Having seen the Panthers win unexpectedly against Essex at Lords on Friday, and against Surrey at the Oval on Saturday; I was hoping for a repeat performance yesterday. This was more in the hope that the team would go into the Championship game against Surrey starting on Tuesday with three back to back wins and some confidence, rather than to salvage any pride that remains in the Twenty 20 Cup this year; the most lacklustre title defence I have witnessed in cricket.

On hearing the team announced, I was surprised to hear that there was no Shah or Dexter (our two in form batsman), nor Kartik and Finn. Instead Compton was to open in place of Dexter; John Simpson (making his Twenty 20 debut) replaced Shah, and David Burton made his first Twenty 20 appearance of the season. I assume that the omitted players aforementioned were being rested for Tuesday. However with these omissions the team looked a lot weaker, especially in the batting department, and ultimately this was to tell.

Shaggy won the toss and elected to bat first. Martin-Jenkins opened the bowling for Sussex and his first ball was clipped by Godleman off his hips to the vacant fine leg region for four, a shot repeated by Compton later in the over, which interestingly did not prompt a field change by Yardy. Middlesex made a good start with nine coming off the first over.

Yasir Arafat opened from the Nursery End and bowled a tight middle and off line at good pace, which Billy could not get any bat on, and thus resulted in an excellently bowled maiden.

Having played out the previous over for the maiden, Billy was obviously conscience of increasing the scoring rate and in attempting to do so charged down the wicket to Martin-Jenkins. Despite hitting the ball hard, he hit it straight to Murray Goodwin at short extra cover who took the catch. Godleman was dismissed for seven and Middlesex were 12-1 in the third over.

Morgan came in at three and looked fluent as he perfectly timed a cover drive for two, which beat the infield. However my confidence was misplaced, as looking to play a drive, Eoin played down the wrong line and was clean bowled by Arafat for three, leaving the Panthers on 19-2, at the end of the fourth over.

Compton and Malan then staged a mini revival as they increased the impetus, and together added 33 runs for the third wicket .Compton pulled a boundary to the short tavern boundary; lofted a straight drive towards the pavilion for a one bounce four, and then struck Luke Wright’s first ball of the match over his head for four. Meanwhile Malan’s renewed good form continued as he struck two crisp cover drives to the fence off the left arm medium of Michael Yardy, who was bowling his non-spinning left arm darts faster than Shahid Afridi bowls his leg breaks. The pair brought up the Middlesex fifty in the eight over.

Compton (was now striking the ball well and playing confidently) fell in Yardy’s next over, as aiming to hit a six over the short tavern boundary, he struck it to Ed Joyce at deep wicket, who took a good boundary catch. Compton went for 24 and at the end of the ninth over Middlesex were 54-3.

Henderson was next in at five and the customary swish and miss that has been his batting this season ensued. When Tyron finally managed to connect with the ball it was a top edged pull which went over Hodd’s head for four. Undeterred Wright bowled another short of a length ball. Henderson attempted to pull the ball (which was not short enough for the shot) and sent the ball hurtling into the air and Hamilton-Brown (running in from the boundary at deep square leg) caught the ball with an excellent forward diving catch.

Hendo was sent in too early once again and his shot was completely idiotic, because surely it would have been better to try and play the big shots towards the short leg side tavern boundary during the next over. Malan then leg glanced Wright for the first six of the Middlesex innings over long leg, leaving the Panthers at 60-4 half way through their innings.

In the twelfth over Dawid looking for another big drive, missed the ball, and Wright bowling full and straight on off stump uprooted it from the ground. AC was dismissed for a well made run a ball 24, but did he have to go for the big shot with eight overs still left to go? Off the last ball of the over Berg, playing his preferred dab down to third man, edged the ball straight through the hands of Yardy at first slip, to give Middlesex a welcomed boundary.

Berg and debutant Simpson then knocked the ball into the gaps for the next two overs, with Simpson striking a hooked six over fine leg. Kirtley was then introduced in the sixteenth over. After Berg struck the square leg umpire with a rasping pull short, Kirtley dismissed Simpson who spooned a looping catch straight to Nash at deep square leg for 13. It proved an excellent first over for Kirtley as he only conceded the two runs, to go with the wicket of Simpson.

Ben Scott brought up the 100 for Middlesex in the 17th over with a cut for four of Dwayne Smith. Gareth Berg than began to open his shoulders hitting Kirtley for consecutive boundaries through the covers and mid wicket. Arafat was re-introduced at the death and soon removed Scott who having ducked the previous short ball, tried to pull the next, only to find Kirtley at silly mid on. Excellent death bowling by Kirtley in the 19th over saw Udal bowled by a yorker for a five ball duck.

This left the commendable Berg (who finished on 30 not out off 20 balls with four boundaries) and Chris Silverwood to see Middlesex limp to 127-8 off their 20 overs.

Unfortunately the dark cloud which had been threatening to break all afternoon finally broke in the closing overs of Middlesex’s innings and continued to fall throughout the interval in between innings. As a result the Sussex innings started forty five minutes late at 4:45, when the rain had dissipated.

Silverwood opened the innings and aside from a first ball wide bowled an exceptional over, with no other runs coming off it. David Burton opened from the Nursery End and bowled a tight line also as Luke Wright continually swished and missed the ball, only getting off the mark by splicing the ball down to fine leg for a single.

With both Silverwood and Burton extracting some nip of the pitch Sussex were struggling to put bat to ball. After continually heaving and missing at everything, Luke Wright was dismissed for 6 as he spliced an attempted six hit to Morgan at cover off the bowling of Burton, to leave Sussex 14-1 at the end of the fourth over. 

Henderson replaced Silverwood at the Pavilion End for the fifth over and his first ball was edged by Hamilton-Brown (the new batsman) through the vacant slip cordon for four. However Henderson had the last laugh as later in the over he clean bowled Hamilton-Brown for 5. Dwayne Smith joined Murray Goodwin at the crease and by the end of the seventh over the Sussex score was 24-2.

Unfortunately I must conclude this match report prematurely due to the fact I had made arrangements for later on Sunday evening, in order to catch my train back home and meet them, I had to leave after the seventh over of the Sussex innings because of the late start caused by the rain delay. Apologies to one and all.

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