A poignant hundred

By Dingy bags
August 21 2012

Dingy reports on a good day's cricket, including a welcome and poignant hundred for Neil Dexter, and our ongoing habits of both losing the toss and wickets in clusters. We also get an umpire's view and some interesting comments from Warwickshire supporters.  An all round report indeed thanks.

Couple got strangled down legside; couple played bad shots; good wicket.

Not my summary but that of umpire Jerry Lloyds, as he stood chatting, to me and Kimmy outside Edgbaston after the rain had stopped and we waited for a cab back into the city. He also shared our pleasure that Dex was back in the runs – and on his birthday too. Happy returns indeed.

Of course, it wasn’t all good news. Gus says our main problem is losing wickets in clusters and this is just what we did again, although there were a few stands worthy of the term on this occasion. Had a good trip up – Chiltern Line from Wycombe to Snow Hill and walked the short journey to New Street to meet Kimmy from her train and share a cab to the ground. Spent the day on the members ‘shelf’ right behind the bowler’s arm, in front of the long bar/café that is very similar to the set-up at Durham, next to Seaxe Man.

We lost yet another toss and were put in on a murky morning and on a far from white-coloured pitch. Ravi Patel makes his debut and Bergie is back. From this excellent vantage point, we could see Barker, pavilion end, swinging it into Sam  and away from Buck. Not that this seemed to bother Sam, in particular who started with a flurry of boundaries, before and after the change of ball after just 6.2 overs. It really must have gone out of shape because there was none of the usual throwing back and telling the bowler to get on with it. Then again, it was umpire Saggers, an old seam bowler himself.

In the ninth over, Buck touched one from Barker and Clarke held on at the second attempt. We simply held our breath – would it happen? It did. Denly played one beautiful drive and then, unaccountably, threw his bat at one from Wright without moving his feet and was caught behind and in Wright’s next over he bounced one in the direction of Mala’s armpit, found his gloves (?) and Ambrose took a neat legside catch.. 39-0 to 48 -3. The first cluster! What was annoying was that not much else was passing the bat.

Sam had been scoring freely until those three wickets but he was a bit more cautious for a while. Not so Dex, who batted with positive intent from the start. To my delight, when Maddy, the defensive bowler, was brought on first change – surrendering a bit of the initiative I thought, Sam drove him for two fours in his first over. He went to his fifty from 62 balls and shortly after Dex hit Maddy for three fours in an over through the gulley region. In truth, he only really controlled one of the three shots but it was funny to watch the fielders’ anguish. Fifty partnership off only 41 balls. Could it last? Actually, Dex looked more likely to get out but it was Sam that Rankin now got, flicking one down the ledside only to be caught magnificently by Ambrose diving high to his left. Best catch I’ve seen all season and an unlucky way to get out. 121-4. Lunch 126-4 with Dex on 46. 28 overs.

Dex brought up his 50 soon after lunch (52 balls, 104s) with a legside deflection where he made sure he rolled his wrists over the ball to keep it down. Others please note. Rosso had been hit on the hand before lunch which clearly hurt and Rankin now hit him a second time, so that he was clearly in pain every time the ball hit the bat after this. He also hooked, instinctively, two or three times and not especially well, so it was good to see him later ducking a few. Let’s hope he continues to learn quickly. Hereabouts, Dex repeated the trick he played on Maddy by cutting Wright three times in an over to third man, again not always with complete control but to our amusement.

The 40^th over, from the city end, saw the introduction of the Durham loanee, Blackwell, all the vast bulk of him. He didn’t look exactly athletic in the field and his bowling looked similarly unthreatening – but he took the next three wickets, the only ones to fall between lunch and tea. First, Rosso, having batted sensibly and with application, gave a soft catch to point; then Berg, having pushed the ball around nicely (after nearly running Dex out to get off the mark), miscued to extra cover. Dex went to his hundred, a poignant moment as he looked to the heavens immediately afterwards. Well done fella!!

Crook had come out full of aggression and was timing it really well. Shot of the day was a hook well in front of square for six off Wright. Sadly, just after Dex had gone to his tone, Crook absolutely drilled one to extra cover to give Blackwell his third wicket. That was tea, 267-7 from 64 overs, Dex 101no.

Actually, though we did not know it, we had seen the best of the day. Dex was lbw straight after tea and Toby, trying to avoid the ball, was caught in the same Rankin over. 267-6 and going along really well, had become 268-9. Another cluster. In fact Ravi, who is not supposed to be able to bat, helped Murts put on a few for the last wicket, including a lovely four through the covers off Blackwell. He then lifted the same bowler to mid off, not the dismissal I was expecting, but leaving the Lambeth Lara not out.

There was supposed to be 22 overs left but we only got 5.1 before bad light and then heavy rain finished the day. No bad thing because runs had come a bit freely and we will welcome the chance to start again with a ball that is still pretty new. One footnote for those who saw this lot at Uxbridge. As the rain started, I was chatting to some Warwicks members about their chances. All they wanted to tell me was how much they disapprove of their go-slow batting tactics and how these can sometimes result in their losing the chance to go for wins.

Highlights of the day were Ambrose’s catching and Dex’s birthday ton. Having been put in, I suppose I would have settled for 287, certainly at 48-3 but not at 267-6. Jerry Lloyds thinks it’s a good track and too many of our batsmen got themselves out. Blackwell was steady at best but got most wickets.

I suspect Giles’ boys will aim to grind out 450+ and hope to bat only once (+ a little bit). But, our bowlers can have something to say about that tomorrow. Enjoy, those going.