Weston Saint

With such a big score and Surrey so far behind I think they have decided that 1 more point for Surrey bowling will not mke a difference. They must take the 9th wicket in the next 1.2 overs as the cut off is 130 overs.

Dimi out for 99, 451-7 (125 overs) Pothas 130no

Yep for Hants 1st team it is. In the Championship I should add

Excellent. 427-6 of 121 overs - max batting points and season best scores from Dawson, Pothas and Dimi

Decent article on the Hampshire site. http://www.rosebowlplc.com/news/face-to-a-name/

Too heavily involved as captain as NZ for me. Tahir might be available all season although if he continues to bowl well Pakistan may want to pick him again

I think it is safe to say that in view of Lowe Group/Wilde/Crouch shareholdings the first thing that will happen is an offer document being put to the plc board. At that stage the shareholders and LSE will be advised. Remember what Wilde said about the right offer recently. Looking for share movement is not going to give a clue imho.

Would not read to much into it at the moment Trousers. Same thing happened a while back in the "tommac" era and nothing happened then. Look for the £1m+ movements and maybe then we will have something to talk about. Movement of shares is small fry at present.

I spoke to Imran Tahir on Saturday. He does not know yet whether he will get a new contract but said he was in talks. Problem with Imran, who is a quiet friendly man, is that he is our one oversea's player and it may be Hants will want to strenthen somewhere else. Hope not though. We have the talent in batting (not many top batsmen have succeeded regularly this year in the Championshiop because of the weather). Pace bowling is ok with Thomlinson and Tremlett as main strike with Balcome and Griffiths as back up. Dawson is a decent spinner but is beginning to look like an allrounder (batter who can bowl a bit). We have Dimi and Slug as change bowlers as well. We need a top class spinner and Tahir fits the bill

Thought Lamby might go. When I spoke to him Saturday morning he said he was waiting to hear and was no longer being picked! He is England qualified now so not a colpack. He should find another Championship club. Nice chap but his chances were limited with the emergence of Dawson. As for Latouf, again no suprise. He was going on loan to Warwickshire earlier in the season but he told me there was a slight problem with registration and he was waiting to hear. It may be that Warwickshire will take him on now. Edit, seems Latouf did get back to Warwickshire but not taken on after a trial.

Could be right FC. Weather forcast this morning was for sunny spells but dry. It is raining!!! In our parallel universe is Lowe the perceived saviour as opposed to the "anti christ" in the former ???

Are we still here?

I am all for a side committed to Saints cause with the hunger and desire that they are showing. Very refreshing in the present era of football. BUT I agree with the original poster that we appear to be bringing in too many inexperienced youngsters at the same time. We will struggle and we may get relegated (although on the showing so far suggests a mid to safe lower table position at the season end) However, it is difficult to see an alternative now the "ball is rolling". These kids have been sold the idea that they will be part of the team. Our older highly paid players did not show the same motivation as these young players are showing. On balance I am prepared to buy into the idea. My reasoning is that if we struggle it will be as a team learning and growing with the experience. IF (I know we could lose a couple of the better ones to fund the clubs existence going forward) the majority stay together Saints and the supporters will be enriched with a good style of play in the future years. If it goes tits up so what, we had just about reached that proverbial position last season both financial and on the pitch. I for one have had more pleasure from watching a couple of games this season that most of last.

Duncan is ok, I keep in touch by email and mobile. Likewise with Saintlee who has stopped posting but is ok (and busy)

Doubts now over Adams. Gus Mackay CEO at Sussex has resigned to take ober a new post as Managing Director of Cricket at Surrey. I assume Adams will fill the role vacated?

Surrey won the toss and put Hampshire in. Shoaib Akhtar playing for Surrey. Brown in for Adams and Tremlett in for Balcombe 19-0 of 4.4 overs

Last season we played Blackpool on Saturday 24th November 2007 at 3pm in front of 21,075. This was after we had failed to score in the previous 3 games and yealded only 1 point. I know this year was at 12:45pm and was on Sky but the loss of so many supporters must be a worry.

Steve, I based my comments on the assumption that we could not go on affording Pearson or the players he wanted to back up his methods/progress. We had to cut our cloth as you readily have agreed in the past and now. What I consider is that given the state of the club no one else could come in and deal with it any different. Others toyed with the idea but even Crouch seems to have grudgingly accepted the inevitable. Once the club is a "going concern" again I would expect there to be alternatives and at that stage new men and ideas may be the way forward. My point really was that staying away to spite Lowe and Wilde is not the answer. It damages the only viable way we have of mounting some sort of recovery financially. Staying away for economic or other social reasons is a different matter as that, I assume, would happen no matter who was in the board room. All in my naive opinion of course and I did say it was Sunday night ramblings

I am sure Mr Sundance Beast would love to register but to register means a financial transaction and a financial transaction means identifying your real self by credit card, paypal account or cheque. Mind you he could send a fiver in the post to Steve Grant under the name of SB if he does not trust the owners to keep his identity safe as they are bound to do anyway.

:smt102

I find a lot of what is posted here about staying away a bit silly or maybe naive. If results are poor and the team is not playing decent football the Manager gets the blame and is replaced by one who we hope will turn the team and results around. We as supporters are perhaps more fickle that the employer who wants to give his Manager a chance. We stay away not in protest against the Manager himself (although some might say openly that is the reason) but because the play is so poor. It is our staying away that is the cataylse for the club to take action a little earlier than it might if gates were not affected But action they would have to take in time anyway. But with Lowe and Wilde if results are poor and it is down to their choice of Manager and their plan to sell the best players what can be achieved? If they went who is there to come in and relace them (other that a rich benifactor). How could it be done differently without money (and that is our problem at present) Staying away because the team is poor and not value for money is a valid reason and may result in a change in personel and the promise of better management and results. Staying away because you do not like Lowe & Wilde is not, in my opinion a valid reason or helpful becasue there is not a viable alternative. Decent gates will help finances. Helping finances will provide more stability. More stability will allow for better planning and the money to back it up. Wilde and Lowe are in it to protect their money. Nothing wrong with that. But they both have a healthy respect for SFC to want to see it succeed. Yes there is an amount of ego involved. That is no different in any club chairman. Here endeth the Sunday night ramblings of a frustrated but realistic Weston Saint!

There's the rub

I have not seen anything first hand but several of my reliable contacts say it is still live and they, Fulthorpe & co, are still positive. Now the transfer window has closed I am of the opinion that all will go quiet whilst they work in the background drawing up a offer document (we know one has not been submitted yet as MW says no formal approach). What I do not know and none of my contacts can confirm, is whether the investment money is in place. I do not expect to hear anything more on the subject. If it is going to happen it will before the next window. Otherwise it will have just faded away.

I have not seen anything first hand but several of my reliable contacts say it is still live and they, Fulthorpe & co, are still positive. Now the transfer window has closed I am of the opinion that all will go quiet whilst they work in the background drawing up a offer document (we know one has not been submitted yet as MW says no formal approach). What I do not know and none of my contacts can confirm, is whether the investment money is in place. I do not expect to hear anything more on the subject. If it is going to happen it will before the next window. Otherwise it will have just faded away.

What would it achieve? He now feels that a piecemeal of the kind he proposed then would not in ant way have helped the club to achieve it's objective. He also says the board are not currently in formal discussion with any party regarding fresh investment but are open to such discussions. His own opinion is that any approach must be evidenced by tangible assets lodged with a UK bank before formal discussions could take place and that such funds must be sufficient to provide long term stability for SFC