Peters Out Yet Match Peters Out - Days 3.5 to 4

But Not Enough

By LizzieJ July 3 2008
Lizzie J talks us through the second half of Day 3 as she saw it, plus what she saw of Day 4. We learn about Middlesex's strong few hours late Tuesday and early Wednesday before the rain came and we learn about Lizzie's response to rain. Shopping In Uxbridge? Sounds a bit like a history of tractors in Ukraine? Many thanks to Lizzie for this excellent report.

Day Three

About 2pm

Arrive at the ground about three balls after the fall of Malan, when the loudspeaker kindly informs me that Klusener was the bowler and White was the fielder with the score 105-6. This meant it was Morgan and Scott at the helm. Am horrified we’re 6 down. Am also horrified that its incredibly warm and I’m still in my work clothes, ie heavy black trousers. Talk about a heat trap. But then something happened that makes me forget all about my heat trap trousers.

And that would be the magnificent 128 ball stand between Morgan and Scott, The Captain hitting 93 before he was caught by O'Brien off the bowling of Louw, having hit Panesar for a 6 in the previous over.

Gutting not to make his century, but two big half centuries in each innings is an invaluable contribution, given the state of our top order.

Dial M for Murtagh didn’t have to face ball before tea, and the score at the interval was 234-7. After tea, Scott and Dial M cranked up a gear, taking 17 off one Boje over. Northants not surprisingly took the new ball ASAP, and I panicked a little bit. Would Van der Wath pick up where he left our top order and blitz his way through? Not so much. His first over went for 12 runs. Good.

Then one of my least favourite things ever to happen in cricket happened: both batsmen ended up at the same end. Dial M was run out for a quick fire 33 off 49 balls. Scott reached his richly deserved century, and Shaggy smacked another 6 of Panesar. It hadn’t been Monty’s day. Van der Wath however, had been having a wonderful time. 5 wickets so far in this innings, 5 in the first one. The score at stumps was 377-8, leaving Middlesex a chance to go for the win, if the weather felt like co-operating.

Middlesex v Northants

Uxbridge

Day Four

Due to oversleeping and buses from Slough to Uxbridge only deigning to run every half an hour, I missed the end of our innings, which I hear was over by half past eleven. Udal didn’t add to his score of 26, Evans was gone for a duck while Scott finished with 164*. Kudos to the man. Van der Wath claimed the remaining two wickets, to give him 12 wickets altogether.

Northants started well, scoring above the required rate. But three wickets then fell, O’Brien leg before to Murtagh, while first innings centurion White went in the same way, only the bowler was Finn. Boje was then finely caught by Ace to give Tim his second wicket and leave Northants on 33-3.

Then it rained. So early lunch was taken. 3 overs were played after lunch, before rain intervened again.

I don’t do well in the rain, and as I had sensibly not brought a jacket, I was not amused. So I did what every girl does when she’s being rained on, I went shopping. I asked the good folks at home to let me know what was going on, they did not. This resulted in me ringing home in the middle of Books etc, only to find out play had resumed and no one and bothered to tell me. So I fled out of The Chimes and legged it back to the ground. Klusener and Sales were going strong at tea, the score 96-3.

No more wickets fell, Sales finished on 42* and Klusener made 94* off 93 when the game was abandoned at 5pm with the score 176-3. And of course, as I left there was bright sunshine and it was warming up. Typical. The weather was clearly not a Middlesex fan. Uxbridge was sparsely populated today, and it was a real pity a result wasn’t possible; in the end it was an all too familiar tale of the weather being the winner.

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