I think Sussex will win on finals day

All four semi-finalists from the South group in the other version of Mickey Mouse Cricket

A shame none of the "professional Northerner" commentators like Lloyd were there to witness the demise of their favourites

Is there a bigger ponce on TV than Charles Dagnall. Assume the snazzy clothing is recompense for a complete lack of personality?

Him & Daniel Norcross are two peas from the same bellend pod.

A few weeks ago, & being a Surrey fan, I had a little insurance bet on Kent to win the Blast :p

Looking forward to Finals’ Day now

As a fan, I want Kent to win the finals, but I fancy Somerset with their well balanced side.

Steven Finn joining Sussex from next season

Surrey's game against Durham next week has been cancelled because of a positive COVID case.

https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/2237019/l...-covid-19-case

.

https://www.kiaoval.com/plunkett-to-leave-surrey/

3 years? What an incredible waste of money. No wonder he is thanking Surrey. Charity.

I think it's safe to say that we 'didn't get to see the best of Liam Plunkett in a Surrey shirt' :p

Another Stevo masterclass as Kent won their first first-class game of the season :p

Stoneman’s debut for Middlesex 0 & 0

Jamie Smith again shows good form with the bat at Northampton. Will probably be called up for England in the not too distant future.

Yeah, that should stifle his progress nicely…

The dire state of England batting is highlighted in the current round of county games. Six sides bowled out for less than 150 three of them for under a hundred

Little wonder England struggle to find batsmen up to Test match cricket, pitches and players are not good enough

Yeah, I noticed that. Some of that will be because they’re starting games at 10:30am in September, but even so….

Not to worry though, Graham Thorpe says it’s The Hundred that will be good for England’s Test batsmen. We should probably just sack off the County Championship if we want decent red ball players for England :afro:

Sod's law was well at work at Hove today. I'm in enemy territory for a few days and decided to go along for a day's cricket. Having never seen Stoneman reach three figures for Surrey, I had the "pleasure" of seeing him get an untroubled 174, and break Middlesex's opening partnership record.

I saw that! He's made 0, 0 & 174 for them so far....... :D

Perhaps he was stoned, man?

Some additional heat being put on Yorkshire re the Azeem Rafiq report.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/58490078

Are Surrey now bottom of this new league? We have a game against Essex coming up. Is Olympian taking his 27 mates ? If so I have got 6 guest vouchers he or anyone can have. There will probably be plenty knocking around.

LOL, thanks mate! The '27 mates' outing is normally for a T20 game.

I will be there on Monday with 3 or 4 mates but I've got enough Guest Vouchers to cover them, cheers. It'll be my last visit t'Oval this year. We'll probably shuffle around the Pavilion/Peter May stand/Laker Balcony/Lock Balcony watching Alistair Cook bat all day which, even for a Surrey fan, won't be the worst thing in the world.

I'm going to the Oval on Sunday. Will be somewhat relaxing, merely getting my plastic card scanned at the entrance.

:D

I'm planning to take a bottle of fizz in on Monday, despite the 'no glass bottles' policy. Stewards didn't check at the last CC (or it might have been an RLC) game....

I think you'd need to be lugging a crate of beer in before they became concerned.

Surrey V Essex - Johnny Tattersall, wicket keeper on loan from Yorkshire for Surrey. Not sure the issue with Jamie Smith is.

Smith is out with a shoulder injury. Not sure why Pope can’t keep, he’s done so in a Test match before.

Burns has been rested by the ECB. The ECB were obviously happy for him to play a 5 day game but now that’s been cancelled, he obviously can’t play a 4 day game.

If anyone had any doubt how incredibly ****ed up & stupid the ECB are, that’s it in a nutshell.

Probably because he had only recently returned from multiple shoulder injuries?

Jeez, that is fecking absurd.

I assume Burns will be going to the Ashes and because he won't be in the T20 WC and because I'm assuming no warm up matches cos of covid, he should be playing as many competitive matches as possible, to prepare him for Stark and Co in OZ.

Quite possibly. Or maybe the ECB are 'resting' Ollie's gloves.... :p

Well you were right about Cook batting all day. Don't forget the Pomagne.

Besides the keeper, only Amla and Pope didn't have a go at getting him out.

Sums up the season

0-2 in reply. We've adopted the Aussie way round of the score, yes?

Wonder if cook will come out of retirement and open for England again. Went along yesterday and was nice to see him make 100 seeing last time i saw him there was his last match against India

The forecast for tomorrow suggests Stewart's dawn rain dance may have worked.

Cricket aside, it’s lovely & sunny up on the Laker Balcony :p

Is it time for Stewart to go?

We’ve been dreadful in all formats for a couple of years now.

Was there this afternoon. Another poor show. Jordan Clarke thinks it was the 100. Amla different class. Never looked in trouble.
My mate went out on a food hunt about 2.15. The only thing he found was bloody pizza. Settle for nuts and crisps. Sat in mid tier of pavilion. Good weather

Yeah, one of our party had the same problem. I nearly offered her some of my bloody marvellous home-made prawn curry & rice.

There was a definite end of term feel from Surrey today, both on & off the field.

What’s the point of the games Kent are now playing and winning? Is it just going through the motions? Is anything at stake?

The main things on offer in Division Two and Three are additional prize money and the finishing position could have an effect on next season depending on the format.

Kent v Middlesex next week to end the season and decide who finishes top of the league.

Anyone doing T20 Final's Day on Saturday? There's a group of 18 of us going.

Plus I've just had an e-mail from Edgbaston about 2022........

I got an e-mail from Surrey CCC asking me to cast my vote for player of the season

I've read it twice and it appears to be genuine and not someone taking the piss

I think I'd vote for Tony Lock or Dave Sydenham

Yet another new captain for Surrey. Still can't win the bloody toss. Getting stuffed again.

LOL, so true. Who has captained the red ball team this season? Burns? Amla? Smith? Pope? Anyone else?

Be fair, Glamorgan have amassed 18 batting points in their previous 10 matches.

On a separate note, is Chelmsford a total minefield these days? Every match they play there seems to have at least 10 wickets on day one.

16 & counting....

Make that 25 :eek: :eek: :eek:

Did they claim the extra half hour? Could have been a one-day four dayer.

I don't think Smith has captained the red ball team this year. The other three are the only cc captains we have had this year.

Well, they only needed half an hour this morning.

A four day game, over within 97 overs....

You're right :p

Glamorgan should declare once they get to 1000.

177 overs behind the sticks would've got Ben Foakes knee joints well back in the groove.
Ouch.

The only silver linings are Amla getting his county cap & the return of Foakes

Don't worry, we've signed Chris Jordan for next season !!

What with his probable T20 franchises and England ODI & T20 commitments, he'll play at least 2 games for Surrey, next season.

But hey, it's another big name at the Oval.

Sadly, it's also Rikki Clarke's last ever game. Not a good one to go out on.

Time for change at Surrey. How on earth we can be signing Jordan is beyond me. Solanki has been disastrous. Stewart not much better.

Surrey didn't lose any wickets in the hour of play after Glamorgan declared but they can still get tomorrow off if they put their minds to it

Can Surrey and Glamorgan just shake on a draw now?

I know we don't need to have results pitches like they seem to have at Essex, but something for the bowlers would be nice.

p.s. please don't see this as an attempt to jinx things!

Or even better Surrey declare and Glamorgan forfeit their second innings. I would go tomorrow if they did that. Fat chance.
Apart from this wicket the wickets have tended to be much more bowler friendly in recent times.

I think Hampshire are going to fall at the final hurdle.

1000-8 combined.

Not a great game for the bowlers or the groundsman....

As well as Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach is leaving Surrey.

Nor the spectators. No-one is really enthused by these big individual scores on a pitch like this, and the scoring rate has been pretty tedious

Well Pope is getting plenty of time at the crease. For what its worth on this wicket.
Suspect they will all be going on holiday by 3oclock

Yep, both received Honorary Life Membership from Richard Thompson last night. Good on both of 'em.

Kent are the Division Three Champions after beating Middlesex in a very good game.

We needed 373 to win and with a Robinson Century, 89 from Muyeye and an important partnership from Stewart and O'Riordan just about reached the target.

It was a disappointing start to the season and being in Division Three and winless was not what I expected but once we were you can't ask for anymore than four wins out of four. In the end it probably ends up as one of the most successful seasons I have seen with us being T20 Champions which I would have not expected six weeks ago.

I think it will be interesting this afternoon to see who out of Lancashire and Warwickshire are the winners.

Meanwhile on that road in Kennington, now over 1200 runs for 8 wickets.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ !!!!!!!!!

Surrey's highest third wicket partnership is 413 between David Ward and Martin Bicknell against Kent in 1990, so a way to go for Amla & Pope yet.

You sure it wasn't Darren (Bicknell)? Unless it was at nightwatchman, I'd not expect Martin to have batted above 7 or 8.

[EDIT]
Darren it was, with Martin down at 10:
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/AR...10SEP1990.html

Will they give Clarke a go/nice send off before they shake on the draw? Hope so.

Nice to see a guard of honour for Rikki, but all getting a bit silly now. Watching the live stream - their keeper is just about to take the new ball.......

Did he bother to take his pads off?

Shouldn't Surrey complete the farce by declaring and opening the bowling with Smith and Pope?

Match ended with a combined score of 1394-10....

I got bored listening and swapped to Warwickshire V Somerset

Is it just me? The County Championship format just makes me sad.

What makes me sad is that unless more of the younger generation can be enticed to watch the longer form of the game, any format that lasts more than a day will surely die. But if two teams produce a game like Surrey and Glamorgan have just done, younger fans will decide the formast is simply not worth watching.

And who could blame them ?

So. We are getting a 31stg rebate from Surrey. I am sure you Surrey lot will be donating it back to the club.

Most peculiar: sent in my letter of resignation to Surrey late last year. Received a confirmation email from the Ticket Office by return, all very polite.

Earlier this year received a membership card! Invitations to apply for tickets!! Thank you letters!!! And today a letter arrived from Charlie Hodgson with an invitation, should I be so inclined, to apply for the grand sum of £30.72.

What a marvellous gesture :D

Gareth Batty retires

https://www.skysports.com/cricket/ne...ssistant-coach

Why did you resign, John? The poor performances haven't been your fault entirely ;)

Well they are giving me STG 31.11. :D

That’s brilliant, ROB. They are currently a shambles both on & off the field…

I have applied for my £30 refund this year

I have decided to give the money to the UNICEF/WHO Covid-19 vaccine appeal

I hope they will use the money more wisely than Surrey CCC

The County Championship reverts to 2 divisions next season

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/58913832

As Div 1 will have 10 teams, and Surrey finished 4th in Div 2 (so, effectively 10th overall) does that mean we'll be back in Div 1 next season? I presume so

We deserve to be in Div 1 after playing so supremely well last season

Yes, the teams for each division have now been confirmed in the original link you provided. Surrey have scraped into Div 1.

:D :D

More tinkering to ensure Hants don’t win the CC...:hmph:

The tinkering seems to have worked successfully for coming up to 50 years :D

Middlesex are also pissed of with the situation, which is quite funny given how terrible they've been for the last 3 years.

:D Last won in 1973, the year I started work. I retired this year ffs!

So 10 teams in div 1 and 8 in div 2. Seems like it has been fixed for Surrey;)

Seems like they have gone with the structure and the promotions and relegations from 2019.

Notts upset to be in Div 2 but not a 2/3 majority for any alternative proposal.

Would much prefer 2 divisions of 9 and 16 matches in total but big question is how many games are played in April, May and September. Fixture list out next month apparently

:D

Had an email from Surrey today advising me that they plan to raid my bank account in January for my 2022 membership fee.

T'is a shambles that despite numerous emails from me, confirmations from the Box Office andother part of the club hasn't got a f*cking clue what's going on. They're as bad as Boris and his cabinet of fools.

Had the same this morning,informing me they have set up a direct debit for my upcoming membership.
I sent them a copy of my confirmation email saying I paid for my T20 & one day membership so why am I being charged again?
Got a reply saying I can update my membership if I want as the one I have doesn’t include the 100 !! Like I really care 😂

I had the same e-mail

Been a member so long I can't remember for how many years.
Haven't been to The Oval since September 2019 but hoping to return when there is a semblance of normality again

Money going out of my account next month. Surrey CCC the gift that keeps on taking

Steady on!!!!!

Surrey are just useless and incompetent.