***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[fredfertang]

Bollocks. Was looking at the Surrey score. My bad, yeah yous are ****ed. I'm moving there tomorrow, just in time to see them sink.

- i fell into the trap of assuming that just because the lanky game is the only one of interest to me that that is the same for everyone - my apologies

81-8 at tea - that, I concede before Mr Z joins in, probably does amount to a recovery by recent standards

 

[Richard]

You wonder why Surrey let Murtagh go and went for Pedro Collins. Murtagh has six more wickets today making it 61 so far this season.

Probably because Collins is a far better bowler than Murtagh. Which makes it all the more surprising how apparently far, far better the latter has bowled than the former this season.

Anyway, nice to actually see, for the first time in about 2 weeks, a reasonably full program of play.

 

[zaremba]

81-8 is probably a recovery by recent standards.

 

[fredfertang]

Stop looking at the internet and get on with preparing those pleadings!

 

[Uppercut]

81-8 is probably a recovery by recent standards.

Brilliant.

Now let's all play for rain to sweep the nation clearing a path for Hampshire to clinch the championship next week.

 

[fredfertang]

Brilliant.

Now let's all play for rain to sweep the nation clearing a path for Hampshire to clinch the championship next week.

After 107 all out you can forget any notion of having a week off to watch them at Old Trafford next summer

 

[Uppercut]

After 107 all out you can forget any notion of having a week off to watch them at Old Trafford next summer

I'm sure i'll feel something for my adopted county. While they get trounced by Glamorgan...

 

[Rickripper]

I'm moving to Leeds over the weekend, and it seems like Yorkshire are on their way down too. Only 44 overs of play today though, so maybe they'll be saved by a draw. Essex are going okay though, Jaik Mickleburgh looks like a class player, currently averaging 66.00 in FC cricket.

 

[zaremba]

Kent 30-2.
A few more wickets and Lanky will be looking at a potential points deduction...

 

[Rickripper]

Kent 30-2.
A few more wickets and Lanky will be looking at a potential points deduction...

55-3 now.

Any idea why Tredwell opened? Bit early for a night watchman, surely? And why hasn't Denly come out yet?

 

[fredfertang]

Kent 30-2.
A few more wickets and Lanky will be looking at a potential points deduction...

It gets better - the brownhatters may yet avoid the wooden spoon

 

[stumpski]

Jaik Mickleburgh looks like a class player, currently averaging 66.00 in FC cricket.

Indeed, just 18 and he's made 60 and 72 in his first two Championship innings. Curious that his Cricinfo photo shows him in colours though, when he hasn't played a List A or Twenty20 game for the county.

Promising start for Lee Hodgson at the Oval, making 63 against Notts. Now let's just hope he can bowl.

 

[Rickripper]

Indeed, just 18 and he's made 60 and 72 in his first two Championship innings. Curious that his Cricinfo photo shows him in colours though, when he hasn't played a List A or Twenty20 game for the county.

Well, I imagine the picture is from a second XI game, but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't of him.

 

[Richard]

Jaik Mickleburgh looks like a class player, currently averaging 66.00 in FC cricket.

Indeed, just 18 and he's made 60 and 72 in his first two Championship innings. Curious that his Cricinfo photo shows him in colours though, when he hasn't played a List A or Twenty20 game for the county.

I'm just really surprised he hasn't played for England under-19s given how many batsmen have made poor starts to county careers this season that have been doing such a thing.

 

[Rickripper]

I'm just really surprised he hasn't played for England under-19s given how many batsmen have made poor starts to county careers this season that have been doing such a thing.

It's especially surprising when you consider the England U19 captain, Tom Westley, can't get a game for Essex at the moment.

 

[Richard]

I must come to the conclusion that it's a shame Westley has played as much as he has this season. He's clearly currently not ready for county cricket (whether he is in time we wait to see - you'd have to think it's more likely than not). With the likes of Cook, Grant Flower, Chopra, Gallian, Pettini, Bopara and ten Doeschate it's a shame he's been exposed prematurely as that can't benefit anyone.

 

[Rickripper]

It's a little confusing when you consider that Essex have brought in Maunders, and are apparently thinking about signing Matt Walker too. The batting has suffered with the losses of Irani and Flower in recent years, but you've got to back the current squad, which with the exception of Gallian and Grant Flower, is pretty young. I'd like to see Neil Dexter back, last thing I heard is that he turned down a new contract with Kent.

 

[Richard]

Yeah he has. I hope he returns to SA TBH, though don't know if he has any plans to do such. You hope Gerald Majola might have had a word with him though, as he reportedly was McLaren and someone else.

Dunno why on Earth Essex signed Maunders at all, he's patently not a county-standard batsman. Annoys the heck out of me when counties sign such players - such a waste of money. Maunders would be much better-served getting another job.

As for Matthew Walker, well, he's been pushed out of the Kent team by all the Kolpaks (like Dexter, as well as van Jaarsveld, Kemp and McLaren). Same was true of Ed Smith. Always a shame to see Kent-developed batsmen leave the club and go elsewhere. If they still had both and less Kolpaks their batting unit (Denly, Key, Smith, Walker, Stevens) would be almost all Kent-developed. Bet they also wish they'd got rid of Geraint Jones rather than O'Brien too, as the latter now appears to be the better batsman.

Walker can't be that young any more either.

 

[Rickripper]

Is Dexter a Kolpak? I know he was born in SA, but I thought he grew up here, like Strauss, as opposed to Pietersen.

As for Geraint Jones, he's no worse a batsman than Mustard, Ambrose or Foster, and he had a pretty good knock today, a run-a-ball 90 or so. Saying that, I still haven't found out why Denly has been held back, and Tredwell opened...

 

[Richard]

Denly must be injured, surely?

As for Geraint, well, he might be better than Mustard, but that's no achievement - there are many county second-team wicketkeepers better at batting than him. How he keeps hold of a place at Durham, especially in the Championship team, is beyond me. What's frightening is that people honestly were in favour of the idea of him playing Tests not long ago.

And no way is Geraint a better batsman than Foster or Ambrose. Not a chance.

As for Dexter, I believe he came over to come to uni, which'd suggest he was 18 before he arrived. I'm fairly certain he's a Kolpak, though the all-knowing-on-this-subject TT_Boy would be the best man to say for certain.