GerryShedd
Super Moderator
Pleased to see that he now has a contract:
https://edgbaston.com/news/fast-bowler-simmons-graduates-from-warwickshire-academ
News from Yorkshire who have a few players out:
https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/9931/preview-yorkshire-vs-warwickshire-lvcc
Sad to hear of the death of yet another Aussie legend - and this one was born in Birmingham:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/andrew-symonds-former-australia-allrounder-dies-in-car-crash-aged-46-1315023
It's perhaps an unfair comparison - different ground, different pitch - but he scored more runs in the match than any of the Bears players did in their match against Somerset.
Spare a kind thought for poor Simon Kerrigan - bowling figures for this season so far 79 overs, 0-333.
Gloucestershire easily rolled over in less than three days - but Jacob was second highest scorer in the first innings (37) and top scorer in the second (61). Not a bad effort and great experience for him against a good quality Somerset attack.
Along with many others, I had a stroll on the outfield and a look at the pitch at Bristol during the tea interval yesterday. It was actively encouraged by the stewards opening the gates in the fence.
Yes I agree that he has already had more opportunities than most 18-year olds.
I have already got him marked down as the Bears' "next captain but two".
He has been picked by Welsh Fire for The Hundred, which may benefit him financially. But I can't help thinking that he would be better playing for the Bears while The Hundred is on.
It will be interesting to see how Jacob Bethell gets on tomorrow for Gloucestershire. He was batting beautifully this evening against Peter Siddle and Jack Leach and the live feed commentators were full of praise for him. He's only 17 not out at the moment but he looks to have so much time to play his shots and seems so assured at the crease. [OK - that probably ensures that he will be out first ball tomorrow but I hope not].
Norwell not in the team.
It's just for one game because Gloucestershire have horrendous injury/illness problems. Brad Wheal and Zak Chappell have also been brought in.
I think his knee injury is pretty long standing and something that has to be carefully managed.
Looks like it is mainly park and walk:
https://edgbaston.com/news/car-parking-on-sale-now-for-fixtures-in-2022/
And we none of us doubted him for a minute!
A day for McAndrew to prove himself. So far in his Bears career, he's 0-140 off 35 overs.
Having checked out the Sep Kinneir story (yes, I am that sad!), it was Cheltenham and he was sent to Germany. His finger nails did turn blue and fall out and he lost all his hair.
But Robert Brooke did say that the story came from Frank Foster so could well have been a total fiction because, to put it mildly, he wasn't noted for truthfulness.
Anyway, let's hope for two full days of cricket at Old Trafford and some good performances from the Bears, especially with the ball today.
The version of the story that I recall is that he met the young lady in Cheltenham when he was playing in the Festival and was sent to Germany for treatment for the ailment that he contracted from her.
Either way, it's a pity that he didn't keep his abdominal protector on.
As for the more serious business of the Leicestershire match, it's reasonable to assume that, after rain on the uncovered pitch during the first two days, it would have been a bit treacherous on day three.
The game back then was both faster and slower - more overs per hour but fewer runs per over.
I have to confess that I missed the game because my horse lost a shoe when I was only half way to Leicester. And you know that when you need one, there's never a blacksmith to be found.
There must have been rain on the first two days because at the end of day 2, Leicestershire had just finished their reply to Warwickshire's first innings and only 158 overs had been bowled in the two days. On the third day, 130.2 overs were bowled, which suggests that it was a (very) full day's play and that Leicestershire just ran out of time.
As well as being the only player to carry his bat twice in the same match, Septimus Kenneir was, in 1911, the first player to score two hundreds in the same match for the county.
The Who's Who of Warwickshire CCC says that, in 1928, Sep Kinneir was found dead in the road at Hall Green next to his motor bike, returning home from playing golf. Death was from natural causes.
The Club site report answers the question I posed by saying "..that left Sibley undefeated, the fourth time he has carried his bat for Warwickshire. Indeed, he is the only Bears batter to do so since Ian Westwood performed the feat, also at Old Trafford in 2010."
Here is a question to which i do know the answer:
Who is the only Warwickshire batsman to carry his bat in both innings of the same match?