I just looked at the calendar for 2022 between April 10th and September 24th

I found plenty of room for 16 county championship fixtures spread across 18 fixture weeks running Monday to Thursday

I also found plenty of slots early season for some white ball cricket at the weekend, perhaps primarily played on Friday's or Sunday's with a few counties opting to play Saturday's. I can't for the life of me see any reason why the counties couldn't play alternate red and white ball cricket throughout most of the season so there is an even balance of both formats throughout. Then you'd not get completely blank July and August like we're experiencing now.

Even with 18 county championship focused weeks there is still room in the schedule for 6 weeks of rest / other formats.

These 6 weeks of rest could be used to prioritise some white ball cricket - May 1st to 8th counties could play 3 50 over matches, then June 5th to 18th I scoped out a 2 week solid block for the T20's where counties could play 5 or 6 matches and a spare week at either the start or the end of August where they could fit in play off's or semi finals or whatever. The rest of June and July should be county championship Mon-Thurs then T20's on Friday's and Sunday's.

And with all the room I've found in the schedule for the three formats I haven't even had to start April 3rd nor had to go on to early October either. You hear a lot about how tricky it is for the fixture schedulers but if they get the players to accept switching red to white ball cricket early, middle and late season rather than having these obscene 5 or 6 week blocks of one single format then it becomes far simpler.

It is certainly NOT an impossibly short window of time when you consider they now start early April and drag it out to early October.

Forecast weather was quite poor for a couple of the games but the forecast proved incorrect and they got full days play in. Getting locals to go to these games has obviously proved tricky. I noticed the PA chap at the end on Friday mentioned the next game at Edgbaston was today's 16.4 match. Does the PA bloke (or perhaps the DJ?) big up Warwickshire's next home fixture at the 16.4 matches? I wonder if the spectators who turn up to these shortened formats even know Bears are playing RLODC matches at the moment it seems to have gone so far under the radar at least with the County Championship matches there'd be 1,000-1,500 in the ground on most days but these RLODC matches have seen attendances of 900 ish, 750 and Friday couldn't have been any more than 600. Like I say they deserve a decent crowd Thursday whatever the result at the Oval tomorrow

Exeeded my expectations today yet again. Great team performance. Had the lad not copped it on the chin could've been a bit closer but I doubt it'd have affected the result. Promising young side. I kinda expected the Leicester and Derbyshire wins but wasn't sure about today. Two tough games next week but there's no reason why they can't win at least one of them. Hopefully a decent crowd next Thursday for the game against fancied Somerset. Weather should be more settled by then and the youngsters deserve a couple of thousand in there for that. Get along members

ajones1328 wrote:

Prime summer and it just feels like a huge anti climax..

Real shame

Agree with this particularly the first couple of hours our bowling looked so pedestrian it wasn't their fault of course love Yates appetite but when you have him opening the bowling you wonder what the hell has happened to this game of ours. Did very well to keep their score down towards the end they looked set for 350-360. Began quite well too with the bat but you knew there was a collapse around the corner our first XI is prone to that so our 2nds/3rds mix and match side we have at the moment would also struggle to reset and rebuild. Shame again for Yates now needs to focus on not panicking when he gets to 100 and not get too fixated by the match situation and chuck his wicket away of course would help if he had some experienced heads around him out there but once Rhodes had gone that was a big turning point. Credit to Notts very professional job done with the ball in those middle overs slowing the score and forcing our youngsters to panic/go big

I think we'll get a couple of wins in this group hopefully starting Tuesday at Derby but I had a feeling a couple of weeks ago we'd really struggle in this format this year which continues our patchy at best record in white ball cricket now going back several years. In a way I don't mind them using these games to rest the senior bowlers for later in the season although it's mostly been enforced rest. The likes of OHD, Brezzie, Miles etc... could get us close to 3rd spot if available all group stage but probably good to have them rested for T20 QF and Division One duties and accept we're going to be 5th to 7th at best

Yorkshire guaranteed a home quarter final but will play it at Chester le Street owing to their pitch issues

Wouldn't be a bad shout. I know people scoff at his suggestion but he played a vital role in the win at Trent Bridge and by late August will be more in tune with English conditions and would be handy to have around on late summer spinning tracks like Taunton or Old Trafford

The restrictions overall have probably saved 150-200,000 UK lives the vaccines so far have saved about 30,000 lives you are quite right we now have to hope that switches and the vaccines can do the job that restrictions have done up to now and kind of hold that line. It is open to question whether that will be the case though. Proof will be in the pudding we can only pray. I hope it pushes the virus back from our shores over time and then we can set about helping the developing world countries drive it back there too

I'm not sure the season will end properly. I'm far from certain football will go ahead as per normal (although the Premier League will have the finances to do what the NBA have done no other sport here has that kind of funding available). This is summer and there is a misconception that this virus is less severe this time of year it isn't it can spread just as easily. The experiment we're being ushered through next couple of months is a scandal and I know we have to cross a tipping point at some time but I do fear we will just go round in a circle and be back to uncertain times next spring with another huge toll behind us and no nearer this thing being gone.

Andy wrote:

Praying for Scarborough away. If the season is still going...

Yates and Malan pumping their averages here.

Anyone know what week Scarbados will be? Is it August Bank Holiday or one of the September weeks I'm guessing the latter

We don't need lockdowns. New Zealand doesn't need them too often. Took them 12 weeks initially and since then a week now and again when Auckland has to lockdown. I want the freedom here that they have in New Zealand. I just don't think we will ever achieve that the way we have been going and look set to go next 3/4 months. Hopefully I'm wrong and the virus magically goes away or becomes as harmless as a cold. Very few people have flu and go about their business if people get flu they are very ill in bed. Very few people under the age of 40 have had flu in their lifetime it is less contagious than Covid and far less harmful

You've answered your own question. Proper season of cricket in prospect this winter in New Zealand if you can get over there. They were prepared to make the tough but necessary decisions and stick with it to minimise the impact early on and now reaping the rewards. We could and should and eventually will have to do the same

Flu kills very few people in the hundreds normally and a few thousand occasionally. To reach tens of thousands you have to include Pneumonia as well as flu. That mainly affects very frail/old people too not people Neil Etheridge's age

Fixtures for the next phase will be released by the end of next week according to reports

Should happen in the workplace though. Neil Etheridge the Blues goalie is in hospital with it

Usually because there are several positive cases not just the one. That I'm afraid is only likely to get worse after July 19th

Worried about September too. Full steam ahead for football? I think not. Dogs dinner of a season created by the ECB. I think in the back of their minds when they came up with the current blocky format they had something like this in mind - the idea that some chunks of the season might get curtailed or not happen at all. If it extends to September could mean no County Champion once again and you'd have to feel for Somerset who would be strong favourites at this point

As it stands points wise Division One when they restart August 30th

If Gloucestershire avoid defeat today
Bears 21 points
Lancs 16.5
Gloucs 16
Somerset 9.5
Notts 5
Yorkshire 4,5

If Hampshire beat Gloucestershire today
Bears 21 points
Somerset 18.5
Lancs 16.5
Hampshire 8.5
Notts 5
Yorkshire 4.5

The 4 fixtures are scheduled as below

1. Monday August 30, 31, Sept 1, 2
2. Sunday September 5, 6, 7, 8
3. Sunday September 12, 13, 14, 15
   T20 Finals Day Saturday September 18th/19th
4. Tuesday September 21, 22, 23, 24
   BWT Final Tuesday September 28, 29, 30 October 1, 2 venue tbc

I expect Bears 4 fixtures will be away, home, away, home but remains to be seen

Barring a freakish set of events over the next 28 hours Bears are through with Notts.

Durham now 12 points behind Warwickshire so need to beat Notts tomorrow which is very unlikely and they also need Warwicks to lose tomorrow.

Notts should beat Durham sometime tomorrow and reach 159 points but will only carry 5 points through to the next phase starting August 30th.

Warks will hopefully secure the draw with Worcester there is no point setting a run chase up with the bowling at our disposal unless it is ragging square for Lintott, Yates and Lamb. Warks will finish therefore on 145 points but will carry 21 points through to the next phase.

A huge advantage at this stage. I wonder when the fixtures will be released? Scarborough away and Bristol away would suit me so long as Gloucestershire hang on against Hants tomorrow

Durham deducted 2 points for slow over rate on Monday. I noticed they were -4 behind the over rate for most of the day and going into the final half hour. No spinner used with Borthwick in the side?? Also unlike Notts they didn't have a couple of backroom staff stationed on the square leg boundary to ferry kit and equipment on and off the field between each over which would have sped things up at that city end

Exiled Bear wrote:

Will those substitutes have to be from the original 13-man squad? If so we're a bit stuck as OHD and Bresnan are both injured!
No they can utilize the seconds team at Portland Rd. Durham will have to drive one of their youngsters up from Beckenham. They had Covid in their camp a few weeks ago so are a bit threadbare.

Hain, Yates, Burgess, Briggs in consideration?

Stokes, Carse for Durham