***Official*** English Domestic Season 2009

[TT Boy]

Hopefully Ashwell is booking himself in for a nice long innings. Be great if he opened for Lancs but 3 is close enough given an all-rounder is the incumbent.

 

[TT Boy]

Extra's could be Surrey's top scorer. Currently on 33 just 3 behind Jon Batty.

 

[superkingdave]

Would imagine Smith has until Loye returns to open then Prince should open with Loye at 3 and Smith will either move down the order or out of the side if he doesn't get some bowling form. We are playing one too many bowlers at the moment due to Anderson being in the side, you would imagine either Loye,Cross, Brown or Shankar would come in for Anderson and Newby will come in for Mahmood when he is on Lions duty leaving Hogg vs Smith for the last place.

 

[Uppercut]

Do you get to see any of those games in Stormont? I went to a FP trophy game there at it was a lovely place to watch cricket. They gave you a plastic chair as you went through the gate and you just went and sat on the boundary. And everyone was so friendly, I was on my own and quite a few people came up and said hello to me and chatted.

Stormont's fantastic. So laid back. Kids play cricket with a tennis ball on the outfield during the innings break.

 

[superkingdave]

Prince gone on the stroke of tea, in deep trouble now, Croft is in awful form and with Saj at 9 we've a rubbish tail.

 

[fredfertang]

Smith opening in a first class match and Chilly at number 5?

I did wonder about Moores' judgement but am pleased to see he knew Chilly's best spot all along

..... and finally is it just me or is there a strong resemblance between Smith and Chilly?

 

[stumpski]

He batted as low as 7 in Warwickshire's last county game. Rikki, could be set for unemployment come the end of the summer...

Oh I'm sure Surrey will take him back, the way things are going. Bowled out for 131 I see, but at least we've got Derby seven down. Who's injured though - Nel, Jordan or Dernbach? All have unfinished overs on the scorecard.

 

[superkingdave]

Good fightback by Chilton and Croft, gets us back in the game. Nice to see Prince get a few on his CC debut, great for Chilton to get runs in his best spot and Croft has been in awful form in recent weeks really so great for him as well.

Hopefully we can at least get up near Sussex's total tomorrow, maybe the key is if im not paying attention, I left work pretty soon after the 4th wicket and went for a run as soon as i got home and they scored about 100 runs for no wicket!

 

[superkingdave]

Seems like the second new ball will be crucial to the outcome of the game. Zaremba did you go again today?

 

[zaremba]

Seems like the second new ball will be crucial to the outcome of the game. Zaremba did you go again today?

No, sorry, I couldn't bunk off work for a second day running. I will check what's being written on the Sussex messageboard and try to give you a summary.

Looking at the scores, you've got to take your hat off to Lanky for (a) blowing away our lower order and (b) recovering so well from the wreckage of 30-odd for 3.

 

[zaremba]

Shamelessly plagiarised from the sussex messageboard (with apologies to SussexScot):

Interesting day. Honours just about even, I thought at Tea. Looked like Prince was in good touch. I can only assume he lost concentration. Just hope the dropped catches don't prove crucial.

Before lunch, not sure how much more our lower order could have done against a very fine spell of swing bowling from Anderson, ably supported by Tom Smith who maintained an excellent line and the evergreen Chapple. On this pitch, this morning, I believe any batsman would have found them a handful. I thought our Tom Smith batted quite resolutely for his ten.

Then we seemed to get ourselves right back in the mix with three early wickets and getting Prince before tea with the score on 102-4 made our 289 look reasonable.

After tea though was a different story. Apart from the drop by Wright, both Chilton and Croft looked entirely comfortable, able to get on the front foot at will and we seemed to run out of steam a bit.

Early wickets are a must tomorrow if we are not to find ourselves batting with our backs to the wall!

 

[superkingdave]

Thanks Zaremba, it seems the last session on both days has been a struggle for the bowlers. Good to hear that Tom Smith bowled a decent spell today, i've read a couple of newspaper articles that suggest he bowled well yesterday as well so perhaps he was unlucky to finish wicketless.

In any case it comes accross as a tough hard fought battle between two decent sides, which can't be said for some of the games going on.

 

[pasag]

RTD continuing his good run with the ball in CC.

 

[Richard]

Hopefully Ashwell is booking himself in for a nice long innings. Be great if he opened for Lancs

Not really. His best chance of success is to bat in the middle-order, same way it is at international level. I really hope he isn't shoehorned into being the next McKenzie.

 

[Woodster]

Not really. His best chance of success is to bat in the middle-order, same way it is at international level. I really hope he isn't shoehorned into being the next McKenzie.

The thing is though, if he is to be selected for SA, certainly short-term, it is going to be as an opener. I agree that it's not his natural position, and you would expect him to enjoy more success in the middle order, however, there is a chance he may have been overtaken in that department by an order comprising of Amla, Kallis, De Villiers, and Duminy.

He may be a better middle order player than an opener, but his immediate international prospects are right at the top of the order.

 

[Woodster]

I know I have mentioned him a number of times in this thread, but just take a look at David Masters figures so far in the game against Gloucester - 27-12-28-6. Not a bad effort, and one of the main reasons Essex should only be chasing 100 for their first win of the CC season.

 

[Woodster]

Surrey's early season problems with the bat persist, although Pedro Collins has ensured Derby should not gain too much of a lead with 4-37.

Ian Blackwell falls five short of a century for Durham. Made a very good start for them with the bat. Bresnan registered impressive figures so far of 3-51 off 22 overs.


Kent looking good for a first innings lead over Northants, thanks in the main to Geraint Jones hitting 103 (16 fours and 1 six) off 111 balls, from the number 3 position. Shame to see Key and Denly miss out, but the experienced Stevens and Van Jaarsveld guiding them to an imposing total, but for any magic Panesar may deliver tomorrow.

Century from Aussie Mark Cosgrove for Glamorgan made it advantage them on their opening day against Middlesex, while Notts dominance continued against Worcs, Read finally out for 125, Broad 60, and then 4-35 so far.

A typical battling 83* from Nic Pothas helped Hants over the 300 mark, and nice to see Michael Carberry making a few runs at the start of this campaign to make up for his mediocre season last year. Was hoping he'd push on last season but it never materialised, maybe this year may be the making of him.

And at Hove, following an excellent effort from Jimmy Anderson especially, and Glenn Chapple, Sussex suffered a collapse and failed to get over 300 which looked a distinct possibility after day 1. Just as Lancs wer faultering, firstly Ashwell Prince made a half century, and now Mark Chilton and the ever improving Steven Croft appear to have assumed a degree of control.

 

[Uppercut]

Love the fact that Nic Pothas is playing for Hampshire and not some other team. I'd hate him with a passion if i were a fan of anyone else (while secretly wishing he'd sign for them).

 

[Pothas]

Don't know what Hampshire would do without him really, while other people in the side have always taken more of the applause than him there is little doubt in my mind that he has been the best player for Hampshire of the last 5 years. I dread to think of the number of times that he has done what he did today as it seems to happen pretty much every game.

 

[TT Boy]

Surrey's early season problems with the bat persist, although Pedro Collins has ensured Derby should not gain too much of a lead with 4-37.

Andre Nel has broke down, hasn't he?