This sounds horrific. What are these random red ball games to be be played outside of the CC in August all about?!

Thursday is a decent one, likewise Sunday. Chuck a Saturday evening game in there too like we did in 2017.

There should definitely be more Blaat games on Friday nights.

Agree they can't all be Fridays but this year we only had 2 home Blast games on Friday nights.

Very strong Bears side v an inexperienced Essex side. Very different from last week where we saw a particularly weak Bears 2's face up to a very experienced Northants team.

Think Arthur still very seems himself as a coach as opposed to a Director of Cricket.

A very good coach he is too. Doing a good job at Derby to be fair, turned an absolute bunch of no hopers into a passable, hard to beat outfit in a matter of months despite losing their best player (Critchley).

Wonder if he'll play in tandem with Briggs or instead of? Briggs has been a bit poor.

Pretty strong Northants side

I think he did good work at recreational level, strengthened links between clubs and county. I think he was a lot more invested in the academy than Giles was. It could still be better though.

I suspect him and Robbo didn't see eye to eye, Robinson maybe wasn't his first choice, just a hunch. And some of the recruitment has been pretty dodgy.

He definitely divides opinion, many who work at the club speak well of him.

Pretty big news. Never really felt like he would be in it for the long haul though.

Johal signed a 3 year deal in April didn't he?

Right I've printed it off and filled it in, where am I sending too?

Where is this thing we can sign? Is it the Lancs Action Group thing?

Dreadful decision at the toss I mean it must incredibly flat if Pieter Malan can get runs...

Both good. However neither would been available for the Somerset game.

He's always impressed whenever I've seen him, nice to have someone who has atleast played a decent amount of international cricket.

Brilliant win, we fielded so well in the last 10 overs there.

Yeah them 2 were great at the end, Lamb seems to have his timing back and Kai looked very inventive.

I was cordially up for the City/Region based comp in the UK years back when the all the talk began.

I figured that 6 regional based sides competing in a T20 comp over a short period (3 weeks?) featuring quality overseas stars with the England players available would be a worthwhile watch. The 6 sides would all have a 'homegrown' core, for example a Midlands based squad of say 17 would be made up of 14 players from Warks/Worcs/Northants and then 3 absolute quality overseas players. Something generally along those lines.

The Midlands teams home games would be played at Edgbaston/New Road/Wantage Road, take the comp around the counties, have all counties involved, all grounds involved etc. The Regional based teams would still have a homegrown, local feel. Something like that.

Could still play the CC or One Day Cup alongside it but they'd be no situation where some counties are missing 10 or 12 players and other counties arent missing any to the Regional based comp unlike the current set up which uses a draft/auction type way of making up squads (pretty average looking squads as far I can tell from looking at the Hundred website too I might add...). For example this Birmingham Phoenix team has a distinct lack of locally based players in it.

They lost me with this hundred ball concept though and other rule tweaks. Not to mention having 8 sides based at 8 grounds and shunning the other 10. Its a blatant cash grab.

I just don't get it.

I'll pass on going to a game, this website had better blow my mind...

I really like T20 cricket and I quite enjoy the franchise leagues have done for a long time and originally i wasn't against the idea of a city based T20 comp in the UK, but I just don't get why all these people who didn't want to see/watch cricket have been so enticed so quickly by the Hundred?! I've seen bits and pieces on TV, I've not had my back turned entirely. It doesn't look anything special. I saw a game the other day where Dwayne Bravo batted no. 4 (he hasn't batted that high in years) and Garton and Stoinis opened the bowling. I mean if that's the standard...

What sort of experience are they getting at the Hundred then, what's different?

I think the Blast has definitely been very welcoming for a very long time, loads of stuff for kids, families etc