h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This week's update includes not only this week's completed matches, but also points scored during the England-West Indies ODI series and Sri Lanka's battering of Bangladesh.

The big winner in the Championship is Reuben Spiring's Helicopter, with Murali's 60 points in the series moving Egon up five places in the table to fourth. Expect a similar boost in the Pro4050 when the ODI series starts next week.

It's starting to become hard to look beyond the top three for the title. AndyG's Over and Outs have pulled further away, and Frenchbean is closing in on second place after a poor week for the Green and Golds. at the bottom, Sticky Wikkits and Freddie and the Steamers are a long way off the pack in the race for the wooden spoon.



Here's my review of the season so far:

Dedfordshire (Bubba-fretts) - Tailing off after a good start, Dedfordshire look over-reliant on a couple of star performers. While the loss of Ronnie Irani was an unexpected blow, too many players have underperformed, and the team look happy to float around in mid-table.

Dodgy Wikkits (Megachedda) - A solid enough foundation, but the likes of Charl Pietersen, John Maunders and David Harrison have contributed little. It must surely be time to spend some of that money - major surgery is required.

Freddie and the Steamers (Alfredo) - Having overspent ridiculously on their captain, the Steamers look bereft of ideas, and when the only batting reserve is Ben Harmison, you know you've got problems.

Green and Gold Invincibles (Summerbayexile) - Need a bit of a tweaking to maintain their good start, which has started to flag in recent weeks. Much will depend on Rana Naved, who has been brought in to replace the departed Stuart Clark. The money is there, with a Twenty20 final to come, and they could still push for the title with a couple of canny buys.

Hit For Six! (Nirvanite) - Underperforming. Brown and Powell aren't getting the runs, Butcher looks a poor choice for captain, and the less said about Matthew Mason the better. Can £50k buy a decent enough bowler to move them up into the chasing pack?

Jules' Kronies (JulesK) - Great to watch on their day and full of talent - but inconsistent, as their performances in the Twenty20 show. A good run in either competition will see them up there challenging for honours, but a lack of transfer funds will be a handicap.

Organcheese XI (Montague Trout) - Should be doing better. A couple of canny buys mid-season have lifted the side in the Championship, where they are comfortably placed in the chasing pack, but the ProPhortyPhifty already looks a write-off.

Over And Out (me[Andy]G) - Looking unstoppable. Low-scoring weeks are rare, and so they should be with the likes of Ramps, Maddy and Mushtaq. The recent signings of Wagh and Wagg shows either a completely driven ruthlessness or a cheeky love of onomatopoeia on Andy's part.

Reuben Spiring's Helicopter (Egon) - Well-placed for a title push. The few players who are underperforming must surely start to score more heavily soon. Probably too far off the pace to worry the Championship leaders unduly, but threatening in the ProPhortyPhifty. Has money to spend on a couple of one-day specialists, and not out of it by any means.

Sorry Cow and Tea Krikkit Klub (Demon Drawer) - A weak batting line-up has cost Demon Drawer dearly. With no money to spend on replacements, DD needs a sugar daddy or a miracle to challenge for respectability in the table.

Spent Kitfires (Mu Beta) - Wheeling and dealing in the transfer market has helped, but Mu Beta is another captain overly reliant on a few tried and tested stars. Adil Rashid's return to form is a welcome boost, but much depends on the performance of a new-look batting line-up. Needs consistency.

Sticky Wikkits (Magwitch) - Oh dear. A better name for Magwitch's team would be the Batting Bunnies; most of the team's points have come from bowling or in the field (Clark, Ackerman and Hall all making as much impact with ball as bat). Best get in for a couple of batsmen to shore up the top of the order, and fast. Strauss is probably the least inspired choice of captain in the whole league, especially when Rikki Clarke is in the side.

The Down and Unders (Frenchbean) - Quietly improving and consolidating all season, Frenchbean's team of reliable performers look well-placed to challenge the Over and Outs. With Jon Lewis returning from injury yesterday they have a new weapon at their disposal, and the recruitment of a new batsman after the Twenty20 final would see them continue to close the gap at the top. The team to watch at the moment.

As for my miracle the Ark is built, just hasn't been enough of the wet stuff yet, but it's coming.

I never said I knew anything about cricket


Does it show? (something my team are rather short off, obviously)

You do have some money to spend, though, Magwitch, and there will be a full transfer window coming up as soon as I'm sure I have time to sort the moves out