v Durham TSL2 @ Riverside 11 August 2004

Floodlights and fun in the North East.  I was a detractor of the signing of Ponting but since he has been here we have a different feel to the side and we do look for wins.  Pre-Ponting it was a case of "can we get close to them?"  Now it's "can we get close to going up and winning?"  Almost a full side turns out for this one dayer.  Matt Wood gets a recall and Nixon is sidelined.  Mr Caddick is floating about the edges but is playing his first 2nd team game for about 13 years to check his fitness before a return against Warne and Hampshire next week.

The Dynamos win the toss and decide to bat...bad move.  Johnno strikes almost immediately with Peng going after 2 minutes and North following within half an hour with a mere 26 put up.  Please be the end of the His Swarthyness' bad luck streak!

With our attack bowling tight and thriftly, the home side were up against it all the time - what fun it is to say that - Simon F had Lewis at 41 and Johnno took his third at 46 finishing with 9/4/25/3.  From then on it was constant with no two batsmen getting a partnership over 20 except for a good knock from Gavin Hamilton (good to see him getting back into it) and a last wicket stand of 27 between Killeen and the said Scot!

Really good figures for everyone.  Special mention to Blackwell for 2 for 23 off 6 and Gareth Andrew (who I have suggested was wayward on more than one occasion) - 7/1/24/1.  A final total of 162 with rain about and stoppages occurring meant we would probably have to work with the Duckworth and lo and behold we did.

Losing Burnsy after 7 balls for 0 didn't get us off to a flyer but John Francis may not be the fastest scorer but he has become 'sticky' and with Ricky Ponting coming in at 3 that is good enough.  They put on 50 before Frank J  was 'Onioned' for a mere 15!  No Hilda at 4 because he was busy taking the 'Deshi's apart at HQ so KP came in, didn't stay long though!  He became Onion's second victim.  So, we expected Blackie to help the Ozman finish the game off but he was caught off Bridge and it was left to the welcome Woody to help Punter see us home to the D/L revised target of 147 in 31 and a bit overs.  Four points and a good base for a Championship game starting on Friday.  Oh Joy - Four whole white ball points!!

Meanwhile at the much sunnier Taunton, a man many think should be playing the 'important' stuff at the other end of the country was representing his country against the Teenage Tourists of Bangladesh.  On Day 1, the visitors had not exactly set the place alight with their batting, although this is what they had been mentioned in dispatches about during the earlier games.  Although the strokes were there, the English bowlers always looked like taking scalps and Bopara of Essex was especially dangerous in the first hour or two of the game.  Luke Wright, who we saw against us playing for Sussex looked nippy but young Turner did most of the damage with excellent figures of 5 for 57.

Although Hildreth didn't bowl, we did get the chance to see Mike 'The Creature' Munday on the wicket.  I only saw one of his three overs, the one before Lunch.  He gives it an awful lot of air but by the third ball he was asking questions of the batsman.  Not enough to make a real determination but he did look the part with the ball in his hand.

So, they are gone for 273 and we reply with a shaky 54 for 2 before our man Hildreth arrives.  He starts slowly putting on 49 with Bopra and 37 with Wright before they both depart and when Patel goes, England are 142 for 5.  But Davies stays around and Hilda  opens his shoulders.  LoL has called him the 'English Ponting' and something seems to have rubbed off on the young man because he added 177 with Davies and although few other English batsmen stayed around long, he swept to 210 before he was the last man to go with a whopping great 29 fours and 6 sixes off 255 balls.  Someone at the ECB is going to notiice that I think!!  210 out of a final total of 396.  Not a bad bit of stuff.  He seems keen to get to Riverside for the start of the CC2 game.  Let's hope his fellow Engllish bowlers do the business and allow it to happen!!

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