Sellsy's Monday Supplement

Monday 29^th Sept 2014


The English cricket season is now over, plenty of winners, losers and a lot to look forward to over the winter, with plenty of speculation no doubt.

Somerset finished a respectable sixth in the County Championship, having been top of the table for period of about four days earlier in the season.  With Somerset only losing two County Championship games all season you would of thought they would be higher up the table, but 10 drawn games tells a tale.

It proves that Somerset are a tough unit and difficult to beat. It also shows that a few more wins could of seen them in contention for the County Championship. I am thinking back to those matches where the weather intervened when a victory was in Somerset’s grasp, games against Lancashire (twice) and Northants for example.

The recent draw against Yorkshire really annoyed me, not because of the result, but the headlines after. Somerset apparently held on for a draw. Bollocks. They went for a win, knowing a draw would always be there as back-up.

The might Set would of been disappointed not to off progressed to the knock-out stages of the T20 and the 50 over competitions. I know I certainly was, especially as they put themselves in some really good positions to qualify.

The highlight for me during the 2014 campaign was the emergence of some very talented youngsters, Lewis Gregory, Tom Abell (who I predicted would make an impact at the start of the season) to name but two. Lewis would count himself very unlucky indeed not to of been picked for the England Performance Programme Squad. Whereas Lewis misses out, Craig Overton will travel to South Africa with the EPP.

Lewis has also agreed to extend his Somerset contract, which is just excellent news. And to cap off a great season, he was voted Supporters Player of the Year for 2014, just richly deserved.

Alex Barrow, James Regan, Max Waller and Josh Davey have all been handed deals, again excellent news. Alex Barrow has done well behind the stumps in the absence of Craig Kieswetter; I believe he averaged around 40 in the County Championship. He also came on as 12^th man for England in a recent Test match against India, what great experience for the youngster.

On a sadder note, high performance director Andy Hurry is to leave the club to take up a role with England. Former coach Hurry has been named as the head of the England development programme and will leave Taunton after 13 years. Somerset’s loss will no doubt be England’s gain.

So what do we have to look forward or not look forward to during the winter months? Well, no Test matches to start, a huge disappointment, instead a host of One Day Internationals, and the World Cup early next year. With all the speculation about Cook’s captaincy and should he lead England to the World Cup, a certain Ravi Bopara has been selected in the One Day Squad for Sri Lanka and no doubt will figure in the World Cup next year.

So instead of Cook being a scapegoat for a dismal World Cup, the fingers should be pointed at the selectors for picking Ravi. He has just not performed as a One Day Cricketer, he has been dropped on so many occasions, and then recalled, the selectors must know he is just a County Cricketer and that’s all.

Enough said, I want to enjoy skittles and Thatchers tonight. Cheers

Sellsy's Monday Supplement

Monday 15^th Sept 2014

Who exactly are the champions of the West Somerset Cricket League? Divisions Two to Five have all been resolved, but Division One is still a bit of a quandary!

According to the League website, Holford are sitting pretty at the top, but Bridgetown still have their game against Roadwater to go on, which, I believe, they won. But how many points did they pick up?

Then according to the local newspaper Bridgetown gained enough points in their victory against Roadwater to clinch the title. A massive write-up submitted by Bridgetown was published, but hey, did they forget to inform the league? The league website isn’t happy about it!

And to put another spanner in the works, my sources tell me that Bridgetown’s points are incorrect by two points, and the League have been notified about this. This will make Holford champions.

Like in all sports we as punters want the right results, right decisions and especially in this case the right information, so does anyone know who has won the West Somerset League? If it is Holford, I can understand why they’ve won, their side is packed full of former Over Stowey players!

On the subject of league champions, congratulations must go to Yorkshire who became the 2014 County Champions last week, and with a game to spare. Consistently the best side throughout the County Championship season, deservedly winners – but they didn’t beat Somerset, now that is the kiss of death as Somerset play Yorkshire next week.

The only thing that has put a dampener on Yorkshire’s triumph is that their club captain, Andrew Gale, was banned by the ECB from lifting the trophy as he was currently serving a two match ban. A lot has been said, written etc about Gale not being able to be presented with the trophy, mostly from Yorkshire folk, but what does the ECB do?

Gale was banned as he breached the ECB code of conduct by hurling abuse towards Lancashire’s Ashwell Prince during their recent County Championship game. Serves him right, especially as he is captain. Somehow I think the ECB are right, as captain you should lead by example, uphold the values of cricket and things like that, so a ban is well in order. I wonder if the ECB will relent though, and do something during the Somerset game next week.

Enough of Yorkshire, back to the mighty Somerset. Two games left, all still to play for and Craig Kieswetter is back in the Somerset line-up, his first game since is horrific injury he picked-up against Northamptonshire. Two wins will do nicely, perhaps then third place and a small payout, perhaps my money back even.

Ok, Thatchers time. No supplement next week, on my jolly holidays, sampling cider in Cornwall, now that’s what I call a holiday!

Sellsy's Monday Supplement

Monday 8^th Sept 2014

During the summer months while I have been concentrating on Over Stowey’s 2^nd XI Grand Tour of the West Somerset League a lot has happened in the cricketing world, especially with my county, Somerset and my country, England of course.

So where do I start, I have so much to choose from:

·         Nosworthy – gone

·         Somerset’s average season

·         Somerset’s average signings

·         My bet, now worthless

·         Alastair Cook – should he stay, or should he go

·         Sam Robson v Alex Hales to open in Test’s

This is to name just a few.

The official line about Nosworthy’s departure was it was by mutual consent, in others words he was sacked and got a nice little pay off. He has taken Somerset backwards – it would be nice to think that other counties have caught up with Somerset’s ideas, but alas not, backwards seems to be the word mostly used about his tenure in charge.

I am not going to rip him apart, I am not like that; at the end of the day he done his best, words like rabbit in the headlights come to mind. Average signings, average performances (albeit one or two run chases), and my pre season bet has now gone down the pan.

I suppose one good thing is that Somerset avoided the drop last season, and this season they were fighting for the title, well up until the Warwickshire game, and was at one stage top for a day or two. Looks as if Yorkshire are nailed on to win the league now, with Somerset scrapping it out for 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th. 

So who is going to replace Nosworthy? Jamie Cox? Ashley Giles? Justin Langer? These are just three name bounded about at present, and we could quite easily add Jason Kerr’s name to the list. Cox and Langer have brought success to the county and Giles brought County Championship to Warwickshire.

Langer and Brian Rose built up a formidable partnership as Captain and Director of Cricket, dragging Somerset from division two mediocrity (remember that?) to a side who would challenge on all domestic fronts, and even taking them to the Champions League on a couple of occasions.

I suppose now here at Somerset we had got somewhat complacent expecting the side to qualify for knock-out stages or even going to finals in one day competitions, as we did under Langer & Rose, also somewhat with Trescothick & Rose. But has reality set in? Am I seeing the light? I don’t know, but the past two seasons seems to me to be a bit of a waste and a step backwards. Plus we have lost Jos Buttler.

But on a brighter note we do have some promising youngsters, it is nice to see the likes of Lewis Gregory, Jamie and Craig Overton, Tom Abell making a names for themselves. Especially Lewis; surely an England player in the making?

Enough of that, last home game at the end of this week, where has the summer gone? And then a trip to Yorkshire. Come on Somerset; make it two out of two and hopefully a runners-up spot (again). 

Right, Thatchers time, I shall not even attempt to talk about England and the absolute trash written in the media about Alastair Cook, they have always got to find fault. What did Derek Pringle exactly do for England?