***Official*** English Domestic Season 2008

[stumpski]

I can't believe even the Sussex faithful would have been too happy at sitting through three hours of Gary Keedy to see a 15 ball knock from Flintoff. Ambitious shot for a man not yet in double figures.

 

[Richard]

Jeys, Mushtaq is slow these days.

Don't know what speeds he was bowling at last season, the one before, the one before, the one before, the one before and the one before, but he was certainly quicker than this back in 2000/01.

Can't see anyone getting success on anything except the quickest, bounciest pitches bowling at this pace.

 

[Richard]

vis a vis CC games on tv, Richard, can't ever remember sky showing 4 Championship games on Sky. There was a time they used to show FC games against the tourist as well though. Seem to recall having a similar discussion before though. There are actually 3 CC games on Sky this year FWIW. They are also showing a game from each of the last two rounds (17-20 sept & 24-27 sept). Under the conditions of the tv deal they are only required to broadcast 2 though.

Seem to recall 4 back in 1999, but may be wrong.

 

[Richard]

Looks like Chris Martin has had a decent start for Warwicks, taking 5 for 84. Gloucs messed-up big-time after a second-wicket stand of 176, ao for just 336.

Looks like Middlesex might regret their star-studded top-four's bad failure against Northants. Wish Christopher Peploe was playing this game, guess he'd have got belted (Udal 7 overs for 48 AWS).

Worcs have embarrased Leics, currently 373 for 8, as against 120. Smith a disappointing 17 wicketless overs for 58.

Always love figures like this

RN ten Doeschate 0.1 0 4 0 24.00

Interesting debut for Wavell Hinds - 47 from 43 balls before Tudor got rid of him.

136* for Batty, as James Tredwell irritatingly gets the last 3 wickets.

Remarkable figures of 17 overs for 14 for Mascarenhas against Notts. Tremlett with 18-48-2. Good but not as good as I'd like. Story of his season really - been mostly economical, taken 2 or 3 wickets most of the time, but never managed the big bags.

Most disappointingly of all, though, Yorkshire allowing two of the worst batsmen who can supposedly bat in the country, Philip Mustard and Liam Plunkett, to drag Durham out of trouble.

 

[Manee]

I have always wondered, why does Dimi open the bowling for Hampshire quite often despite bowling at just 75mph and not a major operator of swing.

 

[Richard]

Seems odd that he's taken the new cherry instead of the ICL-recruited Hayward.

Bond and Tremlett were opening earlier this year.

 

[Manee]

Perhaps it is because Hayward is now down at 130kph but still just as wayward but still, I'd of thought that Hampshire have someone in their 2nd team or can buy somebody who can open the bowling and swing it at good pace.

 

[Richard]

WoW, I doubt I'll ever see that again. Groundstaff go onto the ground prematurely for Tea!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pup Clarke]

Franks 16-5-29-0.

 

[Richard]

Bet that's his best figures ER-wise of his career. Just 1 no-ball too.

 

[stumpski]

What's happened to last year's rising star James Harris? Just two CC and three T20 matches this year, and the last I saw of him he was playing in the Minor Counties for Wales (not easy to find the Minor Counties on the web btw, you can find them here if you're interested). Dunno if he's been injured. I might be going to the U19 match at Canterbury on 9th August so maybe he'll be there.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

What's happened to last year's rising star James Harris? Just two CC and three T20 matches this year, and the last I saw of him he was playing in the Minor Counties for Wales (not easy to find the Minor Counties on the web btw, you can find them here if you're interested). Dunno if he's been injured. I might be going to the U19 match at Canterbury on 9th August so maybe he'll be there.

I actually saw him bat last Monday evening in a Minor Counties Championship game against Cheshire. He looked pretty classy, especially off his legs. He'd been pushed up the order to open because he had to drive down to Cardiff the following morning for a Twenty20 game. So didn't look injured from what I've seen, and he had decent figures on a real road of a wicket.

 

[stumpski]

Made 46 and 56, and took three wickets in the one innings he bowled. And even in his limited opportunities for Glamorgan he hasn't done badly.

 

[Prince EWS]

Made 46 and 56, and took three wickets in the one innings he bowled. And even in his limited opportunities for Glamorgan he hasn't done badly.

They're probably trying to do the right thing and bring him along slowly. He only turned eighteen a month ago and he surely has non-cricketing aspects of his life to consider as well.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Oh, yeah, sorry forgot... he missed a lot of cricket for his A Levels, which only finished a week or two ago. That was obvious, should have said.

 

[Prince EWS]

I have always wondered, why does Dimi open the bowling for Hampshire quite often despite bowling at just 75mph and not a major operator of swing.

He can maintain a pretty upright seam position when he wants to from what I've seen. His action clearly doesn't look like it'd allow for much swing at all, but I reckon he could get a fair bit off the seam each way with the new rock as long as the pitch wasn't a road, and he's certainly accurate enough to pose a few questions if that's happening.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

My god, the BBC's non-international cricket reporting is appalling at the moment.

I've looked at two match reports this morning, and they're total bollocks.

1. Apparently, South Africa are being captained by Ashley Prince. But don't worry - Duminey will save the day for them!
2. Essex score 404 all out, bowl out Derbyshire for 271 and then score 57-3 to end the day 88 runs ahead?

Who are they paying to write these articles? Rejects from the Cretin and ****** Society of Southern England? For crying out loud, you should be better than this BBC.

 

[Richard]

Oh, yeah, sorry forgot... he missed a lot of cricket for his A Levels, which only finished a week or two ago. That was obvious, should have said.

Haha, yeah - you'd hope that'd be obvious, ITBT.

If you appear on the First-Class scene as a 16-year-old, you're still going to have plenty of schooling to be doing.

 

[GIMH]

You can leave school at 16 though

(I know Harris didn't, but it's not like it's a given)

 

[Richard]

Think the proportion of those who don't is still pretty damn small though, isn't it?

(That is - treating "leaving school" as "leaving education")

And given cricket is still far more an upper-class sport than elsewhere, you'd think there'd be more further-educated (and, indeed, higher-educated) types in it than other sports.