< 1 minute readAt one point today, Middlesex and Yorkshire ceased slithering against each other and began to slither together. Working independently, neither would reach the MacGuffin. Working together, they could get close – at which point it would become ‘every man for himself’ in a bid to wrest the prize from Somerset’s
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Yorkshire don the special MacGuffin gloves
2 minute readWe can’t help but feel that our coverage of the denouement of the County Championship is getting a little niche. In the previous instalment of our four-day mud-slithering analogy, Yorkshire had lost ground to Middlesex and Somerset because they for some reason needed to go and pick something up before
Continue readingCounty Championship Permutation Watch: Everyone needs to win
< 1 minute readPretty much. That’s the gist anyway. If Middlesex beat Yorkshire, they will win the County Championship If Yorkshire make 350 in their first innings and also beat Middlesex, they will win the County Championship Somerset need to win as a bare minimum. They then need neither of the above scenarios
Continue readingBum end of the table update
< 1 minute readCan’t be bothered doing the maths, but it’s looking like Lancashire might be the ones slipping into second division invisibility and inconsequence next season. Before this last round of matches, Lancs needed quite a lot to go against them to be relegated. And lo, it came to pass. They’re currently
Continue readingNick Gubbins claws at the filthy damp earth
< 1 minute readIf Middlesex, Yorkshire and Somerset were represented by three individuals face down in mud, slithering towards a MacGuffin, we’d have the Middlesex bloke half a yard ahead after the first day’s play in the final round of matches. Nick Gubbins has offset the pantsness of his team-mates and hauled his
Continue readingWho needs to do what to win the County Championship?
< 1 minute readIt’s the last round of the County Championship and three teams could win it: Middlesex, Yorkshire and Somerset. We rather like the ‘there’s been a bonus point at Taunton which changes EVERYTHING!’ chaos of a close finish in this competition, but if you don’t enjoy the baffled-surprise emotion quite as
Continue readingCounty cricket’s spin ecosystem
2 minute readIn recent years there has been much talk about how county cricket hasn’t been producing spin bowlers. A corollary of this is that county batsmen have been facing less spin. With just a bit of a nudge, the latter becomes something that can be exploited. This year in the County
Continue readingJonathan Trott and no ice age
< 1 minute readA 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.
Continue readingWhy England have selected Gareth Batty
2 minute read“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” At the age of 38, we have genuinely never been fitter in our entire life. We had however assumed that our chance of playing international cricket had passed. Not so! Almost as if England were Australia and Gareth
Continue readingThe County Championship state of play a few crucial minutes before the end of the second day
2 minute readWe could wait until the end of the day’s play before giving the latest round of County Championship matches a mid-point once-over, but why wait? Whatever we write will be out of date soon enough anyway. Might as well allow it to become so almost instantly. Keep on Keaton on
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