Northern Red

I for one blame Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed.

Shut it Lez.

We've got Gavin Ward on Saturday.

The 50 over competition is designed to run at the same time as the Hundred, so no chance of that.

Somerset's away game at Lancs is at Southport, if anyone fancies a few days by the seaside in July.

Loathe as I am to defend them, the structure of the season was in place before the Ashes so there wasn't a lot they could do to react immediately to what happened. They have added a couple of rounds of Championship in June and July so there are 5 instead of 3 which is something at least. It sounds like the more radical changes will come in 2023 once they've had a chance to review everything and talk to the relevant parties. Although what that'll result in is anyone's guess.

Somerset:

Glos:

New season's fixtures out at 1pm tomorrow.

I for one blame Zak Vyner.

Adam Webster has just equalised against Chelsea with a bullet header from a corner.

That cheating little shit André Ayew got a straight red for a foul on the keeper.

That couple of weeks off for Covid seems to have done them the world of good...

I guess it's their way of saying that they back their ref and have confidence in him, knowing full well that Nige might be reluctant to say anything if there is some controversy in case he gets a bigger fine and/or a touchline ban.

I was at a sportsman's charity dinner about 3 years ago where Agnew was the guest speaker and did a Q&A. The subject of county cricket was raised and he thought it was inevitable that the number of counties would reduce at some point. He made the point that his own county Leicestershire would likely be one of the prime casualties so he had no desire to see it happen, but he couldn't see how all of them could remain competitive and viable long term. He was also very much not in favour of the Hundred, though his view may have changed since.

Yeah, it's only in the last couple of years that he's been played as a centre forward.

They were saying on commentary that they left a few of their bigger names at home, they'd written this tournament off a bit after losing their first game heavily to Connacht and then seeing the home game with Bristol cancelled and declared a draw which probably put paid to them qualifying.

Special mention has to go to Sam Billings. If Buttler or Bairstow had come up with a pair of dismissals like that in the same match there'd be calls for them to never play for England again.

The faults with structure, coaching etc have been well documented and need urgent action, this has to be a watershed moment. However, that today was nothing to do with any of that, it was purely lack of application and stomach for a battle.

Bristol currently 4th and with a 4 point gap on the team below.

Are you not going to give him a childish nickname?

No sign of Belter Red tonight then