Hampshire Cricket History


Start the Car
August 31, 2015, 1:44 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

James Vince made the journey from Birmingham to Cardiff for England’s T20 match but they’ve just announced the team and he’s not playing, so he may as well start for Durham. He set the domestic record for runs in a T20 season and in context, played the outstanding Finals Day innings on Saturday, so if England won’t pick him now will they ever?

Hampshire are taking 14 to Durham including a couple of Ryans who may get added to the Players’ Board – interesting selection challenge. Hampshire have used 21 players already this season – 19 in the Championship alone.

15 Comments

15 Comments

Poor lad has a HCCC badge on his cap or he would have been playing in the T20 game right now. What foolhardy, incompetent, stupid selectors in any sport could possibly not choose the highest scorer in the domestic season to play for their country ! Oh dear, we`ve lost 2 quick wickets as I write….serves them right !

Comment by Brian Scrimshaw August 31, 2015 @ 2:24 pm

It’s harder to get out of the England team than into it!
Has Hales or Roy done much this year?
Playing for Hampshire seems a handicap.

Comment by Paul August 31, 2015 @ 7:55 pm

Well it appears there was a Hampshire player involved. Topley IS joining Hampshire, maybe even on loan before the end of the season …

Comment by pompeypop August 31, 2015 @ 8:06 pm

Reading the article it seems Essex have quite a few problems…….so doesn’t it then seem strange that Liam Dawson not only looked to have enjoyed his time with them but came back firing on all cylinders?!

Having watched the T20 today Reece Topley looks to be a great signing though & the article suggests he had plenty of offers but chose Hampshire 😊

It is a shame though that yet another young cricketer feels unsettled & chosen to move from the club that has been his home

Comment by Jo Summerton August 31, 2015 @ 8:20 pm

Thanks Jo (initially I spotted your tweet). Last time we signed a promising Essex player he displaced a home-grown one and quite a few supporters objected. I wonder whether it will happen again, since we have three home-grown left-arm pace bowlers on the staff?

Comment by pompeypop August 31, 2015 @ 9:02 pm

Some still are.

Comment by Paul September 1, 2015 @ 9:25 pm

Ah! But if the left-arm bowler was signed because he could BAT better than Tommo or Barber, we might raise our ‘brows. But this one is a step above in what he does best . . . So, no. He will be welcomed, I’m sure.

Comment by Bob Elliott August 31, 2015 @ 11:00 pm

I’m with Bob on this one.j

Comment by James September 1, 2015 @ 1:00 pm

Let’s imagine Bates played this season. We might be down already – no Wheater century at Hove (won), no McManus half century v Durham (drawn), no Wheater first innings top score v Warwickshire (won). Would Bates have done that? Somerset don’t think so.

Comment by pompeypop September 2, 2015 @ 7:18 am

Playing devil’s advocate here would Bates have caught some catches that Wheater/McManus didn’t and so turned games in our favour?

Comment by James September 2, 2015 @ 10:40 am

Always a maybe of course but how many catches have they dropped? I think Wheater is a perfectly decent ‘keeper, otherwise I might agree with the Bates supporters, but I see little wrong with his keeping. I’m not entirely sure that Bates is quite as highly rated around the country as we tend to believe.

Comment by pompeypop September 2, 2015 @ 10:50 am

Not seeing all the games I really have no idea about how many catches have been dropped or indeed how many didn’t go to hand but might have done so to a different keeper. I was only really suggesting that an alternative way of looking at the argument.

I agree that Wheater is a decent keeper and feel it is likely that Bates isn’t quite the keeper he was due to not playing consistently at the top level in the last year or so. However if we had the “old” Bates available today to compete with Wheater there is little doubt in my mind who is the better keeper or who is the better batsman which of course takes us back to the original debate!

Comment by James September 2, 2015 @ 11:54 am

None of the three left arm seamers are regulars these days whereas Bates had established himself in the side. Any error by Wheats is highlighted and Bates is gaining a mystical quality to his keeping. Dave makes a good point, maybe his fans are overrating him.

Comment by Paul September 2, 2015 @ 8:27 pm

I’m a bit sorry now that I re-opened this debate. I should have kept my mouth shut, not because I disagree with other views or don’t want them aired but because we’ve been there. Michael Bates is all-round a better keeper than Wheater but Wheater’s ok and in the modern game Hampshire have needed Wheater’s runs (and approach) more. In a world of one Championship where finishing 11th wouldn’t matter, Bates could play every game and we’d love him but the world has changed and you will realise from elsewhere on here not, in my view, for the better. As for Bates being a local lad, if Jimmy Adams is dropped next week we shall probably take the field without a single Hampshire-born player. So, apologies for opening the debate again – maybe we could declare the result a high-scoring draw?

Comment by pompeypop September 3, 2015 @ 8:24 am

Absolutely David. I think we are pretty much in agreement anyway!

Comment by James September 3, 2015 @ 11:57 am


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