CW Draft League - The Reserves

[Monk]

Tip Foster

Some of the early era names are great. Just sounds made up!

[Eds]

Want this to end so I can vote for Agent already.

[Cabinet96]

Just waiting on Prez now I believe.

[8ankitj]

Want this to end so I can vote for Agent already.

Why do you guys always want to vote for teams with lesser known, lesser accomplished players. In Agents team, Faulkner is probably the only one who can be regarded an ATG, and other very good pick being Ames. My team has Headley, Barnes and Nourse with great test records.

[Eds]

Why do you guys always want to vote for teams with lesser known, lesser accomplished players. In Agents team, Faulkner is probably the only one who can be regarded an ATG, and other very good pick being Ames. My team has Headley, Barnes and Nourse with great test records.

I personally consider Faulkner, Ames, Macartney, Tate and Jardine ATGs as cricketers. And then he's filled the rest of his gaps with players like Vijay Merchant and Lindsay Hassett and Stewie Dempster who I rate incredibly highly at this level, as well.

As I said previously, it's not far off what my favourite pre-war XI would look like.

[Jager]

I mentioned it to Prez on CricSim and he said he'd get onto it, he's probably forgotten though

[Agent TBY]

Why do you guys always want to vote for teams with lesser known, lesser accomplished players. In Agents team, Faulkner is probably the only one who can be regarded an ATG, and other very good pick being Ames. My team has Headley, Barnes and Nourse with great test records.

I'm actually glad you see it that way, to be perfectly honest. I knew so little about this era that I made a conscious decision to draft a more balanced side over going for superstars. I could've looked at stats and test records all day but this era's stats don't say much - there are tons of players who've played a few series, had amazing stats but were unceremoniously dumped and never heard from again. In that context, it's very difficult to judge who the Stuart Clarks and Ryan Sidebottoms were, and who the Shane Bonds were.

That's why my first four picks were two all-rounders, a keeper-batsman and a captain, and I think that approach has worked out pretty well. My side looks like one you'd build in 2012 - players in their preferred positions, bats all the way down to 9, has 5 genuine bowling options (all different kinds of bowlers too) in the kind of attack my shrewd skipper would thrive in leading, and is generally filled with players that were rated very highly by journalists, their teammates and even their opponents. Even those in my team that didn't play much, Merchant, Dempster and Cowie for example, were by all accounts legends and could've made a much bigger mark on the game if they were only afforded the opportunity.

Would I have loved to have Hobbs/Headley/Barnes, or Hutton/Sutcliffe/Lohmann like morgieb does? Absolutely, but I knew that was never going to be a realistic option for the kind of side I wanted to build. The only player I really regret missing out on in this entire draft is Compton - I actually thought people would overlook when he debuted and that I'd end up with an aggressive batting superstar, the romance pick so to speak.

On the other hand, I count myself very lucky to have both Faulkner and Tate - the best batting and bowling all-rounders available - and Ames in my team. It's a bit like drafting Sobers, Imran and Gilchrist, so I was genuinely surprised when Tate lasted well into the third round. I was certain he'd go immediately after I picked Faulkner so I guess I lucked out in that regard.

I personally consider Faulkner, Ames, Macartney, Tate and Jardine ATGs as cricketers. And then he's filled the rest of his gaps with players like Vijay Merchant and Lindsay Hassett and Stewie Dempster who I rate incredibly highly at this level, as well.

As I said previously, it's not far off what my favourite pre-war XI would look like.

[8ankitj]

Some day I will figure out the voting patterns and win a drafts.

[Agent TBY]

Some day I will figure out the voting patterns and win a drafts.

Not while your teams look like something straight out of Lord of the Rings, you won't.

[Monk]

Wizard?

[MrPrez]

Sorry! Getting onto this.

[MrPrez]

1)A.Jackson
2)B.Woodful
3)D.Compton
4)S.McCabe
5)T.Hayward
6)J.Ryder
7)B.Murdoch +
8)W.Rhodes
9)Frank Foster
10)B.O'Reilly
11)Bill Bowes

12th: G.Geary

[Dan]

So, I believe that concludes the draft.

I'll try and get a voting thread up tonight.

EDIT:
8ankitj, can I get a bowling order from you, should you wish to have one. Additionally, morgieb and Cabinet, could I request a team list in batting order - otherwise I'll have to try and guess.

[8ankitj]

Bowling order - Barnes, Ferris, Peel, Gregory,

[Howe_zat]

Can you lads let me know when the next one starts up? Would like to get back into these.