RIP

By Haringey Racer
December 3 2014

Middlesexv Leicestershire 28th April at Southgate 2009 day 1. Report as further tribute to Phillip Hughes. RIP.  Here's Ged's introduction to the report. Haringey Racer has come up trumps with a splendid report and lots of great photos for us to read and peruse. I can almost smell that Southgate grass, hear those church bells and taste the Pete & Ivy ice cream. Envy? Me!! Do me a flavour.........I mean, favour. Meanwhile "cruelty to bowlers" was nearly today's headline - read why!       

I spent the first few hours of my life at North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton, the next seven years in New Southgate and the following forty and a bit years (to date) in Southgate. As a result I always look forward to games at the Walker Ground. The fact that I can walk to the ground in around 20 minutes without the need to worry about problems on the tubes or trains is great. Of course when we play at Uxbridge the situation is reversed, but do you hear me complain? Too right you do.

The weather forecast on Monday was suggesting heavy showers throughout Tuesday. Just the kind of forecast you don’t want for an outground with very little in the way of cover. I had suggested to my line manager that I might come into work first thing and make a decision later, but he very wisely pointed out that the regular departmental meeting was taking place in the morning, so I wouldn’t actually get any work done. This argument and the fact that I’d promised Ged a match report settled things. Tuesday morning in Southgate started bright and sunny, but with still with the forecast of heavy showers during the day. After a morning spent doing all sorts of things round the house that I’d been putting off for weeks I headed off to the ground, taking the long way round in order to visit a cashpoint and have my traditional ‘day one’ haircut. I arrived at the ground just before 10.00 and had to wait until the church clock struck 10 before the gates were officially opened. Seating was limited to the usual folding plastic chairs and the Southgate club’s park benches. No temporary stands this year. Catering facilities consisted of the pavilion kitchen, a barbecue outside, a beer tent and, of course, Peter’s legendary ice cream van. It wouldn't be Southgate without Pete & Ivy The edge of the ground was a bit damp, but a full warm-up was taking place so it was obvious that conditions in the middle weren’t too bad; a view confirmed when the toss took place at 10:30.

Shaggy won the toss again, but this time chose to bat. Strauss and Finn replaced Berg and Evans from the side that drew with Glamorgan. Strauss and Godelman opened. Strauss took a leg bye from the first ball, bowled by Ian O’Brien from the Adelaide end but announced as AJ Harris from the Waterfall Road end. Not quite as bad as the Richmond announcer who couldn’t work out which was the Pagoda end, but close. Godleman then took a single from the fifth ball to leave him on strike when Harris finally made his appearance. Harris’s first ball was bang on the mark pinning Billy plumb in front. Billy didn’t look happy, but then again (a) he never does and (b) he obviously realised he’d missed the boat big time.

This brought Phil Hughes (CC average 183 before the start of play) to the crease. He seemed content to let Strauss take the lead before getting off the mark with a drive for four through the covers on one knee. Shortly afterwards a slash went very quickly between keeper and first slip. Strauss, meanwhile, was carrying on where he left off in the test series. After an hour the score was 64-1 from 15 overs with Strauss on 45. He quickly moved to 50 with two fours in successive balls from Wayne White, one of two Leicestershire players without a squad number. Strauss Goes Over The Top Shortly afterwards spin was introduced in the form of the other unnumbered player, Carl Crowe but he couldn’t stem the flow of runs. It looked as though Strauss might make a hundred before lunch: with 5 minutes to go and Strauss on 89 James Taylor was brought on at the Adelaide end. Strauss took five off the over to leave him on strike on 94 at the start of the final over from Crowe. A single off the first ball showed that he was clearly quite content with 95 (from 98 balls) and lunch was taken at 138-1 (30 overs) with Hughes on 37 from a relatively sedate77 balls. Another Day, another 150 Up for Strauss Strauss didn’t have to wait too long after the resumption, reaching his 100 with a pull off O’Brien. Meanwhile Hughes was gradually stepping up the pace, and soon reached his own fifty. The 200 came up in the 44th over with Hughes on 67 and Strauss 125. At this stage runs were coming thick and fast: Strauss reached his 150 with a sweep for four off Crowe before being caught behind trying to cut a ball from White. 246-2.

This brought in Dexter and he and Hughes found themselves tied down by Crowe bowling over the wicket to the left-hander and round the wicket to the right-hander. The 250 eventually came up in the 57th over before Dexter broke the deadlock with successive fours from Crowe. Shortly before tea, some nasty-looking clouds arrived from the south east.

Tea was taken at 281-2 with Hughes on 99 (179 balls) and Dexter 24 (34) but it started raining heavily and never really stopped until 5.30 at which point play was unsurprisingly called off for the day. All in all a good start, but I suspect the bowlers will have their work cut out. A friend overheard our Director of Cricket remark to an ECB type ‘the only thing you can report this for is cruelty to bowlers’.