Yearbook etc arrived today,not long now :lux:

Got mines this morning but have lost track of what's going on. What's all this with the Middlesex and Glouc games. Have you got to apply for tickets for yourself if you are a member? So a member can't go without one,?

Correct. Due to the limited capacity, Members need to apply for tix (at a cost of £0). There was a Members’ Only window which has just passed, and, because there was still spare capacity, Members can now apply for tix for Guests (as well as for themselves).

If I try to buy tickets for either game I get rejected. Strange I had no communication from Surrey on the availibity. No emails. Best send them a mail

A brief summary of how everything works this summer and some key dates:

County Championship
A new format for this year. The counties have initially been put into three groups of six which is seeded based on performances in the 2019 County Championship and last year’s Bob Willis Trophy. Each side will play the others in the group home and away.

Group 1: Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire
Group 2: Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey
Group 3: Glamorgan, Kent, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Sussex, Yorkshire

Once the first group stage is over the top two sides in each group will go into Division One, third and forth in Division Two and the last two sides in Division Three. In the division stage the points earned against the team you go into the second group with are carried forward and then play the other four sides once. The winners of Division One will be the County Championship winners while they join the team in second in the final of the Bob Willis Trophy as an additional trophy to win.

The first group runs from 8th April until 6th June and 4th July until 14th July. The Division stage runs from 30th August until 24th September. The Bob Willis Trophy final is between 27th September and 1st October at Lord’s.

In a change to 2019 team will get eight points for a draw. Somerset start the season on minus 8 points because the pitch penalty at the end of the 2019 season.

Counties are now allowed two overseas players in all competitions.

T20 Blast
Back to the format of two groups of nine.
The group stage begins on 9th June and ends on the 18th July.
The quarter finals are between the 24th and 27th August.
Finals day is the 18th September at Edgbaston.

One Day Cup
The counties are in two groups of nine. I believe they have been drawn by random.
Group A: Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Sussex, Worcestershire
Group B: Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire, Yorkshire

Before the group stage begins each side will play a minimum of one game against a National (formerly minor) County.
The group stage begins on 22nd July and the final round of games are on 12th August.
The top side in each group will reach the semi final to be played at home. The teams in second and third will go into the play off round.
The play off games are on August 14th and the semi finals on August 17th.
The final is on Thursday 19th August at Trent Bridge.

Happy opening day to the season everyone : may all your rain delays be short.

And the snow delays :D

Strong start from Surrey. 12/2.

:wallbash:

A bit surprised that Will Jacks was not named in the line-up.

Yeah, me too.

I struggle to see Overton, Clark, Topley & Atkinson getting many wickets but we'll see....

Haines sat at 79% of Sussex runs at lunch on day 1.

A duck for the new Durham skipper this morning.

:eek:

:D

We could be a bowler short but on paper it does not look bad. Amla to the rescue. Where is the West Indian lad. Too early maybe?

Stoneman is stealing a living.

Burns, Stoneman, Amla, Pope, Foakes, Clark, Smith, Overton, Atkinson, Virdi & Topley

No: Roy, Evans, Jacks, Moriarty, Curran or Curran

Roach was always going to be unlikely to play this match, Somerset is a more likely appearance.

No Clarke either. Even at the age of 142, I'll wager he'll still take more wickets than any of Clark, Overton, Atkinson & Topley.

Amla gone - 118/4 as I type.

Will we make 200?

144/6

We've lost more wickets than anyone else today. I assume that with a Top 5 of of Burns, Stoneman, Amla, Pope & Foakes, the conditions are very much helping the Glocs bowlers....... :rolleyes: