*Official* UK off-season 2009/10

[zaremba]

Slurrey reportedly seeking to sign Rob Key and Luke Wright. Apparently Slurrey are offering to treble Wright's Sussex wages. However he has a year left on his contract and I can't see Sussex releasing him without substantial compensation.

There are also reports that they want to sign Pushy.

Surrey sign Pushy

My sources also tell me that the signing of Luke Wright is moving closer.

 

[fredfertang]

I don't mind about Pushy so much - as an overseas player he's something of a mercenary by definition but Wright is disappointing - I know it's an inevitable consequence of modern employment law but I still find players moving counties a little distasteful especially when it's Surrey doing their Chelski bit

Makes me even keener to see Wright come off this winter so that the brown hatters don't see the benefit of their nefarious tapping up

 

[Jarquis]

Gutted about Pushy, loved him at Sussex. Surrey + Pushy doesn't quite have the same effect for me .

 

[Richard]

Hope he fits in well and has a long, distinguished Surrey career to follow in Saqlain's footsteps (all right, they've not got that much in common other than being subcontinental and bowling rather good-quality spin, but that's enough) myself TBH.

As for Luke Wright, hope he does nothing much whenever he plays for England and drops out of the picture ASAP. Not hard to see he's nowhere near ODI-standard IMO. The prospect of him playing Tests is truly worrying, as I think I may have mentioned not so long ago. Whether he makes a decent county player remains to be seen.

 

[zaremba]

Wright is disappointing - I know it's an inevitable consequence of modern employment law but I still find players moving counties a little distasteful especially when it's Surrey doing their Chelski bit

I'd agree more passionately if we hadn't poached him from Leicestershire in the first place...

As for Luke Wright... Whether he makes a decent county player remains to be seen.

In terms of his ability as a county player, a FC average of 52 last season suggests that he's stepping up at last. I've never been sure that he's deserved a place in our Championship team, but last season he finally proved that wrong.

Needless to say, if he signs for the Brown Helmets, I hope he fails dismally

 

[fredfertang]

I'd agree more passionately if we hadn't poached him from Leicestershire in the first place...

Was it poaching?

As far as I can see the only match he played for Leicester was against Sussex and he did nothing at all - looks more like a decent punt on the face of things

 

[zaremba]

Apparently he impressed Sussex greatly despite the fact that (a) on the basis of his figures he had an appalling game and (b) Sussex had other things on their mind in that game than an opposition youngster.

 

[Goughy]

Ok, a time waster. Not including any England contracted players or overseas players and 1 kolpak only, what 11 would you select to represent you in the County Championship? (only selecting 1 player from a county max)

Currently working on mine. Will post soon

 

[Richard]

I know it's an inevitable consequence of modern employment law but I still find players moving counties a little distasteful especially when it's Surrey doing their Chelski bit

And ironically the main thing that's stopped cricket from becoming the football-style mad free-for-all movement is the benefit system, which in so many ways is an evil.

Always disliked the morass of modern player mobility myself as well - though I suppose it's a little more tasteful when it's merely a player moving to his 3rd (or even 4th, or 5th) county rather than 1 to 2.

 

[morgieb]

Has Charl Langelveldt quit County Cricket? Was apparently named in the SA squad for the series against England...

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ok, a time waster. Not including any England contracted players or overseas players and 1 kolpak only, what 11 would you select to represent you in the County Championship? (only selecting 1 player from a county max)

Currently working on mine. Will post soon

Thought I'd have a bash, limited myself to English-qualified players:

1) ME Trescothick
2) RWT Key+
3) MR Ramprakash
4) JC Hildreth
5) EC Joyce
6) SR Patel
7) C Kieswetter*
8) ID Blackwell
9) MJ Hoggard
10) J Lewis
11) SJ Harmison

The lack of young thrusters is a bit depressing (only really Hildreth, Patel & Kieswetter are potentially on the way up) & I'm a bit light in the seam department with Tres as 2nd change, but I reckon that's about the best XI available without England contracts.

EDIT: Just realised I've ignored the "1 per county" rule totally. CBA to do it again now.

 

[superkingdave]

Thought I'd have a bash, limited myself to English-qualified players:

1) ME Trescothick
2) RWT Key+
3) MR Ramprakash
4) JC Hildreth
5) EC Joyce
6) SR Patel
7) C Kieswetter*
8) ID Blackwell
9) MJ Hoggard
10) J Lewis
11) SJ Harmison

The lack of young thrusters is a bit depressing (only really Hildreth, Patel & Kieswetter are potentially on the way up) & I'm a bit light in the seam department with Tres as 2nd change, but I reckon that's about the best XI available without England contracts.

EDIT: Just realised I've ignored the "1 per county" rule totally. CBA to do it again now.

Not thinking too much but

Trescothick
Carberry
Key
Ramprakash
Joyce
Taylor
Read
Chapple
K Ali
Harmison
Lewis

Think thats one a county. Lacks a spinner yeah but there were none really banging on the door atm.

 

[Richard]

Has Charl Langelveldt quit County Cricket? Was apparently named in the SA squad for the series against England...

Langeveldt didn't play county cricket at all last season but said he had retired from SA after he was preferred to Andre Nel on race grounds in India in 2007/08. If he were to return to SA he'd have first to rescind that retirement.

 

[Woodster]

Langeveldt didn't play county cricket at all last season but said he had retired from SA after he was preferred to Andre Nel on race grounds in India in 2007/08. If he were to return to SA he'd have first to rescind that retirement.

Yes he got injured prior to making his way over here, and boy did they miss a bowler of his quality.

 

[Uppercut]

Ok, a time waster. Not including any England contracted players or overseas players and 1 kolpak only, what 11 would you select to represent you in the County Championship? (only selecting 1 player from a county max)

Currently working on mine. Will post soon

Well this was tough.

M Loye (Northants)
M Trescothick (Somerset)
M Ramprakash (Surrey)
E Joyce (Sussex)
J Rudolph (Yorks, Kolpak)
S Patel (Notts)
N Pothas (wk) (Hants)
A Flintoff (Lancs)
J Tredwell (Kent)
K Ali (Worcs)
M Davies (Durham)

The spinner role is particularly hard to fill. I wanted Gary Keedy but Flintoff is impossible to leave out, so I had to sacrifice Rob Key at the top. Flintoff, Pothas and Ali are fairly borderline as far as fitting the criteria goes. Let me know if there's any mistakes.

 

[Goughy]

My team was very similar. A couple of players could go either way.

1 Trescothick
2 Key
3 Ramprakash
4 Joyce
5 Rudolph
6 Patel
7 Flintoff
8 Davies (wkt)
9 Harris
10 Harmison
11 Lewis

I think they are all at different places. Hoggard to be added depending on where he ends up

 

[Uppercut]

It's tempting to leave out a spinner altogether, but given the standard of some of the batting against it in the CC, I couldn't do it. If you'd allowed one overseas player it'd be a hell of a lot easier

 

[Richard]

Well this was tough.

M Loye (Northants)
M Trescothick (Somerset)
M Ramprakash (Surrey)
E Joyce (Sussex)
J Rudolph (Yorks, Kolpak)
S Patel (Notts)
N Pothas (wk) (Hants)
A Flintoff (Lancs)
J Tredwell (Kent)
K Ali (Worcs)
M Davies (Durham)

The spinner role is particularly hard to fill. I wanted Gary Keedy but Flintoff is impossible to leave out, so I had to sacrifice Rob Key at the top. Flintoff, Pothas and Ali are fairly borderline as far as fitting the criteria goes. Let me know if there's any mistakes.

Loye, that well-known number-three, is opening and Rudolph, that quite capable opener who has mostly batted in the middle-order in Tests, is batting in the middle-order.

Apart from that, can't argue. Though I've never thought anything at all of James Tredwell's bowling however effective it was for 2\3 of last season.

 

[superkingdave]

It's tempting to leave out a spinner altogether, but given the standard of some of the batting against it in the CC, I couldn't do it. If you'd allowed one overseas player it'd be a hell of a lot easier

Spinners hardly dominated the first division did they? Chawla's the only one who averaged under 30 and his figures, while good aren't exceptional (36@27.25)

 

[Richard]

Spinners hardly dominated the first division did they? Chawla's the only one who averaged under 30 and his figures, while good aren't exceptional (36@27.25)

at the fact that vBulletin has interpreted that as an email.