Breakthrough Player of the 2009 English County Season

[Richard]

As an opener too.

@ Rich: Woakes started the season not too badly did he not?

Nah, took a massive haul for England A (cleaning-out WI's top-order before Plunkett got gifted the tailenders) very early but didn't do a thing for Warks until about August - averaged in the 50s or so. Like every other bowler at the county, I should add, including Boyd Rankin, who's taken a small turn for the better at the same time as Woakes.

Most of Warks' bowlers are absolutely diabolical (Carter, Anyon, Miller etc.) but despite that they had Steffan Piolet who took 10-43 - against students, yes, but even so that's quite some performance - in the season's opener but never played again! Mirrors their last season where they just kept picking these utter rubbish bowlers and they kept getting nothing figures.

 

[zaremba]

Piolet - Sussex reject and unfit to lace Machan's boots, ftr

 

[Richard]

I see. Begs the question of why Warks haven't signed him instead.

 

[zaremba]

I see. Begs the question of why Warks haven't signed him instead.

They obviously lack my infallible powers of foresight and judgment

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Cheers for that, JJ

But you're right, the only explanation I can offer is that Machan failed to capitalise on the massive confidence boost that me tipping him must surely have given him. He's still highly regarded at Sussex btw, so watch this space

I'll take your word for it . Sorry to be cruel about Machan, but I thought his name had to go in inverted commas... he was the only player in this thread that I've still never heard of.

Piolet looked distinctively average for Warks in OD cricket. And that's compared to the rest of the Warks attack.

 

[Richard]

Stuart Clark routinely looks pretty average in ODI cricket for Australia too; still generally looks dynamite in Test cricket (and yes I realise the absolute truity of those two statements has reduced a little in recent times).

Never much of an idea to judge a player's merits for one form on the other. If Piolet's been playing regular second XI cricket and averaging 50-odd, fair enough (and I haven't checked - he could perfectly well be for all I know). But it seems odd that he was even picked for that student game at all if he was never going to be given another chance later regardless of how well he went in said game and how diabolical the rest were for the rest of the season.

 

[zaremba]

You say truity, I say tomato

 

[zaremba]

As an opener too.

And 70 more today in his last CC innings of the season. Average of 59, strike rate of 69. He's a handy player.