Not much happening

There's not a lot I can write tonight. The penultimate game of the season is 48 hours away and there's no sign of any team news.

For us to gain promotion we need to win both of our remaining games and realistically take maximum points. Boring, boring Warwickshire need 16 from their last two games for guaranteed promotion, so bonus points alone should do it.

Given that it is unlikely for the weather to stay out of the games, draws are likely to start all games as the favourite result. Realistically a game will only be won in around three days by a "sporting" wicket and given our luck we'll be penalised for such a transgression anyway, despite several teams getting away with it this year, Lancashire and Durham being prime examples.

Yesterday saw Lanky-sheer relegated in the Pro 40. Shame... For a big club they're not really very good and it is about time that they accepted the big days of Lloyd, Fairbrother, Wasim Akram et al are behind them. They're actually in a similar situation to us in having to rebuild, although they have Anderson and Flintoff on central contracts.

Their fans always moan about the weather and their bad luck, but who hasn't suffered this year? It has favoured us and gone against us, but over the piece I'd reckon we've had more bad luck than good.

Also yesterday Nottinghamshire lost a game they had sewn up thanks to a Herculean effort from Murray Goodwin and a brave and at times fortuitous one from Mohammad Sami. The last over was sensational and few Notts fans could believe they'd lost from there. I recall Dave Houghton telling me that he'd once nearly signed Goodwin from Sussex when he was in dispute over a contract. What a signing that would have been, as he has been a huge success for the southern county.

As indeed has Chris Adams, one who got away from Derbyshire and who has been an outstanding skipper, perhaps the best in the country, at Sussex. Griz should have had international recognition for at his best he was a delightful batsman to watch, pugnacious, dogged, elegant - whatever was required. Whether he plays on is open to doubt, but he is probably the biggest loss of the entire exodus of talent in the
1980s and 90s

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of the Gloucestershire game.