I was being tongue firmly in cheek following comments over past year or two on this forum. It looks so far that being captain suits Davies - how many times in cricket does becoming captain affect a batsman's game. I know a swallow (or even 2) does not make a summer but this is a great start to the season.

If Davies and Yates aren't careful we will come to expect a century opening partnership every time. When the first wicket falls below a ton certain members will start moaning about the captain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BosworthBear wrote:

I've raised this a couple of times at AGMs and told them its an easy PR and marketing win. The present lot just grin which is an improvement on some of their predecessors.

They seemed to drop the B word as soon as Hundred was introduced.

One memory from last season was the tense game against Essex when the whole crowd was chanting "Warwickshire la la la" at the crucial stage of the match.

Has the crowd ever chanted "Birmingham la la la" ? I think at the end of the day it has been a useless piece of marketing that served no purpose.

Ended the day right on top. Will it stay dry enough to give us time to get 8 wickets?

A scoreline like that in a day reminds me of the Lara season (we forget the 2nd time!)

To think we lost the toss!! Great start to Davies' reign as captain.

UrsaMinor wrote:

I received an insight into the future of the 18 counties in my email this week. At one time, I was a member of Somerset and they still send me promotional material. This week's was an invitation to book for a number of "exciting" events that they are planning this year. These appeared to consist of a DJ session featuring Craig Charles and a succession of shows by tribute acts. A bit naff, I thought, but then I realised that they have to find something to do with their cricket ground. They are not a venue for The Undead so the ground will be virtually unused throughout the summer. Better look for something other than cricket.
Once the administrators get the smell of money in their nostrils, those of us who care about quality or (God help me!) tradition might as well pack up and find something else to do. I've seen the future and it's coming sooner than we might like.

Oh, and by the way, I see England are now bottom of the World Test Championship league table. Really working this slogball, innit?

My penultimate sentence and your final sentence says it all.

He might be right in that members insisting on , in the main, the county championship will kill the game. However, their pursuance of the fast buck and sinking all in to the money spinners like The Hundred will definitely kill the game of cricket by changing it out of all recognition. What will they do when the public and TV get bored with the repetitiveness of The Hundred?
The big money spinner in the UK is the Test Matches. Continual reduction in the amount of CC played combined with the ever increasing slog cricket will reduce the quality of test cricket which in turn will reduce its attraction.
Those running the game need to be very careful what they wish for.

The Hundread could create massive damage to the real game of cricket if allowed to continue unchecked

At least no-one was hurt unlike at Stone cricket ground.

Congratulations to Trotty's Afghan team beating Pakistan today.

I presume fish and chips followed by sticky toffee pudding will be off the menu

Quite a strange season. Second most successful team but failing to win a knock out match or finish in top 3 of CC is quite bizarre. A very interesting report on the season, thanks Terry.
I agree with others regarding overseas players - they have to be better than who it is they will replace and we need to ensure as much as possible they will be here for most of the season

Is it just a coincidence that no play possible comes after Hampshire game finished? A bit like Blues or Villa not playing their final game of the season when neither side get an advantage from the result.

Hampshire have already won their game!!

This became a real problem when the ECB decided it was up to the umpires to decide if it is safe to play instead of the teams deciding. As a result the umpires are always going to be cautious to avoid being blamed for any mishap.

'Elf n safety has a lot to answer for!!

In among a lot of very good cricket in all 3 formats there was a few astonishing extreme batting collapses. Quite a strange combination. Viewing from a distance at least we can say it hasn't been boring. The only disappointment has been they have no trophy at the end.

In among a lot of very good cricket in all 3 formats there was a few astonishing extreme batting collapses. Quite a strange combination. Viewing from a distance at least we can say it hasn't been boring. The only disappointment has been they have no trophy at the end.

We need a typical late September morning session wicket tomorrow. Get near to the tailenders by lunch - game on!