Cricket - First Class 2013/14

Discussion for First Class cricket here.

Sheffield Shield Ladder (all states have 3 games remaining)

QLD 30
WA 26

TAS 22
VIC 18
NSW 8
SA 2

Ryobi Cup (1 game to play except QLD & WA who have 2 left, they play tomorrow to join the rest on 7 games played)

SA 23
TAS 22

QLD 17
VIC 13
NSW 12
WA 0

THanks, sapaul, interesting to see just how bad our Shield season has been.

An ok day for the redbacks today.

Bowled Victoria out for 220 with Joe Mennie contininuing on his good form taking 5/43.

We were cruising along at 1/51 before losing 3/14 to be in trouble at 4/65. At stumps we were 4/81.

VIC 220 (McDonald 72, Quiney 45, Siddle 41, White 31, Mennie 5/43, Sayers 2/47, Tietjens 2/58) v SA 4/81 (Stray 29)

The 2nd XI didn't fare much better either playing against Queensland

SA 228 (Davey 95, Delaney 32, Raphael 29, Walter 3/33, Magoffin 3/42, Fitzpatrick 3/59) v QLD 1/33

Redbacks going down like a cheap hooker again. All out for 100, Vics are 170 ahead with all ten 2nd innings wickets in hand. I find it hard to justify the term "first class" when discussing the Redbacks.

One of these days the people at SACA may venture out of their sleepy hollow and discover just what is required to be successful at 1st class level.

Agree totally.

Calling them incompetent over-rates them.

How much longer do we have to put up with more and more embarrassing performances.

It's beyond embarrassing now, their performance at Shield level has been just aweful for too long.

I heard on Fox the other day a remarkable stat that was something like:

The Redbacks have not had an outright win in their last 13 Shield matched and have only won 1 in their last 20, or something terrible like that.

These kind of performances have gone on for far too long now...

Incredible really that a team can be on top of the one day ladder, yet stone motherless last on the shield ladder.

Day 2

VIC 220 & 181 (Holland 55, Rogers 36, Carters 35*, Sayers 5/57, Mennie 3/68, Tietjens 2/26) v SA 100 (Stray 29, McDonald 5/21, Siddle 334) & 3/55 (Siddle 2/21)

SA need another 247 runs to win with 7 wickets in hand.

2nd XI

SA 228 & 2/116 (Doropoulos 60*, Ross 31*) v QLD 397 (Michael 105, Floros 103, Stevens 63, Paulsen 40, Delaney 3/76, Derham 2/70, Opie 2/87)

Redbacks 3/148
Ferguson 67
Cooper 58

A remarkable comeback. They couldn't actually win this .... could they?

No. Unless these two put on anther 100 at least.

6/236 Tea

Head 40*
Sayers 20*

All out 267. No doubt about Siddle, he's in great form, 6 poles.

Travis Head made 57, he would have got a great working over by Siddle in more ways than one. A great experience for the lad.

Terrific effort by Head and it's good to see a good young batsman coming through at last.

No blame can really be placed with the bowlers, although our inability to finish off the tail keeps costing us.

The batsmen, though, are another matter. Nobody except occasionally Cooper can make a big score and it's almost a given that 7 or 8 of the line-up will muster less than 100 between them every innings.

The batting performances over the last several years have been diabolical and merit us being a laughing stock.

Easy win by SA over VIC in the Ryobi Cup last night. We will be hosting the final.

sapaul wrote:Easy win by SA over VIC in the Ryobi Cup last night. We will be hosting the final.

Free entry next saturday

Gingernuts wrote:Incredible really that a team can be on top of the one day ladder, yet stone motherless last on the shield ladder.

I guess we can all draw our own conclusions, but to me it may indicate a neglect of the pure form of the game and an over-emphasis on the truncated style. I've seen enough evidence to suggest this is the case.

If we think the Redbacks are in strife, how are New South Wales traveling? All out for 91 in the 1st innings, 6/88 in the 2nd, after WA declared at 3/560. Liam Davis made 303 not out, Adam Voges 178, and Haddin made a pair.

After winning the one day comp and the t20 comp both in the past 14 months, we have to focus and practice on winning more shield matches, how we do that is anyone's guess.

Another great effort from the Redbacks today. 1/83 ... all out for 126. Three batsmen made double figures. How Cam Borgas can't make that team is a mystery. Perhaps he should have spent three years in NSW in his early 20s, he'd probably be captain by now.

Another prize winning performance by the Redbacks, thrashed by an Innings & 91 runs by Queensland, and as usual, the batting was pathetic.

9/107 in the 1st Innings before being rescued by numbers 10 & 11 in a 55 last wicket partnership, then all out for 103 in the 2nd innings.

They ought to rename this team F Troop ... what a bunch of hacks and misfits.

The embarassing JELLYBACKS.

Too many one day sloggers in the side not up to being able to play a 4 day game, namely the Sheffield Shield, the time honoured competition that means much more than some dumb one day hit & giggle tripe.

I will tee off in more depth later but the Redbacks would have to be the most disgraceful domestic team in any sport anywhere in the world. I have been calling them the Jellybacks for years because when the sun comes out on a hot day they all melt and leave a big yellow streak on the pitch.

rover wrote:I will tee off in more depth later but the Redbacks would have to be the most disgraceful domestic team in any sport anywhere in the world.

I will be very interested in your views. To me, it has been obvious for years (decades) that our grade system is an anachronism and in the habit of introducing under-developed players to the first class arena.

I've never spoken with Chuck Berry, but I've spoken with every other state coach for the past 20 years and they all make the same observations, ones the SACA continue to ignore.

What a ridiculous system, uneven teams forcing a bye. Cricketers don't need byes, they need to feel bat on ball in match conditions. We have a club in the competition who do not foster juniors, how ridiculous is that?

We need better prepared wickets, and stronger teams. Each team should have 3-4 bowlers of genuine quality. Looking at the top 4 teams in Grade 1, all good teams but nowhere near as strong as the Prospects in the 60s/70s, and the Salisbury of later years. This indicates too many clubs. Maybe keep the grade sysytem but produce a "super-leage" of 6 teams where the better players can compete regularly against stiffer opposition. This would narrow the gap between grade and first class.

Oh .. and less emphasis on the truncated form of the game would be nice.

I agree on all counts, AH.

A regular 'feature' of the Redbacks batting performances for years now has been low totals, often where one player makes about 50-60% of the score and ten others barely muster 40 runs between them.

I think the bowling is often reasonable, but something has to be done about the batting.

I can wear players such as Head and Stray failing while they learn, but there have been so many second-stringers from other states given too many chances. Doropoulos is the latest.

The grade system has to be looked at, despite the insular attitudes of the clubs.