Raymondo
Central Defender
Not sure I love the word ‘matchweek’, but ‘gameday’ was far too American for my liking and of course as we all know a County Championship match last more than just one day (in every occasion apart from one in its history, I think).
Just two games in each division, so after being launched into the new season with two games hot off the press most counties now get a week off. One which in truth, given the mayhem of any normal county season, they’d rather be saving for a much later date.
My cynical head tells me this is the ECB’s backwards idea of easing counties into the season, or of giving them ‘rest time’ in what is always a hellish schedule for the counties. As I say, I’m sure most counties would rather be playing this week and saving that time off for another week.
Anyroad, because I’m well into the new season and craving cricket, I thought I’d stick up a thread dedicated to the games being played tomorrow and over the weekend.
Division One:
Hampshire v Somerset - will be intriguing to see how Somerset respond to the two players that will have to miss this game due to being excluded having been substituted, but going off what their head coach said this week neither would’ve been close to fit anyway. Ogborne should return, he missed last week due to ‘load management’ according to Kerr. It also gives Somerset a great chance to put clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack if they can get a positive result, with their main challengers for that elusive maiden Championship title not having a game this week.
Warwickshire v Essex - many people tipped Essex for a title charge this season, particularly given that it appears Sam Cook should play the bulk of their games now it appears England aren’t too interested in his services. Their hammering last week at home to Somerset was a shock, I expected that game to be a high scoring draw, but with the pitch far livelier than I’d anticipated at worst I thought it would be a closely fought result. Hampshire are an odd case, they really should be in Division Two, but because Durham capitulated at Leeds (still hurts too much to talk about in detail) in September they’ve had their second undeserved reprieve in a decade. They were absolutely hammered at home to Essex in week one, then went up to Yorkshire and won - I ultimately think that game could have been a relegation battle. I think Yorkshire are very mediocre and are only a couple of injuries away from being in complete crisis. Hampshire haven’t properly invested in their red ball side in a while and I think they’ve been treading water for a few years now. Leicestershire and Glamorgan are the obvious candidates for the drop because they’ve just come up, Sussex too because of their off field issues but I would worry if I was Hampshire because they’ve more or less stood still and we all know what happens when you stand still.
Division Two:
Gloucestershire v Lancashire
Northants v Middlesex
Two of our pre-season title rivals are playing this week against opponents who nobody fancied to do anything other than compete for the wooden spoon. Gloucestershire have been horrific through the first two weeks, they’ve lost three games by an innings in succession going back to last season and with their winter exodus seemingly continuing into the new season it’s hard to see any light whatsoever for them at the end of county crickets long and winding tunnel. I’ve got masses of sympathy for them, because it appears that they may have to suffer for a lot longer before things start to turn around for them - but like with the current setup at Leicestershire there is a blueprint there for them that things can indeed get better. It would be lovely if they could start the healing this weekend!
Middlesex are a curious case, because they looked a million dollars in week one (granted, so did we when we played Gloucestershire) and then decidedly average in losing at home to Worcestershire, who shouldn’t be taken for granted despite not featuring in many of the media’s pre-season fancies. I actually think this could be the tie of the round because Northants have the potential to spring a surprise this year. They’re not great, but they’re fairly solid and they’re comfortable in their own skin. They survived a last day blockathon against Lancashire in the first week, showing immense levels of grit, then absolute hammered Kent last week only for the weather to save Kent’s skin for the second week on the trot. I think it’ll be a hard place for teams to go and win and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them challenging for promotion come the back half of the summer.
Being totally selfish I hope it rains for four entire days at the Division Two venues
whilst we see a microclimate of the weirdest proportions elsewhere that allows four full days of cricket at Southampton and Birmingham.
If you’re still awake, thanks for reading
Just two games in each division, so after being launched into the new season with two games hot off the press most counties now get a week off. One which in truth, given the mayhem of any normal county season, they’d rather be saving for a much later date.
My cynical head tells me this is the ECB’s backwards idea of easing counties into the season, or of giving them ‘rest time’ in what is always a hellish schedule for the counties. As I say, I’m sure most counties would rather be playing this week and saving that time off for another week.
Anyroad, because I’m well into the new season and craving cricket, I thought I’d stick up a thread dedicated to the games being played tomorrow and over the weekend.
Division One:
Hampshire v Somerset - will be intriguing to see how Somerset respond to the two players that will have to miss this game due to being excluded having been substituted, but going off what their head coach said this week neither would’ve been close to fit anyway. Ogborne should return, he missed last week due to ‘load management’ according to Kerr. It also gives Somerset a great chance to put clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack if they can get a positive result, with their main challengers for that elusive maiden Championship title not having a game this week.
Warwickshire v Essex - many people tipped Essex for a title charge this season, particularly given that it appears Sam Cook should play the bulk of their games now it appears England aren’t too interested in his services. Their hammering last week at home to Somerset was a shock, I expected that game to be a high scoring draw, but with the pitch far livelier than I’d anticipated at worst I thought it would be a closely fought result. Hampshire are an odd case, they really should be in Division Two, but because Durham capitulated at Leeds (still hurts too much to talk about in detail) in September they’ve had their second undeserved reprieve in a decade. They were absolutely hammered at home to Essex in week one, then went up to Yorkshire and won - I ultimately think that game could have been a relegation battle. I think Yorkshire are very mediocre and are only a couple of injuries away from being in complete crisis. Hampshire haven’t properly invested in their red ball side in a while and I think they’ve been treading water for a few years now. Leicestershire and Glamorgan are the obvious candidates for the drop because they’ve just come up, Sussex too because of their off field issues but I would worry if I was Hampshire because they’ve more or less stood still and we all know what happens when you stand still.
Division Two:
Gloucestershire v Lancashire
Northants v Middlesex
Two of our pre-season title rivals are playing this week against opponents who nobody fancied to do anything other than compete for the wooden spoon. Gloucestershire have been horrific through the first two weeks, they’ve lost three games by an innings in succession going back to last season and with their winter exodus seemingly continuing into the new season it’s hard to see any light whatsoever for them at the end of county crickets long and winding tunnel. I’ve got masses of sympathy for them, because it appears that they may have to suffer for a lot longer before things start to turn around for them - but like with the current setup at Leicestershire there is a blueprint there for them that things can indeed get better. It would be lovely if they could start the healing this weekend!
Middlesex are a curious case, because they looked a million dollars in week one (granted, so did we when we played Gloucestershire) and then decidedly average in losing at home to Worcestershire, who shouldn’t be taken for granted despite not featuring in many of the media’s pre-season fancies. I actually think this could be the tie of the round because Northants have the potential to spring a surprise this year. They’re not great, but they’re fairly solid and they’re comfortable in their own skin. They survived a last day blockathon against Lancashire in the first week, showing immense levels of grit, then absolute hammered Kent last week only for the weather to save Kent’s skin for the second week on the trot. I think it’ll be a hard place for teams to go and win and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them challenging for promotion come the back half of the summer.
Being totally selfish I hope it rains for four entire days at the Division Two venues
whilst we see a microclimate of the weirdest proportions elsewhere that allows four full days of cricket at Southampton and Birmingham.If you’re still awake, thanks for reading
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