Mujjie Ties up ingram

By Rogers and Out
July 27 2019

Rogers and Out reports on how we surpassed our total of T20 wins from last season in just the fourth game of this year's campaign as we chalked up an eight wicket victory over Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens on what was a relatively cool evening given the recent heatwave.

We restricted Glamorgan to a total of 136 with some excellent bowling all round. Toby took five wickets including a last over hat trick. Finny bowled as well as I've seen recently with excellent use of the short ball. Mujeeb was very good - terrific economy with just 17 runs off his four overs. Although Tom Helm was smashed around the park by both Cooke and Douthwaite in his last two overs, his first two went for just two runs including a wicket which kept the Welshman at bay in the early stages. Nathan wasn't at his very best but still managed to capture an important wicket.

On the batting front, Eski was brilliant especially considering he took a nasty blow to the face in the field attempting a difficult catch towards the end of the Glamorgan innings. I wasn't sure that he would be able to bat, but his 51 runs from 29 balls including seven fours and two sixes enabled Mala to play the anchor role. This he did with aplomb batting all the way through for an unbeaten 45 and so steering us to victory.

Max Holden, who came into the side for Nick Gubbins (AB's injury picked up at the Oval again prevented his selection), scored a not out 30 runs from 24 balls, but he struggled at times, especially off the bowling of Wagg, and it took the introduction of Salter back into the attack to propel his score.

However, arguably the moment of the match was the sensational catch taken by Dan Lincoln at long on to dismiss Douthwaite off TRJ's bowling, which was the second wicket in his hat trick. I thought he would do well to prevent the boundary but he managed to pouch it in his outstretched right hand. Even the Glamorgan fans rose to give him a deserved standing ovation. I have seen him play several times for Bognor Regis Town FC and he is an excellent goalkeeper. My mate Bognor Paul reckons he was able to take the catch due to the amount of practice he gets down at Nyewood Lane.

We won the toss and chose to insert Glamorgan on a pitch with a greenish hue. Given their batting tribulations at the Oval the previous night, this was perhaps a wise decision and looking back, it most certainly was.

Pakistani import Fakhar Zaman departed in the first over for nought, caught by Max off the bowling of Helmo at a shortish fine leg. Silly Fakhar a game to forget. His fielding was atrocious and his fumbling on the boundary allowed Max Holden to get a much needed boundary which ignited his innings.

The dangerous Colin Ingram was next in and he and David Lloyd knocked it around tidily but not at a great scoring rate. Ingram eventually miscued a Ro Jo delivery to Finny in the deep and he took a good catch.

Lloyd and Billy Root attempted to rebuild the innings but they both eventually holed out for scores in the twenties.

Our good bowling was severely restricting our hosts and they were 94/5 with just four overs to go. However, Chris Cooke took a liking to Tom's bowling in the 17th over with 24 runs coming from it. It was left to Toby with his hat trick and Dan's fielding brilliance to keep the score to 136.

I foolishly tried to queue for a beer in the interval. I gave up in the end as we had commenced our innings, but I was enthused to hear no celebrations from the boys and girls from the Principality.

Eski was scoring at a rate of knots and Mala was happy to play second fiddle. He clocked up a fine half century but the very next ball, he edged Douthwaite to 'keeper Cooke.

Dan Lincoln came in at number three and looked confident after his decent effort at Cheltenham the day before. However, the pace of De Lange unsettled him and he holed out to Carey in the deep for eight. 

Max Holden was next in and looked very uncomfortable especially against the wily campaigner Wagg. It took an over from Salter to get him up and running, aided by poor fielding from Zaman as mentioned earlier.

It was only Wagg and De Lange who looked remotely like denying us victory, but in the end, we were comfortable winners with 16 balls to spare. Captain Malan batted through for a measured 45 unbeaten runs from 43 balls.

This ended my personal Middlesex tour of the West Country. It started on Wednesday with two T20 defeats for the Second XI at Bristol CC against Gloucestershire. Thursday saw the loss for the first team against the same opponents at Cheltenham. Despite these three defeats being close run affairs, it was great to see a win in Cardiff with by no means our strongest line up, and credit must go to the team for a really good all round performance.