phantom

I'm amazed at reading some of these comments, it's like going back a few months with people's understanding of what is safe and what isn't etc I do wonder if people deliberately choose to ignore news around them

Just announced THIRTY THREE players have signed contract extensions

Interesting to read, Sarries and Exeter are head and shoulders above most of the sides in the league. I wouldn't class Bristol as "Heavy favourites" but this will certainly be a bench mark where both first choice squads rate against each other Of course the next 6 weeks will be as much about the whole squad in depth and that may be Bristol's undoing in the long run

JUAN PABLO SOCINO WILL MAKE HIS SARACENS DEBUT WHEN MARK MCCALL’S MEN TAKE ON BRISTOL BEARS THIS SATURDAY IN THEIR FIRST RUGBY OUTING SINCE MARCH. The Argentinian joined the Men in Black this summer and forms a midfield with Dom Morris who scored last time out against Leicester Tigers. JAMIE GEORGE WILL CAPTAIN THE SIDE FROM HOOKER. Wing Alex Lewington crossed the whitewash twice in that game and is joined in the back three by Rotimi Segun and Sean Maitland. Club stalwarts Richard Wigglesworth and Alex Goode line-up at nine and 10 with near 550 Sarries appearances between them. Mike Rhodes is set for his first run out in starting jersey this season after making his sole outing as a replacement before lockdown. Billy Vunipola and Jackson Wray take the other spots in the back row. Jamie George will captain the side from hooker alongside props Mako Vunipola and Vincent Koch, and Maro Itoje partners Callum Hunter-Hill in the second row. On the bench, front row duo Eroni Mawi and Alec Clarey could make their Saracens debuts as could scrum-half Aled Davies and centre Harry Sloan. Saracens team to take on Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate: 15 Sean Maitland 14 Alex Lewington 13 Dom Morris 12 Juan Pablo Socino 11 Rotimi Segun 10 Alex Goode 9 Richard Wigglesworth 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Jamie George 3 Vincent Koch 4 Maro Itoje 5 Callum Hunter-Hill 6 Mike Rhodes 7 Jackson Wray 8 Billy Vunipola Replacements 16 Tom Woolstencroft 17 Eroni Mawi 18 Alec Clarey 19 Joel Kpoku 20 Sean Reffell 21 Aled Davies 22 Harry Sloan 23 Elliott Obatoyinbo

This has driven me mad at games I have been to for years, a little bit of common sense and all is sorted, though I wonder if there are concerns about the length of the middle session?

England will play three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals against Australia next month. The matches, due to be played in July, were postponed as part of the restructured schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. The T20s will be at Southampton's Ageas Bowl on 4, 6 and 8 September, with the second live on BBC TV Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester will stage the ODIs on 11, 13 and 16 September. England play T20s against Pakistan at Old Trafford on 28 and 30 August and 1 September. England's 50-over team, who won the World Cup last year, beat Ireland 2-1 in an ODI series at Southampton that finished earlier this month. "The rivalry between England and Australia is the pinnacle of sporting competition," said England and Wales chief executive Tom Harrison. "These will be thrilling contests and a perfect way to culminate the men's international season in this extraordinary summer." Australia will leave Perth on 23 August and travel to Derby for four inter-squad matches. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been named in the 21-man squad after recovering from an elbow injury. Wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, left-arm pace bowler Daniel Sams and seamer Riley Meredith have also been included. "It's vital for cricket that we do everything we can to keep the game going in these tough times," said Australia head coach Justin Langer. Assistant coach Andrew McDonald will miss the tour to travel to the rearranged Indian Premier League, where he is head coach of the Rajasthan Royals. Australia squad Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe (wk), Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Test events are set to start again and a variety of sports will shortly be announced very soon. Crucible final this weekend tipped to be the first

That's us stuffed before it even starts then

This could get interesting. . . . . Any Premiership club unable to field a team because of positive Covid-19 cases in their squad could be handed a 20-0 defeat when the season resumes. If a club decides it cannot fulfil a fixture, a Premiership Rugby panel would then ratify the punishment. The season has been suspended since March, but will restart on Friday with matches in empty stadiums. There have been 20 positive cases among players since Premiership clubs began testing on 6 July. The remaining nine rounds of fixtures will take place over six weeks, with the Premiership final scheduled to take place less than a month before the next season starts in November. And the congested schedule means there is no space to rearrange any cancelled fixtures. Sale Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond claims teams could share points if local lockdowns imposed by the government prevented a game from being played. "We are in Greater Manchester," he said. "If there was a lockdown here and Exeter Chiefs were coming up the following week and they couldn't play, then the points are shared." TAKEN FROM: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/53749398

Bristol Bears are leading the charge to become the first rugby club in England to host fans again, and hope to welcome 10,000 spectators to Ashton Gate as early as this month. Unperturbed by the Prime Minister's recent cancellation of trial fan events in cricket and other sports, the ambitious West Country club have submitted detailed plans to Premiership Rugby, who are lobbying the Government on their behalf. Sportsmail understands that after extensive planning over recent months, Bristol are ready to host socially-distanced crowds and are now only waiting for the green light. The Bears want to open their doors to fans for the home match against Exeter Chiefs on August 25 or, failing that, in the next game against Northampton Saints in September. They are pushing to become the league's pilot venue, but it is understood Wasps are also keen to host supporters at the Ricoh Arena. Wasps believe they have the best stadium in the league, with spacious, modern facilities to accommodate distancing. Bristol chairman Chris Booy said: 'Everybody wants crowds, from the Government down. Economically the clubs are desperate for it — not just for the finances but for the atmosphere. 'We've done our analysis at Ashton Gate and we think even keeping within the current rules we could get a third of our capacity in comfortably without any difficulty. We could get 9,000 to 10,000, which would be a good crowd and would be able to cover our season-ticket holders. 'The Government just need to be persuaded that we could do some trials. We're actively trying to persuade them. 'It would be a significant boost, bearing in mind clubs have zero income at the moment. There are a lot of season-ticket holders who are expecting money back if they can't go, or a rebate. 'It's been a really tough period for the clubs, so any sort of money is critical. There's a will from everyone, but obviously what is going on with other countries is worrying with increased Covid cases. We've got to be cautious, but there is a will and a want to do it.' Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam told Sportsmail: 'The facilities at Ashton Gate are great and everyone at Bristol Sport is comfortable with us doing it. 'We could easily house fans. The sooner the better, and hopefully it'll happen before the end of this season.' TAKEN FROM: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-8597563/Bristol-Bears-want-English-club-bring-big-crowds-month.html

That was entirely the ref and BBC's doing Those at Weston told us after the first inspection on the morning that the game would never be played that day If City were that annoyed with WSM they wouldn't have taken the U23s there last season

Surprised they didn't use WSM after the U23s were there last season

Next rugby season confirmed as starting on weekend of 20th November

Shame as my niece was interested in going along this season Trumpton still hold bad memories for me since the early 1990s

Just been announced that Twerton Park will be their new home ground with occasional games held at Ashton Gate https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/everything-you-need-to-know-twerton-park/ https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/new-home-for-city-women/

Fully deserved victory from Ireland, I hate to admit I thought England were going to win by 100+ runs after our innings Some of the death bowling and fielding from the England side mind was woeful, and no doubt a few players did more harm than good for squads for tournaments in the future

Jamie O not that big a loss, he rarely played

Signed on loan this season joining permanently in 2021

That run out for the 7th wicket

Just not selected, he's over here in the squad though so may play later in the format Ireland traveled with a 21 man squad to be used in all three ODI's against England (and the warm up games). The 21-man squad is: • Andrew Balbirnie (c) • Paul Stirling (vc) • Mark Adair • Curtis Campher • Peter Chase • Gareth Delany • George Dockrell • Jonathan Garth • Tyrone Kane • Josh Little • Andrew McBrine • Barry McCarthy • James McCollum • Kevin O’Brien • William Porterfield • Boyd Rankin • Simi Singh • Harry Tector • Lorcan Tucker • Gary Wilson • Craig Young

The full breakdown here guys ( @slartibartfast @Lrrr @Northern Red ) The Bob Willis Trophy is a special one-off red-ball competition that is separate to the County Championship and will be played this summer only following the delay to the men’s domestic season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament, which will feature all 18 First-Class Counties in three regionalised groups, will herald the start of the domestic season and will culminate in a five-day final. County members and fans will be able to watch the new red-ball tournament via live streaming on First-Class County websites while highlights of each day’s play are also set to be available. In anticipation of the new season and tournament, here are some common questions about the Bob Willis Trophy to ensure you are across all the key details: When will the Bob Willis Trophy start? All 18 First-Class Counties will be in action when the tournament starts on Saturday 1 August. The final group-stage matches are due to begin on 6 September before a five-day final. What is the format of the tournament? The Bob Willis Trophy will be played in three regionalised groups, consisting of six teams per group. Each county will play five group-stage matches – meaning they will meet every team in their group once. The two group winners with the most points will progress to the final. Which counties are grouped together? NORTH GROUP: Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire. CENTRAL GROUP: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire. SOUTH GROUP: Essex, Kent, Hampshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex. Given matches are to be played behind closed doors, how can I watch them? The First-Class Counties are set to live stream the Bob Willis Trophy on their websites. You should visit your local county’s website and follow their channels to find out more information. The ECB website will also show clips on the ECB County Championship Match Centre during each round of the competition. If I miss a day’s play where can I watch the highlights of my county? You should visit your local First-Class County website and follow their channels. The First-Class Counties are set to have a highlights package of every day’s play during the Bob Willis Trophy. Will I need to follow new social media channels to keep updated with all the information? No. We know that fans are used to following our County Championship channels to get all the information on men’s domestic red-ball cricket and we’re keeping it that way. The Bob Willis Trophy is a special one-off tournament so while the logos might have changed the same extensive coverage will remain on the same channels. As a reminder, here’s where you can follow the Bob Willis Trophy: ECB WEBSITE: https://www.ecb.co.uk/county-championship YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFRyOJuYjMDcUrGN1OCqhKQ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CountyChamp INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/countychampionship/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/countychampionship Will the Bob Willis Trophy have first-class status? Yes, although there will be some changes from the County Championship after the ECB, First-Class Counties and Professional Cricketers’ Association have worked closely to build a set of guidelines to help mitigate against injury, especially to fast bowlers. Those changes include: There will be a reduction to a minimum of 90 overs in a day’s play Each county’s first innings of a match can last no longer than 120 overs The follow-on will increase from 150 to 200 runs The new ball will be available after 90 overs rather than 80 overs The loan system will also be altered for this season only to allow counties to loan a player from another county for a minimum of a week. Why not just play a shortened County Championship? On 29 June the First-Class Counties agreed to play red-ball and white-ball cricket in this shortened summer and, after the opening 10 rounds of the County Championship were lost due to the pandemic, a truncated red-ball competition was needed. The 18 First-Class Counties worked closely with ECB to plan a tournament that could be staged within strict health and safety protocols and included minimising travel and need for overnight hotel stays while adhering to Government guidance. That has resulted in a regionalised competition that will not only ensure age-old rivalries are played out each round but also that all 18 First-Class Counties have a chance to win the competition. Will the point-scoring system be different from the County Championship? Yes. The number of points on offer for a draw will be eight – an increase from the five points for a draw in the County Championship. This change has been made to help mitigate against the impact of weather in a shortened competition. All other points scoring will be the same as in the County Championship. Will the winning county be presented with the County Championship trophy or a new trophy? A new trophy will be presented to the champions. The trophy is set to feature a cuboid design painted by Bob Willis’ wife Lauren, following his death last year, and which captures his iconic bowling action in full flow. What happens if the final is a draw? In the event of a drawn final there will be one tie-breaker option. That option is that the county which leads on first innings, as long as there were two fully-completed first innings, would be deemed the winner of the final. In any other circumstance a drawn or tied final will see the trophy shared by the finalists. Domestic match schedule and ticket update The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has given its approval for the professional men’s county cricket season to begin on 1 August 2020. All 18 First-Class Counties have agreed to participate in the same competitive red-ball and white-ball competitions during this summer’s shortened men’s season. Fixtures for the Bob Willis Trophy can be found here. Fixtures for Vitality Blast are to be announced in early August. If you are a ticket holder for a domestic match, you do not need to do anything at this stage. Ticket holders for men's domestic matches and FCC members are set to be contacted by venues with the options available to them in line with the fixture announcement for each competition.

Gastershire playing to the expected ability. Was interesting that the first two days were played at Taunton and the last two days played in Bristol It was real men against boys action for most part, but obviously nothing really matters over the past few days Pretty decent that 5 of the top 6 for Somerset scoring well

A few friends are West Ham season ticket holders, they have been advised by their fan group that the initial matches will be done this way Group A watch games 1,3,5,7 etc Group B watch games 2,4,6,8 Seem's the easiest way in the short term. I wonder if the club will actually ask who wants to attend and offer refungs to those that don't want to attend. I am sure there are still many people that won't feel comfortable returning yet

6ft 6" and 22 stone !! Giving hope to many of us around the world