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  • The Rebuild : Leicestershire.

    After accidentally deleting the save file for my Australian Test Glory Story I have decided to begin a new one.

    I will be rebuilding one of the weakest English County teams, Leicestershire and trying to get them out of Div 2 and into Div 1.

  • #2
    Expectations and a brief overview of the squad

    Ultimately, I do not expect too much in the First Class format season 1. Our batting lineup is far from capable with only 2 players averaging above forty (Hasan Azad and Colin Ackermann) and after that the next highest FC average is 36.76 which is Hamish Rutherford's. And he is only contracted to play t20's. The bowling attack is also undermanned, with Beuran Hendricks, Wiaan Mulder and Tom Scriven (who has just 2 FC games under his belt) the only ones to have an average under 30.

    The One Day format may be our best chance at any silverware for Season 1. Luckily only Colin Ackermann, Rehan Ahmed, and Callum Parkinson will be going off to the 100, but the downside is our inexperienced batting lineup. I will definitely be looking for an experienced batsman to help this. Once again, our bowling is a big worry. Not a single player averaging under thirty and only 2 players having over 100 wickets in this format.

    Once again, an inexperienced batting lineup will haunt our t20 hopes. After Rutherford and Ackermann, no one else has a good amount of experience. Despite Arron Lilley's 108 games, he averages just 20.51 in the format, which is another cause for concern. Naveen Ul-haq and Beuran Hendricks will be important for our bowling attack, with good averages and economy rates. Roman Walker will definitely feature, with his average of 19, even though he has played just 9 games. This is the youth talent that I'm looking for.

    Contracts

    I will definitely be looking for some good youth players, preferably some middle order batsman good across the board, and maybe a bowler with a pinch of FC experience.

    Immediately I see Norman Cleef, a 19 year old middle order batsman with a 2nd XI 3day average of 62.36, and averages in white ball formats of 31.72 and 43.62 respectively. I offer him 22.5k on a 3 year deal.

    After adjusting our budget, (20k for coaching, 40k for youth, and 10k for physio,) I turn my attention to the overseas options. With Naveen Ul-haq being 71% available and Wiaan Mulder just 50%, a reserve player could get a good amount of game time. I go for Najibullah Zadran, a 29 year old Afghan, for 30k (although his salary does not affect my budget as he is a reserve.)

    Cleef and Zadran both accept, leaving me with 36,000 left.

    With that money I decide to go for Harry Finch, a 27 year old on a one year deal, simply to strengthen up our fragile batting order. His averages of 27.12, 35.47, and 18.06 are nothing special, but his OD average is among the highest of our squad.

    Overall, I am happy with the signings I made, but could've used another bowler. Unfortunately there wasn't much options and I wanted experience, not youth.
    Last edited by IGetOutToFullTosses; 07-18-2022, 09:16 AM.

    Comment


    • #3
      THE SQUAD

      Batsman

      Hasan Azad (Opener in all formats)

      Sam Evans (Opener in FC and OD)

      Louis Kimber (Part-time keeper)

      Rishi Patel

      Hamish Rutherford (20 over only, Opener in all formats)

      Nick Welch (Opener in all formats)

      Norman Cleef

      Najibullah Zadran (Reserve)

      Harry Finch

      Keepers

      Sam Bates

      Lewis Hill

      Harry Swindells (Opener in OD and t20)

      All-rounders

      Colin Ackermann (OS Bowler)

      Rehan Ahmed (LS Bowler)

      Arron Lilley (Retired from FC, OS Bowler)

      Ben Mike (RMF Bowler)

      Wiaan Mulder (Overseas, RFM Bowler)

      George Rhodes (OS Bowler)

      Tom Scriven (RFM Bowler)

      Scott Steel (OS Bowler, Opener in OD and t20)

      Bowlers

      Ed Barnes (RFM Bowler)

      Will Davis (RFM Bowler)

      Alex Evans (RFM Bowler)

      Gavin Griffiths (RFM Bowler)

      Beuran Hendricks (Overseas, LMF Bowler)

      Naveen Ul-haq (20 over only, RFM Bowler)

      Callum Parkinson (SLA Bowler)

      Abidine Sakande (RMF Bowler)

      Roman Walker (RFM Bowler)

      Chris Wright (RFM Bowler)

      Nathan Bowley (OS Bowler)

      Comment


      • #4

        Coach and Physio

        With the 6 coaching sessions I have, I give these players one.

        Norman Cleef (General Batting Techique)

        Hasan Azad (Batting Practice)

        Wiaan Mulder (Bowling Practice)

        Callum Parkinson (Bowling Practice)

        Beuran Hendricks (Bowling Practice)

        Colin Ackermann (Batting Practice)

        I give Lewis Hill and Harry Swindells Catching & Keeping to prevent dropped catches behind the stumps.



        Unfortunately we do not have a University match, which I would've used to give Cleef and some less experienced players a go.

        Comment


        • #5
          Pitch Groundsman

          With our batting lineup and bowling attack both very weak, I decide to set a batsman's pitch, at least for this first match.

          Comment


          • #6
            First Match v Worcestershire

            Leicestershire Lineup


            H. Azad (C) S. Evans C. Ackermann H. Finch N. Cleef H. Swindells (WK) W. Mulder C. Parkinson C. Wright (2nd Bowler) W. Davis B. Hendricks (1st Bowler)

            Worcestershire Lineup

            J. Libby J. Dell A. Ali B. D'Oliveira G. Roderick (WK) J. Haynes E. Barnard J. Leach C. Morris J. Tongue D. Pennington

            Toss

            Worcestershire win the toss and choose to bowl.

            Conditions

            The conditions for day one are overcast, but most likely we won't lose any game time to rain. Day 2 and 3 are partly cloudy, giving us an even contest between bat and ball. Day 4 is sunny, so the chasing team will have good conditions.

            The pitch is a road. Very good batting pitch but the overcast conditions on day one may point to Worcestershire's decision to bowl. A slow outfield may cause a lower scoring first day.

            The game

            The first 10 overs of the game were very slow, just 1 boundary from Evans and 16 runs in total. Azad made a stupid decision to run after hitting down the ground directly to mid-on, and got run out for 4. A 14 run over from Joe Leach brought our total up to 52 for 1. Another poor run cost Ackermann his wicket, and we had lost our most experienced batter with just 81 on the board. Finch and Cleef fell in quick succession, leaving Evans and Swindells with a bit of work to do, the score on just 122. Sam Evans soon brought up his 3rd first class fifty, alongside his 4 centuries. Not a terrible conversion rate! Their partnership had reached 49 when we reached tea. Swindells took the aggressor role, allowing Evans to build to his century. Swindells was the 3rd player ran out after trying to sneak a quick single. His 51 off 100 was important, but we wanted more from him. Mulder came in to face the new ball, with Barnard and Leach ready and raring to go. Mulder hit the shot of the day when he played a fantastic cover drive. Day 1 ended with us on 249 for 5 and Evans on 93 not out. And in the 5th over of day 2, disaster struck. Evans was caught LBW by Barnard for 98. His 292 ball innings chance less, but fell trying to bring up 100. Barnard got his 3rd when Mulder cut it to 3rd slip, leaving us 7 wickets down and unlikely to reach 300. Our tail was no match for Worcestershire's bowling attack. We were dismissed for 295, not a bad effort for the first game.

            Hendricks got Dell out early on, but couldn't make any more inroads in the 11 overs before lunch. After lunch, Hendricks got Azhar Ali to edge a ball to Harry Finch at slip, but he dropped it! Ali punished us by hitting 9 off an over from Mulder. Ali's luck soon ran out, dismissed by David for 27. Jake Libby brought up his 19th FC fifty in style, with a pull shot off a Hendricks' short ball. Wright trapped Libby in front for 92 to mark the second time this match a batter has been dismissed in the 90s. Callum Parkinson bowled a triple wicket maiden to leave Worcestershire in a hole at 192 for 7. I chose to take the new ball early on Day 3, with Worcestershire trailing by 91 with 3 wickets in hand. Charles Morris didn't last very long, caught at short leg by Mulder off the bowling of Hendricks. After this we dropped two chances in the space of half an hour, allowing Jack Haynes to pass 50. Mulder then got Haynes and Tongue in quick succession, to leave Worcestershire all out and 31 runs behind.

            Not much happened in the three overs before lunch, besides Sam Evans playing and missing at a swinging delivery from Josh Tongue. But after lunch, unfortunately for Evans, he couldn't replicate his first innings effort, edging off for 10. Azad and Ackermann then added 77 runs to leave us 96 for 1 at tea, ahead by 127. Ackermann was unable to continue much longer, and fell for 55. At this point with around 27 overs left in the day and then one day after this, I needed to up the run rate in order to force a result. After Azad's dismissal for 54, Harry Finch was told to attack on 7 bars aggression, allowing Cleef to settle in on 3. Unfortunately for Finch, he gets trapped in front by Morris on 42 off 59. A Dillon Pennington no-ball brings up 200 for the team, with a healthy lead of 231. Cleef hits a 6 and a 4 to end of the day. I start the aggression bars on 6, looking to bat around half a session and get the lead around 300 - 350, and then bowl aggressively to get a win. This was what caused Cleef's dismissal on 46. When Mulder was bowled for 7, Swindells was the last recognised batter and he needed to give us a good lead. But he couldn't. Pennington picked up his 3rd for the innings and Roderick claimed his 4th catch. Parkinson got the lead to 300 but was soon caught at slip by Joshua Dell. When Davis was bowled for a duck I put Wright on 6 aggression (He was 15 off 13 at this point) and hoped he could bump up the lead a bit. Wright was able to push the total up further, but halted when Hendricks was bowled for 1. Wright ended on 28 off 33 and we ended on 295 (again!) with a lead of 327.

            Hendricks and Wright were unable to make any inroads before lunch. Luckily for us, we lead by 300 at this point and there was a very, very small chance they would be able to chase this. On the flipside, we needed 10 wickets in the same time, and the pitch was still very good for batting. In the blazing hot sun. Wiaan Mulder picked up the first wicket when Dell played a false stroke and was trapped LBW. Wright got Libby soon after and with half an hour in the session left, if we could take another 2 or so wickets we had a chance. Which we were unable to do. Mulder got D'Oliveira with 1 hr 23 minutes left, giving us a faint sense of hope. Roderick soon fell but now we required 6 wickets in 50 minutes. And no matter who I bowled or what field I set, they just kept blocking and blocking, securing a draw.

            Result

            Leicestershire 295 (S. Evans 98, E. Barnard 4/66) and 295 (C. Ackermann 55, H. Azad 54, J. Leach 3/58) drew with Worcestershire 264 (J. Libby 92, C. Parkinson 3/43) and 167/4 (A. Ali 50*, W. Mulder 3/20)

            Attached Files

            Comment


            • #7
              Durham v Leicestershire


              Durham Lineup

              A. Lees S. Dickson K. Peterson D. Bedingham S. Borthwick B. Stokes N. Eckersley B. Carse B. Raine M. Potts C. Rushworth

              Leicestershire Lineup

              I decide to go unchanged, even though Will Davis took just 1 wicket last game, if he is unable to make a big impact, he will be dropped.

              H. Azad (C) S. Evans C. Ackermann H. Finch N. Cleef H. Swindells (WK) W. Mulder C. Parkinson C. Wright (2nd Bowler) W. Davis B. Hendricks (1st Bowler)

              Toss

              Durham win the toss and will bat first

              Conditions

              Day 1 is partly cloudy, hence Durham's choice to bat first. Day 2 is very cloudy along with Day 4. Day 3 will be overcast.

              The pitch is nothing like last game. Good for spin so Parkinson will play a big part and Ackermann may get the ball after not bowling last match. An 'Average' Outfield and 'Average' Wear point me to think this pitch is going to be a minefield by Day 3&4.

              The game

              The experienced opening pair of Lees and Dickson (with over 200 FC games between them) come out all guns blazing, scoring 44 runs in the first 10. They are able to bring the 50 up for Durham but Will Davis comes into the attack and dismisses the test opener in Lees. Mulder got Dickson not too long after and Durham were 68 for 2 after 16 overs. This brought the South African pair of Keegan Peterson and David Bedingham to the crease. They continue the aggression up to lunch, with Durham scoring 132 for 2. The 150 comes up not soon after and both batters moved into the 40s. Both players passed fifty off a Callum Parkinson over. The carnage continued. It felt like every over they would score at least one boundary, many having 2 or 3. With no bowler able to break through, they were able to make it to 251 for 2 at Tea on Day 1, with the partnership now worth 183. When finally, Parkinson broke the stand at 190. Bedingham had been dismissed for 86 off 143 with 11 fours in his fast-flowing innings. Scott Borthwick came to the crease and witnessed Peterson bring up his century. This made me ponder, what did he score last match? So I checked his batting form and he score 2 DUCKS! What a turnaround for Keegan Peterson. With 4 overs until the new ball was available, I decided to give Cleef a couple of overs, what could go wrong, I thought. He got Peterson out, caught behind. With his 6th delivery. That was a massive surprise! And next over he got Borthwick stumped and Durham had two new batters (Stokes and Eckersley) at the crease with the new ball. I chose to give the new ball to Hendricks and Mulder, as Wright was struggling. After 10 overs with the new ball, 46 runs had been added without any wickets. So I decide to bring the leg-spin of Norman Cleef into the attack, hoping he can spin a web. He and Will Davis were unsuccessful, with Durham piling on 386 for 5 on Day 1.

              In the first over of Day 2, Cleef got one to grip and turn, trapping Ned Eckersley dead in front. Parkinson got Carse in the next over to give Leicestershire a chance to knock Durham over early on. Ben Stokes passed 50 by scoring his 8th four on just his 70th delivery. Despite Cleef getting hammered at one end by Stokes, Parkinson was bowling well and was rewarded with the wicket of Ben Raine. After bowling eleven overs with figures of 3/60, I take Cleef off as he is just too expensive. Stokes is soon dropped by Ackermann of the bowling of Wright and the carnage continues. Stokes reaches his century just before lunch, with Durham now 511 for 8 after 132 overs and 4 sessions. Matty Potts brings up a 3rd FC fifty, and the partnership goes past 100. Norman Cleef comes back on and is welcomed by Potts who hits 3 fours off his first over back in the attack. With the score past 550 and the session around half way done, I have no idea what I shall do. So I bring Parkinson back in and he immediately gets Potts stumped. Swindells is having a good innings behind the stumps, with 2 stumpings and a catch. Hendricks gets Rushworth not too long after, leaving Stokes on 134 notout and Durham all out for 588

              Azad and Evans come out on 1 bar aggression, trying to wear down the Durham attack, who would be fired up after not bowling for 4 and a half sessions. We make it to tea 33 without loss, maybe a chance of drawing. The pair bring up a 50 run stand with 10 no-balls involved. The pair continue batting throughout the whole session, scoring 93 runs in 43 overs so far. The 100 partnership comes up not too long into the morning session on Day 3, but Hasan Azad doesn't last too much longer, gone for 38 LBW by Rushworth. Evans once again falls short of a milestone, edging off for 48. This means two new batters are at the crease, and the pitch won't stop deteriorating. Ackermann is bowled for 6 and Cleef comes to the crease in a pressure situation. He is unable to deal with the pressure and lasts just 16 deliveries and adds only 3 to the total. Swindells goes for the same score not long after, and we half our team is back in the pavilion still trailing by 451. Finch's 63 ball fight comes to an end when he is caught plumb in front by Potts for 18. Lunch couldn't have come at a better time for us, after losing 6-42 since Azad got out. Mulder was the next victim, bowled by Borthwick for 5. Wright fell just before the new ball, leaving Davis and Parkinson to face the music. Davis brought up the team's 150 with a quick singles to cover. Parkinson is adjudged LBW on 5, with Durham needing just 1 more wicket and Leicestershire needing a further 281 to avoid the follow on. We scored no more runs from that point as Hendricks was unable to cope with the pressure. That was an embarrasing collapse. After a 102 run opening partnership, we lost all 10 wickets for a mere 56 runs. Only Finch passed double digits after the partnership.

              The poor batting continues early on, with Azad unable to score before being trapped in front by Rushworth. Evans and Ackermann batted until tea, with us 46 for 1 trailing by 384. Evans went for a big heave-ho over cover, only making it as far as Lees at 3rd slip. Finch went in similar style for a duck soon after and we were 3-54. Cleef hit two boundaries off a Brydon Carse over, and Borthwick was brought on next over. The change had instant effect, getting Ackermann for 28 first ball. Harry Swindells hit 17 off the remaining 5 balls, and moved the score to 94 for 4. Cleef hit a two to get Leicestershire past 100. The partnership reached 50 in a flash, 35 of those runs off the bat of Swindells. It didn't grow much more, unfortunately, with Cleef dismissed for 35. But the scoring rate didn't change too much. Mulder helped Swindells score freely, until he faintly tickled one through to Eckersley for 18. Callum Parkinson went for a duck two overs later and the day ended with us on 164 for 7 and 266 behind. Swindells began the day by passing 50, off just 62 balls. He was soon caught at slip by Dickson for 61. Rushworth cleaned up the tail and we had been defeated, badly.

              Result

              Durham 588 (B. Stokes 134*, K. Peterson 112, C. Parkinson 4/96) defeated Leicestershire 158 (S. Evans 48, B. Carse 3/27) and 190 (H. Swindells 61, C. Rushworth 6-37) by an innings and 240 runs.

              Comment


              • #8
                Every 2 or 3 games, I will be going over some individual performances and the table.

                We are currently fifth with 15 points. Derbyshire are on the bottom.

                The first game was a very nice performance, but the second game was far from what I want from the team.

                Next game the lineup will be drastically changed, Davis and Wright will be going out, and Ackermann may see a move down the order.
                Attached Files

                Comment


                • #9
                  Leicestershire v Derbyshire

                  Leicestershire Lineup

                  H. Azad (C) S. Evans H. Finch C. Ackermann N. Cleef H. Swindells (WK) W. Mulder T. Scriven C. Parkinson G. Griffiths B. Hendricks

                  Davis and Wright have been ineffective lately, so they will be in the 2nds to regain some form. Tom Scriven gets an opportunity as an all-rounder at 8, hopefully he takes it. Gavin Griffiths has been in very good form in the 2nds, so it will be interesting to see what he can do.

                  Derbyshire Lineup

                  S. Masood M. Wagstaff W. Madsen L. du Plooy B. Guest (WK) L. Reece A. Hughes N. Potts G. Scrimshaw B. Aitchison S. Conners

                  Toss

                  Derbyshire win the toss and elect to bowl.

                  Conditions

                  A cloudy Day 1 will make conditions interesting, with us once again electing for a batting pitch. The rest of the match is overcast with small patches of sun, so the bowlers should be able to use the weather well.

                  The game

                  Conners and Nick Potts opened the bowling, and bowled tight lines and good lengths. only one boundary was scored in the first 10 overs, when Azad edged it away through the vacant 3rd slip gap. The runs weren't coming easy for our opening pair, but Derbyshire weren't creating many chances. Besides a play and miss from Evans early on, the first 16 overs were chanceless. The runs began to flow, but when Evans was caught behind for 23, the strong and tough opening stand had been broken. Harry Finch walked out looking to take advantage of his chance at no. 3. After surviving an LBW shout first ball, he made it to lunch not out on 6. Leicestershire were 65 for 1 at lunch. Finch was soon trapped in front by Potts for a slow 14, marking the 5th innings he has been unable to pass 50. Ackermann's move down to four didn't do him much help as he was soon bowled for 6. The score passed 100 when Azad hit a beautiful cover drive for 4. Cleef was batting brilliantly, hitting 13 off a Scrimshaw over, and the partnership had passed 50. Cleef was the aggressor, with Azad taking a backstep to the 19 year old. Cleef brought up his maiden first class 50 in the last over before tea to end on 51 notout, just 14 runs behind Azad, despite facing 140 less deliveries. It didn't take long for Cleef to bring the stand pass 100. And no matter what tactics or who bowled, the two continued their run spree. Until Derbyshire took the new ball and Aitchison took the wicket of Azad, for 95. This was the second example of an opener falling short of a century in the season. Cleef was unable to convert his score into 100, and was dismissed by Scrimshaw on 88. Mulder and Swindells saw out the day, to leave us on 264 with the loss of 5 wickets. Mulder was not able to add to his overnight score of 10, caught at slip on the first delivery of the day. Swindells and Scriven were batting well together, only for Conners to come in and get Swindells edging off to Guest. Scriven went a few overs later for a well made 19 from 47, and they were into the bowlers. Parkinson batted well for his quickfire 28, but ultimately couldn't deal with a beauty from Aitchison. Hendricks departed next ball and we had been bowled out for 341, our highest total this season.

                  Masood and Wagstaff came out with 23 minutes before lunch and scored 23 runs in that period. They started the session well only for Griffiths to bowl Wagstaff for 23. Hendricks got Masood next over and we had the upper hand. But we couldn't keep it. Madsen and du Plooy cut, swept, pulled and drove their way to a 50 run partnership in not much time at all. It seemed they would make it to Tea only 2 down, but Parkinson didn't think so. He dismissed du Plooy for 28 meaning Derbyshire finished the session on 104 for 3, trailing by 237. Madsen made his first 50 of the season but he lost another partner in Guest, who was caught Finch, bowled Griffiths for a mere 12 off 52. Madsen's partner situation got worse when Parkinson trapped Reece in front. Wayne Madsen went down the wicket to up the rate, only to be stumped gifting Parkinson his third. Cleef came into the attack to give Parkinson a rest, only to be greeted by Hughes who hit 10 off his first over. Stumps was called with Derbyshire 204 for 6, trailing by 137 and the partnership now worth 57. Potts and Hughes started Day 3 positively, scoring freely early on. The new ball was taken and Hendricks took the wicket of Potts for a handy 42. Griffiths got Hughes for 49 and the lead was still 89. Aitchison departed in the same over. Griffiths picked up his 5th when Conners was unable to deal with the short ball. Derbyshire had been bowled out for 286, leaving them 55 runs in errears.

                  Only two overs were bowled until lunch, and 3 runs were scored. Unfortunately for Evans, he was bowled by Potts for just 2 in the first over after the break. Hasan Azad fell to the same bowler for 7, and Leicestershire were in a bit of a hole at 22/2. Ackermann and Finch were building a nice partnership, but it was all ended when Ackermann was trapped plumb in front by Aitchison. Cleef and Finch survived to tea, ahead by 129. After tea, Finch finally brought up his maiden FC fifty for us, and for the season. Halfway through the session, we led by 176 and with 7 wickets in hand, I bumped them up on aggression to try have a lead of around 250 by the close of play. That looked highly unlikely when Cleef was bowled for 46. We had pushed the lead up to 200 with 35 minutes still to play, with Finch the key to building a lead. Swindells tried to play across the line and was trapped in front for a useful 24 from 34. And in the final over of the day, Finch not only got the lead past 250, he brought up his 5th first class century. This had been a great knock from Finch. Moved up to 3 he took his opportunity. The lead was 255 so half a session of batting and maybe scoring 50 to 70 should be enough and then bowling well after that. Mulder began the day with a boundary, signalling our intent early. Finch was playing some good shots but a beauty from Sam Conners was what dismissed him. Mulder went in the next over for 12, and now Scriven and Parkinson needed a good partnership. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen as Parkinson chipped one to mid-off on 9. Scriven went next over and with just 1 wicket left we needed Griffiths and Hendricks to stand up. They got the lead to 309 when Griffiths was bowled. A score of 254 was a good effort, now our bowlers need to close this out.

                  Wagstaff was the first victim, bowled by Mulder for 7. Masood was scoring at one end but Madsen couldn't replicate it, edging off for 7, this time Griffiths the wicket-taker. du Plooy came out firing, scoring 24 from 26 before edging a Parkinson delivery to short leg. Lunch came and Derbyshire were 84 for 3, needing 226 for the win. Masood passed 50 in no time, but Hendricks ended his innings by bowling him. The runrate at this point. was concerning, but our bowlers were taking wickets so I continued to attack with my fields. Guest went for a lofted drive but edged it, only for Swindells to drop an absolute sitter. This was far worse than Jos Buttler dropping Marnus during the ashes! Luckily for us, Guest was bowled for 49 when Mulder came back into the attack. They made it to tea needing 108 to win, and us needing 5 wickets. Scriven got the first of those five when he bowled Reece for 36. He got Potts next over and we were in the drivers seat. The momentum continued when he got Hughes LBW for 24, and Derbyshire had no recognised batters left! Parkinson got Aitchison for 15 and we needed just 1 wicket to win our first match this year while Derbyshire required 56 runs. The game entered the final half hour and we still needed one wicket. The new ball was taken with 12 minutes left. The last over was being bowled by Scriven, who got the edge of Conners' bat, only for Evans to drop the catch!

                  So we had drawn a match we should've one.

                  Attached Files

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    After possibly one of the worst chokes I have done in cricket captain, our next game sees us face Middlesex, who are one spot above us on the table.

                    Middlesex v Leicestershire

                    Middlesex Lineup

                    P. Malan S. Robson S. Eskinazi M. Stoneman E. Morgan J. Simpson (WK) M. Andersson L. Hollman S. Afridi T. Murtagh E. Bamber

                    Leicestershire Lineup

                    H. Azad (C) S. Evans H. Finch C. Ackermann N. Cleef H. Swindells (WK) W. Mulder T. Scriven C. Parkinson G. Griffiths R. Walker

                    Going into this match, I have made one change. Beuran Hendricks is out as he has only taken six wickets in 3 matches so Roman Walker who is in good form in the 2nds will be on his FC debut.

                    Toss

                    Middlesex win the toss and will bowl first.

                    Conditions

                    This pitch is good for spin bowling, so Parkinson may have to bowl a lot of overs. And Cleef may get a go too. As for the weather, it is mainly partly cloudy throughout the match, with patches of overcast weather sprinkled over Days 1-3.

                    The game

                    Shaheen Afridi is on some good form, with 12 wickets in his 2 matches so far. Once again a slow start from our openers, not a single boundary in the first 10, and only 18. Azad tried to break the pressure but couldn't do much more than edging off, giving Bamber the opening breakthrough. Evans hit the first boundary in the 18th over! Finch tried replicating the shot but just got himself out for 5. Ackermann settled himself nicely and took the team alongside Evans to 76 for 2 at Lunch. 2 maidens began the session, and the pressure was growing at a rapid pace. Evans couldn't cope and played a poor stroke to be bowled for 34. Cleef was the next to go, caught behind for 4. Ackermann brought up his 2nd 50 of the campaign with a nice square drive. Swindells ran a quick single to bring the score past 150, and tea was called a few overs later with Leicestershire 172 for 4. Swindells passed his 50 not long after tea, and we were looking good. Only for Ackermann to edge a Shaheen Afridi delivery to the waiting hands of Simpson. He fell on a well made 71, securing his spot at number four, at least for a few more games. Mulder came out, and with scores of 24, 7, 5, 18, 10, and 12 this season, he needs a good score soon or he may be the next overseas player dropped. Swindells entered the 60s, and the score passed 200. Swindells went for a lofted drive but edged off and departed for 64. The new ball was taken soon after, and Wiaan Mulder passed his highest score this season, now on 25. The day ended with us 254 for 6. In the opening over of the day, Scriven was struck by a vicious Afridi bouncer, but he was OK. Ethan Bamber begun his day off well, dismissing Mulder for a hard-fought 40. Scriven went next over and our tail was exposed. Griffiths hit a few good shots but not much more as Afridi claimed his 5 wicket bag. Parkinson was the last to fall, caught at short leg for 18, and we had been bowled out for 298.

                    Malan and Robson got lucky to survive to lunch, with many edges falling short or in a gap, but they got there 37 without loss. Robson's luck ran out, with Swindells taking a simple catch after a good delivery from Mulder. Walker came into the attack and was welcomed by Eskinazi who hit him for 9 in an over. It only took 28 overs for Middlesex to reach 100, showing our younger bowlers' wild lines and lengths. Griffiths bowled Eskinazi for 31, and this was the opening we so desperately needed. Stoneman lasted just over half an hour for his 12 runs, before being bowled by Mulder. Morgan departed 4 balls later, and this was good momentum going into tea. At tea, Middlesex were 149 for 4, behind by 149. We were unable to take any more wickets in the first hour of the session. In that hour Malan brought up his 40th first class 50, and Middlesex passed 200. Cleef was brought into the attack and dismissed Malan for a mammoth 132. This caused Simpson to go ballistic, hitting 16 off a Colin Ackermann over. With the team score on 300, John Simpson edged a Tom Scriven delivery to short leg, and falling short of his century by 9 runs. But his innings did enough damage, hitting 91 off 101 balls. Hollman and Andersson saw out the day to end on 317 for 6, ahead by 19. The new ball was taken early on Day 3, and Mulder used it to dismiss Andersson for 27. Parkinson got Afridi for 15 a while later, and Middlesex's lead had extended to 74. Hollman was Parkinson's next victim, caught behind for 41. Mulder claimed his 5-fer next over by dismissing Murtagh and ending the innings, with Middlesex leading by 93.

                    Azad signalled his intent early when he hit Afridi for 4 first ball! The session ended with us on 17 without loss, behind by 76. Evans was the first victim, caught at gully by Eskinazi on 14. The total passed 50 with Azad and Finch building nicely. Finch was bowled for 17 while trying to play across the line. Ackermann was the next to fall, edging a Hollman delivery for 12. The situation got even worse when Azad went for 40, as we were still trailing by 2. Cleef got the team into the lead not long after, but we were a long way away from posting a competitive total. Cleef and Swindells made it to tea on 20* and 9* respectively, and the team leading by 23. The pair were going nicely when Swindells played a rash shot and got out for 22. Mulder was stumped the very next ball, and with only a lead of 61, we were in massive trouble. Cleef passed 50, but was dismissed the very next ball by Bamber. Scriven went in the second last over of play for 17. Parkinson and Walker were dismissed early on Day 4, giving our bowlers 106 runs to defend.

                    They only took one wicket, (Griffiths getting Robson) but that was a poor performance with both bat and ball.
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                    • #11
                      Glamorgan v Leicestershire

                      Glamorgan Lineup

                      D. Lloyd E. Byrom M. Labuschagne S. Northeast B. Root C. Taylor M. Neser J. Weighell T. Cullen (WK) T. van der Gugten M. Hogan

                      Leicestershire Lineup

                      H. Azad (C) S. Evans H. Finch C. Ackermann N. Cleef H. Swindells (WK) W. Mulder T. Scriven C. Parkinson G. Griffiths B. Hendricks

                      Once again, just the one change being made, which is Hendricks in for Walker.

                      Toss

                      Glamorgan win the toss and choose to bat first.

                      Conditions

                      Days 1 and 4 will be partly cloudy, offering a good contest between bat and ball. Days 2 and 3 are going to be sunny, meaning bowlers will tire quicker. The pitch is quite balanced, one bar off both wear and bounce.

                      The game

                      After losing our 5th toss in a row, we will be bowling first and hoping to contain batsman like Labuschagne and Northeast, who are good FC players. Lloyd and Byrom began with a postive attitude, hitting 39 from the first 11 overs. Lloyd tried to go for one to many and fell for 27, with Griffiths making the breakthrough. The score passed 50 not too long after, with Labuschagne looking good. Byrom finished the session off well by passing 50, and leaving Glamorgan 133 for 1 at lunch on Day 1. Labuschagne brought up his half century just after lunch, and the partnership was becoming dangerous. Fortunately for us, Hendricks took care of Labuschagne by bowling a beauty and dismissing him for 61. Parkinson got Northeast just a few overs later, and we were moving back into the game. Billy Root came out and hit 38 from his first 38 balls, but fell going for another four, with Mulder picking up his first. Byrom brought up his 4th FC ton, allowing his team to reach 241 for 4 at tea. Cleef came on just before the new ball, only to be hit for 18 in his first (and only) over. The new ball was taken, and Taylor welcomed Mulder by hitting him for a large six down the ground. The score passed 350 and the onslaught continued, every ball feeling as though it could go for 4 or 6. Scriven broke the stand by bowling Taylor for 66, but the 167 run partnership had put Glamorgan in a great position in this match. The day ended with Glamorgan 381 for 5, and Byrom 177 notout. Early on day 2, Neser pushed the score past 400, with no signs of slowing down. Mulder ended Neser's 13 run, 41 ball stay, but Byrom was getting closer and closer to the double ton. Byrom brought up a magnificent two-hundred by hitting a square drive off Scriven's bowling. Parkinson got Weighell, increasing Byrom's chances of carrying his bat. The score got past 450, and all our bowlers were tiring. Byrom was finally dismissed when he skied a Hendricks short ball, but his 216 was a great innings. Hendricks was on a hattrick after trapping van der Gugten in front, but didn't take it. Parkinson wrapped up the innings by dismissing Cullen for 8, with Glamorgan finishing on 460.

                      The innings began after lunch, with Azad and Evans wanting to replicate Byrom's effort. Evans was unable to do this, trapped LBW by Weighell for 17. Finch came out with some intent, getting the score past 50 in not much time at all. The session ended with us 70 for 1, Azad on 14* and Finch on 29*. Hogan begun his session well, bowling Finch for 29. The slow scoring continued, halfway through the session we had added 24 runs. The pressure continued to grow, and Ackermann fell trying to up the rate for 20. The day ended with us on 143 for 3, with Azad 47 off 185 and Cleef 8 from 29. Azad brought up his 3rd fifty of the season early on Day 3, and while it was slow, it was important. Glamorgan took the new ball, still 262 in front. Cleef's continued his good campaign when he passed his 3rd fifty. Some leg byes brought the partnership past 100, and this was a solid one. Lunch came and our score had grown to 237 for 3, behind by 223. The partnership continued its growth, with Azad hitting back to back boundaries off Weighell. The pair both entered the nineties 50 minutes into the session. Azad was dropped by Taylor at slip on 99, almost ending his innings in heartbreak but he survived. He brought his 100 up on the very next ball, and off 335 balls, it was very hard fought. Cleef passed his century next over, and the partnership was almost worth 200. But finally, Neser ended the stand by bowling Azad, but it was an extremely great stand. Cleef and Swindells whittled the lead down to 124 by tea, but the match looked destined for a draw. The score passed 350, and I decided to give Cleef the license to go for it. He scored a few more quick runs, but was soon bowled for 139. Mulder fell for a seven ball duck soon after and the innings looked to be nearing it's end. Swindells continued his good campaign by bringing up his 4th 50. He tried one big shot too many and was dismissed for 66. Parkinson and Griffiths fell in quick succession, and Scriven took the strike. He was caught for 33, ending the innings on 451.

                      Glamorgan only had to bat one over on Day 3, and scored 2 off it. Lloyd's poor campaign continued when he was bowled by Mulder for 14. Byrom and Labuschagne combined and were batting positively. And it seemed like they had an answer for everything I threw at them. They made it to lunch at 114 for 1, with Labuschagne on 56* and Byrom on 37*. Labuschagne continued his positive innings, hitting back to back boundaries to begin the session. Mulder soon bowled Byrom for 47, and made sure he couldn't do any more damage. Labuschagne soon brought up his 24th FC century, and third this season, with the lead now over 200. Glamorgan declared on 214, setting a target of 223 for us to chase.

                      With 22 minutes left in the session, and then one session later today I decided to go for the draw. They were unable to breakthrough in the 6 overs before tea, but we scored just 6 runs. Evans fell early on in the final session, giving Glamorgan some hope. Azad and Finch successfully batted the rest of the game out, ending the score of 55 for 1, and a well fought draw.

                      Overall, a better batting performance but the bowling continuing to struggle.
                      Attached Files

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        With two games until the beginning of the Vitality Blast, I will begin to give some opportunities to other players in good 2nd XI form.

                        Our draw with Glamorgan sees us currently 6th ahead of Worcestershire, and a touch behind Sussex who we face in our next match.

                        As for the stats, Edward Byrom has scored 554 runs in his 5 games, leading the charts. Ollie Robinson leads the wicket takers with 33 wickets @ 17.79. Our highest run scorers are Cleef (with 421 @ 46.78), Azad (with 371 at 41.22), and Swindells (353 @ 39.22) all in good form. Wiaan Mulder and Callum Parkinson have taken 17 wickets apiece, but after that Griffiths and Hendricks both have just 9, showing our bowling woes.
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                        • #13
                          Get Lewis Hill in your side son. Good bat these days and rated about right in game.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Lynx54321 View Post
                            Get Lewis Hill in your side son. Good bat these days and rated about right in game.
                            Thanks, he will most likely be in the one day team and first class team going forward if I find a spot for him.

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                            • #15
                              I forgot to save my files for the final FC matches before the Vitality Blast, so here are the screenshots

                              Leicestershire v Sussex
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