So, the new season is almost upon us, and I went down to witness Essex and Middlesex have some batting practice on the 2nd day of their warm up at Chelmsford. March cricket is usually a) cold and b) full of batting collapses, today didn't really provide either of those.
Due to Essex losing so many wickets the previous day, it was agreed Middlesex would start batting and would have 50 overs, with Essex have the remaining 34 to do whatever it is they wanted. This meant that the day petered out somewhat as Essex were never really likely to chase down Middlesex's effort.
David Masters struck in the first over, having Sam Robson caught at short leg, but other than that Middlesex avoided too many scares early on in the face of some fairly sharp swing bowling. Everyone who got in found a way to get out as Eskinazi (LBW), Gubbins (ct behind) and Dexter (ct behind) all departed to swing as Middlesex went to lunch on 95-4.
Dawid Malan was the exception to this and marched onwards to complete an 82 ball 50, and after Simpson and George Scott both fell, Harry Podmore blasted 30 from 34 balls as Middlesex rattled up 158-6 from 50 overs, Malan being 57 not out.
Essex carried on batting the way they had the previous day (91-7) by getting in a tangle as James Harris served up a double wicket maiden with Westley yorked and Jaik Mickburgh caught at slip, but Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence saw off the opening bowlers on what was a reasonably sunny afternoon. Lawrence clubbed the first six of the day, but was LBW to Podmore for 14.
The rest of the innings was well played by Browne and first James Foster and then Kishen Velani as they saw out the rest of the innings with some easy runs as Ollie Rayner and Ravi Patel rattled through the last 15 overs of the innings in about 45 minutes. There wasn't much spin, unsurprisingly with Rayner dismissing Foster from a top edged sweep.
Essex finished their 34 overs on 121-4, with Browne 49 not out and Velani 27 not out to complete the draw before both sides play tomorrow in 2 t20s.
