Wednesday 27 April 2011

Harris'd

At Chelmsford for the first day of Essex vs Glamorgan, Essex won the toss and fielding on a cool day. David Masters found early swing and removed Rees and Petersen before Bragg and Powell steadied the innings. Just before lunch Lonwabo Tsotsobe had Powell caught behind for 36 to make it 94-3. Bragg reached a good 50 before he and Wallace fell in consecutive overs and when Ben Wright was well caught by Matt Walker 164-6 wasn't looking good.
James Harris then found support in first Wagg, who hit a quick 36 before falling to a trap being caught at long-off, then Cosker in compiling runs. Cosker went just after tea at 250-8, Harris then went to fifty before he and Waters went quickly to round the innings off for 282.
Harris wasn't done yet, he then had Cook lbw for 5 to leave Essex 13-1 in the 11 overs before close setting up an interesting day ahead

Sunday 10 April 2011

Off to University

So a sunny day in Cambridge for Middlesex vs Cambridge MCCU, should be an easy game you'd think, however Chris Rogers was out for only nine. Dan Housego struggled along throughout the morning session but Scott Newman looked in form with a run-a-ball 80 until he chipped one to cover. Housego then fell from the last ball of the session for 36, 137-3.
After lunch Malan was joined by Dexter and between them they batted throughout the session, easily swatting away whatever the students bowled, with both passing 50 and by tea the score was looking much more convincing at 312-3.
After tea Dexter finally fell unluckily short a century for 91. Simpson came in and they batted through to the declaration with Malan on 142 not out and Simpson six not out at 373-4.
The 13 overs left before close proved too long for Cambridge, as Murtagh grabbed the wickets of Ackland and Hughes before nighwatchman Bell fell in the final over of the day to Toby Roland-Jones to finish on 40-3.

Friday 1 April 2011

A Trip up "North"

Well yesterday was the 2nd of the pre-season games that I am planning to attend, a 40 over game between Northamptonshire and Middlesex.
Overnight rain meant the game didn't start until 11:00 where Northants won the toss and stuck Middlesex in. Jack Brooks bowled a cracking spell from the Lynn Wilson end and had Paul Stirling bowled for 6. Scott Newman on the other hand was taking apart David Lucas and hit sixes off both him and Brooks before David Willey held on to a screamer at point to leave Middlesex 41-2. Dan Housego and Tom Scollay then led a recovery before Middlebrook bowled Housego off the bottom edge for 12.
David Willey bowled a tight spell from the Lynn Wilson end and had Scollay lbw for 27 to leave the total looking precarious at 92-4. Gareth Berg then set about scoring runs without getting out (something that hadn't quite been managed up to now) in his 45 including a big six off Lucas in his 2nd spell. Simpson went and just when Dexter was looking good he carved to point off Lucas and then Steven Crook played the same shot in the same over, 156-7. Ollie Rayner started hitting with Berg, but both of them went with the score in the 190s, Rayner's being a comical run out where Davey ran for the third and did for Rayner by half a pitch length.
Smith and Davey, however took 17 off the final over to get to 230-9, a total that felt light given the short western boundary.
Northants innings began with Crook castling Loye only for it to be a no-ball and the free hit to be battered for 4. Tim Murtagh bowled a miserly spell to keep the required rate at a run a ball. Crook then bowled Newton for 9 and the no ball started to look expensive as Rob White and Loye took the total past 50. Luck was about to hit Middlesex as Loye dragged a drive straight to a startled Stirling at mid-on to bring in Alex Wakely in what was the partnership of the match. The two both brought up fifties with Wakely hitting sixes off Smith and Dexter as Middlesex tried 8 bowlers in an effort to take a wicket. Just as the two started to accelerate, however, Crook bagged White for 54, but Wakely looked as though he could carry the team home on his own as he took 17 off the first powerplay over with the required rate pushing 10 and over. David Sales inability to score fast meant that Wakely had to take risks and he took one too many from Murtagh's excellent powerplay bowling and was well caught on the square leg boundary by Davey and the belief that Middlesex could actually win returned to the players.
The end result was only a 7 run win with Niall O'Brien being caught and Sales run out in the final over as Hall valiantly tried to hit the sixes needed but came up short.
The Middlesex bowling looked better than it had against Surrey, but the batting was still suspect with more than one dodgy shot being played.