First-Class Counties Second Eleven Annual 2012

4 REVIEW OF THE SEASON At the start of the 2011 season, I was at the Rose Bowl for the game between Hampshire and the Leeds-Bradford MCC Universities XI. In the course of a delightful three days, I had a very interesting conversation with Tony Weld on the possible repercussions of the financial problems faced by many Counties. We both agreed that it was highly possible that Counties would have to give more match time to players they had produced themselves, rather then expensive overseas signings, in 2011. Another indicator of these straitened times is, perhaps, that several Counties, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire amongst them, have moved all Second Eleven home fixtures to just one venue, the Rose Bowl Nursery and the Notts Sports Club respectively. Rain was, perhaps, slightly more prevalent in 2011 than it had been twelve months earlier and the newly-installed T20 competition suffered most (no great loss there, then) as several games were abandoned without a ball bowled. In many others, those “two little friends of mine”, Duckworth and Lewis, were well to the fore, to overcome the elements. Warwickshire made up for their disappointment of twelve months earlier by defeating Glamorgan at the Bull’s Head Ground in Coventry to win their third Championship title, after previous wins in 1979 and 1996. Glamorgan went some way to emulating Somerset in the first-class game by being defeated in the Semi- Final of the One-Day Trophy as well as their Championship disappointment. No team remained unbeaten in 2011, and Warwickshire’s six wins was the highest number for any county. Gloucestershire and Yorkshire each failed to win a Championship game. Statistically, the Second Eleven Championship produced plenty of runs with three teams passing 500 and 23 more topping 400. Glamorgan`s total of 523 for 8 dec against Somerset at Taunton Vale is the highest for the Welshmen in the competition. The highest total of the season was Somerset’s 590 at North Perrott against the MCC Young Cricketers. But the game of the season has to be that between Hampshire and Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl Nursery. Hampshire started well enough with 442 for 7dec, a total that would normally ensure a side from defeat. Glamorgan replied by declaring some 140 behind, perhaps a hint of the belief in the side. But they may have felt it had backfired somewhat when they were set a target of 450. And at 86 for five, they were probably sure of it. However, cricket is, if nothing else, always ready to surprise, and a sixth-wicket stand of 325 between Nick James (234) and Imran Hassan (139) completely turned the tables. Although both were dismissed within ten runs of each other, Glamorgan eventually got home by three wickets.