Leicestershire County Cricket Club

[RizLCFC]

Please me Whitticase being released from his!

Doubt that very much.

[Sunbury Fox]

Have a horrible feeling that Kent will coast home with 3 or 4 down, based on our efforts defending admittedly smaller fourth innings totals v Derbyshire and Gloucestershire. But so hope I'm wrong and we finally get a win. Either way, great to see us at least make a game of it.

[katieakita]

We've criticised them so much, and rightfully, so credit where it's due, brilliant batting from Cobb and Taylor, put us in a very good position, job not done yet though.

When was the last time Sarwan played a real captains innings and got us out of trouble? I really can't remember.

When has he played for us let alone a Captains innings, for whatever reasons this just has not worked.sooner we part company the better.

[harpendenfox]

Delighted to see some great fight yesterday. I really hope Cobb can build on this in the coming weeks. Early wickets this morning please. Just need to be patient and bowl a tight line

[RizLCFC]

Jigar Naik, Rob Taylor, Ben Raine, Tom Wells, James Sykes, Lewis Hill and Rob Sayer have signed new deals.

The club have also signed Atif Sheikh (left arm fast medium) on a 2 year contract, he's been playing in the Second team and made a good contribution to their success this season.

I might get shot for this but I wouldn't have offered Jigar Naik a new contract, especially not for 2 years, he's been terrible in the LVCC, nothing like last season.

Also, the club hope to announce more contract news in the near future, hopefully Ireland isn't one of them and Buck, Cobb, Eckersley, Robson and Thakor sign up.

28 day notices have been received by Leicestershire for some players, and the club have made some of their own approaches.

Edited 10 July 2014 by riznarma

[RizLCFC]

Well...Kent are cruising!

To make things worse http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/28238034

Edited 10 July 2014 by riznarma

[Corky]

Yet another defeat from a promising position, another thumping.

[RizLCFC]

I really can't see why Jigar Naik is selected. This season it seems like he's lost all his bowling ability in LVCC. In the next game I'd like to see him out, with either Sheikh or Sykes given a go.

Edited 10 July 2014 by RizLCFC

[Vicki Vixen]

I really can't see why Jigar Naik is selected. This season it seems like he's lost all his bowling ability in LVCC. In the next game I'd like to see him out, with either Sheikh or Sykes given a go.

I agree with you, Naik has bowled terribly in the LVCC. Last time I checked his bowling average was in the 60s. Just not good enough. I listened to the commentary today and it sounded like our quicks had them all over the place until Naik came on and bowled a couple of really poor overs letting Kent find their rhythm and they never looked back.

[RizLCFC]

I agree with you, Naik has bowled terribly in the LVCC. Last time I checked his bowling average was in the 60s. Just not good enough. I listened to the commentary today and it sounded like our quicks had them all over the place until Naik came on and bowled a couple of really poor overs letting Kent find their rhythm and they never looked back.

That's exactly how it was. Baffled he's signed a new 2 year contract too.

[Stinkenzo]

Worcestershire are no bigger than us though. They have a squad packed with young players, like us, with only one or two stars (Mitchell & Ajmal).

Our youngsters have came on a lot this season. We've relied on them too much over recent years. We've not really bad a batting collapse this year either which makes a change, someone has always stood up and got a big score. Ajmal leaves us after our game with you I think so thats a massive whole that probably won't be filled. It's almost comical how many 4nd innings scorecards this season has seen b Ajmal.

[harpendenfox]

That BBC article suggests we might want Sarwan back. This can't be sensible. Somehow we need to find an experienced top order batsman with strong leadership qualities. Not sure Sarwan ticks those boxes

[harpendenfox]

Popped into Grace Road today on the way back home from Nottingham. Beautiful day, ground looked super, and staff all friendly. Can have been no more than 100 spectators there, of which 30 odd were from Kent. Surely of the 50,000 or so Rugby and Football fans locally it must be possible to get closer to 1000 in the ground? Even if they invited a bunch of school kids in every day of the season it would add some life to the place. I know it isn't easy, but it feels like the whole place needs some energy injected into it. Nixon might do the trick if he were interested

[Vicki Vixen]

Another dreadfully underwhelming season. The Club is unfortunately at its lowest point for many, many years...probably as far back as the early 60s when regularly we'd finish in the bottom two of the County Championship.

Something major has to change, otherwise there seems little chance of any upturn in fortunes in the foreseeable future.

Whitticase, rightly or wrongly, could be accused of being pivotal to what's wrong at GR. As his involvement/influence has increased, so the fortunes of the team have declined. Coincidence??? Don't know, but I do recall once meeting Whitticase at a hospital fete in Enderby. At the time he was a player and was dating a nurse. At the time he came across as particularly arrogant. Doubt he's seen fit to change and would imagine any change in fortunes, for the better, is unlikely while he remains in his DoC role..Time for a change??

The 'overseas player' situation is farcical too. Sarwan has been totally ineffectual as such. Surely he has to be 'let go' at the end of the season.

In truth, do we NEED to have a foreign 'star' in the ranks?? Would we be better served by an experienced domestic player?? Trouble is, would any suitable player be willing to join LCCC in it's present state??

If we do continue along the 'overseas player' road, then surely a lesser profile player might prove more effective. Personally would love to see the other 'Ronnie' (McDonald), back here....Thoughts???

Agree, Whitticase and Sarwan both need to go.

I am not sure I would have ever described Whitticase as a player, he didn't get a look in when Nixon was behind the stumps. His playing time was 2nd XI at best.

[Lasty]

McDonald returning would be fantastic. Hell of a player and respected leader. I really can't put my finger on why we're so poorly supported cricket-wise. The ground isn't ideal. I personally like the quaintness of it but it is showing its age. In addition, a lot of people still don't even know where it is. As for the squad, don't get me started. I'll always go down but a lot won't.

Although I have a dislike of all things Notts, I do cast an envious eye up at their set up. Superb, mid-size (in the scheme of things) ground and a fantastic playing set up. I'm not suggesting we can reach that level but this current set up we have is going nowhere fast. It's all a bit homespun and downbeat.

Don't see this as an attack, it isn't. I dream of a day when the cricket club gets even a fraction of the level of support and glory that the bigger teams in the city receive, but I just can't see it happening.

Best of luck to them against Lancs this evening. A four-day win by the end of the season would be nice too!

[Finnegan]

We're not exactly a traditional cricket heartland though are we? Rugby union fans in Lancashire probably think the same of Sale whilst looking at the likes of Leicester and Northampton.

[Lasty]

That's a good point. There are plenty of latent cricket fans here, though. They just need 'hooking'.

[adam]

I think there needs to be some sort of transfer fee or compensation fee introduced into county cricket. It doesn't seem fair or right that we play so many youngsters and as soon as they get any good they get picked up by one of the bigger counties. Counties like Leicestershire have no chance. It's a endless cycle and we just get left behind.

[Lasty]

I think there needs to be some sort of transfer fee or compensation fee introduced into county cricket. It doesn't seem fair or right that we play so many youngsters and as soon as they get any good they get picked up by one of the bigger counties. Counties like Leicestershire have no chance. It's a endless cycle and we just get left behind.

Another good point. It's too easy for players to be poached, which forever halts any progress made.

[harpendenfox]

That said, we get a payment every time one of our ex players represents England, so there is an element of compensation. The likes of Taylor and Broad were always destined to move on to one of the biggest Clubs. It's the loss of solid pros like Maddy, Stevens, Masters and to some degree Gurney more recently that has shafted us. I was delighted to see Cobb and Taylor give us a chance on day three, but even watching for a few hours yesterday you could sense a lack of belief amongst the team on the field. Just too many loose deliveries for the batsmen to pick off. Even then, if Taylor hadn't shelled what looked like a straightforward chance at point two balls before Buck picked up the fourth wicket Kent may have jittered. It was extraordinary. Of course the poor lad didn't mean to drop it, but it's the sort of catch I'd have been embarrassed to drop on a Sunday afternoon. The silence around the ground was palpable.

[katieakita]

Any ideas what has happened to Sarwan?

[Lionator]

Any ideas what has happened to Sarwan?

Injured/appalling form.

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Any ideas what has happened to Sarwan?

Another bad mornings work away at Worcs who are 133-0 at lunch. Sarwan again is not playing, been a non playing captain for 2 seasons now, why?

[katieakita]

Sarwan is a mystery non playing captain, the club really is rudderless, need to do an Illingworth and bring in an experienced old pro to bring on the talent. Also we seem to have a strange rotation policy and really need some of the better players ro resign.

[RizLCFC]

Brilliant fightback from the lads today, really impressed with Sykes, glad he got amongst the wickets. I've been wanting him to play for a while instead of Naik, yet he's signed a 2 year contract, just shows the club is poorly run.