***Official*** English Domestic Season 2014

[fredfertang]

I see Ashwell Prince has decided to put the retirement plans on hold - clearly fancies a diet of medium paced filth next summer

 

[Woodster]

Disappointed to see Tymal Mills leaving Essex despite being made an 'attractive' offer to remain at Chelmsford. Be interested to hear why he's opting to move counties and where to.

 

[Pothas]

Would love us to get him.

 

[brockley]

Going 2 Sussex apparently according to the OT.

 

[Goughy]

Disappointed to see Tymal Mills leaving Essex despite being made an 'attractive' offer to remain at Chelmsford. Be interested to hear why he's opting to move counties and where to.

Young bloke with apparent potential but I would be interested in the type of contract he gets. It would be wise to be a development contract with certain incentives. He isnt the finished article and doesnt have a FC fifer in 30 games. You dont know how he will develop and you dont want to have a guy earning good money who didnt kick on and is struggling for a first team place in 2 years - that is a possibility of any young player with decent potential but limited production.

Perhaps not a fair comparison but if compared to fellow Essex quick - Reece Topley - Mills is 2 years older, has played the same number of games but taken half the number of wickets at a much higher average and, as prev noted, without a FC fifer.

Id be interested in what the county he signs for think they are getting and how they structure the contract.

I have not seen a lot of Tymal Mills so this isnt directed specifically at him but there are certain players of potential who take time, resources and money away from others who could actually produce and weaken the team in both the short and long term . From a long distance, Mill's careers arc verges dangerously in this territory. I guess it all depends, as I originally said, on how much money is invested, what he has been promised and the contract he has.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Mills has had plenty of injury issues.

Anyway, what is it about Essex that we keep churning out these decent players, but none of the ****s want to stay. I guess we simply can't offer as much money as some of the counties with Test status for their grounds (Hampshire and Surrey being the biggest examples of this in recent times). It looks like we're going to have to get used to being a second class county - perhaps literally in the fullness of time. Leicestershire fans must be thinking similar things when they lose so many of their younger, better players to the circling vultures.

 

[Woodster]

Young bloke with apparent potential but I would be interested in the type of contract he gets. It would be wise to be a development contract with certain incentives. He isnt the finished article and doesnt have a FC fifer in 30 games. You dont know how he will develop and you dont want to have a guy earning good money who didnt kick on and is struggling for a first team place in 2 years - that is a possibility of any young player with decent potential but limited production.

Perhaps not a fair comparison but if compared to fellow Essex quick - Reece Topley - Mills is 2 years older, has played the same number of games but taken half the number of wickets at a much higher average and, as prev noted, without a FC fifer.

Id be interested in what the county he signs for think they are getting and how they structure the contract.

I have not seen a lot of Tymal Mills so this isnt directed specifically at him but there are certain players of potential who take time, resources and money away from others who could actually produce and weaken the team in both the short and long term . From a long distance, Mill's careers arc verges dangerously in this territory. I guess it all depends, as I originally said, on how much money is invested, what he has been promised and the contract he has.

Yes currently you would be signing a bowler with a great deal of potential and without the results or consistency in his performances so far. He is exciting though, a guy that can bowl genuine pace, of course he's going to have to managed correctly for him to achieve his optimum performance that his potential threatens, and there is of course more to top class bowling than just pace, but it is an enthralling ingredient.

Whenever I've seen him, and it's not a lot of occasions, but he has impressed. When he played against England in a warm-up game he genuinely ruffled their feathers just with pace and aggression. However, Tom Craddock also impressed in that game with his leggies and he too has since been released.

As for the contract, I guess that might be something we'll only be able to speculate about as the more intricate details may just be left open to interpretation. Essex's offer was 'attractive' according to the club and they do seem to have spoken very highly about the potential of Mills in recent years and I'm sure would have loved to have kept him. Is Mills being asked to do things he doesn't want to do ? Choke back on the pace and try and swing the ball more or is his role in the side a source of debate between player and club ? The sides strongly linked with him are Sussex and Worcester, is he really that desperate to get into Division One asap ? I'd be surprised.

For me it must come down to either a falling out between Mills and maybe Larry Grayson over his role in the side or a disagreement of some fashion with how the club see him developing. I don't think he's just after a fresh challenge for no apparent reason.

 

[Woodster]

Mills has had plenty of injury issues.

Anyway, what is it about Essex that we keep churning out these decent players, but none of the ****s want to stay. I guess we simply can't offer as much money as some of the counties with Test status for their grounds (Hampshire and Surrey being the biggest examples of this in recent times). It looks like we're going to have to get used to being a second class county - perhaps literally in the fullness of time. Leicestershire fans must be thinking similar things when they lose so many of their younger, better players to the circling vultures.

Mills has had his injury problems, as most genuine speedsters do, but I still think it's a blow to lose him.

That is the worry that we seem to be letting too many exciting young players leave Chelmsford. Adam Wheater and Ben Foakes have both left in search of more opportunities with the gloves more so than extra dosh I'd have thought, now Mills has departed and you could include the likes of Varun Chopra too going back a bit further, at least Nick Browne has committed to a couple more years at Essex.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Mills has had his injury problems, as most genuine speedsters do, but I still think it's a blow to lose him.

That is the worry that we seem to be letting too many exciting young players leave Chelmsford. Adam Wheater and Ben Foakes have both left in search of more opportunities with the gloves more so than extra dosh I'd have thought, now Mills has departed and you could include the likes of Varun Chopra too going back a bit further, at least Nick Browne has committed to a couple more years at Essex.

I find it hard to believe that Foakes has signed with the county he has if "more opportunities with the gloves" was his main concern. I'm only spitballin', but I suspect all of three of Wheater, Foakes and Mills have been offered more cash than Essex were able to provide.

 

[Pothas]

They are still nothing like Leicestershire though, plenty of big names at Essex who are probably on very decent money.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

They are still nothing like Leicestershire though, plenty of big names at Essex who are probably on very decent money.

Oh, I agree... For the moment. But it is a real problem and one which less rich counties ignore at their peril. Look at Surrey's teamsheet at times this season - more former Worcestershire players than locally developed players on occasions. Then add in the melange of South African imports, Irish imports, Chris Tremlett and Linley and it makes you wonder if Surrey develop anyone themselves.

The big names that remain at Essex are either England contracted (Cook, Bopara) or old (Napier, Foster, ten Doeschate). The real problem is that it is the next generation who've left - sure, we've still got Topley, Westley and Browne but losing Wheater, Foakes and Mills in the space of a couple of seasons has removed a huge chunk of the next generation and guys like Napes and Masters can't have too many years left in them. Mills in particular would have been a first choice sooner rather than later, and indeed had been first choice at the start of the season before picking up another set of injuries.

Maybe I'm just scaremongering. We've been here before with guys like Nick Knight, Nadeem Shahid and in more recent years Varun Chopra.

 

[theegyptian]

Maybe he just wanted to leave a team who are stuck in div 2 year after year yet have one of the strongest squads in div 2. That squad of players really should do better than they have. You gotta question any club that takes on Saj Mahmood and make Palladino the villain for whistleblowing on cheats like Kaneria and Westfield. Grayson somehow has kept his job throughout this period.

Mills hasn't done a whole lot to warrant a move to a bigger club but I can't blame him for leaving to go somewhere else when his contract expires. Old Trafford would be the best wicket to play at for Tymal you'd imagine given the natural pace and bounce it has but they're second division now.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Young bloke with apparent potential but I would be interested in the type of contract he gets. It would be wise to be a development contract with certain incentives. He isnt the finished article and doesnt have a FC fifer in 30 games. You dont know how he will develop and you dont want to have a guy earning good money who didnt kick on and is struggling for a first team place in 2 years - that is a possibility of any young player with decent potential but limited production.

Perhaps not a fair comparison but if compared to fellow Essex quick - Reece Topley - Mills is 2 years older, has played the same number of games but taken half the number of wickets at a much higher average and, as prev noted, without a FC fifer.

Id be interested in what the county he signs for think they are getting and how they structure the contract.

I have not seen a lot of Tymal Mills so this isnt directed specifically at him but there are certain players of potential who take time, resources and money away from others who could actually produce and weaken the team in both the short and long term . From a long distance, Mill's careers arc verges dangerously in this territory. I guess it all depends, as I originally said, on how much money is invested, what he has been promised and the contract he has.

The contract that you talk about seems much more likely at the club that you start at, than if you change to a new joint...

 

[Goughy]

The contract that you talk about seems much more likely at the club that you start at, than if you change to a new joint...

Agreed which is why I am questioning the wisdom of a club offering a good money guaranteed contract (which I assume they are for him to change club and leave his current) for an injury prone player with a very limited record but good potential. Not the best way to run club finances IMO. If it turns out that he is signing a performance laden contract to move to a Div 1 team as he wants to push his international claims then I can understand and admire that.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Maybe he just wanted to leave a team who are stuck in div 2 year after year yet have one of the strongest squads in div 2. That squad of players really should do better than they have. You gotta question any club that takes on Saj Mahmood and make Palladino the villain for whistleblowing on cheats like Kaneria and Westfield. Grayson somehow has kept his job throughout this period.

I'm surprised we have any players left at all with that damning summary.

As Grayson has stated in an article this morning, if Ajmal had been called for chucking earlier in the season, then there's no doubt that Essex would have been promoted ahead of Worcestershire. Also, the squad that Essex has is much more suited to limited overs cricket than first class, and sadly let themselves down with two craven home quarter finals against Warwickshire this season.

And if Mills goes to Lancashire, then I have a new pariah on which to place my chagrin.

 

[theegyptian]

I'm surprised we have any players left at all with that damning summary.

As Grayson has stated in an article this morning, if Ajmal had been called for chucking earlier in the season, then there's no doubt that Essex would have been promoted ahead of Worcestershire. Also, the squad that Essex has is much more suited to limited overs cricket than first class, and sadly let themselves down with two craven home quarter finals against Warwickshire this season.

And if Mills goes to Lancashire, then I have a new pariah on which to place my chagrin.

Poor excuse by Grayson about Ajmal. Fact is Ajmal was available for any of the counties to sign up and his action was deemed clean at the time. Maybe rather than making excuses he should have been looking at his team that won only 1 of their first 8 games in the championship- and congratulating Worcestershire on a shrewd piece of business in getting Ajmal in the first place.

Every year that a team stays in the second division, talented players move closer to leaving. There's no doubt that Essex have a stronger first team and squad than Worcestershire but it's Worcestershire promoted and Worcestershire who will have spent 3 of the last 5 years (come next year) in div 1 whilst Essex languish in div 2.

 

[fredfertang]

And if Mills goes to Lancashire, then I have a new pariah on which to place my chagrin.

I really wouldn't fancy a pace attack of Jarvis, Mills and Buck

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Poor excuse by Grayson about Ajmal. Fact is Ajmal was available for any of the counties to sign up and his action was deemed clean at the time. Maybe rather than making excuses he should have been looking at his team that won only 1 of their first 8 games in the championship- and congratulating Worcestershire on a shrewd piece of business in getting Ajmal in the first place.

I think he was more making the point that a lot of umpires were apparently discussing Ajmal's action and criticising it (whether this is fact or speculation is unknown to me) but were unwilling to call him for chucking in the county championship. It is clear from the testing that his action could not have been clean at the time given the order of magnitude his extension exceeded the limits by.

To be frank, if international cricket is having a crackdown, then that needs to be extended to first class across the world sooner rather than later.

 

[FBU]

I really wouldn't fancy a pace attack of Jarvis, Mills and Buck

How about Jarvis, Mills, Buck and White.
with Chris Adams as coach.

 

[theegyptian]

I think he was more making the point that a lot of umpires were apparently discussing Ajmal's action and criticising it (whether this is fact or speculation is unknown to me) but were unwilling to call him for chucking in the county championship. It is clear from the testing that his action could not have been clean at the time given the order of magnitude his extension exceeded the limits by.

To be frank, if international cricket is having a crackdown, then that needs to be extended to first class across the world sooner rather than later.

Whilst domestic umpires may have had concerns over his action, I don't think it would have been very wise to report or no ball him when at international level under greater scrutiny the umpires and ICC (at that point) had deemed his action within the regulations.

Plus politically an English umpire reporting Ajmal in a English domestic game is a disaster and is going to cause all kind of ructions. In all likelihood the PCB fall out with the ECB board and don't release any overseas players to play in the english domestic game for a long time - plus other countries think twice before releasing any players.



I'd have more sympathy with Essex's plight and Grayson's complaint if they hadn't been underperforming for years given the strength of their squad and that of div 2. I just see a team who should do better than they do and a coach making excuses.




As an aside I notice Tymal had a complaint over something Grayson said on the radio. Read bottom to top.


Tymal Mills @tmills15 · Oct 3

And have tarnished what I wanted to be a harmonious departure from the club and on my behalf I will keep that way.
0 replies
Tymal Mills @tmills15 · Oct 3

Which has deeply upset and annoyed me on hearing it back now and have let him know personally. His comments do not reflect the whole story..
0 replies
Tymal Mills @tmills15 · Oct 3

In response to Grayson's comments about me on @BBCEssex last night I would like to react by saying this is a complete lie on his behalf...