Toby to Alsop

By Rogers and Out
May 4 2017

Rogers and Out provides a comprehensive report of our first win of the season in arctic conditions

Middlesex leapt up into third place in the Royal London Cup South group table after an 89 run win against Hampshire via the DLS method at a cold and wet Ageas Bowl. After a fine knock of 114 by Nick Gubbins in our total of 295, it was ultimately the superb bowling of Toby Roland-Jones with figures of 4/10 in 7 overs that brought us a much needed victory.

I had arrived a little late at the ground after a lengthy walk through the byways of Hampshire from Hedge End station. On taking my seat in the Shane Warne stand, I discovered that Hampshire had won the toss and opted to field.

We were 13/0 after three overs and the team news was that Paul Stirling and Steven Finn were not playing due to forthcoming international commitments and were replaced by Sam Robson and James Fuller.

Kyle Abbott and Reece Topley were bowling for the home side, with Nick Gubbins and Dawid Malan opening for us. Mala was scoring quite fluently on the off side whereas Gubbo's preference was for the on side.

Abbott and Topley were conceding at least a boundary every over and Gareth Berg came into the attack in the eighth over to arrest the run rate, which he achieved by leaking just three runs.

He did even better in his next over when he elicited a tickle from AC and Lewis McManus took a fine diving catch down leg side behind the stumps. Dawid had made 24 and we were 47/1 in the tenth over.

Sam Robson came in at number three and was wearing James Harris's number 5 top. He edged his first ball from Berg past McManus for four to bring up our fifty.

Robbo notched a more orthodox boundary in the next over, driving Abbott through midwicket and Gubbo repeated the dose with a straight drive in that same over.

There was a quick break in play while twelfth man Ollie Rayner gave Sam his correct jumper with the number 12 on it. However, he soon pulled up with an injury and had to retire hurt to be replaced by Adam Voges. It transpired that he'd damaged a hamstring.

Slow bowlers Liam Dawson and Mason Crane were now operating for the home side. In the 17th over, a big chance went begging when Sean Ervine dropped Gubbo off Dawson at square leg. He was on 41 at this stage.

Gubbo brought up his fifty in Ervine's solitary over when he stroked him for two through the covers. Voges hit a trademark cut behind square for four in the same over as Ervine went for nine runs and did not return.

There was another let off for young Nick when the usually excellent McManus missed a stumping off Dawson when Gubbo was on 77 in the 27th over. We were 151/1 at this stage.

Adam looked poised to make a half century but he ended up skying a Crane delivery and George Bailey took a simple catch coming in from cover. He made 44, leaving us on 180/2 in the 32nd over.

As mentioned earlier, the weather conditions were not clement. It was very cold and many of the crowd were attired in dress which suggested they were about to undergo an Arctic expedition. There was also a large number of school children from the Isle of Wight who kept warm by endlessly lapping the ground. They were doing either that or posing for the TV cameras but were generally well behaved.

Gubbo clocked up his century in the 34th over, pushing Crane for a single into the covers. His hundred had taken 104 balls and he'd hit eight fours.

Our 200 came up in the 37th over and we looked set to make a score in excess of 300. However, after Gubbo broke his bat hitting a six off Topley, his new bat wasn't so lucky as a full length delivery from Topley saw him bowled for 114 two balls later.

Although Franco came in and hit a six off Berg, we started losing wickets at regular intervals by trying to force the pace. Simmo lost his wicket when he miscued a reverse sweep and everyone else was caught in the deep, with the long leg boundary being the favourite place to be pouched.

In the last over, we managed to find ourselves on 294/9, meaning that the injured Sam Robson came in with a runner. Mindful of the damage Tom Helm did at Hove last season in a similar situation, I wasn't sure of the wisdom of him coming in at all. The result was an additional run and he holed out from the very last ball. He left the field in some discomfort, and we were all out for 295.

There was now a thirty minute interval and I was starting to worry about making my train - the 22.35 from Hedge End to Waterloo. Toby Roland-Jones opened the bowling for us from the Rod Bransgrove Pavilion end and delivered a maiden although there was a leg bye. Tom Helm operated from the Hotel end and Carberry hit him for two fours in his first over.

Tom took revenge in the next over when he caught Carberry on the third man boundary off TR-J for nine, leaving Hampshire on 14/1.

Tom and Toby were bowling well in tandem and the home side were finding it hard to score, especially off the parsimonious Roland-Jones. Although Alsop drove Helm to the boundary, it was Toby who struck again in the seventh over when he found the edge of Vince's bat and Simmo took a fine low catch behind. Incoming batsman George Bailey was fortunate to survive a similar delivery and TR-J had registered a wicket maiden.

Toby was on fire now and had Alsop taken at first slip by Voges as the batsman fenced at a sharp delivery. 32/3 became 34/4 in his next over as Dawson attempted an injudicious pull and was snaffled behind by Simmo.

Change bowlers Franco and JK did not fare so well, with Bailey and Ervine much preferring their bowling to that of our front line men. They were bringing Hampshire back into the game and so Ravi Patel and Ryan Higgins entered the fray to stem the flow of runs.

These two put a brake on the scoring and eventually Ervine lost patience, holing out to James Harris (subbing for Sam Robson) on the midwicket boundary off the bowling of Higgo. Ervine had scored 33, leaving Hampshire on 104/5 in the 21st over.

McManus came in and played couple of shots before being bowled by Ryan in the 27th over. Bailey registered his fifty in the same over, taking 61 balls with six fours.

Bergy was next in for Hampshire and he looked to play a few shots. He had clocked up fifteen runs when he attempted one big shot too many and was held at long on by Tom from the bowling of Ravi. Hampshire were now 146/7 and no further runs had been scored when the players came off for rain.

I decided at this point to depart for Hedge End station and half way through the walk, I discovered play was due to resume at 9.05. When I arrived at the station I tuned in to Sky Sports to see what was happening and they were showing a rerun of the recent Somerset v Surrey game. It didn't look like there'd be any more play and so it transpired. They were a long way short of the D/L target and we picked up two well deserved points.

I had been concerned that we ended up being a few runs light, but the difference between the teams was the quality of the strike bowling. Topley and Abbott were a bit below par, but our duo were on the money, especially Toby, and were aided by Ryan and Ravi. It should also be said that Gubbo's century created the platform for a challenging score.

The Oval on Friday is our next challenge. Bring it on !