: Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:49 am  

Prince of Denmark wrote:

Scarborough and Cheltenham College are the two grounds I really want to visit with Surrey. A few years back I was in Scarborough just for a day out on a Saturday in June after Quins had played at Hull on the Friday night. I wandered into the ground and saw half an hour or so of a Yorkshire League match between Scarborough and Barnsley. It's got to be the biggest outground in the country - bigger than some HQ grounds in fact - a bit dilapidated in parts but wonderfully charismatic. It must be great with a large crowd in. We subsequently had a Pro40 game there, but on the Sunday of August Bank Holiday I didn't really fancy the trip from London just for one day.

Blackpool also looked a great outground for a Championship match when I visited last year - a shame it was abandoned without a ball being bowled!

Apparently Scarborough hosted an ODI against the Windies in the '70s. Can't imagine how they organised that one!

Blackpool's a fantastic ground for County Cricket... Just a shame it always seems to rain there. Aigburth's (Liverpool) nice too, cracking bar in the pavilion.

Warwickshire are 37-4 at OT, bloody marvellous. And is anyone else watching Derbyshire and Essex? How green is that wicket?!

: Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:41 am  

Warks 64/6 at lunch after winning the toss Lancs 40 all out when we get a bat??? The batting bonus points column really show how we've struggled with the bat this year http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/tables/default.stm Only bottom of the table Worcs have less, and the next worst, Yorks, have 12 more Same in the Pro40 where if we'dve batted half-decent we wouldn't have been Glamorgan's only win and Sunday would've seen Lancs v Warks for the Div 2 title. Which would've been worth the 25p (yes 25p) ticket price!

Warks 64/6 at lunch after winning the toss Lancs 40 all out when we get a bat??? The batting bonus points column really show how we've struggled with the bat this year http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/tables/default.stm Only bottom of the table Worcs have less, and the next worst, Yorks, have 12 more Same in the Pro40 where if we'dve batted half-decent we wouldn't have been Glamorgan's only win and Sunday would've seen Lancs v Warks for the Div 2 title. Which would've been worth the 25p (yes 25p) ticket price!

: Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:28 pm  

110-4 Lancs. The batting's been woeful for 2 or 3 years now. Something big needs to bloody change.

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:38 am  

GT wrote:

110-4 Lancs. The batting's been woeful for 2 or 3 years now. Something big needs to bloody change.

Stop bloody moaning, if you want to see how much worse it could be take a look over t'hills

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:01 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

Stop bloody moaning, if you want to see how much worse it could be take a look over t'hills

It might be bad, but we're above them in the CC (current games not included) and in a higher division in the pro-40, so it aint that bad! Let them wallow in their ineptitude

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:02 pm  

Asim wrote:

It might be bad, but we're above them in the CC (current games not included) and in a higher division in the pro-40, so it aint that bad! Let them wallow in their ineptitude

I have total faith in Moxon and McGrath's ability to take a mediocre situation and make it even worse.

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:24 pm  

GT wrote:

And is anyone else watching Derbyshire and Essex? How green is that wicket?!

I haven't seen it, but Derby's groundman seems able to produce any preferred surface at will. In April I saw 17 wickets fall on day 1 on a pitch so hard and fast that the home team's collection of bog-standard county seamers was made to look like a vintage West Indies pace attack, while Andre Nel struggled to keep the ball below head height off a good length.

Derby have collapsed from 400/3 to 439/9, but Essex missed out on a third batting point as the ninth wicket fell after 120 overs. That could still be an interesting finish if Essex bat well, but without Bopara I would expect Derby to force a win leaving Northants in pole position to claim the second promotion place by bowling out Leicester twice after piling up a massive first innings score.

Yorks still have work to do against Hants, although it's hard to see Sussex winning at Nottingham when their only previous victories this year were both against the whipping boys Worccester.

Apparently Gloucester not only prepared a green pitch but also brought in the boundary ropes by ten yards in an effort to make bonus points easier to come by in their home game with Kent!

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:25 pm  

Maximum bowling points for Yorkshire as Hampshire are dismissed for 351. Avoiding defeat would be enough to avoid relegation even if Sussex win now I think.

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:36 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

Maximum bowling points for Yorkshire as Hampshire are dismissed for 351. Avoiding defeat would be enough to avoid relegation even if Sussex win now I think.

Cracking comeback this morning!!

: Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:14 pm  

By my reckoning sussex are now down. bowled out for 243 in first innings, they can now reach a maximum of 157 points, and the other teams who were in danger have all exceeded that total with the bonus points already accrued in thier current matches.