Frustrating result, clearly. Can't really disagree too much with people are saying here. Team selection does look a little odd on reflection. Looking at the XI I think we were maybe anticipating another flat pitch?
Wicketkeeper situation needs sorting, I've warmed to Davies a bit as I think he's really trying and has shown a lot of commitment but keeping/captaining/opening just won't do. I'm reluctant to get too critical, we're fighting hard, Hampshire just played really well this weekend.

That was very high, these umpires have been poor all game for both sides,they don't know what their giving.

Umpire gave that out so quickly...

Agreed

Weird having been at the ground all day, honestly was very gloomy at around 11am midday, really rather cold too, then ended up looking at an outfield bathed in sunshine from half 3 onwards. Great fightback after tea, we may still end up having too much to do though. It's definitely harder under the clouds, there is a bit more nip, and irrespective of the overheads there is a little bit of uneven bounce developing. Beau bowled really well. Not just a hit the deck guy, he can get it to wobble a bit.

With regards to Hampshire, is Abbott the best bowler on the circuit? Quick, without being express, he seems to quicken up off the pitch. Nip. He get wickets every spell and is such a force he almost masks how average the guy the other end might be bowling. He has the ability to get 3 or 4 wickets a session, great strike rate, and he's so miserly too. New ball or old. Attacks the stumps, must get loads bowled or LBW. He's carrying that Hampshire attack right now. Such a menace.

99 for 5 showing some fight here...

Not first class. Sometimes they are, these games, but not this one.

white-lightning wrote:

I think we haven't had much luck - lost the toss, then clear and sunny for Hampshire to bat most of yesterday. We've batted mostly in gloomy conditions. Now at 194 all out the weather has gone sunny just in time for Hampshire to start their second innings shortly!

Fair comment, no doubt when the clouds are in its a different game at Edgbaston this season.

Blinder from Davies just, don't think it carries to slip.

202/7 to 300 all out is a really good effort, no doubt, I even said yesterday they probably got 25 or 30 more than they might have. But it's not not "total and utter rubbish" from us like has been said previously, come on, its a bit over the top, we'd have taken 300a/o on day1 after losing the toss under them overheads...look at scores from other games it happens loads. My gripe is that we don't do it to other teams anywhere near as much as we should.

GerryShedd wrote:

Whilst I don't disagree too much, I wonder if "cleaning up a tail" is less common than it used to be. Gone are the days when an Eric Hollies (or, for that matter, a Mark Robinson) was a walking wicket. Most tail-enders these days have at least some pretensions to batting skill; and if the ball is old and the pitch favourable to batting, wickets are not easy to come by.

Exactly. Look at James Minto up at Durham today, in as nightwatchmen last night, 67* at lunch today. Kyle Abbott made 67 for Hants last week. Surrey has seemingly been 140-6 for 3 years and would end up 360 a/o and winning titles. 9/10/11 ain't mugs now. Worcestershire tail added very good runs yesterday. We definitely could have bowled better, but credit where its due. People are living in the dark ages where it used to 6 or 7 out, all out.

As has been said however, hope we do a bit of it today!

paulbear wrote:

Total and utter bloody rubbish. One minute we are in charge and by the end of the day it is them who look forward to 11 am tomorrow. Our failure to wipe out the tail has let Hampshire in with an opportunity to gain the advantage. Do bowlers not bowl 'Yorkers' anymore? I would now sooner be in their position as we appear to have given them the upper hand. How often did we have little meetings that seemed to point to a little bit of "So what do we do now". What could have been a good day has seen us hand over the initiative with some mindless cricket. Don't give tailenders any room to hit as it it's what they like, give them a few round the ears, not 'nice line and length bowling'. A poor day really.

I think this is a bit OTT and kneejerk but yeah I get the frustration, today could have been so different.

BosworthBear wrote:

Went on the square at lunch time and ground staff were telling me how dry the wicket was. Said something like 200k litres of water put on it but the drainage is so good it just takes it away.

Said they tried to prepare this wicket differently to make it more lively and left it until late.
A good effort by our bowlers but I guess spin more and more vital as game goes on.

I've heard Barwell (and other head groundsman tbf) complain that adverse weather has hampered pitch preparation, now the weathers too dry?!

I do think Kai has a long way to go with the gloves at the moment (I said during the winter he'll need to improve fast), you'd like to think he'll get there though. As a pure gloveman I think even Dandy in the academy is better right now. I must stress im a huge fan of Kai Smith. But at the same time I'm not comfortable with Davies captaining/keeping and opening, it just won't do. It's gonna hurt the team in the long run if he alone struggles in all 3 roles.

Surely we're asking to Latham to take the gloves soon and bat 5? If its not gonna be Kai, it can't be Davies.

Goodness me skipper...

Yates one might have been clipping leg, was iffy though. Wheal got a shocker. More questionable umpiring.

Feel like they've got 20 or 30 more than they might have...

Tough little session now.

Terrible decision on Brad Wheal then!

If Smith isn't gonna keep he'll be missing out you'd think.

He was already doing that for us though in the Blast. Just everybody knows about it now because he did it in the Hundred.

To echo what's been previously said, he looks like a bit of a 'bits and pieces' cricketer in red ball at the moment, he can give you some ok overs, he's probably not good enough to bat in the top 5 but he's a nice player to have coming in at 6 or 7 so...

Feel like the Hundred hinders him, feel like he'd benefit hugely from batting in the top 4 for us in the ODC and building an innings. Instead he goes the Hundred, faces a few balls and barely bowls...

Having said this he has huge potential and he he does strike me as the sort of player who once he does get that first ton might get on a bit of a roll.

Seems to get out bowled or LBW a lot which suggests that if you just bowl straight at him he'll miss one.

He's down the pecking order for our 4day side for now though...