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!

Sussex 245 ahead at tea, no sign of a declaration yet, some might be fancying beating traffic...

Looks like those Hampshire escapologists are going to save the game...

Hello second division

Ah well ...it comes around , it goes around. I'm off to bed...

Think Hants are going to see this out. Northants nailed on, so all eyes to Sussex - will Sussex try and go for the win and declare at tea

Les Dawson falls - really is squeaky bum time now for Middlesex and Hants supporters!

30 overs to play, 250 the nominal target. Suggest if Sussex were that intent on forcing a result they'd be bowling.

They're now 5 down

Afro wrote:Think Hants are going to see this out. Northants nailed on, so all eyes to Sussex - will Sussex try and go for the win and declare at tea

I doubt it. Hands shaken on the draw as soon as it gets to 4.20 and off to the bar remains my tip.

Alfie - Plunkett would be my favourite to come in if required.

I doubt they would add two for one, however much it might look necessary.

Looks that way. Going through the motions and seeing out the day for a draw always bugs me. I'd be wanting to go for the win.

Mind you, I wasn't saying that when Middlesex and Yorkshire came to their agreement to ensure a result last year to deny us the championship!!!!

Sussex now 6 down. Think guildford might have the inside track on a handshake, Sussex having a bit of fun, now 7 down as Burgess skies one.

Don't think Sussex really fancy a bowl.

Seems some Notts players have already headed to the bar. According to the BBC, they're now using 4 sub fielders including the fitness coach!

Northants have won, Notts likely heading for a handshake in about 30 minutes all eyes on Hampshire.

A wicket for Warks soonish and I wouldn't want to call it

Vince and Holland holding on atm. Minimum remaining overs down to 22. But at that very moment Vince goes! "Ice" berg in next. He'll need to live up to his name.

Vince gone! 6 down. About 22 overs left. In my book, Bears and Middlesex now favourites to win and survive respectively ... but that will change again if the current pair can bat out another 10 overs ....

Just a minute out on your prediction but they've shaken hands at Hove.

GSC wrote:Just a minute out on your prediction but they've shaken hands at Hove.

Given I tipped Warks for the title at the start, I'll settle for being a minute out at the end!

Meanwhile, the Ice Man keeping his cool for Hants ....

Job done in the end, but can't argue with 2 trophies and promotion.

16 overs left and the Bears still need 4 wickets.

Need one wicket very soon. Feel 4 wickets in the last 12 would be too much an ask.

Down to 10 overs left and Hants still have 4 left.

I know Jimbo won't be counting any chickens until there are less balls to go than wickets in hand but it's looking good for Hants!

New ball is Middlesex last hope

6 overs to go and no breakthrough, it's just not going to happen for Middlesex

The Ice Man and the Dutchman showing tremendous application here. Your boys are going to get home, Jimbo!

Confirmed - Hants stay up, Middx down.

Essex worthy champions. Warwickshire comfortably the worst team and the others fairly closely matched. I think Middx can bounce straight back again. With two from eight going down we're going to see plenty of yo-yoing from now on.
   The days of county cricket I've seen this season (every time I saw Sanga he seemed to get a hundred) revealed that IMHO the standard is far lower than in the 80s and 90s when Test players appeared regularly and practically every county had an overseas "fast-and-nasty" quickie. Impressed with the Essex bowling attack but I fear the bowling generally in the top division has been poor. Having said that, few batsmen have impressed either. Some of the guys who did well in 2016 - Gubbins, Hameed, Jennings - have had poor seasons.
   Don't know what others, who may have seen far more county days this year than me, think about the season now concluded?

Bad luck, Sir Fred and Alfie.

Great fight today from Hants, well done, Jimbo!

Just had that feeling that Hants were in with a decent shout of staying up - particularly against a Warks' attack that could be too dependent on Patel. Lost overs this morning proved considerably to Hants' advantage - but very well played by Jimbo's men.

sirfredperry wrote: Impressed with the Essex bowling attack but I fear the bowling generally in the top division has been poor. Having said that, few batsmen have impressed either. Some of the guys who did well in 2016 - Gubbins, Hameed, Jennings - have had poor seasons.  

Several other promising batsmen have had poor or very poor season - Tom Abell, Tom Alsop, Sam Hain spring to mind. On the other hand, Lawrence has done well.

Phew that was nervy! Good effort sticking in there especially facing a classy bowler like Jeetan Patel all day.

Cheers Guildford + Corp. One relieved fan!

There's still to be a final ruling on the pitch at Taunton so there could be post-season drama for the second year running. 
   How about these three for three of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year -  S. Hope, Harmer, Porter?

Moment of the season for me has to be being their to witness George Bailey walk out at the Oval and forgetting his bat. Magnificent

sirfredperry wrote:There's still to be a final ruling on the pitch at Taunton so there could be post-season drama for the second year running. 
   How about these three for three of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year -  S. Hope, Harmer, Porter?

At risk of it looking like an Essex love in, one of my votes would go to ten Doeschate.

Middlesex are moaning to the ECB about being fined for slow over rates - interestingly waited until they were relegated until they did...when it happened 3/4 weeks ago....

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Middlesex are moaning to the ECB about being fined for slow over rates - interestingly waited until they were relegated until they did...when it happened 3/4 weeks ago....

Very poor of Middlesex to raise this again having previously stated they accepted the ECB's decision albeit not being happy with it. Also very poor of the ECB to put off a final decision on this and concerns about the Taunton pitch until Monday. The season finished on Thursday. All should have had clarity and certainty by Friday at the latest.

I think they might have a case...

Docked points for a slow over rate in that game vs Surrey which was abandoned. Their argument is that if it wasn't abandoned they would have rectified it and 'got on with it' - tricky situation

jimbohammers wrote:I think they might have a case...

Docked points for a slow over rate in that game vs Surrey which was abandoned. Their argument is that if it wasn't abandoned they would have rectified it and 'got on with it' - tricky situation

How about you bowl your overs so you're not behind in the first place?

guildfordbat wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Middlesex are moaning to the ECB about being fined for slow over rates - interestingly waited until they were relegated until they did...when it happened 3/4 weeks ago....

Very poor of Middlesex to raise this again having previously stated they accepted the ECB's decision albeit not being happy with it. Also very poor of the ECB to put off a final decision on this and concerns about the Taunton pitch until Monday. The season finished on Thursday. All should have had clarity and certainty by Friday at the latest.

I actually think Middlesex probably had a case ...but surely the matter had to be dealt with at the time ; can't be revisiting it now.

I would be astonished if anything came of it at this late stage.

alfie wrote:

guildfordbat wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Middlesex are moaning to the ECB about being fined for slow over rates - interestingly waited until they were relegated until they did...when it happened 3/4 weeks ago....

Very poor of Middlesex to raise this again having previously stated they accepted the ECB's decision albeit not being happy with it. Also very poor of the ECB to put off a final decision on this and concerns about the Taunton pitch until Monday. The season finished on Thursday. All should have had clarity and certainty by Friday at the latest.

I actually think Middlesex probably had a case ...but surely the matter had to be dealt with at the time ; can't be revisiting it now.

I would be astonished if anything came of it at this late stage.

I believe Middlesex had an extremely good case. Some bloke fired a crossbow bolt onto Surrey's outfield which ended the game prematurely and so prevented Middlesex making up their over rate. Certain pundits have suggested this was no different from heavy rain falling on the last day. I disagree. Unlike the weather which captains can try to anticipate and allow for (and even effectively gamble on), there is no way whatsoever that what happened could have been foreseen by Middlesex's skipper Franklin. Furthermore, it most clearly was not the fault of Middlesex.

Now comes the really crazy bit. Having left the field and with the match about to be formally declared a draw, - this has been widely reported by several sources including usually reliable local radio cricket commentators - the umpires apparently said to Franklin, words to the effect, ''Don't worry about the over rate, we'll square it''. However, the umpires forgot to include this in their match report to the ECB who, rather than check matters with the umpires, imposed a points deduction and subsequently insisted there was no mechanism for it to be withdrawn.

Whist the umpires were remiss in what they filed, there is still quite a lot of sympathy for them. It's believed they filed their report at the end of the last day in chaotic scenes with police all around and no one sure what was going on or how serious it might be.

Where Middlesex went wrong imo is that when the ECB concluded they couldn't reverse their decision, Gus Fraser, their Managing Director of Cricket, graciously accepted the decision albeit expressing considerable disappointment. If there was a time for throwing toys out of the pram, it was then. Not three or four weeks later when Middlesex have just been relegated. Now it just comes across as sour grapes from a sour loser.

Other teams who were in the relegation mix would be able to claim (true or not!) that their subsequent match tactics were influenced by Middlesex's position in the table with those two points deducted.

The particularly ironic thing is that Middlesex have sailed close to the wind with their over rates in recent seasons but normally have been able to come up with suitable explanations / excuses to avoid trouble. This time they get their collar felt and they're the innocent party!

As an aside, something which has received very little publicity - Northants would have been promoted instead of Notts if they (Northants) had not been docked five points for an appalling over rate when they defeated Notts.

sirfredperry wrote:There's still to be a final ruling on the pitch at Taunton so there could be post-season drama for the second year running. 
   How about these three for three of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year -  S. Hope, Harmer, Porter?

Final ruling delivered this pm from the ECB on the Somerset pitch for their match last week against Middlesex is ''below average''. That effectively means ''mind how you go next season and we'll be keeping an eye on you'' but, most importantly for both these teams, NO POINTS DEDUCTION.

Middlesex's last chance of avoiding the drop is if the ECB reverse their earlier Arrowgate ruling and reinstate the 2 points they deducted from Middlesex. Expect legal action from Somerset if that happens. Whilst imo the original decision to make the deduction was wrong when it was made 3 or 4 weeks ago, Somerset were entitled to know from the ECB what they had to achieve to avoid the drop going into their last game and can claim they formulated their tactics on that basis. As said in my earlier and lengthier post above, the time for Middlesex to cry foul was then. Not now.

In a statement tonight announcing the departure of Ryan Higgins to Division 2 Gloucs, Gus Fraser states, ''Middlesex look forward to playing against him in 2018''.

That seems an acknowledgement that the game is up and Middlesex are down.

Middlesex lose their appeal and are relegated

2018 county fixtures expected to be announced on Tuesday 28 November for t20s and the following day for Championship matches and one day games.

Shiv Thakor has had his derbyshire contract terminated with immediate effect

Liam Livingstone appointed Lancashire captain for new season