It must be a real joy to be there sitting amongst the die hard Worcs supporters.

Not a bad start for the Bears - 18-4

GerryShedd wrote:

Malc wrote:

Great day at Neath yesterday. I think I saw the future! Ben Kellaway of Glamorgan. He took Worcestershire apart last week and was stunning today with bat and ball. Very impressive for a young lad.

Looks a great prospect, though I can't get used to the idea of watching a cricketer who was born as recently as 2004.

With comments like that please can we have a "like" button !!

Was it a catch or was it not. Well all I would say is take a look at the scorecard

Game slipping away from us. Need some wickets and need them soon. Booth certainly got a hammering

GerryShedd wrote:

From the Glamorgan site re conditions at Neath:
TRAVEL - There is no public car parking available at the ground. There are independent carparks located throughout the town.
The closest car park to the ground is the NEATH MSCP located at Prince of Wales Dr, Neath SA11 3BY. NEATH TRAIN STATION is also just a 5-10 minute walk away from the ground.
SEATING - Seating for all our home fixtures is unallocated, so you can choose your view of the action! Glamorgan will provide a large amount of seating at the ground, however, you can bring your own seating should you wish.
FOOD AND DRINK - A number of catering options will be available at food units around the ground. There will also be bar facilities serving alcoholic and soft drinks. Food and drink will be provided in partnership with NEATH ROUNDTABLE.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY - We will not admit those who are visibly drunk and we have breathalysers in place to check.

I like the last bit about being potentially breathalysed in order to get into the ground.

I bet the car park costs as much as the entrance fee for the match!!

Andy wrote:

Never been keen on finals day, 120 overs on the same pitch all on 1 day always feels a bit excessive to me. It's such a long day. Never been keen on teams scraping 4th in the group and shithousing their way to the title either. Felt weird in 2014 when we did it. Just doesn't sit right with me. I feel it can be incredibly demanding from a logistical perspective for some travelling fans too, particularly those from down south.

I appreciate and respect its popularity though.

A day of 8th in div1 v 2nd in div2 and 1st v 2nd of Div 1, just 2 games in one day might be OK.

I'd ideally want the winner of the top division to be the winner of the Blast outright though.

It works very well in Rugby where the top teams have a play off to see which team is overall winner and can easily be the team that finished 4th in the league. It's the same in football with the playoff to see who gets promoted. What has been suggested here is the teams that finish top in their respective division go automatically to Finals Day.
As for your comment about the same pitch being used throughout the day - 120 overs maximum is surely not excessive as that used to be the norm back last century for CC games.
Having been to all the Edgbaston and Trent Bridge finals day up to the year we won it (so most times as a neutral!) I found it a most enjoyable day out. Long may it continue IMO

Andy wrote:

2 division Blast is so clearly the best idea. Home and away fixtures, each team plays each other twice, 16 games. Can market the top division as the English Premier League or whatever. Wouldn't even need to have Finals Day and knockouts, the team who wins the EPL will be the best side and will be worthy winners. Play it throughout the duration of the season with games on Fridays and/or Sundays only, each game would be a proper event. Everyone knows where they are and what the craic is. Can even have a Gillette Soccer Saturday style show on TV that provides updates from each ground. The relegation/promotion element would be huge. It really would capture the imagination.

Why would you want to do away with Finals Day? The one day when Edgbaston is full for a domestic game with a tremendous atmosphere.
It would make sense to have a reserve day for every game too.

Mad states what follows the hundread has to satisfy all 18 counties. Well what satisfies all 18 counties already exists - the Blast. The season just needs contructing in a better way so that CC is played throughout the summer alongside the T20. Also the 50 over competition needs to appear more meaningful.

Crowds at the Hundread must contain a lot of free tickets IMO

Looks like the Bears' Pair are doing the business for England - 7 of the 8 wickets down by Mo and Wo!

GerryShedd wrote:

Wading through the River Rea and climbing the wall works for me.

Sounds to me like a trip down memory lane for you all to save a tanner!!

Just had an email from Edgbaston telling me the Hundread first game has sold out!! I find it hard to believe that 25000 tickets have been sold in advance of this game.

paulbear wrote:

Yes they did but the amount of runners-up medals that they have mounted up over the years is huge including 3 in 2010. I have lost count of the amount of 2nd's they have 'Achieved'.

Just read they won the T20 in 2005 and since then lost on Finals Day 7 times!

Paul I have to agree - however it looks as if Somerset are on top against Surrey. Hopefully they can pull it off

paulbear wrote:

Hope Somerset win, only because I would hate any of the others to do so.

At least Hampshire have been knocked out by the team that knocked us out!!

GerryShedd wrote:

I enjoyed my two days in Canterbury (days one and two) and thought it was a great performance from the Bears. Matt Walker, the Kent coach, gave his team a real roasting for their batting on the first day and at least they battled harder on day three.
The last time I was in Canterbury was in 1971 when the Bears played a Gillette Cup semi-final and they organised a day trip that involved flying from Birmingham to Manston. Unfortunately, it rained and the game wasn't finished on our day there. The next day on a damp pitch, Derek Underwood was unplayable and the Bears lost.
Anyway, Canterbury is a lovely city - prettier even than Birmingham - and I really liked the ground so I hope to go there again and not leave it another 52 years.

Did they replace the tree that died and if so is did they plant it inside the boundary rope?

Any chance it will rain all day south of the Thames??????????

Well they stuck with it all day and won it in the last over of the day. Excellent win

Coop wrote:

Extract of an E-mail from the club:

We can't wait to welcome you to Edgbaston on Saturday for Finals Day.

As an attendee, we're giving you a chance to get tickets for Finals Day in 2024 before anyone else and at the very best prices.

Anyone else think that members should get first access to these before 'attendees' or are we members just 'anyone else' these days?

I do not think members should have first access. This is a competition across the 18 counties and the supporters of the 4 finalists are the ones deserving of priority. If the event was held ot Lord's would you like the idea that tickets had all been bought by Middlesex/MCC members ahead of general sale. However, a certain amount are allocated to Warks members I believe which is how it should be IMO

Had to leave watching the game at lunch. Just got back and can't quite believe how the score advanced in the afternoon. Superb contribution by Yates Now to get an innings win tomorrow.