By Rogers and Not Out
May 27 2013

Rogers and Not Out reports on taking Mrs Rogers Not and Out on a romantic trip oop North East to cover days 3+4 for MTWD.  This time Rogers was out before he virtually saved the game for us , but then again.....  This is an interesting account of how time was spent inbetween the cricket and some insights on what happened on the cricket field. Another excellent read from Rogers and Out.          

I’d remembered one of the MTWD gang staying at Lumley Castle last season for the Durham game and thought it might be a good opportunity for a short break with the wife this season.

I’d booked flights to Newcastle using air miles, and we departed early on Friday morning from Terminal Five. I checked the weather forecast in the lounge just before departure, and it looked as though there was a reasonable chance of seeing a fair amount of play. However, on landing at Newcastle airport, it was quite damp and dismal. We took the Metro to Newcastle Central, and it was then that I discovered there’s only a train every two hours to Chester-le-Street.

Twenty odd pounds in a cab later, we arrived at Lumley Castle, with the windscreen wipers being in operation for the entirity of the journey. It was not only wet but blustery, so we took the opportunity to have a very pleasant early lunch before taking the ten minute walk down to the cricket ground at around 2.30.

The chap on the gate advised that there was going to be an inspection at 3 o’clock, so we wandered off to Chester-le-Street town centre to locate the recommended Butcher’s Arms and await news of the inspection via CricInfo. On discovering that play would resume at 4 o’clock, I swallowed my disappointingly cloudy pint of Ringwood’s Fortyniner and returned to the ground, where the gateman allowed us entry for £5 instead of the usual £15.

Needless to say, as soon as 4 o’clock struck, it started raining again and we took shelter in Austin’s bar.  The bar had a TV screen showing the pitch and we were halfway through our drinks when play resumed, so we watched half a dozen overs of Bergy and James Harris bowling on the screen before play was once again interrupted.

The prospects for further play looked grim, so we decided to head back to the hotel. In fact, another 12 overs were bowled with Durham finishing on 89/1, with Harris taking the wicket of Stoneman who made 50.

The following day saw blue, cloudless skies so we took our places in the sun at the Lumley end. Berg and Harris opened the attack for us, with Bergy persisting with a nagging line outside of off stump. This persistence paid off as he tempted  Jennings and Denly took a corker of a catch in the gully, leaving the home side on 98/2. Will Smith came in but neither he nor Borthwick really upped the scoring rate. Borthwick eventually registered his 50 from 105 balls, but this lack of acceleration cost Durham dear in the end.

My decision to buy some ice creams got us the third wicket, when TRJ had Smith caught by Malan for 17 whilst I was behind the sightscreen.  Toby then picked up another wicket in his next over when he trapped Stokes LBW for 4, leaving the hosts on 154/4. Captain Colly then came in shortly before lunch and made efforts to improve the scoring rate.

An enjoyable lunch was had at Austin’s. So good, in fact, that I missed Collingwood’s wicket, caught by Robbo off the bowling of James Harris for 18. Durham were now 194/5, leading by 257, and were looking for Phil Mustard to open his shoulders and hasten a declaration with some quick runs. However, he only made 3 before a poor shot off Bergy was easily taken by Corey at mid off. Breese was the next man in and he did actually step on the gas with several boundaries, including a six, before Collingwood conservatively declared on 240/6, requiring us to make an unlikely 304 in around 51 overs.

Buck and Robbo both played some confident looking strokes early on, but Calum Thorp had Sam caught behind by Mustard at the end of his first over leaving us on 12/1. Runs were suddenly at a premium after a series of maidens from Onions and Thorp, but the captain and Joe Denly weathered the storm and began to dispatch the occasional bad ball to the boundary. Collingwood rotated his bowlers to try to make a breakthrough, but Borthwick looked ineffective and it was Mark Wood and Onions who were the major threat.

After Chris Rogers chalked up his half century, the game seemed to be meandering to an inevitable draw, when Wood changed to bowling around the wicket, and snared our captain LBW for 54, leaving us on 96/2. The sadly out-of-form Dawid Malan then came to the crease, and although he was gifted a boundary by a dire Borthwick delivery, he survived a loud appeal for a leg side caught behind off Wood, was nearly caught at short leg off Borthwick before finally leaving a Wood delivery that flattened his off stump.

Our traditional middle order collapse seemed well and truly under way when Dex did not last long before edging Onions to Mustard, and Simmo departed soon after, with Borthwick snaffling him in the slips off the fired up ‘Bunny’.

We were now 129/5, with the Iceman next in. Denly had looked solid throughout and just needed someone to stick around for the 50 minutes or so that were left. Bergy did exactly what the doctor ordered and hung around for 11 overs before Jennings took a very good low catch at a shortish square leg from the bowling of Wood to leave us on 158/6.

There were only 4 more overs for Joe Denly and James Harris to survive. The otherwise excellent Bunny wasted one of these overs by continually bowling short to Denly, who was unsurprisingly not interested in playing at any such deliveries.

All in all, a good draw for us, as I’m sure Durham would feel they should have won, but Collingwood was probably affected by his over-generous declaration recently against Yorkshire. Well done to Joe Denly for a match saving, unbeaten 73, Buck for his half century and also the Iceman for hanging around for long enough to keep the men of the North East at bay.

I rounded off my trip by spending a most pleasant Sunday in Durham before returning south that same evening.