GOOGLIES & CHINAMEN
An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 151
July 2015
Ashes Matters
Two fat boys who won’t be participating in this summers Ashes frolicks are Cosgrove and Patel who are both increasing their girth by each new season. Cosgrove when captain of Leicestershire treats himself to a bowl and when either of these two encroach on the square cracks begin to appear on the wicket.
I have been thinking that the key battle could be between the opposing number threes, Smith and Root, but then I realised that Ballance is the incumbent. He is a true enigma - great record, looks terrible. Its hard to believe that the Aussies won’t sort out his defective technique but others have failed. He also makes England’s top three all left handers which isn’t good for trying to mess with Starc and Johnson’s lines.
Emotions are bound to run high and almost certainly boil over and both sides have recognised nutters – particularly Warner and Stokes. There could well be some decidedly unsavoury exchanges onfield if these two get into it.
The England management seem to want everyone to believe that Footitt is going to play. What are his credentials? Well, he has taken some second division wickets against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire and apparently looked decidedly sharp with a tennis ball on the beach during the recent trip to Spain. It would mean that he has accelerated above Wood, Plunkett and Finn in the pecking order, all of whom in their way have achieved at test level and certainly have experience at that level. It was said before the sojourn to Spain that Footitt wasn’t in the squad to bowl in the nets. It now transpires that he is not there to bowl at all.
And what of the spin department? Lyon is no great shakes but is the incumbent and has experience, which will count for much in these encounters. England seem almost certain to pin at least their initial hopes on Ali and I suppose that is the only option since no one else is a tried and tested model. However, whoever fills that role is going to be targeted and the England attack may well end up being a four or even five man pace attack. When Ali was at six he was a batting all rounder and it seemed ok but at eight he has to be a bowling all rounder and he doesn’t fit that bill. But the Rashid option isn’t a goer either. He again would be targeted and anyway is too expensive. He could soon go to pieces completely if Watson or Smith got into him. The only possible way he could be included is as a fifth bowler and that means no place for Ali.
The bowling is going to be dominated by the quicks and I am generously including Anderson and Broad in this category. For an established international bowler with major stats Broad remains an “on his day” man and could even be dropped if he doesn’t produce one of his purple patches in the first couple of tests. He is no longer a bowling all rounder whatever he thinks and is another who could lose his rag if things go against him. Presumably Cook will play Starc and Johnson like he did Boult, shouldering arms to anything off the stumps. Tedious cricket but they won’t bowl like Boult and he will also get roughed up. Unless there are cloudy conditions Jimmy is unlikely to be effective and his days may be numbered. He is unlikely to play anymore ODI or T20 cricket and he may have to start being edged out of test stuff. Ryan Harris has been kept in cotton wool in readiness for this encounter and the Aussies see him as a key component. He could prove the decisive bowler. The wickets are likely to be good and quickish since the ECB surely wouldn’t risk asking for greentops and banking on Cook getting lucky with the toss? In these circumstances the Aussie attack looks more likely to come up with the means to take twenty wickets in five days.
Then we have the wicket keeping dilemma. I haven’t seen enough of Bairstow to judge whether he is a better keeper than Buttler but the odds have to be that he is. Buttler standing up is completely hopeless and is a liability particularly to any spinner trying to hold down an end. On this basis I would probably go for Bairstow ahead of Buttler since he is an established first class batsman who has just completed his second double century at this level. This might seem harsh on Buttler but in this series a missed chance especially off the spinners could be critical in its overall impact. Buttler’s improvisation is unlikely to be called upon in a five day match and Bairstow has test runs to his name. He also has experience in keeping to Rashid if they go for that option.
Can England hold it together and not have any of their famous collapses? Cook’s side is not the same as Morgan’s and there is no reason to believe that the euphoria of Morgan’s side can be carried over to the test arena. Cook lost his last test and doesn’t have the same collective spirit that Morgan’s lot generated. It is unlikely that England will not have one of their famous collapses that will cause at least one lost test.
George sent me this: “Very interesting look at Paddy Power before battle commences. It feels about right, but that the 2-2 draw is the 3rd favourite individual bet, behind 3-1 Oz and 2-1 Oz. The last England home Ashes were called pretty well before the start.”
Morgan’s Bunch
I saw the first two and highlights of the third. This has set the bar very high now for entertainment and I fear there will be disappointments to come. Nevertheless it was good to see England playing this form of cricket without the blockers consumimg vast numbers of overs. It now seems that you have to have 200 by the thirtieth over to be in with a shout. Cook or Trott wouldn’t have reached fifty by this point. England’s style can be termed “shit or bust” from now on.
James Taylor must be a problem character unless they just don’t like shortarses. He has now twice got into international sides and then been dropped for no apparent reason. I still suspect that he may be England’s best all round batsman at the ODI level. His problem now is that he seems to be competing with Root for the number three slot. I was sceptical about Root for sometime as everyone else kept praising him. However, having seen his ODI hundred, which was magnificent, I now hold him in the highest regard.
The elevation of Billings to the ODI side must be of concern to several would be England hopefuls since he has leapfrogged: Vince, Taylor, Borthwick, and Northeast. Of the older generation we may have seen the last of Bopara, Carberry, Patel and Wright.
Out & About with the Professor
A cricket lunch is always an enjoyable occasion. An opportunity to put the world of cricket to rights while hoping that the white wine is cold enough to take away the taste.
My most recent experience was the annual gathering at Headingley arranged by – and now sadly in memory of – Phil Sharpe. Those attending are people who have gone on overseas tours with Phillip and his wife and it is always a pleasant (if not especially youthful) gathering. This year the lunch also provided an opportunity to watch Yorkshire thrash the living daylights out of Middlesex, which gave things (if not the white wine) an added piquancy. There is a slight strangeness about meeting like this in that in many cases you only see these people once a year, have the inevitable struggle with names and what they do /did for a living and then realise that five years’ ago you spent every day with them for a fortnight. Still it all seems to work. Is it a particularly male thing? I mean infrequent, slightly superficial friendships? I don’t know, but the cricket provides a lingua franca and after a minute or two you are chatting away as you were five years before and nothing – certainly not anyone’s opinions - have changed.
The lunch co-incided with the Yorkshire first innings. Having bowled out Middlesex for just over 200, Yorkshire were making a pig’s ear of a reply at 96-6 when young Master Baistow decided to set about the bowling. I’ve never been much of a fan of his keeping (although he is significantly better than Buttler) but he is a fine bat. He employs the modern approach to match-saving defence…namely to hit the ball out of the park, and this he did to most of the Middlesex bowlers. His problem was at the other end where neither the boys Leaning and Rhodes nor the old stagers, Bresnan and Patterson, could stay with him. In between them was one of Yorkshire’s least impressive overseas signings (there have been a few of them), Maxwell, who managed two balls.
Bairstow’s hundred set up what turned out to be a comfortable win for Yorkshire which, added to thrashings of Notts and Durham, have returned them to what folk around here regard as their rightful place at the top of the tree. It also set him up for some excellent performances for England and since then a double hundred for Yorkshire. So, question: if Bairstow is a better keeper than Buttler (although neither of them that great) and a better bat (which he is) how do you expain the Test selection? Answers on a postcard please.
Middlesex Matters
The Great Jack Morgan does what he does best
Blimey! Are Middlesex getting the hang of T20 at last? Paul Stirling 88 (off 47 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes) and Dawid Malan 115* (off 64 balls with 14 fours and 3 sixes) put on 187 for the first wicket and took Middlesex to 221-2. Sussex managed 179-9 mainly because of Luke Wright (91 off 47 with 8 fours and 5 sixes), but Kyle Abbott excelled with magnificent figures of 4-1-14-5.
Middlesex brought in Eoin Morgan for Nick Gubbins for the Championship match against Warwickshire at Lord's starting on Sunday May 31st. James Franklin won the toss for Middlesex and it was no surprise, given the bright green track and the dark and damp conditions that had delayed the start, that he decided to bowl first and Steve Finn soon gave the home team the advantage by sending the top three back to the pavilion with only 56 on the board. Then ex-England man Jon Trott and ex-Surrey man Laurie Evans showed sound technique in difficult conditions to add 96 for the third wicket before Trott fell in the second over of day two for a valuable 45 off 108 balls with 5 fours. Evans continued on to a praiseworthy 98 off 209 balls with 15 fours, but the total had only reached 253 for 7 and it needed a lively stand of 72 for the eighth wicket between ex-professional footballer Keith Barker (37 off 61 balls with 4 fours and a six) and Wisden Cricketer of the Year Jeetan Patel (37 off 49 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes) to lift the total to 342. Finn took the bowling honours with 4 for 84, but Toby Roland-Jones deserves a mention for a persevering 2-73 in 31 overs and Ollie Rayner picked up 2 for 31 at the end of the innings.
Joe Burns, promoted to open in this match, made an unhappy start as more time was lost to the damp and gloom after tea on day two. Nick Compton was another who showed the technique required to cope with some difficult batting conditions and Eoin Morgan (44 off 62 balls with 8 fours) provided entertainment in a useful stand of 70 for the third wicket. Compton batted on soundly until he fell for an exemplary 74 off 140 balls with 9 fours following another valuable stand of 69 with Neil Dexter for the fifth wicket. Dexter continued to bat well, but the only competent partner he found was no 10 Roland-Jones, who hit an impressive 32 off 30 balls with 4 fours, but Dexter was left stranded on 47* off 116 balls with 5 fours as six of the Middlesex batsmen managed to contribute only 9 between them. The home team totalled only 260, but credit for this must go to the tall visiting seamers ex-Surrey man Rikki Clarke (3 for 42) and ex-Middlesex man Boyd Rankin (3 for 52).
In reply, Warwicks soon fell to 33-2, but skipper Varun Chopra found an adhesive partner in Trott and the pair put on 72 for the third wicket until Trotty was brilliantly run out by Sam Robson. Chopra went on to an accomplished 73 off 150 balls with 9 fours, but nobody seemed to be accelerating towards a declaration until Patel, batting at 9, hit 27 off 40 balls before the visitors were all out for 187, setting Middlesex 270 to win in 54 overs. Roland-Jones was the best of the home bowlers with 4-51, but Jimmy Harris should also be commended for his 3-49 and Finny took his match figures up to a creditable 6-145.
It was disappointing for spectators that there had been no declaration and nearly as disappointing (though understandable given the seam friendly wicket) that Middlesex showed no interest in the target. Joe Burns played his best innings for Middlesex with 72 off 140 balls with 6 fours and he shared a stand of 80 for the first wicket with Robson (29), who has only exceeded 35 once so far this season. Surprisingly, five wickets fell before the inevitable draw was confirmed and Clarke (2-32) and Rankin (2-40) were again the pick of the bowlers, while Patel returned match figures of 13-5-14-2.
The wicket was unreliable in this match so it would be harsh to criticise too strongly, but I find myself questioning the appointment of James Franklin as captain. He is just not worth his place in the side at the moment: his contribution in this match was 9 runs in 2 innings (and he has not exceeded 18 in an innings since the Somerset game back in April) and 0-24 with the ball (and his bowling average is 88.5): his captaincy must be Brearleyesque... if only. Middlesex 10 points, Warwicks 11 and Middlesex returned to the top of the table, 4 points ahead of Durham.
Overheard at Lord's: Ravi is not injured, he is doing his finals! Later, I ran this past JWJC who said this was bollocks, Ravi has broken his thumb!
212 at Headingley was a bit disappointing after choosing to bat, with 5 of the top 7 making 16 between them, but Yorkshire's 229 was also way fewer than expected with J Bairstow making 125* and a strong looking line-up (Bresnan at 9) so we are not out of it yet. Malan and Murtagh replaced Morgan and Finn on Eng duty for this one.
Middlesex's 229 in the second innings is probably not going to be enough, but it was a pleasant shock to see Franky topscoring with 55*. If you ignore the departed Voges and ignore Stirling's runs for Ire, not one Middlesex batter is having a satisfactory season. No, it was not enough, A Lyth et al saw Yorkshire home by four wickets and Middlesex drop to third below Durham and Yorkshire and the latter have a game in hand. Is it going to be a repeat of last season, where we topped the table at end-May, but clung on desperately to stave off relegation in Sept? In contrast to the batters, all of the Middlesex bowlers have respectable averages of 30 or below... must be those dodgy wickets again, I suppose?
I was wondering why Middlesex were actually behind Yorkshire in the Champ table as their records are almost identical, but Richard Gibson in the G (who has given us a good report on all three days) reveals that it is because of the no of defeats (1 v 0). Richard also reveals (as I had assumed) that all of Ollie's 5 catches were at second slip, but why do catches (nearly) always go to second slip rather than first or third or fourth?
Nick Gubbins and Paul Stirling replaced Dawid Malan and Neil Dexter in the Middlesex team for the Championship match against Worcestershire at Uxbridge starting on June 21. Skipper James Franklin commented on how green the wicket was, but he chose to bat first so he could not have been surprised that Middlesex soon slumped to 51 for 4 on the first morning. Joe Burns and Franklin himself started the fightback with a stand of 51 for the fifth wicket before Burns became Jack Shantry's third victim for a praiseworthy 57 off 106 balls. Franklin continued unperturbed and found another sound partner in John Simpson in a long stand of 170 for the sixth wicket. Simpson never found his best form, but deserves credit for his supporting role of 41 from 118 balls. Franklin soon followed (in the last over of day one) for a superb 135 off 255 balls with 18 fours. The last 5 wickets fell while only 37 runs were added and Ollie Rayner’s 25 only managed to nudge the total up to 309 all out. The 6’4” left armer Shantry took 4 for 64 and he was well supported by the stockier figure of Joe Leach (both of them educated in Shrewsbury) with 4 for 81.
When Worcestershire batted, England’s Moeen Ali caught the eye with a good looking 54 from 111 balls with 10 fours; he shared a third wicket stand of 60 with Tom Fell, from Hillingdon, who then added another 83 for the fourth wicket with ex-Gloucestershire man Alex Gidman. Despite losing partners regularly, Fell continued his splendid innings until (after adding 50 with Leach for the seventh wicket) he finally departed for 143 off 228 balls with 22 fours and a six. Shantry then batted flamboyantly for 41* off 48 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes, shared a stand of 53 for the ninth wicket with Pakistan Test off spinner Saeed Ajmal and took the total up to 385, a lead of 76. Tim Murtagh took the bowling honours for Middlesex with 4 for 76 and honourable mentions go to Jimmy Harris (3 for 103) and Toby Roland-Jones (2 for 97).
Sam Robson had been out to the first ball of the match and lasted only 2 balls in the second innings for an ignominious pair. Gubbins, however, batted staunchly and helped Nick Compton to add 60 for the second wicket. Compton looked good for his 47 from 74 balls with 7 fours and a six, but the situation was precarious with 3 wickets down and the deficit still not cleared. Fortunately, Burns was starting to bat well and Stirling (39) joined him in an encouraging stand of 74 for the fourth wicket. If Middlesex tension was beginning to lessen, then this continued as skipper Franklin joined Burns in a fine partnership of 103 for the fifth wicket before Burns fell for an accomplished 87 off 164 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes, his best innings for the club. Worries returned, however, as two more wickets fell quickly and at 259 for 7, the match was not safe. Fortunately, Franklin continued to bat commandingly and now he was joined by James Harris, who has underperformed with the bat in all three of his seasons with the club, but who now played easily his best innings for Middlesex as he contributed an excellent 59* off 115 balls with 9 fours and a six, while Franklin finished on 91* off 164 balls with 10 fours as the pair added 103* for the eighth wicket.
It was mysterious at the time why the captain decided to declare on 362 for 7, depriving himself of the opportunity of a rare second century in the match (and as he has only 20 first class centuries in his career another would surely be welcome anyway) and denying Harris the chance to improve on his personal best of 87* in 2007. It was not even as if there was a chance of breathing life into the moribund match. It suddenly dawned upon us, of course, that Middlesex were in danger of incurring a penalty for a slow over rate in the Worcestershire first innings and that the way to avoid this was to get some slow bowlers into action to bring the over rate up to an acceptable level. Middlesex achieved this by rushing through eleven overs bowled by four spinners of varying quality and everyone was happy except for the poor Worcestershire opener Richard Oliver who was out for 6 for the second time in the match. Middlesex 10 points, Worcestershire 12. Middlesex are third in Division One, but Yorkshire and Warwickshire both have a game in hand and Middlesex are looking more like relegation candidates than title challengers.
A Snip at Half the Price Matters
Jonathan Bruce sent me this
See below, which may be of interest to some of your readers. Plenty of South Hampstead mentions throughout. It's a comprehensive account of one North London club from 1870 to now. It's a fundraiser to enable the relaying in part of our 145 year old square!
The Hornsey history book (records and statistics) was last updated in 2007 and now the latest version is available – and a massive update it is too. It is now over 1,600 pages long and in two hardbound volumes. A photograph is attached. It is up to date to the end of the 2014 season.
Broadly the book contains:
a comprehensive list of individual records from most runs, best bowling, highest scores, etc
a comprehensive list of team records (highest scores, lowest scores, biggest victories
the Hornsey career of all 131 players who have played first class cricket
the scorecard from matches where records were set (over 600 scorecards from 1870 to 2014)
Club averages for every season 1870-2014
A complete career record of every player who has ever played for Hornsey, both in summary but also a season by season breakdown (batting and bowling)
Plus much, much more
As always the Club is in need of money to help it survive – it always is. The 2007 edition if you recall was sold to acquire the roller for St Aloysius. The 2015 edition is also being sold to fund groundwork, this time at Hornsey. As you know , a large part of the square was relaid after the 2013 season, and the 2014 pitches weren’t great – as we knew would be the case. We were assured that the 2015 pitches would be better and the early season pitches have been appreciably better. We do however need a heavier roller than the one we have, and we need funds to relay the remainder of the square (towards the bottom of the square) this winter. We therefore need money – your money. Normally I ask for money and you get nothing in return except the Club’s thanks and gratitude – the new artificial nets are testament to your generosity.
This year’s appeal takes the form of a book sale – you get both volumes for the price of £150 (or a bit more if you wish to donate more!). They are available immediately and I can hand them out at this weekends matches or earlier if you wish. If you want me to post them, the postage and packing charges are £7.50 for the UK and £40 for Australia, both Royal mail trackable parcels. The book has a limited print run – the last volume did sell out.
Payment of £150 (plus postage and packing if applicable) can be made in the following ways:-
1. In cash
2. By cheque payable “Jonathan Bruce Hornsey Club Account”
3. By bank transfer to account 24500038, sort code 56-00-20, account name Jonathan Bruce Hornsey Club Account
Tricky Sussex Wickets matters
Ian McClelland sent me this
I didn’t comment on the Hove pitch against Warwickshire since I wasnt at the match due to family holidays. However the full force of pitch inspectors have visited and interviewed everyone (including it is rumoured the barmaid in the Cricketers pub) peered at the pich and have deduced the fall of wickets was due to atmospherics on the first two days. So no further action and no points deduction. I have just returned from Trent Bridge where Sussex played Notts and 13 wickets fell on day 1 and 14 on day 2 and that on a test match ground. I was there on day one and there were several rain breaks as well as a gale blowing across the ground. However as the ball softened Notts were able to score freely and a tail ender (Wood) got a maiden 100!. Perhaps there is a similarity with the two sets of conditions since I havent heard of any criticism of Trent Bridge preparations being negligent. It is difficult to produce a pitch always that gives a fair chance to the bowlers and batters and Sussex have invested quite a bit in re laying and trying to achieve this. Last season when Yorks visited (admittedly at Arundel) a result would not have been possible if the game had been a week long (Yorks opinion). Magoffin said afterwards it was like bowling with an orange after ten overs and it was the most boring event ever. So, what is best?
Minor County Matters
The Great Jack Morgan highlights action amongst the lesser counties
Gloucestershire's Jack Taylor (mainly an offspinner with a dodgy action) came in at 159-6 at Derby and took the total up to 329 a/o with a maiden first class century (120). Two declarations here (cf the lack of ambition at Lord's and the Oval) breathed life into a rain ruined match, but Derbyshire needed skipper Billy Godleman (64*) to bat through all 81 second innings overs to hang on for a draw.
Ben Raine of Leics shot Essex out for 166 at Chelmsford with 5-48, then Gus Robson's 120 gave them a healthy lead. Tom Westley's 97 almost gave Essex a chance, but Charlie Shreck (5-71) and Robson again ensured Leics' first Championship win since Sept 2012 (37 matches and 993 days ago).
Craig Meschede batting at 8 had more success with the bat (107) against Northants, taking Glamorgan from 150-6 to 371 all out, then Northants slumped to 33-5 and they never recovered despite Rob Newton's second innings ton and two fifties from ex-Middlesex keeper Adam Rossington and Glamorgan strolled home by ten wickets.
Luke Wood came in at 98 for 7 for Notts at Hove and his 100 took them up to a respectable 255, then he quickly had 2 back in the hutch. He has played only one first class match before this. Last season he averaged 19.6 with the ball in the 2nd XI Championship, but his batting average of 84 was a bit flukey as four of his five knocks were not outs. Jake Ball (6-49) had Sussex all out for 189, then Patel and Wood took Notts to 243, which was way too good for Sussex as Gurney, Ball and Wood had them out for 150, but Steve Magoffin (12-159) did not deserve to be on the losing side.
I am trying to follow the progress of Ire (v UAE in Dublin) and Scot (v Afghan in Stirling) in the Intercontinental Cup, but even the internet is letting me down. What I have got so far is that E Joyce (231) and P Stirling (146) put on 231 for the second wicket and Ire totalled 492 (A Balbirnie 10, T Murtagh 13) and UAE are 207-8 (no wkts for Tim or Paul).
There were low scores all around the country (why?) not least at Canterbury where Derby are 67-7 (having been 0-3 and 40-7) at the end of day one, making Kent's 205 look massive.
At Hove, A Wheater (111) and G Berg, who took 4-67 in the Sussex innings, took Hampshire from 197 to 392 a/o, with Bergy contriving to be last man out, run out for 99! This gave the visitors a useful lead of 141 and they duly won in comfort by 6 wkts.
Michael Klinger (102) and Geraint Jones took Gloucester from 72-5 to a first innings lead of 2 over La at Bristol. This is an interesting game as C Miles (10-121 in the match) had Lancashire out for 253, leaving Gloucester needing 252 to win. Miles is only 20, topped the Gloucester bowling averages last season and also averaged 28 with the bat.
Derby managed only 86 (M Coles 5-24), but then had Kent out for 112 (Wayne White 6-25) and now look like winning as Billy God and Chesney Hughes have added 163* for the second wicket. And win they did by 8 wkts, B God 82*, C Hughes 94.
Surrey's well known seam attack of Tom Curran (son of Kevin) and James Burke (24 year old seamer from Plymouth, who made little impression during his time with Somerset) reduced Leicestershire from 121-1 to 190 all out (8-58 between them) and Surrey are now in a strong position. So strong that they won by 178 (T Curran 5-53).
South Africa's Richard Levi is giving Northants a significant lead over struggling Essex, who have tried nine bowlers so far. Yes, Levi's 168 meant that Northants led by 168 on first innings, but T Westley and J Ryder are sharing an unbeaten stand of 216 to bring the visitors back into it.
Of the 7 Championship matches, 5 were over in 3 days! Did I mention the dodgy wickets?
C Miles ended up on the losing side at Bristol as K Jarvis (9-126 in the match) had the home side out for 160.
Stalemate at Northampton as Westley (179) and Ryder (124) killed the game before the dec at 506-9. R Kleinveldt deserves a mention for a persevering 5-138, while R Levi added another 53* as the game died. Still, 6 results out of 7, they'll be storming the gates!
I think Glam beat Surrey at Guildford, but it was hard to tell from the G's complete cock-up of the details. They state that "Surrey beat Surrey by 7 wkts", but show the Glam second innings ending on 247-3. G Wagg hit 200 in Glamorgan’s first innings and A Harinath hit 2 tons in his first match of the season.
R Kleinveldt (5-41) and Azharulla (5-31) shot K out for 140 at Northampton. Then shared five more 2nd innings wkts as O Stone (5-44) shot them out again for 151 as Northampton strolled home by eight wkts in two days.
Hampshire are following on v Somerset at the Rose Bowl (C Overton 4-24) and duly lost by nine wkts (C Overton 4-57), but it was not Bergy's fault (4-64, 38 and 86).
C Broad celebrated his birthday with 50 and 7-84, but centuries by Gale and Leaning meant that Y won by an innings.
Exceptional Matters
When Adil rashid was dismissed in the Yorkshire match against Durham at the Riverside Tim Bresnan came to the crease to join Johnny Bairstow with the score at 191 for 6. Later when Yorkshire declared at 557 for 6 he was 169 not out and Bairstow was undefeated on 219. The pair had added 366 for the seventh wicket which not only set a Yorkshire record for the seventh wicket but would also have beaten the best for any other wicket than the first.
In the Sussex innings against Warwickshire at Edgbaston when Luke Wright was out at 163 for 3 he had scored a respectable 68 but the next four batsmen, Nash, Wright, Brown and Zaidi, all went on to complete hundreds. Later in the same game Laurie Evans and Tim Ambrose added 327 for Warwickshire’s sixth wicket which was a county record.
All Ten MattersThe Professor drew my attention to the following3as reported on Fox News
A former Queensland Sheffield Shield bowler has achieved the unique feat of taking all 10 wickets in an innings during a match in England. Scott Walter finished with incredible bowling figures of 10-17 while playing for Welwyn Garden City in the Hertfordshire Cricket League Premier League Division, one of the top club leagues in the UK. The left-armer absolutely destroyed the Hemel Hempstead Town batting line-up, cleaning them up for 40 inside 15 overs.
Walter burst onto the scene as a raw teenager in 2009, debuting for Queensland shortly before being named Queensland Academy of Sport player of the year. However a shocking run of injuries saw him fall from favour in the Sunshine State. Walter still played for Queensland’s Futures League (Second XI) side last summer but hasn’t been sighted in first-class cricket since 2011, while his last match for Queensland came in the old Ryobi Cup one-day tournament in November 2012. His latest efforts in the UK ensured the 26-year-old will be noticed back home. Needless to say Welwyn romped to victory.
King Cricket Matters
Ged writes:
It was a strange, bittersweet day, 10 April 2015. I woke up looking forward to buying in provisions ahead of Monday, which was to be my first day of cricket of the year – a traditional early season visit to Lord’s with Charley The Gent Malloy. Indeed, this year the tradition continues even down to the same two teams at play. But soon after rising, I learnt that Richie Benaud had died that morning, which put rather a dampener on my spirits.
Still, by late afternoon I had got my work done and also had convinced myself that Richie would have wanted me to lift my spirits and prepare for the new cricket season, as planned. So I dug out my picnic bag, stuck the picnic crocks in the dishwasher along with the breakfast things, donned my new titfer and headed off in the direction of the shops.
Charley is very particular about his favourite picnic foods. A few years ago he became partial to my wild Alaskan smoked salmon bagels or sandwiches, but these last couple of years I could never find an example of the Pacific species of salmon in M&S or Waitrose. I raised this important matter with Daisy over the Easter and she informed me that Tesco seems to have bought up the entire UK import quota of the smoked stuff.
But could I bring myself to set foot in a Tesco Metro en route to the Mini M&S? And would such a place stock the cherished sockeye comestibles? As I got near to the grocery-store block, I asked myself “what would Richie have done?” and concluded that he would have given Tesco Metro a try in these circumstances. I entered. The place seemed quite unfamiliar – nothing like the Little Waitrose and Mini M&S. Where on earth might they put the wild Alaskan smoked salmon, if indeed they stock it at all in this size of branch?
I considered asking a member of staff, but then went through my “what would Richie have done?” thought process and concluded that Richie was a real man. Real men NEVER EVER ask directions, not even in Tesco Metro. Anyway, there was little or no sign of staff to be found. And then, as if guided by a celestial spirit, I happened upon the very aisle and the very refrigerated shelf in that aisle which contained the smoked variety of the Oncorhynchus in question (nerka). I considered letting out a bestial roar at that juncture, but that didn’t feel very Richie. I also considered gently adjusting my trousers and shaking hands with a few nearby fielders, but that didn’t seem quite right in Tesco. Had it been Waitrose, then handshakes and polite applause for the departing salmon (unfortunately caught) would have seemed perfectly in order.
Yet there was still one more fiendish ordeal for me to negotiate before I could progress to M&S for the rest of my shopping. The queue for the regular checkout was extensive, but the dreaded self- service checkout machines were unoccupied. What would Richie have done in this circumstance? “You have to take chances in this game of life,” said my inner Richie. “Those machines are 90 per cent luck, 10 per cent skill, but don’t try it without the 10 per cent skill.”
I convinced myself that I must have at least 10 per cent of the skill required to operate such a machine, so put my basket down, bracing myself for the automated reprimands about bagging areas and unexpected objects. As if from nowhere, the one free-floating member of staff appeared beside me and asked me not to use that vacant machine but to use one of the others, because she needed to do something on “my” machine. This intervention seemed excessive, given that I only had one item to buy, but I was exiled to the other bank of vacant machines, to be robotically reproached by a machine other than the one of my choosing.
Yet I emerged having purchased my goods and progressed to M&S. There I bought the other items I needed and also bought some little packets of wheat-free tortilla chips. I always thought that tortilla chips were made of corn anyway, but apparently wheat free ones are a special thing. Old friends of me and Charley will know of a legendary shopping trip while at Edgbaston a few years ago, when Charley and I debated vociferously the relative virtues (in Charley’s case) or evils (in my case) of Doritos as picnic food. “Like an old married couple rowing” was the cruel but perhaps not unfair description. Anyway, these little bags are not Doritos, they are M&S wheat free tortilla chips with lime zest etc. – which is an entirely different thing. Guaranteed to raise a continuity smile, if not a laugh, come Monday. Richie Benaud would have liked that touch.
Googlies and Chinamen
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An Occasional Cricketing Journal
Edition 151
July 2015
Ashes Matters
Two fat boys who won’t be participating in this summers Ashes frolicks are Cosgrove and Patel who are both increasing their girth by each new season. Cosgrove when captain of Leicestershire treats himself to a bowl and when either of these two encroach on the square cracks begin to appear on the wicket.
I have been thinking that the key battle could be between the opposing number threes, Smith and Root, but then I realised that Ballance is the incumbent. He is a true enigma - great record, looks terrible. Its hard to believe that the Aussies won’t sort out his defective technique but others have failed. He also makes England’s top three all left handers which isn’t good for trying to mess with Starc and Johnson’s lines.
Emotions are bound to run high and almost certainly boil over and both sides have recognised nutters – particularly Warner and Stokes. There could well be some decidedly unsavoury exchanges onfield if these two get into it.
The England management seem to want everyone to believe that Footitt is going to play. What are his credentials? Well, he has taken some second division wickets against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire and apparently looked decidedly sharp with a tennis ball on the beach during the recent trip to Spain. It would mean that he has accelerated above Wood, Plunkett and Finn in the pecking order, all of whom in their way have achieved at test level and certainly have experience at that level. It was said before the sojourn to Spain that Footitt wasn’t in the squad to bowl in the nets. It now transpires that he is not there to bowl at all.
And what of the spin department? Lyon is no great shakes but is the incumbent and has experience, which will count for much in these encounters. England seem almost certain to pin at least their initial hopes on Ali and I suppose that is the only option since no one else is a tried and tested model. However, whoever fills that role is going to be targeted and the England attack may well end up being a four or even five man pace attack. When Ali was at six he was a batting all rounder and it seemed ok but at eight he has to be a bowling all rounder and he doesn’t fit that bill. But the Rashid option isn’t a goer either. He again would be targeted and anyway is too expensive. He could soon go to pieces completely if Watson or Smith got into him. The only possible way he could be included is as a fifth bowler and that means no place for Ali.
The bowling is going to be dominated by the quicks and I am generously including Anderson and Broad in this category. For an established international bowler with major stats Broad remains an “on his day” man and could even be dropped if he doesn’t produce one of his purple patches in the first couple of tests. He is no longer a bowling all rounder whatever he thinks and is another who could lose his rag if things go against him. Presumably Cook will play Starc and Johnson like he did Boult, shouldering arms to anything off the stumps. Tedious cricket but they won’t bowl like Boult and he will also get roughed up. Unless there are cloudy conditions Jimmy is unlikely to be effective and his days may be numbered. He is unlikely to play anymore ODI or T20 cricket and he may have to start being edged out of test stuff. Ryan Harris has been kept in cotton wool in readiness for this encounter and the Aussies see him as a key component. He could prove the decisive bowler. The wickets are likely to be good and quickish since the ECB surely wouldn’t risk asking for greentops and banking on Cook getting lucky with the toss? In these circumstances the Aussie attack looks more likely to come up with the means to take twenty wickets in five days.
Then we have the wicket keeping dilemma. I haven’t seen enough of Bairstow to judge whether he is a better keeper than Buttler but the odds have to be that he is. Buttler standing up is completely hopeless and is a liability particularly to any spinner trying to hold down an end. On this basis I would probably go for Bairstow ahead of Buttler since he is an established first class batsman who has just completed his second double century at this level. This might seem harsh on Buttler but in this series a missed chance especially off the spinners could be critical in its overall impact. Buttler’s improvisation is unlikely to be called upon in a five day match and Bairstow has test runs to his name. He also has experience in keeping to Rashid if they go for that option.
Can England hold it together and not have any of their famous collapses? Cook’s side is not the same as Morgan’s and there is no reason to believe that the euphoria of Morgan’s side can be carried over to the test arena. Cook lost his last test and doesn’t have the same collective spirit that Morgan’s lot generated. It is unlikely that England will not have one of their famous collapses that will cause at least one lost test.
George sent me this: “Very interesting look at Paddy Power before battle commences. It feels about right, but that the 2-2 draw is the 3rd favourite individual bet, behind 3-1 Oz and 2-1 Oz. The last England home Ashes were called pretty well before the start.”
Morgan’s Bunch
I saw the first two and highlights of the third. This has set the bar very high now for entertainment and I fear there will be disappointments to come. Nevertheless it was good to see England playing this form of cricket without the blockers consumimg vast numbers of overs. It now seems that you have to have 200 by the thirtieth over to be in with a shout. Cook or Trott wouldn’t have reached fifty by this point. England’s style can be termed “shit or bust” from now on.
James Taylor must be a problem character unless they just don’t like shortarses. He has now twice got into international sides and then been dropped for no apparent reason. I still suspect that he may be England’s best all round batsman at the ODI level. His problem now is that he seems to be competing with Root for the number three slot. I was sceptical about Root for sometime as everyone else kept praising him. However, having seen his ODI hundred, which was magnificent, I now hold him in the highest regard.
The elevation of Billings to the ODI side must be of concern to several would be England hopefuls since he has leapfrogged: Vince, Taylor, Borthwick, and Northeast. Of the older generation we may have seen the last of Bopara, Carberry, Patel and Wright.
Out & About with the Professor
A cricket lunch is always an enjoyable occasion. An opportunity to put the world of cricket to rights while hoping that the white wine is cold enough to take away the taste.
My most recent experience was the annual gathering at Headingley arranged by – and now sadly in memory of – Phil Sharpe. Those attending are people who have gone on overseas tours with Phillip and his wife and it is always a pleasant (if not especially youthful) gathering. This year the lunch also provided an opportunity to watch Yorkshire thrash the living daylights out of Middlesex, which gave things (if not the white wine) an added piquancy. There is a slight strangeness about meeting like this in that in many cases you only see these people once a year, have the inevitable struggle with names and what they do /did for a living and then realise that five years’ ago you spent every day with them for a fortnight. Still it all seems to work. Is it a particularly male thing? I mean infrequent, slightly superficial friendships? I don’t know, but the cricket provides a lingua franca and after a minute or two you are chatting away as you were five years before and nothing – certainly not anyone’s opinions - have changed.
The lunch co-incided with the Yorkshire first innings. Having bowled out Middlesex for just over 200, Yorkshire were making a pig’s ear of a reply at 96-6 when young Master Baistow decided to set about the bowling. I’ve never been much of a fan of his keeping (although he is significantly better than Buttler) but he is a fine bat. He employs the modern approach to match-saving defence…namely to hit the ball out of the park, and this he did to most of the Middlesex bowlers. His problem was at the other end where neither the boys Leaning and Rhodes nor the old stagers, Bresnan and Patterson, could stay with him. In between them was one of Yorkshire’s least impressive overseas signings (there have been a few of them), Maxwell, who managed two balls.
Bairstow’s hundred set up what turned out to be a comfortable win for Yorkshire which, added to thrashings of Notts and Durham, have returned them to what folk around here regard as their rightful place at the top of the tree. It also set him up for some excellent performances for England and since then a double hundred for Yorkshire. So, question: if Bairstow is a better keeper than Buttler (although neither of them that great) and a better bat (which he is) how do you expain the Test selection? Answers on a postcard please.
Middlesex Matters
The Great Jack Morgan does what he does best
Blimey! Are Middlesex getting the hang of T20 at last? Paul Stirling 88 (off 47 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes) and Dawid Malan 115* (off 64 balls with 14 fours and 3 sixes) put on 187 for the first wicket and took Middlesex to 221-2. Sussex managed 179-9 mainly because of Luke Wright (91 off 47 with 8 fours and 5 sixes), but Kyle Abbott excelled with magnificent figures of 4-1-14-5.
Middlesex brought in Eoin Morgan for Nick Gubbins for the Championship match against Warwickshire at Lord's starting on Sunday May 31st. James Franklin won the toss for Middlesex and it was no surprise, given the bright green track and the dark and damp conditions that had delayed the start, that he decided to bowl first and Steve Finn soon gave the home team the advantage by sending the top three back to the pavilion with only 56 on the board. Then ex-England man Jon Trott and ex-Surrey man Laurie Evans showed sound technique in difficult conditions to add 96 for the third wicket before Trott fell in the second over of day two for a valuable 45 off 108 balls with 5 fours. Evans continued on to a praiseworthy 98 off 209 balls with 15 fours, but the total had only reached 253 for 7 and it needed a lively stand of 72 for the eighth wicket between ex-professional footballer Keith Barker (37 off 61 balls with 4 fours and a six) and Wisden Cricketer of the Year Jeetan Patel (37 off 49 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes) to lift the total to 342. Finn took the bowling honours with 4 for 84, but Toby Roland-Jones deserves a mention for a persevering 2-73 in 31 overs and Ollie Rayner picked up 2 for 31 at the end of the innings.
Joe Burns, promoted to open in this match, made an unhappy start as more time was lost to the damp and gloom after tea on day two. Nick Compton was another who showed the technique required to cope with some difficult batting conditions and Eoin Morgan (44 off 62 balls with 8 fours) provided entertainment in a useful stand of 70 for the third wicket. Compton batted on soundly until he fell for an exemplary 74 off 140 balls with 9 fours following another valuable stand of 69 with Neil Dexter for the fifth wicket. Dexter continued to bat well, but the only competent partner he found was no 10 Roland-Jones, who hit an impressive 32 off 30 balls with 4 fours, but Dexter was left stranded on 47* off 116 balls with 5 fours as six of the Middlesex batsmen managed to contribute only 9 between them. The home team totalled only 260, but credit for this must go to the tall visiting seamers ex-Surrey man Rikki Clarke (3 for 42) and ex-Middlesex man Boyd Rankin (3 for 52).
In reply, Warwicks soon fell to 33-2, but skipper Varun Chopra found an adhesive partner in Trott and the pair put on 72 for the third wicket until Trotty was brilliantly run out by Sam Robson. Chopra went on to an accomplished 73 off 150 balls with 9 fours, but nobody seemed to be accelerating towards a declaration until Patel, batting at 9, hit 27 off 40 balls before the visitors were all out for 187, setting Middlesex 270 to win in 54 overs. Roland-Jones was the best of the home bowlers with 4-51, but Jimmy Harris should also be commended for his 3-49 and Finny took his match figures up to a creditable 6-145.
It was disappointing for spectators that there had been no declaration and nearly as disappointing (though understandable given the seam friendly wicket) that Middlesex showed no interest in the target. Joe Burns played his best innings for Middlesex with 72 off 140 balls with 6 fours and he shared a stand of 80 for the first wicket with Robson (29), who has only exceeded 35 once so far this season. Surprisingly, five wickets fell before the inevitable draw was confirmed and Clarke (2-32) and Rankin (2-40) were again the pick of the bowlers, while Patel returned match figures of 13-5-14-2.
The wicket was unreliable in this match so it would be harsh to criticise too strongly, but I find myself questioning the appointment of James Franklin as captain. He is just not worth his place in the side at the moment: his contribution in this match was 9 runs in 2 innings (and he has not exceeded 18 in an innings since the Somerset game back in April) and 0-24 with the ball (and his bowling average is 88.5): his captaincy must be Brearleyesque... if only. Middlesex 10 points, Warwicks 11 and Middlesex returned to the top of the table, 4 points ahead of Durham.
Overheard at Lord's: Ravi is not injured, he is doing his finals! Later, I ran this past JWJC who said this was bollocks, Ravi has broken his thumb!
212 at Headingley was a bit disappointing after choosing to bat, with 5 of the top 7 making 16 between them, but Yorkshire's 229 was also way fewer than expected with J Bairstow making 125* and a strong looking line-up (Bresnan at 9) so we are not out of it yet. Malan and Murtagh replaced Morgan and Finn on Eng duty for this one.
Middlesex's 229 in the second innings is probably not going to be enough, but it was a pleasant shock to see Franky topscoring with 55*. If you ignore the departed Voges and ignore Stirling's runs for Ire, not one Middlesex batter is having a satisfactory season. No, it was not enough, A Lyth et al saw Yorkshire home by four wickets and Middlesex drop to third below Durham and Yorkshire and the latter have a game in hand. Is it going to be a repeat of last season, where we topped the table at end-May, but clung on desperately to stave off relegation in Sept? In contrast to the batters, all of the Middlesex bowlers have respectable averages of 30 or below... must be those dodgy wickets again, I suppose?
I was wondering why Middlesex were actually behind Yorkshire in the Champ table as their records are almost identical, but Richard Gibson in the G (who has given us a good report on all three days) reveals that it is because of the no of defeats (1 v 0). Richard also reveals (as I had assumed) that all of Ollie's 5 catches were at second slip, but why do catches (nearly) always go to second slip rather than first or third or fourth?
Nick Gubbins and Paul Stirling replaced Dawid Malan and Neil Dexter in the Middlesex team for the Championship match against Worcestershire at Uxbridge starting on June 21. Skipper James Franklin commented on how green the wicket was, but he chose to bat first so he could not have been surprised that Middlesex soon slumped to 51 for 4 on the first morning. Joe Burns and Franklin himself started the fightback with a stand of 51 for the fifth wicket before Burns became Jack Shantry's third victim for a praiseworthy 57 off 106 balls. Franklin continued unperturbed and found another sound partner in John Simpson in a long stand of 170 for the sixth wicket. Simpson never found his best form, but deserves credit for his supporting role of 41 from 118 balls. Franklin soon followed (in the last over of day one) for a superb 135 off 255 balls with 18 fours. The last 5 wickets fell while only 37 runs were added and Ollie Rayner’s 25 only managed to nudge the total up to 309 all out. The 6’4” left armer Shantry took 4 for 64 and he was well supported by the stockier figure of Joe Leach (both of them educated in Shrewsbury) with 4 for 81.
When Worcestershire batted, England’s Moeen Ali caught the eye with a good looking 54 from 111 balls with 10 fours; he shared a third wicket stand of 60 with Tom Fell, from Hillingdon, who then added another 83 for the fourth wicket with ex-Gloucestershire man Alex Gidman. Despite losing partners regularly, Fell continued his splendid innings until (after adding 50 with Leach for the seventh wicket) he finally departed for 143 off 228 balls with 22 fours and a six. Shantry then batted flamboyantly for 41* off 48 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes, shared a stand of 53 for the ninth wicket with Pakistan Test off spinner Saeed Ajmal and took the total up to 385, a lead of 76. Tim Murtagh took the bowling honours for Middlesex with 4 for 76 and honourable mentions go to Jimmy Harris (3 for 103) and Toby Roland-Jones (2 for 97).
Sam Robson had been out to the first ball of the match and lasted only 2 balls in the second innings for an ignominious pair. Gubbins, however, batted staunchly and helped Nick Compton to add 60 for the second wicket. Compton looked good for his 47 from 74 balls with 7 fours and a six, but the situation was precarious with 3 wickets down and the deficit still not cleared. Fortunately, Burns was starting to bat well and Stirling (39) joined him in an encouraging stand of 74 for the fourth wicket. If Middlesex tension was beginning to lessen, then this continued as skipper Franklin joined Burns in a fine partnership of 103 for the fifth wicket before Burns fell for an accomplished 87 off 164 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes, his best innings for the club. Worries returned, however, as two more wickets fell quickly and at 259 for 7, the match was not safe. Fortunately, Franklin continued to bat commandingly and now he was joined by James Harris, who has underperformed with the bat in all three of his seasons with the club, but who now played easily his best innings for Middlesex as he contributed an excellent 59* off 115 balls with 9 fours and a six, while Franklin finished on 91* off 164 balls with 10 fours as the pair added 103* for the eighth wicket.
It was mysterious at the time why the captain decided to declare on 362 for 7, depriving himself of the opportunity of a rare second century in the match (and as he has only 20 first class centuries in his career another would surely be welcome anyway) and denying Harris the chance to improve on his personal best of 87* in 2007. It was not even as if there was a chance of breathing life into the moribund match. It suddenly dawned upon us, of course, that Middlesex were in danger of incurring a penalty for a slow over rate in the Worcestershire first innings and that the way to avoid this was to get some slow bowlers into action to bring the over rate up to an acceptable level. Middlesex achieved this by rushing through eleven overs bowled by four spinners of varying quality and everyone was happy except for the poor Worcestershire opener Richard Oliver who was out for 6 for the second time in the match. Middlesex 10 points, Worcestershire 12. Middlesex are third in Division One, but Yorkshire and Warwickshire both have a game in hand and Middlesex are looking more like relegation candidates than title challengers.
A Snip at Half the Price Matters
Jonathan Bruce sent me this
See below, which may be of interest to some of your readers. Plenty of South Hampstead mentions throughout. It's a comprehensive account of one North London club from 1870 to now. It's a fundraiser to enable the relaying in part of our 145 year old square!
The Hornsey history book (records and statistics) was last updated in 2007 and now the latest version is available – and a massive update it is too. It is now over 1,600 pages long and in two hardbound volumes. A photograph is attached. It is up to date to the end of the 2014 season.
Broadly the book contains:
a comprehensive list of individual records from most runs, best bowling, highest scores, etc
a comprehensive list of team records (highest scores, lowest scores, biggest victories
the Hornsey career of all 131 players who have played first class cricket
the scorecard from matches where records were set (over 600 scorecards from 1870 to 2014)
Club averages for every season 1870-2014
A complete career record of every player who has ever played for Hornsey, both in summary but also a season by season breakdown (batting and bowling)
Plus much, much more
As always the Club is in need of money to help it survive – it always is. The 2007 edition if you recall was sold to acquire the roller for St Aloysius. The 2015 edition is also being sold to fund groundwork, this time at Hornsey. As you know , a large part of the square was relaid after the 2013 season, and the 2014 pitches weren’t great – as we knew would be the case. We were assured that the 2015 pitches would be better and the early season pitches have been appreciably better. We do however need a heavier roller than the one we have, and we need funds to relay the remainder of the square (towards the bottom of the square) this winter. We therefore need money – your money. Normally I ask for money and you get nothing in return except the Club’s thanks and gratitude – the new artificial nets are testament to your generosity.
This year’s appeal takes the form of a book sale – you get both volumes for the price of £150 (or a bit more if you wish to donate more!). They are available immediately and I can hand them out at this weekends matches or earlier if you wish. If you want me to post them, the postage and packing charges are £7.50 for the UK and £40 for Australia, both Royal mail trackable parcels. The book has a limited print run – the last volume did sell out.
Payment of £150 (plus postage and packing if applicable) can be made in the following ways:-
1. In cash
2. By cheque payable “Jonathan Bruce Hornsey Club Account”
3. By bank transfer to account 24500038, sort code 56-00-20, account name Jonathan Bruce Hornsey Club Account
Tricky Sussex Wickets matters
Ian McClelland sent me this
I didn’t comment on the Hove pitch against Warwickshire since I wasnt at the match due to family holidays. However the full force of pitch inspectors have visited and interviewed everyone (including it is rumoured the barmaid in the Cricketers pub) peered at the pich and have deduced the fall of wickets was due to atmospherics on the first two days. So no further action and no points deduction. I have just returned from Trent Bridge where Sussex played Notts and 13 wickets fell on day 1 and 14 on day 2 and that on a test match ground. I was there on day one and there were several rain breaks as well as a gale blowing across the ground. However as the ball softened Notts were able to score freely and a tail ender (Wood) got a maiden 100!. Perhaps there is a similarity with the two sets of conditions since I havent heard of any criticism of Trent Bridge preparations being negligent. It is difficult to produce a pitch always that gives a fair chance to the bowlers and batters and Sussex have invested quite a bit in re laying and trying to achieve this. Last season when Yorks visited (admittedly at Arundel) a result would not have been possible if the game had been a week long (Yorks opinion). Magoffin said afterwards it was like bowling with an orange after ten overs and it was the most boring event ever. So, what is best?
Minor County Matters
The Great Jack Morgan highlights action amongst the lesser counties
Gloucestershire's Jack Taylor (mainly an offspinner with a dodgy action) came in at 159-6 at Derby and took the total up to 329 a/o with a maiden first class century (120). Two declarations here (cf the lack of ambition at Lord's and the Oval) breathed life into a rain ruined match, but Derbyshire needed skipper Billy Godleman (64*) to bat through all 81 second innings overs to hang on for a draw.
Ben Raine of Leics shot Essex out for 166 at Chelmsford with 5-48, then Gus Robson's 120 gave them a healthy lead. Tom Westley's 97 almost gave Essex a chance, but Charlie Shreck (5-71) and Robson again ensured Leics' first Championship win since Sept 2012 (37 matches and 993 days ago).
Craig Meschede batting at 8 had more success with the bat (107) against Northants, taking Glamorgan from 150-6 to 371 all out, then Northants slumped to 33-5 and they never recovered despite Rob Newton's second innings ton and two fifties from ex-Middlesex keeper Adam Rossington and Glamorgan strolled home by ten wickets.
Luke Wood came in at 98 for 7 for Notts at Hove and his 100 took them up to a respectable 255, then he quickly had 2 back in the hutch. He has played only one first class match before this. Last season he averaged 19.6 with the ball in the 2nd XI Championship, but his batting average of 84 was a bit flukey as four of his five knocks were not outs. Jake Ball (6-49) had Sussex all out for 189, then Patel and Wood took Notts to 243, which was way too good for Sussex as Gurney, Ball and Wood had them out for 150, but Steve Magoffin (12-159) did not deserve to be on the losing side.
I am trying to follow the progress of Ire (v UAE in Dublin) and Scot (v Afghan in Stirling) in the Intercontinental Cup, but even the internet is letting me down. What I have got so far is that E Joyce (231) and P Stirling (146) put on 231 for the second wicket and Ire totalled 492 (A Balbirnie 10, T Murtagh 13) and UAE are 207-8 (no wkts for Tim or Paul).
There were low scores all around the country (why?) not least at Canterbury where Derby are 67-7 (having been 0-3 and 40-7) at the end of day one, making Kent's 205 look massive.
At Hove, A Wheater (111) and G Berg, who took 4-67 in the Sussex innings, took Hampshire from 197 to 392 a/o, with Bergy contriving to be last man out, run out for 99! This gave the visitors a useful lead of 141 and they duly won in comfort by 6 wkts.
Michael Klinger (102) and Geraint Jones took Gloucester from 72-5 to a first innings lead of 2 over La at Bristol. This is an interesting game as C Miles (10-121 in the match) had Lancashire out for 253, leaving Gloucester needing 252 to win. Miles is only 20, topped the Gloucester bowling averages last season and also averaged 28 with the bat.
Derby managed only 86 (M Coles 5-24), but then had Kent out for 112 (Wayne White 6-25) and now look like winning as Billy God and Chesney Hughes have added 163* for the second wicket. And win they did by 8 wkts, B God 82*, C Hughes 94.
Surrey's well known seam attack of Tom Curran (son of Kevin) and James Burke (24 year old seamer from Plymouth, who made little impression during his time with Somerset) reduced Leicestershire from 121-1 to 190 all out (8-58 between them) and Surrey are now in a strong position. So strong that they won by 178 (T Curran 5-53).
South Africa's Richard Levi is giving Northants a significant lead over struggling Essex, who have tried nine bowlers so far. Yes, Levi's 168 meant that Northants led by 168 on first innings, but T Westley and J Ryder are sharing an unbeaten stand of 216 to bring the visitors back into it.
Of the 7 Championship matches, 5 were over in 3 days! Did I mention the dodgy wickets?
C Miles ended up on the losing side at Bristol as K Jarvis (9-126 in the match) had the home side out for 160.
Stalemate at Northampton as Westley (179) and Ryder (124) killed the game before the dec at 506-9. R Kleinveldt deserves a mention for a persevering 5-138, while R Levi added another 53* as the game died. Still, 6 results out of 7, they'll be storming the gates!
I think Glam beat Surrey at Guildford, but it was hard to tell from the G's complete cock-up of the details. They state that "Surrey beat Surrey by 7 wkts", but show the Glam second innings ending on 247-3. G Wagg hit 200 in Glamorgan’s first innings and A Harinath hit 2 tons in his first match of the season.
R Kleinveldt (5-41) and Azharulla (5-31) shot K out for 140 at Northampton. Then shared five more 2nd innings wkts as O Stone (5-44) shot them out again for 151 as Northampton strolled home by eight wkts in two days.
Hampshire are following on v Somerset at the Rose Bowl (C Overton 4-24) and duly lost by nine wkts (C Overton 4-57), but it was not Bergy's fault (4-64, 38 and 86).
C Broad celebrated his birthday with 50 and 7-84, but centuries by Gale and Leaning meant that Y won by an innings.
Exceptional Matters
When Adil rashid was dismissed in the Yorkshire match against Durham at the Riverside Tim Bresnan came to the crease to join Johnny Bairstow with the score at 191 for 6. Later when Yorkshire declared at 557 for 6 he was 169 not out and Bairstow was undefeated on 219. The pair had added 366 for the seventh wicket which not only set a Yorkshire record for the seventh wicket but would also have beaten the best for any other wicket than the first.
In the Sussex innings against Warwickshire at Edgbaston when Luke Wright was out at 163 for 3 he had scored a respectable 68 but the next four batsmen, Nash, Wright, Brown and Zaidi, all went on to complete hundreds. Later in the same game Laurie Evans and Tim Ambrose added 327 for Warwickshire’s sixth wicket which was a county record.
All Ten MattersThe Professor drew my attention to the following3as reported on Fox News
A former Queensland Sheffield Shield bowler has achieved the unique feat of taking all 10 wickets in an innings during a match in England. Scott Walter finished with incredible bowling figures of 10-17 while playing for Welwyn Garden City in the Hertfordshire Cricket League Premier League Division, one of the top club leagues in the UK. The left-armer absolutely destroyed the Hemel Hempstead Town batting line-up, cleaning them up for 40 inside 15 overs.
Walter burst onto the scene as a raw teenager in 2009, debuting for Queensland shortly before being named Queensland Academy of Sport player of the year. However a shocking run of injuries saw him fall from favour in the Sunshine State. Walter still played for Queensland’s Futures League (Second XI) side last summer but hasn’t been sighted in first-class cricket since 2011, while his last match for Queensland came in the old Ryobi Cup one-day tournament in November 2012. His latest efforts in the UK ensured the 26-year-old will be noticed back home. Needless to say Welwyn romped to victory.
King Cricket Matters
Ged writes:
It was a strange, bittersweet day, 10 April 2015. I woke up looking forward to buying in provisions ahead of Monday, which was to be my first day of cricket of the year – a traditional early season visit to Lord’s with Charley The Gent Malloy. Indeed, this year the tradition continues even down to the same two teams at play. But soon after rising, I learnt that Richie Benaud had died that morning, which put rather a dampener on my spirits.
Still, by late afternoon I had got my work done and also had convinced myself that Richie would have wanted me to lift my spirits and prepare for the new cricket season, as planned. So I dug out my picnic bag, stuck the picnic crocks in the dishwasher along with the breakfast things, donned my new titfer and headed off in the direction of the shops.
Charley is very particular about his favourite picnic foods. A few years ago he became partial to my wild Alaskan smoked salmon bagels or sandwiches, but these last couple of years I could never find an example of the Pacific species of salmon in M&S or Waitrose. I raised this important matter with Daisy over the Easter and she informed me that Tesco seems to have bought up the entire UK import quota of the smoked stuff.
But could I bring myself to set foot in a Tesco Metro en route to the Mini M&S? And would such a place stock the cherished sockeye comestibles? As I got near to the grocery-store block, I asked myself “what would Richie have done?” and concluded that he would have given Tesco Metro a try in these circumstances. I entered. The place seemed quite unfamiliar – nothing like the Little Waitrose and Mini M&S. Where on earth might they put the wild Alaskan smoked salmon, if indeed they stock it at all in this size of branch?
I considered asking a member of staff, but then went through my “what would Richie have done?” thought process and concluded that Richie was a real man. Real men NEVER EVER ask directions, not even in Tesco Metro. Anyway, there was little or no sign of staff to be found. And then, as if guided by a celestial spirit, I happened upon the very aisle and the very refrigerated shelf in that aisle which contained the smoked variety of the Oncorhynchus in question (nerka). I considered letting out a bestial roar at that juncture, but that didn’t feel very Richie. I also considered gently adjusting my trousers and shaking hands with a few nearby fielders, but that didn’t seem quite right in Tesco. Had it been Waitrose, then handshakes and polite applause for the departing salmon (unfortunately caught) would have seemed perfectly in order.
Yet there was still one more fiendish ordeal for me to negotiate before I could progress to M&S for the rest of my shopping. The queue for the regular checkout was extensive, but the dreaded self- service checkout machines were unoccupied. What would Richie have done in this circumstance? “You have to take chances in this game of life,” said my inner Richie. “Those machines are 90 per cent luck, 10 per cent skill, but don’t try it without the 10 per cent skill.”
I convinced myself that I must have at least 10 per cent of the skill required to operate such a machine, so put my basket down, bracing myself for the automated reprimands about bagging areas and unexpected objects. As if from nowhere, the one free-floating member of staff appeared beside me and asked me not to use that vacant machine but to use one of the others, because she needed to do something on “my” machine. This intervention seemed excessive, given that I only had one item to buy, but I was exiled to the other bank of vacant machines, to be robotically reproached by a machine other than the one of my choosing.
Yet I emerged having purchased my goods and progressed to M&S. There I bought the other items I needed and also bought some little packets of wheat-free tortilla chips. I always thought that tortilla chips were made of corn anyway, but apparently wheat free ones are a special thing. Old friends of me and Charley will know of a legendary shopping trip while at Edgbaston a few years ago, when Charley and I debated vociferously the relative virtues (in Charley’s case) or evils (in my case) of Doritos as picnic food. “Like an old married couple rowing” was the cruel but perhaps not unfair description. Anyway, these little bags are not Doritos, they are M&S wheat free tortilla chips with lime zest etc. – which is an entirely different thing. Guaranteed to raise a continuity smile, if not a laugh, come Monday. Richie Benaud would have liked that touch.
Googlies and Chinamen
is produced by
James Sharp
Broad Lee House
Combs
High Peak
SK23 9XA
Tel: 01298 70237
Email: [email protected]
www.googliesandchinamen.com
