I'll ring em tomorrow. Its transpired I ain't working Tuesday so I'm gonna hopefully get a ticket and go.

Yeah eventually found it, cheers. Is there a way of getting a ticket without having to give my mobile number and home address...

Is this game sold out?

The crowds have been pretty decent thus far. As far as I can tell.

Sibley
Yates
Rhodes
Burgess
Lamb
Pandya
E Brookes
Maddy
Miles
Norwell
Johal

Matt Lamb lives!

Briggs form was struggling prior to that hand injury.

We won 4 out of the 6 games Stone and Woakes played, not having them available has been huge. Their impact, Stone in April and Woakes in September, along with the increased availability we had from Norwell last season cannot be overstated. Stone and Norwell also bolstered the tail whereas this we sometimes get 6 down and then all out very quickly unless McAndrew held an end up.

It may only have been 6 games but if they played zero games the outcome of last season is totally different.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where it's all gone wrong this season.

Has signed for the RLODC

Hose gone now...the exodus continues...

Kinda understandable, he's nowhere near the 4 day side and he's 30 in a few weeks so needs to be playing.

Does this match have List A status?

Well Stone, Norwell and Woakes have all appeared much less, or not at all in fact, than they did in 2021, that's absolutely huge.

Lamb not being in the side right now is looking more ridiculous by the game, especially looking at the averages.

Briggs has dropped off massively and its been coming, I said after only 3 or 4 games this season he looks out of sorts and his wicket tally was flattering him. It still is. Yes Miles has largely struggled too, going at 4 or 5 an over. I underestimated how much we'd miss Bresnan's batting, the lower order hasn't performed anything like it did last season.

The pitches this year have been very different to last year, lot of result pitches last year.

We were down and out in so many games last year but we kept on kicking and found a way. We seemed to lack that spirit from pretty early on this year. Did new signings and talk of further new signings from quite early on (early June, we were linked with Mo, Saqib and Barnard) destabilise the dressing room?

The messaging from Robinson and Farbrace has been a bit off too, they've pretty much just about stopped short of literally calling players shit on the odd occasion. The interview Farby did a few weeks ago criticising the bowlers and that he wanted to sign 2 or 3 more was unnecessary. Even if you think that, you don't say it publicly. Heads have noticeably dropped. Huge, like really huge, focus from the management on the Blast too. Right from pre season.

We desperately miss Welchy. The little plans we'd have for certain opposition batters and teams seemed to have vanished. The funky fields etc. A lot of that was Welchy, he'd speak of it a lot.

I expect the game v Somerset to be played on a 'result wicket'. Somerset have got some really good players despite their league position.

Ah I remember Benjamin out shouldering arms in that game too...

It was frustrating to see Surrey bowlers get more out of the pitch than ours.

Also letting McKerr and Overton put on 74 in the final session on Day 2 was a big moment in this game but so much had gone on afterwards, we recovered brilliantly from that on Day 3. Ultimately in the absolute crunch moment when the stage was set this morning with the game in the balance the umpire stuffed us and exposed our tail to the 2nd new ball. I've no issue with our approach this morning, we just set about putting the bad ball away with 2 set batters at the crease.

I've been critical of us the past few weeks but I feel like we've been sawn off on this occasion.

I can't look past that over this morning when Hain and Burgess were sawn off, too crucial.

That LBW shout on Amla then, how is Taylor not giving that after giving Burgess LBW earlier?!

Yeah Burgess moves down the pitch to negate the swing and in Hain's defence when your on 96 and you get a delivery going down leg you try and hit that. It isn't like either batter has tried to reach for one way outside off stump and slapped one straight to extra cover.

Ive no real issue with our approach this morning, it's not like they were going totally gung ho, just putting the bad delivery and loosener away.

Then Billy Taylor got involved.

The Hain and Burgess decisions were huge, umpiring is tough work but those decisions from were scarcely believable.

Appeal for anything at Billy Taylor's end, he's had a shocker all game.

It's probably because we notice it more and see more with live streams everywhere etc but the standard of umpiring in has been a disgrace this season.

Sods law we're batting for once and we come off for bad light!