Middlesex CCC
The Wheals on Fire before an Ab Fab day for The Middle
Crucial Innings
By Barmy Kev
June 29 2015
Kev reports on not an entirely thrilling days cricket but a good one for the Middle. If this does not interest you, there are tips on the timings of your catologue shopping.
For the first time this season I'm heading off to a game with Middlesex in a very strong position and in bright sunshine. It was definitely a good decision I made in winter to book my pre planned annual leave for today. Shame it didn't also include Tues and Wed. I can guarantee I will be arriving at Trent Bridge on time next week, but true to form for Lord's I arrive at 11.45. The main reason for the delay is spending far too much time in Argos Customer Service section, which is a saga for another forum. I had the pleasure due to this diversion of walking to Lord’s from Chalk Farm via Primrose Hill which is a most pleasant walk. One thought as approaching the ground was regardless, today can't be any worse than Friday's Uxbridge experience on and off the pitch.
I'm now in ground and find out, presumably while I was queuing at Argos, both our openers out. It's Schools Day today and the kids in the Mound were very vocal especially cheering a boundary, maybe a future fan or player amongst them? Just as we were looking comfortable with 100 up Burns.is bowled by Wheal. Moggy first ball faced was not a reverse sweep but he carefully left alone a wide offside one, but 2nd ball he was wafting at an even wider one, caught at slip. An Absolutely Fabulous over, the Wheals on Fire. With Franklin out and score 113 the game suddenly looks even. We safely make it to lunch 144 5.
Patient Simmo
After lunch not much to report. Compo and Simmo batting without being in any danger, without ever really dominating the bowling. Hants were bowling tidily and their fielding was enthusiastic saving runs that might have got by. We overtake their total, then gain our 1st bonus point and am convinced Compo is on for a ton. Afraid not as he is out for 87 caught at slip but seemed to think it didn't carry as he stood his ground. Just before tea Simmo reaches a very patient 50 and we can have a cuppa with our score 231 6. This definitely is our session, albeit slow going.
Patient Olle
Next session we were still carefully building our lead. It was absorbing but not thrilling. “Bring back Uxbridge” someone said. Simmo was eventually out for a well grinded out 64. At 260-7 let's try to get to 300 for a 3rd point. It’s 297-7 with 3 overs to go for day it should be easy. Then one keeps very low Harry is out, but we are celebrating that there is something in the pitch. The 2 remaining overs for day we score 1 more run.
I then realise we have faced 109 overs. So the first over tomorrow 2 runs or one Hants wicket for another bonus point either way. Those turning up for start tomorrow, I recommend that you don't go to Argos before the start of play.
3 positives
We are still dominating the game
Compo/Simmo partnership. They batted really sensibly under the circumstances
Glorious weather
3 negatives
Eoin
I felt we could have perhaps pushed on a bit more
I can't go Tuesday or Wednesday for more absorbing cricket in hot weather.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015:07:02:18:15:55 by BarmierKev.
Apparently Simmo should have been out to a comparatively easy catch to Bird when he was on 46.
That came only an over or so after Compo was out, and about an over before tea.
It made me think Simmo planned to 'have a go' with the tail, but I think a tea time team talk must have been 'Grind it out' If he had gone we might have ended up with a lead as low as 70 or 80, so 'grind it out' was probably the right way to go.
I felt our tactics right, but from spectator view our patience was tested.
It was hot today and if you believe BBC weather will be 15 degrees warmer tomorrow. Hopefully we can achieve the bonus point in 1st over and bat as long as possible to wear them down. Then again they can potentially do the same to us.
Barmy Kev
I'm only here for the tele
Jackson Bird is a pretty terrible fielder. Apart from the fairly straightforward catch he pursued one ball to the boundary as if he were running up a one in 6 incline.
And when I see Gareth Berg bowling a lively 25 overs in an innings it makes me want to tear my remaining hair out, especially as the replacement all rounder cannot manage 10. Can someone in the know please explain why he was released?
He came nowhere near the club for about four months and then Hants came calling. I am led to believe that he would have been on quite a hefty contract with us, as a senior player, and that his contract with Hants is very different in nature.
This all makes sense as it stands. As regards an all-rounder to replace him? A different matter. A personal view is that we cannot ever field a properly balanced side in the CC because we have a few players who make a stab at being all-rounders (Dex most obviously) but no one is the genuine article. We tried through the winter to get someone who fits the bill but with no success.
The all-rounder in waiting, Ollie Wilkin, was also injured last year and we gave up on him.
When we found that we would lose Voges (another who came somewhere vaguely near an all-rounder, IMHO), I thought we should NOT have gone for another batsman (after all, we are playing without Gubbins and Malan in this game) but should have tried for Faulkener. He is a genuine all-rounder and showing it albeit in Div 2.
Had Finn benn available, we would either have had to drop an in-form seamer, or play all four of them. Very strong pace attack, weak on batting. Instead, we are playing with a longer batting line-up but we are a bowler short, as could yet prove costly.
Have to say it's almost inconceivable that a song as good as that could make it into the charts these days - unless it was featured in a film or an ad.
Adelaide
I am starting to like the balance of Middlesex’s side, which I think is because I had the feeling until a couple of matches ago that we had two players in our side in James Franklin and Neil Dexter whose roles I was unsure of. However, Franklin’s performance v Worcestershire at Uxbridge reminded everyone that he can score runs, while Dex is no longer in the side.
Still, the fact Franklin is unable/unwilling to bowl as many overs as Gareth Berg and Dex can is a concern due to the fact it means the three main fast bowlers have to do a lot of work if we want to get lots of overs of pace. However, the introduction of Paul Stirling is handy for when we want another spin option, and of course for improving our over rate.
Barmy Kev
I'm only here for the tele
