Don't think he means it as a dig, merely highlighting the difference in how this Championship win will be perceived by those outside the club, to the 2021 win.
Don't think he means it as a dig, merely highlighting the difference in how this Championship win will be perceived by those outside the club, to the 2021 win.
Yes Atherton seems to have set off all these 2021 comments. He doesn’t seem to like us. At the time we were seen as worthy winners.
As for the Notts stuff. The author is mixed up. We were the better team at Trent Bridge until the pitch flattened out. At Edgbaston there wasn’t enough meaningful cricket to reach any conclusion. If anything Somerset were lucky with the weather to win their game in the same round of matches.
Any chance to have a dig at Warwickshire seems to be taken in the written press this year!
To my mind the 2021 win was brilliant in and of itself of course but it was also a make up win for not winning the one we should have won in 2011 when we enabled Lancs to fluke a rare title that year. Warwickshire really ought to have won more than 1 championship title in that Gilo era
Vish's comments in the article are fair ones. Many of us were thinking at the time Notts just looked a better side than us esp that pace of Olly Stone and their top order runs. I was thinking at that time our only chance is if we can get Woakes fully firing and Hain maintained consistency as I was worried about the rest of the batting tbf albeit tough for the top order.
One of my pals was quite bullish at the time suggesting we were well in this title race. In contrast I only really became convinced when we hit the front last week
Atherton should have a little think back to that 2021 title race, Lancashire opted for a big payday by having a concert at Old Trafford so had their last game at Liverpool on a club pitch that as usual, had no runs in it, both teams not getting a single batting point and the highest score being Lancs 198 to win the match. Had they have played it at Old Trafford, they might have won but with 4 batting points (350 runs in 110 overs then) and would have won the title, serves them right in not opting for a more run-friendly pitch. Also, he might have been embarrassed by the sight of the Lancs players in the dressing room after their 3-day win, bouncing about, singing a song as though they had already won the title because I think they felt our wicket was slow and dead and wouldn't produce a result. I remember seeing it on YouTube and thinking how funny it was to think the title was yours when our game was still to be finished.
Yes I seem to remember their supporters were having a title winning watch along at Old Trafford on our last day. We then beat them in the Bob Willis Trophy as well.
As for Notts this season they are 4th and well off the pace. And as mentioned the claims about our games against them are nonsense!
paulbear wrote:
Atherton should have a little think back to that 2021 title race, Lancashire opted for a big payday by having a concert at Old Trafford so had their last game at Liverpool on a club pitch that as usual, had no runs in it, both teams not getting a single batting point and the highest score being Lancs 198 to win the match. Had they have played it at Old Trafford, they might have won but with 4 batting points (350 runs in 110 overs then) and would have won the title, serves them right in not opting for a more run-friendly pitch. Also, he might have been embarrassed by the sight of the Lancs players in the dressing room after their 3-day win, bouncing about, singing a song as though they had already won the title because I think they felt our wicket was slow and dead and wouldn't produce a result. I remember seeing it on YouTube and thinking how funny it was to think the title was yours when our game was still to be finished.
Ah yeah id forgot all that carry on, amazingly funny.
y'all have some epic recall on here, my memory is obviously terrible compared to a lot of posters so its always illuminating to be reminded of backstories and context from the past that I had entirely forgotten
I have a very retentive memory, I can go back years. I can remember the day when Frank Foster came running in from the pavilion end and.......... Only kidding about the last bit.
Am I the only one that checks this chat every few hours, just to see the interesting comments, three days later and I'm still buzzing!
My only regret was not coming down on Saturday to be part of history, watching the celebrations for each wicket, and of course Ethan taking that final one to clinch the deal was incredible.
Great to see the players mingling on the pitch for so long afterwards.
Hopefully this is the start of something special.
Up the Bears
A fantastic achievement. We have looked unstoppable in this final block of games. Credit to Captain Barnard and Ian Westwood. The batsmen played their part but the bowling attack has made the difference.
The leadership has been exceptional. Barnard was appointed only a couple of weeks before the start of the season. I have been critical of Westwood in the past with our under achievements in white ball cricket but in the Championship he has had us on am upward trajectory since taking over from Robinson and inheriting a struggling team playing a dull brand of cricket. Really pleased for him and the players.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/ck05r4dn1nvlo
Somerset bleating about them not being ruthless enough to win the title. Not one mention of congratulations to Warwickshire at all, despite the fact that we only lost one game........yeah it was an unlikely win but 5 wins out of 6 from any team is going to put them near the top of the table.
I used to like Somerset but over the last few seasons I have come to realise that the fans are insular, rude 6 fingered twats who think it is all about them. The players seem to be following suit.
Most posters have seen us win 6 titles in the last 30 years or so without bragging about it.
When I first noticed county cricket following the 1986-87 Ashes tour down under Worcestershire were top dogs and had more titles than Warwickshire. Since I started watching Warwickshire regularly I average a title every 5 and a half seasons which is fantastic. I am so pleased we have an 18 county championship. It just wouldn't be the same at all if we were winning a title every 4 years and there were only 8 or 9 other teams in the competition. Let's start bigging all the other counties up a bit more instead of poking holes in them (that includes me and my irritation with Lancs or moneybags Surrey)
17 trophies since 1989 (I haven't included the Bob Willis trophy as it's a 2 team event) says it all and hearing some saying that the last 2 opponents weren't even trying is such a joke. Another one mentioned that we had the easiest run-in at the end but no reply when I pointed out that the 3 aways wins, we lost the toss in all 3, we don't decide who we play or when we play them. Perhaps all those 'Non-PC' 1970's sketches about village idiots is true down that there Somerset way. Not taking wickets 7-10 v Yorkshire, not once but twice didn't help, talk about lightning striking twice in the same place. Somerset think they have a right to the title and that everyone wants to see them do it and maybe a lot is that Middlesex v Yorkshire game in 2016 but their fans do appear to think they're great characters who deserve a title. David Willey pointed out that Northants in the T20 final were very inspired by Somerset appearing to think, in his words, "...That they had already won it at the halfway stage", they didn't need anything more to spur them on.
paulbear wrote:
. David Willey pointed out that Northants in the T20 final were very inspired by Somerset appearing to think, in his words, "...That they had already won it at the halfway stage", they didn't need anything more to spur them on.
interesting- seems to me that has to be an indictment of the management team and of Lewis Gregory in particular. If true, allowing that sort of triumphalism and complacency to manifest itself to the point of the opposition picking it up is very poor leadership.
add that to his comments about 'ruthlessness' and Mr Gregory isn't coming across very well at all, good cricketer though he is
David Willey has never been one to keep quiet about things unlike his father who was the 'Strong, silent type' during his career. During the T20 final when they beat Surrey, he was very happy to smash Dernbach all over Edgbaston (Many have done it) and said afterwards how much he wasn't a fan of his, "...I just don't like him".
No doubt when David Willey retires from cricket he'll have a career as a professional umbrage-taker.
Delighted by the county championsip win, all the squad deserves praise particularly Ed Barnard who must have played more English cricket than anyone over the last three seasons but remains enthusiastic, totally dedicated and represents what his team are all about.
Andy Lloyd won a trophy first year in charge 1989, Dermot Reeve also in 1993, Neil Smith 1997 and now Ed.
For anyone who hasn't seen it already, a truly, truly brilliant read on Ethan Bamber by Nick Friend of The Cricketer. Really encourage anyone to read it, though it does require a membership to do so.
Really is special that we appear to be cultivating a really likeable, personable, and, above all, hard working squad and getting the results from it. The story of Ethan's last 4 years is quite something, and I'll admit there are various parts of this article which brought a tear to the eye.
That's a great read.
Yes, a great article.