Going out on a limb here but we may have blown any chance of another win here.
I can't believe this is what summer offers after a long winter of watching Charlton.
My usual summer distraction from Charlton is Kent CCC and West Coast Eagles in the AFL.
We all know how Kent have been this season but the Eagles have copped an almighty flogging most weeks: bottom of the ladder; 1 win for the season; on a club-record 14-game losing run, all bar one of those by more than 40 points including four 100+ point beltings; a club-record defeat of 171 points (4th worst in the 126-year history of the league); often as many players out injured as available to play.
In recent years it's been very rare for me to say "I can't wait for Charlton's season to start".
I'm not entirely sure I can say it now so I'll settle for "all organised sport must end for the sake of my sanity".
Downton going , Walker is probably odds on to follow unless there is a massive U turn. Looks like they are skint as well so wont be able to buy their way out of trouble like the Test Ground based Counties.
I suppose the academy will have to produce some stars and sharpish , but i dont know how many they have up their sleeve.
Downton going , Walker is probably odds on to follow unless there is a massive U turn. Looks like they are skint as well so wont be able to buy their way out of trouble like the Test Ground based Counties.
I suppose the academy will have to produce some stars and sharpish , but i dont know how many they have up their sleeve.
The answer to that is that they have some promising youngsters but none that are ready for first team duty. Of them, Jaydn Denly (batsman and left arm spinner) and Barney Ford (left arm quick) are the most likely but they are still both only 17 and very much at the developmental stage.
All done. 332 all out and Warwickshire win by an innings and 46 runs. We get 2 points from the game I believe which rather sums up our performance in this game.
The reality is that we are a reasonably good white ball team, but will always be a yo-yo red ball side. Indeed we've overachieved when you consider the pathetic number of bowlers we've brought through in the last 10 years.
Downton going , Walker is probably odds on to follow unless there is a massive U turn. Looks like they are skint as well so wont be able to buy their way out of trouble like the Test Ground based Counties.
I suppose the academy will have to produce some stars and sharpish , but i dont know how many they have up their sleeve.
Trouble is on paper the squad doesn't look bad on the whole. Plenty of players who should be performing significantly better than they are.
Downton going , Walker is probably odds on to follow unless there is a massive U turn. Looks like they are skint as well so wont be able to buy their way out of trouble like the Test Ground based Counties.
I suppose the academy will have to produce some stars and sharpish , but i dont know how many they have up their sleeve.
Trouble is on paper the squad doesn't look bad on the whole. Plenty of players who should be performing significantly better than they are.
Defeats this season:
Innings & 14 runs 9 wickets 10 wickets Innings & 15 runs 5 wickets (when we set Surrey over 500 to win) Innings & 46 runs
They are thrashings and evidence that we haven't turned up in most of our games (even our draw against Hants was probably down to the weather given that we were 95 all out in the first innings). So why is that?
Compton is the exception as he has only been with us for one and a half seasons but none of our other batsmen have ever been consistently prolific in recent years and possibly too many of them just don't have the technique or fire in their bellies any longer to play County Championship cricket. We have played 9 games this season and have amassed, as a team, just 5 centuries with not one player scoring more than one of them. I am not for one second suggesting that they aren't trying their best but do they have that "over my dead body is this bowler getting me out" attitude? So many times we see wrong shot selection, not playing straight when we should be or just plain lack of concentration as our undoing.
Conditions haven't suited but we don't have a decent red ball spinner and our seamers, with the exception of Quinn and Agar, have been poor. A few years ago we would have three bowlers taking 50 plus wickets but this season we will be lucky to have one that hits 30.
It's all rather depressing and there will have to be some sort of re-build. Some of the players who aren't performing are on long term contracts and that in itself creates issues so far as freeing up money for others to come in. Logan and Blake will almost certainly be released and Cox might well be off too but they won't be among the big earners. I hate to say it but, if we are not careful, we are heading into Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Derbyshire territory. And once there it will be incredibly hard to get out of that group. Dare I say it will be a bit like being in League 1 in football with no money to fund a meaningful promotion push and youngsters being picked off by the vultures.
I hope that I'm wrong and that we don't go down. Equally, I have no doubt that Walker will have read the players the riot act tonight if not already and here's hoping that this does the trick. Sadly it won't help that some of these will be off shortly to play some more "step and hit" cricket rather than with the Club to try and build some success and team spirit in the 50 over competition. But if we can get even a couple of draws before then or a win and a loss before that, then that will at least keep us in the game 'til the last three matches come along in September. It ain't going to be easy though!
Sadly Wes Agar's injury means that his stay with us is now over. Shame because he has been by far the best of our four overseas players this season. Arshdeep Singh leaves after the next two games so that leaves us with Linde as an overseas for our final three games and he hasn't played a single game in the CC this season.
Worcestershire batsmen 1-9 put to absolute shame by 10 and 11 today. Sent out to open following on, quite rightly. Survived until stumps, too. Batsmen think they're it and play absolutely stupid shots
Sadly Wes Agar's injury means that his stay with us is now over. Shame because he has been by far the best of our four overseas players this season. Arshdeep Singh leaves after the next two games so that leaves us with Linde as an overseas for our final three games and he hasn't played a single game in the CC this season.
Worrying times, AA.
Is Rob Key likely to return in some role or another ?
Sadly Wes Agar's injury means that his stay with us is now over. Shame because he has been by far the best of our four overseas players this season. Arshdeep Singh leaves after the next two games so that leaves us with Linde as an overseas for our final three games and he hasn't played a single game in the CC this season.
Worrying times, AA.
Is Rob Key likely to return in some role or another ?
I very much doubt it. He's earning his mint at the ECB and Kent will never be able to match that. I know Matt Walker and he is a decent bloke but in every sport players stop listening to the coach eventually. Fergie's longevity was partly due to the fact that he regularly changed his second in command so the players had a different voice to listen to. Probably time for Matt's own sanity to move on and for a whole new regime to come in and shake things up a bit.
Couldn’t find the Surrey thread but my friend has two adult tickets for the final on Saturday, said he is only looking for 75 quid for both! He can send via email if anyone is interested or knows of anyone interested !
Couldn’t find the Surrey thread but my friend has two adult tickets for the final on Saturday, said he is only looking for 75 quid for both! He can send via email if anyone is interested or knows of anyone interested !
The Surrey thread has gone the same way as Lord Lucan....
Comments
Finch 14* (48)
Leaning 28* (35)
186-3 and 192 behind
200-5
Finch 55* (135)
Evison 13* (34)
245-6 and still 133 runs behind
We all know how Kent have been this season but the Eagles have copped an almighty flogging most weeks: bottom of the ladder; 1 win for the season; on a club-record 14-game losing run, all bar one of those by more than 40 points including four 100+ point beltings; a club-record defeat of 171 points (4th worst in the 126-year history of the league); often as many players out injured as available to play.
In recent years it's been very rare for me to say "I can't wait for Charlton's season to start".
I'm not entirely sure I can say it now so I'll settle for "all organised sport must end for the sake of my sanity".
269-7 and 108 behind
Downton going , Walker is probably odds on to follow unless there is a massive U turn. Looks like they are skint as well so wont be able to buy their way out of trouble like the Test Ground based Counties.
I suppose the academy will have to produce some stars and sharpish , but i dont know how many they have up their sleeve.
331-8 and 47 behind
I'm sure that all the players involved, especially the Warwickshire ones, probably now want this finished tonight
Trouble is on paper the squad doesn't look bad on the whole. Plenty of players who should be performing significantly better than they are.
We'd got ourselves out of the relegation zone and then capitulated like that in the next fixture.
F****** poor!
Innings & 14 runs
9 wickets
10 wickets
Innings & 15 runs
5 wickets (when we set Surrey over 500 to win)
Innings & 46 runs
They are thrashings and evidence that we haven't turned up in most of our games (even our draw against Hants was probably down to the weather given that we were 95 all out in the first innings). So why is that?
Compton is the exception as he has only been with us for one and a half seasons but none of our other batsmen have ever been consistently prolific in recent years and possibly too many of them just don't have the technique or fire in their bellies any longer to play County Championship cricket. We have played 9 games this season and have amassed, as a team, just 5 centuries with not one player scoring more than one of them. I am not for one second suggesting that they aren't trying their best but do they have that "over my dead body is this bowler getting me out" attitude? So many times we see wrong shot selection, not playing straight when we should be or just plain lack of concentration as our undoing.
Conditions haven't suited but we don't have a decent red ball spinner and our seamers, with the exception of Quinn and Agar, have been poor. A few years ago we would have three bowlers taking 50 plus wickets but this season we will be lucky to have one that hits 30.
It's all rather depressing and there will have to be some sort of re-build. Some of the players who aren't performing are on long term contracts and that in itself creates issues so far as freeing up money for others to come in. Logan and Blake will almost certainly be released and Cox might well be off too but they won't be among the big earners. I hate to say it but, if we are not careful, we are heading into Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Derbyshire territory. And once there it will be incredibly hard to get out of that group. Dare I say it will be a bit like being in League 1 in football with no money to fund a meaningful promotion push and youngsters being picked off by the vultures.
I hope that I'm wrong and that we don't go down. Equally, I have no doubt that Walker will have read the players the riot act tonight if not already and here's hoping that this does the trick. Sadly it won't help that some of these will be off shortly to play some more "step and hit" cricket rather than with the Club to try and build some success and team spirit in the 50 over competition. But if we can get even a couple of draws before then or a win and a loss before that, then that will at least keep us in the game 'til the last three matches come along in September. It ain't going to be easy though!
Is Rob Key likely to return in some role or another ?