2015 - Division 1 Discussion Thread

[LondonTiger]

First topic message reminder :

As pretty much every poster that follows County Cricket seems to be a Surrey fan I am sure the Division 2 discussions will be livelier.

Hopefully there are some followers of other counties to write a little bit about their team, but as a Yorkshire member it is them I shall concentrate on.

The start of the season will be an interesting one for us. Andrew Gale will miss the first fixture at Worcester as he completes his ban. Meanwhile the first 3 CC fixtures coincide with Englands tour of the WI meaning some unfamiliar faces will be featuring against Worcester, Notts and  the first home fixture against Warwickshire. With the County unlikely to see a great deal of Root and Ballance it is nor surprise that ewe have chosen to go down the batsman route as our overseas player - Aaron Finch returns as the main player, with Younus Khan deputising at the start of the season and Kane Williamson at the end. Glenn Maxwell makes up a quality group of players, joining for the T20s.


Squad:

Batsmen: Lyth, Lees, Gale (cpt), Finch (see above), Leaning, Root, Ballance
Keepers: Bairstow, Hodd
All Rounders: Rashid, Bresnan, Rhodes, Pyrah
Seamers: Plunkett, Brooks, Sidebottom, Patterson, Ashraf, Coad, Fisher
Spinners: Carver


Likely team for first match, away to Worcestershire:

Hodd, Lees, Leaning, Younus, Rhodes, Bresnan, Pyrah, Patterson, Sidebottom, Brooks, Carver.

Compared to the side likely to finish the season against Susses (injuries permitting):

Lyth, Lees, Williamson, Root, Ballance, Bairstow, Rashid, Bresnan, Plunkett, Sidebottom, Brooks.

[guildfordbat]

Fantastic comeback by Midds, but disgusted that Yorkshire celebrated after Day 1 and were hungover on Day 2.

 
I don't suppose it's the first time that sort of thing has happened.    Still disgruntled by Hammers losing to Blackpool 4-0 in the FA Cup in Jan 1971, after some of the Hammers had had a night on the tiles.

Well played Hants in holding out for the draw against Somerset.    Jimbo's men not going down without a fight, and they could yet stay up.

Corporal - at least the likes of Bobby Moore and Greavsie had the slight excuse of believing the game would never go ahead. Not as if they got plastered at half time - roughly the equivalent of what the Yorks players allegedly got up to!

[jimbohammers]

Corp, yep big result for us! Showed good fight in the end. Great to see Jimmy Adams get some runs.

LT, would be great if the Yorkshire lads are still celebrating

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Nothing too decisive happened so far happened in the Div 1 relegation battle.  At or around tea:

Hants 131-3 against Yorks
Worcs 115-3 against Durham
Sussex 154 - 4 against Somerset

[Corporalhumblebucket]

End of Day 1.  Sussex recovered well against Somerset.  They were 171 - 6 at one point, but are now 303 - 6.

Reasonable day for Worcs, who are 223 for 4 against Durham. However, they will be pushed to get the win they need - the weather forecast for Northern England looking poor for both Weds and Thurs.

Meanwhile, Hant 219 - 4 against Yorks.

[jimbohammers]

I'll take that after a very green looking pitch. Carbs and Adams did a good job of digging in. If we can get to 300/325 we've done well.

[guildfordbat]

I'll take that after a very green looking pitch. Carbs and Adams did a good job of digging in. If we can get to 300/325 we've done well.

Jimbo - agree a decent showing from your guys yesterday. A bit like the old football saying - if you do go down, it'll be because of earlier performances, not this one against the table toppers.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

No play before lunch for either Worcs or Hants - the two sides with most to lose if this round of matches fizzles out into a load of rain affected draws.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Jason Roy hits Kerrigan for six to bring up his half century.

Woops - wrong thread.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Les Dawson brings up his century for Hants, who have now moved on to a healthy 292 - 4 against Yorks.

[jimbohammers]

Guildford, you're right there

Great knock by Dawson. Him and Ervine really need to push on after Lunch.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Worcs' match rained off the whole day - they are in a desperate position now. But Hants had a really good day against Yorks, securing max batting points and having Yorks 82 - 4 in reply.

[jimbohammers]

Sure did Corp!

110 off 11 overs, or something like that, to get maximum batting points. Berg coming in and getting 27 off 9 balls.

Weather not looking great for tomorrow which is a shame

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Weather not looking great for tomorrow which is a shame

Highly probable that it will be complete wash out tomorrow for Hants at Southampton as well as Sussex/Somerset at Hove.

Probably no further rain at Chester le Street for Worcs away at Durham, but remains to be seen whether wet ground that prevented any play today will have dried sufficiently by tomorrow.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Against the weather odds there is some play at Southampton. Meanwhile, Worcs (still on the first innings of the match) trying to hit out for max batting points.  Now reached 256 - 4 off 89 overs.

No play at Hove but, given the amount of rain here in W Kent overnight, that is not in the least surprising.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Bold/desperate declarations in the Hants/Yorks match mean that Yorks have been set a victory target of 304. Unless further play is lost to the weather today there is every chance of a positive result in that match.

Meanwhile Worcs are clearly aiming to score rapidly this morning and then also tempt Durham with a generous declaration target.

Sussex / Somerset match - looks like a day for collecting further bonus points and settling on a draw.

[jimbohammers]

Not sure the target set was entirely fair on Hampshire. Need wickets and fast now

[jimbohammers]

Should have had Gale out about 5 times now. A dropped catch, 2 lbw shouts, 2 edges...

Frustrating day. Relegation looking more and more likely

[jimbohammers]

Plumb LBW on Gale not given

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Plumb LBW on Gale not given

I feel Jimbo's pain!

[jimbohammers]

Very frustrating Corp

[jimbohammers]

If there's such a thing as an awful 100 there it is from Gale....

The ball before ANOTHER Lbw shout given not out, despite it hitting the bottom of middle stump - sigh

[jimbohammers]

Game over. Div 2 here we come.

Ridiculous 'declarations' this morning. Score 400 in the first innings and come off worse. Mental

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Yes Hampshire what are you doing

[Corporalhumblebucket]

To be honest I wouldn't criticise either Hants or Yorks.  Yorks had already won the title and were under no obligation to agree declarations with Hants which offered Hants at least some realistic possibility of a win.  Yorks lost three early wickets and at that point (37 - 3) there were many overs left to bowl and over 250 runs still needed- it was entirely feasible that they might have been all out.  It was not to be.

[guildfordbat]

I think it was a pretty desperate throw of the dice by Hants to try for the win but there again - as regards the table - they were in a pretty desperate position.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Just wanted to draw attention to Chris Rushworth's bowling figures for the cc season:

Played in all 16 cc matches for Durham and took 83 wickets at an average of 20.61.  

[guildfordbat]

Just wanted to draw attention to Chris Rushworth's bowling figures for the cc season:

Played in all 16 cc matches for Durham and took 83 wickets at an average of 20.61.  

That is impressive and deserves wider recognition.

Credit as well to Carlos for regularly having highlighted Rushworth's achievements throughout this season.

[jimbohammers]

Guildford, not sure the risk was necessary, we still have a game to go. Trying to bowl the champions out in one day on a good batting wicket....

Corp, Guildford - good shout on Rushworth, I've also been singing his praises this season

[guildfordbat]

Guildford, not sure the risk was necessary, we still have a game to go. Trying to bowl the champions out in one day on a good batting wicket....

Corp, Guildford - good shout on Rushworth, I've also been singing his praises this season

Fair enough, Jimbo. You'll know the Div One table better than me. I would add though that the draw in the Sussex v Somerset match didn't do you any favours - you really wanted one side to crash and burn! The fact that a draw was almost certain there from day 3 probably had some influence on Hants' approach.

Ah well, bacon sarnies and coffee in front of Sky for a couple of hours now before family duties call .

[jimbohammers]

You're probably right, Guildford. Im still in a bit of a strop after scoring 400 in the first innings, yet losing

[jimbohammers]

Last round of fixtures then...

(this season has gone so fast!)

[guildfordbat]

Pretty good start for Hants, Jimbo. Notts currently 35/2, both openers falling to Edwards.

Billy Root - Joe's bro - making his Champo debut for Notts.

[LondonTiger]

I have to say that Sussex did not make full use of what were ideal bowling conditions. with the ball swinging like mad nowhere near enough balls that forced the batsmen into defensive shots - and far too many rank bad ones.

[jimbohammers]

Have let it go since then, Guildford. Notts now 118-3.

LT, good to hear...

[LondonTiger]

Sadly for Hampshire, Macgoffin has located the right place to bowl after lunch.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Notts 241 - 5 against Hants.  Hmm - not exactly what Jimbo would have been hoping for.  But, all not lost if Notts dismissed for, say, 300.

Sussex have reduced Yorks to 153 - 5 (rain stopped play), and look set to pick up 3 bowling points.

[jimbohammers]

Not looking good

[guildfordbat]

Not looking good

Sorry Jimbo but it's ended even worse!

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Hants 113-5 at lunch. The last rites of Hants current stay in Div 1! As it happens, Sussex are also struggling, at 79-5 against Yorks, but that is of little consequence if Hants can't win their match.

[LondonTiger]

Ball not swinging quite as much as yesterday up at Headingley, but Yorkshire bowlers have put it in the right place. Sussex seem to have decided that any ball could be a wicket, so have been throwing the bat at almost everything.

Chris Jordan opening was a strange spectacle that did not last long. Other four wickets fell to catches in the cordon.

[guildfordbat]

Ball not swinging quite as much as yesterday up at Headingley, but Yorkshire bowlers have put it in the right place. Sussex seem to have decided that any ball could be a wicket, so have been throwing the bat at almost everything.

Chris Jordan opening was a strange spectacle that did not last long. Other four wickets fell to catches in the cordon.

That was actually another ridiculous thing Adams tried with him at Surrey. It ended in the same way.

[jimbohammers]

Not looking good

Sorry Jimbo but it's ended even worse!

Where's that fat lady?

[jimbohammers]

Hang on... Sussex bowled out for 248 - 2 runs short of another batting point.
So if we manage to win against Notts and Sussex lose, we survive....

[guildfordbat]

Hang on... Sussex bowled out for 248 - 2 runs short of another batting point.
So if we manage to win against Notts and Sussex lose, we survive....

Jimbo - I reckon there's a good chance Sussex will lose. I'll leave you to comment on Hants' chances but good luck!

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Hants hanging in there - now 281 - 8 and this partnership between McLaren and Berg so far put on 80.

[jimbohammers]

Guildford, Corp

[jimbohammers]

100 partnership from Berg and McLaren. Brilliant knocks!

I mocked the signing of 'Ice' at the start of the season but I've just finished my second plate of humble pie.

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Worcs have rediscovered their form rather belatedly, taking a massive first innings lead (333) against Middlesex

[Corporalhumblebucket]

Notts 158 - 5.

[jimbohammers]

179-8 Fidel on fire!

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