Essex say:
Essex County Cricket Club hereby gives 14 days notice of a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held on Wednesday 24 September 2025...
The meeting will disclose how the Club has voted on the proposed structural changes to the County Championship (if such vote has taken place by the time of the SGM). Subject to a vote having taken place, the Membership present at the meeting will be asked to vote on the following statement as petitioned;
The Members have confidence in the Committee given the way it voted on the county cricket schedule proposals.

Yes we should wish him well and send him on his way with thanks for all his T20 wickets.

As he was running in to bowl, Ed Barnard was probably thinking: "If I mess this up, what will those so-and-sos on Bearsfans say about me?"

paulbear wrote:

Not sure what sharp practices are going on at The Oval, but Lawrence has 'Dissected' the field by all accounts from what one of the commentators said. Really don't think cricketers should be taking scalpels onto the field.

That's a candidate for what used to be Colemanballs in Private Eye.

We won’t be watching Sibley bat for two days.

Jacob says here what we all knew:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/ckg3dlj5n7go

The fact that the new Head of Media has not yet started (or been announced) is still causing problems on basic matters such as the Surrey match preview. Let's hope that the new person gets a grip on things quickly.

Preview from the Surrey perspective (with their squad), with a bit about Warwickshire added from Brian Halford:
https://www.kiaoval.com/surrey-v-warwickshire-full-preview-4/

paulbear wrote:

Gerry, you appear to know too much about witchcraft and Warlocks and now I am scared. What next, all the seats to be black and strange looking people in robes and capes, dotted about the ground during T20 games.

Yes, all of the above!
I played cricket a few times at Burley in the New Forest. The ground is on the edge of the forest and New Forest ponies are likely to wander onto the outfield.
I discovered that the village was a centre of witchcraft. One of the characters who lived there was Sybil Leek. She used to walk around the village in her long black cloak with her pet jackdaw, named Mr Hotfoot Jackson, sitting on her left shoulder. Although she is long gone, maybe her ghost (with Mr Hotfoot Jackson) could pay a visit to the Edgbaston ground.

As for the curse of Edgbaston, if it exists then maybe we need to find a way of lifting it.
We need to contact one or more male witches ("warlocks", I hear you say - but they do exist) and get them to perform an exorcism on the square at Edgbaston. The half hour before midnight is the ideal time for "good" magic; and all the best warlocks and witches prefer to perform their rituals "skyclad" or naked.
I'm not sure if tickets could be sold and/or whether Sky would be interested in the broadcast rights but it's worth a try.

The only T20 innings ever at Taunton not to include a six.

Somerset's preview here:
https://somersetcountycc.co.uk/news/first-xi/vitality-blast-quarter-final-preview-somerset-v-bears/
They have messed up a bit on what they say about our overseas players; but interesting that they say:
"Reaching a fifth successful quarter final is a notable effort in itself."

Surprise- he’s in our squad for the quarter final.

It looks as though the ECB may be edging closer to getting what they want. In The Cricketer, George Dobell reports:
Mark McCafferty, the chair of the Professional Game Committee (PGC), outlined both the outcome of recent discussions over the schedule and the timeframe of next steps.
"It was very apparent from the discussions at the September 2 meeting that the Championship 1 version with 10 regular season matches plus three final series matches enjoyed the greatest support and that this should be the proposal that was taken forward,"
"We will issue a final email and voting paper w/c Monday, September 15 that will allow all 18 PCCs to indicate their final preference."
It is not clear, at this stage, if the vote will pass. Several counties have told their members they will not support any cut in the Championship schedule and, if the vote is not passed (it requires a two-thirds majority), the current 14-match season will remain in place. 
But proponents of the plan are increasingly confident. They believe they have 11 votes secured at this stage and believe there is scope for further persuasion at three or four other counties. It is hard to envisage Surrey, Somerset or Middlesex voting for the option.

Mr Cain in his email to members says:
“I know that discussions about changes to the domestic schedule have been a concern for some and welcomed by others. To reflect this, and the ongoing pressure on household finances, we won’t be increasing prices for 2026. You will still be able to watch all Bears Men’s and Women’s cricket and receive the normal range of benefits.
“We will also continue to take county cricket deep into the county and improve the facilities on and off-the-field at the Rugby Cricket Festival."
If he is talking about members' reactions to the proposed changes, I wonder where he found the "others" who have welcomed the changes.

It looks like 14 Championship matches will be the most likely option for next year:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c5yvpxx7344o

He's coming on loan for the last three Championship games:
https://edgbaston.com/news/gilchrist-moves-to-wccc-on-loan/

We could plagiarise Philip Larkin's famous poem about mums and dads and modify it to:
"They f*ck you up, those franchise leagues.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they have
And throw in some extra just for you."

It would appear that the PCA are not planning strike action but Daryl Mitchell, their CEO, informed a meeting of county chairs at Lord's that three county CEOs had suggested the players should strike in a bid to push through change. So it's those CEOs who are the real villains. Who could they be? Obviously not those of Surrey, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Somerset, Kent, Derbyshire Gloucestershire or Essex, which narrows it down a bit.

Surrey, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Somerset, Kent, Derbyshire and Essex have said they are uncomfortable with a cut in the number of Championship fixtures. Gloucestershire are prepared to accept a cut but do not like the current suggestion of a bottom division of just six teams.
That leaves those wanting a cut well short of the two-thirds majority required to make a change.