***Official*** English Domestic Season 2007

[superkingdave]

Okay so it's a bit early, but it is 2007, so i thought i'd start this now.

Current movements between clubs

Derbyshire
In: Dan Birch, Simon Cusden (Kent), Boyd Rankin, Phil Weston (Gloucestershire), James Hopes (Australia)
Out: Steffan Jones (Somerset), Michael Di Venuto (Durham), Ben France, Andy Gray, Mo Sheikh (all released)

Durham
In: Will Smith (Nottinghamshire), Mitch Claydon (Yorkshire), Will Gidman, Paul Wiseman
Out: Mark Turner (Somerset), Gary Pratt, Jimmy Maher, Graeme Bridge, Jon Lewis, James Lowe, Mick Lewis (all released)

Essex
In: Darren Thomas (Glamorgan)
Out: Will Jefferson (Nottinghamshire), Ashley Cowan (retired)

Glamorgan
In:
Out: Darren Thomas (Essex)

Gloucestershire
In: Umar Gul (Pakistan), A Noffke(Cover for Gul), Vikram Banerjee (Cambridge University)
Out: Phil Weston (Derbyshire), James Averis, Matt Windows (both released)

Hampshire
In: Michael Lumb (Yorkshire)
Out: Richard Logan (Northamptonshire), Jono McLean (released)

Kent
In: Yasir Arafat (Sussex), Ryan McClaren (South Africa)
Out: David Fulton (retired), Simon Cusden (Derbyshire), Rob Ferley (Nottinghamshire), Matt Dennington, Niall O’Brien, David Stiff (all released)

Lancashire
In: Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Out: Andrew Crook (Northamptonshire), Murali Kartik (Middlesex)

Leicestershire
In:
Out: Aftab Habib (retired), Chris Liddle (Sussex), Steve Clark, Alamgir Sheriyar (both released), Darren Maddy

Middlesex
In: Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Murali Kartik (India), Tim Murtagh (Surrey), Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Out: Paul Weekes (retired), Melvyn Betts, Scott Styris, Mohammad Ali, Johann Louw (all released),

Northamptonshire
In: Richard Dawson (Yorkshire), Richard Logan (Hampshire), Andrew Crook (Lancashire), Richard Browning (Derbyshire), Johannes van der Wath (South Africa)
Out: Ben Phillips (Somerset), Matthew Nicholson (Surrey), Bilal Shafayat (Nottinghamshire)

Nottinghamshire
In: Will Jefferson (Essex), Rob Ferley (Kent), Mark Wagh (Warwickshire), Bilal Shafayat (Northamptonshire)
Out: Darren Bicknell (retired), Anurag Singh (retired), Will Smith (Durham), Russell Warren, Paul McMahon, Greg Smith

Somerset
In: Mark Turner (Durham), Steffan Jones (Derbyshire), Ben Phillips (Northamptonshire), Craig Kieswette
Out: Simon Francis, Michael Parsons (both released), Richard Johnson (Middlesex)

Surrey
In: Chris Schofield, Matthew Nicholson (Northamptonshire)
Out: Martin Bicknell (retired), Tim Murtagh (Middlesex)

Sussex
In: Chris Liddle (Leicestershire)
Out: Sean Heather, Tim Linley, Neil Turk (all released)

Warwickshire
In: Martin Love (Australia), Michael Barnes, Stuart Hole, Darren Maddy (Leicestershire)
Out: Nick Knight (retired), Tony Frost (retired), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Mark Wagh (Nottinghamshire)

Worcestershire
In: Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Alexei Kervezee
Out:

Yorkshire
In: Younis Khan (Pakistan)
Out: Darren Lehmann (retired), Mitch Claydon (Durham), Richard Dawson (Northamptonshire), Richard Blakey (released), John Blain (released)


Fixtures

My tips

CC Div One Champs : Hampshire
Relegated: Yorkshi*e, Worcestershire

CC Div Two Champs: Essex
Promoted: Notts
Bottom: Somerset

NL1: Essex
Relegated: Worcs, Northants
Playoff: Notts

NL2: Kent
Promoted: Surrey
Playoff: Yorkshire

C&G Trophy Winners: Lancashire
Twenty20 : Surrey

 

[Pratters]

Durham
In: Will Smith (Nottinghamshire), Mitch Claydon (Yorkshire), Will Gidman, Paul Wiseman
Out: Mark Turner (Somerset), Gary Pratt, Jimmy Maher, Graeme Bridge, Jon Lewis, James Lowe, Mick Lewis (all released)

Willos on Durham's chances this season -

 

[PhoenixFire]

Looking foward to anothe underwelming CC for Yorkshire, Younis Khan better do well, although I knew we should have recruited Mohammed Yousuf.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Middlesex
In: Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Murali Kartik (India), Tim Murtagh (Surrey), Richard Johnson (Somerset)
Out: Paul Weekes (retired), Melvyn Betts, Scott Styris, Mohammad Ali, Johann Louw (all released),

They've just signed a whole new bowling attack?

 

[Langeveldt]

Looking forward to hardly having to watch Scummerset at all this season..

 

[Barney Rubble]

Looking forward to hardly having to watch Scummerset at all this season..

Me too. Seriously considering converting to Hampshire. We're just too dire for words.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Might see a bit more of Lancashire this year, given school finishes mid-June. Unfortunately, that coincides with the Twenty20.

Only reall interested in the Championship, TBH. Twenty20 is alright, I suppose, until your team gets knocked out, but I can't see myself watching much of the one-day stuff this year. I would do if they had a proper knockout, plus a proper 50-overs league competition, but it's a shambles the way it is.

 

[aussie]

Lancashire & Hampshire will be favourites in division. Hoping that Lancashire can finally win the title.

Players wise looking to see:

- big season for Steve Davies

- big season for Rashid

- presuming England will have its first choice attack back, the likes of Broad, Plunkett, Onions, Tremlett to have solid seasons with the ball.

- The forgotten Gillespie to have a big season with Yorksh*te thus pushing for a place along with the Johnson/Tait/Hilfenhaus to partner Lee/Clark next Australian summer.

 

[The Baconator]

Think we'll miss Knight a lot this year. With Wagh going as well our batting will probably be very reliant on Love. There's Maddy as well, but I've never really rated him that much.

Bowling probably won't look that good either, I'm assuming we've lost Harris seeing as he's played for South Africa. Streak'll lead the attack again, being backed up by some young fast/medium bowlers. We might also have Gilo back, seeing as he's unlikely to figure for England again.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Me too. Seriously considering converting to Hampshire. We're just too dire for words.

Langer is carrying on though, and Cameron White, they were Immense against Gloucstershire in the Twenty20 last year.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Langer is carrying on though, and Cameron White, they were Immense against Gloucstershire in the Twenty20 last year.

Don't need to tell me mate, I was there. Quality performance. Still though, we're going to need a lot more than just two batsmen if we're going to compete. Some bowlers might help.

 

[chris.hinton]

95 days to go

 

[PhoenixFire]

I watched it on Sky, White must have hit it out of the ground at least 3 times, they were monster, and we wasn't slogging either, beautiful hits.

 

[Chubb]

Looking forward to hardly having to watch Scummerset at all this season..

Lucky bastard. Seriously I haven't renewed my membership of Somerset because I'm not going to give money to them to waste on a ridiculous scheme to bring a Test to Taunton instead of trying to do better in what really counts.

I think Essex have a good chance of promotion this year because the pace attack should be a bit stronger with Nel and Bichel being available at different points and hopefully Tudor hitting some form and the young lads coming through. The batting is certainly strong enough.

 

[Barney Rubble]

I watched it on Sky, White must have hit it out of the ground at least 3 times, they were monster, and we wasn't slogging either, beautiful hits.

Yeah, some gigantic hitting. The game after that against Warwickshire, he hit Heath Streak back over his head, out of the ground, onto the Sky truck outside. He wasn't even wearing a helmet at the time.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Yeah, some gigantic hitting. The game after that against Warwickshire, he hit Heath Streak back over his head, out of the ground, onto the Sky truck outside. He wasn't even wearing a helmet at the time.

Should and will get into the Austalian ODI or Test team on day.

 

[superkingdave]

Possible Lancashire side for the CC, providing Flintoff isn't available

Chilton
Sutcliffe
Loye
Law
Hodge
Sutton
Chapple
Cork
Smith/Keedy depending on the pitch
Murali
Anderson

Depends on Cork's form really, he was poor at the start of last year but really put it in at the end of the year. Either way Saj should be playing for the seconds.

 

[Rich2001]

Warwickshire
In: Martin Love (Australia), Michael Barnes, Stuart Hole, Darren Maddy (Leicestershire)
Out: Nick Knight (retired), Tony Frost (retired), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Mark Wagh (Nottinghamshire)

Some more news out of the Warwickshire camp:

"Warwickshire have confirmed that left-arm spinner Paul Harris is unlikely to rejoin the club in 2007.

The 28-year-old lost his Kolpak status after making his South Africa debut against India and would now have to be registered as an overseas player."

 

[Langeveldt]

Lucky bastard. Seriously I haven't renewed my membership of Somerset because I'm not going to give money to them to waste on a ridiculous scheme to bring a Test to Taunton instead of trying to do better in what really counts.

Hear hear, I think it's ridiculous how millions is getting ploughed into getting us a Holland v West Indies ODI, when the rest of the bloody time we have to watch Rob Woodman and Michael Parsons..

I also hate the way everyone bangs on about us having a "youthful but talented" squad.. What bulldust, making excuses for failure for the umpteenth year running

 

[Magrat Garlick]

They've just signed a whole new bowling attack?

Their old one was somewhat below the Rajshahi Division attack - there's a reason they only won one game last season. (Richardson got injured too, but he wouldn't have done much. He's bowled well for about two months of his career.)

My tips:

CC Div One Champs : Hampshire
Relegated: Yorkshire, Worcestershire (Durham's fate depends on whether Plunkett gets picked for England)

CC Div Two Champs: Essex
Promoted: Notts (by default)
Bottom: Glamorgan