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[ProCricketer1982]

After 6 wins from 6 we went away to 2nd in the league hoping for a competitive game, that was a mistake.

90 over game as we lost 10 due to the giant hole in the covers and lack of willingness to mop it up. their whole attitude was the same throughout the game.

We declared on 257 after 45 overs, pretty good score with a slow outfield and accurate bowling, I managed 56 but got stuck and whacked one up in the air. we thought they would at least attempt to chase it and bail out if we got into them, what happened was a complete waste of a Saturday. their skipper came out to open with a face like thunder and proceeded to block everything, considering the amount of verbals we took from the idiot while we batted he made himself look a little foolish and got a huge send off when our umpire gave him out on 21 from 44 overs.

they ended up on 149-5 from 45 - mainly due to us throwing a few pies to try and buy a wicket.

Games like this even more emphasize the need to scrap timed games and go 50/50 all season.

im looking forward to the return fixture to see how they play it when they have to hit the ball off the square

When a team has no interest in chasing from the off its bad but draw cricket means you can't just slap up big scores and expect teams to chase.. You have to have wicket taking bowlers to win games.. Hence why it's a more skilful game both technically and for captains . Win lose is just as Boring half the time

[TangoWhiskey]

When a team has no interest in chasing from the off its bad but draw cricket means you can't just slap up big scores and expect teams to chase.. You have to have wicket taking bowlers to win games.. Hence why it's a more skilful game both technically and for captains . Win lose is just as Boring half the time

Agreed. Our league we play both formats. We have just joined a league and spent the first 6 games racking up. Only ended up bowling out a side once in the overs stuff as for some reason the oppo were happy to bat out the overs. No problem but it was boring in the field.

[felix]

Call me old-fashioned but I quite like the Surrey Championship mix of time and overs games through the season.  I agree that sometimes overs games can be just as boring without much incentive to take wickets, so captains have to be much more creative.  I think the trouble with the time games is that the higher level you go, the better the wickets are and so it's all too easy for a side to bat out the overs if they really want to play it that way.  Not a problem we have much in 3rd XI.  There's no points incentive for a losing draw, except for denying win points to the opposition.

[Warneymonster]

When a team has no interest in chasing from the off its bad but draw cricket means you can't just slap up big scores and expect teams to chase.. You have to have wicket taking bowlers to win games.. Hence why it's a more skilful game both technically and for captains . Win lose is just as Boring half the time

we felt the track was good enough to give them a chance of a chase, if we could score 250 then most teams could. The reality was that we gave our batters 5 overs at the end to get as many as they could and we ended up getting more than 50, up until then it was probably just about par.

you don't win many games in our league without bowling teams out, this was the first time this season he haven't done it but on a flat deck like that not many teams will be bowled out unless they are attacking

I certainly don't expect teams to chase everything, but to come out to bat having decided not to bother at all makes a mockery of the overs format. we have batted for a draw many times but 99% of the time we start the chase looking to win and when it becomes impossible have to graft our way out of it. If all teams took that approach to it there would be no problems at all but there are the odd few who see the format as winning draw/ losing draw cricket.

[GoodLeave]

Do you guys not get bonus points for being within a certain percentage of the total? Gives a bit more impetus to get a score in our win/lose league.

Sure, teams still bat it out to deny the oppo the two bonus points for bowling them out, but they set off looking for those bonus batting points for getting within 80/90 percent. Seems to make most games decent to play in.

[FattusCattus]

It may have changed this year, but my understanding for our 4's as an example is 20 points for a win, 4 points for a winning draw and 1 point for a losing draw.  A bonus point is awarded for scoring more than 150 in the chase.

who wants 1 point that much?

[ProCricketer1982]

It may have changed this year, but my understanding for our 4's as an example is 20 points for a win, 4 points for a winning draw and 1 point for a losing draw.  A bonus point is awarded for scoring more than 150 in the chase.

who wants 1 point that much?

1 pt is better than none for losing

[ProCricketer1982]

we felt the track was good enough to give them a chance of a chase, if we could score 250 then most teams could. The reality was that we gave our batters 5 overs at the end to get as many as they could and we ended up getting more than 50, up until then it was probably just about par.

you don't win many games in our league without bowling teams out, this was the first time this season he haven't done it but on a flat deck like that not many teams will be bowled out unless they are attacking

I certainly don't expect teams to chase everything, but to come out to bat having decided not to bother at all makes a mockery of the overs format. we have batted for a draw many times but 99% of the time we start the chase looking to win and when it becomes impossible have to graft our way out of it. If all teams took that approach to it there would be no problems at all but there are the odd few who see the format as winning draw/ losing draw cricket.

You're using one very specific game as an example of why a format is poor. Sure, you may have thought it was a 'par' score etc but, what happens if they know they can't chase it ? Maybe kissing a batsmen or two that week ?? Sometimes, maybe a team bowls really well but are economy bowlers not wicket taking . Yes it's harder, yes you have to work for your wickets more but isn't that fun?

Win lose when a team rack up 300 and a team maybe gets a bad start knows by 20th over its game over.. At that point, what do the batting side have to play for ?? A draw gives you a reason

How many times do bowling sides just bowl average balls and just wait for a batsmen to have to do a daft shot ? Not really much tactics etc in that. If you are forced to think about how many you set as a target, think about taking wickets rather than run saving etc etc.. Far more interesting game to play in generally, unless of course all you want from games are 300 plays 180ao the majority of the time. Gets a little boring, just as a team blocking from ball one would get Boring.

Personally, I played in more 'interesting' games in two years of draw cricket than in 3.4 years of win lose. Win lose generally you know whose going to win very early and it's pretty boring watching batsmen try and score at silky run rates when you know they'll spoon it up soon either way.. Oh yep, now your out. No incentive to work for wickets as you know batsmen will gift you them.

Teams should be good all round teams, both good at batting and bowling..if you can score 320 but can't bowl a side out then you don't deserve to win.

[alexhilly1492]

Midweek friendly t20 opened the batting! Wet and slow, bounced excessively but with no pace in the wicket and the odd one really sticking in he pitch manage to get 12 then chipped  a catch to cover, felt in decent nick again feet moving well so feel as though the decent score is just around the corner.

Bowling wise 3 overs went for 16 but took 2 caught and bowls in 3 balls

Good fun but wicket didn't help batting at all, we defended 128

[mohawks94]

Shocking weekend from CSG.

For some reason we won the toss and batted at White Waltham, and after being 53/0 from 11, got stuck badly. Ball wasnt coming on much, and apart from 1-4 getting double figures, I was the only other down at number 10 with a lusty/agricultural 17. Sliced my first ball through point for two and immediately regretted forgetting my pankillers for my broken finger. Got the reverse sweep out a couple of times before being last out for 142ao. Bwoled ok, 8/0/21/0, but probably too quickly for the wicket. Missed a catch belted at me that i could only go one handed at in the dark, but saved 3 runs. Lost by 6 wickets in the end. Seconds lost by 9 to Harpsden, though mum put on a good tea for them.

Have the pleasure of a colts committee meeting this evening, where my Sunday cricket report will be very short, weith only one game played, and I will rant about the lack of seniors getting involved in the colts (3 of us only).

[shax12]

Scored 24 on Saturday and 35 Sunday in a T20 game. Need to convert my starts into big runs.

[traditionalslogger]

Its been a turbulent couple of weeks at my club.

The first team captain, only voted in this season, left at the beginning of last week taking the opening bat and opening bowler with him and another of the young lads. His reason: he couldn't understand why people were talking about team selection behind his back.
As a club its very frustrating as we had finally reached a point where the first team had the 11 best available players and the second team had the second best available 11, a point we have been at for years due to various fractious groups.

Back on the cricket front, the game before he left we were away to Royston, the captain won the toss and bowled first. They finished 262-7 I think. Their opener batted the whole innings for 106* and his brother scored 55 off 30. Our leggie took 5-25 off 10, fantastic all things considered. My own contribution was 9overs, 1-56. Very frustrating considering my first 5 overs went for 15 but that happens when bowling in the last 10 overs.
With the bat no-one could get going and we managed 162all out. I got 28, frustrated to get out but they set good fields and it was difficult to get the ball away so I got a little frustrated trying to go at over 10 an over.

During the week the old first team captain had left I somehow managed to be voted in as first team captain, which I am delighted about but obviously going to be difficult for the rest of the season (anyone looking to move clubs in Cambridgeshire get in contact!!) Haha!

Last weekend we played against a team near the bottom of the league, who had 8 left handers in their team (a record?).
I lost the toss and on a very wet pitch we get asked to bat.
Our openers put on 150 in 31 overs, one getting 71 and the other was out in the last over for 110. The lad who got 110 had been on 14 off 21 overs at drinks. He went from reverse to 5th gear very quickly! We finished 227-3, my own contribution was 1* off 1 ball.
We then skittled them for 124, our opener taking 4fer and first change taking 6fer. Didn't even need to bowl myself!

Our seconds won comfortably by 7 wickets but unfortunately we couldn't get a side out for the first team 20/20 cup game on the Sunday (fathers day killed us!) This weekend we go to another relegation candidate but with 4 players missing (including the centurion) from last week it may be a difficult game.
Good luck  all this weekend.

[TangoWhiskey]

I had a Watford Observer Fourteen14 clash on Wednesday. We bowled first and bowled well, restricting them to 127, which was probably slightly below par if anything.

I opened and put on 50odd for the first stand in 4 eight ball overs and we looked to be cruising it. Then we lost a couple of wickets which halted our momentum included our no 4 getting out stumped by a yard for a GD. An over or so later I somehow swatted a high full toss straight to long on for 47 and that left too much for our lower order to do, eventually losing by 10 runs.

Extremely disappointed with how I got out myself, I've been batting well this year and really backed myself to chase the total down. Not often you feel quite so miserable dragging yourself off for 47.

[Jamesfield]

caught on 48 tonight against a touring side in a T20. Bring on tomorrow!

[Seniorplayer]

Had to pull out today due to family illness.