2015 - Division 1 Discussion Thread

[LondonTiger]

First topic message reminder :

As pretty much every poster that follows County Cricket seems to be a Surrey fan I am sure the Division 2 discussions will be livelier.

Hopefully there are some followers of other counties to write a little bit about their team, but as a Yorkshire member it is them I shall concentrate on.

The start of the season will be an interesting one for us. Andrew Gale will miss the first fixture at Worcester as he completes his ban. Meanwhile the first 3 CC fixtures coincide with Englands tour of the WI meaning some unfamiliar faces will be featuring against Worcester, Notts and  the first home fixture against Warwickshire. With the County unlikely to see a great deal of Root and Ballance it is nor surprise that ewe have chosen to go down the batsman route as our overseas player - Aaron Finch returns as the main player, with Younus Khan deputising at the start of the season and Kane Williamson at the end. Glenn Maxwell makes up a quality group of players, joining for the T20s.


Squad:

Batsmen: Lyth, Lees, Gale (cpt), Finch (see above), Leaning, Root, Ballance
Keepers: Bairstow, Hodd
All Rounders: Rashid, Bresnan, Rhodes, Pyrah
Seamers: Plunkett, Brooks, Sidebottom, Patterson, Ashraf, Coad, Fisher
Spinners: Carver


Likely team for first match, away to Worcestershire:

Hodd, Lees, Leaning, Younus, Rhodes, Bresnan, Pyrah, Patterson, Sidebottom, Brooks, Carver.

Compared to the side likely to finish the season against Susses (injuries permitting):

Lyth, Lees, Williamson, Root, Ballance, Bairstow, Rashid, Bresnan, Plunkett, Sidebottom, Brooks.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Yorks already taken 6 wickets before lunch - meanwhile nearest challengers for the title, Middlesex, stuck in the pavilion in their match v Warks.

[LondonTiger]

Somerset 85-8 at lunch. All 4 seamers in the wickets, but brooks main man with 4. A lot of swing in the morning session.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Couple of significant matches for the relegation issue.  Sussex have reduced Worcs to 142 - 8 (with Sir Chris Jordan taking five wickets).  Meanwhile Hants have taken 7 Durham wickets (150 -7).

Yorks have already claimed all three bowling points, dismissing Somerset for 110, and are 18 - 0 in reply.  The Warks/Middlesex match has yet to start.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Yorks building a massive first innings lead - 250 and counting - against Somerset. As per usual Yorks have concentrated on getting the runs on the board rather than worrying too much how many batting points secured (3 on this occasion).  Meanwhile Middlesex struggling against Warks and look unlikely to take more than perhaps one batting point.

[LondonTiger]

Four Six wickets so far for Yorkshire, another four two needed to make perhaps the penultimate stride to the title.

[LondonTiger]

Game over and a win by an innnings and 126 runs.

[jimbohammers]

Massive win for Hampshire!

Relegation battle getting interesting...

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Massive win for Hampshire!

Relegation battle getting interesting...

Yes, Jimbo that's an impressive couple of results, especially considering how poor Hants have been for much of the season. Helps that Vince has come into some good form. It seems very probable that Sussex will beat Worcs tomorrow. Somerset must now be feeling rather anxious. If they were to lose to Hants in the upcoming match they would be right in the mix of relegation candidates.

[jimbohammers]

Corp

It helps having Fidel Edwards back. He gives us a boost when
he's in the team. Vince always performs in the big games so it
was good to see him finish the job yesterday. Under his captaincy we've
drawn 1, won 2... he is doing a good job. The Somerset game is huge!

(What's happening with the hammers?! Beat Arsenal and Liverpool away
and lose to Bournemouth and Leicester at home )

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Worcs slump to 101 - 6 at lunch, facing defeat by Sussex. Joe Clarke still there

[Mat]

We're going to lose but a maiden first class ton for Joe Clarke, serious talent(Great pick out from JDizzle!)

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Well it really is now a formality for Yorks to win the championship this year. In a total of 5 matches (3 for Yorks and 2 for Middlesex) the only thing preventing the title going to Yorks - assuming Middlesex secured max points in both matches - would be if Yorks failed to pick up four points from their three matches. Middlesex could be champions for example if they dropped just two points from their final two matches providing that Yorks only collected one point from all their three matches.

A much closer contest in the relegation zone.

[JDizzle]

We're going to lose but a maiden first class ton for Joe Clarke, serious talent(Great pick out from JDizzle!)

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day! Averaging 42 at aged 19 in the CC Div 1 is no mean feat! Makes it all the more astounding that the one time I played against him he batted 10...

[guildfordbat]

We're going to lose but a maiden first class ton for Joe Clarke, serious talent(Great pick out from JDizzle!)

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day! Averaging 42 at aged 19 in the CC Div 1 is no mean feat! Makes it all the more astounding that the one time I played against him he batted 10...

JD - he was probably aware of your bowling and wanted to finish with a red ink entry!

Anyway, good call on Joe Clarke. Should stop you beating yourself up about the Burger Van's 2 year deal - even there though, you haven't been proved wrong yet as he still has to play a Championship game!

[JDizzle]

At least if the Burger Van does prove to be raging success, I'll have my Clarke shout to fall back on! I did hear he is a cert to make the Lions squad this winter too. Clarke, not VDB... Unless the selectors are really trying to make me look a fool!

[guildfordbat]

JD - as you're there and will already know, who and how much are the Lions playing this winter? Thanks.

[NickisBHAFC]

Huge win for Sussex. Not quite safe yet but it was a huge huge win.

Luke Wright has easily been our player of the season

Best there is
Best there was
Best there ever will be

[LondonTiger]

Aye - congrats are due to Wright for getting to 1000 championship runs in a season for the first time.

[JDizzle]

JD - as you're there and will already know, who and how much are the Lions playing this winter? Thanks.

Christ, you've put me on the spot now! I don't know, I think I've just heard the generic shouts of 'he'll definitely be in the Lions squad' about various players and assumed they are touring without knowing where. And the ECB website is very unhelpful in this matter.

[guildfordbat]

Cheers anyway, JD. I too have only heard the generic shouts. I'm not actually sure there is a Lions tour this winter. Olly? Tiger? Anyone?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

As far as I'm aware there isn't one

[guildfordbat]

Thanks, Olly. That seems to confirm my latest thoughts. Strange that there seems to be an assumption amongst many (not just on 606v2) that there is a Lions tour. Many names being thrown into the mix for a tour that isn't going to happen!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

It's unusual that there isn't at least one - a shame really, the lions is a good development opportunity

[jimbohammers]

Middlesex 73-6 - Yorkshire closing in on the title today. They were 0-3 after the first over! Sidebottom doing the damage.

Notts 61-5 against Durham - Slight recovery from 37-5

Hampshire 114-1 vs Somerest in the big relegation clash. Carberry 59 not out.

[jimbohammers]

Just as i say that Carbs goes

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Thanks, Olly. That seems to confirm my latest thoughts. Strange that there seems to be an assumption amongst many (not just on 606v2) that there is a Lions tour. Many names being thrown into the mix for a tour that isn't going to happen!

Perhaps I have missed the announcement by players that they are not available for selection for the Lions tour....

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Jimbo - I think Hants will, nonetheless, be reasonably pleased with a lunch score of 132 - 2, having been put into bat on a Sept morning.

Yorks bidding to get the race for the title over with a quickly as possible. I'd forgotten that Notts were also in the race - at least as a statistical possibility. But they, like Middlesex seem unlikely to secure many, if any, batting bonus points, which is likely to mean that the race (such as it is) is all over today.

[LondonTiger]

Yup, just need Durham to wrap up the Notts tail.

[LondonTiger]

One wicket away.

[LondonTiger]

CHAMPIONS

[guildfordbat]

Many congratulations, Tiger. Very well done to Yorkshire CCC. A fantastic achievement to win the Championship so convincingly and especially with several players often unavailable due to to England calls.

[king_carlos]

Congratulations LT.

A terrific squad with a great mix of home grown players and clever acquisitions playing good, attacking cricket under a very impressive young coach.

Ryan Sidebottom is one hell of a bowler. Despite injury wiping out a large portion of his season he has still taken 34 wickets at 17.5 apiece.

On less heralded note, Steven Paterson has shown just how much a 'good county pro' can add to any side. He is viewed by most as a guy who keeps it tidy and picks up a reliable two or three wickets most innings. Through that formula he has taken 43 div 1 wickets at 22 runs apiece.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Yes, Yorks are very convincing and worthy winners of the title.    I also rather think that if they had full availability of their star players they could probably also field a second team that would do rather well against some of the Div 2 sides.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

A very disappointing day for Hants. An excellent start fizzled out, leading to only one batting point, and Somerset then replied with an unbeaten century opening partnership.

[jimbohammers]

210-0

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Jimbo: 267 - 0

[jimbohammers]

44 extras.

26 no balls....

513-3 with the top 3 getting centuries. Not looking good

[jimbohammers]

Too early for a rain dance, Corp?

[Corporalhumblebucket]

557 - 5 and Somerset are collapsing! Admittedly their first innings lead is already over 300.

Jimbo - forecast looks very dry for tomorrow. If Hants can last into Saturday a rain dance may be a bit more efficacious then.

[jimbohammers]

I'm dancing as we speak Corp.... haha

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Hants get through to lunch at 74 - 0.  They now just need to bat for around another four and a half sessions to save the match.  A tall order, but not totally impossible.

Nick Compton doing his best to thwart Yorks in a way that few other opposition batsmen have managed this year.

[Hammersmith harrier]

Not been a follower of the domestic game for a number of years now but why did Ryan Sidebottom play so few tests, he was and still is a top quality bowler.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Not been a follower of the domestic game for a number of years now but why did Ryan Sidebottom play so few tests, he was and still is a top quality bowler.

LT will probably give a better answer than me, but it sounds to me like there were a mixture of reasons for his omissions after his initial one cap in 2001.  According to Cricinfo: "With Duncan Fletcher, England's coach, obsessed by finding bowlers of true pace, Sidebottom was continually overlooked despite having one of the best records in the country."  Cricinfo then refers to his successes for England in several series "but the pressures of carrying England's attack took their toll, and he struggled for fitness thereafter, culminating in an Achilles injury that limited him to a single wicket in an arduous tour of the Caribbean in February 2009."

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Unbeaten maiden first class century for Roland-Jones as Middlesex make a mammoth second innings total against Yorks.  In fact Harris, too, is not that far short of his highest first class score.

Meanwhile, good rearguard action from Hants who reached 258 - 1 off 90 overs in their second innings.  So there is still a chance that they might hold on for a draw and 5 valuable points against Somerset.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Not been a follower of the domestic game for a number of years now but why did Ryan Sidebottom play so few tests, he was and still is a top quality bowler.

Don't think he fitted what Flower/Sakar wanted (ie. tall quick bowlers) - a shame because there is not a better exponent of swing bowling on the county circuit

[jimbohammers]

Corp, a good day for us but a massive day tomorrow. First hour is vital.

[SimonofSurrey]

Congrats to Yorkshire on setting the benchmark for others to aspire to. And congrats to our old enemies the wrong side of the Thames for showing by their astonishing fightback in this game that they would be worthy runners up this year.

I know it's a bit premature but I am already really looking forward to the CC1 games next season between Yorks and Surrey. Quite apart from the age old rivalry, it will be fascinating to see how a fair number of current and potential future England internationals face off against each other in the lonegr format for the first time. I only hope the games don't coincide with England commitments, so that both sides can go at each other full strength (though goodness only knows what 'full strength' Yorks really means - they seem able to field almost two completely different high quality teams!).

[Hammersmith harrier]

Not been a follower of the domestic game for a number of years now but why did Ryan Sidebottom play so few tests, he was and still is a top quality bowler.

Don't think he fitted what Flower/Sakar wanted (ie. tall quick bowlers) - a shame because there is not a better exponent of swing bowling on the county circuit

He always seemed like the ideal foil to Anderson, a left handed swing bowler would have been a big bonus in recent years, then again Bicknells omission for so long always confused me somewhat.

[LondonTiger]

Fantastic comeback by Midds, but disgusted that Yorkshire celebrated after Day 1 and were hungover on Day 2.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Fantastic comeback by Midds, but disgusted that Yorkshire celebrated after Day 1 and were hungover on Day 2.

 
I don't suppose it's the first time that sort of thing has happened.    Still disgruntled by Hammers losing to Blackpool 4-0 in the FA Cup in Jan 1971, after some of the Hammers had had a night on the tiles.

Well played Hants in holding out for the draw against Somerset.    Jimbo's men not going down without a fight, and they could yet stay up.

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