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Hampshire CCC 2016 Season thread.


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I see David Balcombe has retired to join KP's cricket academy. Pity, was at Surrey but an effective performer for Hants in D2, not sure he was a D1 bowler.

 

Great news on the England T20 squad. I disagree with KP, Vince deserves to be ahead of Wright who has flattered to deceive for England. Dawson's confidence has shot up and should see a good season from him next year as he'll be targeting the ODI squad by doing well in all formats.

 

D1 will be tough next year. Durham will struggle IMO and Warwickshire and Yorks are title favourites. After that, anyone else could push for the title or go down.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I see Afridi has signed for us for this season's T20. Always an exciting player to watch.

 

I was worried by Brigg's departure and the affect on the t20 side, but we could put something like this out:

 

Carberry

Vince

Adams

Smith

Wheater

Ervine

Dawson

Afridi

McLaren

Edwards

Topley

 

That's a very good bowling line-up and batsmen 3-9 are basically interchangeable depending on match situation

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I see Afridi has signed for us for this season's T20. Always an exciting player to watch.

 

I was worried by Briggs' departure and the affect on the t20 side, but we could put something like this out:

 

Carberry

Vince

Adams

Smith

Wheater

Ervine

Dawson

Afridi

McLaren

Edwards

Topley

 

That's a very good bowling line-up and batsmen 3-9 are basically interchangeable depending on match situation

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Yeah good signing and crucially can play the whole of the t20 campaign. Reliable wicket taker (most T20 wickets worldwide or some such stat) and very occassionally will be a matchwinner with the bat.

 

Will help Vince tactically too.

 

Am interested to see how much red ball cricket Topley plays this season, barely featured for Essex due to fitness concerns.

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I see that the couple who came forward a week `late` to claim the £32million Lottery win are a Mr. ad Mrs. Cannings of Lincolnshire. They were visiting Mr. Cannings` elderly parents, Victor and Joan in Datchet, Berkshire, when he decided to pop out and buy fish and chips and, on the spur of the moment, bought five lucky dips. The name rang a bell and I wonder whether his father is the same Vic Cannings who was a stalwart bowler, along with Derek Shackleton, for Hampshire for so many years.

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I see that the couple who came forward a week `late` to claim the £32million Lottery win are a Mr. ad Mrs. Cannings of Lincolnshire. They were visiting Mr. Cannings` elderly parents, Victor and Joan in Datchet, Berkshire, when he decided to pop out and buy fish and chips and, on the spur of the moment, bought five lucky dips. The name rang a bell and I wonder whether his father is the same Vic Cannings who was a stalwart bowler, along with Derek Shackleton, for Hampshire for so many years.

 

Could be - according to Wikipedia Vic Cannings is 96! He took 927 wickets at 22 in 265 matches for the county - one of my many boyhood heroes after my parents first took me to Northlands Road in 1949 when Hampshire played New Zealand.

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  • 4 weeks later...

First friendly starts soon doesn't it, Monday maybe ?

Good job there's some cricket, this surely must be the first ever non-wartime Easter with no top flight football.

I remember the old 3 games in 4 days Easter format with a few promotion and relegation issues being decided already.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, we get underway this Sunday at home to Warwickshire. It looks a really tough start as we play the best three teams in the first three games, and then play Lancashire complete with Jimmy Anderson. Warwickshire look to have a really formidable team and a very long batting line up, especially with Bell back. A few questions to answer in the first game:

 

- How fit is Topley?

- Will the youngsters get a game? I would like to see Alsop given a go in place of Adams who really didn't look up to it last year.

 

I hope we go:

 

1. Carberry

2. Alsop

3. Vince

4. Smith

5. Dawson

6. Ervine

7. Wheater

8. McLaren

9. Crane

10. Topley

11. Edwards

 

Looks like quite a long tail. We really need Vince to step up this year and score 1200 runs plus

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So, we get underway this Sunday at home to Warwickshire. It looks a really tough start as we play the best three teams in the first three games, and then play Lancashire complete with Jimmy Anderson. Warwickshire look to have a really formidable team and a very long batting line up, especially with Bell back. A few questions to answer in the first game:

 

- How fit is Topley?

- Will the youngsters get a game? I would like to see Alsop given a go in place of Adams who really didn't look up to it last year.

 

I hope we go:

 

1. Carberry

2. Alsop

3. Vince

4. Smith

5. Dawson

6. Ervine

7. Wheater

8. McLaren

9. Crane

10. Topley

11. Edwards

 

Looks like quite a long tail. We really need Vince to step up this year and score 1200 runs plus

 

Adams is not fit. Alsop will open. Not sure Crane will play this one. Another seamer.

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13-man squad: Carberry, Alsop, Smith, Vince ©, Dawson, Ervine, Wheater, McLaren, Wood, Tomlinson, Topley, Crane, Edwards.

 

From that, I imagine it'll be Tomlinson and Crane who don't play. Surprised that Wood's still in mind for 4-day cricket, I was under the impression his knee was knackered.

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I think it's more the increased pace. Tomlinson really struggled last season because as wily a bowler he's been over the years in second division cricket, he's just not fast enough to trouble first division batsmen.

 

Carberry

Alsop

Vince

Smith

Dawson

Ervine

Wheater

McLaren

Wood

Edwards

Topley

 

is a long batting lineup, down to 9 and you could probably argue that Edwards should score more runs than he does. Topley, Edwards and McLaren are going to be under a fair bit of pressure with the ball, and they'll need Wood and Ervine to not get hammered to give them enough of a rest. Can't imagine there's going to be much in it for Dawson or Smith this early in the season.

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I think it's more the increased pace. Tomlinson really struggled last season because as wily a bowler he's been over the years in second division cricket, he's just not fast enough to trouble first division batsmen.

 

Carberry

Alsop

Vince

Smith

Dawson

Ervine

Wheater

McLaren

Wood

Edwards

Topley

 

is a long batting lineup, down to 9 and you could probably argue that Edwards should score more runs than he does. Topley, Edwards and McLaren are going to be under a fair bit of pressure with the ball, and they'll need Wood and Ervine to not get hammered to give them enough of a rest. Can't imagine there's going to be much in it for Dawson or Smith this early in the season.

 

Mind you, Wood over Tomlinson on account of more pace is a bit like driving a Kia 1.0 on the grounds that it's faster than an artic. Anyway, isn't Wood's knee supposed to prevent him playing the 4 day stuff? A lot rides on Edwards's and McLaren's shoulders and Topley if he stays fit although not a stunning 4 day record at Essex.

 

Top order still looks brittle, really needed a couple of quality signings in there. I'd pick Dawson for his batting and to hold an end up. Got to persevere with youngsters like Alsop and Weatherall even if they struggle initially. Lancs game is massive, got to finish above them and Durham to stay up. Somerset have a talented young attack but it could leak runs so that might be another side we can catch and Surrey have a lot of quicks injured. Yorks, Notts and Warwickshire are like test sides though and will be giving out some big hidings unless the elements intervene. They'll be much too strong early season for Hants. Beating Lancs, Durham and Somerset has to be the objective with the bits and pieces side we have and anything else we can pick during the season will help.

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Listened to the Hampshire CC Forum on Solent & thought it seemed a bit tense. There was no Q&A with the members. Is this normal?. It occurred to me that this may have been discouraged, as many of the members probably aren't huge 20/20 fans, therefore next season will see the amount of 4 days home games they can see reduced to 7. Many of these played early season when the weather will be a bit ropey. I wondered if they were anticipating some dissenting voices?

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Listened to the Hampshire CC Forum on Solent & thought it seemed a bit tense. There was no Q&A with the members. Is this normal?. It occurred to me that this may have been discouraged, as many of the members probably aren't huge 20/20 fans, therefore next season will see the amount of 4 days home games they can see reduced to 7. Many of these played early season when the weather will be a bit ropey. I wondered if they were anticipating some dissenting voices?

I thought Kevan James asked some really weird questions like the Afridi captaincy stuff and that didn't help.

 

To be fair, in a way its better to not have audience questions as like in the Saints forums, they are usually rambling and ****e.

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One more injury to either Edwards, Topley or McLaren and the seam bowling would look very weak.

 

Will make it tough for them to rest Topley when the ECB request it as there isn't really anyone to come in.

 

The Berg injury was a big blow.

 

It's a concern, Topley will develop and put on more pace but workload has to be watched. Berg was a blow as one of our few consistent players last term, all the more surprising that Hampshire weren't a lot more active in the market over the winter. Should have agreed terms to part with Adams and Tomlinson and freed up cash for more new faces. Puts a lot of pressure on the youngsters and the top order is very reliant on Carberry and Vince.

 

With only one team going down and coming up this year, I wouldn't have spent all the money on Afridi/Sammy and concentrated on staying up and use the young players for the one day stuff. The D1 /D2 divide will get wider - ultimately good for English cricket but Hants needs to remain as part of that elite group with Test grounds. The best players will move every winter to get into England contention.

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It's a concern, Topley will develop and put on more pace but workload has to be watched. Berg was a blow as one of our few consistent players last term, all the more surprising that Hampshire weren't a lot more active in the market over the winter. Should have agreed terms to part with Adams and Tomlinson and freed up cash for more new faces. Puts a lot of pressure on the youngsters and the top order is very reliant on Carberry and Vince.

 

With only one team going down and coming up this year, I wouldn't have spent all the money on Afridi/Sammy and concentrated on staying up and use the young players for the one day stuff. The D1 /D2 divide will get wider - ultimately good for English cricket but Hants needs to remain as part of that elite group with Test grounds. The best players will move every winter to get into England contention.

 

It's actually worse than that. Two go down and only one comes up this year, leaving a top division of 8!

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Start the car ...

 

Batters making Barker look like Curtley Ambrose - genuinely dont see us getting out of it this year, batting line up looks desperately poor

It was odd after last year that we didn't look to improve the batting lineup.

 

In fact, with 3 no 11s in this game we have weakened it.

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You know I have a real problem with the visitors being allowed to bowl first without a toss. I accept that if Hampshire present a green minefield, then fair enough it's our own fault. But what if we prepare a batsmen's paradise , but it's a muggy overcast morning with moisture in the air and you know it's going to swing like a boomerang. Why should the away team be allowed to benefit from weather conditions we have no control of by opting to bowl first. I think the rule is flawed.

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It's actually worse than that. Two go down and only one comes up this year, leaving a top division of 8!

 

Apologies you are right, 2 down and 1 up! It's been like in the mid 90s when the PL was reduced to 20 clubs. Can see the logic though from an England perspective.

 

Onto Hants - can't really judge until Warwicks have had a bat in the conditions tomorrow which I can't see improving hugely. However, it looks like the supporters were right yet again and the club wrong, screamingly obvious that top order needed a minimum of 2 quality signings, needed one more decent seamer after signing Topley as early pitches won't help Crane. Needed to reach severance agreements with some of the promotion side to free up cash and White couldn't get it done and wasn't proactive.

 

That said, Warwicks are going to be the contenders along with Yorks and Notts, they are the Australia, England, SA and India of domestic cricket. Hampshire are underdogs so just have to pick up as many points as we can off those sides, try and keep it respectable. The key thing is to eke out wins over Lancs, Somerset, Durham and possibly Surrey with their injury list and stay up somehow.

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Decent recovery yesterday, especially considering most of the runs were scored with either Topley (at 9 with a first-class average of 3, really?!?! :lol: ) or Tomlinson at the wicket. Sounds like Topley's managed to pick up a broken hand while batting, though - hopefully his right hand...

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Decent recovery yesterday, especially considering most of the runs were scored with either Topley (at 9 with a first-class average of 3, really?!?! :lol: ) or Tomlinson at the wicket. Sounds like Topley's managed to pick up a broken hand while batting, though - hopefully his right hand...

 

Right hand. According to Cricinfo's reporter.

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Decent recovery yesterday, especially considering most of the runs were scored with either Topley (at 9 with a first-class average of 3, really?!?! :lol: ) or Tomlinson at the wicket. Sounds like Topley's managed to pick up a broken hand while batting, though - hopefully his right hand...

 

Rained off this morning - sunny here in the south west - but hopefully Hants can get over 200 and gain the first point of the season. 250 might be pushing it! Then we'll see what Hants bowlers will do with what should also be helpful conditions. Getting Bell early is essential, get him playing away from his body.

 

McLaren has at least given us a bit of hope and good battling from Topley and Tommo. Bit concerned about Topley's broken hand but as it's not his left hand for bowling, he might be OK.

 

In other news, Somerset getting hammered at Durham - definitely a side who will be with us in fighting the drop - and Surrey in trouble at Trent Bridge to a very good Nottinghamshire. Durham-Somerset was never going to be draw unless it rained all the time so probably a better result for Hants that Durham win with home advantage. Somerset missing the Overtons.

 

Sussex not finding D2 easy - Duckett got his double ton at Northants and still going.

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Difficult to imagine any sort of result now, bit of a race for bonus points.

 

In other non-Hampshire news, James Taylor's had to retire with a serious heart condition :(

 

Terrible news for Taylor his world must have turned upside down in the last few days.. If Vincey can have a good start to the season, he will probably never have a better chance of getting a test place. (although my gut feeling is he's not test class)

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Terrible news for Taylor his world must have turned upside down in the last few days.. If Vincey can have a good start to the season, he will probably never have a better chance of getting a test place. (although my gut feeling is he's not test class)

 

I'm talking about his bowling obviously

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Warwickshire may fancy a chance of winning this still given how we batted for the first couple of sessions of this game.

 

I suspect if they'd just stuck as straight back in this morning they'd have had an even bigger chance, given our general penchant for 3 or 4 down for not very many in the longer form. That said, they may have fancied getting a few more runs as it's a nicer day today and the conditions for batting are generally favourable perhaps?

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Batting bonus points on offer, relatively rare at this early stage of the season so best to make the most of them, I guess. I doubt they genuinely believed there was a chance of a result at 10:30 this morning.

 

although with Hampshire at 66-3 you could believe a result was possible now.

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A draw. And lets be honest a absolute ****e performance from the top order.

If it had been a 4 day game it would have been a defeat for sure.

 

Same frailties as last season plus two key bowling injuries already this season.

 

Might just be worth putting Crane in rather than picking one of the non threat seamers.

 

Some of the batters really need to show more otherwise we might need to find an Edwards equivalent Kolpak up there.

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