Hampshire Cricket close season updates

[Weston Saint]

Glenn Delve to leave his Rose Bowl Managing Director position but to remain a consultant to completion of the development of the Hotel and Golf Course.

 

Nigel Gray, Head Groundsman to be Hampshire CC benificiary for 2012 as reward for 22 years service

 

Shahid Afridi signed as our additional overseas player for the T20.

 

Neil McKenzie offered another contract to return but has indicated he may only be available for a couple of months due to family commitments.

 

Simon Jones (signed for 2 years by Glamorgan) joins first teamers Cork and Pothas as leavers.

 

Dawson playing for Mountaineers in Zimbabwe scores an unbeaten 1st class century and takes 7 second innings wickets (but is still on the losing side)

 

Updated news regularly found here

 

http://www.rosebowlplc.com/

[Dimond Geezer]

The thread title when viewed on the home page reads:

Hampshire cricket close"

 

I thought they'd been wound-up.

[SO5 4BW]

Is there any news on Hants signing Andrew Hodd from Sussex? It was mentioned in the Echo a week or too ago. Would be a good signing if true - Bates is an excellent keeper, but sadly that's not enough nowadays.

[Weston Saint]

Dawson returns to UK as he could not hack the lifestyle.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/15459519.stm

[ecuk268]

Dimi has signed a 2-year extension to his contract and will be T20 captain.

[Weston Saint]

Neil McKenzie to return for 2012 T20 campaign and remain for the rest of the season for all forms of the game.

 

Tim Rasencraft an up and coming opening bat has quit to look outside of cricket for employment. Bennie Howells it looking for another club and will also leave.

 

http://www.rosebowlplc.com/news/neil-mckenzie-to-return-to-the-rose-bowl

[Window Cleaner]

Soon be needing a new HCC thread for the season,CC gets underway Friday right? don't think we have a game until next week though, we're the odd man out of 9 for the first round of fixtures.

[SO5 4BW]

I'm not normally pessimistic but I've got a sense of foreboding this year. I'm not sure we'll have the bowling strength to take 20 wickets in the proper stuff. Dimi and Kabir Ali are the only experienced bowlers left and they've both missed a lot of games with injuries in the last few years and we seem to be relying on Katich as the only back-up spinner to Danny Briggs

 

We've got a squad of 17 until the Twenty20, when Afridi and McKenzie arrive. Of that 17, two are on development contracts. That's a lot of cricket to play with not many cricketers

 

I don't want to come over all Alan Hansen here and say you win nothing with kids - because we did win the 2010 Twenty20 with these kids - but we've lost a lot of experience recently

 

On the positive side, the batting looks strong - not many teams in either division will have a top six as strong as Adams, Dawson, Carberry, Katich, Vince and Ervine - and the upturn in the last half of last season was with the players we've kept (apart from Imran Tahir)

 

Worries me though, that the policy of relying on the young players is probably the club putting a brave face on cost-cutting made necessary by missing out on an Ashes test

[Window Cleaner]

I'm not normally pessimistic but I've got a sense of foreboding this year. I'm not sure we'll have the bowling strength to take 20 wickets in the proper stuff. Dimi and Kabir Ali are the only experienced bowlers left and they've both missed a lot of games with injuries in the last few years and we seem to be relying on Katich as the only back-up spinner to Danny Briggs

 

We've got a squad of 17 until the Twenty20, when Afridi and McKenzie arrive. Of that 17, two are on development contracts. That's a lot of cricket to play with not many cricketers

 

I don't want to come over all Alan Hansen here and say you win nothing with kids - because we did win the 2010 Twenty20 with these kids - but we've lost a lot of experience recently

 

On the positive side, the batting looks strong - not many teams in either division will have a top six as strong as Adams, Dawson, Carberry, Katich, Vince and Ervine - and the upturn in the last half of last season was with the players we've kept (apart from Imran Tahir)

 

Worries me though, that the policy of relying on the young players is probably the club putting a brave face on cost-cutting made necessary by missing out on an Ashes test

 

Didn't realise McKenzie was only here for the T20 this season, that's a downer then,still Katich is a good bat unless he fails to find any sort of form.

[SO5 4BW]

I think McKenzie doesn't arrive until the T20 but then stays for the rest of the season - so we'll be even stronger in the batting in the second half of the season

 

Something on the BBC site said that we were going to use the loan system if we were finding ourselves struggling

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17596672

[Weston Saint]

This year is a different prospective. Most 2nd division teams prepare wickets to get results.

 

Balcombe proved himself in this division with Kent and providing his back operation is a total success he will do well.

 

Bransgrove is expecting Riazuddin to do well this year

 

Wood is impoving all the time

 

Griffiths if fit will become a top bowler but later in the year might be in the Lions side. We also have an experience Tomlinson

 

 

Strategy at the Ageas Bowl for the wicket this season is to leave it greener to get some zip, pace and carry.

 

Very much a transitional year but what an opportunity for the youngsters. About half our team will be ex Hants Academy.