Middlesex CCC
Dawson LEadS Middlesex to a Blankety Blank
Simmo feeling jumpy
By Barmy Kev
June 8 2016
Kev reports on how Middlesex contrived to lose a game we should have won
The first issue today is the weather. I wake up to Carol Kirkwood who states with a smile sorry can't do Scottish accent “it's going to be sunny with chance of torrential showers some time in the afternoon somewhere in the South East England” . Not very helpful but at that moment I felt the need to forgive her. The less inspiring BBC website predicted a shower over Radlett at 6pm.
In glorious sunshine we are off to a flyer with Gareth Berg sporting a Brad Pitt hairstyle opening the bowling. We put on 50 for first wicket in 8 overs. Soon after Brendan McCullum brings up his 50 from 35 balls we are realistically predicting score of 400 +. At 100-0 after 14 overs this target looked even more realistic. Once Mala out for 25 perhaps 350-400?
Phil Catchpole an ardent Hants fan was talking about bowling bonus points and avoiding the follow on. When Mcallum out 75 oh well at least 300. At 190-3 after 30 we look well placed for this kind of score.
Moggie does not play reverse sweep off his first ball and scores a useful 52 but out trying to hit a Thameslink train. The late order did not explode but meandered. Dawson was particularly economical. We ended up with 296 with 3 dot balls of our last balls.
With the sky looking unpromising and talk was whether showers were going to hit or avoid us. It was a matter of time the heavens opened as Hants were 12-1 after 4 overs, all we needed was 6 overs for a guaranteed win. Like Merchant and Taylors scenario we were thinking of rain enforced draw as an injustice. A number of people went home. The rain stopped rumour had it from Cat and Fiddle pub who did good business out of this ,play was due to start at 5:15. Let's turn up for our Hants treble,
With Wheater stumped for 41 this victory looked even more likely. However, Dawson shared 89 in nine overs to turn the game with Sean Ervine, and finished unbeaten on 68 from 40. Ravi dropped a crucial catch with 2 overs to left. Him and Stirlo were dreadfully expensive, spin to lose. There was hope when Ervine and Will Smith were out and required rate was about a run a ball. Middle Middle chants were heard round the pavillion area, but we lost with 3 balls to spare. Like Gloucestershire proved last Thursday, we do not know how to close out white-ball games.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:06:08:23:25:40 by BarmierKev.
I can only reiterate what Kev said
I thought the Captaincy was less than average
We were at leasr 50 runs short.
Our group had a great day in and out of hospitality.
Nice to see Kev again and to meet Beefy for the first time
Sadly,a game that we should of won was taken apart by the rain storm that was threatening for some time.
Having texts from Dingy and Diamond saying how close the rain was added the pressure.
We all said 300 would be very possible,but dropped a few short,and Hampster showed us how to push for thee win,dropped catch and a few expensive overs didn't help either.
Bad road accident on the main Radlett road as you approach the town caused few road problems for those driving....hope those envolved were all ok,and not badly hurt.
One other note...whilst travelling to Radlett,and changing trains at Finchley Road,one rude,vile 'person' decided that the Met line train was his,and nobody was getting in his way,so he jumped down the steps,and the lady next to me was virtually pushed to the ground.She wasn't badly hurt,thankfully as I made sure she was OK,The guy..i hope that disgusting behaviour was for a damn good reason.
Looking at the fixture list on the back of my card, we are only about a quarter of a way through the fixtures, so we do need to give some players breaks - Oli and Dial M seemed to enjoy their ice creams yesterday and seemed very chilled, certainly.
So, we do have to give some game time to the whole squad, which is why, I guess, we only had Toby and Fuller from our CC seam attack, and Ravi, who's been very short of first team time and Stirling as the spinners. Is Harry injured?
However, ............
We appeared to have 4 guys doing a captaincy role yesterday when we fielded - Simmo setting some of the field from his vantage point up to the stumps, Morgan, McCullum and the titular captain.
Starting from his getting out caught at first slip reverse sweeping, (you try achieving that - seriously!!) when all he had to do was keep Buck company when we were trying to chase down over 400 to beat Yorkshire two seasons ago, through to failing to really lend us his experience and ensure we got an unassailable target yesterday, are we getting real value out of Eion Morgan?
We seriously fell away from a base run rate of 6 an over around about 28 overs in, with, I think, two wickets down, from which we should have kicked on. Why wasn't the Power Play taken around about then, instead of at the predictable end, when we contrived to lose wickets regularly, and not accelerate?
I love Middlesex, because I know how much it hurts when we lose, and I have high hopes for this squad, which I think are realistic. I think they should be aiming very high. This was a game lost by us, rather than won by Hampshire. IMHO.
