Middlesex CCC
Rogers and Not Out
Jolly Rogers
By Hackneyshire
June 30 2011
We have a Glous perspective of today from Hackneyshire. No declaration which results in a career best by a well known never undersold department score who returns by causing a failure by Somerset's temp no. 1. We hear of more Middx failures , followed by one great success that may save us from follow on. There are some great photos too. This is classic reading and viewing,
Day 3 at Uxbridge and once again I found myself waiting around furtively outside the entrance to the Travelodge in town at 10am. On Monday I left with five men, today it was only one but the same cleaner clocked me and I think she may have one or two suspicions, though it is likely none of them involved picking up comps on the gate at Uxbridge Cricket Club.
I was armed, as ever, with the official drink of this County Championship game, Chateau Shire 2011, my cheeky Elderflower homebrew which has won a few fans over the week and fuelled one or two chants in Vermin Corner. In the auction at last night’s fine curry evening Barmy Kev even paid £25 for a bottle, although I’m not convinced he was 100% compos mentis at the time.
Up at the ground, with Gloucestershire seven wickets down overnight (again) the nation’s sporting press spent another morning in anticipation of that rare sight: an out of form Somerset player turning out for Middlesex. They had a longer wait than they hoped however, with Kane Williamson opting to bat on and afford the supporters the chance to see Jon Lewis bat for a third day in a row. The debate on whether this was the correct decision carried on most of the day but with virtually three sessions lost in the match, the newbie captain clearly felt the extra runs would give Glos a fighting chance of bowling the home side out twice without batting again.
The pitch had other ideas and looked as flat and lifeless on Day 3 as it had on Day 1. Lewis and Day 2’s maiden centurian Cockbain, had little problems in getting past the 110th over intact, thus depriving the home team of a third bowling point. The ‘Chateau Shire Champagne Moment of the Day” quickly followed when Lewis brought up his 50 by smashing a Murtagh delivery for six over Scott Newman’s head and then following it with successive fours.
In Vermin Corner the lack of wickets meant talk had turned to a forthcoming trip to Chesterfield and I asked Kev whether he’d be kind enough to call in on my gran. “Of course,” he said, “Where does she live?” thus falling hook line and sinker for my response of: “She’s buried in the graveyard opposite the ground’. Boom boom.
Back on the pitch the Middlesex faithful finally had something to cheer as Collymore had Cockbain caught behind for 127 with the visitors on 427, ending the eighth wicket partnership of 97, although it said much about the home side’s fielding that most fans near me thought the chance had been grounded.
The end of Cockbain didn’t stop the Lewis onslaught however, and he brought up his highest ever first class score by hitting Murtagh for another six back over his head before finally being clean bowled by Collymore for 72 with the score on 442.
Career best. John Lewis never knowingly underbowled (or batted)
The final pairing of youngsters Saxelby (12) and Payne (8) put on another 19 before Williamson declared with the score on 459/9 leaving Middlesex with 84 overs to bat in the day and the assembled press waiting to cast their eye over a certain Mr Strauss, who would surely make hay on such a flat track?
Fairytales rarely happen in practice however and Strauss’s stay at the crease was to be a short one as he was trapped plumb in front by Lewis, who made the most of a seventh delivery in the first over after an early no-ball. The Somerset England captain had made only two, or as one wag, who will remain anonymous, commented, “the same as the number of catches he dropped at slip.”
2 drops, 2 runs
Strauss’s departure brought Chris Rogers, a long-time frustration for Glos, to the crease and he quickly showed himself to be an Australian Jonathan Trott by indulging in a spot of gardening at every opportunity (while never getting out). At the other end, Robson’s unorthodox – and rather ugly - style may not have been straight from any coaching manual but it seemed to work for him and the pair evaded a host of imaginative field placings by Williamson (designed, suggested one Glos supporter, to “confuse the batsman”) to reach 58/1 at lunch. There was one chance of note before that, when Robson went for an ill-advised run but wasn’t joined by his partner but Jack Taylor’s throw missed the stumps and the visitors had no-one waiting at the stumps to take the second chance.
After the break, it looked like things would continue in the same vein until Saxelby roughed up Robson before drawing him into an ill-advised shot which was snaffled by Coughtrie behind the stumps. This brought Gloucestershire favourite Scott Newman to the crease – a man that had made Andrew Strauss look like a pair of safe hands over the previous few days – and for a while he dug in, helping his side to 100 in the 25th over while his partner Rogers brought up his half century the following over.
The fifty partnership came when Newman hit young spinner Jack Taylor for four, which led to murmurings behind me of: “He’ll get bored now and start slogging.” He did just that and was duly caught by Williamson off Taylor later that over for 23 (or “15 more” than one visiting fan had predicted he’d get) with the score on 125. The immovable Rogers was joined by Dexter who got off the mark in some style with a six off Taylor and he settled in for a productive afternoon.
Off the pitch the hapless Strauss managed to get his signature in the centre of a bat he was asked to autograph for charity, which at least put pay to the rumours that he couldn’t middle anything. I’m reliably informed that he also smashed the record for signing the most autographs at a county outground, which must be a source of comfort for him.
After tea Dexter and Rogers continued until the former was well caught by Jack Taylor on the boundary off the bowling of Saxelby for 41 with Middlesex on 211. The Australian was joined by Simpson before bringing up a well-deserved century in the 61st over: he actually managed to initiate two century celebrations in the crowd, the first assumed when it was actually four byes (a point which Rogers himself allegedly told the umpire).
Jolly Rogers
The next batting bonus point was accompanied by Gladys Knight and the Pips being played in the ponciest portaloos on the circuit before Simpson was caught by David Payne off the bowling of Baby (Will) Gidman. Stephen Crook was the next man in but scored just one before being bowled by Gidman and his replacement, Tom Smith soon followed, lbw to Taylor for 5, a ball that one Gloucestershire fan commented was “so plumb you can reliably give it out from long leg.”
The new ball was taken near the end of the day but Rogers and Tim Murtagh stood firm to reach 283/7 at the close. The last few overs had been greeted by an increasingly vocal (and Chateau Shire fuelled) Vermin Corner and such was the frivolity that when one elderly supporter was asked whether she enjoyed the day she remarked that she had “except for the noise behind me”. I enjoyed it rather more I suspect and, while the likeliest result remains a draw, Gloucestershire yet again showed that youth can be more than a match for experience and, you never know, I could yet be toasting a victory with the Elderflower Champers yet.
Prized photo in Vemin Corner
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon30/06/2011 00:30
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011:07:02:14:04:03 by BarmierKev.
Lewis said it was a good wicket and that Chris Rogers was a good opponent to give an alternative view.
The drop in the second innings would have put the oppo on 75 for 5, which may have been interesting.
To be fair, Gloucestershire held all of the catches which we offered and the scoreboard will confirm.
I think also, we may have been gungho and declared at 300+ on with around 40 overs left.
As Hayes and Yeading Mick said, Glaws were presumably happy with what they had.
Losing the second day, pretty much put the 'top' on it.
