Women’s County Championship: Relegation Situation

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This is the somewhat complicated situation as we think it stands for the bottom 4 – Middlesex, Surrey, Staffs and Somerset – 3 of whom go down.

(NB Berkshire have already accrued enough bonus points that they are definitely safe, even if they take no points at all from their final match with Kent.)

Middlesex have to play Staffs, and will stay up if they win, or even if they lose providing they get 5 bonus points.

Surrey are already down because they can no longer overtake Middlesex under any circumstances – even if they win their remaining match (v Sussex) with maximum bonus points, they will finish on just 8.0 points, but the least Middlesex can finish on is 8.3 points.

Staffs have their destiny (mostly – see below) in their own hands – if they beat Middlesex with full bonus points and keep Middlesex to a maximum of 4 bonus points, they will have 9 points, and therefore overtake Middlesex, who would have c. 8.3-8.9 points, depending on exactly how many bonus points they actually got.

Somerset meanwhile first need Staffs to beat Middlesex, but without Staffs getting the maximum bonus points and with Middlesex getting 4 or fewer bonus points, leaving both Middlesex and Staffs on 8-point-something points. If Somerset then beat Warwickshire with full bonus points, they will have the 9 points they need to overtake both Middlesex and Staffs to survive.

There is also one other potentially interesting scenario – if both Staffs and Somerset end up with 9 points, we go to the match between them… which was abandoned… so it then goes to Net Run Rate, which is currently in Staff’s favour, by 0.77 r/o!

Got that? (Good… ‘cos we’re not sure we have!!)

 

22 thoughts on “Women’s County Championship: Relegation Situation”

  1. Middlesex and Somerset can also tie on 8.86, 8.71, 8.57 or 8.43 average pts, in which Middlesex’s 1 wicket victory over Somerset earlier in the season would save them.

    One more interesting scenario – what about Middlesex, Staffs and Somerset all ending up with an average of 9.00 (which is possible – Middlesex 4pts, Somerset & Staffs 18 pts). Presumably regulation 14.2 goes out the window (because it only deals with a 2 team tie) and it goes to reg 14.3 which is NRR !

    All this only gets complicated if Middlesex fail to get 5 bonus points. Once they reach 5 BPs, then we’ll know Staffs, Somerset and (already relegated) Surrey are down.

    (Fortunately the regs prevent a team declaring – something which for Middlesex would save them. I realise Middlesex are above such behaviour).

    It’s a pity that Staffs are not playing their match in Wolverhampton (which they have used this season) because it would have been only about 10 miles from the Warks/Somerset match and if one match completed early and relegation was still at stake, it would have been easy for supporters to migrate to the other match.

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  2. …. or in figures …..I think ….

    Staffordshire (easiest perspective to take) :-
    RELEGATED: 15 or less
    SURVIVE: 16 / Middlesex (0 or 1) / Somerset 15 or less)
    SURVIVE: 17 / Middlesex (0,1 or 2) / Somerset 16 or less)
    SURVIVE: 18 / Middlesex (0,1,2 or 3) / Somerset 17 or less)

    In each of the 3 Staffs Survives cases above, Somerset need at least a 15 point difference on Middlesex to survive and send Middlesex down.

    Ties : –
    (1) Staffs (18), Somerset (18), Middlesex (4) – a 3 way tie (check NRR!)
    (2) Staffs (=14 and exactly 14 more than Middlesex) – Middlesex/Somerset tie (check NRR!)
    (3) Staffs (18), Somerset (<18), Middlesex (4) – Middlesex/Staffs tie (Staffs survive)

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    • … because the teams are mostly amateur and therefore forcing teams to complete their fixture list is not possible so teams cannot be guaranteed to play the same number of matches – hence the horrid % points system.
      The actual points system is rather straightforward (other than when it rains) and similar in principle to the men’s CC. The complexity is inherent in the percentage aspect.

      Another aspect of complexity is accurate and timely information. As of now, the scorecard from a vital match from Sunday (middlesex v yorkshire) has not been published. We have been left to piece together a picture of what we think happened from Twitter feeds. Are Middlex on 58 pts (Women’s Cricket Blog thinks so) or 59 pts (Crickether thinks so – at least “Middlesex have to play Staffs, and will stay up if they win, or even if they lose providing they get 5 bonus points” suggests they do). I think they are on 59 pts as well but could well be wrong. Again this is down to amateurs scoring matches as volunteers so its best endeavours as far as publishing scorecards.

      If we had rick solid results data, its actually quite easy in a spreadsheet to work out the permutations. Based on Middlesex having 59 pts, you should be able to copy the data below and paste it into an XLS and it should format automatically into a 4 row, 20 column table (at least it did when I copied and pasted it):-

      Pts 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
      M 8.43 8.57 8.71 8.86 9.00 9.14 9.29 9.43 9.57 9.71 9.86 10.00 10.14 10.29 10.43 10.57 10.71 10.86 11.00
      Som 6.43 6.57 6.71 6.86 7.00 7.14 7.29 7.43 7.57 7.71 7.86 8.00 8.14 8.29 8.43 8.57 8.71 8.86 9.00
      Staf 5.40 5.60 5.80 6.00 6.20 6.40 6.60 6.80 7.00 7.20 7.40 7.60 7.80 8.00 8.20 8.40 8.60 8.80 9.00

      Once done you can then easily see what percentage each team ends up on depending on the match points they get.

      If Middlesex are really on 58 pts then use:-

      Pts 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
      M 8.29 8.43 8.57 8.71 8.86 9.00 9.14 9.29 9.43 9.57 9.71 9.86 10.00 10.14 10.29 10.43 10.57 10.71 10.86
      Som 6.43 6.57 6.71 6.86 7.00 7.14 7.29 7.43 7.57 7.71 7.86 8.00 8.14 8.29 8.43 8.57 8.71 8.86 9.00
      Staf 5.40 5.60 5.80 6.00 6.20 6.40 6.60 6.80 7.00 7.20 7.40 7.60 7.80 8.00 8.20 8.40 8.60 8.80 9.00

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      • Update – it won’t automatically format now I’ve published the data. To solve this :-
        1. Paste the data in Excel
        2. Go to the DATA tab and press the TEXT TO COLUMNS
        3. Ensure DELIMITED is selected and press NEXT
        4. Click the SPACE option in the DELIMITERS box and press NEXT
        5. Press FINISH

        You should have a 4×20 table. Happy reading !

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      • Play Cricket how has the Middlesex/Yorkshire scorecard – although it doesn’t state what the bonus points are.
        Middlesex reached 94 for 8 (31.3 overs) when the heavens opened. Regulation 13.2 suggests that this means 2.98 runs per over which means 2 bonus pts so WCB is correct having Middlesex on 58 pts.
        If they had gone off 1 ball earlier or Middlesex had 1 more run it would have earned them another bonus point !

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      • For those not into pasting in Excel, here is the facts/figures for the case of Middlesex having 58 pts:-

        Staffs are relegated if they don’t get at least 15 pts
        Somerset are relegated if they don’t get at least 13 pts
        Middlesex are safe if they get at least 6 pts

        Staffs Survival : –
        15 pts / Middlesex (0) / Somerset 13 or less)
        16 pts / Middlesex (0,1 or 2) / Somerset 15 or less)
        17 pts / Middlesex (0,1,2 or 3) / Somerset 16 or less)
        18 pts / Middlesex (0,1,2,3 or 4) / Somerset 17 or less)

        Somerset Survival : –
        14 pts / Middlesex (0) / Staffs (15 or less)
        15 pts / Middlesex (0 or 1) / Staffs (15 or less)
        16 pts / Middlesex (0,1 or 2) / Staffs (16 or less)
        17 pts / Middlesex (0,1,2 or 3) / Staffs (17 or less)
        18 pts / Middlesex (0,1,2,3 or 4) / Staffs (17 or less)

        Ties : –
        [1] Staffs (18), Somerset (18), Middlesex (5) – a 3 way tie, rules vague but probably NRR
        [2] Middlesex/Somerset tie :-
        Mid (0), Som (13), Staffs (<= 14)
        Mid (1), Som (14), Staffs (<= 15)
        Mid (2), Som (15), Staffs (<= 15)
        Mid (3), Som (16), Staffs (<= 16)
        Mid (4), Som (17), Staffs (<= 17)
        Middlesex safe by dint of beating Somerset (by 1 wkt) earlier in the season
        [3] Staffs (18), Somerset (<18), Middlesex (4) = Middlesex/Staffs tie (Staffs safe – because they got more pts from their match with Middlesex than Middlesex)

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  4. Play-Cricket has Middlesex down for 3 bonus points when I looked earlier – access it via the Matches/Fixtures section on the team accounts.

    As a Warks supporter this is quite surreal not facing a relegation battle but if anyone wants to knock up some scenarios for us to come 2nd that’ll be good!

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    • Kev, you are correct that Pay-Cricket are showing 3 pts for Middlesex.
      No idea how they have come to that conclusion. 94 runs off 31 1/2 overs is a rate of 2.98 so should mean 2 bonus pts (they only took 2 Yorkshire wickets so no bowling BPs). Regulation 13.2 is remarkably clear about this.

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      • Agreed, it’s wrong, as is the lack of any bonus points for the Middx v Warks game on Monday. I’ve nudged the ECB and they have someone checking all the games from last weekend, a standard process I understand, so let’s wait and see. In the meantime, Cricket Archive seems accurate albeit without the Middx v Yorks game when I checked earlier.

        Perhaps someone has some insight into why the counties can’t get this right when inputting the data. Or why Play Cricket doesn’t do the maths itself.

        Of course what would we all do without this little challenge at the end of a season?!

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  6. As an aside I see Essex are bottom of Div 2 with no wins at all so will presumably be relegated (unless it all changes again) – given they were in Div 1 only a couple of seasons ago this seems quite a sad state of affairs for them. Like here (Herts) they don’t seems to have many clubs playing women’s cricket and like Herts they have had a steady decline in their fortunes over recent seasons.

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    • I think Essex are definitely down already – the best they can finish on is 6.4; the worst Worcestershire can finish on is 7.5.

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    • Essex’s situation is known as irony. Fantastic support at Chelmsford for women’s internationals and a county team on the slide. Doesn’t help any descending team that they can lose their internationals. The truly crazy / weird / bizarre case being Danni Wyatt who left Staffs for Notts when Staffs were not Div 1 and Notts were and then, instead of being mandated to return to Staffs when Notts got relegated and Staffs got promoted, ended in with …… Sussex. Um, well that makes sense doesn’t it.

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      • I know girls who wanted to play for other Counties but couldn’t whereas elite players seem to be allowed the swap at will.
        Maybe one way to bridge the gap between County and above would be to abolish County qualification (at least for seniors and other than for overseas players) so players could go wherever they wanted to get cricket of the appropriate level. This would improve the standard throughout because the best players would be concentrated in the top sides but there would be a trickle down. A good player who was at a top County and was just outside the squad could play for a lower side (some of whom seem to struggle to find 11 players on occasion) improving their side and also getting to play. At the moment there appear to be good players who can’t get a game and players who are probably not up to standard who play simply because their County has no-one else.

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      • “A custom more honour’d in the breach than the observance”… as I believe Shakespeare once said when asked about the county qualification rules!

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      • I agree, Simon, 100% with your comments but, from the ECB down, control is of the utmost importance to these people, and they aren’t going to compromise/undermine this any time soon by giving girls or parents the ability to choose.

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  7. Anyone out there interested in confirming Staffs batting bonus points. Cricket Archive states 9 but having looked at their results I can only make it up to 8. If so that would mean they should be on 26 pts not 27pts, which may be important come Sunday.

    Cricket Archive shows Kent with max batting points but their 131 all out against Sussex would suggest this is incorrect (not that this affects the title of course).

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