County Cricket 2011

[ursus arctos]

Have at it.

I won't jinx anyone with predictions.

I do, however, recommend the Wisden Cricketer's suggestions for offbeat matches to go to this summer, complete with pub recommendations.

[Guest]

County Cricket 2011

Hurrah for county cricket!

Somerset and Lancashire to be tipped by the 'good judges', only for them to go all South Africa. Straight scrap between Yorkshire and Notts. Leicestershire for Div. 2.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

County Cricket 2011

Surrey to continue being terrible...

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Glamorgan will be terrible too.

[manandvans]

County Cricket 2011

With a mix of average young players and a few injury prone old stagers Worcs will comfortably secure their biennial 9th spot in the top division.

Notts or Durham to win the Championship although this season must be as good a chance as any for Somerset to eventually win it. I have my doubts about them after last year.

Essex for the 2nd division.

Very little interest in the one day stuff although we have a 40 over friendly on Sunday vs Somerset which I may go to if the sun shines on the morrow. I've never seen cricket in March in this country.

[brian potter]

County Cricket 2011

Gloucestershire to finish bottom of every competition.

[Tony C]

County Cricket 2011

Lancashire will promise much and deliver little.

That's set in stone.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Is there a list of each counties arrivals/departures?

[brian potter]

County Cricket 2011

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/478591.html

Not sure how up to date this one is.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Yeah, I saw that but it has no players leaving Glamorgan, which I know is bollocks.

The ECB one seems to be much better.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

OK, fuller preview.

Championship
Division 1
Nottinghamshire: Their seam attack is getting on a bit, and Broad and Swann are unlikely to be available that much. David Hussey will score plenty of runs but I don't think they will be as strong as last season.4th

Somerset: Very strong batting, and with Kirby and Hussain adding depth to the bowling. If not now, then when? 1st

Yorkshire: Batting seriously weakened by Rudolph's departure, and unlikely Lyth will be as productive as last season. Lots of good bowlers, but Shahzad and Bresnan are likely to play less than the 15 matches they managed between them last season. Mid-table.5th

Lancashire: Batting last season was held together by Prince and Chanderpaul, so a slight surprise that they go with a bowling all-rounder in Maharoof. Chapple and Keedy will keep on taking wickets, but the batting will have to improve massively.7th

Durham: Cursed with injuries and inconsistency last season. If they get their best team out this season they will be a force. Paul Collingwood should be able to play a major part this season, which will be a big boost. 2nd

Warwickshire: Batting is shite, and Younis Khan's county record doesn't suggest he's the man to salvage it. Bell and Trott will play less than they did last season. Bowling has lost Imran Tahir, and can't see Neil Carter matching last season's Indian summer. 8th

Hampshire: If they can get remotely close to their first choice bowling attack on the field, then Hampshire would be fearsome. The odds of Kabir Ali and Simon Jones both being fit simultaneously are slim, but in Imran Tahir and the hugely promising Danny Briggs the best spin bowling will be on the south coast. The batting is solid and Johannes Myburgh should make it more so.3rd but could do better.

Sussex: Won Division 2 at a canter but Collymore, Martin-Jenkins and Arafat took over 120 wickets between them, and they've all gone. Amjad Khan is useful (when fit) and Naved-ul-Hasan and then Wayne Parnell are good choices, but those are big shoes to fill. Batting still depends on Murray Goodwin, but he's 38 now. This season could be a slog.6th

Worcestershire: Not good enough. Imaginative overseas signings won't be enough.9th

Division 2 to come.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Kent. Very poor seasons from Key and Jones meant that the runs that normally keep Kent in mid-table weren't there. Along with Van Jaarsveld they should get plenty in division 2. A breakout season from Sam Northeast would help too. The bowling is poor and they are utterly broke but the batting should keep them going. 2nd

Essex: Owais Shah is the big signing. He had a poor season last year, but is usually at his best with something to prove. Ten Doeschate is the other star quality in the team. Bopara and Cook's availability may not be required, but they are both likely to get some action. Foster will score runs again back in Division 2, and the bowling is fine at that level too. 1st

Glamorgan: A winter spent in-fighting with Dalrymple and Tom Maynard departing was not what the club needed. Mark Cosgrove averaged 50 last season, but he's only playing T20 this one, with Alviro Petersen in as captain. Petersen looked average against India this winter, and has no experience here. I'm sceptical. On the positive side, Wagg is a very strong addition and Allenby means we have a lot of depth. If James Harris continues to develop then Glamorgan will have their first strong seam attack for years. In the batting, Maynard was promising and Dalrymple offered experience, but both also averaged sub-30 last season. Stewart Walters should be able to match that. Intangibles may be what drag us down to 6th

Leicestershire: Another club riven by in-fighting and without a pot to piss in. But Andrew McDonald is a great choice as overseas player, James Taylor will get one more season of run-scoring before he gets in the England team, moves to Notts or both, and Greg Smith and Nathan Buck should do well too. Nixon, Hoggard and Henderson provide the solidity.3rd

Gloucestershire: Already weak batting will lose more with Porterfield moving to Warwickshire. Marshall and Franklin can't do it on their own. Hussain, Kirby and Ireland's 130+ wickets have gone too. In come a bunch of kids. They won't win owt with that. Jon Lewis will need to roll back the years. 8th

Northamptonshire: A side that may have just made the step from experienced to ageing. Not enough quality to compete for promotion in a season where the quality looks higher than last. 7th

Surrey: If Tremlett is available regularly, the him, Arafat and Dernbach should take a lot of wickets. Suspect he may not play all that much, though he'll surely play more than Kevin Pietersen. Beyond that, the bowling is anaemic. The batting is OK if Ramprakash continues to score runs. If, at 41, his productivity dips then they have problems.4th

Middlesex: Some very good recruitment. Rogers, Collymore and Ireland should all improve the team. Could really do with Finn and Morgan not making the England test team though, as there isn't much depth.5th

Derbyshire: Khawaja and Guptill should replace Chris Rogers' runs but Peterson and Wagg's allr-round contribution will be difficult to cover. A few new arrivals, but they mostly seem more journeymen in a team already packed with them. 9th

[Buzz Killington]

County Cricket 2011

Thanks for that, Etienne.

I agree about Warwickshire. I think there's a real struggle on the cards for them this season.

[Captaincrash]

County Cricket 2011

Great review.

For me Durham to pip the 'coming 2nd experts' of Zummerzet. Poor old Tres.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Championship start tomorrow. Anyone going to any matches?

[ursus arctos]

County Cricket 2011

A thoughtful piece from George Dobell.

[Sixmartletsandaseagull]

County Cricket 2011

Thanks for the review Etienne.

I guess for the Sussex, the Yardy question will have a significant effect on the club's performances. Fortunately, Robinson and the fellas tend to be big on positivity down at Hove. Here's hoping.

[ursus arctos]

County Cricket 2011

So, is there we're "doing" the announcement that there will only be four Wisden Cricketers of the Year?

The fifth had to be Amir, no?

[Sixmartletsandaseagull]

County Cricket 2011

Sussex (Joyce) 11-0 off the first over at Aigburth. We're gonna win the flaming pennant.

Wisden removed Amir from their list Ursus, leaving four.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/apr/08/mohammad-amir-wisden-five-cricketers

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

I think it's a Wisden publicity stunt. Don't think much of it as a story beyond that.

[Etienne]

County Cricket 2011

Both Allenby and Harris missing, and Glamorgan lose the toss. My remaining optimism for the season wanes a little more.

[ursus arctos]

County Cricket 2011

Thanks, I had only seen Berry's piece, which didn't identify which of the three it was.

Rob Key out for a duck. This ain't Alan Knott's Kent.

[longeared]

County Cricket 2011

It's also a bit of an admission that last summer wasn't the greatest cricket season ever. I'd been trying to guess who would get the award and was struggling for five.

[Tubby Isaacs]

County Cricket 2011

Gloucester look incredibly thin. Etienne is being kind to us. Are we winding down to be chopped from the first class game?

[Guest]

County Cricket 2011

Yorkshire start as they mean to go on. As long as England continue to ignore Rashid, there's every chance he'll play a big part in our title win.