***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[Richard]

Oh how I wish you were the overlord and dictator of county cricket.

Why? So I could dictate that inter-county movement wasn't allowed?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Why? So I could dictate that inter-county movement wasn't allowed?

More that someone would go Ceauşescu on you.

It's interesting, on the other hand, to note that all the Kolpaks in the world are stopping legions of wonderfully talented young English players coming through, yet the Champion County has a load of hopeless, useless cricketers, isn't it?

And on a third hand, Hanson has still got one hell of a gob on him.

 

[Richard]

It's interesting, on the other hand, to note that all the Kolpaks in the world are stopping legions of wonderfully talented young English players coming through, yet the Champion County has a load of hopeless, useless cricketers, isn't it?

Not sure what point you're making. Yes, there are a load of hopeless (by county standards) local players at Durham. Yes, the "Kolpaks push out lots of young talented British players" thing is by-and-large a myth. So?

And on a third hand, Hanson has still got one hell of a gob on him.

Of the Will variety? Is he playing in this Twenty20 club thingy?

 

[fredfertang]

Oh how I wish you were the overlord and dictator of county cricket.

For those of us who missed Richard's first 60,000 posts and don't have time to trawl back it would be helpful to have a summary of his views on this subject so the above is a worthy basis for a game of "just suppose"

So Richard having been appointed overlord and dictator of county cricket what is your 10 point plan for the future and what do you aim to achieve by it?

 

[Manee]

Congratulations Durham. I remember growing up in the early to mid 1990s, before I had any knowledge whatsoever of County Cricket, I knew that Durham were awful - how times have changed.

 

[Richard]

For those of us who missed Richard's first 60,000 posts and don't have time to trawl back it would be helpful to have a summary of his views on this subject so the above is a worthy basis for a game of "just suppose"

A good starting-point is to take any post by Neil Pickup in my direction with an exceedingly large helping of salt.

 

[fredfertang]

That much I had worked out already - I wasn't taking the piss Richard just thought if you set out your views together rather than piecemeal it would be easier to understand where you're coming from

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's funny, isn't it, Durham's best locally-produced seamer spends the whole summer playing county cricket, takes more wickets for his county than anyone else (& in fact more than anyone took for any county except Tomlinson at Hants & Rashid at Yorks) but obviously he's garbage and their success is entirely due to imports.

 

[Jamee999]

only Richard could take the sheen off a Championship title for a team who only a few seasons back were thought of as being not worthy of first class cricket.

Richard's removing matches against Durham from this year's stats as we speak.

Kills an atmosphere quicker than a French kiss at a family reunion, our Dicko.

Genuine LOL there.

Why? So I could dictate that inter-county movement wasn't allowed?

That's going to make travelling to away matches tricky.

 

[pskov]

Why? So I could dictate that inter-county movement wasn't allowed?

Banning inter-county movement would be ridiculous. How many Yorkshire born players play for other county sides? Just because they cannot get into their own county lineup doesn't mean they wouldn't improve themselves and the quality of county cricket by getting in someone else's team. Would Sidebottom have been picked for England if he had stayed at Yorkshire? Would Ambrose have been selected if he had stayed at Sussex?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Not sure what point you're making. Yes, there are a load of hopeless (by county standards) local players at Durham. Yes, the "Kolpaks push out lots of young talented British players" thing is by-and-large a myth. So?

Of the Will variety? Is he playing in this Twenty20 club thingy?

I'm insinuating that the fact that your opinion that the Champion County is full of crap does not entirely tally with your contention as President of the Adam Shantry fan club that there is not enough chance for people to get a game

I'm also insinuating that your desperate desire for Kolpakees to go back home to SA will lead to even more fretting from you, as if the Champions are crap, then imagine how crap the whole thing will be when we get rid of 80 overseas.

And yes, Will Hanson, currently 2* as Stanmore perish due to a rather large gulf in class between South Northumberland and every other club in finals day. He has however rather impressed Charles Colvile with his glovework.

 

[zaremba]

Banning inter-county movement would be ridiculous. How many Yorkshire born players play for other county sides? Just because they cannot get into their own county lineup doesn't mean they wouldn't improve themselves and the quality of county cricket by getting in someone else's team. Would Sidebottom have been picked for England if he had stayed at Yorkshire? Would Ambrose have been selected if he had stayed at Sussex?

Not to mention unlawful

 

[Richard]

It's funny, isn't it, Durham's best locally-produced seamer spends the whole summer playing county cricket, takes more wickets for his county than anyone else (& in fact more than anyone took for any county except Tomlinson at Hants & Rashid at Yorks) but obviously he's garbage and their success is entirely due to imports.

Nope. Stop responding to what you'd like people to have said rather than what they have.

 

[Richard]

Banning inter-county movement would be ridiculous. How many Yorkshire born players play for other county sides? Just because they cannot get into their own county lineup doesn't mean they wouldn't improve themselves and the quality of county cricket by getting in someone else's team. Would Sidebottom have been picked for England if he had stayed at Yorkshire? Would Ambrose have been selected if he had stayed at Sussex?

Quite possibly. Either way, that's not the point. You don't see players skipping between countries because they can't get a game, do you? In some respects, counties are no different (though there is one crucial difference in that counties are employers as well as cricket teams).

I wouldn't actually suggest that banning inter-county movement was something that's going to happen, but should it do so I'd be far from unhappy.

 

[Richard]

I'm insinuating that the fact that your opinion that the Champion County is full of crap does not entirely tally with your contention as President of the Adam Shantry fan club that there is not enough chance for people to get a game

Where exactly have I blamed Shantry's exclusion on there being too many crap players? I've blamed it on county coaches and selectors being unable to realise that Shantry is better than any of the large number of rubbish bowlers who've played regularly in recent years.

Oh, and don't start Samiullah Khan Niazi-ing Shantry. It was vaguely funny the once, I admit; it'll get tired without a second's notice if you try it with someone else.

I'm also insinuating that your desperate desire for Kolpakees to go back home to SA will lead to even more fretting from you, as if the Champions are crap, then imagine how crap the whole thing will be when we get rid of 80 overseas.

Not neccessarily. Some benefit more than others from overseas imports. It might turn the champions from top-of-the-pile to bottom-of-the-pile but it won't neccessarily impact anywhere near as much on others. It depends on how much they've relied on said imports.

And yes, Will Hanson, currently 2* as Stanmore perish due to a rather large gulf in class between South Northumberland and every other club in finals day. He has however rather impressed Charles Colvile with his glovework.

He was always damn good with the gloves, and it's criminal he never scored more runs as I always thought watching him in the nets he had more ability than anyone else at our club.

 

[zaremba]

Quite possibly. Either way, that's not the point. You don't see players skipping between countries because they can't get a game, do you? In some respects, counties are no different (though there is one crucial difference in that counties are employers as well as cricket teams).

I wouldn't actually suggest that banning inter-county movement was something that's going to happen, but should it do so I'd be far from unhappy.

KP?

 

[Richard]

I was meaning couldn't get a game for their national XI, not a domestic team, TBH.

 

[Goughy]

I was meaning couldn't get a game for their national XI, not a domestic team, TBH.

Roger Twose

 

[fredfertang]

Dipak Patel

 

[zaremba]

I was meaning couldn't get a game for their national XI, not a domestic team, TBH.

KP
Allan Lamb
Robin and Chris Smith
Tony and Ian Grieg
Kepler Wessels
Graeme Hick
Ranji
Grimmett