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!

Well technically the ones being rested are centrally contracted...so they belong to the ECB. I got no problem with it - ultimately it'll be part of a bigger physio plan by the sports scientists...and they have a ridiculous schedule late summer/winter

Its only cricket! Not the most physically demanding of activities is it?!

jimbohammers wrote:Its only cricket! Not the most physically demanding of activities is it?!

Try telling that to a county quick and you'll get a slap in the face.

I'm sure I saw a stat on Twitter from opta that showed on average a cricket fast bowler runs around 20km a day in the field/bowling - which is the most of sports barring you know endurance guys. Considering they do it most days, it's the build up of fatigue over time that does it.

I'm hardly a pro athlete, but I consider myself relatively fit and even 45 overs in the field on a Saturday whacks me out - please don't say it's just me.......

jimbohammers wrote:Lots of games starting today...

Warwickshire vs Yorkshire
Surrey vs Lancashire
Somerset vs Essex
Hampshire vs Middlesex

Div 2:
Sussex vs Kent
Gloucestershire vs Leicestershire
Glamorgan vs Worcestershire
Durham vs Notts
Derbyshire vs Northants

A quick round up of these games two days in.

Div 1.
A second successive CC fifty for my man Ronnie Barker plus a couple of wickets but Yorks still comfortably on top against Warks.

Weather permitting, there should be a result today at Taunton. Essex need 245 more with all 10 second innings wickets left. Given the bunsens produced by Somerset, that should be too many for the visitors up against Jack Leach.

Hants just about holding their own against Middlesex. Carberry will resume 84 not out.

Surrey v Lancs has its own match thread as the hosts are left with little option other than to try batting out the game following a Chanderpaul masterclass.

Div2.

Pretty much neck and neck in two games - Sussex v Kent and Derbys v Northants.

Gloucs, Worcs and Notts look set to emerge as winners in the other games with varying degrees of comfort. Night watchman Luke Fletcher run out for Notts, 8 runs short of what would have been a maiden ton.

Glamorgan "tongue tied" as Josh Tongue has already taken 5 wickets in second innings.  Glam lead Worcs by 16 with only 2 second innings wickets left.  A second heavy defeat on the cards.

Fascinating battle between Essex and Somerset as Essex make a confident start in their 4th innings chase of 255.

Essex putting up a tremendous effort against Somerset. Still 9 wicket left and under a hundred to get. Not over yet but the visitors have to be clear favourites now. Didn't expect that.

Meanwhile, Warks in terrible trouble against Yorks. 5/3 second dig and loads behind. Their only respite comes from rain. I thought Warks' experience would serve them well this season but too many seem past it.

Warks folding against Yorks, at 29 - 6.  Coad has already taken 4 second innings wickets (9 in the match so far). Batsmen nos 2 - 5 made just two runs between them.  Doubtful that any heroics from Guildford's man, Ronnie Barker, will save them from another heavy defeat!

3 wickets and a first innings 50 from Ronnie but it's goodnight from him and goodnight from Warks. Only a day of rain can save them tomorrow against Yorks.

Meanwhile, a fabulous win for Essex at Taunton whilst Hants finish the day on top against champions Middlesex.

In Div 2, seems clear that Leics and Glamorgan are going to be the whipping boys this season as they both crash heavily.

Farcical scenes at Derby

Warwickshire have had an abysmal start to the campaign - Ben Coad has not!

Hants-Middlesex is finely poised - Adam Voges playing the key innings atm

Kent all over Sussex like a rash - Darren Stevens will never get old! Sam Northeast must be in the frame for an England shot...

Notts look like they'll wrap up a win over Durham soon - Keaton Jennings carried his bat for an unbeaten century to give Durham some respectability

Hants could be on for a win against Middlesex at the Rose Bowl. In their second innings, the visitors lead by 137 but only have 2 wickets left. If Jimbo's boys can get them quickly, there could be more all night celebrations in the streets of Southampton!

Stubborn 9th wicket partnership (so far 30*) between Rayner and Roland-Jones holding up Hants.  Middlesex lead up to 163.  Still plenty of overs - just over 40 - but Hants won't want to be chasing 200+.

Toblerone dismissed - one wicket to fall, with Middlesex lead at 170. Still 39 overs remaining.  Interesting!

Murtagh not the world's worst no 11 batsmen hits three fours in a row - and takes lead to 187.  Still enough overs for Hants to take on that challenge, but they will soon be getting frustrated with this last wicket partnership.

Draws  in both Surrey/Lancs and Hants/Middlesex.  Good rearguard action from last two Middlesex wickets to hold out for the draw. Surrey avoided their batting brain fade of the first innings and in the end held out comfortably.

There's been some excellent matches in Div 1 so far in which several teams have managed to turn their fortunes round from a very poor position.  Warks need to relaunch their season after two dismal performances.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Draws  in both Surrey/Lancs and Hants/Middlesex.  Good rearguard action from last two Middlesex wickets to hold out for the draw. Surrey avoided their batting brain fade of the first innings and in the end held out comfortably.

There's been some excellent matches in Div 1 so far in which several teams have managed to turn their fortunes round from a very poor position.  Warks need to relaunch their season after two dismal performances.

Just hope the relaunch doesn't begin on Friday when they again play Surrey!

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Farcical scenes at Derby

Nothing is as much of a farce as Leicestershire.

Building for the future is one thing but humiliating players, direspecting the sponsors, crowd and opposition by picking a bunch of kids who arent ready and a few players who are past their best in a demoralised side isnt exactly the best advert for county cricket.

Its a pity you cant get releagted from D2 but Leicestershire seem determined to make the argument for cutting the division stronger. It might be worth putting them out of their misery now. It must be a pretty good gig being the Mercury correspondant though knwoing youll get at least one extra days holiday a week.

Disappointed we couldn't get over the line vs Middlesex but a good effort. Will take a win and a draw vs Yorkshire + Middlesex in the first 2 games

Gooseberry wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Farcical scenes at Derby

Nothing is as much of a farce as Leicestershire.

Building for the future is one thing but  humiliating players, direspecting the sponsors, crowd and opposition by picking a bunch of kids who arent ready and a few players who are past their best in a demoralised side isnt exactly the best advert for county cricket.

Its a pity you cant get releagted from D2 but Leicestershire seem determined to make the argument for cutting the division stronger. It might be worth putting them out of their misery now. It must be a pretty good gig being the Mercury correspondant though knwoing youll get at least one extra days holiday a week.

Meanwhile, Surrey's James Burke who is on loan at Leics can't get in the team.

jimbohammers wrote:Disappointed we couldn't get over the line vs Middlesex but a good effort. Will take a win and a draw vs Yorkshire + Middlesex in the first 2 games

Hi Jimbo - yep, two very respectable performances from Hants.

Meanwhile, a good second eleven game going on between our teams. Your lad Crane got a bit of tap in the second innings but ended up with a fivefer.

guildfordbat wrote:

Meanwhile, Surrey's James Burke who is on loan at Leics can't get in the team.

That makes him one of the lucky ones

guildfordbat wrote:

jimbohammers wrote:Disappointed we couldn't get over the line vs Middlesex but a good effort. Will take a win and a draw vs Yorkshire + Middlesex in the first 2 games

Hi Jimbo - yep, two very respectable performances from Hants.

Meanwhile, a good second eleven game going on between our teams. Your lad Crane got a bit of tap in the second innings but ended up with a fivefer.

Hi Guildford, yep a good start for us. Noticed the 2nd XI game, quite a few experienced players in that game wasn't there?!
Still no place for Crane in the first team.

Fixtures starting today:

Warwickshire vs Surrey
Middlesex vs Essex
Lancashire vs Somerset
Hampshire vs Yorkshire


Div 2:

Worcestershire vs Northants
Notts vs Sussex
Leicestershire vs Glamorgan
Kent vs Derbyshire
Gloucestershire vs Durham

Not a bad lineup for Yorkshire today

Lees, Lyth, Root, Ballance, Handscomb, Bairstow, Bresnan, Rashid, Willey, Patterson, Coad

Brilliant 100 from Vince. Impressing in front of Mr Joe Root...

Middlesex 255-1 vs Essex, both Robson and Gubbins getting hundreds.

Lance 109 all out. Somerset 71-4 in reply...

Of the Div 1 matches today, it would seem that only Somerset have benefitted from choosing to bowl. 4 centuries so far shared out by 3 of the home batting teams.

As Olly said on the Surrey match thread, look down as well as up!

And as I often say, back your batsmen!

2/26 off his 10 overs for Glamorgan's Andrew Salter today against Leics. Not that remarkable apart from it's about the poor lad's best return in the last two years since I tipped him as one to watch and gave him the of death as a result!

Well this happened

Notts (Wessels double century) on the rampage against Sussex, scoring 447 off just 78 overs.

Early days but Steve Davies has not yet shown any batting form following his move to Somerset - three low scores in a row.

Coad continuing his stellar start to the season for Yorks, with three more wickets. Overall, tho, a good batting day for Hants.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Notts (Wessels double century) on the rampage against Sussex, scoring 447 off just 78 overs.

Early days but Steve Davies has not yet shown any batting form following his move to Somerset - three low scores in a row.

Coad continuing his stellar start to the season for Yorks, with three more wickets. Overall, tho, a good batting day for Hants.

Evening Corporal and all,

As you suggest, Coad appears on fire and then some. However, another decent day for Hants who are more than holding their own.

Yeah, that's a real shame about Davies. Don't know how I'll sleep tonight.

GSC wrote:Well this happened

You lads are gonna absolutely destroy Div 2 this year

Jimbo - Tino Best has signed to play for Mildenhall in the East Anglian Premier League - quite the fall from Hants last year! (I will be heckling him when he comes to play Horsford with the "mind the windows tino")

Haha that is brilliant, he's still got some pace!

jimbohammers wrote:Haha that is brilliant, he's still got some pace!

Was gonna say last time I saw him in the CPL he was bowling sharp - he should destroy the EAPL!

Good comeback by Lancs against Somerset.  Alex Davies and Livingstone so far batted together for 73 overs.

Liam Livingstone has to be a good bet to be in the squad for the 1st test surely? Mega winter with the Lions followed by a great start to the summer

Would like to see him in the one day squad - hits the ball a long way

Have seen first and third days of Middx-Essex. Robson just loves the early-season matches. Essex's bowling attack looked thin. Wagner was lively but Harmer looked very average. Difficult to judge as this was a very good batting wicket.
Lawrence, still a teenager, was very impressive and Wheater played well until getting out to a silly shot. Could be that Foster does not get back in side.

One of the reasons Hampshire let Wheater go was his attitude 'behind the stumps' - many times he played just as a batsman for us so I'm sure there is still a place for Foster.

22 byes so far in Yorks' second innings....

The head coach Benkenstein said last year that Wheater was dropped from behind the stumps because he wasn't 'urgent' enough and lacked positivity. Rumours he sulked a lot too because he wasn't batting higher in the order...
From what I've seen McManus is a far better keeper than Wheater, but Wheater better with the bat.

Somerset need 295 to beat Lancs. Should be an interesting finish there.

Ian Bell out for 99, of all bowlers he gets out to Gareth Batty!

Middlesex need 7 wickets to beat Essex. Cook just gone

Lancs easily beat Somerset.  That's another case of a side coming back to win after being well behind in the match.  Have to assume Somerset were pyschologically shot after taking 161 overs to bowl out Lancs in their second innings.

Yorks batsmen (Ballance 203*) battled well to hold out for the draw against Hants, while Warks held out against Surrey without much difficulty.

Looks like Essex may hold out against Middlesex after bad light halted play with Essex 8 wickets down.  If so, Middlesex are likely to regret not enforcing the follow on yesterday. Essex are 292 short of their target so Middlesex ended up having a large amount of surplus runs in hand.

Essex escape with a draw. Middlesex fans not happy that their side didn't enforce the follow on or at least batted on too long second dig. Totally with their supporters on that.

Meanwhile, of this round of finished Championship matches all nine visiting captains chose to forego the toss and opted to bowl. None departed with a win (4 home wins, 5 draws). That proves ... absolutely nothing. However, it does perhaps show a tendency to assume an advantage rather than make a proper assessment of all factors. As Olly said on the last Surrey match thread, captains need to look down as well as up.

Quite ludicrous decision by Middx not to enforce the follow-on against Essex on Sunday. The forecast for Monday was clearly fairly awful.
Remarkable win by Lancs.

Championship back tomorrow...

Div 1:

Essex vs Hampshire
Lancashire vs Yorkshire
Middlesex vs Surrey
Somerset vs Warks

Div 2:

Derbyshire vs Worcestershire
Glamorgan vs Notts
Leicestershire vs Kent

Most Div 1 games affected by weather on day 1.

Warks, trying to overcome a very poor start to the cc season limped along to 93 - 3 after choosing to bat.
Surrey, after slipping to 83 - 3 before lunch will be reasonably happy wih 265 -5, built around an unbeaten Sanga century. They have enough overs in hand to reach 5 batting points, but with a frail lower order even a third point can't be taken for granted.
Essex reached 243 - 2, with centuries from Westley and Cook.  Can't have been what Hants were hoping for when they chose to bowl.
Yorks have recovered to 251 - 6 but have taken 96 overs and so are unlikely to take more than 3 batting points.

Cook is a bit too good for county cricket.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Most Div 1 games affected by weather on day 1.

Warks, trying to overcome a very poor start to the cc season limped along to 93 - 3 after choosing to bat.
...

Warks can at least take some consolation that they won't be batting last at Taunton against the double spin threat of Leach and Bess. Sensible decision of Bell imo to turn down the right to bowl first even though Somerset have still ended the day in the better position.

I was just going to say, a good comeback by Hants today bowling Essex out for 360 but we're 18-4 in reply so ill just keep quiet

I would keep very quiet, Jimbo, as it's got even worse for you! And I thought Surrey wee having a bad day. Chin up!