By London
April 8 2014

London Leprecahun reports on the 3rd day or is 2nd day of the Sussex game from the perspective of listening to the commentary while at work. We hear about the problems of balancing work and cricket concentration, the equivalent of wicket walks in the office and in between a poor day for MIddlesex but a good one for Steve Finn. Things can only get better.

Its a cold and sunny morning which I guess is better than mild and wet.  Its the kind of day the season really ought to start  Unfortunately we are in catch up from Sunday and it is not a good start as the first thing I hear when BCC finally let me listen through their horribly clunky web site is Robson dropping Prior.  Slip fielding was a bugbear last season – lets hope that does not become a problem again this year.  Hang on a second it wasn’t Robbo but Rossington and both wicketkeepers not wicket keeping have dropped catches.

Prior makes us pay with an aggressive fifty. Then there is a long delay while a lost ball is retrieved from a muddy patch and there is long debate about whether the right ball is returned, Even St John’s ambulance are looking for it. Hope Don Shelly has his stop watch out. Things continue badly as Prior gets a 6 from another dropped catch. Sussex are beginning to run away and I am hoping that a meeting I am on standby for happens soon as listening is getting difficult.

When Finny comes on to bowl there is a long discussion among the Kevins about whether he will still fulfil his potential, whether the coaches have done in him etc.  Inevitable this will happen every time he bowls. Consensus is that the run up debacle was a large part of his falling away. Kevin Hand is convinced the ECB have messed him up twice – when he went on the first Lions tour and now.  Meanwhile Sussex are just easing along and getting well ahead.

At which point I have my meeting – not that long but it does take two wickets.  Nice to see both to Finny and it looks like we held onto a catch. Shame Prior is still there. Tuning back into the commentary there is discussion of DT as the new Pinky. Some thought.  And another horrible shot from Prior. Sounds  like he is living dangerously. Oh how those dropped catches may haunt us.

Sussex are getting away again and I try a wicket walk by getting some soup for lunch but that has no joy.  Maybe I will need to abandon the commentary again, but it is actually quite entertaining listening to conversations about Rossington’s selection and whether it is warm enough for ice cream and inevitabily whose Test propsects are being improved in this match. I am also wondering about our over rate.  There is no mention of it, but with only the four seam bowlers bowling we are likely in trouble.  Just before lunch Prior gets his 100 – I saw his last century saving the Auckland Test – this one I did not want to hear about.

Rejoining the commentary to find there has been some rain – hopefully that might help us a bit.  In the chat before the restart we hear that Chris Jordan just got his Sussex Cap. Time for Ollie to get his Middlesex one?

It sounds from the commentary as if we are bowling reasonably well – Finny is getting a fair bit of praise and he has a very good over against Prior but there is not much other threat. Let’s hope that’s true when we bat again. Although the scoring rate is slowing down, wicket walks are not working. Probably going to the office next door is not enough. But just as a second 100 partnership looms all of a sudden Finny gets Brown with a ballooning shot to a slip catch that Brown is unhappy about for no obvious reason. And then a coffee walk gets Prior and gives Finny a fourth wicket. Good innings for Prior finally out to a good catch after three drops.  Wickets for Finny as well - that is good news but commentators are majoring on Prior and England.

There’s another annoying stand which I am only half aware as work needs some concentration but am aware of some commentary  conversation about when tea will be and a barbecue that happened many years ago.  It’s like being at a cricket match and tuning in and out of conversations around you.  Quite a nice feeling really until I do tune into the fact that we are minus 3 on the over rate. Time for Malan/Dexter to howl and Don Shelley wizadry. Well Dex is on but no Malan and they are hurrying.  But this could become a problem in the next few weeks if we don’t play a spinner. 

Next bit of tuning in is a rant from DT about the inconsistency and illogicality of restrictions on floodlighting. I agree that it is not fair that some counties can use lights and others can’t and it seems to vary from day to day. I know it helped us last season but. . .

Meanwhile a walk to the office next door does produce a wicket:  Finnys 5^th .   What did England lack in Australia?  Was it wicket takers? But we are still minus 2; it is 4.10 and not yet tea!

Another wicket goes while I’m on the phone – 6 for Finn. What might have been if Prior had not been dropped way back on Sunday evening. And nine wickets down so tea is not going to happen before I finish work! But Sussex get to 350 long before tea and this is getting annoying apart from the fact that it is eating into time we have to bat. Last thing I see as I finish work is a tweet from Kevin Hand wondering if this is going to be the latest tea ever.  Tea ends up about 5.15 and on the way to the tube I hear an interesting conversation with the Guardian correspondent about England prospects and future coaches. I didn’t actually know that the Guardian had a cricket correspondent, given their coverage of county cricket. 

A tube journey occupies the end of the Sussex innings and the first thing I hear when I get reception again is 13-1.  Bad news, but I am cheered up by a walk in the sunshine through the newly opened Olympic Park to a volunteer meeting at the Velodrome. And in spite of some excited moments from Kevin and the odd loose shot we are nearly home by the time my meeting starts.  And there have been no more alarms when I check the close of play. Now for a long day tomorrow and I won’t be able to move from my office at all!