Useful knock

By comebackgatt
August 20 2011

Comebackgatt reports on day three from Canterbury as the home team stage a fight back leaving the result wide open. We also hear about his travelling companions and what happened when one had a chat with a Kent player during play.  Picture is provided by Primrose Hillbilly

This being the shortest journey for me all season, I decided to take in the first three days play. Today was a bit different as I was to spend it in the company of two lovely ladies. They are both members of the Broadstairs Ladies cricket team, a side I have umpired a few times this season. Justine, is our number four batter and Mandi our demon opening bowler who has a neat turn of appealing, glaring at you whilst pointing at the batsmen, almost “you are never going to give her not out!”

Anyway, I picked them up from outside the clubhouse and off we went. The journey passed with them deciding how much petrol money to give me and the game tomorrow against local rivals Margate. I informed them I was asked last night to umpire this one, a small cheer, Mandi asks “just why was it now you didn’t give that Deal player out?” Come one girl, give it up that was two weeks ago!

We arrived at the ground and entered in good time. The sun is shining so we decide to sit in the open. Hopefully I will get a full day’s cricket today after two shortened ones.  Anyway over night the score is 258-7, a lead of just 16 but hopefully we can extend that a fair bit this morning. The girls seemed confident Kent could “do a Surrey” on this one. Matt Coles (who, it seems is Justine’s fav.) has three balls left to bowl.

New ball duly taken after 4 overs from Coles and Tredwell,  Mahmood, and interesting Coles, given the red cherry. Coles getting some swing but not controlling it and conceding two wides. Justine decides to wander around the boundary and Mandi nudges me and points and she is chatting to him (fielding at long leg). It didn’t seem to do any good as his next over turned out to be a nine ball over with 2 no balls and a wide. He was whipped out of the attack and replaced by Darren Stevens (in my fantasy team I tell them). He immediately gets Dial M to mis-timed a shot which skies up into the air and Jones makes a lot of ground to take the catch around about mid wicket. He has gone for 20 at 296-8 (54 on). Two balls later Malan goes for a cut against Riaz and is caught by Tredwell for 68, 296-9. Collymore comes out to join Finny, can we make 300? After a couple of singles, Finny hits a four then is out caught by Key off Riaz and we are 303 all out, a lead of 66.

We check some of the other scores and find Hall 7 Middlebrook have added a hundred for the 7^th wicket for Northants who are now 403 ahead of Derbyshire, home and hosed I’d say. I checked on Essex’s progress as well, they are in a strong position; I have to admit an uneasy feeling about them.

Mandi informs me “it will be Surrey all over again, one of our guys will get a hundred”. Certainly key and Denly make a bright start taking 26 off the first 4 overs . Then we fight back, Key (who got a big hundred last week) nicked Colly through to Simmo for 16, 33-1 and one run later Northeast went for a single caught by Robbo off Finn. Denly and Van Jaarsveld (what a dangerous player he can be) saw things through to lunch at 50-2 just 11 behind Colly and Finn the only tow bowlers seen so far.

The girls then opened their large picnic basket to reveal a bounty of food and drink. As we tucked in, I told about my first ever visit to the ground way back in 1965 to see the South Africans and I attend day two which saw Kent bowled out twice in a day and I witnessed my first ever “live” hat trick by Peter Pollock.

After lunch, we settled back to watch the cricket, the girls happy as Denly and Van Jaarsveld steadily kept the scoreboard ticking. Time for comfort break, on returning I saw Denly walking off. How come so many of us MTWD reporters miss a wicket when we go to the loo? Justine describes his dismissal and I note caught Dexter bowled Finny 47 @ 88-3. Enter Darren Stevens. Van Jaarsveld looks in ominous nick to me. Girls wander off and return with ice creams, including an old fashioned choc ice for me. We need to start taking wickets but the batsmen look comfortable until Stevens is trapped in front by Colly, 140-4, 79 runs ahead. A couple more wickets before I say and we are there. Justine predicts that V.J. will get a hundred and Jones at least fifty. Well VJ is half way there,  going to his 50. He is the prize wicket we need.

Colly trying to find edge

Tea arrives with Kent 168-4, V.J 66, Jones 14, and the home team lead by 107. Finny has gone for nearly 5 an over. I’m getting a bit worried, the girls delve into the hamper ago and we finish the food and wine (not me folks, I’m driving!). We decide to have a meander around the ground. Listen to the tea time scores Northants are breezing it against Derby and Essex have a good lead over Glos. Neither score’s make me feel any better. I reckon we need at least three wickets before close. The girls reckon we would not want to chase much more than 250 on the last day.

Great start straight after tea as Van Jaarsveld is trapped in front by Colly, gone for 66 at 168-5. Sorry girls, no century for him. Enter Azhar Mahmood, and we all know what a dangerous player he can be. He and Jones soon set about building another partnership, Mahmood strikes a couple of fours and the 150 lead is chalked up at 211-5.

250 up now, Jones 45, Mahmood 37, these two have added 87 and the lead is now 189 with 5 wickets remaining. I have to admit to beginning to feel a bit uneasy about this. The girls are happy and remain confident of a win. The conversation switches from Sunday’s game v Margate to where am I going tomorrow to cover footie (Tonbridge being the answer). Still the sun is still shining, I’m in the company of two smashing girls, what have got to complain about.... and yet, in front of me I can’t see us buying another wicket at the moment.

Huzzah! It worked Finny rips through Jones’ defence and Kent are 261-6, 201 ahead. Jones the Gloves gone for a good 47. James Tredwell enters the fray, one more tonight?

Not to be as the two batsmen comfortable cruise through to stumps. Mahmood goes to his fifty off 98 balls and closes on 69, Tredwell 10no and the close of play score 292-6, an overall lead of 231. Looks like well over 250 to get.

 Once we have the small matter of taking the last four wickets, although the new ball is due quite early, we need to get off to a good start and then take it from there. A draw would not be a disaster with Derbyshire about to lose to Northants, who are surely up now, although if Essex win they would cut the gap to 17 points although they would have only three games to go.  One of which is here.

Anyway, all in all an excellent day with good company. Took the girls home and then back for my dinner. As I mentioned will be at Tonbridge tomorrow but keeping a very close (and nervous) eye on events here.