English Domestic Season (2014)

... is almost upon us.


In the curtain-raiser out in Screamin' Abu Dhabi, the reigning CC Champs are being mown down by Kyle Hogg and Monty   

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/692683.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

That's an interesting team the MarryTheBum Caviar Chompers have put out:

Viru in charge, Little Jaya behind the stumps, and England's potential opening pair in the near future, Robson and Luis Reece. I hope Reecey doesn't fark up these opportunities! He's been a nugget for Lancs so far.

Monty sending out a message he's still around, then - still wouldn't surprise me to see him lining up against Sri Lanka in the Tests.

Monty has been the most under rated Engllish player of the past 10 years

Perhaps there's life in Monty yet. Still, he's always been able to do it when conditions suit him. Cannon fodder when there's nothing in the pitch for him.

Yeah, and if Cook isn't going to want to bowl him there's little point, except perhaps for his unlikely batting resilience that seems to surface whenever we have a few overs left to hang on for a draw...

But Kyle Hogg!

85* to young Reece at tea. Nice. Not burning it up: but how England could do with a Katich type sometime in the near future - Horrie's contempt notwithstanding.

I'd better stop mentioning the guy, or I'll Trev him up. I'll Trev him up goodnproppa.

BUGGER!

Who's on trial this year?

PeterCS wrote:85* to young Reece at tea. Nice. Not burning it up: but how England could do with a Katich type sometime in the near future - Horrie's contempt notwithstanding.

I'd better stop mentioning the guy, or I'll Trev him up. I'll Trev him up goodnproppa.

Never seen him. Or maybe I have but it didn't register. Was surprised to see he averages over 50 opening, yet only has one career hundred.

Bit of a concentration problem after he gets a half-century. The new Mark Butcher. Can he play guitar?

He must get through on the Spanish Welsh Somersetshire ticket.

The average quirk is because his FC career is still young (though he's nearing 24). Came up through the Lancs youth system and Leeds-Bradford, so a lot of preparatory stuff. It remains to be seen if he continues as he has started (hence the Trev caution), but he was largely instrumental in stabilising the Lancs top order last season, hence one of the most important factors in the club's promotion.

The reason I am trying to contain my excitment, but pleased nonetheless, is that he so far appears to be the first Lancs opener to show any solidity since Noddy Pullar went off at the end of the 1950s.

Lancs weather famously does not ensure anything like reliable batting conditions that allow a steady buildup of confidence, a dependable technique and high scores at the developmental stage of a batsman's career - when Lancs have had any sort of success, it's generally been despite their batting, when a couple of their bowlers have fired (e.g. Statham, Tattersall, Greenhough, Higgs, Peter Lever, Shuttleworth, Peter Lee, Peter Martin, Chapple, Keedy (have) all served Lancs admirably, and I've left some out) - but that's at best half an excuse for over half a century of Red Rose opening patheticness.

I am not counting the FEC Prick, who was off for England whenever his legs could carry him, or the talented and exciting-nervy but always technically slightly dodgy Foxy. Fowler is in fact a case in point of the above. Since you can never be sure when the next ball may rear up, banana away or swing in and either cartwheel your leg stump or trap you LB, you might as well have a dart.

DELLO:

What's your take on Georgdie Stoneman? I've often noticed him making solid enough scores (60s-80s, though only the occasional 100), but his FC av is pretty dismal. Is he a "nervous starter"?

He remains un-noted. Can't say he's ever been on my radar.

Generally speaking, if an opener is in sight of 100 FC games for an average in the 20s, I think they're pretty lucky to be still playing professional cricket.

Geordie (not Georgdie) Stoneman 103* @ "Supper".

Howway The Lad.

Well, I did young Reece up like a kipper, anyway.

Mind you, young Robson hasn't started the new season rolling in glory either.

Let's call it a little curtain-raising warm-up, that doesn't count. JAMLCRWUTDC.

Shucks, I'd prefer Stoneman at this current juncture, over Reece. Stoneman has been unimpressive at times, but then, opening the batting at Chester-le-Street has to be one of the most unenviable of jobs in world cricket. When he gets on the truer pitches, he bats for a couple of hundred balls. OK, he's usually only got 80 on the board, but stonewalling is England's pride and joy.

Right then - drumroll please: Pears proudly announce their new name for the T20 Blast. It is "Worcestershire Rapids." I can see where we're going with this - watch our bowlers disappear rapidly round the park - watch our batsmen rapidly disappear back into the pavillion. You couldn't make it up   

Maybe they mean disappearing over the waterfall.

Or have got sponsorship for a groundshare .... from Rapidshare?

expect the Rapids to be nicknamed the Vapids

PeterCS wrote:85* to young Reece at tea. Nice. Not burning it up: but how England could do with a Katich type sometime in the near future - Horrie's contempt notwithstanding.

I'd better stop mentioning the guy, or I'll Trev him up. I'll Trev him up goodnproppa.

and of course you succeeded as he bombed in the 2nd dig...the mere mention of a good Trevving was enough

Bas - perhaps they will spend the season being arserapid. Can they get Swanny to coach them?

Runs and wickets to Borthwick - will England persist with him, or will he be a casualty of a 2013-14 Tour That Must Never Be Mentioned Again?

Won't bowl any overs for Durham until at least August. Probably won't land any deliveries until September.

He's a one-n-done.

First Copeland, then Bird.

Northants are not having much luck. Perhaps they had better re-sign Joe Vaas while they still can.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26817633