By Grockle
August 10 2002
153 runs is the margin as our top four batsmen fail to last an hour and add a massive 24 between them when we need 331....oh dear! No batting backbone means another Championship defeat when we needed 20 points.
v KENT CC1@ CANTERBURY AUGUST 7 2002
DAY ONE |
DAY TWO |
DAY THREE |
DAY FOUR |
Only 22 overs possible on Day 3 and there was a need for quick wickets and then solid batting. We got the first when Kent declared on 286 and we were chasing a total of 331 to win with most of the last day to face. A position from which to win? What a flaming joke to even consider it with our present performance with the bat!!
Clatter Clatter Clatter - Cox LBW in 8 minutes for 3. Burns caught 17 minutes later for 10. Wood caught for 5 within the hour. Bowler caught for 6 also within the hour. After 51 minutes we were 38 for 4 and Saggers had three wickets and our game was over. We still needed 293 and our feet had been cut from under us. What can you do when you cannot rely on your top five to stand their ground? This has been a problem in every year but we've coped with it but this year our batting is a joke over two innings. We cannot maintain any consistency at all.
Some fight from Parsons, very little from Blackwell, the usual help from Turner, Dutch out with 3 balls gone - it is really not his season. Matt Bulbeck, Richard Johnson and Andy Caddick added almost twice what the top four put on and it's all over once again with a 153 run defeat.
Can we stay up? Not on this performance. Do we deserve to stay up? Not on this performance I thought Sussex was pathetic but you could at least hope that it was a one off. This proves we have major problems in the area of hitting the goddamned ball!!