The_Lickey_Banker
Member
Solbear wrote:
Another very convincing win with particularly good contributions from Bethell and Benjamin. Very nice to see Woakes bowling again too.
They both seem the real deal. Bethell is already on a contract of course, but I really feel we've found a good wicketkeeper / batsman prospect in Chris Benjamin. He's been around a bit already and did get near the Essex 1st team, but never really pushed for a place with them (mind you, they have had a few back up keepers at Chelmsford recently). If he continues in the vein he's started with our 2nd's (with gloves and bat), I see a contract in the offing. He certainly offers more already with the bat than Kelley.
Team for ECG today:-
Lamb, Burgess, Malan, Bethell, Ethan B, Benjamin (Wk), Norwell, Woakes (Cap), Sidebottom, Garrett and OHD.
Highveld wrote:
Members of the Barnt Green club have been allowed to watch their Birmingham league games,
It might be worth emails worcestershire as it's their home game.
That would be great. 2 matches as well. I'll email them. Thanks.
It was close in the end - Glamorgan got to 189 for 7 in their 20. Mainly down to an impressive 107 from Selman. Brathwaite was clearly MotM - taking 4 wickets for 27 in his 4 overs. Other wicket takers were Jake Lintott (2 for 32 in 4) and Ethan Brookes (1 for 32 in 4).
We got a cracking score (put in by Glamorgan) - 202 for 6 off the 20 overs. Brathwaite, in his first match for us, got 116 off 54 balls (8x4, 10x6) !
Solbear wrote:
After losing both T20s to Glamorgan last week, let’s hope for better things today.
Wonder what happened to the South African who played a few weeks ago and along with Henry B won a game we should have lost. I expected to see his name appear regularly after that but apparently not.
Seconds seem pretty poor this year overall, maybe the sunny weather will change their fortunes!
I agree Sol. Kiel van Vollenhoven's (and Henry B's) performance against Derbyshire in that hastily arranged T20 Friendly was nothing short of amazing - and he hasn't been back with our 2nds since. I have looked out for his name at other places (as I guess he's looking for a County contract) - but nothing. Perhaps we've said we'll consider him for a white ball contract (at least to start) - and this is the first scheduled T20 for the 2nd's. It would be good to see he's included today.
It will also be interesting to see who will be keeping wicket today. Clearly they don't think Kelley's batting is up to it.
FarmerPalmer wrote:
Good news, any way to catch the scores?
The link for the scores for the Glamorgan T20 game with Jake in are below:-
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#m6bf724a5-d5cd-4daf-ab73-dba2fb1352d0
The usual link for Live scores is:-
We lost the first T20 game by 6 wickets. No one really stood out batting - Chris Benjamin top scorer on 24. And only took 4 Welsh wickets - 2 for Lintott and 2 for Simmons.
As said above, Henry Brookes picked up an injury in the first match (I don't know how bad), so was left out for the second. Also out in the second game is Jake Lintott - again, I don't know the reason. They have been replaced by George Furrer and Greg Willows. Greg is a decent right hand bat who has played regularly for Gloucester 2nd's and did play one First Class game for the County in 2019, against Australia A. Interestingly, his Club side is Clevedon, where Jake Lintott has been Captain for a couple of years (so I guess, a recommendation from him ?).
We're not doing any better in the second T20. Glamorgan made 178 for 4 in their 20 overs (2 wickets for Simmons, 1 for Johal & Balaji). We're on 89 for 5 after 12 overs - Dan M top scorer at the moment on 40.
The_Lickey_Banker wrote:
We made 132 for 9 in our 20 overs. We're bowling now - Dan Mousley (!) and Henry Brookes opening.
Henry Brookes went off injured after 2 balls in his first over - Che Simmons finished it.
Glamorgan now 59 for 2 after 7 overs - a wicket apiece for Che Simmons and Jake Lintott.
We made 132 for 9 in our 20 overs. We're bowling now - Dan Mousley (!) and Henry Brookes opening.
Now Queens, Taunton, are on half term holiday, Jake is available for us. He's contracted to play until the end of the season - in CC and RLC as well as T20. He makes his season debut for the 2nd's in their two T20 Friendlies against Glamorgan at Newport today (and would have been playing in the scheduled 4 day Championship game there, if it hadn't been called off). I'm really looking forward to seeing how he does in all formats - his Left Arm Wrist Spin (we can't say 'China...' any more !) is fairly unique in the modern game.
Bald Reynard guessed right - Brookes and Mousley are out - both playing for the 2nd's at Newport, in the (rescheduled) two T20 Friendlies.
We lost the toss and are batting. Rhodes (again !) and Yates opening, but making heavy weather of it - 13 for 0 off 7 overs !
Team for the first T20:-
Ed Pollock, Adam Hose (Capt), Dan Mousley, Chris Benjamin (Keeper), Alex Thomson, Roshan Balaji, Henry Brookes, Jake Lintott (!), Che Simmons, Manraj Johal & Ryan Sidebottom.
Glamorgan won the toss and elected to bowl.
Ed already out - though did get double figures (11) ! Also out, after 5 overs, are Dan Mousley (just 9) and Adam Hose (18).
Day 3 called off at 3.00 ! We wait to see if they do what they did against Derby - and turn the 4 day Championship game into a 1 day Friendly tomorrow.
Che Simmons is also playing in the Northants game. An 18 year old Barbadian seamer, who is in the West Indies Rising Stars squad.
Highveld wrote:
Yes, I'd expect both to travel to Chelmsford tomorrow with Pollock coming into the side.
The fact we are trying another wicketkeeper does suggest that Kelly is not seen as a long term solution for the position.
Yep, I think it's clear that Kelley is not seen as a future 1st teamer. By all accounts (I've not seen him), very decent behind the stumps, but no batting pedigree or potential - regularly going in at anything between 7 and 10 !
BristolBear wrote:
Interesting no Pollock this time, but Alex Thomson is back. The new keeper, seems to have not scored runs anywhere. Suggests the end for Dan Lincolns trial I suspect.
Yeah, Dan Lincoln seems to have blown his chance with us. Some runs in his first game, but I don't think he has taken any catches (or stumpings) in 4 matches for us.
The new guy - Chris Benjamin is another young (22 year old) South African (I don't know his nationality status, whether he has a UK passport like van Vollenhoven). He's over here at University (Durham) and has played a couple of times for Durham MCCU (top score - 18 !) and Derby 2nd's once this season (top score - 29) - but has not kept wicket in those games ! Before this season, he has played as a Keeper for Cambridge Cricket Club for a couple of years (without much batting distinction). He also played for Essex 2nd's in 2019 - but again, not as a Wicket Keeper ! Seems a strange choice for a trial, especially as we had another Wicket Keeper / Batsman on trial for a couple of 2nd's games in April - Ben Wells (from Somerset, who was a regular keeper in their 2nd's) - who didn't keep wicket for us, but did quite well with the bat !
Jacob Bethell and George Furrer are in the 13 man squad, along with van Vollenhoven and Shaikh. Dan Lincoln is still there (and again listed as Keeper - so he must now be taking on that role) and Amir Khan is given another chance. No sign of George Garrett (?!) and Ben Wells is also missing - I hope he hasn't been let go, he looked promising. Other than that, pretty much the same people as the Notts game.
Kiel van Vollenhoven is a 22 year old South African leg spinner (and a decent middle order bat, by the sound of it), who has played for Titans & Northerns in SA and MCC Young Cricketers (took 5 wickets for 12 runs for them against Durham 2nd's a couple of years ago !). He is a UK passport holder, who has been looking for a County side to give him a trial this season, after no chance last year - sounds like we have taken that up. He's played Club cricket for Bilton CC in Rugby and Nottingham.
In KvV's only first class game (for Northerns, a couple of months ago, against Western Province), he took 1 for 18 in 8 overs and scored 23. Pieter Malan's brother, Andre, played in that - I wonder whether a recommendation from brother to brother, might have helped secure a trial for us ?!
The_Lickey_Banker wrote:
An amazing win for us ! Derby set a total of 291 (for 7) off their 50 overs. We were 137 for 7 off 30 overs, but van Vollenhoven and Henry Brookes put on 162 runs off 19 overs to win ! Van Vollenhoven made 82 NO off 88 balls and Henry B made 87 NO off 56 balls (with 3 x 6's) ! Incredible !
Young Kiel vV must be close to Henry B in being MotM. Obviously, Henry hit an amazing 87 off 56, but he was incredidly way off with his bowling (10 for 71 runs and no wickets), but Kiel also had a decent return of 2 for 48 off his 8 overs of leg spin. If this was a trial match for him, I really hope we extend it - there could be a decent all rounder there - and we don't want to let him disappear off to another County lightly !?
Apart from Kiel, Ryan S (2 for 40 off 10) and Dan Mousley (1 for 42 off his 10) had decent returns with the ball. Jacob Bethell was the other wicket taker, but he was expensive (at over 8 an over). On the batting front, it's just as well our 8th wicket partnership lasted so well, 'cos only two other batsmen got over 20 (Ethan B with 30 - he's doing OK as a batter now - and Dan Lincoln with 22). They experimented with Hose opening, but it didn't work (he got 4) and the Captain only just made it into double figures - again !
An amazing win for us ! Derby set a total of 291 (for 7) off their 50 overs. We were 137 for 7 off 30 overs, but van Vollenhoven and Henry Brookes put on 162 runs off 19 overs to win ! Van Vollenhoven made 82 NO off 88 balls and Henry B made 87 NO off 56 balls (with 3 x 6's) ! Incredible !