I might be wrong, but I wouldn't be that surprised if Rhodes welcomed some weight being lifted from his shoulders. It's certainly looked a burden at times.

Forums are great places to exchange, or very simply air, views and opinions that often vary greatly. Disappointment in our chosen sporting team can often be described as negatively, and perhaps rightly so, who am I to say. My comments yesterday were a reflection on a day spent at Edgbaston watching a Warwickshire team that should have won the cricket game in which they were involved. They were not a reflection on players that weren't there, for whatever reason, or on the basis that we may not of progressed any further in this particular competition or that. We should have won due to a brave and impressive innings by Ethan Brooks, a cricketer who has never really impressed me but today did. Fantastic. We didn't win, in my opinion, because we managed the run chase poorly on the field with the current skipper directly involved and within the dressing room where either senior players coaches chose not to make simple and to my mind obvious changes to the batting line up. Just saying like.........
Up the Bears

Forums are great places to exchange, or very simply air, views and opinions that often vary greatly. Disappointment in our chosen sporting team can often be described as negatively, and perhaps rightly so, who am I to say. My comments yesterday were a reflection on a day spent at Edgbaston watching a Warwickshire team that should have won the cricket game in which they were involved. They were not a reflection on players that weren't there, for whatever reason, or on the basis that we may not of progressed any further in this particular competition or that. We should have won due to a brave and impressive innings by Ethan Brooks, a cricketer who has never really impressed me but today did. Fantastic. We didn't win, in my opinion, because we managed the run chase poorly on the field with the current skipper directly involved and within the dressing room where either senior players coaches chose not to make simple and to my mind obvious changes to the batting line up. Just saying like.........
Up the Bears

Poorly managed run chase on and off the field, Yates, Sibley, Shaikh (forgive the young man for trying to add some impetus) and Lamb all out to catches needlessly gifted. Then when Ethan Brooks has dragged the bears to the doorstep of an unlikely victory (with some support from his skipper who strangely chose to drop anchor for periods) the strangest decision of all. Why on earth do we choose to send in a 16 year old lad when we have got within 30/40 runs of victory, but balls are running out???
We had 3 strong fast bowlers, all capable, and proven with the bat and able clear the boundary and yet we (whoever we are) decide to expose this young lad, who has done a great job behind the stumps, to this pressure. The captain couldn't handle it, why did the decision makers think that young George Maddy could? In the end the game petered out ball by ball and Warwickshire raised little resistance. Somerset couldn't believe their luck.

Poorly managed run chase on and off the field, Yates, Sibley, Shaikh (forgive the young man for trying to add some impetus) and Lamb all out to catches needlessly gifted. Then when Ethan Brooks has dragged the bears to the doorstep of an unlikely victory (with some support from his skipper who strangely chose to drop anchor for periods) the strangest decision of all. Why on earth do we choose to send in a 16 year old lad when we have got within 30/40 runs of victory, but balls are running out???
We had 3 strong fast bowlers, all capable, and proven with the bat and able clear the boundary and yet we (whoever we are) decide to expose this young lad, who has done a great job behind the stumps, to this pressure. The captain couldn't handle it, why did the decision makers think that young George Maddy could? In the end the game petered out ball by ball and Warwickshire raised little resistance. Somerset couldn't believe their luck.

I applaud the optimism. Especially in regard to some of our young "prospects" but I still believe we have witnessed some awful performances in all formats this season and in so many cases self inflicted by decision making. Sometimes on the field, sometimes off and without doubt at times a combination of both. I even believe that some of our seemingly experienced players have been damaged by the experiences of this season. Some may have benefited from being away from Edgbaston already and I sincerely hope that others will benefit from being away in the future. We will see, but good luck to them. I do hope that Moeen will bring with him a greater level of expectation next season, far more ambition on the field and leadership that will be embraced by the club as a whole. If we see enough of him of course!

Where is Dan Mousley?

Might end up with egg on my face or a "told you so" response but I think he will do well. Proven at a very good level, seems to have a genuine appetite for the game and it will certainly good to see someone at the other end from OHD. Well done Bears for doing something! Doing nothing will always remain an option. Fingers crossed!

Good effort at the end of the day, a captains day as well!! Saying that our cricket at the moment needs to come with a severe health warning.
Well done Bears!

Agree with all of the Bristol assessment. It does become painfully obvious how difficult we find it to hit the boundary compared to the opposition. When Burgess went the Leicestershire commentator said that it was a result of the previous over and Burgess was forced to adopt a more aggressive approach, in fact it was the result of the previous 3 overs where Rhodes had appeared to shut down, giving away dot balls. Ironically Rhodes was then forced to try and adopt a similar level of aggression and perished in exactly the same way. Very disappointing but fair play to Leicestershire (and their seamer Wright, where did they find him) who having won the toss executed their game plan perfectly.

I'm generally the first to say conditions are the same for both sides but I think the toss was a huge win for the Foxes. All eleven of our players wilted in that sunshine as Leicestershire built this huge score. The scoreboard will help keep the home team fresh.

Look at the last ball of the day! That is the ball we should of been bowling for the previous 10 overs, that's how you bowl to tailenders, no ifs or buts or we are far to clever to bowl yorkers, we bowl "back of a length". I have said before that I find this season incredibly frustrating and annoying, some of the on field decisions have cost us points and matches.

Absolutely, Rhodes has to put his hand up. He appeared oblivious to the situation that was unfolding and not for the first time.

Last 10 overs are difficult to explain. This really should never have been a contest, I find it difficult to criticise individuals because I have said before that it is a problem with management, coaching and unfortunately captaincy. It's very frustrating! Even RW on commentary was imploring Rhodes to be more pro active. It would have needed very little in on field management to have ensured that this contest was way beyond Surrey.

They lost the one before that as well, when he was in the side and was out shouldering arms!

The umpires this morning have done us no favours and have contributed massively to our demise today but the position we find ourselves in is not down to these two wise men. These situations have been occurring all season, promising bowling performances exposed by an inability to take the last 3 or 4 wickets, promising starts (all too infrequent) that we have been unable to capitalise on and too many 45 for 3 first hours of day one. I still feel that we have some really competitive individuals but we lack the leadership on and off the field that gives us momentum, desire, hunger and expectation. Body language is absolutely dreadful and sessions, of what we would have called hard cricket, are difficult to recall. I am not sure that we can save ourselves ( or deserve to do so) but if we can a few people should be having a long hard chat with themselves and asking how this has been allowed to happen.

I actually believe that we have some fine players and when mindset and application is right we bat genuinely deep but mindset and application is most definitely not right. What a very fine prospect Yeats looked last year and yet he is quickly set aside whilst Davies seems bulletproof, despite suicidal dismissal after suicidal dismissal. Sibley is Sibley and at very least should be the glue to many of our innings, Hain is a very fine batsman and yet seems to bat strangely at times? In the nineties yesterday and refusing singles, what was that all about. Lamb, Mousley, Benjamin, Burgess even Henry Brooks all should be offering valuable contributions as should Rhodes, why are we not using Hose? It's our apparent lack of purpose, urgency, application and desire that concerns me. The Bears have just scored over 200 in 20 overs 6/7 times this season and yet we struggle to get past two an over in the four day game. Something is a long way from right in our dressing room and in our coaching and management set up.

I actually believe that we have some fine players and when mindset and application is right we bat genuinely deep but mindset and application is most definitely not right. What a very fine prospect Yeats looked last year and yet he is quickly set aside whilst Davies seems bulletproof, despite suicidal dismissal after suicidal dismissal. Sibley is Sibley and at very least should be the glue to many of our innings, Hain is a very fine batsman and yet seems to bat strangely at times? In the nineties yesterday and refusing singles, what was that all about. Lamb, Mousley, Benjamin, Burgess even Henry Brooks all should be offering valuable contributions as should Rhodes, why are we not using Hose? It's our apparent lack of purpose, urgency, application and desire that concerns me. The Bears have just scored over 200 in 20 overs 6/7 times this season and yet we struggle to get past two an over in the four day game. Something is a long way from right in our dressing room and in our coaching and management set up.

Couldn't agree more, ridiculous decion but it serves them right they've no chance of getting into Division 2 now! They'll be forced to play another season in Division 1, whereas The Bears ...............

Even taking this game in isolation, consider where we were at lunch on day one, to the position we now find ourselves in at tea on day three, and that includes losing an entire session. It takes some doing!