Hampshire CCC 2025

[Gloucester Saint]

Handy start with Fuller getting rid of NZ Test star Henry Nicholls for 0. Worcs 9/1.

[Picard]

This is going to be a draw.

[Gloucester Saint]

26 minutes ago, Picard said:

This is going to be a draw.

Is this another game with the Kookaburra?

Probably a draw as long as we bat as well as Chelmsford.

[Weston Saint]

None of the players like the Kookaburra ball!

Update on bowling.

• Baker has a knee injury and there is some hope he will be fit again next week
• Wheal has a heel injury and not available at present.
• Turner is out for the season with a stress fracture.
• Barker is available after this game.

Edited Sunday at 15:33 by Weston Saint

[Dark Munster]

11 minutes ago, Weston Saint said:

None of the players like the Kookaburra ball!

Nobody else likes it either. Just Hants luck they play against the weakest team having to bowl with a tennis ball. Maybe twice since they play them again soon.

Using this ball for some matches, along with playing some teams once and others twice, makes county cricket championship Mickey Mouse. 

[Window Cleaner]

28 minutes ago, Dark Munster said:

Nobody else likes it either. Just Hants luck they play against the weakest team having to bowl with a tennis ball. Maybe twice since they play them again soon.

Using this ball for some matches, along with playing some teams once and others twice, makes county cricket championship Mickey Mouse. 

Never mind, we're getting a look at our full range of part-time bowlers.

[stevegrant]

A full round of games where, so far, not a single batting team has put up less than 367. Obviously the weather has likely made it much harder for ground staff to prepare a "result" wicket, but the ball does seem to be having far too much of an impact. And as @Dark Munster mentions, having to use it in a game we would have been targeting to win handily has put us at a huge disadvantage against other teams in the division.

[Lighthouse]

Surrey 605-3, they could easily post a grand if they don’t declare.

[Dark Munster]

887 by Yorkshire at the end of the 19th century is the county record.

Surrey currently on 796-6

[stevegrant]

Surrey declared on 820/9. Some scary looking bowling figures on that scorecard

Meanwhile Worcestershire declared on 679/7 and Fletcha Middleton mustered 1 off 23 balls before being pinned LBW

[Gloucester Saint]

5 hours ago, stevegrant said:

A full round of games where, so far, not a single batting team has put up less than 367. Obviously the weather has likely made it much harder for ground staff to prepare a "result" wicket, but the ball does seem to be having far too much of an impact. And as @Dark Munster mentions, having to use it in a game we would have been targeting to win handily has put us at a huge disadvantage against other teams in the division.

I get why Key wanted to use it, to force county bowlers to develop some points of difference rather than 25 Darren Stevens and Ronnie Irani impressions. . 

Trouble is, in preparing for Australia why not use it in the last couple of India tests with bowlers that might actually go to the Ashes instead of county plodders? Using it early season made more sense to stop 100 all out every game.

Hants 54/3 - that level of effort from the top order is pathetic though whatever the ball is. Tilak, Brown and Dawson to carry the top order again. Middleton 1 from 23 balls, Gubbins 13 from 50. Competing with Toby Albert for the Southern League can’t get it off the square award.

Who is the batting coach? Have they heard of running singles and rotating strike if out of form?

Should still get a draw unless our batters are really brainless but might be following on.

Edited 16 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[Lighthouse]

54/3 on a wicket prepared by your own ground staff, against the worst team in the division, on a weekend when every other team in the country is hitting tennis balls for 600 is really quite something.