The County Cricket Thread

[Midred]

1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

A cynical man might be checking the local stationers to see if they have any brown envelopes left. 

You mean that there are doubts about Gloucestershire's win?

[And Its Smith]

1 hour ago, ralphindevon said:

Great and very much deserved win and there ends another year of watching live cricket.

I always find this moment very sad, unlike the end of the football season where you’ve only got to wait 3 months at most and they’re summer months, in cricket you’re saying goodbye to people you get to know just through cricket and you won’t be back for 7 long winter months. Some of the elderly supporters might be walking away for the last time.

A season of highs and lows. Some poor performances first up and then against Gloucestershire. Plus not being able to watch any first class, first team cricket from the end of July to September. A lot of people this year realised just wasn’t good enough. We accepted it last year as we were still in Covid mentality.

Highlights for me was watching the world record breaking T20 1/4 final v Derbyshire, quite extraordinary and something I could never imagine as a youngster. I really enjoyed my visit to Edgbaston for finals day, despite Somerset doing their best to spoil it. And the game just finished was a superb all round performance.

On to Kent where remarkably we will be fighting for 5th place and then roll on next season when we carry on as the top divisions longest serving members.

 

Couldn’t agree more. The end of the cricket season starts filling me with dread from early August when a lot of the kids stuff finishes. I go from watching, coaching or playing in 4-5 games of cricket a week to one afternoon of indoor cricket and one evening of coaching per week, for months. As with you, people I won’t see for months. Genuinely puts me in a slump. 

[ralphindevon]

3 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

Couldn’t agree more. The end of the cricket season starts filling me with dread from early August when a lot of the kids stuff finishes. I go from watching, coaching or playing in 4-5 games of cricket a week to one afternoon of indoor cricket and one evening of coaching per week, for months. As with you, people I won’t see for months. Genuinely puts me in a slump. 

Yes it’s difficult and my heart goes out to the many supporters that have cricket as pretty much their only form of socialising.
It’s heart breaking hearing them bidding farewell to their summer chums. Cries of “winter well” and “god willing” as they already look forward to next April.

It’s a special game that brings people together like no other sport. I’m no expert on the subject but it seems to be a spectator sport that suits certain people on the autistic spectrum for instance.

I hope we don’t lose too much of the game we love chasing the big bucks.

[bearded_red]

Can only echo others feelings on the end of the cricket season, always the worst time of year.

Of course if the Mr Burns giant sun blocking device that is the ECB get their way, we won’t have a cricketing summer worth lamenting the end of before too long.

[The Humble Realist]

Under Strauss new plan (if approved ) and it's a big IF who knows how the top division of 6 would be decided next season.

Would there be 3 to 4 teams relegated with the wimmers of div 2 making it into the 6 team 1st division  or perhaps no promotion from division 2(if so what's the point of division 2 next year!)

 

[Northern Red]

30 minutes ago, The Humble Realist said:

Under Strauss new plan (if approved ) and it's a big IF who knows how the top division of 6 would be decided next season.

Would there be 3 to 4 teams relegated with the wimmers of div 2 making it into the 6 team 1st division  or perhaps no promotion from division 2(if so what's the point of division 2 next year!)

 

Yeah, I guess to make D2 have any meaning they'd have to promote at least one from it. Though it wouldn't surprise me at all if they didn't.

Also worth noting that the two divisions below the top one are supposedly of equal standing, so presumably there'd be some sort of seeding based on next season's finishing positions in order to have a balance.

 

[ralphindevon]

3 hours ago, The Humble Realist said:

Under Strauss new plan (if approved ) and it's a big IF who knows how the top division of 6 would be decided next season.

Would there be 3 to 4 teams relegated with the wimmers of div 2 making it into the 6 team 1st division  or perhaps no promotion from division 2(if so what's the point of division 2 next year!)

 

From what I understand it'll either be the top 6 teams in div 1 next year or his preferred option apparently, the big 6 teams from Test grounds. 

Though with one up one down it wont remain the big 6 for long. 

As far as I'm aware there is no point in div 2 next season bar pride in placings. 

But as usual with all these things nobody really knows but supporters are still encouraged to renew memberships. 

[ralphindevon]

2 hours ago, TomF said:

They seem to suggest the top two of D2/3 having a play off so potentially one promotion spot for 12 sides 

That's the year after when there'll be 2 equal 2nd divisions

[ralphindevon]

2 hours ago, Northern Red said:

Yeah, I guess to make D2 have any meaning they'd have to promote at least one from it. Though it wouldn't surprise me at all if they didn't.

Also worth noting that the two divisions below the top one are supposedly of equal standing, so presumably there'd be some sort of seeding based on next season's finishing positions in order to have a balance.

 

Yes, I hope it’s not just the usual geographic groups that we get with the T20 etc. I get fed up with playing the same old teams.

But you’re right, it’d be no good having the next best 6 teams in one group and the rest in another.

[Lanterne Rouge]

I`ve been listening to a fair bit of 5live comms this week and I think it`s fair to say that not many are in favour. The Chairmen of Sussex and Derbyshire in particular have been very forthright. 

Almost everyone opposed to it says the same thing - it`s only necessary to accommodate the ******* hundred. I really think the ECB may struggle to get the 2/3(?) they need to get this through so I fully expect the rules to be changed so they can just do it anyway.

[The Humble Realist]

11 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

From what I understand it'll either be the top 6 teams in div 1 next year or his preferred option apparently, the big 6 teams from Test grounds. 

Though with one up one down it wont remain the big 6 for long. 

As far as I'm aware there is no point in div 2 next season bar pride in placings. 

But as usual with all these things nobody really knows but supporters are still encouraged to renew memberships. 

Currently essex, northants and somerset all in the top 6 places...surely Strauss isnt proposing yorkshire jump above them into a 'new division 1' should the table finish like that?

[Lanterne Rouge]

1 minute ago, The Humble Realist said:

Currently essex, northants and somerset all in the top 6 places...surely Strauss isnt proposing yorkshire jump above them into a 'new division 1' should the table finish like that?

They`ll engineer it somehow so Surrey, Essex, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Hampshire and Middlesex end up in the top division - dock points from counties they don`t want, award extra ones to counties they do until they end up with the six they want and then stop promotion/relegation. It`s like the European Super League - they only want the ones they want. TBH if Somerset somehow ended up in the top division I would still be opposed to it.

All for the good of the game of course.....................

[ralphindevon]

16 minutes ago, The Humble Realist said:

Currently essex, northants and somerset all in the top 6 places...surely Strauss isnt proposing yorkshire jump above them into a 'new division 1' should the table finish like that?

That's what he'd like to happen but can't see it being voted through. 

Next season will be pretty much the same as this, so its next year's placings that'll count 

[The Humble Realist]

I think the storm clouds really are gathering unfortunately.

It is a strange world where the ECB are adopting a policy of alienating so many core cricket fans.

Definitely dark dark days ahead for the longer format of the game. 

[ralphindevon]

1 hour ago, TomF said:

The counties could force the end of the hundred if they had the balls.  Even Atherton was on Sky pretty much saying it's just bending the traditional fixtures to accommodate it. 

Remember we have a new board at ECB so they might well think differently to the ***** in charge previously. 

The sad thing amongst this particular part of the HPR is there is a lot of good stuff otherwise in it. 

Yeah thats the bit I don't understand. When ever the 100 is mentioned as the problem to all this, you're immediately shouted down with "well its here to stay snd nothing we can do about it". 

Well why not? It's obviously the problem in moving forward, I know Sky have signed up to it for a few years but they'll hardly lose out if its changed to the T20. Especially if money is thrown at it like the 100 has been

[Northern Red]

I'm fully expecting that there'll be a split in voting between the counties that have Hundred franchises attached to their grounds and the ones that don't.

This week Lancs released their membership packages for next season and one of the things which immediately jumped out to many people was that the Hundred is included in the options for flexible membership where you pay for a certain number of days' cricket. Given that we've always been told that the Hundred franchises are seperate entities from the counties, this raised some eyebrows to say the least.

Edited September 24, 2022 by Northern Red

[The Humble Realist]

Sounds to me like at LEAST 6 counties wont vote for it so it wont go through in it's current guise.

Perhaps cuts to blast and championship games were proposed with the intention of negotiating it down to only one or other. 

Of course its very hard to see the extent of public opinion as its clear sky and bbc wont publish anything more damning than 'the hundred has split opinion' when it comes to discussing the issues due to their tv deals.

Normally someone like jonathan agnew on the bbc would have some balanced (but forthright views) on all of this and do a column but the absence of such speaks volumes.

Edited September 24, 2022 by The Humble Realist

[Northern Red]

Lancs have just released a statement. Long and short of it is that they don't support the proposal in its current form:

Quote

As a Club, we will always support the wider game and our national teams, but our primary focus must always be on Lancashire Cricket, its players and Members, ultimately ensuring that we act in the best interests of the Club.

All of us at the Club believe that the current domestic schedule is not working effectively and needs change. There are many positives within the HPR proposals, particularly around player welfare. However, we have significant concerns with some of the HPR proposals, notably around the structure of the County Championship. We do not feel the proposed structure will properly aid the development of young players and may well encourage short-term thinking. We also feel that the HPR ignores other important aspects, most notably officiating and the impact of overseas players in domestic cricket.

It is our hope that following a period of discussion and debate with the ECB and our colleagues at other First-Class Counties, we will be able to present to Members a workable solution for change to the domestic structure. We do not believe that the HPR proposal works in its current form, and so will not be presenting this to Members as a solution.

When we feel that the ECB and the 18 counties have reached a proposal which is workable, we will present this to the Membership, at a Members’ Forum, and provide Members with an opportunity to debate the proposal and to vote on it. The outcome of this vote will direct the Club’s vote at any Chairs’ meeting to approve the changes.

https://cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk/news/2022-news/members-forum-to-be-held-on-27-september-to-discuss-high-performance-review-proposals/?fbclid=IwAR1PGIphlV9Y2ndo3y89BmNo69GoKQsTHyydwCV03yUtBIotfYZjao19Sls

I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised by this as I thought they might back it with being one of the counties with an international venue and Hundred franchise attached. Wonder if this means the other "big" counties will follow suit?

[phantom]

Mixed news from Taunton today 

[Northern Red]

On 24/09/2022 at 12:34, The Humble Realist said:

Sounds to me like at LEAST 6 counties wont vote for it so it wont go through in it's current guise.

Perhaps cuts to blast and championship games were proposed with the intention of negotiating it down to only one or other. 

Of course its very hard to see the extent of public opinion as its clear sky and bbc wont publish anything more damning than 'the hundred has split opinion' when it comes to discussing the issues due to their tv deals.

Normally someone like jonathan agnew on the bbc would have some balanced (but forthright views) on all of this and do a column but the absence of such speaks volumes.

I was at a charity dinner a few years ago where Agnew was the guest speaker and he was very much opposed to the concept of the Hundred (the idea had been announced at that point but there was nothing finalised), he understood the need to encourage newer fans but didn't like the proposals and what it might do to the county game. He also expressed his fear that several of the smaller counties (he mentioned Leicestershire as it was the one he played for) would disappear from the first class game in time.

[Lanterne Rouge]

I see Sky have picked, wait for it, Lancashire v Surrey for live coverage.

[Super]

Who do we hope gets relegated? Yorkshire?

[Midred]

Is it the bowling or the pitch?

[Super]

1 hour ago, Midred said:

Is it the bowling or the pitch?

Prob a case of one team having everything to play for and the other nothing.

[Super]

Good effort this from Glos

[Port Said Red]

9 minutes ago, Super said:

Good effort this from Glos

The last couple of games Zafar has bowled really well, just as he did at the end of last season. I wish he had shown this sort of form with the ball earlier.

[Super]

Looking bad for Warks especially with the weather, probably between them and Yorks now.

[Mr Popodopolous]

We could end this season on a bit of a high or at least an improvement!

Just seen the score, small 1st Innings lead at Yorkshire. 

[Midred]

Crawley will surely thank Somerset for giving him back his confidence to bat!

[Port Said Red]

Kent weren't hanging around were they?

Glos building a healthy lead, they might have enough already. Dom Bess nowhere near as effective as Zafar.