The cricket...

[tedshred]

Not much chance of any more play today apparently.  Unless the pitch is a real howler, it is becoming difficult to reach a result.

[Wowbagger]

No, I've just seen that it's raining again.

It would be the icing on the cake if Essex could bat through 4 sessions, declare with over 400 on the board and get Somerset out on the last two sessions of Thursday...

[Peter]

This is appallingly unfair on Somerset, who are going for their first championship and who have been deprived of their talismanic spinner and demon stonewaller by the Ashes series.

[Wowbagger]

It's always been unfair on the counties whose top players were picked for England at critical times.

In 1979, when Essex won their first title, John Lever was forever being picked for England only to find himself being made 12th man. He was the best English pace bowler in the Championship by far - he took over 50 wickets in June 1979 alone.

Essex won 6 titles in 13 years from 1979, despite the fact that their best players (Gooch, Fletcher, Pringle, Foster, Border, Waugh...) were often on test match duty. The one world-class player who wasn't was McEwan. One of the best attacking batsmen in the world and he never played a test because he was South African.

I have to say that in the last round of matches, when Somerset came severely unstuck against Hampshire and Essex won comfortably against someone else, the matter was in Somerset's hands. If they had beaten Hants in that low-scoring game they would be top of the table now and the wet weather would be their friend.

[Wowbagger]

Close of play. Essex 25-0. 178 behind.

[Wowbagger]

Oops.

Harmer’s wickets, though, have come at a cost in this match. He -finished with five for 105, having been blunted by Abell and assaulted by Van der Merwe. Sam Cook was more economical, finishing with four for 26 from 19 impeccable overs. And despite Somerset’s total in excess of 200 there is the possibility of an adverse pitch report from the cricket liaison officer due to excessive turn which could lead to a points reduction.

From https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/sep/24/county-cricket-somerset-v-essex-title-decider-day-two-live

Vic Marks is, of course, a Somerset man. Essex once were deprived of the Championship after a points deduction on a pitch which didn't even belong to the Essex County Cricket Club. It was Southchurch Park, the scene of the biggest bloodbath in the history of fast run-scoring when the 1948 Australians notched up 721 in a single day.

If Somerset have been preparing a pitch especially for their spinners then that's very naughty indeed.

[ElyDave]

Oops.

Harmer’s wickets, though, have come at a cost in this match. He -finished with five for 105, having been blunted by Abell and assaulted by Van der Merwe. Sam Cook was more economical, finishing with four for 26 from 19 impeccable overs. And despite Somerset’s total in excess of 200 there is the possibility of an adverse pitch report from the cricket liaison officer due to excessive turn which could lead to a points reduction.

From https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/sep/24/county-cricket-somerset-v-essex-title-decider-day-two-live

Vic Marks is, of course, a Somerset man. Essex once were deprived of the Championship after a points deduction on a pitch which didn't even belong to the Essex County Cricket Club. It was Southchurch Park, the scene of the biggest bloodbath in the history of fast run-scoring when the 1948 Australians notched up 721 in a single day.

If Somerset have been preparing a pitch especially for their spinners then that's very naughty indeed.

Why exactly?  Surely you prepare to your strengths, within the laws of the game.

Nobody told the All Blacks they couldn't have Jonah Lomu because "he was too big and strong" did they?

[Greenbank]

Oops.

Harmer’s wickets, though, have come at a cost in this match. He -finished with five for 105, having been blunted by Abell and assaulted by Van der Merwe. Sam Cook was more economical, finishing with four for 26 from 19 impeccable overs. And despite Somerset’s total in excess of 200 there is the possibility of an adverse pitch report from the cricket liaison officer due to excessive turn which could lead to a points reduction.

From https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/sep/24/county-cricket-somerset-v-essex-title-decider-day-two-live

Vic Marks is, of course, a Somerset man. Essex once were deprived of the Championship after a points deduction on a pitch which didn't even belong to the Essex County Cricket Club. It was Southchurch Park, the scene of the biggest bloodbath in the history of fast run-scoring when the 1948 Australians notched up 721 in a single day.

If Somerset have been preparing a pitch especially for their spinners then that's very naughty indeed.

Why exactly?  Surely you prepare to your strengths, within the laws of the game.

Because there are rules/regulations/standards for the pitches teams must provide. That's part of the rules of the game too.

You can prepare a pitch to your strength within the confines of the rules/regulations/standards sure, but if the pitch is deemed too poor in some regard then there are penalties.

Nobody told the All Blacks they couldn't have Jonah Lomu because "he was too big and strong" did they?

No, because it wasn't against any of the selection rules.

If England tried to field Jonah Lomu in a subsequent match it would be against various selection rules.

[Wowbagger]

The forecast has changed since yesterday and it now seems likely that more time will be lost.

[Wowbagger]

None of the matches will start on time. Inspection at 11 in Taunton. No play before lunch in Canterbury - wet outfield.

The one occasion I attended a match at New Road, Worcester, was the semifinal of the B & H Cup in 1979. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that a teaching colleague and I bunked off for the day. We went with his brothers. It was a beautiful summer's morning and we arrived at the ground for the scheduled start time but Worcester seems to be a very poorly drained ground. The Severn flows around it and it is often flooded in winter. The outfield was waterlogged from overnight rain and the start was delayed until 2pm.

We only saw about 50 minutes' cricket until the heavens opened again. When Essex came out to field, Brian Hardie rolled his trouser legs up as a gesture to the umpires that the ground wasn't really fit for play. Even so, John Lever bowled a very hostile spell and dismissed Worcestershire's star batsman, Glen Turner, very cheaply. Essex went on to win the following day.

[ElyDave]

Oops.

Harmer’s wickets, though, have come at a cost in this match. He -finished with five for 105, having been blunted by Abell and assaulted by Van der Merwe. Sam Cook was more economical, finishing with four for 26 from 19 impeccable overs. And despite Somerset’s total in excess of 200 there is the possibility of an adverse pitch report from the cricket liaison officer due to excessive turn which could lead to a points reduction.

From https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/sep/24/county-cricket-somerset-v-essex-title-decider-day-two-live

Vic Marks is, of course, a Somerset man. Essex once were deprived of the Championship after a points deduction on a pitch which didn't even belong to the Essex County Cricket Club. It was Southchurch Park, the scene of the biggest bloodbath in the history of fast run-scoring when the 1948 Australians notched up 721 in a single day.

If Somerset have been preparing a pitch especially for their spinners then that's very naughty indeed.

Why exactly?  Surely you prepare to your strengths, within the laws of the game.

Because there are rules/regulations/standards for the pitches teams must provide. That's part of the rules of the game too.

You can prepare a pitch to your strength within the confines of the rules/regulations/standards sure, but if the pitch is deemed too poor in some regard then there are penalties.

Nobody told the All Blacks they couldn't have Jonah Lomu because "he was too big and strong" did they?

No, because it wasn't against any of the selection rules.

If England tried to field Jonah Lomu in a subsequent match it would be against various selection rules.

Wow appears to be conflating the two
- naughty Somerset preparing a spin-friendly pitch
- naughty Somerset broke the rules

Only one of those is against the rules. You demonstrate that point yourself above.

[Wowbagger]

I wasn't conflating the two. Vic Marks was. I merely quoted him.

[ElyDave]

fair enough, I blame Vic Marks as well.

[Wowbagger]

Further inspection at noon.

I seem to recall that there is some arcane regulation that when a match is badly affected by the weather, the umpires are allowed to curtail it into a single-innings, or even a one-day match. Does that still happen?

That would piss me off. It's looking pretty unlikely that there will be more than an hour or two's play today. If the Championship were to be decided by a one-day slog that would be very poor.

[ElyDave]

What happens to the points in an abandonment?

In rugby its normally logged as a draw unless there are tournament specific rules.  Clearly a draw is different from no-result in cricket.  I'm equally disappointed its going this way, and that Somerset threw it away.

[Wowbagger]

A draw is a game which runs out of time. Each side gets 8 points.

[Greenbank]

And distinct from a tie when teams end up on the same score at the end of all innings.

[Wowbagger]

And distinct from a tie when teams end up on the same score at the end of all innings.

And then I think there may be a distinction when the scores are level but the side batting last has more wickets but no more time, as distinct from one in which both sides are all out for the same total.

More delay. Inspection at 2.30.

[Wowbagger]

More rain. No play before tea.

[ElyDave]

A draw is a game which runs out of time. Each side gets 8 points.

Is a weather abandonment treated the same as a draw? As above I only have experience as a rugby referee where a match that didn't start is treated very differently from one that, for example I abandon in the second half,

[tedshred]

For weather, yes but for an unfit pitch, no.  An unfit pitch would give Somerset 0 points and Essex 20 (as things stand now).

The points for a draw are fairly moot as I make it that Essex are now 15 points clear with their bowling bonus points.  Somerset have to win and not let Essex score any more bonus points (again unlikely to do so if Somerset were to win somehow).

My guess is the trophy engraver is already at work 

[Basil]

I'm reminded of this
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64826.msg2212225#msg2212225

[Wowbagger]

I'm reminded of this
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=64826.msg2212225#msg2212225

There was a county match involving Botham when he did much the same. I think it was in the qualifying stages of the B & H. Somerset were bound to progress even if they lost, as their run rate was higher than their opponents, as long as the match under way went Somerset's way. He declared fo Somerset after 1 over, assuring Somerset of their place in the knockout stages but depriving several thousand people who had paid a lot of money and in lots of cases travelled a long way for a day's entertainment.

There is a rule which allows for "it's just not cricket" to be considered: bringing the game into disrepute. It may not be allowed to change results but it can discipline players and clubs. See also Trevor Chappell and underarm bowling.

[Wowbagger]

Taunton this morning: start delayed. Inspection at 11.30.

They might as well pack up and go home.

[Wowbagger]

Play due to begin at noon! How exciting!