It'll be interesting if this new format gets as much positive feedback in the 2nd stage as it is currently getting in the 1st stage. Divisions 2 and 3 will ultimately be pointless, other than maybe allowing for a few younger players to improve their skills. No promotion, no relegation, no trophy, no qualification. At the moment I'm on the fence. But I like it more than I dislike it.
I quite like it. It gives all the counties a chance to play competitive cricket and it also should also provide exciting cricket at the back end of the season where you have the 6 strongest counties battling it out for the title.
Sussex have wanted this form of 4 day cricket for a long time. Is this a one-off? If the public like it more than the two-divisions, the counties might push for its implementation. If promotion and relagation is introduced, a county could find itself being promoted to the top tier at the end of the season after starting in the third tier. It would make the 4 day game much more dynamic and would surely attract fans to the game.
Unless Leicester and Surrey agree to set something up (assuming that they can even get on), that game is clearly finishing a draw. That by itself would be a dreadful outcome for Surrey - but it's being made so much worse by them currently being denied even the chance to get some batting points.
Top effort by Organ and Barker to get through to tea. 37 overs left to be bowled with a deficit of 38.
We're going to need to dodge the bad weather over the next two weeks, in order to hopefully beat Leicester and Middlesex. If we do that, we'll be well placed to attack our last three matches (spread across June and July - so less likely to be affected by bad weather). But failure to win these next two will probably leave us with too much to do. That said, even if we were to go through to D1, it's very clear it'll either be Gloucs, Somerset or Surrey who take the other place. And given that we've slipped up against all of them so far, that means we'll be guaranteed to take less than one full win through to D1. Qualifying for D1 is one thing, but if you want to win the Championship then ideally you need to be qualifying alongside someone who you have beaten twice.
Leicestershire are batting quite well. As for Middlesex, that is another story altogether. As an outsider, looking in, I hope Gloucestershire win the group and go on to become County Champions for the first time in their history
Hampshire are now going back to The Hampshire Hawks for the T20 blast. Hopefully it will cause us to soar to the top of the South Group.
