Author Topic: County Cricket 2023 (Read 17172 times)

Wowbagger · « **Reply #250 on:** 22 September, 2023, 03:52:05 pm »

Hants having a Good Spell. Vince on 50 from 45 deliveries, Dawson 30 not out. 112-4, 155 more needed.

And of course Hants are 3rd in the table. Still have chances of overtaking Essex.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #251 on:** 22 September, 2023, 04:50:47 pm »

Surrey & Northants draw, and the latter are relegated.

Alastair Cook drops Dawson at first slip.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #252 on:** 22 September, 2023, 05:13:28 pm »

Hants need 61 from 11 overs with 6 wickets left. Bollocks.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #253 on:** 22 September, 2023, 05:54:22 pm »

Hants win by 3 wickets. Well done them! Apparently the two players who did the damage, Dawson & Vince, were both dropped quite early in their innings.

I think it's still theoretically possible for Essex to overtake Surrey, but highly unlikely.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #254 on:** 23 September, 2023, 07:11:55 am »

Yesterday was a turn around in events. Middlesex, despite putting a fight up against Warwickshire, lost. Kent, with only a rearguard action from Joe Denly to show for things, managed to eke out a draw only made possible by the rain, so that leaves them a point above Middlesex and, given the way they are playing, praying for a monsoon next week so that all the matches are wiped out and they somehow manage to survive.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #255 on:** 25 September, 2023, 11:40:25 am »

Law 29.2.1.3 was almost tested in the recent Kent v Somerset match. "the wicket can be fairly broken... by the striker’s bat not in hand, or by any part of the bat which has become detached."

Lewis Goldworthy's bat broke, and part of the broken bat dislodged a bail. Sadly for students of unusual cricket dismissals, Jaskaran Singh had overstepped in his delivery so it was a no-ball.

All credit, however, to those who wrote a law that included such an eventuality.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #256 on:** 26 September, 2023, 11:05:22 am »

The last round of the County Championship begins this morning. Only one match is under way: Lancs are 18-3 v Kent.

And I read this morning that Alastair Cook will retire at the end of the current season - which means his final appearance will be this match at Northants, if there is any play. It will also be Dan Lawrence's final season for Essex. He's off to Bloody Surrey next season.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #257 on:** 26 September, 2023, 12:23:06 pm »

Lancs 98 - 4. Hants 39 - 2 v Surrey. No other 1st division matches under way yet. Second division is doing reasonably well.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #258 on:** 26 September, 2023, 01:03:54 pm »

Northants v Essex: Northants 23-2.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #259 on:** 26 September, 2023, 02:32:50 pm »

Kent's promising start seems a long time ago. Lancs 180-4.

Northants 98 - 4

Hants 98 - 6.

Surrey will have the title on batting points I reckon.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #260 on:** 26 September, 2023, 02:57:07 pm »

Hants 117-6.

Northants 117-4.

Lancs 217-5.

Some fearful symmetry in those scores.

Edit: Hants now 7 wickets down.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #261 on:** 26 September, 2023, 03:03:13 pm »

According to the Graun, Surrey need just 5 points for the title. If I've understood the rules correctly, there are only 3 bonus points available for bowling these days. Surrey will almost certainly garner all of those, so will need just two batting points. That, of course, is assuming that Essex manage to beat Northants.

Peter · « **Reply #262 on:** 26 September, 2023, 03:20:58 pm »

And assuming the weather. The rain has already flooded out England's record-breaking at Bristol, though it may be rescued.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #263 on:** 26 September, 2023, 04:31:09 pm »

Weather interventions will win the championship for Surrey at this stage.

Meanwhile, Keogh, the Northants no 5, has scored a century. That's quite impressive out of a total of 207.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #264 on:** 26 September, 2023, 04:54:09 pm »

Hants 219 all out.

Lancs 298-8.

Northants 246-6.

Middx 93-3.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #265 on:** 27 September, 2023, 11:05:26 am »

Essex have at last dismissed Keogh. 172 out of 312-7. Very impressive.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #266 on:** 27 September, 2023, 04:37:33 pm »

Raining almost everywhere - Canterbury excepted. That suits Surrey, who are playing almost as badly as Essex. A drawn game will win them the title - as will a drawn game by Essex. But neither side looks like champions at the moment.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #267 on:** 27 September, 2023, 05:29:14 pm »

What is astonishing is the batting performances of Middlesex and Kent. If they had batted like this the whole season they wouldn't be in a relegation scrap now.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #268 on:** 27 September, 2023, 05:42:02 pm »

Indeed. I've just been trying to calculate bonus points. I think Middlesex have 2. Kent are heading for more. Essex probably won't get any.

I would have probably been a lot more pissed off had Essex actually beaten Hants last week - and they certainly had the chance to do so, two key dropped catches costing Essex about 180 runs. Breathing down Surrey's neck, within a handful of points, and then being deprived of the chance to play because they are playing cricket on the wrong side of the equinox, would have been very annoying.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #269 on:** 27 September, 2023, 06:03:42 pm »

If Kent get 5 more runs in the next 21 overs (without losing 6 wickets) - i.e. get to 350 in 110 overs then they will get the same number of bonus points as Middlesex can (if Middlesex bowl out Notts). As they went into the last round with one more point than Middlesex that will force Middlesex to get a better game result (i.e Draw/Win if Kent lose, or Win if Kent draw), which given September weather is highly significant.

It also means that Kent would stay up in the unlikely event that they actually beat Lancashire.

When I first started an interest in cricket, in the early 70s, Lancashire were Kent's great rivals for one-day honours.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #270 on:** 27 September, 2023, 06:51:32 pm »

That's funny - I thought Essex were Lancs' great 1-day rivals!

I do recall a Gilette Cup final between Lancs & Kent which was so long ago that it was covered by Neville Cardus, who took credit for Lancashire dismissing Asif Iqbal. His innings was threatening to take the match away from Lancashire. It was all to do with NC's superstition that if he went to the loo, a wicket would fall.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/gillette-cup-england-1971-368807/kent-vs-lancashire-final-368808/full-scorecard

I went to the quarter-final that year when Lancs recovered rom 59-6 to beat Essex by 12 runs.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #271 on:** 27 September, 2023, 08:08:37 pm »

That was the very match that got me hooked. And probably prepared me for much of English cricket in the 90s - my team chasing a target with gradually receding hopes that it might be reached...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #272 on:** 28 September, 2023, 11:20:22 am »

Middlesex now hot favourites for the drop. They will have to win their current game as Kent have 3 batting points and seem likely to get more. If they get on with it they might get all 5. They've got 7 overs left in which to get them. 14 runs needed for 4 batting points, 64 needed for 5.

Surrey are looking more likely to win than Essex are. Essex need batting points and they are a very long way from getting any. They are scoring very slowly as well: 162-5 off 62 overs. Hampshire, meanwhile, have lost a second wicket v Surrey. I wouldn't rule out a Surrey victory there.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #273 on:** 28 September, 2023, 11:53:08 am »

Kent have their 4th batting point, Essex are now 7 wickets down, both batsmen on 0, and still 85 runs away from their first batting point. The moment they are all out, Surrey will be champions.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #274 on:** 28 September, 2023, 12:34:38 pm »

Surrey are champions, and Essex suffer the ignominy of following-on v. Northants.