GerryShedd
Super Moderator
Definitely enforce the follow on if able to do so.
UrsaMinor wrote:
Days 4 and 5 are probably going to be a tough sell.
Especially since Pakistan have sent seven members of the team and two coaches home. Chief hope of play on days four and five are if weather intervenes on the first three days.
In a scathing article about the signing/non-signing of Scott Kuggeleijn, The Cricketer states that "the Utilita Bowl is a dark, dingy and soulless place at the best of times."
It's not my favourite ground but I didn't think it was that bad.
Regarding Ashes tickets, the Telegraph bemoans the price increase:
"In the Hollies Stand, it is £165, up 43 per cent from £115 for the corresponding fixture four years ago. On top of this, every ticket carries a £2.50 booking fee."
The Telegraph reports:
"Tickets for next week’s Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston have not sold out, despite a reduced capacity because of the construction of an on-site hotel. About 12,000 have sold for the first two days, with a sell-out of 19,000 expected on Friday, day three."
I've only now discovered this revealing interview in The New York Times with Dermot:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6865188/2025/12/12/dermot-reeve-captain-innovator-addict/
Preview from the Hampshire perspective:
https://www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/news/match-preview-hampshire-men-v-warwickshire,-rothesay-county-championship-2026/
BosworthBear wrote:
Woakes was in the last squad wasn’t he?
Just not in the XI
Yes, my mistake, I think.
Yes, Davies, Booth and Simmons out of the squad and Kai and Suthar in - but no Chris Woakes.
meashambear wrote:
We are title contenders in name only.
A phony title challenge that would have been buried during this game had it lasted another days play.
Attack is not good enough, batting is not good enough but people seem happy that we are 'up there'.
I cannot think of another county that would guarantee Davies playing time.
Out of the T20 after 5/6 games. Out of the One day cup after 5 games.......never a real contender for the County Championship.
Hotel is coming along nicely though and that is all the club cares about, another cash cow opportunity.
The recent appointments of Jim Troughton as batting coach and Jeetan Patel, Darren Maddy and Michael Powell to the Cricket Committee suggest that there is some degree of cricketing ambition. And winning the Championship is still a possibility. I accept it is unlikely but you never know.
BosworthBear wrote:
GerryShedd wrote:
BosworthBear wrote:
GerryShedd wrote:
BosworthBear wrote:
Wondering if Notts cut their nose of to spite their face there.
They could easily have got 25 runs.
As for Alleyne I remember him and Russell cheating against us at Lord’s. I was so angry I wrote to the ECB Head of OPs and had a reasonable letter back!
Remind me about that one.
The games was decided D/L with Warwickshire so on top Donald got man of the match despite being in the losing team.
Presentation was made in bright sunshine when they could have easily kept playing. There was some archaic regulation that it had to be finished by a certain time (mainly so away teams could travel back earlier in the competition)
It was the quickest I have ever seen Donald bowl. His best ever spell for us and he was really fired up and gesticulating to our supporters.
During the rain delay alleyne and Russell desperately trying to get I abandoned with then ahead on D/L
Wisden says: "Torrential rain and lightning made further play unlikely - the scheduled close was 6.30 pm - and at 5.45 pm the match was called off."
What exactly were Alleyne and Russell doing that constituted cheating? Was it a rain dance on the dressing room balcony?Wisden has that wrong. I remember being stood in the outfield with my dad for the presentations yelling farce in bright sunshine. They called it off too early and at the instigation of Alleyne and Russell who clearly didn’t care about the crowd. We watched them doing it to boos in the Lord’s Tavern.
If it had continued Warwickshire would have won easily!
I'm still not sure what "doing it" means. Respected umpires John Hampshire and Ray Julian would have made the decision about calling off the game; and it related not to bad light but to conditions underfoot - the Lord's drainage has undergone a complete transformation since 2000.
BosworthBear wrote:
GerryShedd wrote:
BosworthBear wrote:
Wondering if Notts cut their nose of to spite their face there.
They could easily have got 25 runs.
As for Alleyne I remember him and Russell cheating against us at Lord’s. I was so angry I wrote to the ECB Head of OPs and had a reasonable letter back!
Remind me about that one.
The games was decided D/L with Warwickshire so on top Donald got man of the match despite being in the losing team.
Presentation was made in bright sunshine when they could have easily kept playing. There was some archaic regulation that it had to be finished by a certain time (mainly so away teams could travel back earlier in the competition)
It was the quickest I have ever seen Donald bowl. His best ever spell for us and he was really fired up and gesticulating to our supporters.
During the rain delay alleyne and Russell desperately trying to get I abandoned with then ahead on D/L
Wisden says: "Torrential rain and lightning made further play unlikely - the scheduled close was 6.30 pm - and at 5.45 pm the match was called off."
What exactly were Alleyne and Russell doing that constituted cheating? Was it a rain dance on the dressing room balcony?
BosworthBear wrote:
Wondering if Notts cut their nose of to spite their face there.
They could easily have got 25 runs.
As for Alleyne I remember him and Russell cheating against us at Lord’s. I was so angry I wrote to the ECB Head of OPs and had a reasonable letter back!
Remind me about that one.
paulbear wrote:
And that was only because Bancroft decided that his side were not going to put a spinner on for the Durham 2nd innings so the umpires said they couldn't go back on. I suppose he thinks he's being a tough Aussie by doing this, no he isn't he's being an awkward bastard.
Gloucestershire's Mark Alleyne explains it like this:
“They asked if we would bowl our spinners to finish the game. Of course, we said no, we’ll bowl our quick bowlers, in which case it became bad light, so we’ll come back tomorrow,”
“I mean, we’ve been outplayed, of course, but there’s certain parts of the game that we feel we were really hard done by some really poor decisions, in my view, and I hope they get a chance to look back at those, but one of the poorest is playing in the light that we did for so long.
“So, with that in mind, we thought we’d hedge our bets and see if it might rain all day tomorrow, so you never know.”
As it turned out, it took just six balls to finish it today. But I understand Gloucestershire's approach. It's professional sport and points are at stake.
That man Clarke!
Even if he was a really nice guy (which he isn't), I'd resent all the runs he's scored against the Bears.
Whilst back in May, Chris Woakes was described as having hernia-like symptoms, the posting "from the dressing room" a week ago said that, Garton, Barker and Hain apart , "the rest of the men’s squad and the entire women’s squad is at full fitness." So maybe Chris's symptoms have resolved themselves and he is just rested to ensure that he stays fit.
Not sure if this is a response to the Dobell criticisms; but these three appointments must surely beef up the committee's cricketing expertise:
https://www.edgbaston.com/warwickshire-ccc/media-article/warwickshire-welcome-three-former-captains-to-cricket-committee
Considering this was one of the most nerve-wracking and engrossing run chases and finishes, that is some disgraceful editing that no-one has bothered to check.
Inside-edge wrote:
Interesting that in Dobells’ report of the match he comments on the number of extras and says ‘such statistics explain why Warwickshire are in the market for a new keeper’
Yes, I noticed that, also that neither George nor his sub-editor know how to spell Dan Mousley's name. (OK, they did get the Dan part right.)
I presume that he may be talking about the Ben Cox rumour.