COUNTY 2 PROMOTION RACE WIDE OPEN THIS YEAR

OK guys Sundays game was cancelled and my daughter as usual nicked the TV control so here it is -

Chiv's prediction for County 2 this year with the help of some of the County 2 skippers and other Hampshire Members.

I thank them all for giving us their feedback.

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Burridge will be hoping a repeat of last season when they finished 6th winning 7 of 11 games.

Skipper Nick Park only concern is that he has no new players to look forward to but thinks with a bit more consistency his side will finish mid table.The other question is that will P.Wild have a similar season to last year where he averaged 79 with the bat from 7 innings.

Nick's prediction for promotion - Ryde Hythe and Waterlooville who he felt were more unlucky with the weather last year than everyone else.

Disappointing season for Cadnam last year finishing 13th and winning only 4 games.

Cadnams skipper Matt Maiden says he has strengthened his side in the batting department but he is unsure how he thinks they will fair.

I've heard their australian overseas player this year is very useful.

Matts predictions for promotion- Hythe & Ryde to be up there.

Ellingham skipper Alistar Redfern wasn't giving much away (still in a strop with the fine he blames me for last year) but he's hoping his side does as well as last year when they finished 7th after winning 9 of 13 games. Had they not have had 10 points deducted then they would have finished 6th

Always a threat at home - much will depend on the batting of Redfern and the bowling of mr.shutler

Hamble were a better side last year than their final position of 9th position.

They were indepted to the batting of Chris Mottola who scored 413 runs at an average of 69. Mottola this year has the added burden of being skipper which could effect him either way.

Chris say although he doesn't know much about the sides coming up and down - he predicts Hamble, Ryde and Hythe for the top 3 spaces. Hamble have lost their skipper and batsman from last year Stuart Rankin

Hook finished 7th last year winning 7 of 12 matches. Much will depend on how much they have to feed their first team this year and if they will still hold onto S.Cates in the seconds after his 21 wickets last year.

How Hungerford finished below Fawley I don't know. Unfortunately there vital clash in week 16 last season fell foul to the weather.

Hungerford finished 16th last year winninh 3 of 12 games in the process. There were as usual a lot of big scores scored on their home wicket and in B.Chaplin they had one of the top ten batsman in County 1. He scored 532 runs @ 48.

Boosted this year by an overseas player who should get a lot of runs on their ground.

Steve Rice dublicated mt comments saying 'Opening bowler Clive Woolridge a threat, he took 19 wickets in 2007. Batting wise Ben Chaplin is the one to watch'.

Mike Vimpany says ' Can't see them setting the league alight - again, depends if they've got an overseas player'

Langley Manor's success this season will much depend on Monty Green getting the ground fit to play as it will skipper Jamie Brown and the players on the pitch.

Langley Manor finished a disappointing 15th last year winning only 2 games out of only 8 played.

Jamie though is in confident mood having strengthened with 3 new players which includes Roy Peters having signed from Mudeford and Noble from St.Cross. Jamie believes his side will do well.

Having finished 12th last year winning 7 of 13 games Leckford will be hoping for a better season this time round. In C.White and N.Marriott they have two bowlers who claimed 42 wickets between them last year.

Without an injection of new players I think they will do well to finish higher than last years position

Another side that fortuned depend on how much they have to feed their first xi.

Liphook finished 11th last year winning only 4 of 10 games. Liphook relied heavily on the batting of S.Appan who averaged 35 with the bat and D.Susantha 31. There bowling however struggled.

What do we know about Midhurst apart from its miles away. Beautiful ground and they won County 3 last year winning 10 of 11 games.

Battings their strength - S.Peyman 289 runs from 8 innings, M.Goodwin 288 from 9 and T.Powell 278 runs from 10.

Simon Jones captain of Bishops Waltham says they are a good all round side but they are reliant on their own ground and a bit gung ho.

Simon predicts a top 6 finish for the newcomers.

New Miltons long serving skipper Peter Wakefield says he doesn't think it will be easy to predict the top three - looking at last year there could be any of six teams in the mix, plus we don't know much about the promoted and relegated sides.

I think of the teams that have gone up in the previous two years only Compton & Chandlers ford had what I would call a well rounded side - look at Liss, and Bedhampton both rely on one batter. Pylewell had a number of good all rounders who came off. It will be interesting to see how they fare. They call it the Hampshire league but we go to Dorset, Sussex, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight!

If we can get into the top half we'll have done well. With the 1sts in the Silver League a few people have come out of the woodwork and we have attracted a couple of players at 1st XI level, which should bode well for us. However some of the older guys slipping down from the 1s may retire and not be that regularly available which means that the first three or four games will be vital to see if we can get a regular side together.

Peter had a good season himself last year averaging 50 with the bat from 10 innings. Hopefully he'll get more support this year.

New Milton finished 10th last year winning 7 of 12 matches.

Purbrook II's finished 3rd in County 3 last year and were promoted after Highfield lost on the final day of the season. (Rings a bell)

Simon Jones feels of the 3 sides coming up to County 2 Purbrook played the better cricket and providing they can keep their team together without the firsts taking any, they could go up again.

H.Klassen was a class act for Purbrook last year scoring 340 runs in only 7 innings. They also have the veteran McCoy who took 29 wickets at an average of 12.

Newly promoted Ropley finished 2nd last year after winning nine of their 11 games.

65 of their points came from their batting which included M.Raso who scored 481 runs at 68.7. Three other players also got into the top 20 averages for County 3 M.Peters 340 @ 49, T.Wood 356 @ 40 and A.Walker 228 @ 38. Peters also claimed 25 wickets.

Simon Jones felt that Ropley were a mid table side but for the batting of Raso who this year is in Scotland.

Much will depend on this years Australian overseas player.

Simons prediction Ropley mid table/fringe of relegation

I was going to put a picture up of our favourite umpire on the page but I then thought someone would bug the website.

Going on all the feedback from the County 2 Skippers Ryde will be favorites for promotion this year though some were concerned they don't travel too well.

Ryde skipper Lawrence Tolvey feels his side has under achievd in the past two seasons but feels this could be the year as Ryde are boosted by a couple of new signings including an overseas player. They will again have the useful runs of S.Greenfield who scored 391 runs last year from only 9 innings.

Ryde finished 5th last year winning 6 of 9 games played.

Lawrence 's prediction - Ryde, Hythe and Shrewton

Shrewton will be hoping to improve on their 13th place finish last year when they won only 4 of 12 fames played.

New skipper this year is Stuart Cruse and he is hoping for a mid top half finish this year as his side is very young this year

Stuart predicts Ryde will be up there in the top 3.

The forces side finished rock bottom last year winning only 2 of 14 matches in the process.

Fawley skipper Steve Rice said 'Managed to hand them their only win of the season in a rain affected match. Barnwell hit 91 off 97 balls. Good bat in the middle order. Skipper Patel dangerous lower order hitter. Lewis, young bowler showed good promise. Team badly affected by availability last year.

Mike Vimpany says 'US were poor last year but appear to have a fairly strong first team side, so they might do ok.'

Waterlooville finished 17th last season in County 1 winning only 3 of 11 games. but their problems are just not on the pitch.

Will be boosted however by an overseas player this year

Steve Rice commented ' Lacked bowling strength last year. Skipper Paul Russell very nice chap. Bowls off spin. I think they had Stan Rudder (?) play and he is in his 70s apparently.

Mike Vimpany says 'Waterlooville have a MAJOR ! problem - the council having sand slit their outfield to the extent there are drainage trenches every 6' across Rowlands Avenue and they may not to be able to play there !!!. Alex Shephard may be going to Purbrook, but I don't know if they have an overseas player (who likes trench warfare !)'.

Suppose I better finish it off - In the past two years Hythe have had two great seasons getting so close to being promoted to the top league.

Can they do it this year - My heart Yes but my head No I don't think so not this year.

My concern is we've got no middle to our batting - no someone who can excellerate in the middle order as Kendrick and Grobler have done in the past two seasons.The big plus could be is if Simon Wright finds the form of a few years ago.

The bowling should be ok providing Paul Whitlock stays fit. Jon Weall will get wickets and with Rich Froggett should form a useful opening attack.

The majority of captains predicted that Hythe are favourites to go up alongside Ryde - lets hope they're right..

Hythe skipper Simon Dixon predicts Ryde, Hook & N.Basics and Hythe