Weston Saint

Spoke to Michael Carberry yesterday about playing Div 2 and he says he would be devistated. This club needs to be playing with the best. No news on his return yet.

"Shahid Afridi has pleaded guilty to the charges in the showcause notice sent to him by the Pakistan Cricket Board and expressed willingness to face disciplinary action if required." Is he trying to get his NOC back by agreeing to the charges? Could there be another twist before the game starts at 7:10pm?

Afridi has now confirmed he will not be playing for Hampshire this season after Pakistan revoked his No Objection Cerificate and ECB suspended his registration.

Bilal Shafayat is on trial but I do not know if he is registered to play Championship cricket although he was released last year. Will try to find out next week at the game. If he comes in it will be as a batsman though not as part wicket keeper. Has to be Pothas or Bates.

I am closer to the dressing room than most on here and I have not heard he has lost the dressing room! Worrying times at present with so many players out of form. Cork is trying to lead from the front and quite honestly, taking into account his experience, there is no one better in the squad. Adams has played throughout the winter and maybe his form is suffering a little but he is still the best opener and fielder we have at present. Took a stunning catch on Tuesday Dawson has been one of the few in form and his injury has not helped our cause. However I see him more in the role of a number 5 rather than opening Too early to say much about Howells. So far he has looked the nervous but a hard worked half century with some good shots will be just what the doctor ordered. Carberry is still not fit and due further scans at the end of June. I feel he is preparing for the worse. The decision will be his but could be retirement from the game. He is keeping an open mind at present and still netting regularly Lumb has arrived back from India (what a waste of time that was apart from the money he earned!) but has a long standing back niggle. Lancashire came too early for him Myburgh is a decent little player but as a Kolpach he has to be a star player, which he is not. Mckenzie has come back totally out of form. He has class and I am sure he will come good. Vince is frustrating. He clearly has class and ability. He is in form but must learn to graft out a few big innings. That means knowing which balls to leave. Ervine has yet to show any real form but his injury was a blow. Out for at least two weeks the powerful mid order batting will be missed at the start of the T20 Pothas is another one totally out of form with the bat. With Bates being the better keeper he had better look over his shoulder. He is only in because of his batting in my opinion Mascarenhas is just coming back from a year long injury and looks totally out of from with bat and ball. Tahir is back. Could not play against Lancashire due to a request from SA cricket board but should be playing now for the rest of the season. Let's hope his match winning spin bowling continues where it left off. It will be a big lift for the team. Ali is also just coming back after a long injury. He was very unlucky on the first morning and deserved more. Jones is not suffering from his past injury but at present the club are taking it carefully. He is keen to play more but I am not sure he will be able to take on 25 overs plus a day so that will put more pressure on the other bowlers. Griffiths is quick and taking wickets. A bit expensive at times but he deserves his place Briggs has done nothing wrong with the ball but with Tahir back, hopefully he will be given a rest. I am sure Briggs is a future England spinner. Tomlinson's injury has kept him out for a while but he is fit now and it was a toss up if he played against Lancashire. On that green wicket I would have picked him but who do you drop!! De Wet is another out of form and is no better that our other bowlers waiting a chance. As a Kolpac he should be a star. Poor signing in my opinion but perhaps he was looked at as cover for Jones & Ali. Wood looked the best bowler at Surrey on Sunday. I am sure he will start in the T20 and cannot be far away from a 4 day match for the first team Balcombe is another usful palyer that just starts to look the part in the seconds and then gets a slight injury again. Think he is fit now but others are ahead of him at present. Bates is, in my opinion, looking like he will be the best wicket keeper in England but he lacks the batting which, when he plays, leaves an unbalanced side. T20 has come at the right time. Will give the club a chance to look at that is going wrong and providing we can get a couple of wins on return to 4 day cricket I see us ending the season mid table.

I was there as well Steve. Agree with your comments. Also just think McKenzie is out of form at present.

Forgot Dawson was injured. He went off yesterday limping slighty and was immediately on the treatment table. That created quite a problem. Who is going to open with Adams? Howells lacks any experience at that level. Myburgh is a limited over opener but not so much at the longer game. Ervine has opened successfully before but he is also injured. Lumb is supposed to be back today but perhaps this game has come too soon. I plump for Myburgh with Howells at 5

Good, glad to hear that as I was disappointed for him.

The team I would like to see tomorrow for the Championship game against Lancashire. Adams Dawson Lumb (he arrives back today) McKenzie Vince Pothas Mascarenhas Cork Ali Briggs or Tomlinson or Griffiths Jones Time to throw caution to the wind. I am assuming Ervine is still injured having damaged his ankle in the warm up yesterday.

Good article link sent to me by a friend this morning http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/southampton-fc-end-of-term-report-goodbye-league-one-and-good-riddance/

http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/legal/1 ... h-fc-probe The insolvency team from Norwich law firm Howes Percival has been called in to help the investigation into Portsmouth FC – which was the first Premier League soccer club to go into administration. The company is believed to owe creditors over £83 million, with up to £35m owed to HM Revenue & Customs. Howes Percival has been instructed by insolvency practitioners Geoff Carton-Kelly and David Hudson of Baker Tilly Restructuring and Recovery LLP, the joint liquidators of the Club. Nick Oliver, who heads the insolvency team, is a specialist in forensic insolvency investigations and fraud-related insolvency issues. He is also currently assisting the trustee in bankruptcy of Asil Nadir. Oliver said: “This is a high profile, complex case which has received worldwide media attention, primarily because Portsmouth was the first premiership football club to enter administration. “The unsecured creditors are believed to amount to in excess of £83 million, with up to £35 million owed to HM Revenue & Customs. “We will be assisting Geoff Carton-Kelly and David Hudson with their investigations into the financial collapse of the club. The liquidators have identified significant issues that require detailed investigation.” In December 2009, HMRC presented a winding-up petition against Portsmouth. In February 2010, insolvency practitioners from UHY Hacker Young LLP were appointed as administrators of the company. The club was docked nine points as a result of the administration and was subsequently relegated to the Championship. A company voluntary arrangement was ultimately agreed with creditors to enable the administrators to sell the assets and business of the football club to a new company. In February 2011 the old company, Portsmouth City Football Club Limited, entered liquidation following the completion of the sale and the termination of the administration and company voluntary arrangement.

Oldham Profile has him as 12/12/89. Think it is safe to say he is 21. Is he good enough? Not from his showings on the pitch so far. Said to have technical skills. Could develop in the right hands (Saints). The club will know what to do.

Couple of bright points. Ervine reaches 6,000 first class runs in career Cork reaches 10,000 first class runs in career Dawson reaches 500 championship runs for the season. Ali takes 4 wickets to anounce he is back Dimi in the CB40 game against Durham tomorrow.

So we go up and our income must meet our expenditure at least? We cannot rely on an income boost (not loan) from our owner? Yet one of the clubs coming down from the Premier can rely on the income from the parachute payments? Unfair restraint of trade? In principle I think football needs something to make it balance it's books but it has to be from a level playing field!

Glen Delve, the Rosebowl MD told me a few weeks ago they were working on it. Lumb gets $50,000 even if he does not play so if he comes back early he or we would have to pay up the contract. We are also paying Lumb under his contract but he does have to pay us a proportion of his IPL contract. Obviously he would not go into detail

Team spirit is fine just too many players out of form at the same time. Players that are out of form are working very hard in the nets for hours on end. They will turn it round. Lumb is being missed at present but why is he not being picked in IPL? May be he is out of form as well!!! Dimi is not far away last time I spoke to him a week or so ago. We definately are a match winning bowler short at present. Ali coming back to form and fitness. Tomlinson is now fit and ready. Tahir still not expected to be fit before June.

Year 3 of a 5 year plan. Consolidation and building a team to get us automatic promotion in year 4

110 overs passed. We only get 2 bowling points but we did restrict Yorkshire to 3 batting points. Honours about even at this stage. 317-8. Yokshire 13-1 off 15 overs this morning.

Sounds like it could be a bite from a false black widow spider which are quite common in Southern England. I had a few in my garage For reassurance: Spider bite symptoms There are 640 species of spider in the UK. Only 12 of these have been known to bite humans in the UK and this includes two Steatoda species, S. grossa and S. nobilis . The severity of symptoms from any spider bite depends on the amount of venom that is injected. False widow spider bite reports include symptoms such as chest pains, swelling and tingling of fingers. Last year a man went to hospital for treatment after being bitten by what may have been a false widow spider - the spider was never caught so it wasn't identified.

I am expecting an increase of £60 for adult centre which is just above 15%. That will take into account the changes in vat (was it 15% when we purchased last season - now 20%), Inflation running at about 4% and uplift for Championship football.

Adams & Briggs named in Lions squad against SL. They will miss the CB40 against Surrey at Whitgift if picked. Edit: squad of 12 named so one of them will definately play

210/7 at Tea Barstow out Cork 3/51 That wicket just makes this session ours again

Yorkshire 96-4 at lunch. With only 3 front line bowlers (excluding Briggs who has not bowled as yet) it was important Ervine supported well. That he did with figures of 1/13 off 7. We was also responsible for the run out when he managed to divert a full drive off his bowling onto the wicket at his end. Hampshires morning.

That is because I refused him entry into the Executive Club when I worked there! He went whinging to one of the Committee. Ok with me though at the time.

I have to agree with this despite some of the comments that followed. Cortese & Adkins will be adding quality to improve us long term, not aged players who only have a few years to go and are looking for their final big pay deals. In several parts of the ground yesterday there was talk that we were about two thirds of the way to signing Beattie who was prepared to take a drop in wages. We were also in discussion with Bridge. When I spoke to connections within they had no knowledge and even laughed it off. Now if they have no knowledge then how do others without these connections. Beattie and Owen were good in their time. They may still have a couple of years left in them but not enough time for what the club are trying to build. We did not go mad this season and achieved what we wanted. Next season it will likely crank up a bit but I see us finding our level in the Championship next season, looking at what we need to do to gain automatic the following season. That would be within the 5 year plan. Steady as she goes........