The Cricket Thread

Well, that was a pleasantly unexpected outcome, after being bowled out for 89 first innings. Hampshire top the table (for a few hours, anyway)

 

Yes Big Keith MOTM but props to Vincey for his captaincy and all the team contributed in some way...great comeback win after scoring lass than 100 in the first innings.

 

Well, well, well! What an enjoyable game to watch. Warks in the ascendancy for most but Hants have definitely mustered some great team spirit & never say die attitude. Top of the league for a few hours at least!

 

Joint top with Yorks! How big that draw seems now.

 

Massive game on Sunday now at The Bowl. In theory, Somerset are the only team who are out of it. If Lancs lose this game (which looks likely) they are pretty much out of it. If Hants beat Notts in the next round then I'll start believing. Big if mind, they're probably still smarting from their T20 elimination.

 

No, I have to disagree with that. They lost the ascendancy when they were bowled out for 116 in their first innings. They briefly were back in it when they had us 7 down in the 2nd innings but then Barks and Wheal took it away from them again. I always thought a target of 296 was quite a bit too many to chase and I was proved right.

 

To be fair I was saying that it was 50/50 when we were 233 ahead at the end of day 2, batting through to nearly lunch yesterday morning tilted it in our favour.

 

Nit picking

 

Not really, by saying Warwickshire were in the ascendancy for most of it suggests that we stole the win from under their noses which isn't the case. Once the pitch flattened out, we applied ourselves with the bat better than them, in particular our tail.

 

Shakes his head! Well that wasn’t really my point; more the team spirit, backs against the walls but yep, you win

 

Anything India can do, Hampshire can match! Fantastic win. I think Edgbaston must be a favourite ground for Hampshire.

 

Come on Lancs, force a draw.

 

Minimum 16 overs to get one wicket. Danny Lamb must be one of the best #9s out there, always good for fantasy points.

 

Let's hope so on T20 finals day!..

 

We've given ourselves a fantastic chance. But arguably the greatest hurdle is the next one. Forcing a result at the Bowl has not been easy this season, but that's exactly what we'll need to do next week.

Sure, a draw would still leave us within one win of Notts. But there would only be one round of matches left, and it'll include Notts v Yorks. It's all well and good hoping that we'd beat Lancs and they would lose to Yorks, but that just hands Yorks the victory points - and potentially the title.

A win and a draw might be enough for us (although I'm expecting us to need two wins), but realistically only if that win is vs Notts. And even then we would need at least on other result to go our way. But hey, the way this season has gone for us so far? I wouldn't bet against it!

 

I don't about you but I was still a teenager when Hampshire last won the County Championship. Should have won it the following year but rain alllowed Worcestershire to slip past to win it.

 

It's in our own hands and that's all that we could've hoped for at this stage. Two great comebacks shows that we won't give it up easily.

 

I used to bunk off school to watch Hants play the year they last won the championship at Northlands Rd & occasionally we’d even make our way to Pompey & Bournemouth grounds. Was dead easy to get a beer from the tents as well! Great summer memories for me.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/58500916

 

A strange sight emerged from the Middlesex dressing room for their match against Sussex. Two young spinners!!! And Middlesex won!! (It is the county of my birth and infancy, so I feel some loyalty towards them)