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It’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 much as we do, here’s a simple take on the state of play.
Let’s take things one step at a time. Put simply, if Middlesex beat Yorkshire, they will win the County Championship. Only if they fail to achieve this will ‘the permutations’ come into play.
We will go into ‘the permutations’ in detail only if it starts to look like Middlesex won’t win. We will however give you a couple of pointers which should help simplify things.
Yorkshire need to beat Middlesex to even be in with a chance of taking the title. Even with bonus points, a draw is not enough for them.
Somerset have to beat Nottinghamshire for them to be in with a chance.
Let’s start with that and then revisit what needs to happen for what outcome once they’re underway.
Thank you!
What Somerset need to do, above all else, is lift that infernal 120+year hoodoo and win the bloody thing at last!
I am absolutely bricking it, btw. I wonder if less or more so than Mr Ladd and co, who’ve had to wait a mere 23 years.
I tend towards squeaky rather than bricks in these circumstances, Mike.
Too much information there for almost all King Cricket readers, but I felt that your question deserved an open and honest answer.
I’m sure I’ll started caring tomorrow. As long as the Cricinfo Liveblog’s large and vociferous Yorkshire contingent aren’t satisfied, I’ll probably be okay.
Curious first sentence, Balladeer.
Clearly you are tense, but I wonder which tense?
Ged: at present, it isn’t perfect.
Squeak
vb. n.
to squeak.
1. vb. to copulate in a not so vulgar manner, esp. with someone you don’t know. eg. Hey, why don’t we squeak?
2. vb. to flirt sexually or be seen to “pet heavy” on another in public so that it seems the two of you might copulate then, or sometime in the near future. eg. Holy shit, look, Ged and Daisy are getting a little squeaky over there.
Future Imperfect?
After that, I dread to think what your translation of bubble and squeak is over there.
Oh for the love of God let’s stop the fighting and just play some cricket, shall we? May the best team win – everything, eternal glory and all – and if the best team can’t win, please let it be North London over those Leeds Lastofthesummerwhiners.
Cricket is quite unique for allowing you to properly preview the matches once they are nearly over.
Correspondence chess may be cricket’s greatest rival.
Middlesex 34/2
Somerset 33/2
Still waiting for ‘permutations’.
Summary, Lunch, Day 1
Soms 99/2 (33ov)
Middx 84/3 (29ov)
Conclusions: Yorkshire are in no hurry to win this having failed to rattle through the overs. Middlesex pegged back by slow over rate. Advantage Somerset.
Meanwhile, down at the sharp end:
Two uncontested tosses:
Hampshire 116/1 (Boo!) vs Durham
Warwickshire 83/3 (Huzzah!) vs Lancashire
97/4.
Them permutations then.
Some of your top order’s techniques leave a lot to be desired:
http://p.imgci.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/252400/252423.3.jpg
John Simpson must also come in for due praise with his solid 15 of 76 balls. He’s used to settling in for some long attritional battles though, being a veteran war correspondent and all.
That is some high quality bat-levitation.
Meanwhile in the (purely metaphorical) relegation dogfight, Warwickshire 211/8, which is good, and Hampshire 325/5, which is less good.
If that ain’t a ‘come hither’ Jedi move, we don’t know what is.
That’s one for Lies About Pictures if ever I saw one.
The pitch remains slow and useless, bad light has now intervened, and it’s still looking like a permutation-y round.
Somerset meanwhile committing Seppuku…
I can’t spake. (Continues to spake)
Does that shocker of a collapse actually matter? Barring bonus-point permutations, it might actually expedite the match situation at Taunton, needing to win anyway.