*Official* UK off-season 2009/10

[Jarquis]

Good news imminent re Luke Wright though, I understand.

Wright extends Sussex contract | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

 

[zaremba]

Mystic Zaremba gets it right - for once!

Apparently Slurrey had offered to triple the wages he was getting at Sussex.

So the tally so far is

Gus Mackay - chief exec - poached
Chris Adams - manager - poached
Piyush Chawla - diva legspinner - poached
Rory Hamilton-Brown - bespectacled prospect - poaching in progress
Luke Wright - poaching unsuccessful

Get your own team, Slurrey

 

[Richard]

One could argue that Chawla was never really a Sussex player to poach - he featured last season only, as a short-term replacement overseas-player (Yasir had been the county's first-choice UIMM?). And Hamilton-Brown's case could be argued merely to be Surrey regaining what was once theirs.

Only Adams and Mackay I'd really class as poaching. And Wright, had he been poached, would be no more or less of a poaching than Sussex attained from Leics (as I think you stated a little while back?).

 

[superkingdave]

One could argue that Chawla was never really a Sussex player to poach - he featured last season only, as a short-term replacement overseas-player (Yasir had been the county's first-choice UIMM?). And Hamilton-Brown's case could be argued merely to be Surrey regaining what was once theirs.

Only Adams and Mackay I'd really class as poaching. And Wright, had he been poached, would be no more or less of a poaching than Sussex attained from Leics (as I think you stated a little while back?).

Well then surely Adams would have been a poaching from Derbyshire as well, and Gus Mackay was a poach from Leicestershire iirc

 

[Richard]

I'm not fully aware of Mackay's particulars but if someone were to put it to me that his case and Wright's were in fact similar I'd not have much problem with it.

As for Adams the way I've always understood it he stormed-out of Derbyshire in a manner similar to Crawley and Lancashire (among others, including about half of Worcestershire's staff last season); it was simply a case of "I'll play for anyone but my current county". As opposed to one county enticing a player to leave a county he'd otherwise probably have remained at, which is rather different.

 

[zaremba]

It's not the fact of poaching that's the issue, it's just that Surrey seem to want to do a whole heap of pretty intensive poaching from one particular county, ie us. And fair play to them if they want to do that. It's irritating nonetheless.

The rumour is they offered to triple Luke Wright's salary.

There were some news reports suggesting that they wanted to sign Chris Nash as well, but I understand that these were wrong and the press muddled up Nash and RHB.

 

[Richard]

It's not the fact of poaching that's the issue, it's just that Surrey seem to want to do a whole heap of pretty intensive poaching from one particular county, ie us. And fair play to them if they want to do that. It's irritating nonetheless.

Yup, that's the way the system works and you can only expect teams to use said system to make themselves as strong as possible. All I'm saying is that for me a player can only be poached if he has some sense of belonging to the place he's going from - ie, he's been there for something more than a-handful-of-games-on-a-replacement-basis, and hasn't terminated the being-there of his own accord. I'd describe some of Surrey's formers Sussex staff (players and execs) as having been poached (not that there's anything ostensibly wrong with said poaching) and some as not having been.

Minor technicalities, mind.

 

[fredfertang]

As Sussex seem to be regular victims can we assume that Spen Cama's millions aren't being spent on salaries?

 

[zaremba]

Not quite sure what's happened to Spen's millions - I think they may be servicing our immense operating deficit. aewparsons (whom you know from your wisden jaunts) will know more than I.

 

[morgieb]

Middlesex snap up Iain O'Brien | India Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Saw it coming, though wasn't sure whether it'll be with Middlesex.

Derbyshire sign Robin Peterson | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

I thought Kolpaks were dead and buried? Or are there rules regarding this?

 

[Furball]

Is there not a loophole with regards to players who have recently been internationals?

 

[morgieb]

Aaah, fair enough. Last played real cricket 18 months ago, though.

 

[Richard]

Is there not a loophole with regards to players who have recently been internationals?

UIMM the ECB now have complete control over which players who do not have British or EU-national qualifications can play in county cricket. They've set the bar lower than I'd do so (would say "only one per county per season" myself) but it's been set.

 

[Woodster]

Confirmed that Rory Hamilton-Brown will join Surrey as captain. Big gamble surely for Surrey opting for a man that has not made 500 first-class runs or 10 first-class wickets yet, as their skipper.

 

[Woodster]

Andrew Gale another new skipper for the 2010 season, becoming Yorkshire's sixth captain in ten years. Anthony McGrath presumably wanting to get back some form and concentrate on his own form.

Both Marcus Trescothick and Mike Yardy sign new three-year deals for their respective counties.

 

[Richard]

Confirmed that Rory Hamilton-Brown will join Surrey as captain. Big gamble surely for Surrey opting for a man that has not made 500 first-class runs or 10 first-class wickets yet, as their skipper.

Madness rather than a gamble would be my description of it. What on Earth must Gareth Batty be thinking?

That aside of course from the fact that Batty and H-B are very similar players (H-B probably more a batsman who bowls and Batty a bowler who bats being the only difference) and fitting the two into the side won't be straightforward.

 

[superkingdave]

Kumar...**** yeah

 

[Richard]

Praveen Kumar?

 

[Manee]

I thought so too and got excited but it is Sangakkara.

 

[Jarquis]

Praveen Kumar?

Sanga.