2016 Hampshire Thread

[st_brendy]

Looks like Fidel is done for the season: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36192543

[budgetmeansbudget]

No surprise, i'd already written him off for the season.

[st_brendy]

Amazingly for us at this stage of the season, we have five players averaging over 40. Two 100s and four 50s between them. Still issues at top, but ever there things looked better against Middlesex (a 100 for Carbs and a 70 for Jimmy - still nothing for Smith though). We are still lacking a really big score - Ervine's 123 is the highest so far - but that's not a massive problem.

And with the ball we've got Tommo's firing at a 20 average, and McLaren just behind on 28. But a big drop off after that. Wood, Fidel, Dawson, Smith and now Crane and Best are all averaging over 45. Obviously no Topley and no Berg really hasn't helped, not to mention three decent batting line-ups.

[st_brendy]

We've signed Gareth Andrew (ex-Worcs) on a match-by-match basis. He goes straight into the 13 man squad for the Lancs match (given that Wood has joined the injury list).

Andrew himself has had all sorts of injury problems over the last couple of years, hence no longer being with Worcs. But on his day he's a decent bowler, and can hit the ball seriously hard. I'd rate his batting better than Wood's. I'm really happy with the signing.

Ervine is still missing with injury, so it may be that Andrew comes in for Crane (Crane being Ervine's replacement for the Middlesex) game. Partly depends if Dawson it fit enough to bowl again or not.

[st_brendy]

We've chosen to have a toss, and have won it. So we're batting. Andrew comes straight into the XI, in place of the injured Wood. Crane keeping his place suggests to me that Dawson still can't bowl (although equally it could be because we have doubts over Andrew and Best both being able to complete sizeable numbers of overs).

[budgetmeansbudget]

Never heard of G M Andrew, what's he done up to now?

[westoelad]

Never heard of G M Andrew, what's he done up to now?

Ex-Worcester-released last season. Regular for many years.

[st_brendy]

He can also hit the ball a long way. I recall him smashing a List A 100 on Sky a few years back (against Surrey maybe?), off not too many balls. But he's basically been injured since 2014.

Looks a like-for-like Berg replacement, in more ways than one.

[st_brendy]

Run out for a duck, in front of Bayliss.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Just tuned in to the score.

33/2 after 20 overs after electing to bat, bleeding hell.

Vince has just done his chances although alot of people think he will get the opportunity whatever happens.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Make that three down.

[st_brendy]

Totally our own fault this. You can always lose two quick wickets, that's cricket. But when you're creeping along at about 1.5 per over for your innings - having elected to bat! - you are always in danger of those two wickets making your score look awful. 90-4 at this stage would look somewhat better than 30-4.

[budgetmeansbudget]

57/5, awful.

[st_brendy]

McLaren has been superb with the bat this season, but he's a no.8 not a no.7. We can't expect him to save us from here, though he might. It was always a risk replacing Ervine with Crane for these games.

[st_brendy]

66-7. Not actually going to make 100 then, having elected to bat first. And against who I would describe as our first relegation rival of the season.