2015 Hampshire Thread

[st_brendy]

So an innings of two decent partnerships and two mini collapses and more woes for Vince, Smith and Berg.

I guess we have to give Edwards a few games but he looks like he's a mile away from being the next Marshall or Roberts.

It's been over a year apparently since he play a first class game. He's also never played county cricket before, so has very limited experience of English conditions. We may or may not ever get satisfactory (or better) performances from him, but yes as you say we need to give him a few games first to at the very least get him match fit.

Given that, realistically, we were always going to lose this game, wasting a bowling slot for this game on helping to get him fit actually is probably no bad thing. (By which I mean had this game been, say, Somerset, we'd have been needing him to perform from the get go).

[st_brendy]

Realistically Yorkshire have enough runs already. But given there's still four sessions left, and they have six wickets in hand, there's no real reason for them to take any risks and declare now. Guess they'll come out for an hour (maybe 45 mins if things really go well for them) after tea, and then put us in. Give themselves somewhere between 105 and 115 overs to bowl us out, whilst setting us a rather notional target of 420 - 450.

It's these final day situations - be it saving a game, or chasing a score - that we most rely on Jimmy. It is what he is best at. So defeat is practically a certainty without him this game.

[st_brendy]

And there is the declaration. Notional 449 to win. 117 overs to bowl I make it, so plenty of use of a second new ball should Yorks need it.

[st_brendy]

0 & 1 for Terry. Even Gatting could have managed that.

[st_brendy]

Carberry gone for a golden duck. We're into our awful middle order after just nine balls

[budgetmeansbudget]

Bloody dreadful.

Vince, what is up with you? Abject.

[budgetmeansbudget]

0 & 1 for Terry. Even Gatting could have managed that.

That is the worst insult you can aim at any Hants player, but sadly true in this case.

[st_brendy]

50 for Smith. Irrelevant for this game you would imagine, but potentially important for the weeks ahead.

[st_brendy]

Thankfully it is all over. Utterly destroyed. Apart from the first session or so, we were never in that game. Yes we were without Jimmy, Wheater and Bird (and choose to leave out Wood and Briggs), but there's no point using that as an excuse to paper over the cracks. We are miles behind Yorkshire these days. In the first three games, I have been able to find some positives, and also some chinks in the opposition's armour. Not this game, on either front.

[haggishants]

At last a win for Hampshire! Hope we can start to do better in the County Championship now.

[captaincolly]

At last a win for Hampshire! Hope we can start to do better in the County Championship now.

Hampshire one of the very best one day sides and I think you have a team good enough for division 1 in the CC, it's been a tough start but still lots of games left to start winning.

[st_brendy]

Fidel's first over tonight was one of the best - and fastest - overs I have ever seen bowled in t20 at the Rose Bowl. Could easily, easily have been a double, a triple, wicket maiden - in the end, it went for one run (off the last ball) and yielded one bowled.

RTD's 6 off the first ball of the last over aside, Arafat has stepped right into Abbott's shoes in terms of death bowling.

Only complaint of the night that I have is that Jimmy and Slug should have scored another 8 - 15 runs in those final two overs. It could have easily cost us against a better side (one not so massively reliant on RTD and Napier).

[mark the hawk]

good win and good performance last night , and I agree with Brendy , Fidels first over was QUICK.

Impressed with Arafat as well and also with Shah , he seemed to be bimbling around and then you look at the board and he's got 30 odd in no time , Jimmy's fifty was worth the admission alone , off only 22 ball as well

I thought this year might be a struggle in one day cricket but on last nights showing I might be proved wrong

[st_brendy]

good win and good performance last night , and I agree with Brendy , Fidels first over was QUICK.

Impressed with Arafat as well and also with Shah , he seemed to be bimbling around and then you look at the board and he's got 30 odd in no time , Jimmy's fifty was worth the admission alone , off only 22 ball as well

I thought this year might be a struggle in one day cricket but on last nights showing I might be proved wrong

My only question mark over the side this season was Fidel. If he's on form, then our attack looks very good for this level. Probably our second best ever t20 attack, after Dimi, Cork, Briggs, Tahir and Afridi on slow, turning wickets. We actually have options at the death! If we don't want Wood bowling in the last three overs, we don't need him to now!

It's only one game of course, still a long way to go, but it's a good sign so far that Fidel looks like he can produce the goods (I had no doubts over Arafat, he's just simply too well proven at t20 to not succeed).

As the batting, well when that top seven functions it is up in the top five in the country. If Wheater could turn himself into Buttler (smashing 4s and 6s in the last 3 - 5 overs), then that top seven would threaten Notts as THE best batting line-up in the country.

Potentially a different story in the one-day, when we may be without Shah and Arafat (Shah is available to play one-day, but not yet contracted to play - we'd probably play Dawson, and nothing is yet confirmed in terms of getting Arafat tied down as a non-overseas player).

[BringBackJesty]

It see we have been put in - have Middlesex fallen for the "looks a bit green" trick at the Rose Bowl, eh?