County Championship 2017

First topic message reminder :

Not long to go now, just under a month!

Who are your picks for the title?
Who is going down?
Surprise team?
Most runs?
Most wickets?

Discuss here!

Somerset 69 - 5 as Abell goes for a duck. He's had an awful season with the bat.

Somerset 79 - 6 as Steven Davies falls. Hants in with a sniff of victory on account of latest abject batting display by Somerset!

Meanwhile Middlesex have just lost their 7th wicket, Higgins. Minimum overs remaining only 2.4 - but maybe they will have to play until 2100?

guildfordbat wrote:We don't cover Div Two much here but a cracking game coming to a conclusion at Northants where Leics need 49 more to win with 20 overs to go but only 3 wickets left. Ackerman with a ton and Surrey loanee Pillans biffing away at the crease ....

Northants win by 2 [two - remember when they did that for the football results on the teleprinter, Corporal? ] runs. Pillans last man out for a fighting 56.

Essex looking like true champions with a last ditch victory against Middlesex. 9 wickets to Harmer. Very well deserved victory, especially considering a day was lost to rain.

Have to go out and don't have time to crib from cricinfo but Harmer has been in absolutely stupendous form in the last month.

Didn't expect this from Harmer when we signed him but he has been terrfic, and the boys are having the season of their lives, can't ask anymore from the lads!!

Wisden - I'll repeat that I've been well impressed by your boys this season. A strong and determined team. I've just given a mention to your skipper on the Underrated Cricketers thread.

Games starting today:

Yorkshire vs Somerset
Warwickshire vs Middlesex
Surrey vs Hampshire

Div 2:

Kent vs Northants
Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan
Derbyshire vs Durham

20 wickets already in the game between Gloucestershire and Glamorgan !
Gloucestershire lead by 24. Could be a 2 day game!

Just the 25 wickets falling on day one...

Glamorgan lead by 35 with 5 wickets left

Kent with a casual 701-7. Dickson making 300!

jimbohammers wrote:Just the 25 wickets falling on day one...

Playing at picturesque Cheltenham ground - match over in two days. Wonder what pitch inspector will make of that...

Some close games...

Middlesex need 233 to win but are already 0-1.

Durham need another 253 to beat Derbyshire

Jimbo - indeed. Weather permitting there could be plenty of final day excitement at all the matches due to finish tomorrow. Even, conceivably at Kent/Northants if there is an agreed declaration target.

Corp, Somerset on the charge vs Yorkshire, who are 46-4. A close one between Warks and Middlesex, Middlesex need another 134, Warks need 6 wickets.

In Div 2, Durham need another 189 runs with 9 wickets remaining vs Derbyshire

Middlesex need 17. Warks need 2 wickets...

Middlesex 1 wicket win is a body blow to Warks' fading chances of avoiding relegation. Somerset's convincing win over Yorks at least gives them something to work on. Surrey gradually sinking down table without a win since their opening match - albeit with a stack of draws plus batting points limiting the damage. Essex looking good at the top.

Michael Lumb retires due to an ankle injury http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/1111959.html?CMP=chrome

Don't think there are any Warks fans on here (?), but if there are any Olly Stone is playing for Norfolk this week and bowled 9 overs for 18 runs today against Bedfordshire. I am going tomorrow afternoon, but Norfolk should be batting by then so may not see him bowl, but good to see him on the comeback trail

Reece Topley has been diagonsed with the fourth stress fracture of the back injury of his career...seems like he will go down the Tymal Mills route

Essex might win by an innings only scoring 231 runs in their one innings.....!

Excellent first win of the season for Warks away to Middlesex with sound contributions today from Woakes on the comeback trail and my man Ronnie.

Gives the Bears a bit of hope of avoiding the drop whilst a few teams may just be looking over their shoulder.

A totally random intrusion here, but I see that Doug Arsole passed away.
Any word yet as to whether he left a dying wish for Boycott to be a pall-bearer at the funeral?
(Bad summer for distinguished Essex cricketers of a certain vintage.)

Looks like it will be frustration for Hants/Lancs today at Southampton with rain forecast for a fair chunk of the day - with match ending in draw despite both sides' low first innings totals.

kwinigolfer wrote:A totally random intrusion here, but I see that Doug Arsole passed away.
Any word yet as to whether he left a dying wish for Boycott to be a pall-bearer at the funeral?
(Bad summer for distinguished Essex cricketers of a certain vintage.)

Trying to remember who else from Essex has passed on recently.  Meanwhile, Micky Stewart steadily climbing up the rankings of oldest living England test cricketers. Good that he was able to come to the re naming of the Oval pavilion.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:A totally random intrusion here, but I see that Doug Arsole passed away.
Any word yet as to whether he left a dying wish for Boycott to be a pall-bearer at the funeral?
(Bad summer for distinguished Essex cricketers of a certain vintage.)

Trying to remember who else from Essex has passed on recently.  Meanwhile, Micky Stewart steadily climbing up the rankings of oldest living England test cricketers. Good that he was able to come to the re naming of the Oval pavilion.

My money remains on Micky Stewart reaching the top of those rankings. He's probably more agile than Kevin Pietersen!

Corporal,
Brian Taylor departed a month or two ago - I was amazed that he hadn't played for England.

kwinigolfer wrote:Corporal,
Brian Taylor departed a month or two ago - I was amazed that he hadn't played for England.

Thanks, Kwini. Looking at the stats and info I guess Taylor was never particularly likely to play for England as a batsman and I suppose there was plenty of competition around for the wicketkeeper slot - he was I think first in line as reserve to Godfrey Evans for a while. Sounds as though captaincy was his main strength.

Meanwhile, as expected the Hants/Lancs match ends in a rained off draw. The entire day also lost at Taunton - so barring something remarkable Somerset/Surrey will be drawn tomorrow with both sides aiming to capture a full quota of batting and bowling points.

Kwini and Corporal - forgive a further digression but your recent posts got me trying to remember who took over behind the stumps for that fine Essex side when Brian Taylor finally called it a day in the early 1970s. I finally recalled it was Neil Smith and looked his details up on cricinfo. Sadly, this Yorks born keeper died in 2003 aged only 53. Cricinfo published Smith's Wisden obituary which, besides praising his glove work, contained this quirky offering - ''... but he was on the large side, and irritated Graham Gooch by eating a lot and getting larger.''

Essex now way out in front, with a 41 point lead. Very difficult to see any other side catching them. Essex have won six matches, and no other Div 1 team has won more than three.

I now know the answer to the trivia that's on everybody's lips: Who took most first class wickets without being rewarded with a Test cap?

kwinigolfer wrote:I now know the answer to the trivia that's on everybody's lips: Who took most first class wickets without being rewarded with a Test cap?

Bruce Forsyth?

Don Shepherd. Certainly a Glamorgan great. 2218 is a lot of wickets ...
RIP

guildford was close, one day off!

Errh, sorry about my flippancy. I knew about Don Shepherd's massive wicket haul as I read about it when seeing the features on his 90th birthday last week but didn't realise he had since died.

A magnificent contributor to the county game.

You should have guessed, guildford, as I'm the obituary correspondent. Quite a few stalwarts taken in the last nine months (to ensure Hampshire "greats" are included).

At Essex vs Somerset today - Somerset bowling very well have Essex 97-6 on what is a beautiful day. 30 degrees!

We don't often mention Div Two here but a quick word for Darren Stevens' performance today for Kent at home to Leics. The visitors are 96/5 from 40 overs. Stevens has figure of 14-7-17-5.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:At Essex vs Somerset today - Somerset bowling very well have Essex 97-6 on what is a beautiful day. 30 degrees!

A very strange days cricket at Chelmsford yesterday. Belting sun, pitch looked ok to me (no obvious demons), but plenty of wickets tumbled and the match is in the balance! I think there was some loose shots (Lawrence in particular), and I think most chances were snaffled, and bowlers were good. Very impressed by Craig Overton and Jamie Porter

Rayner with figures of 11 overs, 3 runs, no wickets. Crikey

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:At Essex vs Somerset today - Somerset bowling very well have Essex 97-6 on what is a beautiful day. 30 degrees!

A very strange days cricket at Chelmsford yesterday. Belting sun, pitch looked ok to me (no obvious demons), but plenty of wickets tumbled and the match is in the balance! I think there was some loose shots (Lawrence in particular), and I think most chances were snaffled, and bowlers were good. Very impressed by Craig Overton and Jamie Porter

You going to launch an OvertonforEngland# thing , Olly ?

jimbohammers wrote:Rayner with figures of 11 overs, 3 runs, no wickets. Crikey

Jimbo - there's a bit of history to this. Rayner, I think most would agree, is a very reasonable but not outstanding county level spinner. But a few seasons ago Surrey batsmen made a complete horlicks of batting against Rayner, getting out with a series of rash shots - and he ended up getting by far his best first class bowling return. That seemed to have made quite a psychological impact on Surrey and thereafter - whether or not as a conscious decision - they played him ultra defensively, trying to eliminate risk.

Lancs well on top against Warks - unless weather intervenes heavily it looks like Lancs will take full points from the match while Warks may only take 2 points.

Tight in the low scoring Essex / Somerset match. That one could go either way. Essex have shown a lot more application in their second innings.

Even contest between Surrey and Middlesex, most likely to end in a draw.

The predicted rain ruled out any play in Surrey / Middlesex match. That one is odds on a draw - although other results are possible if the pitch plays really difficut.

Brief period of play this morning could be significant in that Essex advanced their second innings for the loss of one further wicket. They now have an improved prospect of winning or drawing (at 153 ahead with 6 wickets remaining.) Could be a good finish there.

Meanwhile Warks put up some resistance in their second innings but have lost 5 wickets so far without yet clearing the first innings deficit. Sibley made a useful second innings' contribution as a new Warks' opener signed from (a disgruntled) Surrey but fell in the 50s.

Essex playing like true champions - recovering really well from a poor first innings.  Essex dug in deep in their second innings to get a decent lead then blew Somerset away.  

Lancs had to wait but eventually polished off Warks.  

Overall that makes things a bit clearer in the table.  Warks and Somerset sink deep into further trouble. While Essex (36 points ahead of second place Lancs) are well in charge at the top - Lancs play Essex in the next round of matches. Realistically now looks inconceivable that any team other than Essex or Lancs will win the championship. Warks play Somerset in the next round - both sides badly need a win.

Hameed is on 11 off 97 balls.

jimbohammers wrote:Hameed is on 11 off 97 balls.

50 consecutive dots!

Hope he carries his bat and gets about 17 runs...
Imagine watching that

He's switched to t20 mode now. 30 off 146 balls

jimbohammers wrote:He's switched to t20 mode now. 30 off 146 balls

Now 60 not out off 200 balls - including a 6...
Actually, in the match circumstances, he's not doing a bad job for his team.

As I type, another run takes his strike rate to over 30 runs per hundred balls...