here's hoping the once mighty Essex

can at least give you lot a decent game !

Here's hoping you lot nick off on holiday early, what with not having owt to play for and that, and let us skittle your under-15s.

you shouldn't have too much trouble though i've heard good reports about Tom Westley who can play a bit if he gets in and Owais Shah is either brilliant or rubbish - normally a decent wicket at the County Ground especially with the good weather so it should be an entertaining game

anyway the boys usually take their holidays in sun-drenched Clacton or Sarfend !

Shah with a big hundred today, so he's probably due a 15 or something next week. The way it's going, we should/could be top two before the final round kicks off, so I'll be happy with rain all over the country for four days. Plague of frogs if that's what it takes.


Poor sods

no chance - it never rains in Essex



forecast looks good...

What about the plague-of-frogs forecast?

There's meant to be quite a few locusts descending. Otherwise known as Yorkshiremen...
















I'm just getting it out of my system before tomorrow, I promise!

A totally unfair comparison. One is a species that descend on an area, strip it clean, eat everything and leave devastation in their wake. The other is an insect.



Probably wise

would you like me bus-in 10 coachloads of Parisiens ?

strings of onions are an optional extra...

F*cking scabs.

what's wrong with them then ?

Can't see Derby hanging for another two hours with just two wickets left. It's going to be a big old ding-dong next week as Kent, Yorkshire and Derby fight to replace Lancashire and Worcs in the top flight.

They collapse when playing cricket for a start.

I'm just looking for people to blame other than our own inept players.






It wasn't directly related to your post above, by the way...

my deepest condolencies.....




never mind, Chelmsford to look forward to next season

Hope so, it's one of the remaining County HQs to tick off! Swansea and Cheltenham would make a nice change as well!

Securing promotion would alleviate some of the pain from last season, with the red roses winning the title and the cricketing might of Yorkshire suffering the ignominy of relegation.

A quite amazing turn around from Lancashire!!! Am I right in thinking Yorkshire did the same thing the last time they won the title in 2001????

Yes. Notts have done it as well.

I think it's time to change your avatar and sig. It's soooo last season

I completed my set of county grounds at Chelmsford last year. It's the third closest to my home after The Oval and Lord's, but Surrey haven't been in the same division as Essex very often in recent years and our two previous matches in Essex were at Colchester. I like both the Essex grounds, and both are in the town centre and convenient to get to if your staying in the area for a few days.

Cheltenham is a lovely ground, while Swansea has seen better days but has plenty of character. Surely Lancs will visit Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay though?

I'm now looking forward to a stress-free day at Aigburth next week, which will leave me with only Colwyn Bay and Scarborough left to do of the current regular outgrounds. I actually day tripped Scarborough two years ago for the first day of Yorks v Hants while I was staying in Leeds but it was washed out without a ball being bowled. The previous day I'd seen Castleford v Harlequins in blazing sunshine. Hopefully Surrey will play at Scarborough if Yorkshire come up.

Surrey delivered their best performance of the season last week to beat Notts, having prepared a slow turning pitch to suit the vastly experienced duo of Batty & Kartik, while Pietersen also relished the rare opportunity to bowl a ten over spell in helpful conditions with an attacking field. (I think it's ridiculous that England never made more use of his bowling.) Notts just had too many first choice players missing for one reason or another and they weren't helped by losing the toss which meant they batted last, by which time they were never going to chase down 300+ in the prevailing conditions.

Weather not looking good for the T20 at Old Trafford on Monday.

I tried change it to summat about Yorkshire, but I couldn't get it past the swear filter.





We usually do play there, yeah. Getting a bit bored of it, to be honest, despite it being a lovely ground. I've done Sophia Gardens/SWALEC/Whatever for a Test Match, as have most Lancs Members I know, so Swansea is currently on the list as a rare ground to tick off.



I did Scarborough for a Second XI Trophy Final the other year. It was cold and we lost!

Well, at least you saw some cricket!

Pietersen & Kartik both omitted from a thirteen man Surrey squad for this week's match at Aigburth.

Final XI will be: Burns, Ansari, Harinath, De Bruyn, Roy, +Davies, *Batty; then four right arm seamers from Meaker, Linley, Lewis, Jewell, Dunn, Edwards.

True! My cricketless trip was to Hove, so I know how you feel...

Dreadful start for Yorkshire. Root gone already. 11/1.
Derby and Kent both fielding first.

better by yorkshire now 86-2 but with hampshire 50-3 looks like 2nd for yorks