Bears/Pears/Domestic Cricket Thread

[cdbearsfan]

Well, I think we are fucked.

[cdbearsfan]

With Somerset winning and safe, I think we need the following to beat the drop, note that if we lose we are down...

WARWICKSHIRE WIN

Safe if Kent and/or Yorkshire lose so long as they don't get at least two more bonus points than us

Or if Kent/and or Yorkshire draw or tie and we get at least seven more bonus points than they do

WARWICKSHIRE DRAW OR TIE

Safe if Kent and/or Yorkshire lose and we get at least seven more bonus points than they do

Remaining fixtures (all games start Monday, 26th September, at 1030)

Warwickshire vs Hampshire
Kent vs Somerset
Yorkshire vs Gloucestershire

[paul_e]

If we can't beat Gloucs then we deserve relegation.

Yep.  Lost to teams who were in the bottom two at the time of playing them, so can't have too many complaints really.  With all our struggles going on, it was nice to see Chris Woakes and Olly Stone in training over in Pakistan on SKY the other night only to be carrying water bottles around for the first two games.

Just been reading the ECB recommendations for the county game.  Actually don't mind some of the ideas (return to a knockout 50 over cup including the minor counties would be good), but the Hundred seems to be the hill they are intent on dying on.

Didn't every county but one vote to take the ECB £ 1.3m?) as compensation for the hundred taking place in August?

What a sorry mess.

Yes, and the contract the ECB agreed with the TV companies means it has to be held in August for the first few years so it's not like they're choosing to sideline other competitions, they made their bed a few years ago and just need to accept the restrictions for now.

For what it's worth I'd be in favour of shifting the royal london to the same window (and making it a proper knock-out with the minor counties included) and having them run side-by-side. That leaves June and July open to fit the T20 around the championship. If you go with t20 being played on a set 2-3 days of the week you could fit them in between 4day games pretty easily I reckon. Then the rest of the championship fits, uninterrupted, into the April, May and September just like now but probably starting slightly later and finishing a bit earlier, which would be a good idea in my opinion. On the championship they need to stop fucking about and commit to 2 leagues of 9 so every county gets 2 'free' weeks during the season, with 1 always coming in the June/July 'busy' period.

[tomd2103]

If we can't beat Gloucs then we deserve relegation.

Yep.  Lost to teams who were in the bottom two at the time of playing them, so can't have too many complaints really.  With all our struggles going on, it was nice to see Chris Woakes and Olly Stone in training over in Pakistan on SKY the other night only to be carrying water bottles around for the first two games.

Just been reading the ECB recommendations for the county game.  Actually don't mind some of the ideas (return to a knockout 50 over cup including the minor counties would be good), but the Hundred seems to be the hill they are intent on dying on.

Didn't every county but one vote to take the ECB £ 1.3m?) as compensation for the hundred taking place in August?

What a sorry mess.

Yes, and the contract the ECB agreed with the TV companies means it has to be held in August for the first few years so it's not like they're choosing to sideline other competitions, they made their bed a few years ago and just need to accept the restrictions for now.

For what it's worth I'd be in favour of shifting the royal london to the same window (and making it a proper knock-out with the minor counties included) and having them run side-by-side. That leaves June and July open to fit the T20 around the championship. If you go with t20 being played on a set 2-3 days of the week you could fit them in between 4day games pretty easily I reckon. Then the rest of the championship fits, uninterrupted, into the April, May and September just like now but probably starting slightly later and finishing a bit earlier, which would be a good idea in my opinion. On the championship they need to stop fucking about and commit to 2 leagues of 9 so every county gets 2 'free' weeks during the season, with 1 always coming in the June/July 'busy' period.

Reading some of the early reactions of County representatives it seems that no reduction in Blast fixtures and a 50 over competition in August to run alongside the Hundred seem to be common themes. 

Guessing if those two are agreed then it could get voted through. 

[cdbearsfan]

Bears' slim survival hopes being reduced even further as it is pissing down.

[cdbearsfan]

Aaaaaand.... pissing down again.

[cdbearsfan]

Yorkshire 183 all out .. a deficit of seven. So if we win and they lose we are safe, assuming we get at least two bonus points. We need to get on the pitch for longer than ten minutes at a time and not plod along at one or two an over when we do, mind. Kent well on top against Somerset so it looks like Yorkshire or bust.

[cdbearsfan]

Kent were safe yesterday following our declaration so we need to win and have Yorkshire lose to stay up.

Gloucestershire all out for 233 in their second innings, setting Yorkshire a target of 241 to win, or 240 to tie which would be enough to send us down.

Hampshire, responding to our 272 for 4 declared are currently 54 for 3.

You never know, I suppose. Still seems likely that those overs lost in the last two games will send us down, could have been in with a real chance otherwise. Hampshire only need a draw to finish second so, unfortunately, have no reason to try to conspire a result. We will need to take twenty wickets to survive (and have Yorkshire lose).

[Villan For Life]

There’s still hope but it’s very feint!

[paul_e]

Whatever happens we've done everything you'd want so far, we were brave with the bat, Rhodes and Mousley going at near a run a ball and then a very early declaration. Into their innings we been agressive with the ball and field placings and look like the clear favourites to win this IF we can get enough overs in.

On the weather there's potentially lots of overnight rain but hopefully mostly cleared by early morning so should be able to start on time. If we can clear them up early in the afternoon session and get 40-50 overs in at a decent lick we can hopefully have a 300+ target with a full day to bowl them out. It's all about being really aggressive from here.

[paul_e]

Umpire has just saved Vince by not giving what looked like a plumb LBW

[paul_e]

Took a lot longer than it should but Vince has gone leaving them 230/7

We need to be really ruthless with the tail now, more about time than score because we need 70-80 overs to bowl them which means we're already limiting ourselves to 40-50 to post a score.

[cdbearsfan]

39 run deficit, twenty odd overs left in the day. Need to smash it around, and set them a target of 200 or so and it isn't impossible. Gutting we lost so much time or would likely have been able to build a big first innings lead and be in with a good chance now.

[paul_e]

I'd want 83-84 overs (so we get a late new ball) so 24 overs tonight and 9-10 tomorrow, need to get 250ish to set a decent target.

[shirley_villan]

Yorkshire only need 23 now.