Andy wrote:

Brilliant performance. Good day. Pleased for Alex Davies, it's a match winning knock really. Listen, I said years ago I'd have never signed him and he wouldn't be my choice of 4day captain right now but the stick he gets sometimes is way over the top and people are never so readily forthcoming with praise when he does well.

Oh and yes, considering the excellence of the knock yesterday to say the praise for it has been underwhelming is an understatement, most can barely bring themselves to even acknowledge it but i guess thats a problem with making someone a forum whipping boy, its tough to acknowledge when they do well (apparently). If Barnard had played that innings the plaudits would be audible from Edgbaston all the way to the Northampton border ;-)

I was quite happy when we signed him TBH as my memory of him for Lancs was a pretty positive one. He's out-performed my expectations in the CC but slightly underperformed them in the T20, where like I say his seeming insistence on being the quick scorer up front seems to have hampered his development as a cricketer. Even with that said, especially this season whilst he hasn't got a great weight of T20 runs he has absolutely fulfilled the assignment of scoring very quickly virtually every time and that is an asset for a team to have within a certain gameplan. Remember the Leicester team that won the first ever T20? role players was the key. If all Davies ever does in T20 is get 250-300 runs a season at SR165 and barely any 50s, thats doing a very good job in a certain role, its the Neil Carter role we should all recognise. It's just that, as he showed yesterday, he's better than that.

I really like watching him when he is on form as I love to watch the way he can manipulate it square and backward of square.

That last paragraph, the shot he played to from 40 to 44 was sublime. Shot of the day.

Andy wrote:

That last paragraph, the shot he played to from 40 to 44 was sublime. Shot of the day.

he seems to be at his best when he isn't going too hard at the ball and that was a great example

Interestingly in the T20 Tom Latham, who many here thought was a slow scorer actually had more runs, from the same number of Innings for a strike rate less than 3% slower.

Yes, Davies has done well in the two 50 over games, but that does not atone for the multitude of bad innings and bad decisions he has made before.

There are still massive areas of our play and selection that need massive improvement. It was very good to see how Ed Barnard led the team, especially his encouragement of Taz Ali wwhen he was bowling.

Two important questions about Rugby...

i) Is the field still open at the Chapple end there and available to run around on? I have my seven year old travelling up with me on Friday and be good to have a bit of a knock around on there.

ii) Someone mentioned no draft beer. Is there any alcohol available? In cans, etc? There was last year just wasn't very good. I need to factor in what I take myself for recovery after those run arounds...

The main playing field actually has space for two seperate games to be played at the same time and additional space as well, so there should be ample space behind the ring of seats surrounding the boundary.
As for the lack, or otherwise, of beer, it's not an issue for many people, especially if it's a very hot day, avoiding alcohol, especially if you ae driving is probably the wise decision.

I'm on the train - think I'll be OK.

Highveld wrote:

The main playing field actually has space for two seperate games to be played at the same time and additional space as well, so there should be ample space behind the ring of seats surrounding the boundary.
As for the lack, or otherwise, of beer, it's not an issue for many people, especially if it's a very hot day, avoiding alcohol, especially if you ae driving is probably the wise decision.

Hope you have a great day, the small bank by the roadway around the ground has some shade from the mature trees and a slightly elevated view of the ground, that's where I'd choose to sit.