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The pilgrimage to Cheltenham is over for another year.

Discussion in 'County Cricket' started by GasheadinChelt, Aug 1, 2011.

  1. GasheadinChelt

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    Unexpectantly I was able to make all the festival this year. Therefore I'd like to share my thoughts on how the Shire did.

    I thought in the Kent game we were superb. Chris Taylor batted magnificently and we bowled and fielded to an equally high standard.

    Then the Notts game. I thought our fielding was poor & we gave them about 20 runs which is what we roughly lost by. On the batting side for that game, some of the senior players didn't step up to the plate and left Cockbain and the tail to try and get the win.

    Now the Essex game. Again I thought the fielding could've been better, but we bowled and batted pretty well.

    Now the Surrey 4-dayer. I thought we fought really well throughout and took it to the wire. Gloucestershire sides of recent years wouldn't have done that so whilst we lost the game I'm actually glad to see there's some steel in this squad.

    Finally the game against Lancashire. This was hugely disappointing. This isn't a great Lancashire team which, like us, is going through a transitional phrase. However we should be able to defend a total of 290 and I noticed that Gidman seemed to retreat into his shell when the going got tough. This was my main criticism of his captaincy last year and I maintain he shouldn't be captain now.

    Overall, despite the 3 losses, I am happy with what I saw at the festival and I think it bodes wel for the future. However we still need some old heads around to help the youngsters, so the departure of Lewis to Surrey is a big loss for us. I only hope the stupidity doesn't continue and we lose Taylor and/ or Marshall as well.

    I'd like to know everybody else's thoughts.

    ps Pirate49 it was nice to meet you up at the Festival on the first day. Enjoy the football this year.
     
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  2. pirate49

    pirate49 Well-Known Member
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    Good to meet you too GasheadinChelt.

    A fair summary of the festival. It sounds like you got to see more than I did.

    A strange season so far. Some 'youngsters' do show signs of fulfilling promise. Matt Taylor came from nowhere to bowl well, and
    could well be a better prospect than Payne. His brother, together with Young, seems to have pushed Banerjee out of the
    picture altogether. After the departures of Kirby and Hussein the bowling has developed better than I had feared. I think we
    can get by without Lewis He still has class but is definitely in the twilight of his career. Good luck to him.
    Marshall is a great bloke but he fails to produce the match winning performance; if one of he or Taylor has to go I'd rather it was Marshall.

    Gidman's captaincy still irks me. He has shown more life and he has been more mobile in the field. However his body language is awful.
    The way they meander onto the pitch after an interval shows no energy or purpose. I seldom see him encourage or congratulate
    a colleague.
    The t20 performances were awful. With our history and JB's background we had a right to expect more.
     
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  3. GasheadinChelt

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    Cheers Pirate. I ended up seeing the whole festival as I lost my job during it so I decided to make use of the life membership. I can't argue with anything you've written.

    What's going to be interesting is who'll be the overseas signing for next season. I think NZ might be touring next year and, if so, we'll need a new player. I had this discussion with a friend up at the festival and I suggested Chris Gayle. I know he's a frustrating player but I think he could just be the ticket if Marshall does go.
     
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