By Fozzie
September 5 2012

FOZZIE REPORTS ON A DAY WITH AN AFTER PARTY FEEL , BUT STILL PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO 2 SESSIONS OF CRICKET

I wasn’t able to go to the opening day of this match, and due to other commitments only arrived on Day 2 as the players were leaving the field for lunch.  So having missed Middlesex’s first innings 446 I felt rather like a party guest who arrives after the bar has closed and finds everyone else has gone home, with only the cleaners remaining to do the clearing-up. With Lancashire on 18-0 after 10 overs there was certainly a feeling that any razzmatazz had been and gone.

 I was told that Chapple had got some early movement as on the first morning, getting Dex quickly for 125. After that, though, batting was apparently fairly easy even for the tailenders, who yet again did well to post a decent total.

 uring the lunch interval spectators were allowed to walk on the playing area, a very pleasant and colourful scene in beautiful sunshine and Lords looking at its best.  I decided to take advantage of the uncommonly good weather and spent the afternoon sunning in the Mound Stand.

 After lunch Lancashire’s left-handed opening pair Tom Smith (no, not the Plumber) and Luke Proctor resumed in contrasting styles. Smith, standing tall and straight at the crease, was looking to play some shots, and after a couple of streaky boundaries through the slips off Iceman and Corey he played some good-looking strokes off the front foot. By contrast, Proctor’s stance was hunched and crab-like, as were his shots, with his default response being a pronounced shouldering of arms. Dozing in the sunshine, I’d wake to check the scoreboard every ten minutes or so (Proctor 12….still on 12….hey, Proctor’s moved on to 13!....still 13…etc).

 Buck was regularly rotating the bowlers, and shortly before tea Crooky and Ravi changed ends. It quickly produced results, with Proctor finding a fine short-pitched delivery from Crooky too close to his body, resulting in a simple catch for Robbo at slip. Ravi was now bowling round the wicket from the Pavilion End to the left-handers, and after nearly bowling Smith he drew him down the wicket for Simmo to complete a smart stumping. Both wickets had fallen at 95, and the tea interval came with Lancs on 121-2 and Middle looking for a further breakthrough. 

 However, after tea Ashwell Prince played steadily while Horton gradually increased the scoring rate (it had taken 41 overs to reach 100), playing some hard-hitting shots with minimum footwork.  Ravi took some stick and ultimately finished the most expensive bowler, but he remained unflustered and to me he looks a real prospect. At tea Stephen Crook’s bowling figures were the most un-Crook-like 10-4-17-1, but his economy rate returned nearer normality when he returned for the 65^th over and Horton hit consecutive boundaries to reach his 50 and then bring up the century partnership, with the 200 coming up later in the over. But Crook had the last laugh shortly after when again he extracted unexpected bounce and had Horton caught behind at 225.  The day finished on 236-3 with Dawid Malan bowling – more an attempt by Buck to try something different than to speed up the over rate, I think, judging by the time taken over setting the field. By then a recurrent theme of the season had made a reappearance, with the over rate falling 2 below the required level. I suppose it doesn’t matter now if we have a points deduction, but it was still irritating.

 There was a distinct end-of-term feeling about things – not necessarily in a bad way, with a sense of progress made over the season and goals achieved.  Nor was there any shortage of effort from the bowlers, with Corey looking livelier than I’ve seen him for some time.  But even taking into account the need to conserve energy when fielding on a hot afternoon against batsmen enjoying a belter of a pitch, there seemed to be a lack of intensity in the field, a distinct lack of chirp for once. Perhaps that’s inevitable when it’s not a “must win” game. Or perhaps it just seemed quiet because Murts wasn’t there. 

 It’s far from a end-of-term game for Lancs, of course, and I guess that their game plan at present is at least to get as many batting points as possible – though they will need to improve their scoring rate – and ensure that at least they don’t lose, and then stake all on beating Surrey next week.  Or perhaps they’re hoping Middlesex will lose interest and throw their second innings away.

 Not the most scintillating day for my last visit to Lords of the season then, and I’m not sure how entertaining tomorrow will be either.  But even so, there’s plenty to be said for spending a day watching cricket at Lords in sunshine. Particularly when for once the pressure’s off and fingernails can remain unchewed.