Woodville in essence this weekend could pick 9 batsman, 2 all rounders, win the toss and bowl, set defensive fields, let TTG bat the first day, force them to make the play, but with no fielding restrictions they can bowl wide of off stump and set fields to that.. then just bat out a day with a side full of batsman and they win the flag..
Surely some sort of compulsory declaration has to be enforced, the side should have at least 80 overs to chase the runs.. I like the idea of the side being able to bat on for 10-15 overs on day 2, leaving 80 overs minimum to chase what they need..
Were quite happy with the rules and understand our position. We messed up last round and lost top spot, thats out fault and our 'bed to lay in'. Last year we won the toss and batted v Woodville in the semi, needing the win. Still achieved that result, so its more than achievable to get the result no matter the rules.
I reckon just about every player in A & B grade (where these rules apply) are happy with the current arrangements and it makes for tougher cricket. Teams used to bowl negatively because they didn't need wickets to win - now they do.
People that are saying the current rules promote negative cricket are clearly out of touch because the opposite is true! We want blokes to be able to bat 4+ hours at the next level and this is the best format to allow it.
Summed up perfectly C Horse. The players dont mind the rules and it adds a bit of strategy and plan execution to the games. This season, Northerns batted to long, leaving us roughly 40 overs (off the top of my head) to get 180-190 odd. We lost a couple quick wickets midway through the chase meaning we then shut up shot to avoid the loss. The ability to play for the draw is important in first class cricket so why not play similar conditions? it really is a non issue IMO