v Durham (H) Thu 28 April to Sun 1 May CC

I get where you are coming from Liquid, but they are all young and still have time to make it.  You are right to question the close season, but based on the three matches thus far, Atkins has gone all round the park, Crocombe has bowled well in phases, but I can't see him rolling a side out, we haven't seen Hunt yet and there appears a question over whether Sarro is even still at the Club (Joe - what can you tell us?).  Bottom line, they are still developing and given the absences of our more established bowling options for a variety of reasons regretfully the loan market is the only option.

I have sympathy with the predicament faced by management around the spinner.  Injuries are difficult to predict and manage and clearly they were hoping to avoid surgery in the case of Carson.   When it became evident late in the day that this wasn't going to be possible and he would miss the first set of matches, it appears they gambled on Lenham and the part-time options of Rawlins and Coles, combined with early season wickets generally being more conducive to seamers.  It hasn't worked, but given the cries on here to use our own players and avoid loans, I don't think you can be over critical towards the management about trying this out first and therefore not planning ahead.

However, the seamer situation is a different story.  The recruitment and potential for injury of a 33 year old who has hardly played any 4 day cricket for two seasons when it was clear we would need to strengthen in this area given the limited availability of Robinson and Archer, combined with the aforementioned battery of young raw options could be argued to be an even bigger gamble.  This was in my very humble opinion compounded by the poor handling of the Brown situation.  I was not averse to seeing a new Captain, but not only did we need to have a natural replacement it would looking from the outside appear to have been handled very badly souring relations.  Even so, I understand he still had a year on his contract and he should have been made to honour that and retained as part of this year's squad  Yes, players who are unhappy can be a problem in the dressing room, but given his performances towards the end of last season and his affinity with the club over many years I believe he would have continued to perform and most importantly we could have used the second overseas spot for a much needed strike bowler as opposed to replacing the runs he would have no doubt contributed.  So here, I personally think the management really didn't cover themselves in glory.  Happy to be proved wrong, time will no doubt tell.

Back to tomorrow's team I was giving Alsop the benefit of another chance, he was unlucky in the first two games with what appeared a bad LBW decision against Notts and Haines running him out on the 'road of a wicket' at Derby when he looked good.  Although, a crazy run out of his own making and a first baller at Worcester haven't helped his cause.  The interesting thing about him is his First Class record is very similar to one H Z Finch, one of our own who wasn't deemed up to the required standard.  Given Alsop's loan signing and that of Finn were the principal activity during close season, it will be interesting come the end of the season to assess their contributions and consequently the quality of the recruitment by the current management.

So if you despatch Alsop and play Carter at 6, who bats at 7 given the absence of a natural all rounder at present?

ECB refused to let Ollie play. Not bowled enough in the nets apparently. You couldn't make it up!!🤔😬😔

How on earth does Delray keep getting selected he has had enough chances and never learns from his mistakes surely Ollie Carter deserves a chance especially as Sussex have got Mason Crane to fulfill the spin bowler option

The FC Class Averages of our bowling options doesnt feel me with a great deal of confidence.

Crane 42
Burrows 43
Crocombe 45
Beard 32
Rawlins 57
Haines 43
Clark 79

To put things into Perspective bowlers we are missing
Finn 28
Robinson 21
Archer 24
Carson 32
Hudson-Prentice 29
Garton 35

Its quite a significant difference and certainly proves the point especially that only 1 bowler playing this game has a better average than any of the 6 we dont have available.

Blimey!

Well done the Sussex bowlers and keeper Rizwan. Great to see the
team bossing an opposition.

Durham: 79-6 at lunch.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/ECKO53024

Have you taken over as groundsman, liquidskin?