Wooden Spoon??

[flashyfox]

Leicestershire require 5 points from the final game against Northants to avoid the wooden spoon. As Northants are pushing for promotion its going to be tough for Leicestershire i think.

From the official website:

'Still, they are in the mix and County will be hopeful of climbing off the bottom of the table in the final game. They side are three points behind Surrey - who host Glamorgan at The Oval in their last game - and five behind Middlesex, who have finished their season.

As County have lost less games than Middlesex, five points will ensure they do not finish bottom. However, the team will want to put clear daylight between themselves and Middlesex, and at the same time make life tough for Northamptonshire. All is very much still to play for.'

 

[Redditch Fox]

Leicestershire require 5 points from the final game against Northants to avoid the wooden spoon. As Northants are pushing for promotion its going to be tough for Leicestershire i think.

From the official website:

'Still, they are in the mix and County will be hopeful of climbing off the bottom of the table in the final game. They side are three points behind Surrey - who host Glamorgan at The Oval in their last game - and five behind Middlesex, who have finished their season.

As County have lost less games than Middlesex, five points will ensure they do not finish bottom. However, the team will want to put clear daylight between themselves and Middlesex, and at the same time make life tough for Northamptonshire. All is very much still to play for.'

When clubs "all is very much still to play for", it generally means that 'there is next to nothing in the game for us'.

If the weather stays reasonably fine then it should be relatively easy to collect 5 points.

 

[glyn]

5 points should be no problem.

The Kent game just finished was a replica of around 5 others this season - shocking first innings with the bat on the first day, a heavy first innings deficit, and a very good second innings performance with a standout innings.

Boyce must have really bottled it on 98 with a first ton of the season in sight, but Nixon did very well and must feel he has put a marker down to be the 'experienced opener' we need next season!

 

[bocadillo]

The Kent game just finished was a replica of around 5 others this season - shocking first innings with the bat on the first day, a heavy first innings deficit, and a very good second innings performance with a standout innings.

The way the game went at Canterbury was probably more influenced by the fact that Kent won enough bonus points in the first innings to secure the divisional championship and didn't appear to give a shit afterwards.

 

[flashyfox]

I'm not sure if 5 points is no problem Glyn. Means we have to bowl them out (3pts) and score 250+ in first innings (2pts), or secure a draw with a couple of bonus points or win the match. Seeing as though we've been so inconsistent, especially in our batting first innings, it could be a struggle.

 

[flashyfox]

Northamptonshire 461/6 (95.0 ov)

Leicestershire

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to field

Day 1
Northamptonshire RR 4.85
Last 10 ovs 85/1 RR 8.50


Great performance so far. If we don't get a decent first innings score, the wooden spoon is very much on!

 

[fox58]

Northamptonshire 461/6 (95.0 ov)

Leicestershire

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to field

Day 1
Northamptonshire RR 4.85
Last 10 ovs 85/1 RR 8.50


Great performance so far. If we don't get a decent first innings score, the wooden spoon is very much on!

thats after having them rocking at 44-4

 

[glyn]

Northamptonshire 461/6 (95.0 ov)

Leicestershire

Leicestershire won the toss and elected to field

Day 1
Northamptonshire RR 4.85
Last 10 ovs 85/1 RR 8.50


Great performance so far. If we don't get a decent first innings score, the wooden spoon is very much on!

Let's just hope we get 3 wickets in the morning to make it easier...or hope for a bit of rain :icon_lol:

 

[glyn]

Northamptonshire 600/8d
Leicestershire 218 & 30/2 (9.3 ov)
Leicestershire trail by 352 runs with 8 wickets remaining


Well that's us stuffed then

 

[Redditch Fox]

This is what happens when you field such a weak side against a relatively strong and motivated team. This is a Leics team almost as weak as the one thrown together for the infamous Pro-40 game at Edgbaston. The difference being that on this occasion we didn't have too many options given that most of the better players have gone home early.

Yes - James Taylor has had a great season -especially in the championship - but this shouldn't distract from the pitiful season. To be honest I didn't expect a great deal but overall this has been seriously miserable stuff.

 

[fox58]

we have tended to bat better in the 2nd innings of gamess but will have to go some to save this one, and it dosen't look like the weather is going to help much

 

[Fox From The Hudd]

To be honest I didn't expect a great deal but overall this has been seriously miserable stuff.

Is this the worst you've ever known?

I've been following them since the days of Illy, Davo etc and it's definitely the low point for me!

 

[flashyfox]

So its confirmed. Innings and 196 run defeat. Bottom of the pile and what a pile of **** we are. What a depressing end to a miserable season. Over and out.

 

[fox58]

So its confirmed. Innings and 196 run defeat. Bottom of the pile and what a pile of **** we are. What a depressing end to a miserable season. Over and out.

we still have 1 pro 40 game we can get a good thrashing at:icon_sad:

 

[Redditch Fox]

Is this the worst you've ever known?

I've been following them since the days of Illy, Davo etc and it's definitely the low point for me!

The first game I saw was a championship match against Middlesex Compton, Edrich etc) in 1953.

We had very weak sides throughout the 1950's but some interesting and talented players e.g. Tompkin, Palmer, Walsh , Hallam and a bit later Watson.

I would say that we are now the worst ever - for at least 60 years and unfortunately I don't see any clear ways of things getting better. I don't buy the propaganda that we have a bunch of very talented young players which will take us steaming forward. Clearly, Taylor has had an exceptional sweason but let's see now what happens next season once his gtame is widely known on the circuit. In anycase we seem quite unable to retain our better players. But in the general i think most of the youngsters are getting lots of games because we are short of experienced players.

I can't even blame the management because I'm not sure that there are too many answers for a financially struggling county with such a low membership and poor attendances. But i do think that the coaching staff needs a good shake up and some stronger leadership brought in. At the moment David Smith as CEO seems to be running everying on and off the pitch and I'm not sure this is the best thing.

 

[PONTUS KAAMARK]

I first starting watch county in 89 in the year Gower left. We then went through a lean period in the early part of the 90's during which we were relatively poor but this is the easily the worst state the club has been in since I first started supporting them both on and off the pitch.

Even with a few potentially talented youngsters it looks like a barren few years are ahead. The club need to do something to make the place more attractive to potential signings but with very little cash it is very hard.

 

[glyn]

I first starting watch county in 89 in the year Gower left. We then went through a lean period in the early part of the 90's during which we were relatively poor but this is the easily the worst state the club has been in since I first started supporting them both on and off the pitch.

Even with a few potentially talented youngsters it looks like a barren few years are ahead. The club need to do something to make the place more attractive to potential signings but with very little cash it is very hard.

Ditto, have been following them for slightly longer but this is definitely the poorest side we've had.

But funnily enough going into the last game we had the same W-L-D record as some of the top 4 I think, so our first innings performances have really cost us and a couple of inspiring signings can turn things around (where they will come from however....)

This young crop of bowlers we keep hearing about is never going to make anything special, look at Broad it was clear from the start he had something. But they are not even taking the wickets to suggest that they will be good county pros. Naik has progressed but at a fast enough pace?

Cobb had the archetypal difficult second season, although he scored a couple of good innings in difficult situations (e.g. Middlesex) to suggest there might be something to him. Moving him about and in and out of the team probably didn't help.

Boyce had a second average season in a row, and I suspect will struggle to become a 40+ average player.

New did well for two-thirds of the season but then had one of his really bad runs with the bat. No tons either. I can't speak about his keeping but seems to be rated highly. About time he stepped up, anyway.

Dippenaar and O'Brien were at least solid overseas players.

 

[Redditch Fox]

Yes - the talented youngsters thing is something of either a self-delusion or a con. Taylor is clearly highly motivated and determined and is likely to make the grade but there is nothing exceptional about any of the young bowlers - I doubt if any of them will make a Terry Spencer let alone a Stuart Broad!

There is no cutting edge to the attack and the batting is extremely fragile and particularly so now that the best bat, HD, has gone for good and its apparently ok for the captain, Dippenaar, to return early to prepare for the South African season.

But as most of us are saying - what can be done to make things better? And frankly there doesn't seem to be a lot of obvious answers. The Kolpak County policy was obviously short term and got cut off at the knees anyway by the regulations re-interpretations. The big change from years ago is that buying in fringe but talented players from bigger counties seems no longer affordable. The players we do now bring in from other counties tend to look a bit more shabby than years ago.

 

[CM]

Tonight beaten by a reserve Surrey side to finish 8th in the Pro40.

I can only suggest that Tim Boon's rein should be ended with immediate effect. We've gone backwards under him and now we've sunk to the lowest ebb in the club's history. We aren't competitive on any level in any form of the game.

Despite what people say, we've had five international players in the team this year. We've had some very talented young players come through and Boon has had three years to bring in other players that he likes the look of.

It just seems like he has no idea how to turn the club around and he inspires no one. We're making the same mistakes every game and there seems to be no resolution in sight. Its like a depressing groundhog day. I don't really believe that the Northants team that beat us the other day were that good, I think it was a disgrace that Boyce was captain, and I think it was a poor decision to allow Dippenaar go home when the prospect of us finishing bottom was a realistic one.

We need some strong leadership at the club with a clear plan of action. Boon hides behind weak excuses and flip flops over his plans for the club's future.

 

[Redditch Fox]

Tonight beaten by a reserve Surrey side to finish 8th in the Pro40.

I can only suggest that Tim Boon's rein should be ended with immediate effect. We've gone backwards under him and now we've sunk to the lowest ebb in the club's history. We aren't competitive on any level in any form of the game.

Despite what people say, we've had five international players in the team this year. We've had some very talented young players come through and Boon has had three years to bring in other players that he likes the look of.

It just seems like he has no idea how to turn the club around and he inspires no one. We're making the same mistakes every game and there seems to be no resolution in sight. Its like a depressing groundhog day. I don't really believe that the Northants team that beat us the other day were that good, I think it was a disgrace that Boyce was captain, and I think it was a poor decision to allow Dippenaar go home when the prospect of us finishing bottom was a realistic one.

We need some strong leadership at the club with a clear plan of action. Boon hides behind weak excuses and flip flops over his plans for the club's future.

I agree with all that - whilst the game itself was even enough although the atmosphere was end-of-season in the extreme except for the embarrassing and monotonous singing and chanting from that sad little group to the right of the Meet. Taylor was excellent again both with the bat and in the field.

I didn't go to the members' forum at the end because I don't believe that David Smith is in the slightest interested in the opinions of members on cricketing issues. Boyce is not really worth a place in the side let alone being allowed to captain a county side for the day. On the coaching staff, I agree that there should be changes and that Boon is not a strong enough head coach - being an England video analyst doesn't sound like necessarily the beat schooling for his job - but I'm not sure that the coaches have that much influence anyway at Grace Road.