Hampshire v Surrey - Championship cricket returns

I’ve gone full Steve Waugh on nightwatchmen recently. All we’ve done by batting Virdi as one is gift the oppo another wicket. 9-3 now as a result.

You look down the list of who is to come and you wonder quite which precious asset the night-watchman was meant to be protecting.

The role of the night-watchmen needs nuking, top order bats need to earn the right to have one.

Ineptitude from the top to bottom

It does look awful and the players need to take a look at themselves.

It is a wonder how there isn't much resistance being offered. Not a player or two trying to keep things together. It's pure capitulation and the only way of seeing some light in this is it can be collective failure.

Still I'd want some people to make a better go at it.

The sadist in me quite enjoyed that session

Alex! wrote:The sadist in me quite enjoyed that session

I suppose it is very difficult to face this situation because the bowlers smell the fear

This one is probably aimed most at Dougie, but I’m just checking in on the ‘lack of fight and application’ comments. Amla has 3 from 96. I think that’s showing enough F&A, but if he gets out straight after lunch does he lose F&A points? Rory got 0 from 25, so probably enough F but not enough A. If he just doesn’t get out then he’s moving into Amla territory. This is all so finely balanced.

Cee Gee wrote:This one is probably aimed most at Dougie, but I’m just checking in on the ‘lack of fight and application’ comments. Amla has 3 from 96. I think that’s showing enough F&A, but if he gets out straight after lunch does he lose F&A points? Rory got 0 from 25, so probably enough F but not enough A. If he just doesn’t get out then he’s moving into Amla territory. This is all so finely balanced.

Personally I hope they can hold out. If they can somehow grind out the draw that will be immense.

It's good that you can put a counterpoint across. I think yesterday it was a shame that they couldn't chalk up the runs, today it's different because it's not about the runs, it's the staying at the crease that would count.

I get that there is no reward and it would be tough to knock the stuffing out of the Hampshire attack.

A draw now would be like a win.....a big one at that. No one wants to embrace that hope though

Credit to Patel for showing some F & A too….

Cee Gee wrote:This one is probably aimed most at Dougie, but I’m just checking in on the ‘lack of fight and application’ comments. Amla has 3 from 96. I think that’s showing enough F&A, but if he gets out straight after lunch does he lose F&A points? Rory got 0 from 25, so probably enough F but not enough A. If he just doesn’t get out then he’s moving into Amla territory. This is all so finely balanced.

Hi Cee Gee - Dougie's old enough to make his own response but I would emphasise that F&A needs to be shown throughout each of the four days of a CC match and not just on the last.

If we loose this as is looking likely, where do we stand as to qualifying? in the top 2. Would a high scoring win against Somerset be enough(dream on)?

Noticeable that Amla is batting on off stump to the spinners. Perhaps he's a convert to the modern way?

Cee Vee, I do admit that Burns and Amla showed some application yesterday, but what about the other members of the side who clearly didn’t,especially Stoneman. It needed and still needs the whole team to turn up,not just 2!!!

Chinaman wrote:If we loose this as is looking likely, where do we stand as to qualifying? in the top 2. Would a high scoring win against Somerset be enough(dream on)?

highly unlikely, as Gloucester are going to beat Middlesex

if we draw we may have a chance, but with Gloucester playing Hants in the last round its seems likely that we wont be in the top 2, and therefore the top division when it starts again

I assume if we finish in the 2nd tier, we will need to be in the top 3 of that league to go into Division 1 next season, with those from the 1st tier, whilst the bottom 3 of tier 2 go into Division 2 with the counties that finish up in tier 3 from this season

If we draw this game, we still give ourselves an outside chance of qualifying for the "September Super Six", though assuming Gloucestershire will win we would need a low-scoring draw between them and Hampshire as well as a handsome win against Somerset. It would probably be 10/1 against, but we will have at least bought a ticket for the raffle.

As regards the permutations for next season, let's not second-guess whether we will be continuing with the current format or reverting to the two-division model. I wouldn't like to call it at the moment.

I like this model, although I think we won't know how well it goes until post-second stage.

RB wrote:I like this model, although I think we won't know how well it goes until post-second stage.

I'm curious about the incentives to do well this season for those in the other groups. Apart from pride of winning is there anything else?

It wouldn't make sense to have Relegation from the top group to me. It's like a Tournament format to me.

The only incentive is to come out top half of middle group should it effect a two division structure next season

Basileus1453 wrote:

RB wrote:I like this model, although I think we won't know how well it goes until post-second stage.

I'm curious about the incentives to do well this season for those in the other groups. Apart from pride of winning is there anything else?

It wouldn't make sense to have Relegation from the top group to me. It's like a Tournament format to me.

The only incentive is to come out top half of middle group should it effect a two division structure next season

I take your point, but surely this is no different to, say, trying to win the (normal) Div2 title once promotion has been confirmed?

I think if you had a cup and a plate for the Div2/Div3 parts it might assuage your fears?

I know people slag off Church, but Kevan James doesn't half talk some tedious shit

Interesting discussion around the use of night watchmen. I like the idea of putting some clueless johnny that can't bat in to protect the proper batsmen - I nominate Stoneman!

RB wrote:

Basileus1453 wrote:

RB wrote:I like this model, although I think we won't know how well it goes until post-second stage.

I'm curious about the incentives to do well this season for those in the other groups. Apart from pride of winning is there anything else?

It wouldn't make sense to have Relegation from the top group to me. It's like a Tournament format to me.

The only incentive is to come out top half of middle group should it effect a two division structure next season

I take your point, but surely this is no different to, say, trying to win the (normal) Div2 title once promotion has been confirmed?

I think if you had a cup and a plate for the Div2/Div3 parts it might assuage your fears?

I think a cup or plate is a consolation but hardly an honour that many could take pride in.

You have a point that at some point there is always dead rubber matches. Be interesting though to see a league table across the groups and see if it would still be more or less dead rubber matches to come.

Of course there is an opportunity to blood new talent in the lower groups, so in that respect it might be good.

Back to the issue at hand - Virdi the nightwatchman seems even sillier now, it was just a free wicket, effectively.

Basileus1453 wrote:

RB wrote:

Basileus1453 wrote:

RB wrote:I like this model, although I think we won't know how well it goes until post-second stage.

I'm curious about the incentives to do well this season for those in the other groups. Apart from pride of winning is there anything else?

It wouldn't make sense to have Relegation from the top group to me. It's like a Tournament format to me.

The only incentive is to come out top half of middle group should it effect a two division structure next season

I take your point, but surely this is no different to, say, trying to win the (normal) Div2 title once promotion has been confirmed?

I think if you had a cup and a plate for the Div2/Div3 parts it might assuage your fears?

I think a cup or plate is a consolation but hardly an honour that many could take pride in.

You have a point that at some point there is always dead rubber matches. Be interesting though to see a league table across the groups and see if it would still be more or less dead rubber matches to come.

Of course there is an opportunity to blood new talent in the lower groups, so in that respect it might be good.

Respectfully disagree on that last point ie seeing it as an opportunity to blood the youngsters It is the sort of "spin" we have been fed re the impact of The Hundred on The Royal London Cup.

We see less and less county cricket nowadays, especially championship cricket. I want to see Surrey put out their strongest possible team on the increasingly rare occasions we get to see them play.

I agree that providing an incentive to teams not competing for the championship in the last part of the season is the biggest challenge for the current format (though not necessarily a deal-breaker..)

Anyone know how many overs are left?

Chinaman wrote:Anyone know how many overs are left?

Personally I don't know. Still see they are hanging on but lots of work still to do.

Is 7 necessarily the cut off time?