***Official*** English Domestic Season 2014

[Howe_zat]

"It is going to be a tough year for them," Brooks said. "They have a good work ethic and play well as a unit but they are going to have to graft and this will be a bit of a wake-up call to some of them who have not played in the higher division. One session can cost you a game and we are the kind of team that are not going to let a team off the hook."

It's refreshing to hear a cricketer talk a bit more frankly about the gulf in divisions, which a lot of people still seem to deny. This ofc comes from one of the many who changed clubs in order to play at the higher level.

 

[theegyptian]

Northants would have struggled anyway but there are extenuating circumstances for there poor performance here. They have had a lot of injuries in pre season. In the current game they have Newton who is playing with a broken finger and Willey playing solely as a batsman because he has a stress fracture of the back. They basically don't have 11 fit guys to get out on the pitch. They've had two overseas bowlers pulled out having agreed contracts due to injuries or boards etc. Wakely out for the season. Sales injured. Keogh and Kettleborough both broke fingers on the same day of a pre season game.

I feel sorry for them. Smallish club with limited finances and small squad did really well last year but basically everything went wrong in preseason. They probably won't give a fair impression of their skill as a result.

 

[grecian]

Northants would have struggled anyway but there are extenuating circumstances for there poor performance here. They have had a lot of injuries in pre season. In the current game they have Newton who is playing with a broken finger and Willey playing solely as a batsman because he has a stress fracture of the back. They basically don't have 11 fit guys to get out on the pitch. They've had two overseas bowlers pulled out having agreed contracts due to injuries or boards etc. Wakely out for the season. Sales injured. Keogh and Kettleborough both broke fingers on the same day of a pre season game.

I feel sorry for them. Smallish club with limited finances and small squad did really well last year but basically everything went wrong in preseason. They probably won't give a fair impression of their skill as a result.

Quite right, the injuries have actually been farcical, it's not just the first-teamers it's the people who'd replace them, it's been a desperate run.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Never rains but it pours, always seems to happen to the clubs with the smallest squads too. feel for them and hope they get as many fit as soon as possible as long as they lose quickly in this game.

 

[grecian]

Jesse Ryder signed as Overseas Player for Essex, well I'm glad he's gone to a County in England, that hasn't got a pronounced drinking culture, and a lively night-life

 

[Sean Flynn]

Jesse Ryder signed as Overseas Player for Essex, well I'm glad he's gone to a County in England, that hasn't got a pronounced drinking culture, and a lively night-life

A night out with Jesse Ryder. He may pop out for a few quiet ones in Basildon.

 

[91Jmay]

The reason it seems to happen to clubs with smaller squads is because they lack the quality to mask it.

Bears doing well but weather has largely killed this as a contest. Lancs have to bat terribly to lose from here.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Good day for Yorkshire, 4 wickets taken. Decent day of weather and will win.

 

[Prince EWS]

The reason it seems to happen to clubs with smaller squads is because they lack the quality to mask it.

Yeah I think this is right. The biggest difference between the big counties and the small ones is the depth they can afford to keep around, so we just tend to notice the injuries to the latter more.

 

[superkingdave]

Flip side is not many of our young players get much second XI time. A typical second xi line up for us last year would have included guys like Moore, Brown, Croft, Cross/Davies, Kabir, Newby, Jarvis, White, Parry - the 'young' guys that get much of a game would be people like Jordan Clark, Aaron Lilley who are 23. Reece only got a shot because he did well at uni. Livingstone is the next batsman people have some hope for, he is 20 already and only started to get a regular 2nd xi place last year, Griffiths played for England U19s a couple of years ago but only just got regular second XI games last year as well. Rob Jones and Hasseb Hameed have both been involved in England U19s but have only been given a game or two for the seconds so far.

Anyway, looks like the weather might save us, but still time for us to collapse tomorrow.

 

[chris.hinton]

Ryder will be an excellent signing for Essex, him and Napier in the twenty20 will be a force

 

[fredfertang]

Flip side is not many of our young players get much second XI time. A typical second xi line up for us last year would have included guys like Moore, Brown, Croft, Cross/Davies, Kabir, Newby, Jarvis, White, Parry - the 'young' guys that get much of a game would be people like Jordan Clark, Aaron Lilley who are 23. Reece only got a shot because he did well at uni. Livingstone is the next batsman people have some hope for, he is 20 already and only started to get a regular 2nd xi place last year, Griffiths played for England U19s a couple of years ago but only just got regular second XI games last year as well. Rob Jones and Hasseb Hameed have both been involved in England U19s but have only been given a game or two for the seconds so far.

Anyway, looks like the weather might save us, but still time for us to collapse tomorrow.

Indeed - could do with no play before lunch, and even then I wouldn't be completely confident

 

[superkingdave]

So we have signed Junaid for the T20 - much as I would have liked a batsman, our LO seam bowling is dire so it's not a bad signing. People like Croft and Brown are actually ok in T20 as well

 

[theegyptian]

Wonder if we'll get any results other than at Durham and Leeds.

Wouldn't have much faith in Somerset batting out the final day against Durham.

Duno what the guys running Essex are on? Ryder could be a good buy but given their recent record with overseas players I would have thought they would have shied away from such a wackjob. Spose he'll have to go far to be a bigger disaster than Kaneria , Tsotsobe or Bravo.

 

[theegyptian]

9 in the game so far for Dunn and Mills. Good stuff.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Yorkshire nearly won. 1 wicket needed. Bit pathetic from Northants to fold as easily. You would think they would fight a bit harder.

 

[91Jmay]

Need one Horton out before lunch to have a chance at forcing a result.

 

[grecian]

Sam Robson = Bryan Robson
Angus Robson = Gary Robson.

 

[fredfertang]

Need one Horton out before lunch to have a chance at forcing a result.

Another half hour and we'll be out of danger here - hope Horts' efforts in this game are going to be typical of his season

 

[grecian]

Anyone seen Riley bowl much, he has decent figures, and we're desperate for a spinner.