2022 Domestic Season

Latest from Taunton on day 3 of 4 - 3.33pm.

Gloucestershire 343 all out (102.1 overs), Harris 159, Charlesworth 56, O Price 52, Gregory 4-62.

Somerset 248 all out (81.3 overs) Imam 90, Bartlett 33, Rew 44no, T Price 5-75, Singh-Dale 2-50.

Gloucestershire 143-2 (59 overs) O Price 53, Charlesworth 46no, Harris 21, Davey 1-10.

Gloucestershire lead Somerset by 238 runs with 8 wickets remaining

Yes, Agree seems a strange thing not to declare and have 10 overs or so, the lead was big enough not to lose the game and weather permitting will be a slow last day.


Gloucestershire 246-5 (92 overs) O Price 53, Charlesworth 64, Hammond 53, Sajid 2-69.

Gloucestershire lead Somerset by 341 runs with 5 wickets remaining

Well I’ve seen every ball though not many today. Quite a strange match in that Gloucestershire more or less outplayed us for all sessions except yesterday afternoon yet we finish with only 1 point less. With Kent and Northamptonshire losing it was overall a good 4 days for us.
FWIW, I thought Gloucestershire really should have gone for it yesterday afternoon but I guess they were afraid of collapsing and letting us win with perhaps only 250 to chase. Especially with Price, Charlesworth and Hammond in play who appeared in good form. Whatever, Somerset bowled ok but nothing special though Khan bowled well and was unlucky not to get more wickets. Gloucestershire should take something from this match, both Prices looked good as did Charlesworth and I was impressed by the fast bowler Singh-Dale though his bowling action must put his body under real pressure.

edit: Just seen Gloucestershire had 2 points deducted for a slow over rate, so 12 points each. 

They were far too negative jack. And today shows the reason why it was a mistake to be so negative. We are struggling to put a score over 200 in the first innings and we appear to be never far away from a collapse. Thank goodness for Lewis Gregory today, supported by Khan and Davey. I’m sure it’s why Abell put Gloucestershire in last week. Today he won the loss and batted. Today explained why he fielded first last week.
Our batsmen need to step up!

Yes Gloucestershire did win a game and their beating Warwickshire yesterday provided the biggest cheer of the day in Taunton. I’ve been in Taunton for the first three days of the Northampton match and Somerset have just about done enough to get the draw. I’m not there this morning though I’ve watched the live stream. What was looking like a draw may yet turn into a Somerset win after a great I’ve-got-something-to-prove performance from Craig O. He has bowled very well in both innings and today he may yet turn it into a match winning performance. 
I don’t know enough about Gloucestershire to comment with any great insight but the performances of several players in September will have given some hope regarding next season. Tom Price has bowled very well and seems a great prospect. Charlesworth and Ollie Price have been similar as batsmen. It must have been good to see Dent give some leadership in this match and van Burren to put in a captain’s innings when panic might have set in with being 4 wickets down yesterday. Bracey has had a disappointing season, it’s taking a long time to recover from his England experience.
My thoughts on the Strauss High Performance Review:
...It’s just that a review of what the England players may need and he’s looked at the structure of English cricket without having talked to any leaders, members or watchers of county cricket esp in the shires. It may answer some of the concerns regarding the England team and players but I’d suggest it does nothing at all to protect the clubs who produce the players who play for England. To date no 16.4 franchise has produced a single player who has or will play for England. Nor will they, it will remain the Counties who do that. At the current time those at the top see the Counties as the problem but when it comes to producing the players for Club England to use then the Counties are the solution, no Counties no England players to play for England. 
... So many anomalies in the current England set up. Foakes and Pope were allowed to play for Surrey in this current rounder yet no Joe Root playing for Yorkshire who could still go down. Craig Overton not allowed to play for Somerset on T20 finals day yet other players were! It makes no sense and helps to alienate members from the clubs from those at the top.
...I agree with all you've said about the proposal of 6 teams in Division 1 of the CC so I won’t go deeper. This season we play Kent and Northamptonshire only once each, and this in the last two matches when most things are settled. Yet we played Surrey and Hampshire twice. No real argument with that except to say I think we would have done better had that been reversed! My point is for any league to have integrity and credibility we need to play each team home and away. That hasn’t happened for a few years. It may happen in the Strauss proposal but only 10 games!! It won’t happen. Turkeys (the Counties) won’t vote for Christmas ( fewer games and less income).
...I understand that at least 12 out of 18 Counties will need to vote for the proposals. Looking at the press yesterday, Essex and Sussex came out against them straight away. Middlesex and Surrey are waiting for consultations with members whist Somerset came out last week against them after hearing of the main points. I can’t think Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire or Worcestershire voting for the proposals as they stand. I don’t think they will be accepted in their current form. Strauss is too closely aligned to Sky and his independence is compromised by that. What is best for Sky is most certainly not best for County Cricket and most people know that. 
...It was a big topic of conversation at Taunton over the past 3 days. So our days of cricket will go down from 7x4 to 5x4, quite a difference. Then take away those matches that end in 3 days and rain affected matches and it becomes unlikely that membership will survive.  Will Somerset I’d any club get as many members as they have had. I doubt it talking to friends and colleagues near where I sit in Taunton. And there would be no way that test players will be produced on the number if days cricket that might happen. And that’s all without commenting in the fewer T20 matches which are sold at at Taunton and the Oval!
...But it was interesting to see that Strauss says he will be talking to County Chairmen and “trying to persuade them to see the bigger picture.” In other words financial pressure will be used and arm twisting employed to get the proposals through. Strauss will have lost a lot of respect for his past good work because it certainly looks like he’s produced a report to fit what his masters want.

What will happen? I think a further few months of consultation will result in some final proposal being accepted by the Counties that will protect their income streams. But that may take some time as I think the counties are quite angry about what Strauss has produced.

The 100 has to go, but the ECB will never admit that it is a mistake. No Test cricket in August next year is an abomination.

What a great end to the CC season. The competition rarely fails to produce drama right up to the end of the season. Glos played a big part in relegating Yorkshire, by beating them at Headingly and then former Glos bowler Liam Norwell bowling Hampshire out for Warwickshire yesterday. All the more remarkable given that he clearly isn't really fit enough to play at the moment.

From Gloucestershire's perspective, we definitely deserve to go down. In the 3 years before this one, we've been competitive in almost every game and the points system in the County Championship rewards that. You can't afford to lose 8 games, some of which we lost by a country mile having collected almost no points. With the exception of the two final games, their inability to take 20 wickets has cost them. If we had a bit more luck with injuries and more nouse, we might have taken another 16 points off Northampton, one we failed to win with Northants 8 down and the second we lost trying to set up a win. Even then, we'd have finished bottom, even with 3 wins.

I think perhaps the loss of Dan Worrall has had a bigger impact than I'd appreciated. He's had a great season for Surrey and I think he's been a big influence on their dressing room.

I know Harris is back next season, and hopefully Payne and Dent will be available a bit more often, but we've got some work to do in the market. If Gohar can be re-signed, then we are going to need to find an English qualified quick to lead the line, especially without Higgins. If we don't resign Gohar, we might go down the overseas route, but we will need to find a spinner from somewhere. Gohar has taken 40 wickets this season. That would be really tough to replace if we can't keep him.

Anyway the domestic season has now finished so thanks everyone for posting and making coming on here interesting. 👍👍👍
Although of course lots of international cricket to come. But domestic cricket is my favourite and the area I have most interest in.
Have a great winter everyone.