Glos (finally) all out - Hampshire need 53 to win. No trouble Is it 54? I heard 53, but that may be Gloucestershire's lead, so 54 it is
Hampshire are now in Division 1 for the last 4 games in September, along with Somerset, plus Warwickshire and Notts from Group One and Lancashire and Yorkshire from Group Three.
I feel sorry for Gloucs in the sense that their five wins can only be matched by Yorks. And yet they still didn't make D1. (And Yorks even had the benefit of having two rubbish sides in their group, with just one win between them. Gloucs only had the benefit of Middlesex.) But we were the better side against them in both matches, so they can hardly argue that we didn't deserve to finish above them.
I'm sure that there is some logic/a master plan for this, but if there are five other teams in Division 1, and Hampshire have four more games to play, who do we not play? Somerset, because we have already played them? Or some other team (of the five)? I could look things up, I suppose, but I'm lazy.
You carry through half the points you got off the other team from your group, but don’t play them again.
The format for next season hasn’t been decided yet. Still means you’re in with a shout of winning the Championship this season though, plus the top two play at Lords for the Bob Willis Trophy.