County Championship 2022

(01-05-2022 19:47 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Round 4 April 28 - May 1
Div 1
Essex v Northamptonshire - Chelmsford
Essex won the toss elected to field
Northamptonshire 390
Essex 193 & 328-9 (f/o)
Match drawn

Gloucestershire v Surrey - Bristol
Gloucestershire won the toss & elected to field
Surrey 603
Gloucestershire 443-2
Match drawn

Hampshire v Lancashire - Southampton
Hampshire elected to field
Lancashire 240 & 9-0
Hampshire 246 & 344
Match drawn

Somerset v Warwickshire - Taunton
Warwickshire elected to field
Somerset 458
Warwickshire 209 & 167
Somerset won by an innings & 82 runs

Yorkshire v Kent - Headingly
Yorkshire won the toss & elected to field
Kent 291 & 393
Yorkshire 571
Match drawn

Div 2
Derbyshire v Glamorgan - Derby
Derbyshire elected to bat first
Derbyshire 368 &349-3 dec
Glamorgan 387 &310-8
Match drawn

Nottingham v Worcestershire - Trent Bridge
Notts elected to field
Worcestershire 159 & 339
Nottinghamshire 266 & 233-5
Notts won by 5 wickets

Middlesex v Leicestershire - Lords
Middlesex elected to field
Leicestershire 149 & 272
Middlesex 370 &52-0
Middlesex won by 10 wickets

Sussex v Durham - Hove
Durham elected to bat
Durham 223 & 364-3 dec
Sussex 538
Match drawn

This was an interesting watch throughout. Such a shame that we lost what could have been a fascinating final day. Before the first two inns were completed, there was talk of an early finish but overall, we had the kind of match that shows the County Championship in it's best light, and highlights it's worth!

At forty for 5 Hants were done and dusted, but this is cricket, and they fought back really well to give us a quality 3 days.

It is really difficult to decide which match to settle on to watch (if you have no allegiance), as you just never know! You might look at the fixture list and automatically settle on the matches between the 'big names' to give you value, but you just can't tell - it could just as easily be the Leicestershires/Kents of this world (seen as the smaller clubs) - where value is to be found, that is the beauty of our great sportl! With Football, you pretty much know that the big boys will roll over the lower teams 9 out of 10 times

Maybe tomorrow, when I've calmed down , I'll do a bit of a review. For now I'm totally devastated that Yorkshire couldn't drive home a victory, (again) after controlling the majority of the match. Today, without our Pakistani speedster, our medium pacers toiled away admirably on another flat pitch, held up by an injured bowler, batting on one leg for much of the afternoon. When the wickets finally came in a rush, Yorkshire faced a short chase at 5 an over, only to be denied by bad light. I'm claiming a Lancashire conspiracy, as one of the standing umpires was Bumbles son. It was a small consolation to see Lanc fail to win.

Round 4 Review
Unlike the previous round of matches, just 3 produced positive results, for various reasons. Weather played it's part with overs lost, but a major factor was down to good batting wickets.
The sole win in Division 1 was a much welcome victory for Somerset over las years champions Warwickshire. The batting finally clicked for the home side, after being put in, & a solid all round bowling performance did the rest.
In Div 2 favourites Notts mad it 3 wins from 4, after Worcestershire were shot out cheaply, courtesy of South African Dane Paterson's career best 8-52. Another career best, by Ed Barnard, with 163 no, made a moderate target a nervy one with the prospect of rain. Broad returned to action with 5 wickets in the match.
Middlesex enjoyed a comfortable 10 wicket win over Leicestershire, with a solid looking seam bowling unit, led by Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had 6 wickets in the match.

I believe that England's Head Scout, James Taylor was present at Headingley for the Yorkshire Kent match. On it's conclusion, 2 players on show are in the top 2 places, in terms of runs scored in Division 1. Topping the list is Ben Compton, Grandson of Dennis, cousin of Nick. At 28 he has found a home at Kent, after spells at Hampshire & Notts where he struggled to breakthrough. A potential options opener if fellow left-hander Alex Lees doesn't work out.
I've spoken about Harry Brook before, who has been on the radar for some time, as an ex-captain of England under-19's. Made the headlines last year with impressive performances in The Blast & The Hundred. Now finally making his mark at first -class level, were at one point he opened the batting, guilty of playing too many shots early in his innings, the penny has seamed to have dropped, & he has got a method that is bringing consistency. Will be difficult finding a spot in England's middle-order with so many names in the frame. Despite his great start to the season he still has a better T20 average, than first-class, but I would expected that to chance before long.

Newly appointed England captain, Ben Stokes started his new season with a Championship record 17 sixes in a savage innings of 161 off 88 balls. The stage was set as he came to the crease at 360-4, & he preceded to punish all the Worcester bowlers on a New Road ground that just wasn't big enough. Josh Baker, an England U-19 left-arm spinner conceded 34 from an over which Stokes brought up his 100 from the 5th ball, with his 5th consecutive 6. His century coming off 64 balls. He could only manage to hit the last ball of the over for 4. Back in 2011, a teenage Stokes hit the first 5 balls of a Liam Dawson over for six, failing on that occasion to clear the ropes with the final delivery. He used 4 bats in all during yesterdays innings, as he later explained that he was testing out a new batch for the summer ahead. they all worked.

Incredible Innings from Stokes (saw the highlights)! Yes the bowling was indifferent - to say the least - at times, but I doubt if anything could have stopped stokes in this mood! A shame that Durham wont get much more value from him this season given the international calendar. An even bigger shame (if not more than that) that he turns up just for match practice (glorified nets practice) when he - and the rest play for their clubs. Surely we can find a better balance so as to allow the best cricket on show both international and domestic for the benefit of all?? Has it not long been said that there is just too much cricket at International level??. True, some will argue for less International matches (even Tests) to mean more rest periods for players. However, it wouldn't be unreasonable to see a way of allowing Stokes etc to represent their clubs just that little bit more??

My choice of live game this time around (Sussex/Middlesex) has been another example of quality on show. Typically from the International bowlers on show S Afridi has been outstanding, but O Robinson has held his own in the execution of his skills also!!

NB One question to those that may know.............is it still just contracted players that the England management can control in terms of play/rest?? or does it now include those players - as yet without central contracts - but who have nevertheless represented England on recent tours and in recent series??

^^ I believe that, conversions, still take place between England management & clubs, concerning players that have had a recent contract, but ultimately, a club has control in these cases. You would expect, a common-sense approach from the club, regarding their own players fitness.
Yorkshire members have complained for many years, as to the availability of their Internationals. Often 5 or 6 players have been missing from the County side throughout a season.
I see no let up from the number of International fixtures, but the ECB review is expected to see a trimmed County fixture list next year. Potential a reduction from 14, to 10 Championship matches, & similar in the T20 Blast group stages.
One argument against this reduction is that our English summer can often see many sessions, days, & matches lost to weather, especially in the North & West of the country. This will limit the opportunities even further for some.
You can't have it all ways. One reason that we see many Australian, New Zealand, & South Africa overseas players, is that they can get larger volumes of crickets than they would otherwise have in their own country, can fast-track their careers, by almost getting 2 years worth of experience in one go.

Round 5 May 5-8
Div 1
Lancashire v Warwickshire - Manchester
Warwickshire elected to bat
Warwickshire 315 & 184-6
Lancashire 361
Match drawn

Hampshire v Gloucestershire - Southampton
Hampshire elected to bat
Hampshire 342 & 204
Gloucestershire 179 & 280 (T368)
Hampshire won by 87 runs

Surrey v Northamptonshire - The Oval
Northamptonshire elected to field
Surrey 401
Northamptonshire 194 & 202 (f/o)
Surrey won by an innings & 5 runs

Essex v Yorkshire - Chelmsford
Yorkshire elected to field
Essex 403 & 167-0 dec
Yorkshire 465
Match drawn

Div 2
Glamorgan v Leicestershire - Cardiff
Glamorgan elected to field
Leicestershire 320 & 266
Glamorgan 437 & 153-4 (T150)
Glamorgam won by 6 wickets

Sussex v Middlesex - Hove
Sussex elected to bat
Sussex 392 & 335-4 dec
Middlesex 358 & 370-3 (T370)
Middlesex won by 7 wickets

Worcestershire v Durham - New Road
Durham elected to bat
Durham 580-6 dec & 170-1 dec
Worcestershire 309 & 262-3 (T442)
Match drawn

Round 5
Centuries 16
C Pujara 170 no
B Stokes 161
S Robson 149
D Sibley 142
P Walter 141
D Bedingham 135
H Brook 123
J Haynes 120 no
T Alsop 113
K Jennings 110
A Cook 107 & 102 no
R Burns 107
F Organ 107
S Dickson 104 & 105

5 Wickets
M Abbas 645
M Potts 6-62
O Robinson 5-66

Round 5 Review
Surrey & Hampshire were the sole victors in Div 1, as the overcame weaker opposition in Northamptonshire & Gloucestershire, to make it 3 wins from 5, & emerge as early season contenders. I would add Lancashire, who lie behind these 2 in 3rd spot, having played a gam less, & visit Yorkshire this week, are lacking firepower in their bowling, with 4 key bowlers unavailable.
In Div 2 Glamorgan were too strong for Leicestershire, & Middlesex record their 3rd win in 3, to top the Division.

One point that I've failed to mention, which may well go some way to explaining the dominance of bat over ball, it that they are using a Dukes ball with a less pronounced seam this year.
Although the dry start to the season has played it's part, I thought it was somewhat ironic, that all the talk was about easy wickets on offer with medium-pace dominating, yet we have seen an avalanche of runs.

I watched Hussain interview Key, & he was quite positive about the Championship, & that it has always provided Test Match players, despite it's failings. His view seemed to be that a few tweaks were required, rather than a massive overhaul.
It has often been the case that our 4 day comp has been praised, when England have had success, but very quickly pulled apart the minute defeats start to mount up.
It is, some but not all of the problem.