By Grockle
September 11 2002
Piran Holloway has not been a name on most people's lips this season but he certainly showed his mettle and a considerable level of class over this week-end. His 112 was the pinnacle of our first NUL win for a number of months. Too late but gratefully received nevertheless!
The Weekend Review
A good start against Kent in the Championship match came to nothing when they held their own but we got them in the one day game with a little help from those not mentioned in dispatches much this year.
The Championship match Day 2 to 4
Our 460 wasn't enough to scare the Kent batsmen on a wicket that has given runs all year. The opposition never really got into trouble and although we bowled fairly tight with Bulbeck and Blackwell taking 2 each, they reached 400 with an excellent 154 from Ed Smith and 88 from Nixon. They declared after 120 overs and hoped to witness a second innings collapse which has been a characteristic of our work in 2002.
This didn't happen either. We amassed 316 in just over 90 overs with good performances from Cox (79) and Bowler (81) and double figure scores from 6 other batsmen. This left kent needing over 360 from about a day's overs to win and us with the chance of a last day effort to take the game and move us closer to the safety zone in Division 1. But again, it didn't look probable. Bulbeck and Francis kept the Kent men under a tight rein but there didn't look like there were buckets of wickets in the pitch and by the 15th over with only 43 on the board, a draw was definitely on the cards.
We were still capable of putting the wind up them though and we did so with three wickets from Francis in the space of one over. Tredwell went for 22 at 49 skittled by Franky, Smith - the hero - went first ball caught by Parsons (ain't it always the way) and then Fulton added one run before he also fell to Parsons.. 50 for 3 was a definite improvement. Unfortunately that was about it. Although Steve Waugh continued to be Jonah's rabbit by going to him a second time in the game at 116, Nixon and Ealham saw out the time and we were left with 11 points which isn't enough to ensure our place at the top table. The game at Grace Road now assumes monumental proportions in our bid to stay with the cream. We simply have to win it!
The NUL
We took almost the same experimental side as last week against Durham into this match. The only top order batsman to play was the captain Cox with Trego, Holloway, Suppiah and Durston making up the first five (though they didn't bat in that order). Bulbeck Francis and Jones were the bowling attack once again.
Kent put us in and probably expected to revenge the red ball defeat in the semi- final. Lots of discussion on the radio about our inability to play with this white one. Although we seemed to do much better last season than this! Today was slightly different however. Cox and Holloway opened and put on 76 before the captain left to a catch by Saggers off Ealham for 41. Dutch played the pinch hitter role again and it worked a second week running. He added 34 while Holloway got into his stride and we were at 130 for 2 when he departed to a Fulton catch off the bowling of Tredwell. Still Holloway amassed the runs. Blackwell didn't stay long and Suppiah followed him after adding 3 but Trego provided more stubborn support with a 57 run partnership that saw us to 214 for 5. Wes Durston did not make a dent in the scorecard and the 16 from Turner got us to a defendable total of 244. Piran Holloway 112 not out off 119 balls with 9 fours and 4 sixes was the toast of the innings and recalled pictures of Piran in his pomp in 1999. There are rumours that he is going into Minor County cricket on the peninsular next year. This innings made some think again about his worth to this county with Peter Bowler coming to the end of his illustrious career. If he could maintain this form then he'd be on the team sheet every match.
So Kent have a job on their hands 244 in 45 is 5.4 an over, gettable but they needed to get off to a decent start. Fleming going to Bulbeck at 21 was not the start they wanted. Tight bowling from the front two was giving them problems (Francis went for 10 runs off his 7 overs!! What we would have given for that at the start of the season!!) Key and Waugh set about building a partnership but Trego broke it at 58 and they were 79 for 2. Jonah got into the middle order with Nixon for 3 and Walker for 0 and when Fulton was LBW to Trego for 8, Kent were 101 for 5 and we had a smell of something strange...a win in the one day National League. The chances of Kent getting out of this rested on Ealham and Jones but Rob Turner decided it wasn't going to be their day. He stumped Ealham off Blackwell, Trego bowled Waugh (the last real resistance), Dutch got Tredwell to pop one to Trego and then Noddy stumped Saggers and Trott. All out for 126 and we had four points (lot of good that is) for a victory by 118 runs. All of this with a side that included 4 second eleven names! Blackwell was the pick of the bowling with 4 for 24 off 6 (courtesy of 3 Turner stumpings) and Jonah took 2 for 5 in 2 overs to show that he is still a force in the one day game despite a patchy season. We're gone in the one day game this year but there may yet be a pheonix to rise from the ashes in 2003 with performances like this.
It's end of the season time. Just the Leicestershire games this week (floodlit on Wednesday and Championship on Thursday) and then Lancashire at Taunton next week (lets hope we're still in with a shout of staying up by then) followed by the bye bye Sunday game at home against Durham. Pray for 8 days of Championship cricket, runs from people like Wood and Holloway and some bowling like that seen on Sunday. We need 40 points to stay up, anything less and we will be hoping for performances from others. The one dayers are times for having a go and seeing what happens. Some guys are getting the chance to stake their claims for next year and although we are down, it is still interesting to see how these matches pan out. Never a dull day in the South West!!