Bears/Pears/Domestic Cricket Thread 2016

[PGW]

Close of play Div 1 scores
Notts 311/4 v Somerset
Surrey 332/4 v Hants
Lancs 204 & 59/1 v Durham 291

Bears birds 134/2 off 17

[tomd2103]

Won by 28 runs. Pissed it in the end, I was concerned halfway through the Leicester innings.

Me too mate, but it was quite comfortable in the end.  Still concerned about our bowling attack if Rankin isn't playing.  Nice few hours in the sun at Edgbaston though!

[Villafirst]

At least Barker came in for Gordon. What's happened to Chris Wright?

[tomd2103]

At least Barker came in for Gordon. What's happened to Chris Wright?

Went to the game with my cousin and we were both saying that Barker is hardly ever seen in the T20 side.  Wright is another one. 

[Colhint]

Wright is injured, that's why we have to protect Barker

[tomd2103]

Wright is injured, that's why we have to protect Barker

Barker has hardly featured in T20 for a number of seasons now though. 

[AVH87]

Good day and win yesterday at Edgy in the sun. 1 more win should see us through to the quarters, 2 wins and we can probably look forward to a home quarter-final.

[cdbearsfan]

Tomorrow's Bears game at Northants is on Sky.

[tomd2103]

Tomorrow's Bears game at Northants is on Sky.

Don't know about others, but I find it hard to follow goings on with all the changing formats dotted around the season.  Would much prefer County Championship to be played during weekdays  in a block with the 50 over tournament at weekends.  Then have the season culminating in the T20 blast in one block with Finals Day being the grand finale.

[cdbearsfan]

The Twenty20 is the main money-spinner and should be played as a block in July, IMO, when it doesn't clash with the football. Plus the Twenty20 Finals Day is now, probably, the biggest day on the calendar now. If you're going to get people talking about the game and temp young fans to attend you don't want your biggest game played on a day when rain is very likely.

Obviously in Britain it can rain at any time, but you've got a better chance getting away with it in July than September.

[pooligan]

Was good to see the Bears back to winning ways on Sunday,mind you we always seem to beat the Foxes no matter what. Was good to see Barker back in the side. If we could get Trott in for Evans who failed yet again even in this game and Wright or Rankin in for OHD who was expensive yet again i would say we would be a far stronger team.

Big game today,would be nice to turn up against Northants for a change

[adrenachrome]

Wright is injured, that's why we have to protect Barker

Wright is in the squad for this evening's game.

Birmingham Bears will face Northants Steelbacks at Northampton tomorrow knowing that victory would secure their place in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals.

Birmingham returned to form on Sunday, putting three successive defeats behind them with a comfortable 28-run win over Leicestershire at Edgbaston. With three North Group games left, one win would now ensure their qualification while two would probably bring a home draw in the last eight.

Garnering those wins won't be easy with the next two games against the group's top two sides, the Steelbacks tomorrow and then top-of-the-table Notts Outlaws in a mouth-watering clash at Edgbaston on Friday.

First up, the Steelbacks - with whom Birmingham have unfinished business after the visitors cruised to an eight-wicket victory at Edgbaston earlier this month, insists captain Ian Bell.

"I'll be saying to the guys remember what happened at our place," Bell said. "Northampton are one of the best teams in the group and we didn't do ourselves justice against them. We were way off par, so it would be great to go there and level the score and get ourselves into the quarter-finals.

"The win over Leicestershire Foxes was very important for us, momentum-wise. The guys had a really good day but we have to back it up and beat Northamptonshire.

"We need one more win from three games but the frustrating thing is we should have put qualification to bed already. We have had opportunities to be top of the group. We have a very good side here - we just haven't nailed it consistently yet which is frustrating but at the same time quite exciting.

"Our squad has some really good youngsters and we have all the skills you need, but we have to learn very quickly to nail those positions."

Progress through a 14-game group campaign is unlikely to be without blips, especially in a format as volatile as T20. But while six wins have left the Bears within touching distance of qualification, they have suffered some spectacular batting collapses too, notably at New Road last Friday when they lost eight wickets for 19 runs.

"If I'm honest it's been a frustration because in the games against Yorkshire Vikings and Worcestershire Raids it wasn't that we played really badly, it's just that we didn't nailed the real crunch periods of the game," said Bell.

"At home to Northampton we had a bad day and got outplayed, but at Yorkshire we lost five wickets for six runs and then at Worcester Matt Wade played one of the best knocks I've ever seen and then we lose eight for 19. I didn't know what to say after that, at first, but we had a good honest chat after the game and the guys responded really well against Leicestershire. Now we have got to carry that on at Northampton."

Birmingham Bears Squad

    Ian Bell (Captain)
    Mark Adair
    Keith Barker
    Rikki Clarke
    Laurie Evans
    Recordo Gordon
    Sam Hain
    Oliver Hannon-Dalby
    Ateeq Javid
    Jeetan Patel
    Josh Poysden
    Aaron Thomason
    Matthew Wade (Wicket-Keeper)
    Chris Wright

Play gets underway at 6.30pm with live coverage on Sky Sports and ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire.

[adrenachrome]

The Edgbaston Beer Festival Edgbaston Stadium is excited to announce the launch of their very own beer festival - The Edgbaston Beer Festival. The Beer festival takes place on 22^nd and 24^th July to coincide with the NatWest T20 Blast game against Nottinghamshire Outlaws and the Royal London One-Day Cup against Worcestershire County Cricket Club.


This festival is in conjunction with our Official Ale Partner, Marston’s. The event will house over 50 different beers, ales and ciders, including some well know favourites and the new Birmingham Bears Ale.


Staff will be on hand from Edgbaston Stadium to answer any questions you might have. Ben Hollins, from our organic farm partner Fordhall Farm, will be operating a food stall selling the perfect accompaniments to the beer, ales and ciders on offer.


 Find out More

To find out more click here to go to the Edgbaston Beer Festival home page.

[cheltenhamlion]

Essex dispatched in both T20 and the proper cricket. Leicestershire in the Championship tomorrow. Need to get our act together in the forthcoming 50 over stuff.

[pooligan]

Barker just bowled a over for just two runs and then we have that useless OHD go for 18 including the first four balls going for 4 How much longer do we have to put up with him ?25 runs he has gone for in just two overs so far