Middlesex CCC
Our New Man strikes again
Our New man New Hero
By Darren Gosling
May 27 2010
Darren Gosling almost straight off plane from Holland witnesses another comprehensive win albeit against 2nd class opposition in a build up for the 20 20 circus. Regardless of your views of 20 20 stuff and such games an interesting read.
Fixture: Berkshire v Middlesex – Twenty20 warm-up match
Venue: Memorial Ground, Finchampstead
Date: Tuesday 25th May2010 (5pm)
Umpires: DL Burden & JG Reed
Toss: Middlesex, who elected to bat
Scorers: Mrs SL Jones & AP Jones
Just a day after returning by coach from Holland, Middxtravelled to the Memorial Ground in Finchampstead to play Berkshire in aTwenty20 warm-up match. Middx fielded what was almost their strongest availableteam with just two changes from the team that were victorious in Holland. JacksonThompson and Paul Stirling replacing Berg (presumably rested) and Davey(omitted), in addition Robbie Williams played as both sides agreed to use 12players (but with only 11 to bat).
The Berkshire team included four players with countyexperience, Jono McLean (Hamps), Richard Logan (Notts, Surrey, Hamps), CarlCrowe (Leics) and a familiar name to Middx fans – spinner Chris
Peploe. Middx won the toss and elected to bat with Thompsonand Scott Newman opening the batting.
MIDDX INNINGS
Newman had the lion’s share of the strike in the early oversas he and Thompson put on 37 (4overs), with Logan going for 24 runs off hisfirst two overs and Wheeler 11 off his two. The 5th over saw thefirst bowling change with Parsons replacing Logan, cue Scott Newman who wentballistic!
Newman took 24 runs off the over (4,4,6,4,2,4) as Middx sailedpast 50 to advance to 61-0 (5overs).
In the next over Newman reached his 50 (from just 26 balls)with another boundary, this time from second change bowler Tom Lambert who wentfor 18 off the over.
For those who haven’t seen Thompson bat before (as Ihadn’t), he is a tall powerfully built left-hander who as you would expect fromthat description can hit the ball a very long way!
Although not seeing much of the strike, Thompson had reached24 (13 balls) with 3 x 4 and 1 x 6 before the first wicket partnership wassomewhat fortuitously broken.
With the score on 96-0 (from just 8overs), Newman hit athumping straight drive back towards the bowler Carl Crowe who somehow managedto deflect the ball on to the stumps without breaking his fingers. Thompson wasagonisingly inches out of his ground at the non-striker’s end and had to depart– his 24 included just one dot ball and denied the opening pair a much deserved100 partnership.
Owais Shah came in at no.3 and just three balls laterlightning almost struck twice, this time Shah hit the straight drive and Croweagain deflected the ball on the stumps but this time Newman was safely in hisground. Shah though (as in Holland) appeared strangely out of sorts and blocked6 dot balls before being bowled by Crowe for just a single, leaving Middx 107-2(9.2overs).
Though Crowe was doing his best to slow the Middx runcharge, the new batsman Dawid Malan looked immediately at home against spin,playing a number of well timed reverse sweep shots (particularly off Peploe) ashe and Newman took the score to 136 (13.3overs) before the third wicketcontroversially fell.
Newman, responding to Malan’s call for a comfortable singlewas adjudged to have been run out (he looked comfortably home to me) and staredat the umpire in disbelief for a few seconds before slowly making his exit. Thehome support around me were laughing in disbelief, even commenting that Newmanwas past the stumps by the time they were broken – never mind the crease!
May be the umpire thought Middx were running away with thegame and decided to give Berkshire a lifeline, either way Newman departed for87 (46 balls) which included 11 x 4 and 2 x 6.
From here on the Middx innings faltered slightly and the200+ score that had looked more than likely at one stage, gradually slippedaway. Malan added one more run before being caught for 15 on the long onboundary off Lambert , who proceeded to wreak revenge for his first overmauling. Lambert reacted like lightning to snap up a smart caught and bowled todismiss Dexter for 5, while Simpson departed very next ball for 0, chipping asoft chance to mid on to leave Middx on 152-6 (16.2overs). Tom Smith entered atno.7 to successfully defend the hat-trick ball from Lambert.
Paul Stirling who had come in at no.6 was still therethrough the all the late innings chaos and with Tom Smith helped to advance thescore to 163, before Smith was caught on the square leg boundary for 4 off thelast ball of the 18th over.
Stirling continued to give the Middx innings some lateimpetus, the stocky Irish right-hander smashed his way to 34 not out (19 balls)to help Middx finish on 189-7 from the 20overs.
BERKSHIRE INNINGS
Tim Murtagh (Pavillion End) and Pedro Collins (Church/TopEnd) opened the bowling for Middx as Berkshire faced the daunting target of 190to win at 9.5 runs per over.
Openers Barnes and Logan successfully negotiated the firstover from Murts, but Pedro cleaned bowled Logan (3) with the final ball of thesecond over with Berkshire on 6-1. In the next over new batsman McLean hitMurts to the long on boundary for Berkshire’s first 4, but he paid for it nextball. Slashing at an out-swinger McLean got a thick edge and Simpson took anamazing catch a long way to his left to pouch the chance. McLean departed for 4leaving Berkshire 14-2 (2.3overs).
Pedro completed another miserly over before opener Barnes(6) mistimed a pull shot to Robbie Williams who took a comfortable catch off thebowling of Murts to leave Berkshire 17-3 (4.1overs).
Berkshire captain Bjorn Mordt hit the next ball to theboundary but two dot balls later had his stumps well and truly wrecked byMurts, departing for 5 with Berkshire on 21-4 (4.5overs).
With Middx well on top after the opening 5overs from Murtsand Pedro, so came the first bowling change with Robbie Williams replacingPedro at the Top End. I had only seen Williams bowl a couple of times before (afew seasons back now) but he certainly seemed much quicker than I rememberedhim.
Naylor played and missed several times before getting astreaky boundary off a bottom edge, but Robbie bowled 5 dot balls in his firstover. Tom Smith then replaced Murts from the Pavillion End and just one runcame off the bat as Berkshire finished the 7th over on 27-4.
The 8th over saw a hand injury to skipper ShaunUdal that sadly forced him to leave the field and take no further part in thematch, this following a stop Shaggy made at cover off Williams’ bowling.
Owais Shah appeared to be captaining the side thereafter.
In the next over Tom Smith dismissed Morris (7) thanks to avery sharp stumping from John Simpson (are you Scotty in disguise?), which leftBerkshire on 37-5 (8.4overs) and seemingly heading for an embarrassingly largedefeat.
However, for the next six overs Berkshire enjoyed theirbiggest stand of the innings as Naylor and Crowe became the only Berkshireplayers to reach double figures.
The highlight for Middx during this passage of play was anamazing full length dive on the boundary by Robbie Williams to prevent fouroverthrows, evoking memories of Dirk Nannes on that balmy night at the RoseBowl two years ago. Robbie also had the home ground in awe at his incrediblystrong throwing arm, I can’t remember the last Middx player I saw reach thewicket from the boundary with such speed.
Dawid Malan had a bowl and Tom Smith completed his fourovers, before Neil Dexter was brought on to bowl the 15th over andhe finally broke the Naylor/Crowe partnership six runs short of fifty.
Naylor (30) went for a big shot but was held by Shah on thelong on boundary, departing with Berkshire on 81-6 (14.5overs) and bringingChris Peploe to the crease.
Crowe hit 10 runs off Malan’s third and final over beforePeploe (2) was dismissed off the first ball of the 17th over. JohnSimpson again showing remarkable reflexes to take a catch around his ankles offthe bowling of Dexter, to a ball that kept low. Berkshire 93-7 (16.1overs).
The same over saw a mix up between Crowe and Davison (1) inwhich the latter was run out (by Thompson /Dexter) and Berkshire closed theover on 97-8.
Robbie Williams returned to complete his final over anddeservedly picked up a wicket with his final ball, clean bowling Crowe whodeparted as Berkshire’s top scorer with 35 (33 balls, 3 x 4, 1 x 6).
Berkshire now 101-9 off 18overs.
Just three singles were taken off Murts’ final (19th)over, before Pedro returned to bowl the final over from the Top End – it onlylasted one ball!
Wheeler set off for a comfortable single and I must admit atthis point I and those around me were not paying full attention as the batsmanincredibly attempted an absolutely suicidal second run.
Parsons was easily run out and the Berkshire innings ended105 all out, 84 runs of the target leaving Middx with a comfortable victory.
SUMMING UP
I enjoyed the Middx performance which I found much moreprofessional than in last year’s corresponding fixture, in which we were attimes particularly lethargic in the field. Indeed last year we seem to take theform in this fixture in to the Twenty20 campaign, frustratingly Gareth Berg thestand out player last year (top scorer with 33, bowling 4-1-19-1 and bestfielder) was left out for Danny Evans for the first game in the defence of ourTwenty20 crown.
Jackson Thompson could prove a dark horse and I’m sure he’llget his chance with Gilly only playing a handful of games and Morgs likely tobe on International duty much of the time.
Paul Stirling looks like he certainly would not be out ofplace and Robbie Williams’ bowling and fielding was a real plus point. Havingbeen sceptical of Scott Newman’s signing – and now travelled to Holland andFinchampsted and seen him scoreover 200 runs in the last 3 days – I have to hold my hand up and say a massivewell done Scott, you certainly seem to have hit form at the right time for ourTwenty20 campaign and long may it continue.
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon27/05/2010 23:36
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:05:31:17:17:49 by Ged.
Click here to read why I sensationally sacrificed the big bucks of Chelsea for the adventure of Watford
(image on left not representative of how relative my support of Watford is to my support of Middlesex)
I hope Berg was rested and not injured... But I think he's about the only player that has played all the matches so far for Middx..... Where's JW when you need him?!
Kimmy
Quote:kimmy
I hope Berg was rested and not injured... But I think he's about the only player that has played all the matches so far for Middx..... Where's JW when you need him?!
Gareth Berg, Dawid Malan, Scott Newman and John Simpson have played in all seven County Championship matches and all four Clydesdale Bank 40 matches this season.
Click here to read why I sensationally sacrificed the big bucks of Chelsea for the adventure of Watford
(image on left not representative of how relative my support of Watford is to my support of Middlesex)
Official scorecard - [cricketarchive.com]
Local newspaper report -
[www.getreading.co.uk]
