First day of the County Championship

[cantplaycantalk]

Well the CC starts today, we each get our first glimpse of the new look county sides are they bowl or face the first ball of the season in actual competion.
Bouyed by pre-season optimism and almost sick with excitement I will be eagerly following the online updates.

[cantplaycantalk]

Well just seen todays team for Durham and Gary Park isn't playing, for some reason we are packed with bowlers today. Now ok we have a fair few to choose from but you can only use so many at a time.

M J Di Venuto, W R Smith, G J Muchall, B W Harmison, D M Benkenstein, G R Breese, P Mustard, O D Gibson, C D Thorp, G Onions, S J Harmison

C D Thorp, G Onions, S J Harmison are all Fast or Fast Medium bowlers
Breese is a spinner
B W Harmison is a useful Fast Medium all-rounder
Benkenstein is a wibbly wobbly medium pacer along the Collingwood lines, Muchall is similar.
Will Smith bowls a bit of usefull spin as well
Which leaves DiVenuto as a straight up batsman and Mustard as the keeper, with that lot I would have thought we could afford the extra batsman myself.

[cantplaycantalk]

Most of the matches seem to be available as online Radio broadcasts via the BBC as well :-)

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by cantplaycantalk

Will Smith bowls a bit of usefull spin as well.

I can't say I noticed that while he was at Notts!

[Collyisamackem]

I didn't know Smith bowled either! Anyway he only made 5 from 17 balls today before falling to Doug Bollinger, Worcestershire's other Australian overseas player (as well as Jacques). Durham are 83/3 with Di Venuto on 51* on debut, and Ben Harmison on 1. Sadly Gordon Muchall has continued his dreadfully inconsistent career form and fell for 6...why Scott and Park aren't playing and Gibson is I don't know!!!

[Speedboy Salesman]

I just hope Steyn fires for Warwickshire. I don't expect Sangakkara to play for Warwickshire much, with Sri Lanka, so I expect Ambrose to still well. Maddy I hope feels pretty good with Warwickshire. No doubt the bowling department will mess up as usual..

[Collyisamackem]

We're needing that extra batsman now! Ben Harmison has gone for 5, enter Gary Breese with Mustard and not much batting after him...

[cantplaycantalk]

Will Smith bowled in both the one day warm up matches for Durham against Lancashire pre season.

[adamberry]

A current update from all matches:

Essex v Derbyshire: Derbyshire won toss and elected to bat. Currently 231/4, with Simon Katich making a half century on his Derbyshire debut. Danish Kaneria and Ryan ten Doeschate amongst the wickets.
Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire: Leicestershire won toss and elected to bat. At tea, are 203/4, with the opening batsmen Robinson and Maunders both getting fifties.
Somerset v Middlesex: Middlesex won toss and elected to bat. Currently 204/2, with Owais Shah making an unbeaten 79. Nick Compton hit 67 before being caught behind by Ian Blackwell.
Surrey v Yorkshire: Yorkshire won toss and elected to bat. At tea, are 274/5, with Jacques Rudolph making an unbeaten century on his debut. Good news for England, Adil Rashid can bat as well, he's 62 not out, including 2 sixes!
Sussex v Kent: Kent won toss and elected to bat. Kent were bowled out for 216, with Mushtaq Ahmed taking 6/70. Another debutant, Ryan McLaren, top scored with 44. In reply, Sussex are 35/1, with Hopkinson the man to fall.
Warwickshire v Lancashire: Warwickshire won toss and elected to bat. Currently are 218/3, Darren Maddy and Jim Troughton making fifties.
Worcestershire v Durham: Durham won toss and elected to bat. Currently 305/9, with Michael Di Venuto in danger of carrying his bat; he's 154* at the moment with Harmison at the other end on 24. Worcestershire's bowler's (except Batty) have all been expensive.

[Collyisamackem]

Good to see Harmy wielding his bat with his usual ferocity! I remember him pulling three successive fours off an irate Sreesanth, sending Shane Warne back over his head, inducing Glenn McGrath into triple teapot/steaming ears mode and generally slogging the patience out of many a bowler!

Damn, gone for 30, well done to Harmy - our second top scorer in the innings! Di Venuto finishes on 155 not out as Durham make 313, a debut almost akin to Mike Hussey's double century two seasons ago.