Interested spectator

By Rogers and Out
May 11 2015

Rogers and Out describes our progress on Day 2 with a strange end to the day.  Pictures courtesy of the Leprechaun

An interesting day's cricket was curtailed 26 overs early by a sea mist as Middlesex finished with a lead of 203 after closing on 126/6 in their second innings at a chilly Hove on day two. M

My journey south involved taking the 8.54 from Farringdon to Brighton and due to tiredness caused by too much clapping for Steven Gerrard the previous day, I availed myself of a taxi from the station to the ground in order to be present for the start of play.

Toby Roland-Jones opened the bowling for us from the Cromwell Road end and I noticed that our over rate was minus two despite having only bowled sixteen overs. After a Joyce single, James Harris was our man from the Sea end. Joyce cut him square to the boundary from the third ball, but two deliveries later, he pulled Harris to Dex at long leg and Sussex were 71/4.

The new batsman was Craig Cachopa but after a TR-J maiden, it was night watchman Steve Magoffin who hit a fine cover drive off Prince Harry for four. Cachopa was soon heading for the pavilion as in Toby's next over, he edged one to Simmo and our hosts were 76/5 in the 21st over.

Luke Wright replaced Cachopa in the middle and initially looked decidedly uncomfortable against both bowlers. However, in the 24th over, he drove Harris for four through mid on and then stuck a sumptuous cover drive to the boundary. Dex and Finny came into the attack for us, with Magoffin more than holding his own, although a simple looking chance was put down at deep cover when he miscued a Dexter delivery. Wright had hit five fours but perished in the 31st over when he chipped a Finn delivery to Ollie. Wright had made 26 leaving Sussex 110/6.

Wicket keeper Ben Brown came in at number eight and displayed the best batting of the game so far. Magoffin's stout resistance ended when he was caught by Ro-Jo off Harry for 25 from 73 balls. The partnership with the excellent Brown had realised 41 runs. Brown was scoring at a good rate but it was the entry of Ollie Rayner to the fray that saw the next wicket fall. His first ball from the Cromwell Road end clean bowled young Ollie Robinson for two and Sussex took lunch on 163/8 from 43 overs.

After some refreshment at the Sussex Cricketers, I went back to my seat after lunch to see some more fine shots from Brown partnered by the injury hampered Shahzad. Just when a half century for Brown looked in sight, he played an injudicious reverse sweep off Ollie and Simmo showed great anticipation in taking a smart catch down leg side. Brown had made a creditable 46 and Sussex were 192/9. The home side's innings ended with no additional score when Shahzad pushed Finny into the covers, and Harry's smart direct hit left Matt Hobden short of his ground.

Harry flattens stumps

So Sussex all out for 192 and we led by 77 runs. The down side was that our over rate was now minus four.My initial thought was that if we could get a led of 250, that would be very hard for Sussex to chase given the tough batting conditions. A mention should be made of fine parsimonious bowling by Toby who recorded figures of 10-5-6-2. Extras also played a prominent part with 34 being credited to the Sussex total.

Magoffin bowled the first over of the second innings to Nick Gubbins from the Cromwell Road end and the young left hander clipped his first ball through midwicket for four then add another two with a similar shot from the next ball. However, Gubbo did not last long as Ollie Robinson produced a fine away swinger in the very next over from the Sea end and Mike Yardy snaffled the edged chance at second slip.

Nick Compton was next in and he and Robbo dug in against some good bowling from Magoffin and Robinson. Sussex were hampered by the injury to Shahzad and the fact that the inexperienced Hobden was likely to be expensive. Compo was looking good with some fine shots to leg. However, he was employing the aerial route a little too much and was fortunate twice in an over when chances fell just short of the incoming deep square leg. The partnership of the ex-England duo had reached 49 when Magoffin uprooted Sam's off stump, having changed to the Sea end. We were now 56/2 in the fourteenth over, Robson having made fifteen.

Adam Voges came in at number four, but it was the eighteenth over that proved somewhat disastrous for us. First, the captain pushed a risky single to substitute Simon Harmer in the covers and his accurate underarm direct hit found Compton stranded. The next ball, incoming Kiwi James Franklin edged Magoffin to Yardy at second slip and we were tottering on 68/4.

New batsman Dexter and the captain looked to increase the scoring rate and although Dex hit one particularly good straight four, he succumbed just before tea to a lifter from Robinson, which he fenced to 'keeper Brown.

Tea was taken on 102/5 and during the interval, I briefly chatted to Seaxe Man, who told me of his bargain £3 fare to the south coast. Another pint in the nearby hostelry meant I missed Voges' departure, Yardy taking his third catch of the innings from the bowling of the lively Robinson. The captain had scored 21, leaving us with a lead of 180 on 103/6.

Simmo and Ollie were our men at the crease now, and Ollie looked quite good, hitting three boundaries as he took the majority of the strike.

Ollie Ollie Ollie . 4 , 4, 4. 

As the light dimmed, the floodlights came on but the view was still slightly obscured. I thought initially that there was something clouding my glasses, but it was a sea fret which led to the umpires taking the players off. As it transpired, that was it for the day.

 Spooky

We lead by 203 with four wickets in hand. A most intriguing day's play beckons tomorrow.

Today negatives - cold pretty much all day, early close of play and our over rate.

Positives - a good lead which should give us the upper hand, economical bowling by TR-J and SM's incredible £3 rail fare.