Blewy the Prophet :)

[David]

http://forum.cricketweb.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3603&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

LEICESTERSHIRE

Leicestershire in my view have the side to take out Division 4 One Day league and also the side to challenge most of the teams in 4 Day Division 3…
Manager David Kennett has built a solid team up around his star batsman Ricky Ponting.
The likes of Bell, Ogden, Wells, Samaraweera, Lumb and Deitz all give good support, but the key to Leicestershires success is the consistency of this lot. Their bowling attack looks good despite being a little under-rated. The likes of Muller, Swain, Dagnall, Wright and DeFreitas have all shown they can do the job, but will be relied on to do it constantly.
Player to Watch Out For: Apart from Ponting, Keep an eye on fast bowler Scott Muller. Muller has had a good off season and looks ready to lead this Leicestershire side to its 1st trophy. Muller is a wicket-taking bowler and he will be out to establish himself at 1 club, with this being his 3rd club in as many seasons..

I'd say Blewy did fairly well for me, how'd he go for the rest of you? (I'm too lazy to check)

 

[nibbs]

The thing that I found a little strange in Blewys great preview was the arrogance he showed when writing up SA's preview. But amazingly its all came true...

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

AUCKLAND

The Auckland faithful will be hoping that Mr Mxyzptlk can bring their club some fortune. Auckland are another club who have struggled to establish themselves in the WCC, and despite having what looks to be a good side, I find it hard to see how they could change their fortunes looking at their opponents.
Mr Mxyzptlk will be looking to build on this side for next season where they could really begin to be a force.
Auckland have to great talent in Harris, Symonds, Horne and Campbell and with the 1st Round draft pick of Howarth they have a strong looking batting line-up, but it’s the bowling where they could struggle. They have a solid attack but lack that 1 stand-out who can rip through a team when needed….
Auckland could surprise a few teams but consistency will be the key to any success they can muster from this season..
Player to Watch Out For: The player to watch out for in the Auckland side will without doubt be E.Howarth, he can score runs and if he gets support from his experienced team mates then he could break some records.

Accurate for the most part. My bowling sucks and consistency was hard to come by. Howarth also did score well, but Harris struggled.

 

[Rik]

Blewy couldn't have been more wrong! I was predicted as a basement club and ended up leading the division for a large chunk of the season. Sitting pretty in 2nd place still

 

[Cloete]

The thing that I found a little strange in Blewys great preview was the arrogance he showed when writing up SA's preview. But amazingly its all came true...

yeah. if i remember correctly he predicted the same sort of thing for me and u nibs, which was doing well in 4d. i'll check just now. if that was the case (which i think it was) he was dead right.

 

[Mr. P]

Blewy said something about a guy named roosterboy being the somerset manager. how many managers have somerset had over time?:rolleyes:

 

[Cloete]

TAMIL NADU

Tamil Nadu have without doubt been strugglers in the WCC after releasing their star batsman S.Sharath at the end of the 1st Season. This year I see as their turning point.
They may not get promoted and may even get relegated, BUT they have some good talent which next season they can build on and I believe with the right trading they can make their way back to the top level of the WCC. Their bowling is their strong point, with Rose, Chapman, Shrinivas and Highsmith leading their charge. Whilst in the batting department they have Jayasuriya, Flowers, Samuels and Highsmith.
For Tamil Nadu to avoid relegation I think 1 or 2 wins against either Karnataka, Kent or Lancashire, on top of being consistent throughout the season will see them with a strong 4 Day finish..
Their 1 day season will be a lot tougher but Tamil Nadu, have proven they can be a thorn in the side of any team if they turn up to play..

Very true. but I did alot bette rthan expected, if i didn't forget tosubmit my team that one four day game i'd be well clear of lancashire . One Day has been pretty appauling but I am still very happy as Four Day was the main form I was building up. Next season my one-day looks quite strong, with the introduction of Parlane a star one-day keeper from Guyana who averages 45 one-day. Zac Birch who will be replacing the retired Jayasuria with an average of 45. Yuvraj averaging 37, Chapman 36 and Webster 35 our batting looks alot more consistent. And our bowling for one-dayers is N Kumble 25 s/r with 57 econ , S Mann 27 s/r with 69 econ, G Maiden 30.5 s/r with 53 econ , Singh chipping in with 3 overs or so with an s/r of 32.6 and 78 econ, Ormond 34.8 s/r and 69 econ then Webster and Chapman the batting all-rounders chapman 46 s/r and webster 44 both 74 econ. pretty happy with that so far. now all i could use is a batting all-rounder in 4d.

 

[marc71178]

Blewy said something about a guy named roosterboy being the somerset manager. how many managers have somerset had over time?:rolleyes:

Probably about as many as the number of trades you've made!!!!

 

[age_master]

COLTS

After an mixed inaugural season in the WCC, the Colts will be looking to play consistent cricket in both forms of the game. In season 2 they were by far and away the best team in Division 3 in the 1 day game but when it came to the long version they struggled..
They have a host of talent with players of the calibre of Katich, Singh, Sehwag, Anderson, and Sharath. Add to that the addition of star all-rounder M.Beasley Mark Boucher and the bowling talents of Kumble, Noffke, Hoggard, Upashantha and Liyanage, they have an awesome looking line-up.
They will begin the 4 day season as favourites to take out Division 4, whilst in the 1 Day game they will face a fiercely contested Division 2, Manager Andrew Garven will be hoping that his side can maintain their unbeaten records in the 50 over a side game.
Player to Watch Out For: As ever S.Sharath will be important to the Colts cause, but the man who I think will be a key will be M.Beasley. Beasley looked the goods in the Season 2 Academy series and his presence in the side gives Andrew Garven a option he missed last season.

my unbeaten OD record didn't last long and we played quite poorly in the OD form, 4d has picked up and we will be looking to secure a promotion position against WP this weekend. Beasley has been the star, he has been in the team of the week 3 weeks in a row, and has batted OK in 4d and bowled excellently, including having the best average in the division. Batting has been a little disapointing, especially in OD.

 

[lord_of_darkness]

Blewy was quite accurate about mine aswell !

 

[Slats4ever]

WESTERN PROVINCE

Western Province held the pride of South Africa on their shoulders in their 1st season in the WCC, and now with the entrance of Free State to the WCC they have increased pressure. But after what many would call a disappointing season, they look set for a big year. They have recruited well picking up the likes of Mail, Cox, Richardson, Vincent, Astle, Irani, Jayawardene and Brett Lee, but in the process lost big names such as Kirsten, Kallis, Akhtar and Smith, But the squad looks much more balanced and seems to have a lot more depth. In Division 4 in 4 Day they look to be one of the main contenders, whereas in 1 Day they look as though they could struggle in a strong looking Division 3…
Province Manager Ian Markus has signalled that the rivalry against Sri Lanka’s Colts, could be the decisive game in his teams 4 Day chase for the crown…
Player to Watch Out For: Ishmael Nelson, not only was he the 1st player christened by the WP club in a strange move by manager Ian Markus, But he also looks to be their best bowler. For a rap like that to come to a young player when he has the likes of Brett Lee beside him is a big call, but this kid is the real deal. If he fires WP are well on their way to a title…



What really happened
The four day dream appeared to be shattered, and another year of struggle looked like it was on the cards after the first half of the 4 day season. However one week out and they are looking a chance of taking the title. Nelson has been the star, with a wonderful avg of 18 this season, whilst new boys Rickman and Llewellyn held the batting ship!
The OD side of things was a tale of bad luck for WP. Losing 4 games by less than 5 runs, and tying one where they only lost 1 wicket in their chase was upsetting, as a result they're playing off by one point, oh well bad things do happen!
The performance of the senior members like Lee, Laxman, AStle and Richardson and Irani has been the most dissapointing thing with none of the above mentioned playing anywhere near expectation.