GerryShedd
Super Moderator
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.
A bit of a rant by George Dobell in The Cricketer, arguing that Jacob should be back with Warwickshire scoring runs in county matches which at the moment would benefit his career much more than playing one-day cricket for England.
Yes, sad that he has never quite fulfilled his potential.
To be fair to OH-D, he has to represent the views of his members, who not surprisingly have voted for less work for the same money.
Not sure why there is nothing about this on the Club website or anywhere in UK based publications:
https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Sep-2025/warwickshire-and-lahore-qalandars-announce-long-term-global-venture
As a total aside from the discussion about Warwickshire's out-grounds, I was sad to read about the demise of the St Helen's ground in Swansea.
Today is the 57th anniversary of Sir Garfield Sobers hitting six sixes in an over there– and the last day that a cricket match will be played on the historic ground.
paulbear wrote:
Freddie Calthorpe, he was captain and a decent allrounder, distantly related to Henry Blofeld.
Freddie Calthorpe guarantees that Jacob Bethell won't be the luckiest Warwickshire player ever to captain England - he was captain on a tour to West Indies in 1929/30 when, in one Test, England had a first innings lead of 563 and Freddie decided not to enforce the follow on. Then it rained and the tour party had to catch the boat home. Freddie took just one Test wicket and with the bat averaged 18 in his four Tests.
Apparently, plans to sell the Kenilworth Wardens ground for housing have been shelved and the Club plans to focus on improving the existing facilities.
It's many years since I played there so I don't have a clear memory of it other than it was a nice ground to play on.
In the latest edition of The Cricketer, Richard Gibson reports that:
"Warwickshire continue to discuss the potential for developing a second ground in the county to relieve some of the pressure on the square at Edgbaston. Pickwick CC in neighbouring Moseley has been mooted as it would mean keeping cricket in the Birmingham suburbs, maintaining accessibility for supporters."
I'm sure I don't need to point out the conflict between "in the county" and "in the Birmingham suburbs".
As is so often the case, members and supporters don't seem to have been consulted. Has the Members' Committee discussed this?
Further developments - The Cricketer reports:
"Plans circulated by the ECB suggest that, if the counties agree to a cut in the number of County Championship games, they will effectively be compensated by an increase in the number of games in the 50-over competition. At present, each county is guaranteed to host four ODC matches with scope for further games if sides achieve a home quarter or semi-final. For counties which do not host Hundred games, this can result in as few as four days of cricket at their grounds in August.
The new plans would guarantee each team a minimum of five home games. This would see the counties split into three groups of six and playing the other five in their group home and away."
Not bribery by the ECB, of course.