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[Alvaro]

No, I'm saying that the bottom of Div 2 is quite poor and it could escalate upwards.
I don't understand where you're getting 'fill' from.

Look at the team that won the Championship, Yorkshire. Where are their Kolpaks? None. However, Phil Jaques was a pro with them in the not too distant past and it's not churlish to say that Lyth/Lees didn't learn a lot from him. But they also have a large catchment area and strong academy/league system to pick from. You could even argue their overseas in the Championship was their worse performing player after Gale this season.

The rest of Prince's team, Lancashire, is basically Horton (Aussie but resident), Chapple, Prince (and Kyle Jarvis, but he's played close to natch for them) plus a bunch of young English players

Sam's dear Hampshire are committed to bringing through their own, but still have a smattering of quality old pros maintaining a healthy balance.

Both can work in harmony to produce better cricketers.

Also counties are INCENTIVISED to play youngsters from their academies with cold hard cash. A balance can and probably has been found in Div 1. Below that, harder to say.

p.s. Cachopa at Sussex is another Kolpak who pops to mind

[Rob580]

Are you happy to say then that if some of young lads could fight themselves out of a paper bag that English cricket is poor?  The ECB really need to have a good hard look at the development systems if we have to fill sides with foreigners!

At the end of Page 1 of this thread you wanted to know what the idea of a Kolpak player was, now you're up in arms about it!

None of the sides are filled with foreigners (Northants used to be but thats another story) each county probably has 1 or 2, generally they're seasoned experienced pros who are committed to their club and help the younger players develop by showing them how to be a professional cricketer, i would personally rather that than a team of wet nosed young English players learning from each other!

Sometimes you just need a bit of experience in a team, and if all you've got is young players then you have to look somewhere!

And tbh, Leics would struggle to fight their way out of a bubble at the moment, let alone a paper bag....

[Sam]

Yep Sam, all three of those hardly give/gave anything back right?

Pothas was English qualified near the end of his career too.

Is Ervine English qualified yet? Been here quite a while now, remember when there was that fuss over him going back to play for Zimbabwe but he decided against it valuing his county contract higher.

[Alvaro]

I'm not sure. He could be if he wanted to be if that counts?

Ryan ten Doeschate said he would never play for England but is another Kolpak.

[RSpall]

Alvaro are you well??? Williamson had the second highest average in the side out of the regulars, and 11th overall in the league, taking out 3/4 of those as well for getting big scores and just playing 1 or two games. Disregard ballance who was with England most of the time, and not even English! They have done well don't get me wrong. They seem to know how to bring them along well.

Experience does do well in sides i know that. young players do need the opportunity first though to get somewhere.

A friend of mine from Cornwall this week made his debut for Notts and wacked a ton in the first innings. That will have given him a serious platform for a career now hopefully. If Notts were still in with a chance of winning the title then i'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been given the nod. Newell's comment was 'the league is out of our hands so im going to give a couple of youngsters a game'. Luckily Jake grabbed his opportunity.

[joeljonno]

http://m.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/10567574.York_batting_star_Jack_Leaning_heading_to_Australia_with_Phil_Jaques/

Here's an article about Phil Jaques taking Jack Leaning to Australia last winter. This season Jack is a regular in the Yorkshire team that won the championship.

That trip helped him a lot.

The last game, a title decider vs Notts, Yorkshire chose to pick Jack ahead of Kane Williamson.

[Rob580]

Alvaro are you well??? Williamson had the second highest average in the side out of the regulars, and 11th overall in the league, taking out 3/4 of those as well for getting big scores and just playing 1 or two games.

Williamson of course being an Overseas player, not a Kolpak player......

[Alvaro]

Williamson has good numbers, but most of that average derives from a BIG hundred in one game.
Lyth and Lees more tons and a very productive opening pair.
Bairstow, a fair few match-changing innings, and took his catches.
Leaning, did more than can be expected of a greenhorn.
All the bowlers did well - and Rashid got important runs too. Williamson was less productive over a period and wasn't missed when away on int'l duty.

Notts do have a higher average age than most, but then they also get the chequebook out more than most. Well done to your friend. I hope he gets a chance in more competitive circumstances.

[RSpall]

The last game, a title decider vs Notts, Yorkshire chose to pick Jack ahead of Kane Williamson.

Sorry to let you know but Kane had gone back to play for is side in the T20 champs league and didn't get dropped.

[joeljonno]

He was in the squad list released by Yorkshire so that return was probably a result of this decision.

[RSpall]

He would have had to fly back Thursday or Friday to play for his club back home, so I'm guessing he chose to play back home and let them select another player. He's probably picked up a decent cheque for it so I know which game I would be playing.

[Sam]

I'm not sure. He could be if he wanted to be if that counts?

Ryan ten Doeschate said he would never play for England but is another Kolpak.

Is he definately a kolpak? I seemed to believe he qualifies as simply a European citizen?

[Vic Nicholas]

Nash is Jamaica born I think
Goodwin & Anthoony Ireland are Zim

Nope.

Nash is a Queenslander.

His parents are white Jamaican's.

[Alvaro]

Thanks Vic - twas from a befuddled part of my brain.