English county season 2008 (VI)

Hmm, whos that wee bairn then? Glad he cut those horrible 90s curtains off...

Congratulations to Durham... either them or Somerset and I would have been happy.

Whats this about Swanny not filling you with confidence? ODI yes yes yes. Tests never not in a million fking years ever just no... I see what you mean then.

And so the season ends ..........

Last game of the season for me too this afternoon.

Withdrawal symptoms expected to kick in tomorrow .... pass the gin.

Dawson ends the season with an average of 346 and we still give him a 2 year contract. What a bloody joke.

Yeah, but he can notch a few down the order for you

JKLever wrote:Yeah, but he can notch a few down the order for you

He's a FEC you know

Interesting to note that 5 of the top 10 batsmen in the English FC averages are Saffies.

ARSE.

Congratulations to Durham. Thoroughly deserved in the end.

Notts have imploded over the last month. Poor decisions at the wrong time including wrong decisions on winning the toss, wrong bowlers at the wrong time, incomprehensible decisions to play on an unknown quantity of an unused pitch in a title decider, other generally poor and uninspired captaincy allied to season long batting fragility has left us with what we deserved. Nowt.

Still, if you'd offered me the following in April: -

1.) Championship Runners Up and coming within 3 poor days cricket of being guaranteed champions.
2.) A (predictable) half volley away from being Pro40 champions.
3.) Within a wicket of the FP Semis.

I'd have snapped your hand off.

Pretty good season all told with only the T20 being a genuine disappointment looking at the season objectively as a whole.

Even got to top the tan up over the last couple of days. Wonderful late summer sunshine to watch cricket in.

And best of all, here's to winter . . . oh.

The very least Notts should have done was make it a result pitch.

I know there was a result in the end, but if Notts weren't chasing the impossible it would have been an easy draw.

Swanny was dissapointing in the last innings too

Yup - exactly what I mean.

Why take a leap of faith on an untried track when you know you need a result?

Makes no sense whatseover.

Ridiculous heave across the line from Swanny. You were spot on with what you said about targetting 100 off the first 20 with no more than one down. Would have been perfectly achievable with the attacking fields Hants were setting and the short boundary.

Would also have been game on.

Poor shot selection from Big Will as well two balls before lunch when they'd just pushed the man back to cover that stroke that had previously brought him several boundaries. Poor thinking, but then he'd reached his standard score of mid-20's so as per usual him giving it away was inevitable.

We hoped Prince would be the joker in our pack, instead he was just a joker, and his tame dismissal perfectly encapsulated his dismal contribution over the last month of the season.

Was calling Maskyouranus everything from a pig to a dog when he claimed the catch off Billy, as his shoulders clearly came up as he took the catch which would tend to suggest he caught it on the bounce, but having seen the recording later it was clearly clean. And with that went the last remaining hopes of pulling off a miracle.

As you also said, it's a shame a few more of them didn't try to build partnerships in the same way as he and Patel had done.

Hey-ho.

At least the Pies got their first league win of the season yesterday. Unbeaten in 7 now too.

What is it about sides playing at home this season and bottling it: Notts. V Hampshire in the championship, Kent V Essex in the Pro40?

Basil wrote:What is it about sides playing at home this season and bottling it: Durham V Hampshire in the championship, Kent V Essex in the Pro40?

If only!

Big_Bad_Bob wrote:

Basil wrote:What is it about sides playing at home this season and bottling it: Durham V Hampshire in the championship, Kent V Essex in the Pro40?

If only!

Damn and blast it

Pretty much what I've been saying over the last few days less a couple of expletives!

Big_Bad_Bob wrote:Pretty much what I've been saying over the last few days less a couple of expletives!

Will Read survive the winter as skipper?

I would think so, yes.

Despite the mistakes, as I said earlier, it's been a pretty good season particularly given the inconsistency of personnel available for selection due to 'external' influences.

I'd be amazed if there is a change.

Dello wrote:Rashid, whose bowling had "lost it" apparently, as he had become "a batsman who bowls a bit", finishes the season as the joint-second highest wicket-taker in FC cricket (with Steve Harmison) with 65 wickets @ 31.

And it's only the slow start he made the "summer" which has kept his average just the wrong side of excellent - I reckon he's been taking his wickets @ around 20s since the half-way point of the season.

Second spinner to India? It'll be a baptism of fire, but you've got to start somewhere at some time.

Don't see any other spinners in the country demanding selection - even England's number one spinner has been no more than average this year.

Monty made his debut in India, which didn't seem to do him any harm. If I remember correctly, SRT was his first test victim.

I get the feeling that the Indians are more prolific and skilled against wrist-spin than orthodox SLA compared to the other Test Teams though. I seem to recall Monty didn't do too badly against the Indians in the home series either, whlist TGM has never seemed to prove the threat against India as he did against all others.

The Indians chuck 'em in early; why shouldn't we, Rashid has proven he has something about him this season.

Well, what a good finale weekend of cricket.

Thought that Wissy showed his true colours for Notts and bottled the shoite out of it. Was all at sea when the pressure was on.

You'd have to say that the best seam bowling attack in the country won the title all in all. When Onions and Plunklett can't get in, it must be fairly usefull.

Congrats to Durham, its fairly right that the side that won the most games should win the title IMO.

holcs wrote:
Thought that Wissy showed his true colours for Notts and bottled the shoite out of it.

And shock horror missed a few chances that 'Chris Read would definitely have taken'

Aye proved to me that once again he can't take the pressure!

Chas - you now done playing for the season?
Withdrawal symptoms have set in here, though last game yesterday was a good 'un for me.
Clubbed a swift 36 followed by a decent 3 fer 36 off 8 in a 40 over game we won by 20 runs.

My last game was the Evening Standard Final.

No withdrawal yet, won't get it until mid-November normally. Lost all interest second half of the season again.... Not good. - which meant couldn't buy a run after 500 in the first half!

Am hoping it was nigh on 18 months continuous playing that did it to be honest. Fingers crossed it doesn't happen next year or that will be me done.

Although am hoping the potential for skippering our very talented young 2nd team could be the tonic I need.

holcs wrote:My last game was the Evening Standard Final.

No withdrawal yet, won't get it until mid-November normally. Lost all interest second half of the season again.... Not good. - which meant couldn't buy a run after 500 in the first half!

Am hoping it was nigh on 18 months continuous playing that did it to be honest. Fingers crossed it doesn't happen next year or that will be me done.

Although am hoping the potential for skippering our very talented young 2nd team could be the tonic I need.

Sh!t 'appens mate ... nowt worse than a run of the trots!
Skippering a talented team will help - good luck!

Only problem was lost interest = run of the trots. The other way around I could deal with.

Well thats the plan. Means I can get my hands on a good bunch of young talent, that are being poorly coached at Middx and Slurrey.

holcs wrote:Only problem was lost interest = run of the trots. The other way around I could deal with.

Well thats the plan. Means I can get my hands on a good bunch of young talent, that are being poorly coached at Middx and Slurrey.

Nice - that ought to please Radford and ... no-name (as yet) !
Last season for Radford is my guess, unless Middx get promoted next year.

Interest will return with the runs mate ... always happens - but 18 months on the go is a long time.
Chill.

JKLever wrote:

holcs wrote:
Thought that Wissy showed his true colours for Notts and bottled the shoite out of it.

And shock horror missed a few chances that 'Chris Read would definitely have taken'

Shelled a few gimmes the other season when the cameras covered Notts' last championship game of that year too, IIRC.

Anyway, that bandwagon has left town - Del Pringle is reporting James Foster as the best wicket-keeper in the world now...