Well Ian Bell was a pretty much sure thing but maybe there was some doubt about Tim Ambrose's inclusion in the England squad to tour India at the end of the year but both have been chosen along with Owais Shah which is very welcome as he is an excellent player whom deserves a decent chance with England.
Jon Trott has also been chosen for the "England Performance Programme squad" which will also tour India later this year.
Trott has also been selected for the squad for the HK 6s along with Darren Maddy and ex-Bear Graham Wagg.
Monday, September 29, 2008
That was the 2008 season
For a third year running i didn't manage to get to the ground as often as i would have liked but its due to circumstances not any lack of desire. What i did see didn't overly impress me to be honest, for a lot of the season the Bears seemed to be playing with a lack of sunshine. Occaisionally there were glimpses such as on some of the televised one day games i saw but in the championship it was a grind for a long time but we have to expect a new regime to take some time to get things going as they would like. I think Giles' team is going in the right location and if we can get the openers sorted out we could be a real threat to Durham's title next season.
Some things did baffle me, i personally would have preferred to see Luke Parker persisted with for another season. I'm not 100% sure with Nav Poonia yet though i did see him play a blinding innings in a SET game last year so the potential is there. I wonder at the seemingly desperate attempts by the club to sign every player out there (though a lot of it could have been rumour and paper talk) however the signing of Ricki Clarke will be a good one i feel.
My player of the season was Ian Salisbury, its great to have a wicket taking leg spinner in the side. Its just a pity he is even older than me. Hero though has to be Tony Frost, the sort of gritty county player we need more of. Not flashy but dependable. Jon Trott had a brilliant season with the bat and lets hope that can continue.
For 2009 i'd like the club to improve it's image both with us members, the general public and the cricket community. A few times this year the club came across as smug, mean spirited or evasive. Lets be sunshine cricket both on and off the pitch.
Some things did baffle me, i personally would have preferred to see Luke Parker persisted with for another season. I'm not 100% sure with Nav Poonia yet though i did see him play a blinding innings in a SET game last year so the potential is there. I wonder at the seemingly desperate attempts by the club to sign every player out there (though a lot of it could have been rumour and paper talk) however the signing of Ricki Clarke will be a good one i feel.
My player of the season was Ian Salisbury, its great to have a wicket taking leg spinner in the side. Its just a pity he is even older than me. Hero though has to be Tony Frost, the sort of gritty county player we need more of. Not flashy but dependable. Jon Trott had a brilliant season with the bat and lets hope that can continue.
For 2009 i'd like the club to improve it's image both with us members, the general public and the cricket community. A few times this year the club came across as smug, mean spirited or evasive. Lets be sunshine cricket both on and off the pitch.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
That's all folks
The Division 2 title already in the bag could the Bears get a win against Glamorgan in the last game of the season? Yes. Warks 315 & 208 Glamorgan 193 and 233. The Bears won by 179 runs. Chris Woakes and Neil Carter doing the damage. So that's it for another year, now my attention can be given to watching the Villa underachieve as usual. This blog will still run of course, there will be plenty of cricket going on around the world.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Division 2 champions
When Glamorgan went 3 wickets down it earned Warwickshire the bowling bonus point they needed to overhaul Worcestershire and win division 2 of the county championship. So whoop! Currently Glamorgan are 97-6. It would be nice to end the season with a win.
Warks 315ao
Warks are 315ao on day 2 of the final game of 2008, Tim Ambrose fell on 86 but Carts made a breezy 63. So is that 1 more point needed now, so 3 wickets? Ex-Bear Adam Shantry took 5-77 for Glamorgan.
Bears push to the Division 2 title
It was nice to go down to the ground today, probably my last chance this season, and see the Bears grind their way to the bonus points they need to win the Division 2 title. When i got there (well after the start as i had to go to the dentist first - no pain except financial) the Bears were struggling a bit with 2 wickets down already but the T team - Trott, Tony Frost and then Troughton steadied the ship.
Frosty couldn't repeat his double century antics, i actually saw his stumps go flying. That's a novelty for me, usually i am looking at a bird or a flag or something and then hear the death rattle. The T team continued with Tim Ambrose and Carter (who is an honorary T) taking the Bears up to 270-7 at stumps. 300 must be the initial target and then they just need a few wickets to get that last couple of points.
Frosty couldn't repeat his double century antics, i actually saw his stumps go flying. That's a novelty for me, usually i am looking at a bird or a flag or something and then hear the death rattle. The T team continued with Tim Ambrose and Carter (who is an honorary T) taking the Bears up to 270-7 at stumps. 300 must be the initial target and then they just need a few wickets to get that last couple of points.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Preview to the final battle
Its time for the final round of county championship matches, all eyes will be on who can win the championship... the 2nd division championship of course. I believe the 1st division is being contested too.
Its all set up nicely for the Bears, they need 4 points from their home game against bottom of the table Glamorgan to pip the Pears to 1st place. I shall be there tomorrow though i have a dental appointment first, ugh. A ground out draw would do but i think they should play for a win and take that into their championship charge in 2009.
Its all set up nicely for the Bears, they need 4 points from their home game against bottom of the table Glamorgan to pip the Pears to 1st place. I shall be there tomorrow though i have a dental appointment first, ugh. A ground out draw would do but i think they should play for a win and take that into their championship charge in 2009.
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