Glamorgan, champions of Wales

[cde]

T20 Final against Warwickshire, Lords

Pitch: little bounce, no spin.

Lee’s run of form is well and truly over, Tully replaces him at three but we are otherwise unchanged. We beat Warwickshire comfortably in the Challenge Trophy semi-final so feel confident.

Warwickshire

M. Tennyson
D. Sublet
S. Hain
I. Sutton
E. Pollock
C. Woakes
H. Meier
W. MacLeod
N. Rule
O. Stone
T. Chatara

We win the toss and put them in to bat.

Tennyson runs himself out first ball and they never really recover. Hain hits a good half century but they can only manage 132-8, too low to be competitive.

Gill and Lloyd are our cheaply but Waits scores 64 off 48 and with help from Tully and Cooke steers is to a comfortable win.

We regain the Trophy with relative ease. The first step to the treble?

[cde]

We are away to Yorkshire next. They are without Root, us Waites. They have a good team but are sitting 8th in the table so a win should be on the cards.

The pitch is bouncy with some spin, as we like it, but they win the toss and bat first.

We take three quick wickets and have them 34-3. Lyth is looking like he is going to get out any ball but is hangs in for a fighting 63, Bairstow starts quickly but we tie him down. They are still struggling when Douthwaite, a man we released two years back for being a bit rubbish, smacks us fo 61 off 78. Still, we bowl them for 214.

Knowing that with some solid batting we could easily shut Yorkshire out of the game we collapse in a manner that gives collapses a bad name. Beasley hits a half century while Cooke, Wadlan and van der Gugten hang around but we still fail to gain a batting point and are bowled for just 181.

There is masses of time left in the match and Yorkshire already have their noses in front but I have a strong suspicion they are going to try to smash us out of the game and be too aggressive for their own good. We adopt the LO tactics and field and hope they will trip themselves up. Sanderson takes 6-26 as they duly oblige and add just 94 more to their total.

With no pressure and masses of time Gill and Selman slowly erode the target to win with 10 wickets remaining inside 3 days.

Bowing aggressive teams out in the second innings is looking very easy.

Everyone in the table has now played 12 matches and we are 20 points clear of 2nd place Surrey.

[cde]

The penultimate FC match of the season, at home to Nottinghamshire. They are 9th in the table so we should win this. Porter has returned from injury and replaces Warner, Nethercott replaces Cooke to build some experience.

The pitch is bouncy with som spin, Notts win the toss and bat first.

Compton is injured by a short one from Foyle and we take a couple more to get them to 60-2 (3). Duckett and Patel a century partnership and while Patel falls short of a half century Duckett goes on to form another good partnership with Tom Moore’s on his way to 143. We still keep them to 295.

They get Gill and Porter cheaply but Selman and Beasley put on a century together. We lose a few quicker wickets but Waites hits 153 and Wadlan 69 to take us to 455 all out.

Slater digs in do 83 and Moore puts on another 40 but they succumb to 185.

We knock off the few runs we need for another strong win

[cde]

Challenge Trophy Final against Worcestershire

Pitch: little bounce, no spin

We keep the bowling unit that has been doing so well but bring in in-form batsmen.

Glamorgan

S.Gill
D. Lloyd
J. Porter
D. Jenkins
M. Waites
T. Nethercott
G. Mills
M. de Lange
A. Beard
T. van der Gugten
K. Bull


Worcestershire

L. Welch
J. Libby
T. Fell
G. Bartlett
K. Banks
M. Ali
E. Barbard
W. Parnell
A. Milton
G. Panayi
T. Franklin

Worcestershire win the toss and bat first.

For a team that likes to take wickets we have to wait over 30 overs for our first as they put on 156 for the opening partnership. Welch’s run-a-ball 111 is great but Libby’s 56 is scored at half that rate so they will need to accelerate hard to reach a strong total. We keep taking wickets and they can’t quite get going, finishing on 261-8, a eminently reachable target.

Lloyd falls one short of a century, Waites 70not our as we chase them down with almost two overs remaining.

The limited overs champions once more and one step away from Welsh cricket immortality

[cde]

Our final FC match is away to Somerset on the liveliest pitch known to man. We field an unchanged side. We are in first place but Surrey are just 7 points behind so only a win will secure the title.

They win the toss and bat first.

They last just 41 overs and 105 runs.

With the pitch so lively we keep our aggression low, Gill and Nethercott score centuries and we are miles ahead when they bowl us for 411.

They give it a go but the result is never in doubt and the only thing more battered than the Somerset team is the cod we have with our chips on the way home.

We would go down in Welsh history as the first team to win the treble and put Welsh cricket on the map but the rugby season has already started so few people actually remember we are playing at all. Still, I’m sure the cricket mad First Minister will be pleased

[Lynx54321]

Enjoying reading this story. Unsuprised you've realised the young Welsh lads who start at Glammy and brought in some useful looking regens. Do you think any of the young lads will come good in real life? I do like the look of Callum Taylor and hope he can go on to backup that blistering ton!

[cde]

That was quite a knock he put in! Mind you de Lange scored the fastest FC century for the club recently too!

I really hope some of these lads will be able to perform well over the long run. There have been so many false dawns where a player puts in a season of good performances then fades to averaging 30 something for the rest of his career, either with bat or ball. There’s nothing wrong with being a 30 something player but when the team is full of them you are relying on a couple of batsmen and a couple of bowers to have a good day to be in with a chance.

So often when players fail to kick on at the club or do well they move away, which is rather depressing too. You can’t blame them but we just don’t have the player base to lose them.

Last year (in real life!) we did really well while we had a top class batsman in Labuschagne on top form. It took pressure off the other batsmen and allowed them to perform, in turn taking pressure off the bowlers. We need a few seasons like this where young players can learn their craft and make the most of their talent without having to carry the team.

[cde]

Lynx54321 I think the developers have a devil of a job setting the ability level of some of these young players, a few are looking very promising, but maybe there should be some more randomness thrown in.

At the moment the chances of Taylor and Douthwaite turning into really good cricketers are looking quite good but they are most likely to be 30 something guys.

Maybe in about 5% of games they just tank
20% they average 30-35
50% they average 35-40 and
25% they average 40+.

I am no expert but I think that’s the sort of odds I’d give them now.

Over the past few CC releases I’ve found that Selman has about those odds of doing well for me so maybe it’s already built in. There are a few players in the Glamorgan squad who do that, Carey has often turned into a LO wicket taking machine.

[cde]

What do you think?

[Lynx54321]

What do you think?

What you say sounds about right. Taylor and Douthwaite look genuine prospects that it would be good to see the game capture. Walker also looked like he had potential last season though unfortunate we haven't seen much this season. Morgan must be getting towards his last chance given he's 26 and I've heard that Bull and Brown have already been released so the game seems to have them down pat!

[cde]

Season Review

County Championship

Position: Winners
P14. L0. D4. Batting 30 Bowling.36. Points 246

We finish 26 points clear of second place Surrey, but a full 11 batting points behind them. We have the joint lowest bowling points, a symptom of a struggling opener and no3.. Most impressively we have not lost a game. In fact we have lost just two in the last three years.

Looking at the national averages Beasley tops the averages with Gill in 2nd and Waites 9th. Waite also comes in 9th for number or runs in the season and 7th for number of 50s. Of the bowlers Sanderson tops the averages with Todd in 3rd and van der Gugten in 6th. Of the ten most economical bowlers this year half are ours, Sanderson in 1st, Todd 3rd, Foyle 4th, Kennedy 5th and van der Gugten 8th.

It was quite a surprise to find ourselves in contention at the half way point, especially with Iqbal and Jenkins flailing around and Porter struggling. It did not feel like we were doing well until looking around and seeing how others were performing in comparison. It also took time to use Todd at first change and give up on Jenkins in favour of Beasley who had an astounding first full season, averaging a whopping 75.17. When paired with Waites in the middle order we looked fairly formidable. Better still was our pace attack. Sanderson, Foyle, Todd and van der Gugten were terrific. The reluctance to field Todd was fuelled by the need for more runs but with Beasley playing so well there was no longer such a desperate need for them. Kennedy did nothing wrong but the introduction of Todd really helped us kick on.

Hopefully with Waites and Jenkins getting called up for England and playing in the Accursed 100 Beasley should be a regular fixture and gives us a genuine dilemma over who to pick in the middle order when everyone is available, otherwise there is still a lack of depth in the batting.

The pace attack is looking great but the spin attack is an area of concern. Once Wadlan goes the whole bowling attack needs to be rethought since we will probably have to bring in an international signing if we want another spinning all-rounder. Hudson-Prentice could come in for one of the seamers but that comes with issues around his bowling style too.

This is now a fairly settled FC squad but is not without areas that need addressing or that might force changes in selection.

[cde]

Season Review

Challenge Trophy


Position: Winners

P10. W9. L0. T1

Another format we in which we went unbeaten this year. While the batting could be suspect the bowling was not. A few players were disappointing – neither Beasley of Foyle could bring their FC form into the OD format and neither could Lee bring in his T20 form. However Beard and Mills stood up and performed excellently while Bull made me look a muppet for dismissing him as a bowling option.

Gill has the 3rd highest batting average in the competition. Sanderson has the second highest number of wickets and bowing average but the best economy. Mills has the 3rd best economy and Bull the 7th.

Going into the competition it felt like a team thrown together from what was left over, especially the batsmen. I expected Beasley to do well after his FC performances but he really struggled. Most of the other batsmen gradually lost form through the group stage. When Foyle was replaced by Mills the bowling really clicked and we absolutely skittles a few teams.

More thought needs to be given to strengthening the squad for the OD cup and to how to make best use of the players we have. Warner is a case in point – he takes a long time to start scoring but can successfully pick up the pace but if he gets out before he does starts scoring quickly that can be a lot of overs wasted.

We also need to find another all-rounder or two if we keep losing them to the Abominable 100.

Then again, do we even need to pay the OD competition that much attention? We’ve won the last three years with a fairly scratch side and prize money isn’t large enough to bare signing players solely for the competition, especially if you might lose them to the Shortsighted 100.

[cde]

Season Review

T20 Cup


Postion: Winner

P17. W13. L3. NR1

Another successful season built on strong bowling performances. Gill was fantastic but the only batsmen who is out-and-out excellent, everyone else is just about good enough. The problem of who to open the bowling with de Lange took a good number of matches to pin down and both out all-round internationals were patchy, both putting in the odd potentially match winning performance followed by a potentially match losing one.

Gill has the best average in the competition, de Lange the most wickets with the 2nd best bowling average and economy, behind only Kennedy for economy. van der Gugten has the 10th best average and economy.

A difficult start to the tournament, struggling to find the right bowling combinations and the batting line up lacking dynamism. We settled into a line up that worked but were very reliant on Gill doing a lot of the leg work. Faulkner was comparatively poor, Ravichandrakumar either brilliant or awful. While we have the depth of bowling we are lacking in a really good batting attack while Jenkins and Waites are away. Hopefully Beasley will kick on in the limited overs matches next year and Nethercott can improve his consistency.

With two trophies in three years it seems churlish to complain about a lack of talent but we are winning on the back of great bowling and occasional good matches for some players.

The need for Gill or another class opener is still imperative but better, more aggressive openers need to be brought on.

[cde]

Season Review

Batsmen


Aaron Finch, 35

T20 – 81 runs at an average of 27.00, 1 50

A bonus signing and had a useful few games.


Shubman Gill, 23

FC – 529 @ 66.12, 4 50s and 1 century
OD – 325 @ 65.00, 3 50s
T20 – 628 @ 78.25, 6 50s

The rock upon which our limited overs batting is built upon, without him we would be in the brown stuff. Great opener in all formats and hard not to look to him as our main overseas player again next season.


Jeff Porter, 21

FC – 513 @ 31.94, 4 50s
OD – 52 @ 13
T20 – 269 @ 29.00, 2 50s

Struggled in FC cricket, falling in the high 80s a few times. Was on general technique training before his injury and will continue next year. Has the look of a low 40s averaging player. Solid in the T20s without being indispensable.


Tamim Iqbal, 33

FC – 135 @ 16.88, 1 50
OD – 374 @ 187, 3 100s

Horrific start to the season, so bad we dropped him, but from nowhere smashed three centuries in three OD matches. May be worth re-signing next year.


Harry Harrington, 21

FC – 46 @ 11.5
OD – 118 @ 23.60, 1 50

Very poor first season with us, will need to improve next year.


Nick Selman, 26

FC – 1008 @ 56.00, 6 50s and 2 100s

No LO matches so stayed in top form all season. First name on the sheet and next year’s captain in FC cricket.


Michael Waites, 20

FC – 781 @ 71.00, 7 50s & 1 100
OD – 70 @ 70, 1 50
T20 – 135 @ 67.35, 2 50s

Brilliant when with us and with Beasley at 4 was the powerhouse of an innings. Shame we see so little of him..


Tom Beasley, 22

FC – 902 @ 76.17, 5 50s and 3 hundreds.
OD – 65 @ 32.5
FC – 124 @ 17.71, 1 50

An awesome FC season, hitting hundreds whatever his form. Totally tanked in LO cricket. Need to see a better LO return next year but causes a headache in the middle order, the first selection dilemma based on not wanting to leave someone out.


David Lloyd, 30

OD – 294 @ 42.00, 3 50s
T20s – 56 @ 14.00

Good OD performance, poor In the T20s. A solid player when in form.


David Jenkins, 23

FC – 140 @ 20.00, 1 50
OD – 39 @ 39
T20 – 14 @ 14

A shocking season, hopefully just a blip. Under pressure from Beasley for his place


David Tulley, 21

FC – 68 @ 22.67
OD – 15 @ 15
T20 – 185 @ 20.56

Failed to take opportunities, T20 performance a start at least.


Samson Lee, 19

FC – 1 @ 1
OD – 20 @ 10
T20 – 146 @ 20.33, 1 50

In at three in the T20s when others had failed and did well. Form suffered in his T20 and FC matches, affecting his T20 form. A high flyer or a low flyer lifted on the occasional strong wind? Worth finding out.


Kiran Carlson, 24

Not used, going.


John Warner, 24

FC – 160 @ 26,67, 1 century
OD – 251 @ 36.86, 2 50s

Outside of his FC century he averaged a shocking 9.6. Need to decide where best to place him in the OD team as he takes time to get going and can’t be pushed.

Alun Wynn-Jones, 17

2nd XI – 33.31
OD – 27.79
T20 – 20.59

Extremely young and so has bags of time to improve but his averages are really poor and it is unlikely that even with a few years training he is likely to come to much from such a low base.

[cde]

Season Review

Wicket Keepers


Tom Nethercott, 22

FC – 130 runs @ 65.00, 1 century
OD – 124 @ 17.74
T20 – 144 @ 20.44, 1 50

Needs to improve in the limited overs formats, had a run of awful form in the ODs. Was given the last couple of games of the FC season to see how he went with good batting above him and impressed with a century in trying conditions, even if the groundwork had been laid by others. If there are no other wicket keepers on the market pressing to be included he needs to have a season to see if he can replace Cooke.


Chris Cooke, 36

FC – 515 @ 32.19, 4 50s
OD – 29 @ 29.00
T20 – 244 @ 24.40

A better year in FC cricket, back to his career average but 24.40 from our no5 T20 batsman isn’t enough. If he doesn’t retire will use him more as a reserve next year.


Tom Cullen, 30

OD – 83 @ 20.75
T20 – 22 @ 22.00

Played because there was no one else in reasonable form. Will stay as on.