Thumbs up for Morris

That's the end of the poll on John Morris and I think we can say that it has proved the vast majority are still very much on his side.

79% of those voting felt that Morris should either be given an extended contract or at least be able to see out his existing one. Interestingly, more people voted for a contract extension than felt he should go now, a statistic that speaks for itself.

No one would say that this season has lived up to expectations and there have been more questions posed than have been answered, yet only the most churlish would fail to see that the county have become more competitive on the whole. Our one day cricket has been pretty good, spoiled only by some below par performances that have sullied the memory of an increasing number of good ones.

This year's problem has been in the four day game. Perhaps the change in points awarded has been a factor, giving less incentive for a draw and the points received, while the prevention of heavy roller use once the game has started has offered more help to bowlers. We have had too many injuries in our bowling ranks to remain competitive and our batting, without the reassurance of blameless tracks, has proved to be too flimsy.

It is, as Morris has said, a work in progress. There will have to be changes - perhaps major ones - over the close season but as fans we have to accept that such changes may not be at the speed we would like nor necessarily being in the personnel that Morris really wants.

As an example, take the wicket-keeper situation. With Joel Pope, Steve Adshead, Tim Ambrose and Luke Sutton likely to be available and Niall O'Brien possibly so there are options out there. What Morris has to do is keep one eye on the merits of the player while considering the age restrictions placed on team selection by the Memorandum of Understanding. The problem is that he needs also to balance the books and consider the likely cost of other replacements he needs. Might a competent, cheaper player be a better option than the best man out there, especially if he also needs a Kolpak, an overseas player, a batsman and a seamer or two?

One thing is for sure. John Morris will not be looking for things to fill his time this winter. Even as I write I am sure he has irons in the fire, though few are likely to get hot until the season ends once more.