Last day crowd

By Masters
September 2 2011

Masters reports on a very short day at Lord's as Middlesex rap up victory in a hour to go back top of the table. Report is short and sweet, very much like the girl herself!!

When I told comebackgatt I was attending all four days of the Leicestershire match, he asked me to cover the last day. As he said” you only live half an hour from the ground , so if it is a shortened day you are the best choice”  It turned out he was a good judge.So I set off bright and early, with notebook, pen, a few nibbles (including custard tarts) and arrived in so much good time, had a coffee and sticky bun before entering the ground at 10.45am .  The sun is shining as I took up my place in the Compton Stand (Upper), there weren’t too many of us, lots I suspect determined to see, like me, every ball of this match. It was one of those days that if someone farted in the Mount Stand it would echo through to us in the Compton.

Last time I did a report it was the last day of the Derbyshire game which lasted about an hour. I wondered how much cricket I would be reporting on today. As little as four balls, someone takes a hat trick and Straussy hits the first ball for six. Yeah in my dreams, anyway hopefully a bit more than that to watch.

Leicestershire start at 308-7, a lead of just five. Robert Taylor (what a fine actor he was) and has 26 and Nail four. Dial M has first dibs.  After 4 overs the first breakthrough as Naik is caught by my lovely Dawid Malan off the bowling of Dial M for 5 at 315-8, a lead of 13. Nathan Buck comes in and the going is slow, singles only for a number of overs. Then suddenly out of the blue Taylor hits Tim for six. I don’t know who was surprised the most me or Tim. Anyway on 335 the next wicket falls as Buck is caught behind by Simmo off the bowling of Toby Roland Jones (or TRJ as we know him) and three runs later Taylor fine knock comes to an end when bowled by TRJ. He was out for 49 and I would not have begrudged him his fifty. We applaud heartily the team off the field as they say farewell to Lord’s for another season (well almost).

36 to win then, Strauss and Buck come out to bat, while White opens the bowling.  His second over has an N/B. Then Andy hits him for a couple of fours. No point in hanging around. Our Buck then hits theirs for three 4’s  in an over and the game finishes in unusual fashion with Taylor conceding six no balls. I wonder whether a match has finished that way before. More delighted applause for the spectators as the Middle return to the top of the table. I text CBG with the news, he tells me that if Surrey win we would need just 22 pts to go up, but if they draw it would be only 10. I ask him if he is going to Cardiff next week, no came the reply. I said I was now going on day one and two,back came the reply “I might be able to now, I’ll let you know” I know quite a few Middle fans will be there, so the more the merrier.

Strolled to the garden near the pavilion to eat my lunch, then home to type this and then, joy of joys, the weekend shopping at Tesco’s.