Highveld wrote:

Perhaps if our top order batsmen scored runs, and lived up to their reputations as 'the best opening partnership in the country' we wouldn't be dependent on the tail to get the runs needed.

Well done to Ed Barnard, Kai Smith and Michael Booth for getting us close to the total.

Good banter

Obviously a tremendous win. Remember we won a very similar type of 4day game in very similar fashion away at Notts in April 2021 and we all know how that season ended up going...

Imagine a few posters on here have egg on their faces, "poor side" blah blah, do me a favour...we've got a decent crop of young players here and a few of them are homegrown, yes they're inexperienced and yes they'll make mistakes but maybe people should start to back them a bit more and support them. They'll be some bumps in the road and some bad days but they're showing up 1 or 2 of the senior guys right now.

Durham have recruited heavily this summer and have got some serious proven experience in the batting aswell as a pretty good seam attack, we'll come up against worse than Potts, Raine, Doggett and Hogg this season. Theyve lost 2 from 2 now though. Better side on paper, but we've done them in their own back yard. Durham are a good side too, theyll do a few teams up there.

So pleased for Booth shows what he's capable of when he consistently pitches it up. He'll drop out when Latham and Webster get here though won't he?

Barnard, man for the crisis. Kai Smith incredible, case for him playing solely as a batter if ever he loses the gloves to Latham or whoever.

Also a great advert for 4day cricket, incredible match, I'm sure some idiot on here was calling for the return of 3day cricket during the Sussex match, good grief...

It was a fantastic game of cricket, and would've been even had we lost, and a fantastic win.

Also fair play to Durham/Alex Lees for the declaration which led to the excitement (take note Sussex).

However we shouldn't be going over the top with where we will end up this season. We still have some glaring deficiencies, being an inexperienced batting lineup and a middling bowling unit that struggle to bowl teams out (we won without taking 20 wickets). I'm not sure that Durham bowling unit was that great and they didn't have one of their four seamers available for most the second innings. Also perhaps a mistake on their part to not pick a spinner.

Clearly we have exciting times ahead with such a young team and in 3-4 years could have a fantastic team but I think there will be a lot of ups and downs before then and this season should still be aiming for mid table consolation and getting experience into the young lads.

Absolutely. Mikkyk last paragraph there is very true.

People shouldn't get too carried away by the win. People on here would have wanted effigy burning had we lost though. Look at the comments on here during that first session.

Bit uneasy with the criticism of the Durham attack, feel it takes away from how we performed. Granted, its not West Indies of the 80's but Potts is an elite performer at county level and will get more Test caps, Raine has well over 400 First Class wickets at around 26 and had a great game, Doggett took an 11fer in the Sheffield Shield final only 3 weeks ago and was the comps 5th highest wicket taker despite missing 3 games whilst playing for Australia A, he's certainly no mug...time will tell.

We held our own, just, against a decent attack i think.

Was definitely a new ball pitch though, throughout, things tended to get easier for batters after 40 or so overs, nominally speaking.

Will Rhodes what's the score, Will Rhodes Will Rhodes what's the score...!

The latest bulletin from the Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians confirms, in their usual racy style that:
"K Smith and MG Booth set a FC partnership record for Warwickshire v Durham by adding 115 for the 7th wicket, beating the 103 set by R Clarke and KHD Barker at Birmingham in 2015.
EG Barnard and K Smith set a FC partnership record for Warwickshire v Durham by adding 147 for the 6th wicket, beating the 132 set by DR Brown and NMK Smith at Birmingham in 1998."

Thanks to Andy for reminding me of the 1 wicket win v Gloucestershire in 1999, shouldn't have forgotten seeing as I was actually there on that last day, Giles, slog-sweeping a 6 for the winning runs.

So two one-wicket wins decided by a six.
In 90 previous first-class innings, Ethan Bamber had only ever hit four sixes before yesterday's match-winning blow.

Still buzzin' over yesterdays remarkable performance, and i think some praise should go to Head Coach Ian Westwood. We actually looked like a team showing some grit & determination for a change, rather than the attitude of the last 3 seasons of 'oh well, another disappointing performance but let's not dwell on that - focus on the positives (?) and move on' that we used to hear.

It was great to hear on commentary the Warwickshire squad on the balcony, clapping & cheering the batsmen in the middle all afternoon. Real team spirit and long may it continue.

Brilliant result, watched the last overs at Warwick Races where sadly I seemed to be the only person wearing any Warwickshire merchandise (a woolly hat). Seeing fewer polo shirts et c. over the last few years.

The YouTube stream has been excellent.

It was a good win which showed excellent team spirit and character.

But it doesn’t change any if the issues we face this season.

The greatest contribution to the game was Lees’ declaration. Apparently Durham don’t do draws. Fair play to him and he showed the wit which neither captain showed in the Sussex game.

Good to see Rugby School tickets advertised today and the Club acknowledging we are playing around our county!

I think those resorting to abuse of other posters on here should perhaps think whether a forum is for them. By all means express your own opinion but respect those of others or otherwise what’s the point?