Match drawn.

Notts and Lancashire have both lost so if we can hold on for a draw, it will be a good result.

Not much joy for Jacob on his England debut - 0-28 off three overs and out for 2. Things can only get better (hopefully).

We can take a little comfort from the fact that Lancashire, Notts and Kent look unlikely to get much from their current matches.

I agree about what we ideally need. Letting Olly Stone go was a tricky decision. I've always had a soft spot for him because I interviewed him when he first joined and he came across as a lovely guy, grateful to be signed even though he was injured. But he had such a track record of injuries thereafter that I could understand why he was let go.
As for the Parkinson brothers, I don't think either of them would solve our problems. Matt is averaging over 50 per wicket this season and Callum has a career bowling average of over 40. If only we could find another Jeetan Patel!

BristolBear wrote:

Yesterday summed up our bowling season in a single day.
Let them off the hook massively. Going to end up getting at least 100 runs more than they should.
Just as in the rest of the season, it was obvious we needed someone with that extra yard of pace to be the point of difference as a partnership breaker and for mopping up the tail. Or a more attacking spinner who can bowl teams out in the 4th innings but also has the flight and guile to get early innings wickets even when the pitch isn’t offering much.

If there's anyone out there who can wave a wand and deliver this, can they also make me six inches taller and fifty years younger - thanks.

Mark Robinson says on the Bears website:
“Moeen has still got a lot to give the game and a lot to give the Bears in white ball cricket. He’s been a great influence in the Bears camp since his return to Edgbaston. There’s no better player for our young guys to learn from. As a Club we congratulate him on everything he’s achieved and hope he can have the best of his remaining playing years with the Bears.”

So Booth and Lintott miss out.

Not being able to see into his mind, I have no idea how personally committed and engaged he has been. He did finish second in both the batting and bowling averages for the Bears in the Blast this year.
I, too, wish him well.

Moeen has announced his retirement from England. But it doesn't seem likely that he'll be playing for the Bears. In hias retirement interview, he says about the future:
"A bit of franchise cricket, because I still love playing. But coaching is something I want to do — I want to be one of the best. "

Looks like he's had an operation in this country and is receiving physio at Edgbaston:
https://edgbaston.com/news/hassan-ali-ill-be-cheering-with-bears-fans-on-quarter-final-night/

I see that Jacob is in the Melbourne Renegades squad for the Big Bash in December/January.

Graham Smith sums up this round of matches:
https://deepextracover.com/2024/09/week-12-vitality-county-championship-review/

Unexpected win for Worcestershire today - but the table looks a lot better than it did before this round of matches:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/county-championship-division-one-2024-1410191/points-table-standings

Good news that, in the profile on the Club website, Olly says:
“I’m by no means thinking of retiring in the next year or two. Hopefully there are lots more wickets to come. I’m loving playing, loving running in at Edgbaston so want to do it for many more years.”

Will Rhodes seems sorry to go:
"After what has happened to me personally in the last month, with the news that I am leaving, to get a big score in front of the home crowd before I go is very pleasant.
"You never know, it could be my last innings here as a Warwickshire player if it rains when we play Essex, so it was lovely to score some runs.
"It will be emotional when we play Essex because it has been a great seven years here and a period of my career I will remember very fondly."

Dare I say it - the first win approaches! And OH-D is in with a chance of all ten. What a bowler!

I think the problem isn't that we have released players that we should have kept, it's that we somehow haven't managed to produce players (seam bowlers especially) that have made the grade. Chris Woakes was the last home grown seam bowler to establish himself and his debut was in 2006!
I think that OH-D is in lots of ways the exception that proves the rule - a bowler who has got better since he passed 30 and, as we all know, the finest batter to come out of Yorkshire, well ahead of Joe Root and Harry Brook.
By the way, I don't agree with labelling as "dross" players who are professional sportsmen doing their best to survive in a tough environment. Miles has, agreed, been a disappointment and Chris Benjamin still has a long way to go to justify the chances he has been given. It was rumoured that Benjamin might move to Kent, which could explain why he hasn't been selected to play against them.

The good news is that Worcestershire, Lancashire and Notts don't look like they have any chance of winning their games.

You may be right about his lack of opportunities; but I'm not sure that I would have described him as having a cracking season. His 3-34 today were his only first class wickets this season. He did pretty well in the Blast but across all competitions has scored 582 runs at an average of 23 and taken 20 wickets at just under 30 - OK but not tremendous. I think it's too early to say whether or not he will make it as anything other than a fringe player.