Play due to start at Derby and Leicester in about 30 minutes. Any news from Edgbaston?

Derbys played in the park at Chesterfield - we played there in 1994 - the heavens opened at the interval casusing the game to be abandoned

mad wrote:

And yet for two seasons running now we've had Warwickshire send teams to club grounds to play a Warwickshire or Birmingham League select XI in a warm up game of sorts for the T20 and/or 50 overs comp.

Not all that difficult to transition from that to a full first class or List A fixture surely

For a warm up game the club would not be having to take in to account spectator facilities or admissions including seating and car parking

Same umpire's got Bethell - looks to me a bit dodgy. I get the impression if it hits the pads it's out. One or two in the Derby innings looked generous for us

RoyMcC wrote:

Exiled Bear wrote:

That’s a poor LBW decision for Burgess.
Appalling, wouldn't have hit an extra set.

Agreed !!

South-Coast-exile wrote:

In 1960 when age 12 living in Nuneaton, I strolled to Griff and Coton to watch Warwickshire in my first County Championship game, being immediately hooked. Games at Coventry Courtaulds, many others at Griff and then schoolboy visits to what became my temple, Edgbaston. I was a Member for years until moving to the South Coast and now follow every ball, either by the excellent live stream or on ESPN Crickinfo. A lifetime of enjoyment (mostly) and I am a proud Warwickshire man in Hampshire, who refuses all offers of going to the soulless Rose Bowl. When living in Nuneaton 20 miles from Edgbaston, without out ground cricket it is unlikely I would ever have caught the Bears Bug, I even had Country Membership which no longer exists and there was always a huge following in Nuneaton. No out ground matches and this following cannot be nurtured, a following which take it from me lasts a lifetime,

I think it was under the leadership of Povey that saw the demise of the county membership as well as imposing a massive increase for retired persons if they wanted to be able to use the new members' lounge. It would be interesting to know how these moves impacted on membership figures

It must be a real joy to be there sitting amongst the die hard Worcs supporters.

Not a bad start for the Bears - 18-4

GerryShedd wrote:

Malc wrote:

Great day at Neath yesterday. I think I saw the future! Ben Kellaway of Glamorgan. He took Worcestershire apart last week and was stunning today with bat and ball. Very impressive for a young lad.

Looks a great prospect, though I can't get used to the idea of watching a cricketer who was born as recently as 2004.

With comments like that please can we have a "like" button !!

Was it a catch or was it not. Well all I would say is take a look at the scorecard

Game slipping away from us. Need some wickets and need them soon. Booth certainly got a hammering

GerryShedd wrote:

From the Glamorgan site re conditions at Neath:
TRAVEL - There is no public car parking available at the ground. There are independent carparks located throughout the town.
The closest car park to the ground is the NEATH MSCP located at Prince of Wales Dr, Neath SA11 3BY. NEATH TRAIN STATION is also just a 5-10 minute walk away from the ground.
SEATING - Seating for all our home fixtures is unallocated, so you can choose your view of the action! Glamorgan will provide a large amount of seating at the ground, however, you can bring your own seating should you wish.
FOOD AND DRINK - A number of catering options will be available at food units around the ground. There will also be bar facilities serving alcoholic and soft drinks. Food and drink will be provided in partnership with NEATH ROUNDTABLE.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY - We will not admit those who are visibly drunk and we have breathalysers in place to check.

I like the last bit about being potentially breathalysed in order to get into the ground.

I bet the car park costs as much as the entrance fee for the match!!

Andy wrote:

Never been keen on finals day, 120 overs on the same pitch all on 1 day always feels a bit excessive to me. It's such a long day. Never been keen on teams scraping 4th in the group and shithousing their way to the title either. Felt weird in 2014 when we did it. Just doesn't sit right with me. I feel it can be incredibly demanding from a logistical perspective for some travelling fans too, particularly those from down south.

I appreciate and respect its popularity though.

A day of 8th in div1 v 2nd in div2 and 1st v 2nd of Div 1, just 2 games in one day might be OK.

I'd ideally want the winner of the top division to be the winner of the Blast outright though.

It works very well in Rugby where the top teams have a play off to see which team is overall winner and can easily be the team that finished 4th in the league. It's the same in football with the playoff to see who gets promoted. What has been suggested here is the teams that finish top in their respective division go automatically to Finals Day.
As for your comment about the same pitch being used throughout the day - 120 overs maximum is surely not excessive as that used to be the norm back last century for CC games.
Having been to all the Edgbaston and Trent Bridge finals day up to the year we won it (so most times as a neutral!) I found it a most enjoyable day out. Long may it continue IMO

Andy wrote:

2 division Blast is so clearly the best idea. Home and away fixtures, each team plays each other twice, 16 games. Can market the top division as the English Premier League or whatever. Wouldn't even need to have Finals Day and knockouts, the team who wins the EPL will be the best side and will be worthy winners. Play it throughout the duration of the season with games on Fridays and/or Sundays only, each game would be a proper event. Everyone knows where they are and what the craic is. Can even have a Gillette Soccer Saturday style show on TV that provides updates from each ground. The relegation/promotion element would be huge. It really would capture the imagination.

Why would you want to do away with Finals Day? The one day when Edgbaston is full for a domestic game with a tremendous atmosphere.
It would make sense to have a reserve day for every game too.

Mad states what follows the hundread has to satisfy all 18 counties. Well what satisfies all 18 counties already exists - the Blast. The season just needs contructing in a better way so that CC is played throughout the summer alongside the T20. Also the 50 over competition needs to appear more meaningful.

Crowds at the Hundread must contain a lot of free tickets IMO

Looks like the Bears' Pair are doing the business for England - 7 of the 8 wickets down by Mo and Wo!

GerryShedd wrote:

Wading through the River Rea and climbing the wall works for me.

Sounds to me like a trip down memory lane for you all to save a tanner!!

Just had an email from Edgbaston telling me the Hundread first game has sold out!! I find it hard to believe that 25000 tickets have been sold in advance of this game.

paulbear wrote:

Yes they did but the amount of runners-up medals that they have mounted up over the years is huge including 3 in 2010. I have lost count of the amount of 2nd's they have 'Achieved'.

Just read they won the T20 in 2005 and since then lost on Finals Day 7 times!

Paul I have to agree - however it looks as if Somerset are on top against Surrey. Hopefully they can pull it off