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Durham Pitches

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brandon

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Much has been made (and rightly so) of the horrific batting by our team this season. However the biggest factor in all of this in my view has got to be the level at which the pitches up here do not help our lads.

It used to be that teams hated coming to Durham, the Championship winning sides we had were so strong at home and that’s something we need to get back.

This no toss bullshit has severely fucked us over, it is clear that the groundstaff need to work harder to produce good pitches in the long term, flatter pitches even. Which goes against what I truly believe in, because I’d rather see a low scoring epic than 500-a-side, BUT, the no toss rule has gifted visiting sides a head start, for some clubs it may have worked, but for me it’s too much of a step in the other direction.

I’m no groundsman, so I don’t have the answers, I don’t think the groundstaff are intentionally creating difficult pitches to bat on and they certainly won’t be doing it to aid visiting teams - but the fact is we’ve only managed 2 batting bonus points at home this season. The batting has been shocking, no doubt, but we’ve managed 11 batting points away from home. So clearly our lads fare better away from home, although not by loads, than we do at home.

Thoughts?
 

As shite as we've been for the last two years, the shite no toss rule has done us no favours at all either. Being put in to bat every game at Headingley and Scarborough is no fun especially in April, May and September when most championship matches are now played.
 
That's the point, if you play the CC particularly in the first 2 and the last month of the season, pitches will favour the seamers and scores will be low. The ECB could maybe try scheduling a few more CC games in June and July.
 
"This no toss bullshit has severely fucked us over"- couldn't have put it more eloquently myself.
And as far as I'm aware we can't even blame FTECB for it. Counties themselves vote on playing conditions and so they alone have the power to rescind it at their end of season meeting.
 
My biggest criticism when it comes to the club and ism sure people on here get fed up of Me going on about it. There is no doubt in my mind the wickets over the past couple of seasons for championship cricket have been as bad as they have been since the 90s.
 
Completely agree with the OP …. and yet Vic Demain was brought in with a mandate to make the pitches better … apparently he had a reputation of creating roads at Uxbridge.

Also look at the fall of wickets at the other games yesterday …. more like a game of skittles!
Notts. Somerset, Yorks, Glam, Leics, Middx, Northants - more fell at those grounds than did at Chester.

Time of year, no toss rule, northern pitch, recent rainy weather - all contribute to wickets falling and if batsmen's confidence isn't effected then they must have nerves of steel.

And what's more as other people have said the result is cricket in general isn't producing top order batsmen.

  • The first thing to do is to scrap the no toss rule.
  • Next more 4 day cricket in the summer and less in the spring and autumn.
  • Encourage batsmen to play proper 4 day cricket and prepare them for Test cricket - ECB should give any batter a small bonus for every 50 and 100. Just enough to encourage the type of play necessary for 4 and 5 day cricket otherwise everyone will chase the rewards of T20 and God save us The Hundred.
 
Twisted said:
The weather will have affected alot of what the groundsmen will have wanted to do lets not forget
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Indeed, but we’ve had the hottest summer since the 70’s - so surely pitches should’ve been far more batsmen friendly than they have been.

I seem to remember 2013 being quite wet, yet we seemed to bat quite well that year. Or atleast better than 2018.
 
brandon said:
Indeed, but we’ve had the hottest summer since the 70’s - so surely pitches should’ve been far more batsmen friendly than they have been.

I seem to remember 2013 being quite wet, yet we seemed to bat quite well that year. Or atleast better than 2018.
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i have no idea how to prepare a cricket pitch but i assume so much of it is about preparation and once they're being played on it gets hard to change things, that was my point that the weather hit at a really awful time for both our preseason preparation as a team and for the groundstaff
 
Twisted said:
i have no idea how to prepare a cricket pitch but i assume so much of it is about preparation and once they're being played on it gets hard to change things, that was my point that the weather hit at a really awful time for both our preseason preparation as a team and for the groundstaff
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We had a good summer but also winter finished later and the weather broke before these latest 4 day matches, it has rained a bit.

It appears to me these pitches are worse or rather have more movement on day 1 than just a couple of years ago. But that might just be my memory playing tricks.
 
Bri said:
We had a good summer but also winter finished later and the weather broke before these latest 4 day matches, it has rained a bit.

It appears to me these pitches are worse or rather have more movement on day 1 than just a couple of years ago. But that might just be my memory playing tricks.
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i remember vic saying they felt months behind when the season was starting, can't imagine it's easy playing catch up during the season
 
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People forget how bad the weather was in March and April. If the groundsman cannot get his preparation in before the season then he's in trouble.
I spoke tonight about County Championship games played in April, May & September so its no wonder wickets are helpful to bowlers.
 
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Former Player said:
People forget how bad the weather was in March and April. If the groundsman cannot get his preparation in before the season then he's in trouble.
I spoke tonight about County Championship games played in April, May & September so its no wonder wickets are helpful to bowlers.
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Aye, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no groundsman and one thing Durham always ask is to start and finish the season away - FTECB seem not to want to play ball on that point however.

Personally I’d play the One Day stuff in April, that way the groundstaff have more time to produce better pitches that have to last beyond 100 overs.
 
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brandon said:
Aye, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no groundsman and one thing Durham always ask is to start and finish the season away - FTECB seem not to want to play ball on that point however.

Personally I’d play the One Day stuff in April, that way the groundstaff have more time to produce better pitches that have to last beyond 100 overs.
Click to expand...
Tim Bostock said tonight that they will start the white ball stuff earlier next season due to the World Cup so there will be 4 day games in August.
But he warned we won’t be happy with the dates for 4 day games in 2020. He said it will be worse than this season. Probably to do with Franchise T20 and the 100 games.
 
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