mad
Member
Think this is an important step. Key going forward is not the format but rather not to isolate the non TMG counties. Bringing minor counties back into a competitive tournament would be great and far better than just having 8 franchises and everyone else twiddling thumbs. I do hope there's still room for a 50-over or 40-over comp though perhaps a knockout comp.
One option is to invite the National Counties (formerly the Minor Counties) to join the 18 first-class teams in an expanded competition aimed at providing promising cricketers with a pathway into the professional game.
The T20 Blast might then become a two-league affair, with promotion and relegation.
I know at least one member of this board won't necessarily agree but I do still think there would be merit in holding onto some of the new team names/identities going forwards. Birmingham Phoenix could still exist as a concept for mens and women's T20 as it has definitely broadened appeal within the Greater Birmingham/West Midlands conurbation/region. Ditto for the Manchester Wales and Southampton teams. Perhaps less a need to retain Oval, Trent and Northern however. They can go back to being Surrey Notts and Yorkshire. Warwickshire could potentially then even field a second string/academy side in division two of whatever emerges and play at smaller grounds under the Warwickshire umbrella as could Lancs in Liverpool etc...
Story coming up on Central News.
Council vote passed apparently
Maybe he's unaware county games are already free for U16's and it's free entry after the tea break for all
Seems with it being such a wet spring pre-season and early season particularly in the south west Somerset are in no particular hurry to go home. Booked in till tomorrow so piling on the runs this afternoon and a full day to stretch their legs in the field (on presumably a drying playing surface and in more pleasant fielding conditions by then) tomorrow
Just hope Bears put up some sort of resistance
Heading for some kind of record margin of defeat here. These could be 650/700 ahead by close today and forecast is decent tomorrow. Guessing the two set batters will retire at lunchtime mind
Thought Henry Brookes looked excellent and threatening in the morning. Had it been a first team game he'd have been kept on longer and they'd never have amassed the total they did. A good workout for all the standby seamers though and nice to see Briggs back too. The second wicket was an absolute screamer of a catch by Hamza Shaikh at third slip low to his right. Benjamin kept wicket with Maddy often at first slip. Guess they'll enforce the follow on tomorrow and try to get off home early
Light rain for much of the morning today. Forecast this week seems to have gone full circle looked set fair when I checked yesterday but now a bit more iffy. Feels a bit warmer though so I reckon they should get going tomorrow on time if there is not another rainy morning to contend with
"Let's all have a bowl out
Let's all have a bowl out
la la la la
la la la la"
Thought the spirit between the two teams was first class in fairness. To a man all the Kent players gave Dan Mousley a pat on the back when he holed out on 94 putting the team cause first when he could easily have knocked it around to reach his maiden 100.
Yes Evison really impressed. Saw him make his FC debut he batted 6 for Notts in that game in 2019 where Sibley got his two centuries one a double ton. Ben Compton opening bat also made his FC debut at age 27 or 28 that same game
First 24 points haul since September 2018 at Grace Road.
First 24 points haul in Division One since May 2015 at home to Durham. Keith Barker smashed a century and took 9 wickets in the match. Chris Rushworth trapped both William Porterfield and Rikki Clarke lbw.
I saw us collect 23 points at Colwyn Bay in 2018 with Bell and Trott rolling back the years then 23 points at Trent Bridge September 2019 in a fabulous run chase Sibley scoring a century in both innings and that confirmed Notts relegation
GerryShedd wrote:
Last two home games - the win against Hampshire last year and now this.
Four day cricket is not so boring after all!
4-day county championship cricket played by proper teams with history and tradition and rivalry is fan bloody tastic. If ECB got their way last year this would get shelved for crappy north v south and some meaningless guff
Bring on the Surrey but also can't wait till we play Worcestershire again
How astonishing. Bring on the Surrey!
Still think it'll be hard work pressing for victory even should they get on before lunch. However regardless of the result the performance backs up my thoughts last week after seeing parts of the game at Taunton that we now possess the type of attack that will be able to take on the better sides in the division - Surrey Lancs Hants Essex.
Added to the top order now peeling off centuries it represents exciting times ahead. Short of injury or call ups i was thinking yesterday about that slip cordon could be in place for years to come - Yates, Hain, Mousley with Barnard or Rhodes at gully or 4th
Rushworth's second over yesterday was amongst the best ever seen at the ground and his spell set the tone brilliantly.
Heavy rain falling in Brum now. Unfortunately I rate the chances of starting on time Saturday at 50-50
Yes could be a day waiting around but then 104 overs Saturday and 96 Sunday so still plenty of time. I think our game is more suited to engineering good proper 4-day wins rather than 3-day wins and we don't prepare spicy pitches like some other grounds. But we should have an attack that'll cause a few more more problems than Kent's did yesterday. Can't recall any slip chances after I got there and there were hardly any lbw appeals yesterday either.
I hope the club really promote Saturday this afternoon and this evening. Free tickets for kids or how about offering free tickets for local club cricketers whose games will all be called off tomorrow? I think you'd get a few extra in and would be a good PR move.
Yes tougher tests to come and we haven't won a game yet but signs are promising indeed. Top order batting like our early 2000's sides that won title in 2004 added to our seam bowling unit which is as strong as 2011-2012 possibly even more depth. We're probably short of a top class spinner so I expect us to approach Leicestershire to enquire about one of theirs. Can't allow Notts to hoover up all their talent. We can offer our wide square and maybe get Rehan or Callum Parkinson in.
It's all potential at the moment but hopefully the beginnings of an all round good side.
Yeah if it's like this tomorrow can't see me being there till Saturday. Week off after this one. Could probably have done with that being end of April if we only get a day and a half's play against Kent
The 4-day game at Billericay due to begin today was abandoned on Sunday. The under 18's have two scheduled 50-over friendlies on Wednesday and Thursday but the forecast doesn't look too promising.
They lost on Saturday in their first round Graham Williamson Trophy tie at Leamington CC with Craig Miles for Leamington blowing the top order away.
The Warwickshire League have postponed next weekend's opening round of their league season and the Birmingham League opening round is likely to be significantly affected by the inclement weather this week also.
Seems to be the case that any punishment for the club will be delayed until June or July. Many seem to think it'd be harsh but an interesting radio programme posted online a couple of days ago worth listening to in order to get a feel for how far things were allowed to drift at Yorkshire CCC over the previous 20 years.
Oh sure and part of our remit is to bring the youngsters through and give them opportunities.
I actually think Somerset should be about mid table or just below that but not get relegated. There are sterner tests to come we could really do with the forecast this week improving so we can get a decent haul of points against Kent
Only in the sense that Somerset will probably be one of the weaker sides in the division especially with the players they had out. I think a draw with decent haul of bonus points was about the best we could reasonably garner from 8 and a bit sessions of play down there. Had we had the full 12 sessions we'd have been in with a great shout although maybe their spinner might've come into it. We have to remember we had three kids out there too and it was first game of season and we got hammered there last season (the game which probably did for Lamb)
It's far too easy to say "oi Hain score at 5 an over against these bumpkins" we saw how many wickets Somerset lost when chancing their arm the risk would've been we allow them into a position they could win. The need first game of the season to win or to gain the extra bonus point or two just isn't there yet. I'd rather they shut up shop yesterday morning and not got bowled out in 110 overs and deny them a third bowling point than what actually transpired but again that's presuming a lot about the ability of the players to ensure that happens to order.