Middlesex Crusaders: Into the future (a story)

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Derbyshire came out and took the fight to the bowlers, scoring at an impressive rate and getting the 36 runs needed in only 7 overs.

End of Derbyshire innings: 36/0, S Stubbings 21*, J Ellery 15*, C Silverwood 0-21, T Murtagh 0-21
Derbyshire win by 10 wickets
Man of the match: T Lungley

(Why is it that as soon as I start a story for others to see that I start losing?!)

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Middlesex moving backward?

2nd August, 2009

Maybe it was a touch of overconfidence. Maybe new coach Ryon Cupidore didn't think that Middlesex's problems extended into the Championship arena as well. But after what was a weak all-round performance from the team, questions are being asked about the hiring of the relatively inexperienced coach.

"I don't think it's a problem," Cupidore said after the game, "The guys just had an off game."

Captain Ed Smith said at the presentation, "We just didn't score as many as we wanted to in the first innings and that allowed them to get a big lead over us, and that's where we lost the match."

Middlesex have slipped three places down to fifth in the Championship standing, with Derbyshire leapfrogging them and snatching the second place position.

If that wasn't enough for Cupidore to worry about, they play Hampshire next week in the Pro40 league and all eyes will be on him to see what changes he brings in after guaranteeing that his team will do better in that match.

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10th August 2009

Middlesex vs. Hampshire – Pro40 League, Division 1

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce (vc), B Godleman, D Nash (wk), T Murtagh, S Finn, C Silverwood, C Peploe

Hampshire: M Lumb, M Brown, J Crawley, C Benham, S Ervine, G Lamb, D Mascarenhas, C Tremlett, T Burrows (wk), N Sherbourne, F Newlands

Forecast: Cloudy in the morning and early afternoon, with the sun likely to come out as the afternoon progresses.

Pitch Report: An almost flat track that batsmen would love and bowlers would hate. Very little cracks at all and the bowlers would have to hope that the new ball swings, because the pitch will not give them much assistance. The outfield is slow due to the rainfall at this time of year, but with the sun coming out in the afternoon it could dry up. A good toss to lose.

Toss: Kent, who chose to field. Ed Smith: “If we won the toss we were discussing maybe taking the field first as well. It’s a pretty flat pitch but the outfield is soaking wet in parts. We’ll have to bat well and hope that we put a good total on the board and then come and bowl them out in the second innings.

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Report: Coach Cupidore had brought a few changes to this Middlesex team. Compton was cleared to play late last week and he came in to replace Scott. Nash took the gloves in this match. Strauss was promoted back up the order after finding some form in the Championship match a week and a half ago. Kartik went out and Finn came in, bringing some pace and aggression with the new ball.

But it is the batting that was being looked at first, and Middlesex needed to post a challenging total on the board or they would fall into the relegation zone. They made their most steady limited overs start of perhaps the entire season, making only 38 in the first 10 overs but losing no wickets. Smith survived a very close run out appeal in the 15th over but was found to have just been in his ground.

Strauss and Smith seemed to not want to repeat that close call so instead of running they made the ball score their runs for them. They worked the ball past the fielders and hit the boundary regularly over the course of the next few overs. Strauss even cleared the rope over the head of the leaping deep backward point for a well-hit six runs.

However, the run out seemed destined for Smith and he chanced himself another time but he found himself yards short of his crease on this occasion. The man patrolling the cover boundary picked the ball up and fired the return in and hit the stumps directly. Smith departed for a very well played 68 off of only 65 deliveries. Middlesex had lost their first wicket in the 22nd over with the score on 124.

Strauss kept the scoreboard ticking over, working the ball into the gaps and picking up the occasional boundary as his new partner Morgan played himself in. When Strauss got caught off of a mistimed drive that took the inner portion of the bat and went to mid on, the score was 162 in the 32nd over and Morgan was finding the middle of his bat quite nicely. Middlesex ended their innings on 188, with Morgan edging to the keeper in the last over and Compton looking fluent upon his return from injury.

End of Middlesex innings: 188/3, 40 overs, A Strauss 78(94), E Smith 68(65), N Sherbourne 1-26(8), F Newlands 1-33(8)
Hampshire need 189 runs at 4.7 per over

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Finn opened the bowling for Middlesex and went for 7 in his first over, not the sort of start that Middlesex were hoping for. Silverwood kept things tidy with 2 off of his first over. Finn’s pace and aggression paid off in his second over, however, getting Brown to edge to second slip with the score on 9.

Crawley came in and immediately hit Finn for consecutive boundaries, however, and Middlesex’s captain looked understandably worried. Silverwood removed Crawley in the next over, and the relief on Smith’s face was evident as he ran up to congratulate his bowler. Finn continued to bowl aggressively, albeit expensively, and removed Benham soon thereafter.

The first change bowlers, Murtagh and Joyce, did a very good job of keeping the run rate down, operating together for a total of 8 overs and restricting Hampshire to only 28 runs. Joyce picked up the wicket of Ervine in his fourth over, taking a simple return catch to dismiss the batsman with the score on 81. He went on to remove Lumb in his next over, caught superbly at backward point by a diving Godleman.

Peploe had only 2 overs that went for 16 runs before Smith took him off and threw the ball to Compton, who has not had a lot of experience bowling at any level and who, by the way, had his arm broken by a vicious bouncer just a month ago. That did not seem to matter to him, however, as his very first ball tempted the batsman into a push at a ball that spun past the bat and barely missed the stumps.

At the other end, Joyce was finishing a tidy spell that ended with him taking 2 wickets for 26 runs from his eight overs. Murtagh came back on from Joyce’s end and Lamb, frustrated at his lack of being able to score as freely as he would, hit one right into the hands of the waiting long off fielder, who did not even have to move. Two other wickets followed in quick succession for Murtagh, first Tremlett hitting it right down the throat of Joyce at short midwicket and then Mascarenhas being bowled as he attempted a big heave through the onside.

By the time Finn and Silverwood came back into the attack, Hampshire were struggling and Finn picked up the wicket of Burrows, Godleman taking another sharp chance at backward point. Silverwood took the final wicket with the score on 173, trapping Sherbourne plumb in front for an easy lbw decision.

End of Hampshire innings: 173/10, 38.3 overs, M Lumb 36(54), N Sherbourne 31(27), T Murtagh 3-41(8), S Finn 3-41(7)
Middlesex win by 15 runs
Man of the match: A Strauss

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Changes work for Middlesex

10th August, 2009

Middlesex coach Ryon Cupidore played a team with a few changes today against Hampshire. Dropping Murali Kartik was a controversial choice, but his replacement Steven Finn made things look easy upon his return to the first XI team.

“Finn brings some pace and aggression with the new ball,” Cupidore said after the game, “Silverwood bowls a tidy line and length and that can trouble the batsman but sometimes you need a little extra pace and bounce and Finn definitely showed that today.”

Chris Peploe, who only bowled two overs that went for 16 runs, looked out of sorts in this match. Cupidore said, “(Chris) Peploe was kept because Kartik hasn’t had a lot of luck in the one day games this season. Ed (Smith) did the right thing by taking him out of the attack when he did, as they might have taken the game away from us had he continued.”

As for Nicholas Compton bowling, Cupidore said, “Nick was only cleared to play late last week. But he’s shown that he’s willing to bowl more often and you saw that he did a very good job of containing the batsmen today. He may not have picked up any wickets, but he stemmed the flow of runs nicely and that’s what was required of him at the time. As he keeps getting more experience, I expect him to be a useful bowler.”

As for the batting, Cupidore said that, “Strauss looks like he’s found himself again and he showed what he can do when he has a good day. We didn’t get as much runs as I really liked, but we defended our total well. In the next match we’re aiming to go above five runs an over without risking too much.”

Cupidore did not answer any further questions. Middlesex next play Yorkshire in the county Championship in two days, while their next Pro40 fixture is on the 17th.

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12th August 2009

Yorkshire vs. Middlesex – County Championship, Division 2

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, N Compton, E Joyce (vc), B Godleman, B Scott, D Nash (wk), T Murtagh, M Kartik, C Silverwood, S Finn

Yorkshire: J Rudolph, M Vaughan, A Rashid, R Pyrah, J Sayers, D Wainwright, A Gale, G Brohpy (wk), T Humphries, M Lawson, L Woodward

Forecast: Overcast all day, with a chance of rain in the morning session. Skies should clear up in the afternoon but get cloudier as the day draws to a close.

Pitch Report: Good, even bounce with good carry to the keeper. There is talk about a thin layer of dust on the surface, bringing the spinners into contention very early on. The outfield is still wet from rain that fell just a few hours ago.

Toss: Yorkshire, who chose to field. Ed Smith: “It was a good toss to lose, as there seems to be something in it for everyone at the moment. The pitch may start behaving badly later on in the match and they’ll have to bat last so I think it would be a challenge in the third and fourth innings on this track.”

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Report: Strauss looked quite fluent from the outset. He got both himself and Middlesex off the mark with a good boundary that clattered into the advertising boards after one bounce. Not much seemed to test the batsmen early on, but Humphries managed to get an edge from Smith that flew to second slip, who took a good low catch.

Strauss went soon thereafter without adding to the score. Joyce came in and worked the ball into the gaps but soon fell for 20 and suddenly Middlesex were three down with the score under a hundred. Compton, playing his first Championship match after injury, looked as if he had never left, stroking the ball sweetly to all parts of the ground and even out of it on two occasions. Middlesex went to lunch with the score on 132 for 3, Compton looking good on 47 and Godleman keeping him good company on 31.

Middlesex came back out and Compton immediately went about posting his seventh half century of the season, and one that would mean a lot to him after returning from injury. At the other end, Godleman registered his fifty as well. Compton eventually went for 80 but his contribution to the team upon returning from injury was definitely noted.

Godleman looked as if he was headed for another first class century, but he fell at 94 to a very good catch at silly point. His disappointment at his shot was very noticeable as he walked back to the pavilion, but he received a light round of applause as he made his way back to the dressing room.

With the spinners on and the outfield slow, Scott and Nash just worked the ball into the gaps and ran the singles. Boundaries were very rare and Scott fell just before tea while trying to get the scoreboard moving along. Murtagh came into the middle but left to a first ball duck, bowled by a very good delivery. Kartik came in and showed some of his capability with the bat, holding off the bowlers with Nash until tea.

Middlesex came back from the tea break but Nash fell lbw to Rashid after only a few minutes out at the crease. Silverwood came out to join Kartik but with Yorkshire taking the new ball, it was only a matter of time before the tail went cheaply. Middlesex eventually had their last wicket fall, Silverwood going lbw to Woodward.

End of Middlesex innings: 328/10, B Godleman 94, N Compton 80, A Rashid 3-109, T Humphries 2-55

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Middlesex would have been looking to take at least one wicket in the 45 minutes they had to bowl at Yorkshire, but that did not happen and Yorkshire went in at the end of the day without a wicket having fallen.

End of day 1: Derbyshire 42/0, J Rudolph 20, M Vaughan 14, S Finn 0-14, C Silverwood 0-24
Derbyshire trail by 286 runs

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Day 2: Finn and Silverwood continued bowling at the start of the day. Finn managed to get Rudolph to get a top edge that just evaded the running cover fielder and went to the boundary. Silverwood trapped Vaughan on the back foot right in front and Vaughan departed for 18. Finn used the same tactics and he managed to get Rashid out lbw in the very next over.

The bowling spell continued to go right for Middlesex and Rudolph got one in Silverwood’s next over that he tried to play through point but all he could do is chop the ball onto his own stumps.

Eventually, however, the two opening bowlers needed to rest and Murtagh and Kartik came onto bowl. Murtagh struck the batsman in front and had a very close lbw decision go against him but the batsmen soon relaxed themselves and played themselves in until Kartik got Pyrah lbw for 58 with the score on 162. Yorkshire went to lunch with the score on 184 for the loss of 5 wickets, Sayers looking fine on 64 not out.

Sayers continued to score his runs after the interval, as his partner Wainwright found the runs as well. Sayers looked set to score a century, but he fell to a good catch at midwicket when he was on 92. Middlesex took the new ball but it took a few overs before it paid off for them, Wainwright falling with the score on 293 in the last over before tea.

Silverwood and Finn continued with the new ball after the break, with Silverwood getting an edge from Gale that went neatly into the gloves of Nash. Finn was no slouch either, bowling Brophy comprehensively for only 5. Silverwood, seemingly wanting to outdo his bowling partner, bowled Humphries with a devastating inswinging Yorker that knocked the leg stump out of the ground. The last wicket also fell to Silverwood, and Yorkshire’s innings was over, just four runs before they would get another batting point.

End of Yorkshire innings: 346/10, J Sayers 92, D Wainwright 80, C Silverwood 5-108, S Finn 2-103
Yorkshire lead by 18 runs

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Middlesex had about 40 minutes to negotiate before the close of play on the second day, and Yorkshire’s bowlers would have definitely be looking to get a breakthrough. That breakthrough did come after only a few overs, Smith falling lbw to Woodward for 11. Everyone seemed surprised when Compton walked out to the crease instead of a night watchman but he quickly alleviated their fears by getting off the mark with a push past mid on with his very first delivery. Middlesex closed the day after going past Yorkshire and looking to build a lead of their own.

End of day 2: Middlesex 46/1, A Strauss 17*, N Compton 16*, T Humphries 0-19, R Pyrah 0-2
Middlesex lead by 28 runs

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Day 3: Compton fell early, with midwicket taking an easy catch. Strauss continued to look good, and brought up his half century in the middle of the session with Joyce giving him good support. Strauss ran himself out on 58, going for a single that definitely was never on and found himself about a yard short of his crease.

Joyce continued to play well, bringing up his own fifty off of 87 deliveries. Middlesex went to lunch on 178 for 3, leading by 160 runs with Joyce on 59.

Joyce picked up the scoring after the interval, dispatching the ball to the boundary with relative ease. At the other end, Godleman showed that he knew where the boundary was as well, clearing it with a flat six over third man. Joyce, not to be outdone, responded to this by hitting Rashid for 16 runs in one over, ending with a six back past the bowler’s head.

Humphries could not be hit away as easily, however, and Joyce fell lbw to him for 91, nine short of a century. Godleman was in by this time, however, and he seemed unaffected by the loss of his batting partner, bringing up his fifty with a four through the onside. Following this was a period of play where boundaries were hard to come by, but Godleman and new partner Scott batted their way through it and saw off the bowlers.

Yorkshire took the new ball with 25 minutes to go before tea and with the Godleman/Scott partnership threatening. This hardly affected them, however, and they worked the ball into the gaps and picked up the singles until tea. They went in at 305 for 4, leading by 287 runs and with Godleman 16 runs away from what would be the first century of the match.

Scott returned from the break and immediately began hitting the ball everywhere as Godleman kept rotating the strike to give the more aggressive Scott the bulk of the deliveries. When Godleman hit 95, however, Scott gave him the strike and he brought up his century with a neat four past Rashid. After missing out on a century by just 6 runs in the first innings, Godleman’s relief was apparent.

Scott was bowled by Wainwright’s first delivery of a new spell and Nash strolled to the crease and the intent was obvious as he hit a good boundary to get off the mark that Middlesex were close to declaring. They got the lead past 400 before they declared, Godleman being congratulated by his teammates as he walked into the pavilion.

End of Middlesex innings: 420/5 declared, B Godleman 130*, E Joyce 91, D Wainwright 1-57, L Woodward 1-85.
Yorkshire need 403 to win

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Yorkshire had a rough 15 minute period to negotiate before the close of play, but they managed to survive some very aggressive bowling and field placing to close the day on 13 without loss.

End of day3: Yorkshire 13/0, J Rudolph 9*, M Vaughan 4*, S Finn 0-9, C Silverwood 0-4
Yorkshire need 390 to win

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Day 4: The final day’s play began and Middlesex looked confident that they can bowl Yorkshire out within the day and seize the 14 points.

Vaughan, however, looked like he had other plans in mind, hitting Finn for six backward of square in the very first over of the day. Finn could do nothing but watch the ball sail over the rope and into the stands.

Silverwood had better luck, setting Rudolph up by bouncing him for three balls in a row before bowling a fuller, straighter delivery. Rudolph was caught on the back foot as he tried to force the ball away, and the catch went to the gully fielder, taking it comfortably at just under waist height.

Rashid came in and announced his presence with a boundary off of his first delivery but Silverwood tightened his line and cramped Rashid for room. He was bowled through his legs as he tried to work the ball away and Silverwood had his second wicket.

Finn, meanwhile, found his line and kept his level of aggression up to both batsmen but especially to Vaughan, forcing an edge from him that flew only inches past the diving point fielder and to the boundary. In his next over, Vaughan got one that bounced awkwardly and hit the shoulder of the bat and spooned right back to Finn during his follow through. He moved quickly to his right and juggled it once before holding onto the catch. An elated Middlesex captain Smith ran to congratulate his bowler and Yorkshire found themselves 3 down for only 41.

Finn seemed unstoppable in this spell, bowling an almost perfect delivery that did everything right except get the edge of the bat to the new batsman only two balls after he came out to the middle. While Silverwood kept things tight with a steady line and length, Finn varied his length well and got himself yet another wicket in his next over, hustling Pryah into a shot that caught the edge and flew to point, where it was well caught inches away from the turf by Compton.

Silverwood’s display of excellent line and length got him another wicket as well, drawing Sayers into pushing for a ball slightly wider outside the off stump and the edge went to first slip and was caught comfortably by Scott.

By the time first change bowler Murtagh delivered his first ball, Finn and Silverwood had removed half of the Yorkshire team. Murtagh and Joyce continued showing the sort of discipline that went before them, with Murtagh’s first 5 overs containing 4 maidens and the other conceding 4 runs. Joyce had bowled 4 overs for 9 runs with 1 maiden himself.

Murtagh’s first delivery of his sixth over moved in sharply off the seam and trapped Gale in front and Middlesex could almost taste their victory. Exactly two overs later Murtagh struck in a very similar fashion, this time removing Wainwright via lbw. Yorkshire went to lunch reeling on 96 for 7, still 307 behind with two sessions to go.

Finn and Silverwood resumed bowling after the break, and Finn struck 10 minutes after the interval, bowling a quick delivery that struck in line and was definitely going on to hit off stump. Finn kept his pace and fullish length up and bowled a straight yorker that trapped Lawson in front for only 7. Middlesex were one wicket away from a win.

It did not take much longer, Silverwood doing the job in the very next over and Middlesex wrapped up a sweet victory by dismissing Yorkshire for a meager 132.

End of Yorkshire innings: 132/10, T Humphries 24*, M Vaughan 21, C Silverwood 4-47, S Finn 4-53
Middlesex win by 270 runs
Man of the match: B Godleman

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Middlesex quicks demolish Yorkshire

16th August, 2009

Middlesex’s quick bowlers went right through the Yorkshire batting lineup in the final innings of their match to post a very convincing 270 run victory for the Crusaders. Ryon Cupidore brought Murali Kartik back into the side as Chris Peploe went out after a slightly expensive performance in their last fixture. However, the focus was not on him. In fact, he did not even bowl a ball in the second innings, the quicks doing all the damage.

Chris Silverwood kept things consistent with his line and length, allowing Steven Finn to vary things a little. Between the two of them, they took 15 of the 20 Yorkshire wickets in the match.

Captain Ed Smith had nothing but praise for his team, “Our guys went out there and really played a great game. Everyone seemed to fire and our bowlers really put on an exceptional show, getting them out cheaply and giving us a good victory.”

Coach Ryon Cupidore, who has come under a lot of fire for some of his decisions, was all smiles at the press conference. “There is no doubt that we have a talented team. It’s about finding the right balance and working with it. We had a great game. Everyone contributed to the victory. There will be times when someone doesn’t have a good game. And it’s up to me and the rest of the coaching staff to pull that player aside and have a chat with him.”

When asked about potential changes to the team for the upcoming game against Worcestershire in the Pro40 league, Cupidore said, “You’ll have to wait until the game to see that one. But I will confirm that the core of the team will remain the same. We may make a few changes to the batting order, allowing some big hitters to come up the order. But it all depends on the state of the match at the time. Thank you.”