warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Oct 4, 2017 9:33:55 GMT
Like you jack I’ve not a great knowl3dge of them over the last two years but always hold a light for them despite my Somerset membership. They were the first County I saw in 1964 and am always glad to see them do well. But I’ve not seen them in the last two seasons but before whenever we played in Bristol there were always loads of Somerset supporters there, in Taunton I was never able to say the same about Gloucestershire fans. Perhaps cricket in Bristol comes behind football and rugby, I don’t know that but I would never call Bristol a cricket city. With their lyoungsters over the past three years it always seems as if they had potential but most never reached it fully. After all I think the failure to even challenge is even worse than not succeeding. Somerset have ultimately failed but we were always challenging and for that the fans are very forgiving. But to not even come close to challenging in the poorer division 2 is a bit unforgivable. I expected once the ground was sorted they would make a real challenge but so far it hasn’t. Let’s hope they get a few signings this winter and can create a team that will at least challenge. Higgins looks a good start. I’m not in the know but from watching cricket for over 50 years I think they need a “Klinger” type player in red ball cricket. I know he didn’t play this year but he’s the type they need to give some guidance and score 1000 runs a season. With someone like him it could go well. Mind you with Warwickshire, Middlesex, a strong Northants team and Kent it’s just got a bit tougher! Perhaps someone like Jim Allenby might be the tough old pro that could do well if he doesn’t go back to Glamorgan.
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warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Oct 13, 2017 3:33:43 GMT
Hampshire survive again. Pah! Looks like the season isn’t over! With the Middlesex appeal against their points deduction in early September due to be heard on Monday despite them not appealing until they were relegated and their CEO saying they couldn’t appeal it looks like a nail biting weekend for us Somerset fans. Apparently, according to the BBC website, Somerset have already instructed their lawyers in readiness. If they reimburse the points to Middlesex I’m wondering if there will be a fudge ie. they will only let one team be relegated and make it two divisions of 9 and 9. Or they may decide to relegate us and be a bit nearer establishing a division 1 of test playing counties. Then Worcestershire and Essex had better look out next season. Andrew Strauss will be fighting in the Middlesex corner with Angus Fraser and most of the ECB to ensure they don’t go down. We will soon find out if the ECB are as crooked as they are incompetent. |
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jackthegas
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 13, 2017 11:46:43 GMT
Hampshire survive again. Pah! Looks like the season isn’t over! With the Middlesex appeal against their points deduction in early September due to be heard on Monday despite them not appealing until they were relegated and their CEO saying they couldn’t appeal it looks like a nail biting weekend for us Somerset fans. Apparently, according to the BBC website, Somerset have already instructed their lawyers in readiness. If they reimburse the points to Middlesex I’m wondering if there will be a fudge ie. they will only let one team be relegated and make it two divisions of 9 and 9. Or they may decide to relegate us and be a bit nearer establishing a division 1 of test playing counties. Then Worcestershire and Essex had better look out next season. Andrew Strauss will be fighting in the Middlesex corner with Angus Fraser and most of the ECB to ensure they don’t go down. We will soon find out if the ECB are as crooked as they are incompetent. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even the ECB wouldn't be daft enough to repeat last seasons fiasco. |
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Oct 17, 2017 14:28:06 GMT
Looks like the season isn’t over! With the Middlesex appeal against their points deduction in early September due to be heard on Monday despite them not appealing until they were relegated and their CEO saying they couldn’t appeal it looks like a nail biting weekend for us Somerset fans. Apparently, according to the BBC website, Somerset have already instructed their lawyers in readiness. If they reimburse the points to Middlesex I’m wondering if there will be a fudge ie. they will only let one team be relegated and make it two divisions of 9 and 9. Or they may decide to relegate us and be a bit nearer establishing a division 1 of test playing counties. Then Worcestershire and Essex had better look out next season. Andrew Strauss will be fighting in the Middlesex corner with Angus Fraser and most of the ECB to ensure they don’t go down. We will soon find out if the ECB are as crooked as they are incompetent. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even the ECB wouldn't be daft enough to repeat last seasons fiasco. Surely, surely not..... |
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jackthegas
David Pritchard
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Post by jackthegas on Oct 17, 2017 15:26:47 GMT
I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even the ECB wouldn't be daft enough to repeat last seasons fiasco. Surely, surely not..... Confirmed now isn't it. Right decision I think. Can't have seasons ending in the board room on a regular basis. Unless they can find a way to relegate Hampshire of course. That I could support |
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warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Oct 18, 2017 9:29:16 GMT
Latest finish for a cricket season? Reading the ECB short statement makes you wonder why Colin Graves encouraged Middlesex to appeal. I thought the statement from the ECB was good and made Middlesex look very stupid. Only 5 months 3 weeks until it starts again!! Mind you with David Warner’s comment about “all out war” the Ashes are building up! Have a good winter everyone.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Oct 18, 2017 14:45:55 GMT
Latest finish for a cricket season? Reading the ECB short statement makes you wonder why Colin Graves encouraged Middlesex to appeal. I thought the statement from the ECB was good and made Middlesex look very stupid. Only 5 months 3 weeks until it starts again!! Mind you with David Warner’s comment about “all out war” the Ashes are building up! Have a good winter everyone. The thing is that Middlesex have quite a strong case that they were treated unfairly at the Oval. But 2 wrongs don't make a right and you can hardly move the goalposts on Somerset when they played the whole of that final game under those assumptions. It would have been an absolute scandal if they'd have reversed the relegation. I think Middlesex still have a right to be pissed off at the ECB though. All seems rather amateur really. |
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warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Oct 20, 2017 10:22:36 GMT
I don’t know irish. Middlesex were 180 odd ahead with three wickets left. If Middlesex were to make up the minus overs then they would have needed to bowl some run fodder bowlers to take the over rate back to level, even if they had declared or set a total for Surrey. And if they had even got that opportunity then they could have lost the match and not got the draw points. Any match could end for weather or other “act of god” and for captains to presume they will make it up later is a dangerous strategy. One that in this case backfired for Middlesex. After this debacle I suspect that the ECB will either reiterate their existing policy about over rates which Tom OGorman insisted coaches and clubs were aware of or make some fine tunings to it to avoid this happening again. Where I do feel sorry for Middlesex is that Colin Graves appeared to give them false hope by encouraging an appeal if the reports are to be believed. And if they are pissed off with the ECB they are joining a growing group of people and organisations!
One other change I would like to see but I’m not sure it will happen is a complete division between England selectors and Directors of Cricket. Angus Frasers accusations against Somerset in this case, although it could have been anyone, and his assertion that Somerset cheated was poor and to say it was the worst pitch he had ever seen (from a man who played in the Sabina test match that was abandoned during the first day 20years ago) was a pure rant. It also affects his opinions and decisions regarding Leach and Bess and I doubt if they will be high on his selection list. Firstly, his impartiality is compromised and secondly his integrity and judgement as a national selector is completely damaged. He can still act as a DOC but not, imo, as a national selector. His actions and words during that last match gave all his players an excuse and “get out“ clause for their inept performance.
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leroy
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Post by leroy on Dec 7, 2017 22:48:38 GMT
Hello,
Falling comfortably in Irish's venn diagram I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread, so thank you - I'll have to check in more often. I follow Glos as close as I can from SE London, taking advantage of my Old Man's membership whenever possible. Allow me to dissect the disappointment of 2017.
Starting with individuals, it is an obvious blow no longer having Klinger for red ball cricket although he also hasn't sustained his white ball form of previous years (admittedly no easy task). Dent remains a terrifically talented player but perhaps lacks the drive to improve his game further (and has a young, growing family). Bancroft did nothing until a double ton in his last game (which kickstarted his recent form); Cockbain gets no red ball opportunity; Hankins hasn't yet delivered on his potential (but I hope will in 2018); Tavare's form has utterly deserted him; and Roderick had a mysterious 'illness' for a lot of the season.
In bowling, Miles went backwards in 2017 but not through injury; Norwell was excellent again but still couldn't get a sniff with the Lions (Glos' standing in the game?); Payne's reliability was undermined Matt Taylor's woeful inconsistency, and the fact Chris Liddle's contract was extended into 2018 tells me there are no decent young seamers in the academy nor any better journeyman pros on Glos' radar.
J Taylor, Smith & V. Buuren are spinners that, on a good day, can hold an end but rarely look threatening. Taylor is banned from bowling next year, which will cause headaches as Smith's batting is impotent in white ball and V. Buuren is a talented bat but probably the worst spinner of the three and seems injury prone.
On the plus side I'm really excited about Bracey as he looks a good batsman, a good keeper, and an enthusiastic Gashead. He'll miss the beginning of next year with university which is a shame because I'd gladly jettison Mustard to give him a run of games. Mustard hasn't contributed much of anything.
As for all rounders Benny Howell doesn't receive enough plaudits as a T20 cricketer. He's a very skilful bowler, an excellent fielder, and has different gears to his batting. I watched him and Cockbain put on 196 to win at Lords in the RL50 when the game looked lost. With the exciting arrival of Ryan Higgins I hope that means we'll be saying goodbye to Kieran Noema-Barnett, who embodies Glos' pursuit of mediocrity.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with next years' overseas - probably a batsman again but if Bancroft has a decent Ashes then not him. We could really use a reliable, wily old seamer. A decent spinner would be nice but that's not going to happen. It's a damned shame we couldn't get Will Gidman to come back. It's hard to assess Richard Dawson as he just sends out the same mid-table team every week, although I gather he's well thought of on the circuit.
The most interesting point is the one raised by Irish - why are Glos so unambitious? The ground redevelopment seems a success: non-cricket income; international games scheduled and always sold out; T20 selling well in Bristol. The accounts show profits, albeit modest, for the past few years. It feels like now is the time to convert that by paying for some established names to complement the core of talented local young(ish) players. Winning the RL50 in 2015 was unexpectedly wonderful but there's been nothing to shout about since. T20 in 2017 was immensely disappointing. It's time they qualified for Finals Day and were at least competing for promotion from Division 2.
When CEO Will Brown arrived 4-5 years ago he talked a lot about taking better advantage of being based in Bristol (i.e. population, relative wealth etc.) but I have no idea what he's been working on since the floodlights went up. Producing better wickets at Bristol would be a start!
I've written a lot more here than I thought I would.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on Dec 8, 2017 16:49:36 GMT
Hello, Falling comfortably in Irish's venn diagram I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread, so thank you - I'll have to check in more often. I follow Glos as close as I can from SE London, taking advantage of my Old Man's membership whenever possible. Allow me to dissect the disappointment of 2017. Starting with individuals, it is an obvious blow no longer having Klinger for red ball cricket although he also hasn't sustained his white ball form of previous years (admittedly no easy task). Dent remains a terrifically talented player but perhaps lacks the drive to improve his game further (and has a young, growing family). Bancroft did nothing until a double ton in his last game (which kickstarted his recent form); Cockbain gets no red ball opportunity; Hankins hasn't yet delivered on his potential (but I hope will in 2018); Tavare's form has utterly deserted him; and Roderick had a mysterious 'illness' for a lot of the season. In bowling, Miles went backwards in 2017 but not through injury; Norwell was excellent again but still couldn't get a sniff with the Lions (Glos' standing in the game?); Payne's reliability was undermined Matt Taylor's woeful inconsistency, and the fact Chris Liddle's contract was extended into 2018 tells me there are no decent young seamers in the academy nor any better journeyman pros on Glos' radar. J Taylor, Smith & V. Buuren are spinners that, on a good day, can hold an end but rarely look threatening. Taylor is banned from bowling next year, which will cause headaches as Smith's batting is impotent in white ball and V. Buuren is a talented bat but probably the worst spinner of the three and seems injury prone. On the plus side I'm really excited about Bracey as he looks a good batsman, a good keeper, and an enthusiastic Gashead. He'll miss the beginning of next year with university which is a shame because I'd gladly jettison Mustard to give him a run of games. Mustard hasn't contributed much of anything. As for all rounders Benny Howell doesn't receive enough plaudits as a T20 cricketer. He's a very skilful bowler, an excellent fielder, and has different gears to his batting. I watched him and Cockbain put on 196 to win at Lords in the RL50 when the game looked lost. With the exciting arrival of Ryan Higgins I hope that means we'll be saying goodbye to Kieran Noema-Barnett, who embodies Glos' pursuit of mediocrity. It'll be interesting to see what happens with next years' overseas - probably a batsman again but if Bancroft has a decent Ashes then not him. We could really use a reliable, wily old seamer. A decent spinner would be nice but that's not going to happen. It's a damned shame we couldn't get Will Gidman to come back. It's hard to assess Richard Dawson as he just sends out the same mid-table team every week, although I gather he's well thought of on the circuit. The most interesting point is the one raised by Irish - why are Glos so unambitious? The ground redevelopment seems a success: non-cricket income; international games scheduled and always sold out; T20 selling well in Bristol. The accounts show profits, albeit modest, for the past few years. It feels like now is the time to convert that by paying for some established names to complement the core of talented local young(ish) players. Winning the RL50 in 2015 was unexpectedly wonderful but there's been nothing to shout about since. T20 in 2017 was immensely disappointing. It's time they qualified for Finals Day and were at least competing for promotion from Division 2. When CEO Will Brown arrived 4-5 years ago he talked a lot about taking better advantage of being based in Bristol (i.e. population, relative wealth etc.) but I have no idea what he's been working on since the floodlights went up. Producing better wickets at Bristol would be a start! I've written a lot more here than I thought I would. I think it was cathartic for you!! Welcome to the club - nice to have a far more knowledgeable take on Glos. I'm really too far away these days to comment with any authority unfortunately - didn't see them play live once last year. It is frustrating (to put it mildly) that no progress seems to be being made on the field though. Glos have not really had a reliable spinner on regular terms since Ball retired (and even he had his limitations despite deserved legendary status). I didn't know that about Jack Taylor - that's annoying. I agree entirely on Howell but also hope people continue not to notice because then he'll probably go elsewhere! Higgins seems like one the most interesting signings Glos have made in years - lets hope that works out. Not so sure on the Will Gidman point - hasn't fitness been a big issue for him? Not quite sure he's necessarily what is needed. In an ideal world I think you would back the potentially talented seam attack to deliver more consistently and then try and invest in an experienced middle order batsman and a decent spinner. Easier said than done though clearly. Glos's failure to produce their own players is embarrassing when you look at Somerset's record - even Glamorgan do a better job! In fact I'm not sure there's a county that has a worse record in this department over the last 20 years. |
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warehamgas
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Post by warehamgas on Dec 21, 2017 18:24:12 GMT
Good reply Leroy. Good to get an insiders take on Gloucestershire. It must be really frustrating when considering the positives that you outlined. Failure to challenge is simply unforgivable, ultimate failure is painful but at least you travel with hope. If you don’t challenge, you don’t get to travel with any hope. Interesting to hear your take on Klinger. The overseas player is crucial isnt it, get it right and you can gain some success and were Gloucestershire able to recruit well rather inpact on their younger players could well be season changing. Mind you with Kent, Warwickshire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire to play it won’t be easy but it would be good to see them do well.
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