meashambear wrote:

'...but we are not going to start threatening the top spots until we have more threat to our attack.'

Fully concur.

Andy wrote:

'Weather can be very decent in September. Don't feel like we've had a good September since 2021 though...'

Hottest weather eva, according to Ed Miliband. The ECB are totally onboard with hysterical alarmism and will produce the fixture lists to match.

This is what happens when August is given over to the 16.66ovs nonsense. The county championship will whither because everyone will lose interest in a competition that needs contrived results in the last rounds. It's like the bad old days of three day county matches all over again.
On a similar point the England v SA T20 matches should've been a high summer long evening of entertainment but, of course, the idiots in charge think people will prefer watching the hula hoops v the monster munches, or something.

mad wrote:

'However which way they choose to describe the proposed format it keeps on sounding utterly bonkers.
Even getting away from the appalling drop in fixtures available to watch who the fuck came up with this ridiculous format for deciding the county fucking championship?
They've got a bloody nerve even calling it the county championship if this shit goes through'

Fully concur, but the wankers in the red framed specs and focus groups have told them that idiots and their baseball capped families want the 'glamour' of 16.66 overs. Renewed my Warwickshire membership today for the 36th year and was asked if I wanted some sort of 16.66 over bolt on. Informed them that I support Warwickshire, not some foul Tartrazine infused corn snack.

It's just so nice to have proper red ball live feed on my spare monitor at work all day, the only problem is that I have to have it muted.

Just wishing that most weeks between April and September had county cricket, instead of it being a pleasant rarity.

I just felt it coming from the 15th over of the Somerset (so nice they're actually called their proper county name) reply.

I'm now convinced of 'the curse of Edgbaston': that we'll not appear in a finals until they're moved to another venue.

I feel very dismayed reading that. It seems very similar to the suicide note recently written by the Welsh Rugby Union to cut down their sport. It's just that they're further along in the decommissioning process than the ECB.

There seems to be no real interest in preserving the 4-day game instead wanting more limited overs, despite the fact that the bedrock of the Test team is the County game.

T20 is fantastic for a mid-summer beer on a long evening, but less is more: dead rubbers kills it if too many games are played. 50ovs is interesting but is too dependent on the pitch and batting second.

All the ECB seems to want is the 16.66ovs thing. Viewing figures are down and nobody seems to be interested especially as they launched it too close to the EPL season. I just wonder if these latest proposals to cut cricket have anything to do with the ECB's hawking of 16.66ov franchises to football clubs, the middle east, Ryan Reynolds and even MLB teams? They need to offer investors that they'll be no competition.

edit / update 1 Sep: sadly despite an encouraging drop in viewers in 2023 and 2024, the figures for 2025 show an uptick of idiots watching the 16.66ov abomination. cricket is doomed. : (

Is anyone else finding that the official Warwickshire website is blocking you if you're using a VPN? I can only access if I turn my VPN off.

Andy wrote:

Not sure we've looked to slog?

4-down. Shaikh straight in with a high bat looking to swing it.

My only guess is that Rugby School are charging for the pitch per minute.

Why did we win the toss and elect to bat when all the stats state that teams batting second have a big advantage in 50 overs cricket?
Why have we come out looking to slog instead of playing ourselves in for a couple of balls?
Inept coaching / captaincy must be the root cause as this isn't the first time.

It's a good job that this summer has been very meteorologically disappointing and rain is inevitab........bugger.

I've just written my now traditional letter to the club, as a member, requesting that the 16.6 over team franchise be kicked out of the club shop as they aren't Warwickshire (or England); and all references to the orange (#F2673B) cuckoos be removed from the club website and club press releases as they detract from actual Warwickshire teams playing in their 50 over one-day competitions.

I know I'm pissing in the wind. But hey-ho.

Whilst it has been an excellent test series despite a few gripes (slow overs, Duke balls not lasting) I think it'll would've been a better series if the Tests were spaced out properly to reduce injuries and allow the players proper rest.

Sadly the ridiculous insistence that cricket must be placed on a hiatus to allow for the garbage 16.6 overs game means that the series was dimished.

Anyone agree?

When the fixtures come out I always look to see if we've got a match in Scarbados. There were a few of years in the 2000s when our match formed the four-day game for the festival (when county cricket was played in August).

Perfect day: decent fried breakfast, cricket, Winking Willies for Haddock and Chips and then the legend 'Seaside' Danny Wilde (he's since moved on from the Nelson after a 30 year residency but is still rocking around the town) - happy days.

KingofSpain wrote:

The media output from the club has been absolutely dreadful for a few years now. They only seem interested in social media "bantz" these days.
We want decent previews and engaging content, not inane post match interviews and half hearted quotes. Many counties are offering so much more.

Well said. Couldn't agree more. I think some of the media output has been childish.

Of course nobody is going with the 'ditch the pointless hundred' option?

Just seen the email from Stuart Cain who outlines the 'options' which seem to be aimed at a big end off season championship game just when its raining and the football starts. No doubt they hope this will bring in the crowds.

They haven't suggested my option of having one game every season against an opponent with a single league of all first class counties (16 matches). The next season teams will play the reverse fixture. I would make room by scrapping the crisp league and making the 50 over competition a straight knock out with a 'plate' competition for first round losers.

The biggest problem with scheduling is the crisp league which is destroying non-test counties and devalues the T20. No other cricket nation plays 16.6 overs arranged in groups of five so why should we?

On a side note I'd remove all Birmingham Pxxxxxx merchandise from the Warwickshire shop and ditch it from the clubs website. Let them use Blues' facilities as they seem to be so enthusiastic (probably a baseball upbringing).

Didn't realise that the match was on YouTube. Result.

LeicesterExile wrote:

'At 3pm yesterday I suggested we should declare with a lead over 250. At that point they could have thrown the bat at the ball and then declared at tea. With over 2 hours left yesterday the result could have been so different.'

Fully concur. I think Warwicks weren't aggressive enough in our captaincy. One month now until the next CC match.

paulbear wrote:

'...if you have pace, surely a harder ball is better to bowl with. I would love to see Simmons given the new ball just to see what sort of pace, bounce and trouble he can cause. Why have a genuine fast bowler and keep him back. No batsmen like high pace so why hold it back.'

Absolutely agree.

This is do-able with a little bit of patience.