mad
Member
Have to disagree with your earlier point Paul. I think Surrey look a very decent team that could hold their own in these conditions against any test side. George Dobell described Warks circa 2011-2013 as perhaps the third best team in the world if they had Bell and Trott available and in English conditions. I think Surrey are almost at that level.
Some of Warwickshire's long term frailties came through today;
Failure to polish off the tail
Top order batting caught betwixt and between
Over reliance on Hain more recently but prior to that lower middle order for runs
But Kemar Roach is a very decent bowler who if he were England qualified would've likely been selected for ODI or test squads 5-10 years ago
Worrall looked superb attacked the batsman and Jordan Clark looks like he has all the attributes for international cricket.
It's been an excellent contest so far between two top drawer sides Surrey perhaps have the edge with their batting lineup but little to choose between them otherwise. Warks perhaps more of an emerging side especially the batting.
Beefing up the attack in the winter was just the job for games like this. You could probably see Miles or Henry Brookes or Garrett getting wickets yesterday when the odds were stacked in bowlers favour but the extra control this attack has means we can go toe to toe with the top counties. Anything less than 280 I'd have snapped your hand off just need to bat out of our skins when the time arrives tomorrow and/or Sunday
It'll possibly be in a dedicated 4 week window so players from the counties themselves plus 3/4 overseas picks. I guess the main issue is just how independent the entities will be and whether counties will have much jurisdiction of the competition and TV deals.
There'll still be the 8 or 9 top division to market like the current hundred. Suppose the blast would then be surplus or replaced by a knockout cup. Be a shame to lose Finals Day from Edgbaston but perhaps one reason why blast off been introduced and could still have Finals Day with mens and women's involvement
The most likely new structure would see the number of teams increase from the current 10 to 18, split into two divisions, with a team running alongside, but independently of, each first-class county and with branding focused on cities.
The ambition would be for the women’s tournament to eventually use the same format, though there might not be enough teams for it to do so from the start.
I'd be okay with this. My personal bug bear is the blocking up of the formats and loss of championship multiple weeks at a time but I accept the argument for blocks is a strong one and is well supported by others.
To protect the fantastic number of sides in county cricket this is fine by me. Clearly others would be concerned about the names of sides but to me this is a lesser concern than the actual format or the schedule which must help prepare England players for test and ODI cricket and enable people in all regions of England to enjoy top level cricket throughout the summer months
Think this is an important step. Key going forward is not the format but rather not to isolate the non TMG counties. Bringing minor counties back into a competitive tournament would be great and far better than just having 8 franchises and everyone else twiddling thumbs. I do hope there's still room for a 50-over or 40-over comp though perhaps a knockout comp.
One option is to invite the National Counties (formerly the Minor Counties) to join the 18 first-class teams in an expanded competition aimed at providing promising cricketers with a pathway into the professional game.
The T20 Blast might then become a two-league affair, with promotion and relegation.
I know at least one member of this board won't necessarily agree but I do still think there would be merit in holding onto some of the new team names/identities going forwards. Birmingham Phoenix could still exist as a concept for mens and women's T20 as it has definitely broadened appeal within the Greater Birmingham/West Midlands conurbation/region. Ditto for the Manchester Wales and Southampton teams. Perhaps less a need to retain Oval, Trent and Northern however. They can go back to being Surrey Notts and Yorkshire. Warwickshire could potentially then even field a second string/academy side in division two of whatever emerges and play at smaller grounds under the Warwickshire umbrella as could Lancs in Liverpool etc...
Story coming up on Central News.
Council vote passed apparently
Maybe he's unaware county games are already free for U16's and it's free entry after the tea break for all
Seems with it being such a wet spring pre-season and early season particularly in the south west Somerset are in no particular hurry to go home. Booked in till tomorrow so piling on the runs this afternoon and a full day to stretch their legs in the field (on presumably a drying playing surface and in more pleasant fielding conditions by then) tomorrow
Just hope Bears put up some sort of resistance
Heading for some kind of record margin of defeat here. These could be 650/700 ahead by close today and forecast is decent tomorrow. Guessing the two set batters will retire at lunchtime mind
Thought Henry Brookes looked excellent and threatening in the morning. Had it been a first team game he'd have been kept on longer and they'd never have amassed the total they did. A good workout for all the standby seamers though and nice to see Briggs back too. The second wicket was an absolute screamer of a catch by Hamza Shaikh at third slip low to his right. Benjamin kept wicket with Maddy often at first slip. Guess they'll enforce the follow on tomorrow and try to get off home early
Light rain for much of the morning today. Forecast this week seems to have gone full circle looked set fair when I checked yesterday but now a bit more iffy. Feels a bit warmer though so I reckon they should get going tomorrow on time if there is not another rainy morning to contend with
"Let's all have a bowl out
Let's all have a bowl out
la la la la
la la la la"
Thought the spirit between the two teams was first class in fairness. To a man all the Kent players gave Dan Mousley a pat on the back when he holed out on 94 putting the team cause first when he could easily have knocked it around to reach his maiden 100.
Yes Evison really impressed. Saw him make his FC debut he batted 6 for Notts in that game in 2019 where Sibley got his two centuries one a double ton. Ben Compton opening bat also made his FC debut at age 27 or 28 that same game
First 24 points haul since September 2018 at Grace Road.
First 24 points haul in Division One since May 2015 at home to Durham. Keith Barker smashed a century and took 9 wickets in the match. Chris Rushworth trapped both William Porterfield and Rikki Clarke lbw.
I saw us collect 23 points at Colwyn Bay in 2018 with Bell and Trott rolling back the years then 23 points at Trent Bridge September 2019 in a fabulous run chase Sibley scoring a century in both innings and that confirmed Notts relegation
GerryShedd wrote:
Last two home games - the win against Hampshire last year and now this.
Four day cricket is not so boring after all!
4-day county championship cricket played by proper teams with history and tradition and rivalry is fan bloody tastic. If ECB got their way last year this would get shelved for crappy north v south and some meaningless guff
Bring on the Surrey but also can't wait till we play Worcestershire again
How astonishing. Bring on the Surrey!
Still think it'll be hard work pressing for victory even should they get on before lunch. However regardless of the result the performance backs up my thoughts last week after seeing parts of the game at Taunton that we now possess the type of attack that will be able to take on the better sides in the division - Surrey Lancs Hants Essex.
Added to the top order now peeling off centuries it represents exciting times ahead. Short of injury or call ups i was thinking yesterday about that slip cordon could be in place for years to come - Yates, Hain, Mousley with Barnard or Rhodes at gully or 4th
Rushworth's second over yesterday was amongst the best ever seen at the ground and his spell set the tone brilliantly.
Heavy rain falling in Brum now. Unfortunately I rate the chances of starting on time Saturday at 50-50
Yes could be a day waiting around but then 104 overs Saturday and 96 Sunday so still plenty of time. I think our game is more suited to engineering good proper 4-day wins rather than 3-day wins and we don't prepare spicy pitches like some other grounds. But we should have an attack that'll cause a few more more problems than Kent's did yesterday. Can't recall any slip chances after I got there and there were hardly any lbw appeals yesterday either.
I hope the club really promote Saturday this afternoon and this evening. Free tickets for kids or how about offering free tickets for local club cricketers whose games will all be called off tomorrow? I think you'd get a few extra in and would be a good PR move.
Yes tougher tests to come and we haven't won a game yet but signs are promising indeed. Top order batting like our early 2000's sides that won title in 2004 added to our seam bowling unit which is as strong as 2011-2012 possibly even more depth. We're probably short of a top class spinner so I expect us to approach Leicestershire to enquire about one of theirs. Can't allow Notts to hoover up all their talent. We can offer our wide square and maybe get Rehan or Callum Parkinson in.
It's all potential at the moment but hopefully the beginnings of an all round good side.
Yeah if it's like this tomorrow can't see me being there till Saturday. Week off after this one. Could probably have done with that being end of April if we only get a day and a half's play against Kent