Cricket Season!

[Etienne]

Cricket Season!

Jones did a massive celebration when he reached his ton for Lancs, leaving his partner looking a bit of a numpty.

[ursus arctos]

Cricket Season!

Reports that the counties have voted 15 to 3 in favour of a city-based franchised T20 competition.

[Duncan Gardner]

Cricket Season!

Unrelated PM for Etienne

Birminghamshire cricket AND they're taking over some Black Country electoral areas? There'll be war over this.

[ursus arctos]

Cricket Season!

Yorkshire down to their last wicket with a lead of only 20

[Etienne]

Cricket Season!

I think the city based thing is not a disaster. It's obvious now that the poorer counties struggle to compete is only increasing ... witness Surrey poaching Borthwick and Stoneman, and Notts annual raids on Leicester. So better to create the best competition and try and spread the profits around.

[Etienne]

Cricket Season!

As long as the other tournaments stay county based of course.

[longeared]

Cricket Season!

The ECB were always going to have to go city based if they wanted a Big Bash / IPL style tournament, 18 teams dilutes the quality too much. Now let's hope the tournament gets some live free to air telly exposure and that they don't rip the whole county system to pieces in setting this up.

Yorkshire all out, 42 for Somerset to win. Middlesex about 100 ahead in second innings. Looks like it's over to Lancashire to keep the Championship race alive.

[ursus arctos]

Cricket Season!

There seems to be a great deal of trepidation that this will ultimately lead to a change in other formats, though Australia seems to be doing fine with a split system.

Yorkshire all out for 286, a lead of 41

Middlesex 36 for 2 in their second innings, lead at 104

[ursus arctos]

Cricket Season!

Somerset win in 10 overs without losing a wicket.

Middlesex now 55 for 4

[longeared]

Cricket Season!

Somerset win, first away Championship win at Headingley since Sussex in April 2013.

Middlesex having a wobble at 55-4, lead 123.

Live table:
Middlesex 208
Yorkshire 204
Somerset 203

[Errorist Sympathiser]

Cricket Season!

I'm quite excited by the cities thing, weirdly. Presumably Kent, Surrey & Sussex voted against because Canterbury won't get a shot, Brighton is unlikely to, and Lords will snaffle the London slot.

What do we think the 8 might be?

Manchester, Leeds, London, Birmingham & Swansea are all surely in.

The other 3 will probably come from Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Southampton & Brighton, with Derby & Durham having an outside chance.

I can't see any chance of Taunton, Worcester, Northampton, Canterbury or Chelmsford.

[Ray de Galles]

Cricket Season!

Why would Swansea be "surely in"?

I'm hoping that there are both North and South London sides, it wouldn't do to ignore The Oval.

[Errorist Sympathiser]

Cricket Season!

I, probably naively, assumed the England & Wales Cricket Board wouldn't ignore its only Welsh outpost.

[Guy Profumo]

Cricket Season!

Bastards, bastards, bastards.

You all know who you are.

You can all fuck off, and I will never give another brass sou of my money after 2018.

I'm seriously considering not giving them any money next year either.

[Guy Profumo]

Cricket Season!

Oh yeah.

And congratulations to Middelsex who look to be almost certain county champions, and to Somerset for making sure there was a chase down to the wire.

[Ray de Galles]

Cricket Season!

Errorist Sympathiser wrote: I, probably naively, assumed the England & Wales Cricket Board wouldn't ignore its only Welsh outpost.

Eh?

Why not Cardiff? Sophia Gardens is quite good, you know.

.

[Errorist Sympathiser]

Cricket Season!

Erm, this is where I admit that I thought Sophia Gardens was in Swansea...

[Etienne]

Cricket Season!

It's surely likely to be based around the biggest grounds. So I'd guess there will be 2 London sides, plus Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham for definite and probably Cardiff and Southampton.

[Ray de Galles]

Cricket Season!

Errorist Sympathiser wrote: Erm, this is where I admit that I thought Sophia Gardens was in Swansea...

Bloody hell, mun!



.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Cricket Season!

There was a supposed leak of the suggested cities last week.

It was London, Brum, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton, Newcastle and one other that I can't remember, probably Cardiff.

[Me Old Flower]

Cricket Season!

Would these entities have any say over what they called themselves?

A team called Leeds would be difficult to sell to the Yorkshire public.

[ad hoc]

Cricket Season!

Given that county sides have mostly retreated to a single home venue, they really ought to put this competition in other cities that no longer get to see cricket

[Guy Profumo]

Cricket Season!

Big Boobs and FIRE! wrote: There was a supposed leak of the suggested cities last week.

It was London, Brum, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton, Newcastle and one other that I can't remember, probably Cardiff.

Newcastle?

Would they build a new ground, or put in a drop in wicket at Sid James Park?

[Guy Profumo]

Cricket Season!

Me Old Flower wrote: Would these entities have any say over what they called themselves?

A team called Leeds would be difficult to sell to the Yorkshire public.

Try "next to impossible"

[Etienne]

Cricket Season!

Come to think of it, Middlesex aren't able to play many T20s at Lords, so it won't be hosting any extra ones. So it will only be one in London.

Would 'Newcastle' be playing at Chester-le-Street?