A lot of you will have assumed that England’s domestic 50-over competition had been and gone. The group stages barely outlasted July and the semi-finals took place three weeks ago.
The final, however, was scheduled for the arse end of the season, long after anyone could remember what preceded it. Warwickshire (not Birmingham Bears) beat Surrey.
There are different ways of chasing down an almost comically low total (Surrey made just 136). You can have a bit of fun or you can make bloody certain. In a final, the latter is what is required.
As such, who better to have at the crease than Jonathan Trott, a man who considers rocks flighty and unreliable on the grounds that they can be cracked and moved during ice ages.
In other news, what do people make of Steven Davies moving to Somerset?
It’s a nice bit of the country, isn’t it? I’d live there. Although, honestly, I’d probably keep going and stop in Cornwall somewhere instead.
He wants to keep, Surrey want Foakes to keep, and Somerset are favourites for the Champo. Can’t see why not.
Will his move to Somerset cement his ‘one to watch’ status for next year?
Just been in a London pub. Had soujourn interrupted by a bunch of people yelling “YOOOOUUUUU BEEEEAAAAARS.”
I’m cynical about the competition, and indeed the one-day forms at in general. I question its sense in a world where first class is the “proper” format and T20 is the “commercially viable” format. But if Warks. winning the title can cause that sort of response in London, especially when a London team lost (humiliatingly), that’s a definite feather in its cap.
“A London Pub”? It was the Lord’s Tavern, wasn’t it?
*format, in case Autocorrect’s mistake wasn’t abundantly clear. Blargh.
“Forms-at” is the correct manner of appealing in the wonderful sport of bureaucrickecy. In my last match I thought I had posted enough on the board but we still ended up losing by eight writeups.
You Bears.
It would all make far more sense to me if it had been The Birmingham Youbears against The Sarf London Losers,
I can also imagine tens of thousands of otherwise disenfranchised cricket enthusiasts rising to the surface and attending such-named matches.