glimpse into the private lives of TFW, this is the kind of thing that we search for online. The histories of our heroes.

Take care out there.