Highveld wrote:

Link for live scores etc https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#m0796bd99-4803-485f-bad9-37ab9ec70506

Anyone else find it concerning that Sam Hain is missing the fourth game in a row?

Agreed Highveld, Sam Hain's continued absence is a real worry. I'd assumed he would be playing in this game given that he turned out for the seconds earlier in the week but clearly not. Wishing him well, whatever the issue is.

Great to see that Sam Hain is in the team for the delayed match against Lancs; hopefully a positive sign that he may be back in action for the first team soon ... although if the top three keep going the way they are his presence may not be necessary! Interesting too to see that two Flintoffs are playing for Lancs:

https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#m95fcca02-3916-4fad-bd22-aa9c50cf3edf

Don't think Pope played for Renegades so perhaps not him anyway!

Kane Richardson played for the Renegades and I don't think is involved in the IPL - could it be him? There was talk of a second bowler being lined up, subject to clearance.

I agree that Briggs ought to be left out of the red ball team. Sadly, I don't think his place can be justified and the fact that Yates is bowling far more than he is suggests that Davies doesn't have much confidence either. Perhaps he has a future still in white ball, but I'm not convinced by his red ball credentials and I'd suggest we focus on the likes of Yates, Bethell and Mousley, although I too would like to see Lintott given a chance too.

One other option might be to see if either Hartley or Bashir could come on loan; neither are getting a game at Lancs or Somerset at the moment, despite their efforts in the Indian Tests.

We were lucky to come out of that with a draw - definitely second best in every department I'm afraid. Our bowling looked largely toothless and Briggs in particular bowled poorly yesterday; I know he would have been rusty buy bowling 7 wides didn't help.
Not for the first time, we seemingly have no plan B when it comes to an OSP, and although I know the IPL and T20 merry go round does restrict options, Worcs seem to have pulled off two excellent signings so why have we been left wanting? I don't think Michael Booth is classified as overseas, or at least Playfair doesn't have him listed as an overseas player.
Don't know what the issue is with Sam Hain but whatever it is, I am sure we all wish him well and hope he can return to the ranks at the very earliest opportunity.

Great shame, has always struck me as a wholehearted and committed captain, and an overall thoroughly decent chap. He didn't always get it right - who does - and he lead us to an unlikely Championship title which to me will be his legacy.

I hope he refinds his form which looked to be coming back towards the end of the season, and I hope he stays with us when his contract is up.

A very fair assessment, although my overall score was not as generous as yours! As you said, we really do need to get a quality OSP who can ideally stick around for most, if not all, of the summer. It's been hard to keep on top of the merry go round of players coming and going over recent years, with few sticking in the memory for the right reasons. Hasan Ali was an obvious exception to that rule but as Pakistan are touring next year I suspect we will not get him, or at least if we do it will only be for part of the summer.

24-4, looks like a good toss to lose!

Andy wrote:

He's made a ton against the friendliest of friendly bowling remember.

... that's putting it mildly - I had a look at some of the video highlights and there were a huge number of pies being chucked, presumably to set up a run chase. I recon even I could have scored a few runs against that attack!

I agree, Barnard is lucky to be in the team and has been a disappointment this season. Davies is hit and miss, probably more miss than hit, but can't see any realistic alternative.

What a shambles again today, 43 runs and six wickets lost this morning against a team fighting against relegation. Embarrassing.

Glad you enjoyed it BR, and hopefully your son will now be converted! The point around Henry Brookes is reflective of a wider issue in my opinion, too many of our young bowlers simply don't progress, in fact quite the opposite. I'm thinking not just about HB but also about the likes of Garrett and Johal who once promised a lot but seem to have gone backwards. Even Lintott doesn't seem to be the force that he once was in T20, perhaps the opposition batters have worked him out?
I really hope HB can turn it around, he's still young enough but perhaps he's just not getting the right nurturing and a change of club might, sadly, be best all round. For now, his confidence must be shot to pieces and he needs resting for his own sake.

GG appears to have joined the ranks of players out on loan by playing for Glamorgan seconds today.

Hoping he'll return 'at some stage' doesn't sound good at all; very worrying news for him and us. Let's hope it's not as bad as it sounds, and hope too that management move quickly to find a quality overseas bowler to replace Hassan Ali, otherwise our bowling resources are going to be very stretched.

Let's hope he stays put - I wouldn't have thought that Lancs or Yorks really needed another wicket keeper, and in any event, surely Yorkshire would be a lot less attractive an option than the Bears at the moment? Interesting that he's gone on loan to Sussex, where Paul Farbrace is now in situ, having presumably played a part in his non-selection here last year!

The fans on the Durham forum seem to be universally gutted by his departure, he id clearly extremely popular and the sense I get is that he is a strong and positive influence both on and off the pitch. He may be in the twilight of his career but I think his recruitment could prove to be far more positive than might appear at first blush.

Agreed UM - very fair and balanced, although I though a score of 4 out of 10 was erring on the generous side!

Just about recovered after nearly crashing the car yesterday listening to the last few overs...amazing stuff and what a thrilling end to an otherwise forgettable season, almost trumped the feeling of winning the Championship last year! Take a bow Liam Norwell, who will forever be a Bears hero from now on, let's hope he manages to stay injury-free next year and beyond.

I think GS made some excellent points about giving credit to others; I'd add Dom Sibley to the list, despite his impending departure he showed commitment right to the end, he'll be missed and hard to replace. Although I can think of at least one poster on here who would doubtless disagree, I'd also add Yates and Davis to the list too. Both had otherwise pretty miserable seasons but they each contributed to this win, Yates with a fabulous century and Davis who, given that fact that only two extras were conceded in Hants second innings, must have done a half decent job keeping wicket.

How much worse can this get! I hate to say it, but I think we not only deserve to be relegated but it might actually be a good thing to do so in order to rebuild a team that looks to be currently totally devoid of confidence and inspiration. How can things have got so bad so quickly - this time last year we were County Champs, now we're County Chumps...

Very disappointing end to the competition. Although we can rightly argue that we've been ravaged by injuries and call ups to the 100 ball nonsense, the same is true of other teams, including Somerset. In the end, we probably didn't deserve to progress and had we done so, we would doubtless have been left wanting in the quarter finals. At least a number of the youngsters have been blooded and hopefully some will progress into the first team proper in the not to distant future.

Read a rather concerning story elsewhere that OHD is destined for New Road next season. I do hope that is no more than a vicious rumour, I can't see why he would want to do that but if there's disquiet in the camp, perhaps he wants out and no doubt Worcs would be only too happy to snap him up. Worrying times.