v Durham CC2 @ Riverside August 13 2004

There's not a lot you can do with a game that has lost hhalf it's time to rain before it starts.  It might be possible to sort out a kind of one innings event but it depends on what the first side in scores.  There was a point when it might have happened but Durham didn't really get enough and we scored slowly through the loss of wickets at the wrong time.  Richard Johnson instilled some excitment with an awesome 101 not out in 64 balls with 9 fours and 6 sixes before Burnsy declared at 400 for 8.

When we had Durham at 87 for 5 at in their first innings it looked so promising.  Unfortunately that was just after lunch on the THIRD day after two of rain. Simon Francis' 5 for 75 put us in a commanding position but with too little time to capitalise on it.  Good tight bowling from everyone kept the home side under 300 and when we cleared them out for 231 we needed some heavy batting in a short time to put up a big score and leave time to get them in and get them out.  A worrying aspect of our first innings is the absence of Ian Blackwell on the bowling analysis.  The fact that John Francis did bowl suggests injury rather than poor spin prospects - someone was subbed, it was probably Blackie.

I can't say that I believed that we were going to make a game of it when Peter Bowler and John Francis came out to bat together.  They are solid but not run chase material but the 103 they put on before they both went (JF at 45 and PB at 103) took just under an hour and a half so thing s weren't beyond us yet.  Ponting  added 50 in almost as many balls but Matt Wood failed, as did Ian Blackwell.  It was left to Aaron Laraman (66) and Rob Turner (46 in only 44) to get the board ticking before the Swarthy Greek took 101 off 64.

This was helped by a collossal contribution from E.Xtras who nearly top scored with 70!!  They gave away 28 off the first 15 overs!

400 up and so little time. 169 or 10 wickets and the game would be over.  Well we had a good go in the 40 overs we had.  We had to get them out and they had to survive.  At 47 for 5 ity looked on but Hamilton, Lewis and Praatt hung around and they took the draw at the end of play.  Good performance none the less and any game where Peter Bowler turns his arm over is worth a look!!

So, a draw, not what we wanted but at least not the worst we could have got.  We'll be thankful, take the positives and move on to the VERY VERY important game at Taunton on Wednesday!!

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