County Championship Round 19 Discussion Thread

[Shelsey93]

First topic message reminder :

The penultimate round of fixtures are likely to be pivotal to the outcome of the title.

Division One

At Lord's, Middlesex 427-8 (Dexter 125, Berg 83, Crook 66, Chapple 3-77) v Lancashire

At The Oval, Surrey 269 (de Bruyn 71, Wilson 68, Gurney 4-47) v Nottinghamshire 2-0

At Hove, Sussex 221 (Joyce 65, Rehman 3-30) v Somerset 71-4 (Trescothick 31, Magoffin 3-25)

At New Road, Worcestershire 60 (d'Oliveira 18, Wright 5-24, Barker 5-36) v Warwickshire 259-2 (Chopra 141*, Westwood 54, Ali 2-53)

Divison Two

At Bristol, Gloucestershire 220 (A. Gidman 56, Batty 55, Evans 4-38) v Northamptonshire 100 (Peters 35, Fuller 5-29)

At Rose Bowl, Essex 180 (Pettini 58, Balcombe 4-57) v Hampshire 199-8 (Carberry 42, Shafayat 42, Topley 3-49)

At Canterbury, Kent 261 (Jones 80, Groenewald 3-63) v Derbyshire 50-2 (Madsen 27, Davies 2-19)

At Headingley, Glamorgan 272 (Bragg 92, Patterson 4-49) v Yorkshire 64-1 (Lyth 30*, Wagg 1-20)


Commentaries available on the BBC website.

[Shelsey93]

Buttler is in the T20 squad.

Still, I disagree with Hales ever being allowed to start his match and Tredwell being allowed to play the last two days of his.

[Shelsey93]

After a slow start the important matches are starting to develop today.

Derbys risk making life very difficult for themselves if they lose to Kent, who would jump firmly into the promotion race themselves with a win. Derbys have just lost two wickets and now look in a very precarious position at 103-5.

Hampshire are sliding to defeat at the hands of Essex. That makes Hants's life exceptionally tough.

Surrey are well on top against Notts, and if they secure a win will look good for survival. KP took the wickets of Edwards and Voges.

Middx v Lancs is progressing slowly. Middx lead by 249 and Lancs will surely be desperate for them to declare. But you feel they might have done it already if they were going to dangle a carrot? Malan is 88*

[Shelsey93]

Derbyshire lose another one.

If my maths is right it now looks increasingly likely that the table going into the last matches will stand:

Derbys 173
Yorks 172
Kent 167
Hants 148

Derbyshire play Hampshire, Essex play Yorkshire and Glamorgan play Kent.

----

In a strange bit of news I read that Durham have broken the salary cap. They voluntarily reported their error to the ECB, but will still be docked points for the start of next season.

The deductions will be 2.5 pts in the Championship, and 0.25 (yes, 0.25) points in each of the CB40 and T20.

[liverbnz]

I think you can discount Hampshire from the promotion race.

Surrey look well on the way to ensuring survival in division 1. Leaves Sky in an interesting position regarding their live match next week with no division 1 games likely to be of any consequence.

[Shelsey93]

I think Sky's priority list would usually be:

- Championship decider (can't do)
- Promotion decider (more positive than relegation, particularly when teams have it in their own hands)
- Relegation
- See the champions in action

Therefore, I expect Derby v Hants to be on TV.

Hants would still have a mathematical chance, but it would rely on them getting maximum points against Derbys and Yorks getting nil point against Essex.

[Shelsey93]

Middx have declared. 287 will be Lancs's target, in all probability to save them from the drop.

[Shelsey93]

Lots of confusion over whether Middx did indeed declare. Apparently Roland-Jones walked off, only to be sent back out by the captain. Patel got out 1st ball in any case and Middx now 9 down.

----

Somerset have chased down 397 in the dead game v Sussex. Hildreth got a ton and Trego 89 off 72 balls.

[JDizzle]

Still a good performance by the lads, with us missing Kieswetter and Buttler as well. Another year of near misses all round though.

[liverbnz]

Have Middlesex declared now? cricinfo seems to think so. I would make it 37 overs for Lancs to knock off 304 runs and save their division 1 status. Not much hope.

Kent have 31 overs to take Derbys remaining 4 wickets.

[Shelsey93]

Derby have done well to take it to tea still 6 down.

You've got to back Kent with canny bowlers like Tredwell and Davies, but once you get within 15 overs or so saving a game seems to become much easier. Runscoring goes out the window and with the target more immediate, and the bowlers under more pressure, you just go into block mode.

[Shelsey93]

As I say that Davies gets Wainwright. You've got to think that that's that.

[Shelsey93]

Derbys still 7 down and Lancs 50-2.

Lancs's target isn't quite impossible but is mighty improbable. The loss of 2 of the men who could have got them there won't help.

[liverbnz]

9.3 an over Lancs need to go at for the remaining 25.

Derbys have another 17 to survive.

[Guest]

fantastic win for essex today

[Shelsey93]

Derby 9 down and Lancs 6 down...

[Shelsey93]

Derbyshire have lost so it all comes down to the last game between Derbys, Yorks and Kent.

[liverbnz]

fantastic win for essex today

Don't be rolling out a flat one next week for Cookie to regain some form before India!

[guildfordbat]

Lots of confusion over whether Middx did indeed declare. Apparently Roland-Jones walked off, only to be sent back out by the captain. Patel got out 1st ball in any case and Middx now 9 down.

Aha. Starting to make sense now. It was announced over the public address system at the Oval that Middlesex had declared on 280 odd -8. That didn't go down well! .... but ending in .....

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Hard work for Lancs supporters today. They got nowhere attempting to chase down their target.

[Mike Selig]

Apologies for the absence, was away on holliday.

Div 1 is now sorted then:

Warwickshire as predicted wrap up the title with a game to spare thanks to a win over what it has to be said has been a fairly poor Worcestershire side this year.

Middlesex currently lie in 2nd place, and although it seems likely they'll finish maybe 4th or so, it has been a very good season for them. 2 of their 4 defeats could (should?) have been wins, and the weather denied them near certain wins in at least 2 of their draws. They have the makings of a very decent team: Robson, Rogers, Denly is a good top 3, Malan should be a great number 4, Berg is a good all-rounder (having at last recaptured some form), and Roland-Jones and Murtagh form a good new-ball pairing. Spin has been a weakness ever since Tuffnell's retirement (Udal and Kartik at times papering over the gap), but signs from Patel are encouraging. They will need a 3rd seamer to come through (question marks over Crook, who is a bit too inconsistent in the 4-day game for my liking), but it is a youngish (Rogers and Murtagh aside) side, and their is no reason they can't improve further. Youngsters Denly, Robson and Malan now need to add consistency.

Down at the bottom of the table, Surrey's excellent win over Notts seals their division 1 status, thanks also to Lancashire's impossible task at Lords. It was one of those strange ones where Middlesex's best chance of a win was to set the impossible, knowing that Lancashire would have to go for it. So it proved. In spite of historical differences I am actually quite pleased for Surrey: I like their youthful side, a few excellent players and I admire the way they've carried on after the tragedy.

Division 2 has really been thrown wide open by Kent's win over Derbyshire. Kent realistically still need a win at Yorkshire, unless Derbyshire fail badly against Northants. A draw for Derbyshire surely seals promotion, as does a draw for Yorkshire (unless bonus points are very extreme which seems unlikely). I confess a preference for Kent, due to their connections with France, but wouldn't begrudge Yorkshire (again I like their development program of bringing young players through, plus they have the (ex-Kent) man Paul Frabrace in charge of their seconds), or Derbyshire who have really been the surprise of the season.

[liverbnz]

Mike, Yorkshire play Essex, Derby have Hampshire and Kent host Glamorgan.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Apologies for the absence, was away on holliday.

Div 1 is now sorted then:

....... Middlesex currently lie in 2nd place, and although it seems likely they'll finish maybe 4th or so, it has been a very good season for them. 2 of their 4 defeats could (should?) have been wins, and the weather denied them near certain wins in at least 2 of their draws. They have the makings of a very decent team: Robson, Rogers, Denly is a good top 3, Malan should be a great number 4, Berg is a good all-rounder (having at last recaptured some form), and Roland-Jones and Murtagh form a good new-ball pairing. Spin has been a weakness ever since Tuffnell's retirement (Udal and Kartik at times papering over the gap), but signs from Patel are encouraging. They will need a 3rd seamer to come through (question marks over Crook, who is a bit too inconsistent in the 4-day game for my liking), but it is a youngish (Rogers and Murtagh aside) side, and their is no reason they can't improve further. Youngsters Denly, Robson and Malan now need to add consistency.

Down at the bottom of the table, Surrey's excellent win over Notts seals their division 1 status, thanks also to Lancashire's impossible task at Lords. It was one of those strange ones where Middlesex's best chance of a win was to set the impossible, knowing that Lancashire would have to go for it. So it proved. In spite of historical differences I am actually quite pleased for Surrey: I like their youthful side, a few excellent players and I admire the way they've carried on after the tragedy.

Mike - very fair comments about both Middlesex and Surrey. Surrey can have no complaints about the generosity of Middlesex's declaration v Lancs in the last match. I always thought Middlesex overall had a more solid group of players and were likely to finish higher in the table than Surrey. Also fair to note that both matches between Middlesex and Surrey were extremely close and although both sides won one match it could easily have ended with one of the sides winning both matches.

As events have showed it took quite a few weeks after the tragedy before Surrey started to compete meaningfully. Unfortunately, is does look as though there may well have been some sort of linkage between the tragedy and certain unsatisfactory aspects of the culture that had developed in part of the club. That I fear has yet to be fully worked out, for example in relation to the former captain, RHB, so there may be some further introspection - possibly linked to the inquest - before we can really move forward....

[guildfordbat]

Mike - very fair comments about both Middlesex and Surrey. Surrey can have no complaints about the generosity of Middlesex's declaration v Lancs in the last match. I always thought Middlesex overall had a more solid group of players and were likely to finish higher in the table than Surrey. Also fair to note that both matches between Middlesex and Surrey were extremely close and although both sides won one match it could easily have ended with one of the sides winning both matches.

As events have showed it took quite a few weeks after the tragedy before Surrey started to compete meaningfully. Unfortunately, is does look as though there may well have been some sort of linkage between the tragedy and certain unsatisfactory aspects of the culture that had developed in part of the club. That I fear has yet to be fully worked out, for example in relation to the former captain, RHB, so there may be some further introspection - possibly linked to the inquest - before we can really move forward....

I too thought Mike's comments were very fair about both Middlesex and Surrey.

I know Derbys made some management and coaching changes pre season but, like Mike, am still surprised as to how well they've done. They certainly looked very ordinary when I saw them at the Oval last year.

The Corporal reflects my understanding in his final para above. If it sounds like the Corporal is treading on egg shells with his comments, it is probably because he is. Understandably and rightly so. We need the inquest to have been held before we can address all issues and fully move forward. Whilst the inquest may not be as wide ranging in its review and judgment as some Surrey supporters seem to expect, we cannot prejudge it.

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