There should definitely be more Blaat games on Friday nights.

Agree they can't all be Fridays but this year we only had 2 home Blast games on Friday nights.

Very strong Bears side v an inexperienced Essex side. Very different from last week where we saw a particularly weak Bears 2's face up to a very experienced Northants team.

Think Arthur still very seems himself as a coach as opposed to a Director of Cricket.

A very good coach he is too. Doing a good job at Derby to be fair, turned an absolute bunch of no hopers into a passable, hard to beat outfit in a matter of months despite losing their best player (Critchley).

Wonder if he'll play in tandem with Briggs or instead of? Briggs has been a bit poor.

Pretty strong Northants side

I think he did good work at recreational level, strengthened links between clubs and county. I think he was a lot more invested in the academy than Giles was. It could still be better though.

I suspect him and Robbo didn't see eye to eye, Robinson maybe wasn't his first choice, just a hunch. And some of the recruitment has been pretty dodgy.

He definitely divides opinion, many who work at the club speak well of him.

Pretty big news. Never really felt like he would be in it for the long haul though.

Johal signed a 3 year deal in April didn't he?

Right I've printed it off and filled it in, where am I sending too?

Where is this thing we can sign? Is it the Lancs Action Group thing?

Dreadful decision at the toss I mean it must incredibly flat if Pieter Malan can get runs...

Both good. However neither would been available for the Somerset game.

He's always impressed whenever I've seen him, nice to have someone who has atleast played a decent amount of international cricket.

Brilliant win, we fielded so well in the last 10 overs there.

Yeah them 2 were great at the end, Lamb seems to have his timing back and Kai looked very inventive.

I was cordially up for the City/Region based comp in the UK years back when the all the talk began.

I figured that 6 regional based sides competing in a T20 comp over a short period (3 weeks?) featuring quality overseas stars with the England players available would be a worthwhile watch. The 6 sides would all have a 'homegrown' core, for example a Midlands based squad of say 17 would be made up of 14 players from Warks/Worcs/Northants and then 3 absolute quality overseas players. Something generally along those lines.

The Midlands teams home games would be played at Edgbaston/New Road/Wantage Road, take the comp around the counties, have all counties involved, all grounds involved etc. The Regional based teams would still have a homegrown, local feel. Something like that.

Could still play the CC or One Day Cup alongside it but they'd be no situation where some counties are missing 10 or 12 players and other counties arent missing any to the Regional based comp unlike the current set up which uses a draft/auction type way of making up squads (pretty average looking squads as far I can tell from looking at the Hundred website too I might add...). For example this Birmingham Phoenix team has a distinct lack of locally based players in it.

They lost me with this hundred ball concept though and other rule tweaks. Not to mention having 8 sides based at 8 grounds and shunning the other 10. Its a blatant cash grab.

I just don't get it.

I'll pass on going to a game, this website had better blow my mind...

I really like T20 cricket and I quite enjoy the franchise leagues have done for a long time and originally i wasn't against the idea of a city based T20 comp in the UK, but I just don't get why all these people who didn't want to see/watch cricket have been so enticed so quickly by the Hundred?! I've seen bits and pieces on TV, I've not had my back turned entirely. It doesn't look anything special. I saw a game the other day where Dwayne Bravo batted no. 4 (he hasn't batted that high in years) and Garton and Stoinis opened the bowling. I mean if that's the standard...

What sort of experience are they getting at the Hundred then, what's different?

I think the Blast has definitely been very welcoming for a very long time, loads of stuff for kids, families etc

I don't understand why people are all of a sudden coming out to watch the Hundred having never bothered to watch cricket before up until that point? I'm not throwing shade on the comp I'm genuinely asking the question.

What is so different about this comp in comparison to the Blast? Why have these people who have gone years not bothering with cricket now jumping out of their seats for a new comp featuring manufactured teams with players sourced from here there and anywhere?

Why now, for the Hundred?!

Yep pretty much agree with all of what's being said. It was major bat first conditions as it did appear as though the pitch was breaking up as we batted on it. You get games like this sometimes, people get in and get out. Definitely needed the extra bowler. Reminded me of the one day game we lost away at Leicester in 2019 where they batted first on a scorcher and racked up a sizeable total and we never really looked like chasing. Probably got 50 too many today. Lamb looks like somebody who hasn't really batted in a good while, he's getting bat on ball but his timing looks off, he did well in this comp last year though so should be persevered with. I think Rhodes has been OK, if you cramp him though he can't manufacture any room and rotate the strike, his get out is to try and go big. Leicester bowled well at him.

Leicestershire look a handy white ball outfit to be fair. Very close to making the knockouts in the T20, they were unlucky not too actually, and they've won 4 out 5 in this comp. It's no accident.