Get ready to put some dates in the diary:
https://edgbaston.com/news/2023-fixtures-to-be-released-next-week/

News based on Stuart Cain's letter to members:
Director of Cricket: three potential replacements, each of them with experience in leading high performance cricket teams at domestic or international level. All proven winners.
Bowling coach: close to appointing a replacement with extensive experience at county and national teams.
Overseas player: identified - an international bowler who can play in both the Championship and the Blast. He can also bat.
Blast: discussions are ongoing regarding the addition of batting strength, particularly for the Blast
Let's hope that the actual appointments live up to the hype.

Ateeq Javid reprimanded for a Facebook exchange with Azeem Rafiq that was adjudged antisemitic:
https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/12748887/alex-hales-and-ateeq-javid-reprimanded-by-cricket-discipline-commission-over-historical-social-media-posts

Chris Woakes is only 33, so could have plenty more years at international level, provided that knee operation really did put him right. But hopefully he can play more games for the Bears in the next few seasons.
Good to have him and the past and future Bear Moeen both in the winning side today.
And what about the player described on the old Bearsfans site as nothing more than a "short*rsed trundler"? Not just player of the final but also player of the tournament!

At the Yorkshire Extraordinary General Meeting, the following four resolutions were passed:
Resolution 1 = THAT the Rules of the Club be amended to reflect the adoption of a new Members’ Code of Conduct as set out in the notice of EGM
Resolution 2 = THAT the Rules of the Club be amended to allow Members to have their say on matters relating to the Club at the point of taking out a membership as set out in the notice of EGM
Resolution 3 = THAT the Club’s Chairman is to oppose any permanent reduction in the number of first-class county championship fixtures for future seasons, unless considered by prior ordinary resolution of the membership
Resolution 4 = THAT any specific proposals for reform received from the ECB for a vote of the county chairs will (to the extent practicable) also be put to an ordinary resolution by members
Resolutions 3 and 4 were passed with 99.1% and 97.5% respectively in favour.

The Club did well at these awards:
https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/2902892/business-of-cricket-awards-showcase-innovation-and-good-practice-amongst-first-class-counties

The official club site is catching up with what we already know:
https://edgbaston.com/news/bears-heading-around-the-world-this-winter/

....plus also good to see that Jim and Ian Bell are involved with coaching England Lions:
https://cricket.derbyshireccc.com/2022/11/england-lions-announce-coaching-team-for-uae-training-camp/
But no Bears players involved.

Good to see that Jim Troughton now has a permanent job at Surrey:
https://www.kiaoval.com/surrey-sign-three-to-coaching-staff/

I haven't seen any recent news about this appointment - but just to say that I heard Ashley Giles speak at a Cheltenham Cricket Society meeting last night and he neither confirmed nor denied that he might be coming back to Edgbaston as Director of Cricket! All he said was that he wanted his next job to be his last, that it might be in cricket or elsewhere; and the counties that he mentioned were Warwickshire, Lancashire and Surrey. What is clear is that he is now actively looking for a job after taking a break; and also that, unlike Farbrace, he would be quite happy with a role that is not hands-on but more strategic.
He was scathing about the Strauss review and how it was conducted and I get the impression that there is no love lost between him and the ECB.

Pleased to see that Gary Barwell and his team have won the Grounds Management Association Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year award - very well deserved.

I hope that Josh is doing well.
I followed his career with interest because I interviewed him during his first match for Warwickshire and he came across as a lovely guy. I feel sorry that things didn't work out for him either at Edgbaston or with Yorkshire.
I know he played Grade cricket in Australia and was very highly thought of.
I hope the wedding is a great event.

I hope that Jordan Bulpitt has a successful winter. I agree that a left arm seamer would be a good addition to the Bears squad. But, to strike a negative note, he is 24 years of age so not a promising youngster; and in his last six matches for Walsall in the Birmingham League, he took just six wickets at a cost of almost 50 apiece and went at almost six runs an over. Let's hope that the Australian sunshine brings out the best in him and he proves to be a (relative) late developer.

Sam Hain signs a contract extension:
https://edgbaston.com/news/sam-hain-extends-bears-contract-until-2025/

I agree that I think he's lucky. I would have thought that the Club would have been waiting to see if he could deliver next year before offering a new contract. But maybe he had competing offers and they decided on balance that they wanted to keep him.

Overall, Chris Rushworth comes over really well on the podcast, though you wouldn't guess that he was about to leave Durham. He actually says that he not only is not in favour of the reduction from 14 games but he wasn't happy when the Championship went down from 16 to 14 games.
He is (or rather was) the Durham PCA rep, which says something about how highly he was respected by his teammates.

I don't know what the personal reasons are; but it seems a bit like the Keith Barker situation where he had personal reasons for wanting to move to the South Coast.

....and right on cue:
https://edgbaston.com/news/record-wicket-taker-rushworth-makes-move-to-edgbaston/

I think that I posted a link to that Daily Mail article. I still haven't seen anything that links him to a coaching role.

Richard Gould appointment may be another ray of hope:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/england-cricket-ecb-news-hundred-critic-richard-gould-becomes-new-ecb-chief-executive-1341338