The Cricket Thread 2015-16

McLaren strikes! 15/1.

 

Fidel bowls Stoneman 17/2

 

Great start

 

Sounds like Topley signing will be announced today.

Great start today. Although I don't rate him, and I hate to see him in our limited overs sides, I do feel slightly sorry for Gatting getting dropped. He's done ok in four day cricket this season. Nothing more than ok, but that's still better than some of them.

 

Somerset being 14-4 vs Yorks is very useful as well.

And Worcs being 17-2 hopefully limits what batting points they can get - but it does also mean that a 400 plays 400 draw probably isn't on the cards, and that someone will win. I think ideally we'd rather a draw in that once. Although if we win, then who cares.

 

Official confirmation on Topley: http://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/news/fast-bowler-reece-topley-to-join-hampshire/

 

Fantastic news. Let's hope he doesn't get "homesick" like Coles.

 

Cricinfo reporting that we beat off Surrey, Warks and Worcs to sign him, and that we didn't offer him the most money (you can be certain that that will have been Surrey). But apparently he was impressed with our set-up, and Rod and Giles did a good job persuading him.

My one worry is that his contract is only for two years. Come 12 months time, other counties might already be getting into his ear - especially if he has a slightly iffy season, with few England appearances.

As I say, I'm not at all surprised that we haven't proceeded with getting him on loan for the remainder of this season. No limited overs games for him to play in, and almost certainly our final three games after this one will include Dawson and Crane. Berg, Fidel and McLaren to then make up the three seamers.

 

Not often in recent years our overseas signings have had quite this impact straight away (since the likes of Bond, Clark and Tahir first time round). Third wicket now, for less than 20 runs.

 

65/5 now.

 

213 all out. McLaren with four on debut.

That's an ok score at the Riverside. I'd have liked to have got them for less than 170, especially given that they were 65-5. Smith dropping a sitter when Pringle was only on 27 has really hurt us.

Hopefully Stevenson scores some runs with the ball, because I'm still waiting to see why he was picked ahead of Tommo (or ahead of Gatting, given that Ervine could quite easily have replicated Stevenson's figures). I'm not trying to sound harsh towards the lad, but it's just this is a massive game for us at the business end of the season. Maybe not the time to be experimenting or taking a risk.

 

Adams lasts 2 balls.

 

Vince dropped.

 

Not a good start

 

Gatting averages 46.66 in D1 this season - higher than anyone else in our squad. Infact, if you exclude McManus' two matches and Woo'd one match, that average of Gatting's is a massive ten more than anyone else (Carberry 36.34).

Adams averages 21.50, which is only 0.50 better than Briggs. He is amazingly lucky to have kept his place ahead of Gatting. But if he fails in the second innings, then that surely has to be it for his season.

 

Carberry caught by Rushworth off a no ball. Again Onions the unlucky bowler.

 

And repeat - Onions bowls, Muchall drops. Carberry this time.

So Onions already has Vince's wicket once, and Carberry's wicket twice. But the scorecard gives none of them.

 

Onions + Rushworth + The Riverside = Carnage

As I say, Smith's drop of Pringle could really, really hurt us. 213 is a good score at the Riverside. 40 too many, minimum.

 

Disgraceful shot from Smith - caught on the boundary shortly after Dawson was out. Awful batting.

 

Hampshire have passed Durham's 213. 219/8