Last home game.

Somerset win at Derby last night extinguished our already extremely faint hopes of progressing id say.

We’d need a lot of results to go our way now

It's difficult to work out - but I think it's one of those ones where it's mathematically possible but extremely unlikely. In any scenario though, should just play our strongest team for this match, then it presumably becomes certain we can't progress in the next match, tweak a selection. Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

Andy wrote:

Last home game.

Somerset win at Derby last night extinguished our already extremely faint hopes of progressing id say.

with that in mind I'd be trying to 'build for the future' as the football cliche goes

I'd bring Taz Ali in. I say that now without thinking how to fit him in but sod it, in for a penny, we need to blood him more.

And i'd bat Kai further up the order, he has really suffered from the consistent-ish form of the top 5 and had little time at the crease recently. Assuming he plays in the ODC I would be batting him no later than 4 in that competition, too, i think he has a future as a white ball batsman and we need to invest some more time in him.

Tayls79 wrote:
Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

yeah I'd think about this too albeit as EB is captain i think unlikely. on his poor batting form in isolation he'd very much be a candidate to be dropped. there's not the same groundswell of calls for that on here compared to how it is with some other players, curious, is that.

Yeah captaincy makes it unlikely (I think it's unlikely full stop) but Barnard has been pretty much a passenger the last few games and he'll be out of the county set up for a month. I'd like to Garton play though, we're literally getting nothing for whatever we're paying him and he can play multiple roles. Be fascinated to see how close he is to bowling.

I know what you mean re Kai. Also seems he suffers from timing. It seems at #7 with the batters ahead of him he always seems due in with about 6-10 balls left and he gets subbed out for one of the sloggers beneath him. Really needs 4 - 5 overs to get the most out of him.

ITE7376 wrote:

Tayls79 wrote:
Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

yeah I'd think about this too albeit as EB is captain i think unlikely. on his poor batting form in isolation he'd very much be a candidate to be dropped. there's not the same groundswell of calls for that on here compared to how it is with some other players, curious, is that.

agree 100% Tayls. I quite like watching Garton field just to see the Trebuchet he is packing for a throwing arm.

along with another chance to see Taz Ali, being able to see Kai for hopefully more extended periods is what I am most looking forward to in the ODC which I feel like it can't come soon enough now

Tayls79 wrote:

It's difficult to work out - but I think it's one of those ones where it's mathematically possible but extremely unlikely. In any scenario though, should just play our strongest team for this match, then it presumably becomes certain we can't progress in the next match, tweak a selection. Re our chat on Garton on the 2XI feed yesterday, might we worth subbing him in for Barnard on Sunday and see if he can open and maybe bowl a few overs with a view to the Metro Bank.

Obviously if we lose we're out but I think if we win it is: Gloucestershire beat Worcestershire tonight, then Glamorgan beat Gloucestershire on Sunday.
Worcestershire then beat Somerset on Sunday OR Somerset lose tonight. In that case, it doesn't matter who wins Gloucestershire v Worcestershire tonight, provided the loser of that game also loses their match on Sunday.

I think that's it, but I've given myself a headache and in all reality we should start blooding players for other purposes.

Is Garton out of contract at the end of the year?

I think what I said earlier is wrong and we are out already as Worcestershire will play Somerset and therefore one will finish on more than 24 points which is the max we can get.

If Somerset were to win (which they have) then Worcester had to beat Gloucester

Yes I think that’s right - Gloucestershire now have 28 points, Worcestershire and Somerset 24 each but play each other Sunday. Max we can get is 24

Brilliant from Dan M again, just a shame we started the comp off so badly.

What a great finish. Well played Dan. Ed's fitness (and form) is a bit worrying with the One Day Cup coming up.

We will look back at some of the earlier games and wonder how we lost, the first game against Gloucestershire looks ridiculous now and especially after seeing them on Sunday. Losing the control of 3 spinners and giving away too many runs in the powerplay, Woakes has looked really poor in this competition.

Ianbaz wrote:

What a great finish. Well played Dan. Ed's fitness (and form) is a bit worrying with the One Day Cup coming up.

He's playing in the 100 isnt he?

Enjoyed watching the chase. Feel a bit bad saying Barnard should be switched out seeing him bat there as he clearly shouldn't play the next game injured. Think Mouse got just a bit lucky with that last over, if Neesham had kept it down he would have closed the over out but quality he was able to take advantage of it, two opportunistic balls, hit them both for six. There's skill in that.

I didn't watch us in the field - but seems it was a case of slow bowling wins it, for our innings too. I presume Webster's over was seam up?

Glamorgans 2 overseas bowlers had a mare in the last couple of overs, 18 runs off full tosses and Mousley missed out on another one off McAndrew. You need better than that from your overseas

Tayls79 wrote:

Enjoyed watching the chase. Feel a bit bad saying Barnard should be switched out seeing him bat there as he clearly shouldn't play the next game injured. Think Mouse got just a bit lucky with that last over, if Neesham had kept it down he would have closed the over out but quality he was able to take advantage of it, two opportunistic balls, hit them both for six. There's skill in that.

I didn't watch us in the field - but seems it was a case of slow bowling wins it, for our innings too. I presume Webster's over was seam up?

Webster bowled 2 or 3 seam up in the PP and switched to offies mid over

I really hope that we plan for next years Blast as we really have no excuses in not making the quarter finals as a minimum. We should secure Webster and Tariq. They are both class and proven in T20. Gleeson is very important and needs to be covered if with the IPL and missing the first 5 games. Over and above we I think need another reliable spinner to give us control a Briggs type player. The wicked keeper position needs to be looked at, will Smith come on enough? Davies? Can Woakes be the opening bowler in T20? I think it is all about planning as we have the core of a really good side.

Averages after 11 games

https://countycrickethub.net/team-averages.html?teamid=16&comp=3&year=2026

Looking at the averages, you can immediately see some of the main reasons games were lost. Three specialist batsmen who were not contributing, one averaging 3.5, one averaging under 17 and another, who apart from one good innings, averages under 17.
Also the absence of Garton, does he actually exist? and Gleason, for most of the games.
If a player signs a contract to play for Warwickshire, it is not unreasonable he will be available for all Warwickshire games, and not sign a team to play in a different competition.

A lot of thought needs to be given to the composition of the side, which out of contract players are offered new contracts, and who is signed as overseas players.

I would use Kai Smith as wicket keeper, in all forms of the game, for the rest of the season, he needs to bbe given the chance to develop in the role and gain confiedence. Afterall the alternative is not, and has never been, a keeper of the highest quality, We have had a number of good keeprs at Warwickshire over the years and Davies would struggle to get into the top 10 of past Warwickshire keepers.

I'm sure "Gerry Shead" can tell us of his experiances of watching a young Tiger Smith make his debut :-)

I read on a Leics CCC forum that Ben Cox is heading in our direction next season. This could of course be spurious and frankly, I hope it is because signing another keeper in his mid 30s doesn’t make a lot of sense, unless he’s going to add significantly to our batting line up. I’m not sure Cox ticks that box.