Bears & Pears Cricket Thread 2011

[SteveD]

Considering many of the so-called experts had us down for relegation, to go that close was a great all-round team effort - nine wins in a season, many by huge margins, was something special. At least the controversial eight-point pitch penalty for the Worcester game is an irrelevance.
I'm shortly going home to delete eight hours of coverage from Sky+ as the thought of seeing Paul Allott and hearing his sneering tones are too much.

[Dave Cooper please]

The Lancashire Love-in officially starts now.  A feel a little like I did that Sunday afternoon when Villa lost to Oldham and effectively let Man Utd win their first championship in years. 

An interesting argument to be had as to how central contracts may have helped England achieve number one Test status, but how it has effected the counties.  Would we have secured more batting points/saved matches had Bell and Trott featured in more games, or would Anderson have secured more bowling points/victories for Lancs?

lets not start talking silliness like this. The county championship and the whole of the structure of cricket is designed now to help the pinnacle, which is england. Ok, we lost tonight but lets embrace the fact that england are the best team in the world and our young guns gave it a great fight. Our run in may have been distorted a little by the signing of chanderpaul so i hope they continue to limit the amount of overseas players so english youth can flourish and money does not prevaile totally!

Correct.
Cricket is totally different from football. Generally football fans put club before country, in cricket it is extremely rare to find a fan who puts their county before England.
Warwickshire had a great four day season (shite in one-dayers mind!) and I'm very proud of them, but I'm equally as proud to see Trott and local lad Bell lead the best Test team in the World to glory.

[The Left Side]

I don't want to look at the table just yet but can someone tell me if the points deduction made a big difference, I have a bad feeling that it did?

[taylorsworkrate]

I don't want to look at the table just yet but can someone tell me if the points deduction made a big difference, I have a bad feeling that it did?

Made no difference in the end.

Great season for a young squad deprived of its best two players for the vast majority of it.

Can't help but feel that if we'd have batted a lot quicker on the second day we'd be celebrating a title now. 

Still, well done Bears.

[TopDeck113]

Rutski and Dave, it was only meant to be one of those 'what if' pub debates! I, too, think the Test team should be the priority, as the whole of cricket then benefits, both in terms of overall raised standards and the finances distributed to the counties. 

What I would say is Peter Moores's record, first at Sussex and now at Lancashire, does beg the question what he could have achieved given time as England coach. When Andy Flowers moves on, the ECB could do a lot worse than looking at Moores again.

[taylorsworkrate]

Rutski and Dave, it was only meant to be one of those 'what if' pub debates! I, too, think the Test team should be the priority, as the whole of cricket then benefits, both in terms of overall raised standards and the finances distributed to the counties. 

What I would say is Peter Moores's record, first at Sussex and now at Lancashire, does beg the question what he could have achieved given time as England coach. When Andy Flowers moves on, the ECB could do a lot worse than looking at Moores again.

I have a feeling Giles is in their long term plans.

[Villan For Life]

I don't want to look at the table just yet but can someone tell me if the points deduction made a big difference, I have a bad feeling that it did?

Made no difference in the end.

Great season for a young squad deprived of its best two players for the vast majority of it.

Can't help but feel that if we'd have batted a lot quicker on the second day we'd be celebrating a title now. 

Still, well done Bears.

I don't class Bell and Trott as Warwickshire players any longer. They're members of "Team England" who will play for the Bears as and when time and Andy Flowers allow. Bell is a Bear through and through but for the forseeable future he and Trott are no more than guest players.

A good deason for the Bears and there's no shame in losing the title on the last day of the season to a better all round team. The what ifs, should haves and could haves will rumble on but thankfully the pitchgate deduction proved to be irrelevant. That we failed to beat Hampshire, who finished bottom of the table, twice in the last few weeks of the season ultimately had greater impact.

YOU BEARS!!

[Simon Ward]

Ultimately a good season for a young team.

[Dave Cooper please]

Rutski and Dave, it was only meant to be one of those 'what if' pub debates! I, too, think the Test team should be the priority, as the whole of cricket then benefits, both in terms of overall raised standards and the finances distributed to the counties. 

Yes, I got it, I just wanted to highlight the difference in attitude of both the fans and the clubs/counties between football and cricket.
Imagine any Premier League club agreeing to have their England internationals put on a central contract so that England could take them away whenever they wanted!

[Villafirst]

I don't want to look at the table just yet but can someone tell me if the points deduction made a big difference, I have a bad feeling that it did?

Made no difference in the end.

Great season for a young squad deprived of its best two players for the vast majority of it.

Can't help but feel that if we'd have batted a lot quicker on the second day we'd be celebrating a title now. 

Still, well done Bears.

I think we should've bowled first on the first day. Hampshire have fucked us over twice in a week - against Lancs last week they only had to survive two sessions with 10 wickets in hand to force a draw, but collapsed pathetically that afternoon losing their last wicket in the penultimate over - McKenzie of all people! That gave Lancs the extra 16 points which was crucial in the end - still think they were lucky to face a weakened Somerset team with one eye on the CB40 Final this Saturday. Glad Hampshire were relegated and lost the T20 final as well!!....not that I'm bitter...

[Villan For Life]

Sad news about the death of Graham Dilley. Ultimately remembered for supporting Beefy in a 117 run partnership at Headingley in 1981 but as I recall he was an important member of a Pears side that won back to back championships in the mid 1980's.

RIP

[spangley1812]

RIP Graham Dilley a great bowler

[The Left Side]

RIP Graham Dilley, I loved his bowling action and often replicated it in the back garden.

[Villafirst]

Very sad news - RIP Graham Dilley

[spangley1812]

Jeetan Patel has signed for the Bears for all of next season which is good news