Middlesex resumed on the final day at Edgbaston 351-5, leading by 305, and batted on. Dawid Malan added 2 to his overnight 138 before he edged to Tim Ambrose from Chris Wright's first over of the morning, 357-6 ending a partnership of 105 with Gareth Berg. Berg and Steve Crook then started planting the ball all round the park with Crook planting Keith Barker into the Eric Hollies stand at midwicket. The pair added 42 in 7 overs before Crook feathered a Boyd Rankin bouncer through to Ambrose for 19 for his fourth wicket, 399-7. Berg (78 from 102) then slapped a cut to Darren Maddy at point for Wright's fourth wicket. Tim Murtagh edged Rankin to Rikki Clarke at slip first ball as Rankin finished with 5-78. Toby Roland-Jones was last man out after swinging at every ball in the over (from which 2 fours came) and forcing a long-stop fielder into position, TRJ last heave went to Barker at midwicket, Wright taking 5-119 as Middlesex finished on 412 leaving Warwickshire an unlikely 367 runs to win.
Warwickshire began badly, Ian Westwood (0) edging low where Adam Rossington flew low to his left in front of first slip to cling on to a great catch, 7-1. Next over, things got even worse as Varun Chopra missed a pull and could only limply top edge to Murtagh running round from mid-on for 4 off Roland-Jones, 7-2.and before lunch, they'd be 3 down as Will Porterfield charged past Ravi Patel's first ball to be comfortably stumped by Rossington for 12, 31-3.
Jim Troughton and Maddy hit some boundaries to bring up the 50, as Maddy then pulled a full ball from Berg, missed and was LBW for 10. Warwickshire now went very defensive (even though Clarke smashed Patel back over his head for six) as the gloom and rain began to close in. Roland-Jones then got Clarke LBW with one that swung sharply inwards, 86-5. The rain then delayed any further play until after tea. Troughton edged down the leg side where Rossington juggled the catch at the 2nd attempt, 100-6 and notionally 30 overs left to survive. With the light deteriorating Middlesex needed wickets, and a dropped catch in the deep off Patel didn't help as Dawid Malan came on to bowl from the Pavilion end in tandem with Patel. Blackwell's free strokeplay led to his downfall, slicing a drive back to Patel for 23, 134-7.
That would be it as far as wickets were concerned as Ambrose (having had an x-ray after being hit on the fingers when keeping) and Barker batted out 14 overs until the light caused play to be abandoned with Warwickshire 152-7, taking 9 points (staying top) and Middlesex 8, Patel taking 3-60.
Monday 24 September 2012
Thursday 20 September 2012
Moving Up
Clearing up the tail of the Warwickshire first innings proved somewhat tricky, as Keith Barker and Chris Wright carefully brought up the 300 before cutting loose, Toby Roland-Jones went for five fours in 8 balls, before Barker edged to Adam Rossington (diving to his right) off Tim Murtagh for 23, 328-9. Wright then tried to slam Murtagh into Birmingham, only to have is off stump removed for 13, 333 all out, a lead of 46.
Middlesex needed a better start than they had in the 1st innings, but Sam Robson was caught behind by Tim Ambrose from Wright's 2nd ball for 1. Joe Denly (15) hit 3 fours before compounding his difficult 2nd half of the season, edging to second slip where Rikki Clarke caught the ball well high above his head, 25-2. Then the runs began to come, thanks to Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan, two of the more consistent run scorers, putting on their first large partnership of the season. Middlesex regained the lead in the 11th over and eased past 50 as they reached 68-2 at lunch.
Rogers brought up the 100 with a top edged six that just carried over third man's desperate leap before Malan's sixth four brought up his 75-ball 50. The 100 partnership was raised and then Rogers went to 50 as well, from 86 balls. The runs continued to flow as the pair batted excellently against one of the best bowling attacks in the country, the high amount of no balls being bowled didn't help the home side as the pair advanced until Rogers reached his hundred from 143 balls in the 50th over, in the process passing 18000 first class runs. He fell soon after, trying to launch Boyd Rankin over point, only to edge to Varun Chopra at first slip for 109, breaking a partnership of 203. Warwickshire then fought back, Dexter (2) caught by Will Porterfield at gully off Rankin, 238-4. Malan went to his hundred next over from 158 balls and he and Rossington brought up the 200 lead before Rossington fell for 2, pulling Rankin to Darren Maddy at square leg, 252-5.
Then came the partnership that took the game away from Warwickshire, as Malan and Gareth Berg smashed the ball all round the ground adding 99 in the final 18 overs of the day, Berg racing to a 62 ball 50 as Middlesex closed 351-5, Berg 53 and Malan 138 not out, a lead of 305.
Middlesex needed a better start than they had in the 1st innings, but Sam Robson was caught behind by Tim Ambrose from Wright's 2nd ball for 1. Joe Denly (15) hit 3 fours before compounding his difficult 2nd half of the season, edging to second slip where Rikki Clarke caught the ball well high above his head, 25-2. Then the runs began to come, thanks to Chris Rogers and Dawid Malan, two of the more consistent run scorers, putting on their first large partnership of the season. Middlesex regained the lead in the 11th over and eased past 50 as they reached 68-2 at lunch.
Rogers brought up the 100 with a top edged six that just carried over third man's desperate leap before Malan's sixth four brought up his 75-ball 50. The 100 partnership was raised and then Rogers went to 50 as well, from 86 balls. The runs continued to flow as the pair batted excellently against one of the best bowling attacks in the country, the high amount of no balls being bowled didn't help the home side as the pair advanced until Rogers reached his hundred from 143 balls in the 50th over, in the process passing 18000 first class runs. He fell soon after, trying to launch Boyd Rankin over point, only to edge to Varun Chopra at first slip for 109, breaking a partnership of 203. Warwickshire then fought back, Dexter (2) caught by Will Porterfield at gully off Rankin, 238-4. Malan went to his hundred next over from 158 balls and he and Rossington brought up the 200 lead before Rossington fell for 2, pulling Rankin to Darren Maddy at square leg, 252-5.
Then came the partnership that took the game away from Warwickshire, as Malan and Gareth Berg smashed the ball all round the ground adding 99 in the final 18 overs of the day, Berg racing to a 62 ball 50 as Middlesex closed 351-5, Berg 53 and Malan 138 not out, a lead of 305.
Wednesday 19 September 2012
TRJ Saves The Day
Resuming the 2nd day at Edgbaston 21-0, Warwickshire batted onwards, lessening the deficit easily as the Middlesex attack was a bit uninspiring as Varun Chopra and Ian Westwood saw off Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones as the run rate was good, if not as rapid as Middlesex's, Westwood reaching 50 from 85 balls as the partnership passed 100. Westwood then accelerated after lunch (having not lost a wicket) and Westwood was on 96 before Chopra got to a 113 ball 50 and Westwood getting to 100 in 148 balls, his 2nd hundred against Middlesex in a month. Gareth Berg got the breakthrough, Chopra (56) well caught by Robson with the score at 175, which soon led to a 2nd, Ravi Patel getting his first championship wicket of Will Porterfield (13), caught low down by Dexter's knees at slip, Porterfield thought the ball hadn't carried and hung around for a while before finally trudging off, 194-2.
Jim Troughton smacked Patel for six, and some poor fielding off Crook led to 4 overthrows down to the cover boundary before Westwood was finally out, looping a catch to the sub Tom Scollay at mid-off off Neil Dexter for 120, a great innings, giving his side a good chance of a lead. Darren Maddy fell for 16, slicing to Crook at gully who held on to a great catch, 247-4. The new ball then came and Rikki Clarke went to the 10th ball with it, edging to Adam Rossington for 6 off Roland-Jones. Tim Ambrose went in identical fashion in Roland-Jones's next over for nought, 275-6. As the gloom closed in Roland-Jones bagged a third, Ian Blackwell LBW for 6, and Troughton went to a 106-ball 50 before falling to Murtagh next over, a wild hack to Robson at third slip, 291-8. Play ended to rain and bad light with Warwickshire on 293-8, a lead of six after a great fightback late in the day by Middlesex.
Jim Troughton smacked Patel for six, and some poor fielding off Crook led to 4 overthrows down to the cover boundary before Westwood was finally out, looping a catch to the sub Tom Scollay at mid-off off Neil Dexter for 120, a great innings, giving his side a good chance of a lead. Darren Maddy fell for 16, slicing to Crook at gully who held on to a great catch, 247-4. The new ball then came and Rikki Clarke went to the 10th ball with it, edging to Adam Rossington for 6 off Roland-Jones. Tim Ambrose went in identical fashion in Roland-Jones's next over for nought, 275-6. As the gloom closed in Roland-Jones bagged a third, Ian Blackwell LBW for 6, and Troughton went to a 106-ball 50 before falling to Murtagh next over, a wild hack to Robson at third slip, 291-8. Play ended to rain and bad light with Warwickshire on 293-8, a lead of six after a great fightback late in the day by Middlesex.
Thursday 13 September 2012
Big Birthday Ton
After defeat at The Oval, Middlesex moved north to Edgbaston for their next Championship game, and as usual, Middlesex lost the toss and found themselves batting, with Chris Wright and Keith Barker bearing down on them, but the outfield was fast and the bowling of the table toppers was wild and Sam Robson had smashed his way to a run a ball 28 before he lost Chris Rogers for 6, well caught at first slip by Rikki Clarke (playing with a side strain). Joe Denly smashed a four, then went for a horrific wild waft outside off stump to be caught behind by Tim Ambrose off Wright for 4, 46-2. Dawid Malan decided that being caught behind looked like fun, and was out for one in Wright's next over. 48-3 and it was looking like more of the same, but Neil Dexter (on his birthday) and Robson found some batting form, albeit with a large slice of luck.
Boundaries flew quickly, quite often off the edge over the slips (bringing that rarely seen third man into play), with Darren Maddy's first two overs going for 23 and Boyd Rankin failing to stem the flow as the 50 partnership came up in the 21st over and the 100 in the next. Robson departed before lunch, having past 50 from 62 balls, edged Rankin to Ambrose for 60 from 73, 121-4. Adam Rossington improved on his duck at the Oval by aiding Dexter (52 ball 50) in causing more heartache for the bowlers with more flashing drives over the slips and solid swing all round the wicket, showing how easy batting was once the new ball was gone. 3 consecutive fours by Dexter off Wright brought up the 50 partnership, and after 40 overs of the innings Middlesex had reached 200-4, better than some of their CB40 scores. Ian Blackwell was making his debut for Warwickshire, on loan from Durham, and he provided the control from the Birmingham End, with Rossington caught by Varun Chopra for his career high 29, 216-5. Gareth Berg then chipped to Will Porterfield at cover for 8, Blackwell's 2nd at 229. Steve Crook relaxed Dexter's 90s nerves by swing Wtight for 4 and then 6 over midwicket to raise the 250, before Dexter completed a 126 ball 100, his first in over a year and one that saved Middlesex from embarrassment. Crook fell to Blackwell just for tea for 27, and the innings finished soon after, Rankin having Dexter LBW for 101 and Toby Roland-Jones caught by Clarke for 0. A brief last wicket flurry took the score to 287, Ian Blackwell snaring Ravi Patel on debut to finished with 4-46.
Chopra and Ian Westwood saw out the 5.1 overs before bad light stopped play, 21-0.
Boundaries flew quickly, quite often off the edge over the slips (bringing that rarely seen third man into play), with Darren Maddy's first two overs going for 23 and Boyd Rankin failing to stem the flow as the 50 partnership came up in the 21st over and the 100 in the next. Robson departed before lunch, having past 50 from 62 balls, edged Rankin to Ambrose for 60 from 73, 121-4. Adam Rossington improved on his duck at the Oval by aiding Dexter (52 ball 50) in causing more heartache for the bowlers with more flashing drives over the slips and solid swing all round the wicket, showing how easy batting was once the new ball was gone. 3 consecutive fours by Dexter off Wright brought up the 50 partnership, and after 40 overs of the innings Middlesex had reached 200-4, better than some of their CB40 scores. Ian Blackwell was making his debut for Warwickshire, on loan from Durham, and he provided the control from the Birmingham End, with Rossington caught by Varun Chopra for his career high 29, 216-5. Gareth Berg then chipped to Will Porterfield at cover for 8, Blackwell's 2nd at 229. Steve Crook relaxed Dexter's 90s nerves by swing Wtight for 4 and then 6 over midwicket to raise the 250, before Dexter completed a 126 ball 100, his first in over a year and one that saved Middlesex from embarrassment. Crook fell to Blackwell just for tea for 27, and the innings finished soon after, Rankin having Dexter LBW for 101 and Toby Roland-Jones caught by Clarke for 0. A brief last wicket flurry took the score to 287, Ian Blackwell snaring Ravi Patel on debut to finished with 4-46.
Chopra and Ian Westwood saw out the 5.1 overs before bad light stopped play, 21-0.
Friday 7 September 2012
A Ginger Rescue
The 2nd day of the crucial third Test match between England and South Africa to decide the number one spot in the rankings. South Africa resumed 262-7, with England looking to keep them below 320, Vernon Philander quickly completed his maiden test 50, from 75 balls, having lost Dale Steyn, well caught by Graeme Swann at 2nd slip for 26 off Stuart Broad. Morne Morkel then thumped a couple of boundaries as South Africa passed 300 in the 100th over. Steve Finn then had Morkel well taken one handed to his left by Matt Prior in his first over of the morning for 25 from 36. Swann then wrapped up proceedings as Philander went for a massive heave, to be smartly stumped by Prior for 61, Prior's sixth dismissal in the innings South Africa 309 all out, a total that gave England a chance if they could see off the new ball.
Andrew Strauss received much ovation as he walked out for his 100th test and got underway immediately, flicking Morkel for a single, before helping take 13 off Philander's first over. The pair added 29 in 10 overs before Morkel snuck one onto Strauss's stumps for 20 with 3 balls left in the session, there was to be no 100 in 100th test for him.
After lunch, England struggled, and Jonathan Trott fell third over after lunch for 8, LBW to Dale Steyn, not saved by a review, the ball was clipping leg stump. Steyn then made it 2 in four balls as Cook sliced to Kallis at 2nd slip who gobbled (sorry, couldn't resist) the chance as he departed for a 40 ball 7, 39-3. Now it was the turn of James Taylor and Ian Bell to rescue England, Taylor edged Steyn for 4 before crashing him past point for four more, before England tried to block their way to safety as South Africa bowled tightly and Taylor finally edged low to Graeme Smith at first slip for 10, 52-4 and England in a bit of trouble with Jonny Bairstow now in and plenty of work to do. The pair started slowly but then began to cash in on the loose balls and brought up the 50 partnership in the 42nd over with Bell smacking a four. The runs flowed more easily and Bairstow took 13 off an over from Tahir as the explosion (relatively) in runs raised the 150 and the 100 partnership in the 54th over which also included Bairstow's maiden test 50 from 86 balls, an encouraging performance against the experienced bowling attack of South Africa. Bell's 50 wasn't far behind, guiding Kallis through point for four, but he would fall soon after edging Philander to Alviro Petersen at third slip for 58, 178-5.
Baristow and Prior then played cautiously until the close at 6:30, as England finished 208-5, Bairstow 72 and Prior on 22 still 101 behind and reliant on some lower order hitting to get any sort of lead.
Andrew Strauss received much ovation as he walked out for his 100th test and got underway immediately, flicking Morkel for a single, before helping take 13 off Philander's first over. The pair added 29 in 10 overs before Morkel snuck one onto Strauss's stumps for 20 with 3 balls left in the session, there was to be no 100 in 100th test for him.
After lunch, England struggled, and Jonathan Trott fell third over after lunch for 8, LBW to Dale Steyn, not saved by a review, the ball was clipping leg stump. Steyn then made it 2 in four balls as Cook sliced to Kallis at 2nd slip who gobbled (sorry, couldn't resist) the chance as he departed for a 40 ball 7, 39-3. Now it was the turn of James Taylor and Ian Bell to rescue England, Taylor edged Steyn for 4 before crashing him past point for four more, before England tried to block their way to safety as South Africa bowled tightly and Taylor finally edged low to Graeme Smith at first slip for 10, 52-4 and England in a bit of trouble with Jonny Bairstow now in and plenty of work to do. The pair started slowly but then began to cash in on the loose balls and brought up the 50 partnership in the 42nd over with Bell smacking a four. The runs flowed more easily and Bairstow took 13 off an over from Tahir as the explosion (relatively) in runs raised the 150 and the 100 partnership in the 54th over which also included Bairstow's maiden test 50 from 86 balls, an encouraging performance against the experienced bowling attack of South Africa. Bell's 50 wasn't far behind, guiding Kallis through point for four, but he would fall soon after edging Philander to Alviro Petersen at third slip for 58, 178-5.
Baristow and Prior then played cautiously until the close at 6:30, as England finished 208-5, Bairstow 72 and Prior on 22 still 101 behind and reliant on some lower order hitting to get any sort of lead.
Monday 3 September 2012
Burns Burns Middlesex
A good way to start a day is to lose an early wicket, which is what Middlesex did on the 2nd Day against Surrey at The Oval as Sam Robson was LBW to Jade Dernbach fourth ball for 29, nightwatchman Tom Smith brought up the 100 with a four off Zander De Bruyn and he and Joe Denly started a fightback.
The fightback ended with Denly caught behind by Steve Davies off Tim Linley for 17, 128-3 still 16 behind in bowler friendly conditions similar to the previous day, with similar results from the batsmen. Dawid Malan and Smith took Middlesex into the lead, and the lead to 20, before Murali Kartik from the Vauxhall End finally ended Smith's excellent resistance on 31, and had Malan caught at short leg for 22 a sharp catch from Rory Burns (who also got clopped on the head from a sweep shot), 171-5. This gave Middlesex's 2nd debutant in the match, Andy Balbirnie the opportunity to cover drive Kartik for four three times in four balls in the next over before Neil Dexter gave Kartik his third, edging to Jason Roy for 5, 186-6.
Balbirnie (14) and Steve Crook then fell in consecutive balls LBW to Gareth Batty before he caught Adam Rossington at cover off Kartik for another duck as Middlesex slumped to 188-9 having lost 4-2 in 25 balls. Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones then carted the total towards respectability as Murtagh planted Batty for six towards the pavilion as they brought up the 200 and forced Batty out of the attack. Murtagh was driving and lofting the ball well, until he tried one heave across the line too many and Rory Hamilton-Brown took a smart catch at midwicket, Middlesex 232 all out, the 44 runs for the last wicket giving them a lead of 88.
Murtagh started the 2nd innings by spraying a ball past Rossington for 5 wides, but Roland-Jones was better, and, having found the edge from Zafar Ansari (9 ball duck) watched as Sam Robson pulled off an amazing low catch to his left. Surrey then woke up, in (relatively) sunny conditions and Arun Harinath and Burns then saw off the opening bowlers before tucking into Smith, Balbirnie and Dexter as they reached 86-1 at the close, Harinath 39 and Burns on 40, only two behind with 9 wickets left.
The fightback ended with Denly caught behind by Steve Davies off Tim Linley for 17, 128-3 still 16 behind in bowler friendly conditions similar to the previous day, with similar results from the batsmen. Dawid Malan and Smith took Middlesex into the lead, and the lead to 20, before Murali Kartik from the Vauxhall End finally ended Smith's excellent resistance on 31, and had Malan caught at short leg for 22 a sharp catch from Rory Burns (who also got clopped on the head from a sweep shot), 171-5. This gave Middlesex's 2nd debutant in the match, Andy Balbirnie the opportunity to cover drive Kartik for four three times in four balls in the next over before Neil Dexter gave Kartik his third, edging to Jason Roy for 5, 186-6.
Balbirnie (14) and Steve Crook then fell in consecutive balls LBW to Gareth Batty before he caught Adam Rossington at cover off Kartik for another duck as Middlesex slumped to 188-9 having lost 4-2 in 25 balls. Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones then carted the total towards respectability as Murtagh planted Batty for six towards the pavilion as they brought up the 200 and forced Batty out of the attack. Murtagh was driving and lofting the ball well, until he tried one heave across the line too many and Rory Hamilton-Brown took a smart catch at midwicket, Middlesex 232 all out, the 44 runs for the last wicket giving them a lead of 88.
Murtagh started the 2nd innings by spraying a ball past Rossington for 5 wides, but Roland-Jones was better, and, having found the edge from Zafar Ansari (9 ball duck) watched as Sam Robson pulled off an amazing low catch to his left. Surrey then woke up, in (relatively) sunny conditions and Arun Harinath and Burns then saw off the opening bowlers before tucking into Smith, Balbirnie and Dexter as they reached 86-1 at the close, Harinath 39 and Burns on 40, only two behind with 9 wickets left.
Saturday 1 September 2012
A Good Day
The first day of Surrey vs Middlesex at the Oval was something of an important game for both teams, with Surrey needing a win and Middlesex coming of the back of a thrashing by Sussex needing points to take them away from the relegation zone.
Gareth Batty won the toss and Surrey batted, and found themselves in huge trouble as Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones carved through the weak top order. Rory Burns (6) edged to Dawid Malan at first slip before Zafar Ansari (10) edged to championship debutant keeper Adam Rossington off Roland-Jones who, after a rain delay then had Zander De Bruyn (0) LBW and next over Rory Hamilton-Brown (2) missed a straight ball and lost his middle stump as Surrey slumped to 33-4. This then became 41-5 with Arun Harinath (14) LBW to give Roland-Jones his third. Steve Davies and Jason Roy tried to launch a recovery (interrupted by more rain) against Steve Crook and Neil Dexter, but Davies was undone by late swing from Dexter, flicking one through to Rossington for 16, which led to Roy starting to thump the ball around with more urgency as his partners failed, Batty left another inswinger from Dexter and was bang in front LBW for 9, 97-7. Murali Kartik had fun with Roy walloping the ball around until Murtagh returned to bowl him for 23 before cleaning up to take 3 wickets in seven balls, Tim Linley edged to Sam Robson at slip and Jade Dernbach LBW first ball to give Murtagh 5-37 and Surrey 144 all out (Roland-Jones 3-38), now for Middlesex to push for a good lead.
This they looked doing as Chris Rogers and Robson played under the now blue(ish) skies in easier conditions to play the 32 overs left as the Surrey attack looked lifeless with Dernbach and Linley bowling fairly badly, the 50 partnership coming up from Rogers in the 15th over off De Bruyn, Rogers then went to a 71-ball 50 before slowing up towards the close, only to be bowled by a Dernbach slower ball for 56 in the penultimate over with the score on 98, Middlesex closing 99-1, only 45 behind.
Gareth Batty won the toss and Surrey batted, and found themselves in huge trouble as Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones carved through the weak top order. Rory Burns (6) edged to Dawid Malan at first slip before Zafar Ansari (10) edged to championship debutant keeper Adam Rossington off Roland-Jones who, after a rain delay then had Zander De Bruyn (0) LBW and next over Rory Hamilton-Brown (2) missed a straight ball and lost his middle stump as Surrey slumped to 33-4. This then became 41-5 with Arun Harinath (14) LBW to give Roland-Jones his third. Steve Davies and Jason Roy tried to launch a recovery (interrupted by more rain) against Steve Crook and Neil Dexter, but Davies was undone by late swing from Dexter, flicking one through to Rossington for 16, which led to Roy starting to thump the ball around with more urgency as his partners failed, Batty left another inswinger from Dexter and was bang in front LBW for 9, 97-7. Murali Kartik had fun with Roy walloping the ball around until Murtagh returned to bowl him for 23 before cleaning up to take 3 wickets in seven balls, Tim Linley edged to Sam Robson at slip and Jade Dernbach LBW first ball to give Murtagh 5-37 and Surrey 144 all out (Roland-Jones 3-38), now for Middlesex to push for a good lead.
This they looked doing as Chris Rogers and Robson played under the now blue(ish) skies in easier conditions to play the 32 overs left as the Surrey attack looked lifeless with Dernbach and Linley bowling fairly badly, the 50 partnership coming up from Rogers in the 15th over off De Bruyn, Rogers then went to a 71-ball 50 before slowing up towards the close, only to be bowled by a Dernbach slower ball for 56 in the penultimate over with the score on 98, Middlesex closing 99-1, only 45 behind.
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