Leicestershire County Cricket Club

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

44 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Agree that we've been totally outplayed in both games so far. What would be your team for the next game, out of interest?

Back to Sol and Patel opening, move the 2 overseas up a place.

Id drop Hull for Scriv (if fit) 

The squad is a bit lacking in variation bowling wise.

Id go for 

Budinger

Patel 

Kelly

Turner 

Cox

Ezi

Mike

Scriven

Green

Trev

Davey

 

And let them get on with it instead of overthinking things. 

 

Edited 24 May by Mark 'expert' Lawrenson

[MaidstoneFox]

Kelly is perhaps not the explosive batsman we needed for T20, he is more of a steady accumulator. Seems like a bit of a compromise all forms cricketer. Not really his fault, he's done his job well enough, because you won't win anything if our opening bowling is that shite.

[Lionator]

Do agree that Alex Green needs some games, his white ball average is brilliant, has 3 fifers in 10 50 over games and is one of the only bowlers to test Sooryavishani over the last year. Has an extra yard of pace compared to Hull yet better control. Throw him in the deep end and see how he does. Hull will return but his confidence seems shot right now. Also please let’s not catastrophise. We will be ok. 

Edited 24 May by Lionator

[Voll Blau]

2 hours ago, MaidstoneFox said:

Kelly is perhaps not the explosive batsman we needed for T20, he is more of a steady accumulator. Seems like a bit of a compromise all forms cricketer. Not really his fault, he's done his job well enough, because you won't win anything if our opening bowling is that shite.

Tough one ennit. Burned a few times in recent years by short-term T20 signings that have failed, so see why the club would go for hedging their bets. Similar signing to the likes of Jewell at Derbyshire in that respect.

 

Hope he comes off for us in at least two out of the three formats.

[Harpenden Fox]

Leicestershire women won at Lords. Given the almost total absence of victories produced by our male and female football and cricket teams in 2026, rejoice and celebrate the miracle that is an away win!

[Walshy5]

Pathetic and embarrassing! I can take losing but we can't even compete ffs! Worcestershire who beat us quite comprehensively on Friday have been  bowled out for 91 today which pretty much tells you all you need to know.

Edited 24 May by Walshy5

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

I can’t agree with Thomas’s take on the Durham game, “165 would of been par if we’d bowled well”

It would of been upwards of 185 par I reckon, the same as the Worcestershire pitch. 
Slow and cautious in the power play is so negative and we will lose more games than we will win if we persist with this tactic.

T20 is a simple form of the game it seems we are over complicating it.

Ive stated before that i believe Thomas to be a bit of a control freak, so the buck stops with him imo. 

[Bert]

Hopefully the first two defeats will provide a bit of a catalyst to go for it a bit more in the power play. 
 

Also very glad that Samit Patel won’t be able to come and flatten us with his usual 2 decent T20 performances each summer this year. 

[davieG]

Your Leicester is at Grace Road. · 

Follow

 

Massive changes are coming to Grace Road! Big news for Leicester sports fans! Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s ground officially rebranded as Uptonsteel Grace Road is in the middle of a massive £60 million long-term transformation to completely revitalize the stadium for the next century!

This isn’t just about fixing up a few stands; @leicsccc are turning the entire site into a vibrant, multi-use community and commercial hub. Here is exactly what the score is right now:

Phase 1 Focus: Partnering with Leicester-based Pick Everard, the blueprints are being finalized to transform the area around the Melton Building Society Family Stand into new year-round commercial, health, and wellbeing facilities open to the public.

The “Academy of Cricket”: A brilliant academic partnership with regional universities including Loughborough University will bring a campus on-site, hosting sports science courses and the world’s first MBA in Cricket Management!

Residential & Retail Overhaul: The edges of the ground will explore a mix of residential housing, local healthcare spaces, and new retail units to completely boost the local area.

Immediate Upgrades: The Mike Turner Indoor Cricket Centre is already fully renovated with state of the art match replicating net lanes and high tech shock absorption flooring for elite training!

We reshared the original development but were excited for this. It helps grow Leiecster and highlights how big sport is part of this city.

[everton carr]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

Your Leicester is at Grace Road. · 

Follow

 

Massive changes are coming to Grace Road! Big news for Leicester sports fans! Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s ground officially rebranded as Uptonsteel Grace Road is in the middle of a massive £60 million long-term transformation to completely revitalize the stadium for the next century!

This isn’t just about fixing up a few stands; @leicsccc are turning the entire site into a vibrant, multi-use community and commercial hub. Here is exactly what the score is right now:

Phase 1 Focus: Partnering with Leicester-based Pick Everard, the blueprints are being finalized to transform the area around the Melton Building Society Family Stand into new year-round commercial, health, and wellbeing facilities open to the public.

The “Academy of Cricket”: A brilliant academic partnership with regional universities including Loughborough University will bring a campus on-site, hosting sports science courses and the world’s first MBA in Cricket Management!

Residential & Retail Overhaul: The edges of the ground will explore a mix of residential housing, local healthcare spaces, and new retail units to completely boost the local area.

Immediate Upgrades: The Mike Turner Indoor Cricket Centre is already fully renovated with state of the art match replicating net lanes and high tech shock absorption flooring for elite training!

We reshared the original development but were excited for this. It helps grow Leiecster and highlights how big sport is part of this city.

And pigs will fly

[CrawlingFox]

Sounds good to me and sensible use of the Hundred windfall.

 

The phased approach is logical and I'm sure the £60m is a bit of a rough but impressively high number that will be spread over a long, long time but suggests continued plans for investment.

 

Phase 1 sounds like an excellent start, investment in retail and residential space around the edges will provide vital income going forward whilst improving the training and academy facilities should help player development.

[everton carr]

5 minutes ago, CrawlingFox said:

Sounds good to me and sensible use of the Hundred windfall.

 

The phased approach is logical and I'm sure the £60m is a bit of a rough but impressively high number that will be spread over a long, long time but suggests continued plans for investment.

 

Phase 1 sounds like an excellent start, investment in retail and residential space around the edges will provide vital income going forward whilst improving the training and academy facilities should help player development.

Do you seriously think.this will happen?

[Officer Doofy]

5 minutes ago, everton carr said:

Do you seriously think.this will happen?

I suppose it's nice to look on the positive side of things rather than be miserable shit all the time? 

[CrawlingFox]

42 minutes ago, everton carr said:

Do you seriously think.this will happen?

The Hundred money means it's a unique opportunity to invest in our facilities so don't see why not.

 

In 20 years we've either used that money well and have a modernised Grace Road with investments providing income streams and the club still existing or we haven't used it well, Grace Road is falling apart and the club might barely exist or already have packed it in.

 

I don't think we'll have a completely modern, shiny world leading venue by any stretch but that money does mean we've got a chance of something still decent and much improved. The club seem switched on to the value in wider community and sport in the city outside just cricket and the importance of generating new income streams so I like the plans.

 

These aren't just wild ideas, we know the money is there (or at least £24m to get started is), as much as I dislike the Hundred the money is a lifeline for the club.

Edited 26 May by CrawlingFox

[everton carr]

29 minutes ago, CrawlingFox said:

The Hundred money means it's a unique opportunity to invest in our facilities so don't see why not.

 

In 20 years we've either used that money well and have a modernised Grace Road with investments providing income streams and the club still existing or we haven't used it well, Grace Road is falling apart and the club might barely exist or already have packed it in.

 

I don't think we'll have a completely modern, shiny world leading venue by any stretch but that money does mean we've got a chance of something still decent and much improved. The club seem switched on to the value in wider community and sport in the city outside just cricket and the importance of generating new income streams so I like the plans.

 

These aren't just wild ideas, we know the money is there (or at least £24m to get started is), as much as I dislike the Hundred the money is a lifeline for the club.

The hundred money is spread over several.years though and a fair chunk will be needed to pay off debts that are owing.

Not sure that Grace Road is falling apart it's a nice enough County ground certainly on a park with most non test grounds.

 

 

 

 

[Silebyfox_89]

Will Rehan be back for the Derby t20 match tomorrow? 

[CrawlingFox]

40 minutes ago, everton carr said:

The hundred money is spread over several.years though and a fair chunk will be needed to pay off debts that are owing.

Not sure that Grace Road is falling apart it's a nice enough County ground certainly on a park with most non test grounds.

I'm not saying it's falling apart now but without the Hundred windfall enabling some investment it's not hard to imagine that with the losses the club had been making that we'd have been looking at only the bare minimum investment in the ground going forward and that it would start to both creak badly and older parts would start requiring even more money just to keep open. In that scenario you'd end up with a falling apart ground in 20 years. Hark at Old Trafford, bigger scale and it's still viable but obvious that huge under investment in keeping it up to date over the last 20 years means it's got a leaking roof and is riddled with all sorts of issues that have rendered it a long way off the modern stadia of Man Utd's rivals. Utd at some point will likely wangle the building of that new Circus tent. If GR gets into a state then we might not be so lucky.

 

As a result I don't think they'll be looking to use money just to pay off debts, they'll be looking to invest in areas that will generate increased income and the  use that income towards paying down debts. Depending on how favourable the repayment and interest rates on those debts are this is more sensible.

 

Everything in these plans and investment and redevelopment is geared towards sustainability so that the club avoid the creeping losses and growing debt that had threatened to drag them down in the future.

 

Equally pretty sure the ECB have told the counties they'll get this windfall but may not be able to rely on the current contributions the ECB make forever.

 

So going back to your question of whether I believe it, it's this or nothing so I prefer to be positive.

Edited 26 May by CrawlingFox

[Wsl]

36 minutes ago, everton carr said:

The hundred money is spread over several.years though and a fair chunk will be needed to pay off debts that are owing.

Not sure that Grace Road is falling apart it's a nice enough County ground certainly on a park with most non test grounds.

 

 

 

 

But to be financially sustainable we need more than a ground that's in good enough nick. And that's the whole point of this one-off capital windfall. 

 

The money is in three pots, effectively. Immediate cash (around 400K), then another pot that is specifically ear-marked to pay off debts, but the third pot has to go to ground and infrastructure improvements and revenue generating projects (or building cash reserves). If it doesn't hit those boxes you don't get it, so if we want the cash (thought to be around 24 million for non-host counties) that's what we need to do.

 

I'm not aware there's any fixed timetable nor fixed instalment arrangement in place, e.g. capital sums paid over a fixed period - a viable business plan is the tigger for release of capital (that could be subject to milestones being reached etc but that's perfectly normal with any financing of a long term project). But it is linked to specific amounts that you have to apply for to progress the capital project; no funds get release to cover operational costs (other than the initial cash amount).

 

And getting in 24/25 million free capital means that then raising around 35 million becomes more achievable, rather than a 60 million capital cost. The debt allocation is completely separate to the future looking capital allocation to improve financial self sufficiency. 

 

So pigs may well fly, and oddly, we seem better placed than most. We can spend it on genuine development and not just fixing decaying stands etc. that Lancashire may have to do. I understand that there are counties who stupidly increased player and staffing costs in anticipation of getting the money but they clearly didn't pay attention. And Middlesex is being disappointed that they're not getting Hundred money to augment their executive, for example. I do feel for Middlesex, but a lot of their issues are now due to not owning their ground. 

[everton carr]

1 hour ago, Silebyfox_89 said:

Will Rehan be back for the Derby t20 match tomorrow? 

Don't think.so

[LBTufty]

4 hours ago, everton carr said:

Don't think.so

Can put his recent IPL stint into good use - with all this hot weather around, we need someone capable of fixing up and carrying all the drinks

[Beagle]

Leicestershire second eleven returned to the scene of Sunday’s crime against our first team at Chester le Street with a win over Durham to restore some pride for the County. Five wickets for spinner Rayner saw the hosts dismissed for 102 leading to victory by 30 runs. The team was captained by Sam Wood. 

[Bert]

15 hours ago, Beagle said:

Leicestershire second eleven returned to the scene of Sunday’s crime against our first team at Chester le Street with a win over Durham to restore some pride for the County. Five wickets for spinner Rayner saw the hosts dismissed for 102 leading to victory by 30 runs. The team was captained by Sam Wood. 

That must’ve been the second match then because they defo hit 140+ when I was watching yesterday. 
 

Looking forward to getting back down there tonight. Is it already must win? 

[CL Fox]

Noises that Rehan will play at Lords.

[SemperEadem]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cy723xrjy0go

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

4 hours ago, Bert said:

That must’ve been the second match then because they defo hit 140+ when I was watching yesterday. 
 

Looking forward to getting back down there tonight. Is it already must win? 

I would say it’s definitely a must win.

0/3 would give us a mountain to climb. 
As Kelly is more of an accumulator he needs to come in at 3 with Turner at 4.

Idk why we’ve adopted the cautious approach to the batting power play because it’s definitely not working.