v Essex CC2 @ Colchester Wednesday 24 August 2005

Scorecard

I was planning a day in the surf today but home seems a better prospect.  You're more likely to see 'surf' and water at the Colchester ground if the weather report is anything to go by.  Our slim hopes of getting the third promotion spot rely on us winning all our games and other counties slipping up.  The weather may well scotch those plans because it doesn't look good for the weekend and the last match against Derbyshire is almost into October (although it is better that it should be at home than up in the Midlands).

Mark Garaway will probably choose to go into this game with the same team as at New Road, let's hope the win on Sunday has given them 'New Heart' and we see a better batting performance and some wickets.  The team will probably be;

M.Wood, J.Francis, A.Suppiah, J.Hildreth, W.Durston, I.Blackwell (capt), K.Parsons, C.Gazzard (wkt), R.Woodman, C.Langeveldt, S.Francis

Caddick is out with tendonitis and that could be a very significant blow to our chances.  Charl Langeveldt should see this as a chance to continue his improvement on English wickets and make a claim for one of the overseas spots in the 2006 season.  If he doesn't take a hatful then it is difficult to see where the 20 wickets are going to come from.  It was hoped that Michael Munday might make his debut on a 'dry and dusty' pitch...not going to happen and with the seam options limited, it is unlikely that he will replace Wes Durston in a batting line-up that needs to show it can fire away from home.

If the best we can hope for is a low scoring, rain affected draw then we need to hope that the rain covers the country and Lancashire, Worcestershire, Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Durham and Northants all have the same fate in the "Northern" fixtures at Grace Road and on both coasts at Scarborough (windy windy Scarborough) and Blackpool (even windier Blackpool).  We'll just have to see how this one pans out! 

Well surprises to start with.  First of all they got 3 overs in before rain stopped play.  Rob Woodman has also already got among them with the wicket of Cook to the first ball he faced ,LBW, in his first over.  They stand at 6 for 1.

Significantly, Michael Munday did get the nod and will debut in this game.  Not for the expected swop with Wes though but in the place of Simon Francis.  Therefore we go into this game with two out and out pace men and Keith Parsons as backup.  This could be because Ian has gambled on the long term weather forcast being bad and therefore has given MM his place in the side because there is little chance of ther being much play.  Or, more significantly, he thinks we have more chance of taking the wickets needed with a bolstered up slow ball attack than our present pace options.  He has left in the two 'performing' seamers - Charl Langeveldt(who has improved every time I've personally seen him in the last month) and Rob Woodman (who aquitted himself well at New Road and had an excellent debut in the TSL last Sunday).  Si Francis has had difficulty all season and may have simply been left out because the options for the game are better without him - or to give him time to work on his game.  Thoughts only.  Other possible answers exist I am sure.

So Day 1 ends with no more play. No play in Leicestershire and only 40 overs at Scarborough.  The forcast is for better weather in the next couple of days so there may be a game yet.

Day 2 & 3

A better day for the game oon Day 2 and this match actually finally gets underway.  With Cook gone the night before, the early removal of one of the Flower's (no not the big one) early was a good start for Charl Langeveldt in what now seems to be one of his final appearances this season (he's going home in three weeks - before the Derby game).  33 for 2 gave the hope of a quick blast through them but reports are that there isn't a lot in this pitch and a 90 plus partnership between Jefferson and Bopra returned the probability of a draw.  Blackwell finally got Jefferson (another 'bowled' victim) and then Michael Munday got his first Championship wicket - not a bad one in Andrew Flower - cheaply, LBW.  Well done to the young man (who already has over 30 'first class' wickets but this was in the real world).  When IB bowled another - Bopra - 2 runs later and Essex had slumped to 158 for 5, we thought again that a quick first innings 'clear out' was on.  But Foster and Irani dug in and put on 157 to take the home side past 300.  Without some kind of contrivance, we would be looking at one half of a draw - not what we want (or what Essex want either).

So we went into Day 3 with Essex still in. After Irani was run out for 86 and Middlebrook had added 42 - allowing Foster to go past 100 - Essex declared on 400 for 6.  Maximum batting points and get them in seems to have been the theory!! 

We started poorly, losing Wood bowled by Nel first ball. Suppiah followed almost immediately LBW in the same over and we were 2 for no runs!!  It looked like it would be Essex folding us up and taking the points unless something happened.  That something was John Francis and James Hildreth who put together a stand to take us to the end of play at 112 for 2 and negotiations between the captains (even though Mark Garaway seemed to be pouoring cold water on the chances of a contrived result). "We are not interested in contriving a finish after a lot of hard work and will probably bat for as long as we can".  Well no-one seems to have told Blackwell that because....

Day 4

Somerset declared on their overnight score of 112 and Irani, very sportingly (but probably gambling on the weather) forfeited the Essex second innings.  This set us 289 to win the game in the day.  This time, Nel allowed Wood to face three balls before sending him back LBW and we were 1 for nothing for the second time in the same game. But Suppiah put on 49 with Francis before he was LBW to Bopra and we are now looking to the same two from the first innings to put this game to bed and give us the points we need.  At lunch we have 115 and we need 174 more to win.

One would assume that the weather is threatening and the draw is probably still the predicted result but all three possibles exist at this time.  Given a full day we should win (as long as we can keep Nel out - who seems to be the only bowler with any kind of venom on this strip).  We are, however, quite capable of a catastrophic collapse that would finally scupper our slim chances of promotion and the draw is definitely not what either sides wants.

Unfortunately, either Ronnie misjudged the weather or had too much faith in Andre Nel because his total was within our grasp.  After lunch there is a definite feeling that one partnership could give us this one and although John Francis went just after reaching a valuable 50 at 147 and then Wes Durston returned to the dressing room only 4 balls later without addding to that score, Ian Blackwell has made it a habit of doing these 'captain's innings' things.  James Hildreth has been solid all through this game and IB acts as the perfect foil as the total comes closer and neither of the men at the crease look in too much trouble...and the rain stays away.

Blackwell and Hildreth put on 109 for the fifth wicket and it was a shame that Ian didn't take us to the end.  He went at 256 with the win in sight and Keith Parsons was called on to finish the Essex men off with the excellent Hildreth completing his match with a superb 125.  And we're home with 14 points plus bonus ones and a 5 wicket victory.  Worcestershire seem happy - bet Ronnie Irani isn't but all credit to him for making a match of it.  Just a little too confident RI...sorry!

On to the Oval in bouyant mood!

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