Upcoming season for Durham

[Voice of fair play]

Don't want to sound too negative but worried for Durham this season.

Onions was awesome last season but think will get chance with England this season.

Stokes will hardly play as well and Borthwick might miss games too,could be testing times.

 

[Struts]

Don't think we'll retain the Championship but we should still finish top 4.

Don't care if we win or finish bottom of the division in t20.

We should make a decent fist of the RL Cup, we normally start well in OD tournaments so only having 8 group games and a quarter final stage should play into our hands.

 

[brandon]

Aye. Always the pessimist me. Worried about losing three top players.

However, if the young'uns continue to improve - we might not be a million miles away again.

 

[Voice of fair play]

Don't think we'll retain the Championship but we should still finish top 4.

Don't care if we win or finish bottom of the division in t20.

We should make a decent fist of the RL Cup, we normally start well in OD tournaments so only having 8 group games and a quarter final stage should play into our hands.

Think we will struggle ,hope I am wrong ,but without them 3 players for majority of the season could be near to relegation

 

[The Omega Man]

If Colly is with us I think we will be ok, but only just. I do fear for us a bit if Borthwick, Stokes, Oniosn are in the England mix and Benks seems gone. You can only produce a conveyor belt of talent for so long before you hit a bit of a wall. It cant produce year after year.

 

[Twisted]

Don't want to sound too negative but worried for Durham this season.

Onions was awesome last season but think will get chance with England this season.

Stokes will hardly play as well and Borthwick might miss games too,could be testing times.

aye possibly, but if wood, arshad and one of pringle or buckley continue to make progress we may have ready made replacements lined up.

arshad particularly made a huge impression in limited appearances last season. and don't forget we have a very young side. stoneman can keep getting better and better, jennings had a poor year all in all but still ended up with 800 odd runs and ended the season very brightly at hove and is very promising. mustard has plenty of years left in him, harrison got himself fit and took his first 5 for. rushworth came on in leaps and bounds and for the first time looked really fit and is also still young and can get better.

lots of reasons for optimism

 

[mikemanc]

aye possibly, but if wood, arshad and one of pringle or buckley continue to make progress we may have ready made replacements lined up.

arshad particularly made a huge impression in limited appearances last season. and don't forget we have a very young side. stoneman can keep getting better and better, jennings had a poor year all in all but still ended up with 800 odd runs and ended the season very brightly at hove and is very promising. mustard has plenty of years left in him, harrison got himself fit and took his first 5 for. rushworth came on in leaps and bounds and for the first time looked really fit and is also still young and can get better.

lots of reasons for optimism

Agreed with all of that. Still not sure England will pick Onions throughout (I just don't think they like him for whatever reason) and I can't see Borthwick being with the test squad this summer. Stokes will be a big miss but we still seem to have enough bowlers who can hold the bat a bit to give us a bit of flexibility on the bowling side without significantly weakening the batting. From memory I don't recall Stokes doing that well batting wise in the Championship last season.

 

[Twisted]

Agreed with all of that. Still not sure England will pick Onions throughout (I just don't think they like him for whatever reason) and I can't see Borthwick being with the test squad this summer. Stokes will be a big miss but we still seem to have enough bowlers who can hold the bat a bit to give us a bit of flexibility on the bowling side without significantly weakening the batting. From memory I don't recall Stokes doing that well batting wise in the Championship last season.

iirc stokes averaged around 29 with the bat.

borthwick i agree dont think he will play tests but possibly more involved in the odi stuff.

onions i know where youre coming from, were used to him being ignored, but i just think with the furore around him not going and with finn seemingly out for the forseeable unless they dig their heels in and refuse to pick onions based on having to admit they were wrong i can't see who else would get selected. finn, tremlett, rankin have to have burned their bridges now. who else is there, bresnan? unless they go jordan i can;t see who else there is

 

[wayne entwhistle no9]

If Benks does not return that leaves us with 15 players on full pro contracts(that includes Stokes who we may see for a couple of championship matches) and Breese and Muchall on one day contracts. That is a paper thin squad although it is made up of mainly all rounders.
If we do not sign anyone i can only imagine the squad is going to be filled out with quite a former Academy players on summer development contracts.

 

[3.142]

all three won't be in the England team. Having said that, weaker than last year but tbh if it is cos they are playing for England then good luck to them.

Should help out in the finances as well, when do central contracts get announced? Might free up money for a new signing...

 

[Voice of fair play]

iirc stokes averaged around 29 with the bat.

borthwick i agree dont think he will play tests but possibly more involved in the odi stuff.

onions i know where youre coming from, were used to him being ignored, but i just think with the furore around him not going and with finn seemingly out for the forseeable unless they dig their heels in and refuse to pick onions based on having to admit they were wrong i can't see who else would get selected. finn, tremlett, rankin have to have burned their bridges now. who else is there, bresnan? unless they go jordan i can;t see who else there is

Yeah after the mess of the Ashes and back in English conditions,their will have to give Onions his chance,wouldn't they?

 

[Aidan11]

Our middle order could be ripped right out if Stokes & Scotty are on England contracts. Add to that there is no Smith and possibly no Benks we will need a few of our youngsters to step up a level which wont be easy. Arshad did very well when he filled in but we'll need a few more. Looks likely we might see more of Muchall than some would hope on here.

 

[essex boy]

Test cricket doesnt start until June so imagine with a traditional cold start to the season in the NE, with our battery of seamers we will be safe from relegation before June.

 

[mikemanc]

Lewis says we aren't signing anyone unless Stokes gets a central contract which I think is inevitable it's just whether or not it's sorted early enough for Durham to get someone decent in.

 

[Twisted]

Our middle order could be ripped right out if Stokes & Scotty are on England contracts. Add to that there is no Smith and possibly no Benks we will need a few of our youngsters to step up a level which wont be easy. Arshad did very well when he filled in but we'll need a few more. Looks likely we might see more of Muchall than some would hope on here.

stokes will, borthwick won't imo. think if he does well though he could be on an incremental one this time next year.

stoneman, jennings, borthwick[?], richardson, stokes[?]collingwood, mustard, arshad, wood, rushworth, onions

i think that would be our strongest side. stokes will not play much so as you say and borthwick will miss plenty of games too, obviously we need runs at the top of the order but all rounders if possible.

pick any two from muchall, breese, pringle or a young batsman, perhaps singh or either of the new lads.

 

[Voice of fair play]

stokes will, borthwick won't imo. think if he does well though he could be on an incremental one this time next year.

stoneman, jennings, borthwick[?], richardson, stokes[?]collingwood, mustard, arshad, wood, rushworth, onions

i think that would be our strongest side. stokes will not play much so as you say and borthwick will miss plenty of games too, obviously we need runs at the top of the order but all rounders if possible.

pick any two from muchall, breese, pringle or a young batsman, perhaps singh or either of the new lads.

I know he is only one player,but take Onions out of that side and it looks a lot different.

 

[Twisted]

I know he is only one player,but take Onions out of that side and it looks a lot different.

yeah, he is one of the best players in the county game. im still not utterly sure england will be magnanimous enough to hold their hands up and admit they have been wrong about onions all this time and bring him back but if the do we will have to hope for continued improvement from rushworth, wood, harrison and whichever spinner we pick, pringle, buckley or moxley and hope that arshad continues with the blistering performances he came into the team with..[DOUBLEPOST=1390640935][/DOUBLEPOST]stoneman, jennings, [muchall/singh], richardson, collingwood, mustard, arshad, [breese/pringle/buckley], wood, rushworth, harrison

it's the runs that look lighter to me rather than the bowlers, but we tend to always carry a batsman or two with our great bowling. other than stoneman [and even he started off a bit poor] pretty much everyone there had an average at best year with the bat and we still won so if jennings, richardson, collingwood have good years with the bat i think we can balance it out and do well.

 

[The Omega Man]

all three won't be in the England team. Having said that, weaker than last year but tbh if it is cos they are playing for England then good luck to them.

Should help out in the finances as well, when do central contracts get announced? Might free up money for a new signing...

Any money freed up will be going towards stabalising the clubs finances not on new players.[DOUBLEPOST=1390652040][/DOUBLEPOST]

Test cricket doesnt start until June so imagine with a traditional cold start to the season in the NE, with our battery of seamers we will be safe from relegation before June.

Good point. We're fortunate in a way that once more the cc calendar is front loaded a bit.

 

[johnson]

We have signed a Scottish player for 1 month at the start of the season,with the view to a longer deal after Scotland have played a few international.s

I forget his name, Mcleod or something, got him due to Colly coaching him.

Exciting batter who bowls a bit I think, sorry if SEB.

 

[Mackem DJ]

I know i've said this before but having moved the likes of Leech Harmison, Will Smith, Blackwell, Liam Drunkett, Claydon, Thorp on in recent times- and STILL finding ourselves unable to afford an overseas player.... Is somewhat startling.

Our finances must have been in an absolutely shameful state & whoever was responsible for that should have paid the price of their negligence or been made to explain themselves publicly.