GerryShedd
Super Moderator
The Cricketer has pointed out that from the beginning of June, players in the last year of their contract can talk to other counties.
They have mentioned:
"Among those nearing the end of their contracts are Gloucestershire and England Lions seamers Ajeet Singh Dale and Zaman Akhter, both of whom are understood by The Cricketer to have interested suitors beyond Bristol should they choose to move on, while Kent pair Tawanda Muyeye and Nathan Gilchrist are also likely to be in demand should they opt not to remain at Canterbury.
Kasey Aldridge, the Somerset allrounder and another who has represented England Lions, is currently on loan at Durham for the T20 Blast and is expected to have plenty of takers should his future lie beyond Taunton. It is also anticipated that Shoaib Bashir will move on from Somerset."
Warwickshire are mentioned in this article about where Bashir may go - " While no approach has yet been made, Surrey - where Bashir played his age-group cricket - could be a potential suitor, as could Warwickshire and Worcestershire."
Personally, I think it's unlikely; but who knows?
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/shoaib-bashir-set-to-leave-somerset-when-contract-expires-1488763
According to The Cricketer, Warwickshire are keen to sign Australian spinner Corey Rocchiccioli for the next four County Championship matches.
Rocchiccioli, 27, plays his state cricket for Western Australia and featured for Australia A against England Lions over the winter.
Warwickshire are set to sign him up for the four Kookaburra matches in June and July.
I understand that the Worcestershire match will be Clive Eakin's farewell as a commentator.
Apparently, Keith Cook has been made an Honorary Life Vice President of the ECB - one of only six people to receive this honour.
A knighthood can only be a step away!
Sad to hear of the passing of Robert Brooke, a Warwickshire man through and through, who wrote (amongst other books) The Fields Were Sudden Bare, the excellent biography of Frank Foster.
He had just reached his 85th birthday.
The Cricketer is suggesting that one (or both) of Bamber and Booth may be rested for the Surrey game because of their workload so far.
It looks as though neither Latham nor Hain is certain to play - Hain because of his back and Latham because the state of his hand has to be assessed now he has arrived.
I know that we don't usually cover women's cricket on here: but here is my colleague Jamie Ramage's season preview of the Warwickshire women's team:
https://deepextracover.com/2025/04/warwickshire-women-season-preview-2025/
According to George Dobell in The Cricketer, Dan Mousley and OH-D both needed scans on hand injuries but will be fit for Friday's game. Chris Woakes has an ankle injury and won't be fit until the Yorkshire game (earliest), which is when Latham may also arrive.
Hamza Shaikh will bat at three and Kai Smith will keep wicket and bat at seven.
Fernando will be available to join the bowling attack and Ethan Bamber will also make his Bears debut.
Jacob Bethell is tied up with the IPL so is not available.
Chris Rushworth has a calf problem and is unlikely to be fit for a while.
The only question seems to be whether Danny Briggs will play as a spinner or, if not, who will be added to the pace attack - maybe Michael Booth.
So it looks like:
Davies and Yates to open (sorry, Highveld), Shaikh, Hain, Mousley, Barnard, K. Smith, Briggs or Booth, Fernando, Bamber and OH-D.
Brian Halford has just launched his new podcast with an episode featuring OH-D:
https://www.reportsfromarbroath.com/podcasts/olly-hannon-dalby-its-a-strange-life-but-i-love-it
There's quite a sad article in the latest edition of The Cricketer where ex-Bear Dermot Reeve laments his twenty years of drug taking.
He claims to have had only two "brief" relapses in the last six years; but one of these, as described by him, certainly wasn't minor: "My third wife was unwell...and I took a huge quantity of cocaine....I gambled away our entire savings in online casinos....My wife left me."
His third marriage in 2019 had seemed like a happy story - his wife Nicola was the granddaughter of old Warwickshire steward Billy Carson. Maybe there has been a reconciliation but he doesn't say.
He says several times that he hopes that his story will deter others - "I hope it convinces at least one person not to go down the road I went down."
Let's hope he can steer clear of that road himself from now on.
Probably only relevant to any London-based Bears - but Jonathan Trott will be speaking to The Cricket Society on the afternoon of Tuesday, 6th May at the Union Jack Club in London.
Tickets are available on the Cricket Society website.
You win some, you lose some:
https://edgbaston.com/fixtures/first-xi/warwickshire-v-essex-friendly-15-march/#match-match-reports
Not sure if anyone on here would have known him; but the Club's Facebook page says:
"We're shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Warwickshire fan Leonard Hall and his wife Pat following a fire at their home in Rugby.
Leonard was a life-long Bear.
We helped him celebrate his 96th birthday here last year. 🥰
A lovely man."
There have been rumours that the BBC radio coverage of county cricket was under threat. In fact, the only loss will be the One Day Cup which will not be covered.
The Cricketer reports:
"Every day of County Championship and T20 Blast cricket will again be available.The only change sees the One-Day Cup group stage, which since 2021 has clashed with The Hundred competitions, lost from the schedule."
The Cricketer also points out:
"The move comes as counties themselves continue to shift from using the BBC commentary for their live streams, instead preferring perhaps a more favourable in-house team. The quality and sophistication of streams have exploded in recent years - significantly so since the pandemic - and last summer saw 30 million views across the 18 first-class counties."
And the contract for supplying ridiculously over-priced food goes to...
https://edgbaston.com/news/edgbaston-agrees-new-food-supply-deal-with-fordhall-farm-event-caterers/
It looks like Claire Daniel is moving on so there is a vacancy to be filled:
https://edgbaston.com/news/job-vacancy-operations-director/
He seems almost to have made the grade but not quite:
https://edgbaston.com/news/amir-khan-leaves-warwickshire/
No sign that another county has picked him up yet, which is a shame.
We all have a moan on here from time to time about how the Club is run. Here is a chance to get more involved:
https://edgbaston.com/news/members-committee-vacancy-2/
Unfortunately, I am over the age limit but maybe there's someone else on here who has the time and the commitment.