If no play today or tomorrow, trophy shared.

Fair comment, though Bramall Lane's only Test was in 1902, not 1912 and I wasn't able to get a ticket.

This was back in the days when, as a Warwickshire member, you could sit in the members' area at Lord's for the Final so I was in front of the pavilion and got a fantastic view of the match. I think that practice came to an end a year or two later when some Lancashire members at a Final behaved badly and the MCC members objected to having to share the pavilion with plebs.
Alan Smith was quite an unorthodox batter and I don't think Sussex knew how to bowl to him or set a field for him.

When Dennis started out he was seen as an all-rounder - batted right handed and bowled left arm seam. But early on, he had back problems and largely gave up the bowling. He did bowl his quota as an emergency fill-in in 1968 when Warwickshire beat Sussex to win the Gillette Cup (and yes, I was there!)
He bowled left arm seam that day and I really don't recall him ever bowling spin, Chinamen or any other form but I could be wrong about that.
Extracted from the Wisden website, Dennis said:
"We were a bowler short and Tom Cartwright was declared unfit for the game so I had to step in. I started well with the ball but wasn’t so good after lunch so then I had to get back some runs with the bat. I wasn’t used to bowling so I lay in the bath for hours to loosen up before it was my turn to bat and it was nice to be able to retrieve some of those runs that I’d given away with the ball! Alan Smith came in and played a gem of an innings and it took us through to win the cup which was very special because we had lost in the final previously."

Here's the table with just this one match to play:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/county-championship-division-one-2024-1410191/points-table-standings

Details of the Members Forum here:
https://edgbaston.com/news/members-attend-season-review-forum-qa/

Not sure about the legalities of re-printing a protected article and this may just be a ploy by Highveld to get me arrested - but here it is:

Warwickshire are set for a September performance review to decide whether they will keep their head coach after just one County Championship victory with one game to play this season
Mark Robinson's future as head coach of Warwickshire hangs in the balance after another underwhelming season at Edgbaston.
While Warwickshire reached the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast and the semi-finals of the One-Day Cup, they have won just one Championship match this season and are still at risk of relegation. They have looked overly reliant upon seam bowlers on the wrong side of 35 and have sometimes lacked penetration on the flat wickets which characterise Edgbaston these days.
Robinson led Warwickshire to the Championship title in 2021 and has seen several home-grown young players settle into his sides. But Warwickshire's targets for each season include a top three finish in the Championship and reaching finals day in the Blast. They have been unable to achieve any of those aims in the three most recent seasons, however, and his relationship with some in the playing squad is not everything it might be.
Warwickshire were fourth in the Championship in 2023, eighth in 2022 (when they avoided relegation at the last minute through the bowling heroics of Liam Norwell) and remain in danger of relegation this year with one game to play. They have reached the Blast quarter-finals for four years in succession but have not progressed to Finals Day. Indeed, they have not reached Finals Day since 2017.
Warwickshire, like most clubs, review their season each Autumn. This year, however, the review will start in September with club insiders suggesting a change is necessary if they are to challenge in 2025. The review, which will involve confidential interviews with senior players and members of the support staff and management, is expected to be completed by the end of October.
"We have been unlucky with injuries and the weather but, ultimately, others have been through the same, and I can see why some will say these are just excuses," Stuart Cain, the Warwickshire CEO, told The Cricketer. "We need to develop a squad and level of resilience that can manage what the season throws at us. We've not performed to the standards we set ourselves.
"We conduct a review at the end of every season. This looks at whether we have the players, facilities, back-office support and coaching staff that we need to succeed. And, at the end of that, if we need to change anything, we will.
"We do have both more batting and bowling bonus points than any other side in Division One, and have consistently topped the Blast group, so I would say we can't be all bad. But we are disappointed and we do have to find a way to improve."  
While the review will be conducted, primarily, by director of cricket, Gavin Larsen, there may also be some questions about his position. When he was appointed, ahead of the 2023 season, it was suggested his contact book would enable Warwickshire to access top players from around the world. As things have transpired, it has enabled Warwickshire to attract journeyman seamers from New Zealand who were playing club cricket in England. 
Cain, meanwhile, has confirmed that he has no intention of leaving. With a new hotel to be build on the ground, the sale of equity in a Hundred team to oversee and on-going improvements in community relations to build upon, he remains focused on the future. 

It looks as though Stuart Cain is on the case - he says:
"We have been unlucky with injuries and the weather but, ultimately, others have been through the same, and I can see why some will say these are just excuses," Stuart Cain, the Warwickshire CEO, told The Cricketer. "We need to develop a squad and level of resilience that can manage what the season throws at us. We've not performed to the standards we set ourselves."

LeicesterExile wrote:

GerryShedd wrote:

Having seen Dan Mousley's hair, I wouldn't trust his hairdresser.
I agree with what Reabank says. Robinson is a highly regarded coach with an excellent track record. But, looked at overall, he hasn't really delivered the success that the Club needs and deserves. However, I also agree that there needs to be a full exploration of what has gone wrong and it may not all fall at Robinson's door.

Given Robinson's record could it be his drive and enthusiasm has deminished? Just saying as I have seened that in the past both in business and sport.

Gerry, why do you say this club "deserves" success?

I said that the Club deserves success because it is one of the biggest and (historically) most successful county clubs. I wasn't implying that success will just land in our laps, more that expectations are higher amongst fans and others compared with some of the smaller counties such as Derbyshire or Leicestershire.

Having seen Dan Mousley's hair, I wouldn't trust his hairdresser.
I agree with what Reabank says. Robinson is a highly regarded coach with an excellent track record. But, looked at overall, he hasn't really delivered the success that the Club needs and deserves. However, I also agree that there needs to be a full exploration of what has gone wrong and it may not all fall at Robinson's door.

What would senior management say about success criteria? I think they would say "all of the above" , including success on the pitch. The latest Annual Report reflects this.

I know that at the end of the season, the Club has an appraisal interview with every member of staff; but I think the current situation demands something more than this. It's a job for the Chief Executive to undertake or commission a major review - maybe he needs to get a respected figure from outside the Club to talk to (and listen to) players and officials and come up with some recommendations; but it needs to be done quickly as soon as the season ends.

Highveld wrote:

People were asking for change, I was just suggesting possible changes.

As Albert Einstein said "To keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, is madness".

Yes but Albert Einstein never had to go out to bat in fading light on a dodgy pitch against Allan Donald so what would he know?
(PS - yes, I agree that changes have to happen - in a way, the disastrous nature of the Essex defeat may have done the Club a favour in focusing minds on the need for change)

Not good enough to get a place in the Leicestershire side - should do well for us!

...and the Essex preview:
https://essexcricket.org.uk/2024/09/16/match-preview-warwickshire-v-essex-5/

Hardly an upbeat preview here:
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/warwickshire-vs-essex-tuesday-17th-september-2024/#match-match-previews

I agree with pretty well all of the above.
It was very moving when James Bracey placed the trophy in the hands of David 'Syd' Lawrence, their ex-fast bowler, who is sadly suffering from motor neurone disease:
https://cricket.one/match-hub/watch-james-bracey-honours-david-lawrence-in-tearful-eyes-as-gloucestershire-win-t20-blast/66e68cf8ac94d32b0f021a08

He's only played six games out of 12; but I do think his credentials as a red ball bowler are extremely dubious.

Gloucestershire were very worthy winners. They peaked at the right time, winning their last five matches in the competition.

It's a bit of a worry that Rhodes is going and we may see less of Bethell and Mousley because of England commitments. Hopefully this will offer more opportunities for the likes of Hamza Shaikh and Kai Smith.