v Warwickshire @ Edgbaston TSL2 17 April 2005

We don't do well in the white ball game and although the priority has to be the Championship, there is a lot of pride to salvage from improving our one day performances.  There is no red ball games any more so we have to get to grips with this format.  Warwickshire on a cold and grey April day is not the start we would have plumped for...but maybe a hard start is what we need.

The side has a very long tail.  Trescothick isn't available and so Rob Turner takes over the captaincy and Keith Parsons comes in to take his place in an unusual early spot at number 4.  Simon Francis is favoured over the more 'allround'  Aaron Laraman which is a surprise because it starts our tail at 7.  This may be Mark Garraway putting the responsibility on the batting half who have not been at the races in previous seasons, it may be that AL is not fully fit.

We bat first with rain coming up from the West but it is dry.  The pitch is slow and the wind is high, which should be to the batsmen's advantage although it's no fun playing in this stuff.  Burns and Matt Wood start our innings and Heath Streak and Old man Dougie Brown face them.  Difficult start, made more difficult by Burnsy running Matt out for 11 going for a THIRD run...first night nerves or just a lack of concentration?  Who knows but it isn't good enough.  Because it puts us at 15 for 1.

It gets worse because John Francis, who hasn't yet looked on the ball, smacks one straight paast Dougie and then bottom edges a pull and trundles back bowled with only 23 on the board.  KP comes out earlier - and you start to see Garra's thinking.  If we lose early wickets (and we tend to if our past form is any guide) then getting Parsons in early tends to put the brakes on it and still gives the side the chance to use the big hitters later in the innings.  Today is a day to check it out.

By the 20th over we have managed to move to 66...3.3 an over is not going to win us this one.  The guys on the radio are talking about a score in the 210's as par on this and we don't look like getting anywhere near that..But Parsons is taking about a run a ball (boundaries aren't that common on this strip) and the second string of Bears bowlers don't look as tight.

The rate starts to move towards 4 as Burns moves towards 50, passes it and is followed by Mr P. Carter looks OK at first but Anion and Loudon start to lose the plot a bit, just as we start to notch up the pressure.  A 103 run partnership puts the game back on an even track and when KP goes....run out by Burns again at 135, we at least have the possibility of getting to 200 and making a game of it.

Enter James Hildreth.  Although he hit a hundred in one of the openers, he's looked a bit 'scratchy' and there's been lots of discussion about the second season blues and all that.  Not today.  We needed quick runs and the innings putting into overdrive and that is exactly what we got.  54 off 36 with 6 fours and two mighty sixes took us to the 200 and beyond as Burns added 38 of his own runs to pass 100, just after Hidreth passed 50.  The 92 run partnership, finished by Carter at 227 included a 20+ over for Ian Bell and the sight of Nick Knight in a quandry asa to who to bowl next as the young star dispatched everyone everywhere.  I think he's found his form guys and gals.

Ian Blackwell added a few as Burns guided the score towards 250 before falling himself an over and a half short of the end.  It was left to the captain to come in and hit a quick fire 12 off 5 balls to get us to 254 for 5 after 45 overs.  A hell of a lot more than we expected at over number 10 and a hell of a lot more than Warwickshire would want to chase in a probable rain affected match.  If the weather lets us, we should keep them below this (if we can't we have real problems this season and our bowlers have to show their worth now).  It's all on to the prayer mats and pray for a dry spell of about three hours.

Good Good start to the first...bit of a tremor at the start but patience is a virtue, we showed it and reaped the benefits.  They can't win this game, we can only lose it if the weather chooses to allow the second half.

And it rained and it rained and it rained and it rained.  And Warwickshire were very thankful that their first match of the season did not end in ingnaminious defeat and we all went to bed disappointed because we had 'em and the rain took 'em away.

Aww well, we still haven't lost this season and things seem to be looking up for the moment.  On to Yorkshire and the White Rose boys...bring 'em on, short game or long.

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