Cricketing Timewaster

[Sits]

I may be losing to a bot in the next few hours. My youth team has been assembled on gifts/potential entirely, rather than current abilities, and I’m training them in their “gifts”. But at the moment they’re all 16/17 and rubbish. School of hard knocks.

[Etienne]

Well it was bloody close, but Carlos Brathwaite would have been proud of the last over, Sits.

[Sits]

I just noticed you were staying up late watching Etienne. That was a bit close wasn’t it? 26 off the last over. The computer knew all along, I guess.

[Duncan Gardner]

Cheers all for the tips

[Etienne]

I just noticed you were staying up late watching Etienne. That was a bit close wasn’t it? 26 off the last over. The computer knew all along, I guess.

Well, my game had also just finished, which was the crucial game of my Youth t20 season, so I thought I'd see if you could manage to save it in those last two overs.

[Sits]

You wrapped yours up simply enough.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I've comfortably beaten the only human manager in my Youth T20, they seemed to have been at a similar level to me as well.

Tomorrow I play a human manager in my Senior T20 but as they've only logged on once I think they are a glorified bot, I'm not taking any chances though as I'm not sure how absent managers get on.

[ad hoc]

I'm top with a 100% record in all my 4 leagues. In the senior 50 over league, I just beat our closest rivals, and previously other unbeaten team (there are 4 nonbots in this league). In the senior T20 league, tomorrow we play the other 100% team - 6 nonbots. In the Youth 40 over league (6 nonbots), this week we also play our closest rivals, and in the Youth T20 I'm one of only 2 nonbots so it;s a bit of a breeze.

Obviously when i face OTF led teams I'm rubbish, but I'm hoping that my slow build up of money and facilities approach is a better one for the long term. Though it could of course be that it isn;t.

[Etienne]

Sits, mine looked simple, but I was below the asking rate with four overs to go. There are 8 humans in my youth T20 so I need to take all those games seriously.

[pebblethefish]

Youth T20 was only introduced last season, so the divisions are still a bit weird in terms of how they're organised. That's why there are currently a lot more promotion places on offer than in other leagues.

Meanwhile, my affiliiate match is currently being watched by the Dutch National manager. He probably clicked on it by accident, but I'm enjoying the feeling that the talent of the Cornelius twins has finally been noticed.

[longeared]

Memo to self; stop repeating the mistake of setting opening bowlers to attacking on a flat deck. Twenty three runs the (human) opposition scored off the second over!

[Sits]

And so it falls on Kakanui Casuals to be the whipping boys, the first OTFers to face Village Flowers after their surprise loss to the Dragons.

[Sits]

Positives:

* we took two wickets
* we batted second but got through all 20 overs
* we got over 100

Negatives: a longer list but I’ll work from those positives.

[ad hoc]

I'm top with a 100% record in all my 4 leagues. In the senior 50 over league, I just beat our closest rivals, and previously other unbeaten team (there are 4 nonbots in this league). In the senior T20 league, tomorrow we play the other 100% team - 6 nonbots. In the Youth 40 over league (6 nonbots), this week we also play our closest rivals, and in the Youth T20 I'm one of only 2 nonbots so it;s a bit of a breeze.

Obviously when i face OTF led teams I'm rubbish, but I'm hoping that my slow build up of money and facilities approach is a better one for the long term. Though it could of course be that it isn;t.

My first defeat in one of the proper leagues, yesterday with my senior squad losing heavily in a T20 fixture against the other previously unbeaten team. Still, my fans are ecstatic and we got a full house of 8000 in yesterday's game, so as long as I keep this up, things should continue to go well.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I'm surprised how well we did against the Dragons in our T20 today, we couldn't get to 100 on a sticky wicket but managed to get 6 Dragons wickets as they needed the 20th over to reach their target. Rodney Head was the huge bowling disappointment. Onwards and upwards.

[Etienne]

As I keep saying, if you can get Esmond and George cheaply, then we have a soft middle order.

Our senior squad update saw 3 players drop a skill, and none climb. Ageing squads have their disadvantages.

[Levin]

We're through to the playoffs in the T20.

I will challenge Antepli Ejderha with my choice of pitch in Game A
And in Game B Vicarious Thrillseeker can you challenge jdsx 's Fuzzy Ducks please with your choice of pitch?

Edit: random weather please..

Etienne awaits the winner of game A
while pebblethefish will host the winner of game B

[Antepli Ejderha]

Looking forward to it Levin

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

I've challenged, I think....

[jdsx]

I didn't realise there were play-offs....! Challenge accepted, VT/NM!

[Levin]

There aren't any prizes like for the league section but I thought it would be nice to have a single champion.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Multiple bids on batsmen placed with the hope of a couple joining us, all U23 as well.

Tomorrow morning I could wake up to 5 new players, but it'll probably be zero.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Three arrived, all in my Youth squad now. I'll be sacking some of the dead wood now, there's a lot.

I'm playing youth academy players in my senior side to try and give them experience, we got absolutely hammered today but it's all about development, isn't it?

[Sits]

Yes I’m playing my two oldest youths (18/19) in senior matches, although not against OTFers! In youth matches I’m only playing 16-17 year olds.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I've written off my two senior pros and will play three youth academy players at the weekend against OTFers, they are batting at 4,5 and 6. I'll do the same in the leagues as well.

Hopefully I'll be able to upgrade my youth academy early next week, both are at satisfactory now, to see if that helps. I've just sacked three players as well.