Bald_Reynard
Member
LeicesterExile wrote:
As it's not really a pavilion I think that end should be renamed the Norwell End. What a performance.
Yep, I'm all for a Norwell End!
What can you say about Norwell? That must be up there with the Greatest ever moments in Bears bowling feats?!
We officially finished 4th - 151 points from 9 matches - 3 points behind Middlesex (also playing 9 games). In effect, we finished 3rd - Notts were 2nd on 159 points, but played 2 games more than us. The Championship winners were Glamorgan, they played 10 games, but finished on 175 points. So, working on (the old system) average points per game, Glamorgan still win, but we move ahead of Notts. Not bad, given how badly our First team did this season and perhaps indicative of the fact that many of the players who should have been playing for the 1sts far more than they did (Lamb, Mousley, Hose, Benjamin, Bethell, Lintott and Sidebottom, to name but a few, but even Stone & Woakes), turned out for the 2nds.
Looking at the Seconds Championship Batting averages, Mousley finished on 83 (from 4 matches), Lamb 67, Woakes 67, Hose 43 and Benjamin 39. On the Bowling front, Sidebottom was top of the averages on 9 (admittedly only one match - the Northants game above - but obviously he did contribute a fair bit for Derbyshire), Stone & Bethell on 17, Lintott on 18 and Mousley on 19. All that, beggars the question, "how much better would the Firsts have done, if these guys had played more?!"
BristolBear wrote:
So lunch on Day 3. Hampshire only 151 behind with 5 in hand. Vince looks very good too. Problem is going to be how long we need to bat for again. Even if they only scored another 50-75 runs. We’d need to go bat for about a session to put on another 100-150 to actually have something defendable.
And that risks the weather on day 4, which is looking dodgy at best.It may of course all be academic. Yorkshire are 36-1 at lunch, 240 would get them the tie that would keep them safe. So only 204 runs off. It could be very close.
I think it fair to say, nearly an hour after Lunch in our game, that a draw is looking the most likely outcome. Especially, with possible weather (rain or bad light) intervention. And Yorkshire look reasonably set for a win, though even if Gloucester get their act together and claim victory, it would make no diference for us.
So, Division 2, here we come?!
Edit: I had forgotten of course, that the Yorkies could be hit by the long speculated Points deduction. Depending on that happening (and it being a sizeable forfeit), a draw in our game and defeat for them, COULD save us. I'm not holding my breath though !
Mikkyk wrote:
I'd bring in Lamb for Bethell and Burgess for Yates.
As poor as Davies has been the rest of the season, he has to stay in the side for his knock in the second innings.
Assuming Siraj won't be available again, I would bring Johal in on the basis Sidebottom and Garrett are both out of contract, and neither should be renewed imo, so may as well give the lad who will be here next year a game.
I agree with much of that Mikkyk. Davies probably needs to be kept in as a batter. Lamb and Burgess SHOULD be back for Yates and Bethell, but I'm not holding my breath.
But I don't think Johal deserves a place, he's had a poor season for the 2nds. I'd probably stick with Sidebottom (not least because it almost certainly be Ryan's last game for us, but he's never really let us down and given the lack of chances he's had recently, I think he deserves a fond farewell).
And I wonder if Lintott might be given a red ball run out, in place of Briggs. JL has been Captaining in the 2nds Championship recently (and getting a lot of wickets, cheaply), so Management must feel he can do the 'proper stuff' - and Briggs has hardly done much with the ball this season.
LeicesterExile wrote:
19 wickets falling on day one in Southampton!! Kent over 100 ahead and 3 bowling points in the bag. Looks like we have to beat Gloucs with max bowling points.
We are going down aren't we?! Kent will win, Somerset will win or draw and we aren't likely to win, unless our bowlers can do better than they have for many a long while.
BristolBear wrote:
paulbear wrote:
I would doubt Burgess has been dropped, it must be an injury of sorts. Surely after some of the strangest teams we have seen picked this season, the selection committee cannot surely do something more to piss us all off.
Says “unavailable”. So you’d assume if injured they’d just say injured. I wonder if it’s just a way to try pretend he hasn’t been dropped.
Lamb and Burgess were a real awkward fact for Robinson this year because it was clear he wanted to play Davies and Bethell, but they outperformed everyone not named Hain. We saw it with Lamb, first bad game and gone. I suspect it’s the same for Burgess. Which if accurate is the worst management style you could have, doesn’t matter how well you do and how many runs you score, the coach will pick someone they like instead even if not as good.
Unfortunately, you seem to be spot on BB. We've been laying the (bad) selection decisions at Farb's door, but it does look like Robinson's the culprit, now Farbrace will be out of the picture. And the (disaster that is the) Davies recruitment could well have been his choice. That's why I want Robinson nowhere near the DoC job.
It's the Gareth Southgate approach to selection - no matter how bad 'your boys' play, they'll be picked and how well 'the guys you don't like' (probably for some non-sporting reason), they won't get a look in [you know I'm a Leicester fan - and see Matt Lamb as the 'James Maddison of Edgbaston']!
It's an absolute disgrace the way Lamb has been treated. And I'm now certain that Pop Welch left, because of Robinson wanting to interfere with Bowling Coaching.
A lot of us were welcoming Farbrace leaving, it sounds like we were picking the wrong man to blame!
One person I do not want as DoC is Robinson. It sounds like he has upset so many at the club (and now not at the club - eg Pop Welch - or soon to be gone) and this disaster of a season must be a lot down to him.
We just about squeezed a win - in a low scoring game - by 2 wickets. George Maddy saw us home with an unbeaten 41. Benjamin (29), Mousley, Amir Khan and young Gunarathne did OK, getting into double figures, but no one else.
On the bowling side, our Spinners performed well, with Bethell and (Captain) Lintott, both taking 4 wickets in their 2nd innings, fairly cheaply.
I think we aren't that far off the top of the table with this win. I'll check, when the updated 2nds table comes out.
Sidebottom finished with 6 for 28 off 8 overs. Great figures. Why hasn't this guy been anywhere near the 1st team this year? Presumably, like Lamb, he's another one soon to disappear from Edgbaston.
Devastating opening spell of bowling, from our 'forgotten man' - Ryan Sidebottom - 5 overs, 4 for 21, so far !
No Lamb in the Seconds team then ? Very strange. I wonder if he's actually injured ?
13 man squad:-
Rhodes, Briggs, Henry Brookes, Burgess, Davies, Garrett, Hain, OHD, Johal, Sibley, Siraj, Yadav & Yates.
I guess we'll go with the 2 spinners, but only 3 seamers (Siraj, Brookes & OHD), plus Rhodes - though Johal or Garrett could come in for a spinner ?
No Lamb, I suppose we won't see him again in the First team.
Pretty much a full strength team (of 12) for Essex:-
Yates, Mousley, Burgess (Keeper), Benjamin, Lamb, Ethan Brookes, Henry Brookes, Lintott (Captain !), Miles, OHD, Johal & Shaikh.
Obviously a batting and a bowling XI - with Shaikh in for batting and (probably) Johal for bowling.
Essex won the toss and chose to bat.
How much blame for this disaster of a season, do people think should be put at Farbraces's door - and how much should Robinson be held culpable ? Was Farbrace (mainly) responsible for the departure of Welch and the appointment of Mason ? Was it him who decided Mo Sheikh take over Second team bowling Coaching and keeping Tony Frost as First team Batting Coach ? How many of the crap team selections are down to him ? Was he the man who insisted that Rhodes should stay as Captain, despite his obvious failings in toss choices, bowling selections or field placements. How much is he to blame for the (obvious) malaise in dressing room morale.
My guess, is that he is more than 50% is down to him, but Robinson is also to blame. I suppose Robinson needs to be given another chance under a new Director of Cricket. I agree, Giles is probably not that man, but he could be OK in the short term. However, I do feel we really need a strong long term appointment though. I don't know many who are out there, but I do know one who could be tempted. If he doesn't have a long contract at Derby, Micky Arthur would be my choice.
Andy wrote:
Johal signed a 3 year deal in April didn't he?
I didn't know it was such a long extension, but if it was, its just another example of the complete ineptitude of the current management. Johal didn't have a good season last year, after he signed his first (1 year) professional contract. A few, mainly inconsequential, appearances in the RLC. But this season has been a complete disaster for him. A few (expensive) wickets in the Seconds (just one decent game, when he did get a 'fivefor', mainly against tailenders I think ?) and no First team outings at all.
I think, just another example of a promising Academy bowler, bu**ered up by First team Coaching?!
Second team doing as well as the Firsts!
Crap batting (possibly with the exception of Maddy) and crap bowling (except for Garrett and Norwell).
Johal presumably will soon be out of the door. George G probably done enough in the RLC and the Seconds, to warrant another year.
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#mc5d5d9cb-daec-4895-b9fd-eda5244619a3
Only 3 front line bowlers today, plus the usual backups - Rhodes, Ethan B and Yates (oh and Lamb, I guess). Another crazy selection. Maddy in for Burgess (and keeping wicket) - Kai Smith again just in as a batsman.
Durham won the toss and put us in.
BristolBear wrote:
I made my 3 suggested changes based on clear issues that are not going to disappear. Not just impulse.
I’d change the captaincy as I don’t believe Rhodes is a great strategic captain in terms of fielding and bowling decisions. I also believe it is negatively effecting his performances this season. He can contribute more as a player and his batting has been down the last 2 seasons.As for the director of cricket, I don’t want someone at the club who doesn’t want to be there. Fairly consistent rumour is that Farbrace wants out, he wants to coach again. It’s well known he lost out to Silverwood for the Sri Lanka job, and is looking for a head coaching role. How can someone be in charge of the long term running of the club if they’re not planning on being there. Also both his domestic and overseas recruitment have been decidedly patchy, and the pathway hasn’t exactly been churning out players. Plus squad planning has been poor, we can argue injuries but we also all know Woakes, Norwell, Miles and Stone have well known injury issues and last years run of fitness was more luck than skill. So having a bowling unit so reliant on those players is very naive.
Robinson seems to have created a big divide in the dressing room, and I’m not entirely sure how big a role he played last year. It was Troughtons squad. We’re losing players this season like Hose and Sibley. Also his character pushed Welch out the door as Welch couldn’t work for him and we’ve seen the effect that’s had on the team. He also has apparently alienated a number of players this season, who are unhappy with their treatment. Rumours are abound about Lamb being gone this season, and Rhodes, Burgess, OHD and even Hain going into their final years next year.
So it’s not impulsive, I think the club is in a very unstable place, lacking a clear plan, with the 3 figure heads in very different places with very different priorities, and it’s at the long term detriment of the club.
I agree with you completely BB. A few here said your earlier comments were over the top. I think the 3 changes you suggest are essential - and needed at the end of this season.