I was wakened at 3.30 a.m. on Saturday morning by the sound of torrential rain outside. Wondering about the implications for play later on, I mused on the pros and cons of the old covered vs uncovered pitches debate, and fell into a happy half-conscious reverie in which the Middlesex spin twins Jamie and AC mesmerised and tormented the bewildered Northants batsmen on a spiteful “sticky dog” of a Lords wicket.  Then I woke again: it was 6.30 a.m., grey and drizzling outside, and reality beckoned.

Leaving Mrs Fozzie to a day’s studying, I took advantage of a rare Saturday on which the Metropolitan line was running a normal service to get to Lords in good time. By the time I arrived it was warm and reasonably sunny.  Having done my research thoroughly (i.e. reading Beefy’s report from the previous day), I knew that this might be an attritional day’s play that would make demands on my energy and stamina, so first port of call was the Middlesex Room to order a large coffee.  There I saw Kimmy and Mr Kimmy, looking rather wistful as today should have seen the first day of the football season at White Hart Lane, only for non-football matters to decree otherwise.  But then Beefy arrived with a hot tip on the 3.05 race from Newbury, and after much conspiratorial whispering Mr Kimmy excitedly rushed off with him to place his first ever bet at a bookie’s.

The rest of us had more serious concerns at hand, however, as the players took the field and I took my place for the day in the Lower Allen.  Murts opened with a maiden to Wakely, with Toby bowling from the Pavilion end.  The opening ball of Murts’ second over was edged by Loye through the slips for 4, and it seemed that if yesterday was a day of playing and missing, then today might be one of edging without going to hand. And although to some extent that did indeed turn out to be the case, Loye was not to benefit long from his good fortune, for in the same over he again fenced unconvincingly and Simmo took a low catch.  Loye trudged off looking most uncomfortable, obviously still suffering from the destabilising treatment he suffered from Kimmy on the previous evening.  195-3, and first blood to the Middle.

The new batsmen, Rob Newton, looked to add some momentum to the innings, and started brightly with a square-cut off Toby for 4 to bring up 200.  The bowlers were getting good bounce and carry, and the fielders, with three slips and a gully, were putting the pressure on.  But Newton cut Toby for 4, followed by an edge that flew high past gully for another boundary which took him past Wakely’s score.  In contrast to his companion’s enterprise, Wakely was very cautious, leaving the ball whenever possible and occasionally playing and missing, and it was not until the 7^th over of the day that he scored his first run of the day.

There was a double change, with Corey and Crook coming into the attack.  Newton immediately scored consecutive boundaries off Crook with another edge followed by an expansive cover-drive; but maybe the adrenaline was

flowing a little too freely, as next ball he mistimed a pull to present a catch to Toby.  His enjoyable innings of 29 was over, and it was 227-4.

Andrew Hall started unusually tentatively, with a strange prod-withdraw-prod at his first ball from Corey which again flew through the slips for 4.  After another edged boundary Dex decided it was finally time to have a third man.  Up to that point Scott had had the role of designated ball-rubber which he had been undertaking vigorously – perhaps reckoning that it hadn’t done Alistair Cook’s career any harm – but off to third man he was sent, and was immediately called into action as another edge shot past the slips.

Dex then came on for Corey to bowl his first over of the innings, a maiden (to Wakely, inevitably), and Steven Crook then struck in similar fashion to his previous wicket. Hall hooked him for 4 and then drove hard at the next ball, only to nick it to Simmo.  Hall out for a decidedly mixed 23, 252-5.

Wakely had by now reached 16, having scored a mere 4 of the 64 runs added by Northants so far in the morning.  It was at this point that I remembered that he was actually the Northants representative in my MTWD fantasy team.  This was a bit of a shock, as Wakely and fantasy are clearly concepts that are directly contradictory to one another.  He was joined by the wicket-keeper Niall O’Brien, who had a torrid start against Crook who had worked up a bit of pace. For the first time Wakely found himself outscoring his partner, but on the rare occasion that he scored a boundary it would be followed by a careful forward defensive stroke. Obviously Wakely doesn’t do rushes to the head; he is the sort of cricketer that I imagine talks about an innings in terms of putting in a day at the office.  

Mr Perambulator had an unintelligible stab at announcing a bowling change, and on careful examination this turned out to be Jamie, the first of a series of quick changes before Murts and Corey took the new ball.  But Wakely and O’Brien were still there at lunch, with the score on 288-5. Exactly 100 runs had been scored in the session for 3 wickets.

Over lunch I had a drink with Beefy and Patsy, and hearing their wit and wisdom seemed more important than watching the two batsmen resume their nurdling in the afternoon session. We were busily slagging off the ECB when the Diamond noticed that I was not scribing and rebuked me for leaving my post.  My protestations that nothing would happen while Wakely was at the crease were unavailing, and I returned to my seat just in time to see him being bowled by Corey.  He left to polite applause, his departure as quiet as his innings had been.  294-6.

Middlebrook, his replacement, hit the ball more crisply and cleanly than any of his predecessors, with his first four scoring shots all being boundaries.  But then he cover-drove at Crook, only for Dex to take an excellent diving catch to give the bowler his first five-for for Middlesex.  Sadly, there was no announcement from Mr P to mark this, though he did find time to update the Test score.  Steven was to finish with 5-94 from 19 overs, and as an attacking bowler it’s probably no coincidence that he conceded easily the most runs per

over of the seven bowlers used as well as dominating the wicket-taking.  Incidentally, isn’t it time that MTWD devises one of its famously imaginative and media-renowned nicknames for him – “Crooky” doesn’t quite hit the mark, somehow.

So at 313-7 Northants still trailed by 4 runs, and the match was evenly poised. Chaminda Vaas joined O’Brien, and together they struggled to build a lead.  Crook hit O’Brien painfully amidships to much unsympathetic chortling from the crowd, and the fielding was tight, with Chris Rogers excelling on the boundary.  But though runs were slow the breakthrough wouldn’t come, and 350 came up.  O’Brien, who had become more assertive as his innings proceeded, reached his 50, but then mishit a drive off Jamie to give Toby his second catch.  351-8, and the lead was 34, still close.  But Vaas and Daggart dug in and slowly added valuable runs, and although the session ended in a meandering period of stalemate the score had risen to 383 at tea.

The final session saw Jamie (who had bowled steadily throughout) and AC bowling in tandem, and they got a quick breakthrough as Jamie trapped Vaas LBW on 390 for a rather painful 23.  The last pair edged towards a 4^th batting point, but on 399 Evans pushed forwards at AC and was bowled, to the annoyance of the Northants fans.  Probably both teams felt a mixture of satisfaction and frustration at how the day had gone: a lead of 82 for Northants was probably less than they had hoped for at the start of the day, but more than had seemed likely when the seventh wicket fell.

With less than four sessions to go in the match, a draw seemed the most probable result.  But first Middlesex would have to negotiate a potentially tricky period of 25 overs, under heavy clouds and in deteriorating light.  And Chaminda Vaas was probably not the bowler one would choose to face in such conditions.

Vaas’s opening over, from the Pavilion End, was played well enough by Robbo, but in his second over Scott was beaten and then trapped LBW.  After a long delay Chris Rogers appeared, and was himself immediately beaten.  The batsmen were under great pressure, and Chris survived what looked a very close LBW call against Daggart.  The score had reached 14 by the ninth over, and just as a couple of loose balls suggested that Vaas might be starting to tire he dismissed Robbo with another LBW.

Chris and AC had taken the score to 31 after 15 overs, at which time the first bowling change was made, with Andrew Hall bringing himself on at the Nursery End.  There followed a strange and lengthy interlude in which Chris left the field, followed by O’Brien, various fielders swapped leg guards, and Vaas had a vigorous back massage from the physio.  It seemed that Chris was having trouble with his contact lenses, later replacing them with glasses.  Eventually Hall got to bowl what was to be a most telling over, first dismissing AC and then having Dex smartly caught by White at slip for a duck.

So 31-2 had become 31-4 with nine overs still to go, but Chris and Jamie batted steadily to see Vaas off and then to get through to the close on 58-4. 

However, there is still a deficit of 24 to be cleared, and it’s likely to require a long hard haul tomorrow if this match is to be saved.  There’s little doubt that Andrew Hall will enjoy his trip to the Tavern after the third day’s play far more than the Middlesex players or supporters do.