Somerset 2016

Boooooooooo

I should probably delete my post before Pinkie sees it!

Well done Middx. Table doesn't lie. We would have contrived as well. Remember Brian Rose declaration, which I agreed with.
Oh well, missing that point came back to hurt us. Another year nearer the title.

I hardly think Rose's despicable act compares with what happened today! And the extra point you missed out on made no difference in the end - it was the final over back in July at Taunton when we clinched victory.

Still, I haven't interrupted celebrating a first title in 23 years to come on hear to gloat, although there's a certain smugness directed at those who rubbed it in during the dark years - relegation to Minor Counties  and all that (You know who you are!)

I didn't think I'd ever enjoy a better day's play than the final one at Taunton, but  today was incredible. Ok, the joke bowling wasn't pretty but it served the purpose of setting up a gripping finale. Yorkshire's whinging fans will moan all winter about their England players being unavailable, but we beat them twice and have had their measure in recent seasons.

Genuinely feel sorry for Somerset who came so very close. They have a great set up at Taunton and some exciting young players. Just hope Bas has got over it by tomorrow...

The extra point would have changed Yorkshires mindset. Might have pushed on for 400, certainly wouldn't have been so reckless towards the end.

Contrivance is Contrivance to achieve a desired outcome outside the spirit of the game. Rose, Franklin and Gale, and many others. Of course Somerset wd have done the same and Middx got the better over both our games so no complaints from me.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with the spell of "declaration bowling" at Lord's today. That is the way that the County Championship (as long as I can remember it) has always worked. It has become less common since three days became four days (in 1993) and as the points for a draw has increased (before 1996 there were no points for a draw). However, this was one case where the rewards of a win completely eclipsed the compensation of a draw, and so, there was never going to be any danger of either side settling for a draw.

Whilst "contrived" may be a suitable adjective for Brian Rose's famous (or infamous) declaration, I'm not sure it really suits today's finish. Without wishing to get too much into the Brian Rose declaration, there was case that could be made for it being against the spirit of the game, but then, (professional) limited overs cricket feels to me to be increasingly contrived and against the spirit of first class cricket anyway. The lead up to Middlesex's declaration today seemed to me to be very much within the spirit of cricket. Neither side were attempting to help the other win, only trying to increase the chances of their own side winning.

Whilst, at first sight, the target of 240 in 40 overs seemed generous, I think Middlesex needed to maximise the number of overs they would have to bowl Yorkshire out, and, in those overs needed to ensure that, as Yorkshire lost wickets, there would still be an achievable target there for them to go for, and even when that target became less likely, Yorkshire still had to keep trying. However, regarding the slower scoring earlier, before Middlesex could set up a declaration, they had to avoid the possibility of being bowled out by Yorkshire (without setting enough of a target), and then they could negotiate a target once they were safe from that.

So, whilst it was disappointing that things didn't go Somerset's way today, I don't think there can be any sense of injustice or contrivance. If you want that, perhaps the final overs of the 2010 County Championship are a much better example, when Lancashire gifted Notts the three wickets they needed to get the necessary bowling point, who knows what the Lancashire batsmen thought they would gain from that performance!

By the way, I agree that things would have been very different if Somerset had got one more bonus point, either by getting to 400 against Notts or even by getting to 400 in the previous game against Yorkshire, when they finished on 390 with plenty of overs to spare. Alternatively, if either of those lbw decisions had been given yesterday when Yorkshire were on 349 for 9, things would have been very different today. If Yorkshire had been unable to win the Championship today (because they were one bonus point short) then I think it would be a lot less likely that such a target could have been set, and any run chase would probably have petered out once a few wickets had fallen.

A very fair assessment from A36 except that I disagree about how day 4 may have gone had Yorkshire failed to get that 4th point. With no hope of the title I doubt they could have shown the same intensity in the field during the final morning. However, it would have then been left to Franklin to decide when to declare and that could have been very tricky.

I've only managed to see 4 days cricket this summer but the final day of Somerset/Middx and of Middx/Yorkshire have been the best I've ever witnessed (and I'd be saying the same if Middx had failed on both occasions). While I can understand why the ECB wish to find ways to make their game more lucrative and appealing, the last thing they should be meddling with is the county championship, the jewel in their crown.

yuffie wrote:Shocking declaration.

Yorkshire don't need to take any real risks to chase down 6 an over.

The only way Middlesex were likely to get 10 wickets was set them 8-10 an over and have them take risks and get themselves out.

I only found out yesterday that Gale had promised that Yorkshire would continue the chase whatever the situation and he kept his word. I think people get carried away with T20 run chases these days - in proper cricket it is far easier to restrict runs with no restrictions on field placings, overs to be bowled by individuals and far more leniency over bowling down the leg side. I was confident from the start of the Yorkshire innings that they wouldn't get 240 and had I known about Gale's promise I'd have forecast a Middx win. It was Gale who was being over generous but of course he had absolutely nothing to lose.

(I'm getting a quote from Berkeley's for next season's champions v MCC match in Abu Dhabi if you're interested...)

Well done Bangladesh, a gripping series in every respect. And well done Ansari for showing why the selectors picked you.....nope I haven't a clue either.

I didn't feel the slightest guilt about hoping for a BD win yesterday. The ECB are second only to the FA when it comes to harming the game which they're supposed to be the guardians of, all for the cause of TeamEngland.

The non selection of the Somerset bloodsucker was quite bizarre, as was taking Hameed but not giving him an opportunity before the Indian series. Still, both Lanky and Somerset will benefit if their top players are not hoovered up by Whitaker & co.