Middlesex CCC
Uxbridge Major Strauss recovery.
Class is permanent.
By The Diamond Ruled OK
July 13 2012
Third day at Uxbridge and what a day it was. Diamond reports on a grand days cricket.
With the car park shut today at Uxbrdge due to the wet weather of late it was always going to be a bus day to the ground. A dry early morning in Ealing came as a big suprise as we had been rained on all evening yesterday. 607 fast bus straight into town after a visit to the Off Licence in Hanwell Broadway and arrive at the ground at about 10:45 to be informed we were starting on time. Well it had to be done,a quick MTWD post on the mobile to make sure Mr "I'll eat my pants if we start on time" Beecool was enjoying his early lunch,seemed he was as well. Brilliant work (again) by Vic and the guys who had a really early start to get the ground fit,by all accounts not to the liking of one of our players who wouldn't have minded a bit of "home advantage" and a day in the dressing room.
Vermin Corner is diehards only so far Phil and myself,Penguin and Brian are on route,Kenny P is due after lunch,Seaxe Man has gone "posh" for the day in the marquee and Beefy has had an offer he couldn't refuse and is elsewhere.11:05 it starts spitting gently with rain,not enough to bring the players off,a relief after all the work that had gone into getting them out there in the first place.Straussie cracks the first four of the day as our President passes by happy that we will do well today.Robbo has got himself going and then has a yes no moment followed by a flick at one that second slip puts down.
After yesterdays Red Kite our bird of the day now puts in an apperance,a big ugly helocopter with rotors on each wing rather than the mainframe,can you guess what it is yet folks? No,nor could we,research on the net on getting home showed it to be an Osprey which is a helo/plane hybrid, the rotors can change pitch by 90 degrees,noisy thing too it was.
Robbo and Straussie are playing some good shots and the bowling looks far less threatening than it did on Wednesday.Penguin and Brian arrive,Penguin with bottom burps and Brian with Bakewell Tarts,I know which I prefered , thanks Brian. The 50 came up with a Robbo 3 where he finished it almost a full length infront of Straussie (well he's a lot younger after all).Carter replaces Phillips from the pavillion end and removes Robbo for 26 soon after caught by the keeper Read. 55-1.
Two captains at the crease as Buck joins Straussie and we proceed with no major scares to pass our first innings score for the loss of just one wicket. Crowd applause for the 98th,99th and 100th run.This got noisier when Straussie played a controlled steer through the slips to take him to a 91 ball 50 with 6x4's. Lunch taken soon after with Strauss 51 no, Rogers 20 no.
Lunch involved a walk to the Three Tuns in town with Phil and a slower one back after a very nice steak and kidney pie dinner with roast potatos and sprouts. The next section is from my "sub".
"At this point Diamond is still down the pub stuffing his face with sprouts! So it's Penguin to start from after lunch.
Phillips to Strauss(crossed out) Rogers (inserted),cover drive for 4,make that 2! Go on then make that 3,12 off the second over after lunch.14:12 Diamond ahoy!Belly full of sprouts and ale!God help us all in Vermin Corner later!" Cheers for that Penguin.
Back in time to see Buck get his 50 and the 150 come up.Shot of the day for me next as Staussie booms Patel over the marquees for a straight 6, fielded nicely and thrown back by our very own CEO Vinny.He then gets Kevin Hand in on the act by hitting a four into the radio tent. Yet another straight drive sees Straussie to an almost chanceless 100,class,pure class.Things going along nicely and then we lose the skipper,Buck goes LBW to Gurney for 59,by the way he threw his head back as the ball cannoned into his pad he knew it was plum and he wouldn't be calling for a review (even if we had them).
JD2 (Joe Denly) and Straussie continue the good work and the 200 comes up in the 54th over of our innings.At 231-2 the scores were levelled and Notts would have to bat again (not for a while hopefully though),the skies are darkening and Kenny P makes it from his morning jaunt to the ground.
239-2 at tea Strauss 127 no, JD2 15 no and the session belonged to the Middle(as did the morning one). The rain increased from light drizzle to heavier stuff at 4pm,covers on fast once more.The umpires have a look at 4:30 as the rain had stopped but decide the outfield is too wet for play and call it for the day. Acouple of beers in the pavillion to let the rush hour traffic settle down and then the walk in the rain to the station and carriages home for all.
A days cricket that will live long in the memory and proof if proof were ever needed that Andrew Strauss is a true pro and probably in the best form he has been for some while, decent batting practice for the upcoming South African series and the bedrock Middlesex needed to get out of what was afterall a very big hole we had put ourselves in in this game.
Back tomorrow? Why not.Reporting? Only if no one else steps up to the plate.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:07:15:20:07:59 by BarmierKev.
I'm pleased the game started on time. I would not have been pleased if the groundstaff hadn't worked flat out simply because Middlesex were behind. I would have quite understood if there was no play today, so it must have been a huge effort with water sopper and the like for a prompt start. It's also given us the chance to properly save the game, rather than simply being saved by the weather.
Straussey seemed to romp from 60-100 in no time, with a seemingly endless succession of bounderies.
Great report as usual.
Well done of course to Strauss ably supported by Rogers,
A special well done to all the ground staff at Uxbridge for giving us so much play over the three days.
Good report Diamond.
From speaking to you yesterday afternoon it seemed you day on the posh was a good one.
A Pie with Roasties and Sprouts, lashings of beer, and a Strauss century to watch.
Some people know how to live! Who needs a cruise, a trip to the Maldives, or a flash car, when you get all that in a day!
Thanks so much for such an evocative report.
One other thing that is a constant with the last four days....isn't that James Taylor at the stumps the other end?
Or just some other really short cricketer ?
Taylor used to bowl quite often, but the two overs he bowled in a County Championship match v Lancashire last month represent his only bowling in the last two years.
Yesterday was an enjoyable day for Middlesex.
It's many years since I've been to Uxbridge ccc, but I did at one point walk past the ground every day when I was at Uxbridge Tech. I'm sure there are no 1950's (maybe even 30's?) houses that near the ground.
If Jonathan has the right match, it is either him or Nick Cook.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012:07:14:22:45:07 by chunkyinargyll.
Our job is to put cricket on not delay it and if that involves starting before the sun then so be it. Middx management have never asked for any sort of advantage, well apart from one of the coaching staff who's name will be revealed in the book.
In the words of another MTWD poster "I am so proud" that Andrew Strauss chose Uxbridge to play his last game for Middx, and in doing so score more than 50% of the first innings total and an unbeaten hundred in the second. I hope to get the stumps signed, inscribed and sold to raise funds for the "bloody charity".
Upset that you chose to head for town rather than sample the delights of the bar food.
Has that Beecool lost the faith? While I hope SM wore his wellies in the hospitality as some fool emptied the contents of the Blotter into it.
After this report I'm not sure that I would like you if I ever met you.
