Bears/Pears Thread 2013.

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Don't forget to renew your membership before the end of the month for the discount , PGW!

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Coventry Telegraph

Dougie Brown says Bears can cope with Test call-ups

Warwickshire chief hoping his side can keep clear of injuries this term



Dougie Brown is confident that Warwickshire will be able to cope with the crop of England calls likely to affect them next season.

And given a relatively clear run on the fitness front, unlike last year’s nightmare scenario, director of cricket Brown reckons his squad can challenge hard for trophies in 2014.

“We will be stretched again by international calls,” Brown said. “That’s fine – we expect that and we can cope with that.

“It would just be nice not to be stretched the other way too. Last season we used 25 players in the championship, more than any other side. Durham, the champions, used 16.

“That was due mainly to injuries but it’s not as if we are soft.

“Look at Oliver Hannon-Dalby batting for an hour with a broken arm down at Taunton. That summed up the courage and the fighting spirit that we have in the dressing room.

“But we were heavily affected with one injury after another, not least by losing the captain. Not only did we lose Jim Troughton the batsman but Jim Troughton the captain and that was a blow.

“But while other teams lose their captain and things go completely belly up, we dug in really well.

“Jim was a loss, make no mistake about that, but we fought through it and stayed really consistent in the championship.

“That is testament to the depth of our squad. It is depth that you need when you have players good enough to be called away to play for their country - and we have it.”

[PGW]

Don't forget to renew your membership before the end of the month for the discount , PGW!

I bought a 6 year membership when they were attempting to raise cash for the new stand. The deal was a no brainer, i think the coming season is the 4th season of the deal.

I had the spare cash at the time....redundancy!!!

But thanks for the reminder never the less!! Looking forward to the new season.....It has to be better than what i'm going through at the moment.

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Don't forget to renew your membership before the end of the month for the discount , PGW!

I bought a 6 year membership when they were attempting to raise cash for the new stand. The deal was a no brainer, i think the coming season is the 4th season of the deal.

I had the spare cash at the time....redundancy!!!

But thanks for the reminder never the less!! Looking forward to the new season.....It has to be better than what i'm going through at the moment.

Yes, roll on Sunday 13th April!

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Birmingham Mail

Jim Troughton: We are looking for a big improvement in our one-day cricket next season

Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton says format changes will benefit Bears

Captain Jim Troughton reckons changes to the limited-overs formats in county cricket next season will work in Warwickshire’s favour in both cases.

In 2014, the Twenty20 group matches will be contested mainly on ten successive Friday nights from May 23 when the Bears begin their campaign against Yorkshire at Edgbaston.

The ECB have switched to that schedule from a mid-summer block in an attempt to shore up the flagging T20 concept by making it a Friday-night “occasion”.

The longer one-day format, meanwhile, will revert to 50-overs-per-innings as, once again, 40-overs is trashed to bring the county game in line with international cricket.

Bears skipper Troughton is far from convinced about the merits of the 50-over game. But he believes the longer format will suit the Bears while the restructuring of Twenty20 could also have a helpful side-effect for them in that the extended timespan will make it harder for other counties to hire overseas ‘big guns’ for the whole programme.

“I have reservations about 50-over cricket as a product,” Troughton said, “not just in county cricket but internationally.

“For years they have been trying to find ways to make the middle ten overs of a 50-over innings more interesting. Why not just get rid of them and have 40 overs?

“But the longer the format the more it will play into our way of playing with our seam attack. Our four-day attack is very strong with two bouncers an over allowed and 50-overs is a lot more suited to the way we play our cricket.

“We are looking for a big improvement in our one-day cricket next season. Our start last season was disappointing. We should have beaten Kent, which would have got us off to a good start, and once you get behind in that competition it’s difficult to get back in. This time we will be looking to hit the ground running.

“In terms of T20, the Friday-night schedule will change things - again possibly in our favour. I am not sure how many counties are going to have a second overseas player sticking around all week just to play every Friday. That might play into our hands as we have never had a second overseas player in that format.

“I think we could do well in Twenty20 this year. Losing the first three last season set us right back but then we went on a good run and played consistently well.”

It remains to be seen whether the switch to Friday evenings will generate the desired big crowds around the country. If it does, the format will have a future in county cricket. If not, the ECB might have to grudgingly embrace the notion that they are flogging a dead horse.

The players are certainly hoping the switch brings punters flocking in, having had to fulfil some truly moribund, sparsely-attended, rain-damaged T20s in recent years.

“I hope people turn up on Friday nights,” Troughton said. “People have been crying out for a regular slot where they know it’s T20 so hopefully we will get the crowds.

“It also means we will be playing the 50-over stuff in a block later in the season when the weather should be good so, in theory, it should all work well.”

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Birmingham Mail

I want to stay with the Bears - Laurie

Laurie Evans today insisted he is keen to remain a Warwickshire player long-term – despite recently turning down a contract extension.

Davies/PA Wire

Laurie Evans today insisted he is keen to remain a Warwickshire player long-term – despite recently turning down a contract extension.

Evans’ current deal is set to expire at the end of next season after he declined to sign one offering him two more years.

His decision sparked speculation among concerned Bears fans that the former Surrey batsman already has his sights set on a move back down south.

But the 26-year-old has revealed quite emphatically that that is not the case.

On the back of an excellent breakthrough season with Warwickshire in 2013, he feels settled with the county and is eager to stay.

He simply feels he is worth a bit more than what the county have offered.

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Evans said. “I enjoy my cricket at Warwickshire, really enjoyed last season and just want to build on that this year and beyond and help the team challenge for trophies.

“But I was a little bit disappointed with the offer.

“I am 26 now and am at the stage of my career where I really need to settle down.

“Hopefully we can get something sorted out but the deal has got to be right for me because I want to put down some roots and, if I stay, buy a house in Birmingham to get some real stability behind me.

“Finance has never been a driving factor for me. I would never ever think of asking for more than I am worth. But I think I had a pretty good season last year with hopefully a lot more to come.”

Evans is adopting the same strategy as team-mate Keith Barker took two years ago.

Back then the all-rounder declined to sign the offered deal and promptly started the following season in brilliant form with a deluge of wickets that hugely increased his bargaining power.

Evans, who would certainly not be short of offers in the market place, already has a fair bit of bargaining power.

Warwickshire have a number of question marks over their top order with Ian Westwood struggling with an ankle injury, Jim Troughton needing to prove that his back can take the strain and William Porterfield facing his perpetual form issues.

It appears that the Bears’ top order can ill-afford to lose Evans. The question is, in the light of the club’s gargantuan debt, can they afford to keep him?

“I want to stay,” he said. “My feet are on the ground and I am not asking for anything silly. I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully scoring runs when the season comes round and then hopefully something will get sorted.

“The financial side of it is one aspect but by no means the most important one. The bottom line is I will always base my career decisions on what is best for my cricket.”

[peter w]

Shite. Forget my swoop for Pietersen idea.

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Shite. Forget my swoop for Pietersen idea.

In 2000 he travelled to England with a view to qualifying to play international cricket, having become frustrated with the quota selection system in South Africa. A century on trial for Warwickshire 2nds is not enough to win a contract at Edgbaston but, a year later, Pietersen signs for Nottinghamshire

[cdbearsfan]

Just read that Rikki Clarke and Ian Bell are in the upcoming IPL auction. I assume this means they'll miss the start of the county season?

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Just read that Rikki Clarke and Ian Bell are in the upcoming IPL auction. I assume this means they'll miss the start of the county season?

Your assumption is spot on: they will miss up to 5 weeks if selected. Bell was up for sale last year but did not get picked.