Chapple and Keedy.

They're both already in the team as well as Anderson, and both seem to produce the goods year in year out in any case without having yet inspired a championship success. Who's going to step in to replace Anderson and provide something extra? Time for Mahmood to have a big season if Lancs are to make a real challenge.



I can see Sussex going down this year. They only just stayed up last time and played very negatively and nervously against the doomed Surrey at the end of last season. (13 overs an hour in one session, more than half bowled by spinners.) Their three times championship winning side has grown old together and they haven't brought on the next generation. Durham and Notts look strong again, while Hampshire might be a surprise package if they carry on where they left off last year after shaking off the post-Warne era lethargy.



Kent are bookies favourites for Division 2 (although their bowling attack looked pretty ordinary on paper for their last match) with Middx & Surrey joint second favourites, but that division looks fairly open to me. Surrey look a bit too dependent for runs on the remnants of their last championship winning side (Butcher, Ramprakash, Batty) while younger homegrown batsmen like Evans, Spriegel and Chris Murtagh find their feet, and have a weak tail with no convincing lower-middle order batsmen unless NZ overseas player Grant Elliott is an unqualified success. Andre Nel should be a matchwinner at that level if he stays fit though, and there's the likelihood of Harbhajan boosting our chances later in the season.



Essex have enough good young players to be in with a shout; I think those four Home Counties sides have the best top order batting resources and ought to fill the top four places come September.

We haven't been able to "rely" on Jimmy Anderson and his wickets for the past 2-3 years anyway as he's been centrally contracted and only plays limited numbers of games for us so its not a massive dilemma really...any times he plays for us should be seen as a nice bonus!



As it goes Im thinking Oliver Newby may well be a surprise package this season and Tom Smith has plenty of potential to take wickets and score runs.

It's our batting that always lets us down, not the bowling attack. If the batsmen had matched the effort of the bowlers last season we'd have been a shoe-in for the title. As it was, we got the lowest number of batting points in the whole division due to the batting form which cost us dearly on more than one occasion.

Concentrating on the one-day game this year, giving the Championship a miss.

Phil Hughes and Andrew Strauss currently batting together for Middlesex. Hughes has started the season the way he did in South Africa and in Australia before that. He's going to absolutely destroy our bowling attack, Flintoff or not, this summer.

Yorkshire 76-0 without loss at lunch against Worcestershire, although the forecast for the rest of the day isn't great and the clouds are gathering.

Strauss going along well 95 (98 ).

Telegraph fantasy cricket if anybody is interested........only 6 quid.



League Name

BARMY ARMY LEAGUE



League PIN

8000578

And once again, Lancashire's batting goes to pieces.

Yorks going along well 278-2 with the new Boycs hitting a ton although Vaughan only got 16.

Yorkshire 337-2, centuries for both Sayers and McGrath.

Sayers and McGrath have put on over 300 now. 435-2.

Lancs all out for 347, lead of 180. Just short of another batting point and Chapple top scored with 89.

Double hundred for Maggs, Sayers out for 173 as Yorkshire close in on 500.

I'll have a quid on whatever Yorkshire declare at, Warwickshire pass it.

Have faith lad

522-6 now. McGrath gone for 211.



Time to declare I reckon.

Lancs really should come out on top after today's play.

They should considering we've got their 2 best batsmen out the way but remember, nothing is ever too straight forward for Lancs!!



That Hughes fella scored another ton yesterday, albeit at the Oval...still he's getting nicely tuned up for the Ashes now, great news!!

Yorkshire have taken a firm grip on their game now 136-5.

Lancs win again

Kent beat Glamorgan by 204 runs with James Tredwell taking 8 for 66

FPT - Yorks have Durham 93-5 (32)

Lancashire sign off before the mid-season break with a resounding win against Essex in the FPT quarter finals. Du Plessis' innings was one of the finest I've ever seen. Magical to watch.