Southern Brave

[Pilchards]

First game on Wednesday.

Doesn't feel like a Southern team with only two Hampshire players in.

Southern have Jamie Smith, Rew, Pepper, Rashid and Abel.

Great bowling attack but the batting feels weak IMHO.

 

[Lighthouse]

1 hour ago, Pilchards said:

First game on Wednesday.

Doesn't feel like a Southern team with only two Hampshire players in.

Southern have Jamie Smith, Rew, Pepper, Rashid and Abel.

Great bowling attack but the batting feels weak IMHO.

 

Nah, that definitely sounds like a Hampshire team.

[Hodgey]

By my count there is one Hampshire player (Lumsden) and one Sussex player who barely plays for them (Archer). I’m not having Stubbs. So much for the early talk of it being linked to the counties. We do have 3 Surrey players though.

they’ve also managed to get 4 wicket keepers ! 

not sure I agree with you on the batting - Pepper, Miller, Stoinis, Smith, Rew and Stubbs can all whack it about on their day.

you’ve also got a load of lower order clubbers in Jordan, Archer, Worrel, Rashid who are all more than capable.

looks a decent side to me, but as pointed out none of these have really played together so will need to gel quickly.

Seems to be more stars this year connected to the various multi-owner franchises, not sure any of these sides have any real connection to their counties anymore in terms of players - they all seem to have swapped sides. 

[Pilchards]

Impressive comments and yes maybe the batting line up could be good if gelled together.

Does feel weird that Vince is playing for London while Sonny Baker, Dawson for Manchester I think.

Lets see how it goes this evening.

 

[badgerx16]

The sooner this pantomime is over, the better.

[Window Cleaner]

14 hours ago, Hodgey said:

By my count there is one Hampshire player (Lumsden) and one Sussex player who barely plays for them (Archer). I’m not having Stubbs. So much for the early talk of it being linked to the counties. We do have 3 Surrey players though.

they’ve also managed to get 4 wicket keepers ! 

not sure I agree with you on the batting - Pepper, Miller, Stoinis, Smith, Rew and Stubbs can all whack it about on their day.

you’ve also got a load of lower order clubbers in Jordan, Archer, Worrel, Rashid who are all more than capable.

looks a decent side to me, but as pointed out none of these have really played together so will need to gel quickly.

Seems to be more stars this year connected to the various multi-owner franchises, not sure any of these sides have any real connection to their counties anymore in terms of players - they all seem to have swapped sides. 

That's right. The Hundred has distanced itself from regular cricket. I don't care, can't follow it anyway,well apart from looking at the scores.

[Lighthouse]

Welsh Fire Men just sounds like a calendar you'd buy your mother in law fo Christmas.

[Gloucester Saint]

We’ll see what the wicket’s like when they bat on it but not an inspiring start.

Smith got a peach from Cook but he’s also shit. Stubbs carrying on his brilliant contribution from Finals Day. At least Thomas Rew and David Miller can bat (even if Miller is almost old enough to be Rew’s dad). 

Edited July 22 by Gloucester Saint

[Pilchards]

11 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

The sooner this pantomime is over, the better.

What about you don’t watch it if you’re not happy with it?

 

[badgerx16]

54 minutes ago, Pilchards said:

What about you don’t watch it if you’re not happy with it?

 

i don't watch it. I just think it is a totally unnecessary imposition on the cricketing calendar.

Edited July 22 by badgerx16

[Hodgey]

Pilchards - I’m giving it another couple of games but early indications side with you !

Not sure why they started with McKinney - I thought he was squad filler like Lumsden. Can only assume Pepper is injured.

Didnt watch much of it but what I saw was pretty boring with a bored crowd. 
 

Also not sure about home advantage when none of your players play there…..

[Toadhall Saint]

On 22/07/2026 at 09:43, badgerx16 said:

The sooner this pantomime is over, the better.

That sounds a bit pompous 

[Lighthouse]

Baker chucking pies in tonight’s game, then giving away four by stacking it on the boundary.

[Window Cleaner]

On 22/07/2026 at 09:43, badgerx16 said:

The sooner this pantomime is over, the better.

Oh no it isn't !

[Picard]

10 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Baker chucking pies in tonight’s game, then giving away four by stacking it on the boundary.

Yes Baker is inconsistent but he had a great last 5 with LS needing 12 to win he conceded 4 runs and took 2 wickets (including Livingstone- best batter of the match). Dawson conceded 13 off his last 5.

[Window Cleaner]

2 hours ago, Picard said:

Yes Baker is inconsistent but he had a great last 5 with LS needing 12 to win he conceded 4 runs and took 2 wickets (including Livingstone- best batter of the match). Dawson conceded 13 off his last 5.

Baker gets important wickets t'is true. 

I think LS were desperate for runs and had to try to hit him anyway. 

I looked at the scores LS looked to be always behind the RRR.

[Gloucester Saint]

Even with Rashid’s exceptional figures, bowling awful and Jamie Smith holed out. McKinnie rapid start but out.

David Miller and Stonis newly in. Miller boundary first ball, nearly a 6.

[Gloucester Saint]

Vince dismissed for a 🦆 on his trip to Utilita 😂

Brave total more like hiding behind the sofa though. 

[Window Cleaner]

14 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Vince dismissed for a 🦆 on his trip to Utilita 😂

Brave total more like hiding behind the sofa though. 

It seems that they're not doing very well. Perhaps if they'd hired a few more home players.....Then again it's quite consistant with everything else around the Utilita this season, apart from the T20.

[Hodgey]

Watching a few other matches and in comparison they just don’t seem to be aggressive enough and the batting has been poor. Don’t think a single batter has past 50 yet and strike rates are one day level. 

I also think they are pretty boring to watch which doesn’t bode well - still the women seem to be doing alright. Rashid the honourable exception.

[Window Cleaner]

Not a great score again. I'd think that if they lose this one again that's curtains for the play offs and hopefully also for whoever is supposed to bé running the show.

[Gloucester Saint]

#Southern Timid with the bat but a garbage Utilita pitch plus good bowling from Wood, Archer and Stoinis meant a first win. Stoinis’s innings was the difference.

[Hodgey]

The batting is a real concern, lightweight openers and Miller in dreadful form. 
Bowling unit finally fired, but up to today Wood and Archer have been poor, years may also be catching up to Jordan.

Win may be enough to turn them around but honestly it’s been pretty average stuff so far.

[Window Cleaner]

Who is this bloke McKinney who never seems to make any runs? 

[Gloucester Saint]

44 minutes ago, Window Cleaner said:

Who is this bloke McKinney who never seems to make any runs? 

Durham opener and on fringes of England test team - not at the moment though.

Southern Timid would better describe the batting this year.

[Toadhall Saint]

45 minutes ago, Window Cleaner said:

Who is this bloke McKinney who never seems to make any runs? 

I have never heard of him tbh and I watch quite a bit of franchise stuff - IPL,BB etc.

[Toadhall Saint]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Durham opener and on fringes of England test team - not at the moment though.

Southern Timid would better describe the batting this year.

Should stick to red ball imho

[Hodgey]

It’s a very odd (terrible) batting line up, they have that McKinney who is clearly not ready for this level, technique looks awful. Then they keep playing Chaudhury who doesn’t bowl and seemingly can’t bat, now they’ve put Ali straight in the team who is totally past it and who they don’t trust to bowl.

Michael Pepper is apparently in the squad but hasn’t played at all for some reason.

I guess it doesn’t help when you have to try and up a hopeless run rate set by your batters but Archer and Jordan who can both bat look like 11th man bunnies.

back to the drawing board next year - not sure whose strategy this was but it was pretty terrible (and most unforgiving of all - boring) 

 

[Window Cleaner]

Don't know if it's the same set up as the rest of Hampshire Cricket but if it is they've got it wrong across the board apart from the T20 and I suppose the women's team to which I give no consequence anyway. 

Hampshire cricket needs change.

Edited August 4 by Window Cleaner

[Gloucester Saint]

10 hours ago, Hodgey said:

It’s a very odd (terrible) batting line up, they have that McKinney who is clearly not ready for this level, technique looks awful. Then they keep playing Chaudhury who doesn’t bowl and seemingly can’t bat, now they’ve put Ali straight in the team who is totally past it and who they don’t trust to bowl.

Michael Pepper is apparently in the squad but hasn’t played at all for some reason.

I guess it doesn’t help when you have to try and up a hopeless run rate set by your batters but Archer and Jordan who can both bat look like 11th man bunnies.

back to the drawing board next year - not sure whose strategy this was but it was pretty terrible (and most unforgiving of all - boring) 

 

Good overseas players would make a difference - Miller did well at Lords but looks over the hill generally, Stubbs was poor for both Hants and the Timid. 

[Barsiem]

Why did they let Vince go?  Desperate need for both his runs and his captaincy it seems.  Ah well, can't say I'm fussed about a team that is barely related to Hampshire anyway 

[Window Cleaner]

40 minutes ago, Barsiem said:

Why did they let Vince go?  Desperate need for both his runs and his captaincy it seems.  Ah well, can't say I'm fussed about a team that is barely related to Hampshire anyway 

Vince isn't doing all that well at MI London. Made 66 once and the rest have been quite low.

He had a couple of good innings in the T20 but at 190k (I think that was his auction price) he's been a bit erratic really.

Edited August 4 by Window Cleaner

[Gloucester Saint]

3 minutes ago, Window Cleaner said:

Vince isn't doing all that well at MI London. Made 66 once and the rest have been quite low.

He had a couple of good innings in the T20 but at 190k (I think that was his auction price) he's been a bit erratic really.

The price reflected his success in the first season of the 💯 and Big Bash down under for the Sydney Sixers where he’s been one of the best players in the tournament for years. But yes, I agree, he’s been inconsistent for MI and got a 🦆 at the Utilita. 

[Lighthouse]

I've not really been following the 16.4 but I've just seen SR Leeds posted 241 today, which is just a ludicrous score for 100 balls.

[Barsiem]

18 hours ago, Window Cleaner said:

Vince isn't doing all that well at MI London. Made 66 once and the rest have been quite low.

He had a couple of good innings in the T20 but at 190k (I think that was his auction price) he's been a bit erratic really.

I'm sure he would have been better at his home ground, plus his captaincy is very good which I think would have helped.  Appreciate he was expensive but couldn't we just have retained him?  Not sure how the auction works but I know there was a retained list

[Window Cleaner]

1 hour ago, Barsiem said:

I'm. sure he would have been better at his home ground, plus his captaincy is very good which I think would have helped.  Appreciate he was expensive but couldn't we just have retained him?  Not sure how the auction works but I know there was a retained list

Like you, I have very little idea how the Hundred works. I just look at the scores.

[Hodgey]

So my understanding is you can pre-sign 4 players of which one must be a retention. I guess once all clubs have retained they then pre-select any player (up to 4) via an initial draft at a set price. All very complicated but in theory you could retain 4 players stopping them going elsewhere. 

Short story - Brave retained one player (which they had to) Archer

They then pre-selected Stoinis, Smith and Stubbs.

That’s probably where the issues began as Stubbs and Smith have been dreadful and Archer has only played well last few games.

Assume they then had to prioritise getting Jordan in the auction as captain (although they went for Rashid first which was a good choice).

They then got Miller, Rew and Worrel as mid price. With the likes of McKinney and Choudhury as low priced picks.

After this stage they had one player from the two counties they are supposed to represent. They then got Lumsden on a wildcard presumably as they realised they didn’t have any Hampshire players.

So yes, not retaining Vince and getting the more expensive Smith instead doesn’t look particularly smart in retrospect.

[badgerx16]

Why is the BBC so bloody obsessed with the Hundred that it takes up practically the whole of it's cricket coverage, whilst the One Day Cup merits no more reporting than Ben Stokes' admission of a drinking culture in the England camp or Ireland's washout against Afghanistan ?

[Window Cleaner]

So eliminated but that was always likely. Doesn't matter, no Hampshire players involved, just mercenairies who someone somewhere thought were better than they seem to be.

[Toadhall Saint]

23 hours ago, Window Cleaner said:

So eliminated but that was always likely. Doesn't matter, no Hampshire players involved, just mercenairies who someone somewhere thought were better than they seem to be.

Ladies should qualify tho and they do have Hampshire players. Mind you they are doing their best not to. 

[Window Cleaner]

3 hours ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Ladies should qualify tho and they do have Hampshire players. Mind you they are doing their best not to. 

Unfortunately and without doubt wrongly I give no consequence to Women's Cricket, or Women's Rugby or basketball in any form 

[Window Cleaner]

For the ladies, from looking at the table and fixtures, the only road leading to non-qualitication would be a defeat against the Rockets and an abandoned (or tied) match between Manchester and Leeds.

[Gloucester Saint]

Whoever thought Jamie Smith would be more effective than BBL and Hundred winning skipper James Vince needs to take a long look in the mirror.

Smith is one of the overrated players I’ve ever seen and that horrific dismissal to Labuschagne in Sydney was one of the worst I’ve seen in an England shirt. Kind of summed up Bazball.