Middlesex Crusaders: Into the future (a story)

[rishi]

nice game!

Keep the Middlesex flag flying high..

[qpeedore]

Of course!

Everything just went right in that last game for me, and I'm glad!

[qpeedore]

13th September, 2009

Cricinfo news

Crunch time for Middlesex

With only two more Championship matches to go this season, Middlesex are looking for a promotion spot to get themselves into Division 1 for next season. They are currently on 208 points, tied with Derbyshire but at the moment Derby would receive promotion above Middlesex due to them winning 9 games to Middlesex’s 7.

“It’s crunch time,” Middlesex coach Ryon Cupidore is quoted as saying, “The guys all know what they have to do and we did well in the last match, winning by an innings and 80 runs but if we want promotion we need to make sure that we score as many bonus points a possible. That may just be the key to us going ahead of Derby and gaining promotion to Division 1 next season.”

Cupidore also had more praise for his team’s captain and also for the returning Owais Shah, who scored 110 and 117 respectively in their last game, with Shah going on to win the man of the match award. “Smith and Shah did well against Essex, and it definitely gave us a huge platform where our bowlers could come and gets some wickets. Finny (Sean Finn) bowled brilliantly, and you see that we consider Joyce as a genuine all-rounder now. He’s definitely stepped his bowling up many times over and he’s doing a great job.”

When asked why he did not play a third specialist seamer in the team for the last game, Cupidore said, “To be honest we knew that Owais was going to play. He had a great series with England and even before that he was great for us at the start of the season. At the moment all of our top and middle order seem to be firing well, so why drop someone because he’s doing good? It doesn’t do much for the morale of the team when you make good scores and then all of a sudden you get dropped just because a guy is returning from international duty. Joyce bowls well and along with Finny and Silverwood, he can definitely clean up a team, as you saw.”

Cupidore took no further questions. The final two Championship games this season for Middlesex are at home against Yorkshire and away at Warwickshire. Derbyshire play Gloucestershire at home before going away to Yorkshire. Coincidentally, Yorkshire stands at the top of the table with 218 points and having to play the two teams who would want a win against them.

The Championship proves to be very exciting at the close of this season.

[qpeedore]

14th September, 2009

Middlesex vs. Somerset – Pro40 League, Division 1

Middlesex: A Strauss, E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce, B Godleman, D Nash (wk), R Martin-Jenkins, C Peploe, D Evans, A Richardson

Somerset: M Mitchell, T Moss, J Hildreth, P Trego, G Hawking, M Trescothick, C Kieswetter (wk), O Banks, A Thomas, P Jones, M Munday

Forecast: A cloudy day throughout, which may help the ball move around early on but the sun should peek through in the late afternoon.

Pitch Report: Good, even bounce from this pitch. The ball will come onto the bat nicely and the batsmen will enjoy themselves out there.

Toss: Middlesex, who chose to bat. Ed Smith: “It’s good conditions out there for batting, and we’re looking to get a decent total out there. At the worst we’ll have to play for our spot in the top Division, but that’s okay.”

[qpeedore]

Report: Middlesex decided to give some different players a game, as the season was drawing to a close and they needed to see who looked hopeful for next season. The entire bowling attack had been replaced, with the batting relatively constant. Middlesex seemed to be looking for some new bowlers for next season.

Middlesex started well, scoring 10 off of the first over. They settled after that and proceeded to score in singles and twos with the occasional boundary. Strauss fell for 25 in the 14th over, after the opening pair had made exactly fifty for the first wicket. Morgan came in and faced 22 balls, making 14 before he went lbw to Banks. Compton only made 6 before he departed and Middlesex found themselves 83 for 3. When Smith fell in the next over, things looked grim.

Joyce and Godleman steadied things somewhat, however, Joyce scoring an even fifty off of only 48 balls and featuring in an 80 run partnership with Godleman before the innings ended after the 40 overs.

End of Middlesex innings: 169/4, E Joyce 50*(48), E Smith 39(67), P Jones 2-24(5), O Banks 1-31(8)
Somerset need 170 runs at 4.2 per over

[qpeedore]

All eyes were on Richardson, who had started the season off in the First XI team but was dropped after some rather ordinary performances in favour of Finn. He needed to impress and possibly claim a spot next season. He bowled a maiden first up, keeping a good line and length and forcing the batsman to play at the ball.

Evans at the other end had more pressure on him. This was his first game of the season in the top XI despite being consistent in the Second XI squad. Only three runs came off of his over, the batsmen keeping themselves in check as they observed him closely.

Richardson’s second over was less impressive, going for all of 14 runs. Evans also went for runs in his second over, the batsmen taking 9 off of him. After a rather expensive opening spell of 10 overs, Smith took the pair off and brought in Martin-Jenkins, who struck in his first over, getting Moss lbw for 26.

Mitchell entered the 40s and looked fine before being bowled by Martin-Jenkins two overs later. He went for 42.

The Middlesex experiment did not really work well and Somerset cruised to victory in the 37th over.

End of Somerset innings: 172/2, J Hildreth 52*(78), P Trego 51*(67), R Martin-Jenkins 2-28(8)
Somerset win by 8 wickets

[qpeedore]

15th September 2009

Cricinfo news

Middlesex coach bashed for selections

Middlesex coach Ryon Cupidore has come under a lot of negative scrutiny after changing his team’s entire bowling attack for their last game against Somerset, losing by 8 wickets.

“At the worst we’d have ended up in the playoff and here we are. Experiments are done. Sometimes they work. This wasn’t one of those times.” Cupidore said after the match.

“The guys had no pressure on them as I have all the confidence that they will succeed in the playoff and remain in the top division. They were told to go out there and just keep trying new things.”

Cupidore’s detractors have cited this last match as another example of why former coach Toby Radford should be recalled to his spot at the head of the First XI coaching team. Middlesex now play Warwickshire in the playoff match but first they have the Championship to worry about, where they will hope to take maximum points against Division 2 top team Yorkshire.

Cupidore has not yet released the list of the squad who will play in that game.

[qpeedore]

School starts again for me tomorrow so I may not be able to update as often as I'm doing now (university degree...not easy). But I have games fully written up until the third Championship game next season, so this won't end. Definitely not.

[rishi]

All the best mate!!
Ryon Cupidore neds some rest.. to fous on very important matches ahead [:d]
(i knw uve already played thm) But the story is very interesting!!

[qpeedore]

17th September 2009

Middlesex vs. Yorkshire – County Championship, Division 2

Middlesex: E Smith ©, E Morgan, O Shah, N Compton, E Joyce, B Godleman, B Scott (wk), R Martin-Jenkins, M Kartik, C Silverwood, S Finn

Yorkshire: M Vaughan, R Pyrah, A Rashid, T Bresnan, D Wainwright, J Dowland, G Balance, G Brophy (wk), T Humphries, M Hoggard, L Woodward

Forecast: A cloudy day on the first day but the sun should be out all day on the second day before going back behind the clouds for the rest of the match.

Pitch Report: On the surface it looks like a good batting pitch but things seem like they could get poor for the batsmen very quickly. The bowlers would have to work for their wickets, however it seems like good line and length could be rewarded despite the batsmen being able to score.

Toss: Middlesex, who chose to field. Ed Smith: “We didn’t really know what to make of this pitch but after talking it over we decided to bowl first. It looks like a good pitch and we’ll have to work, but we think it would gradually degenerate and make things hard after the first few overs or so.”

[qpeedore]

Report: With the Middlesex experiment all but over, only Martin-Jenkins remained in the team after a rather ordinary performance in the Pro40 match. Strauss was left out, no reason given for that.

Silverwood kept things tight in the first over, only letting one run come off of him, but it was Finn who struck first, getting Pyrah to feather one to the keeper after pitching the first three ball full and on the stumps before delivering a good bouncer that caught him in two minds.

A very good opening spell from the two bowlers ended after 14 overs, causing the two batsmen a lot of problems but they negotiated it well. With most of the swing from the new ball gone, Vaughan dug his heels in and started to play his shots, soon getting to fifty. At the other end Rashid was giving him good support but Martin-Jenkins got Rashid to hit one to midwicket and he left for 39 with the score on 99.

Yorkshire went to lunch with the score on 133 for 2, Vaughan looking good on 76.

After lunch Vaughan returned with more of the same, getting into the nineties and definitely looking in good touch. He went on to post his hundred with a sweetly timed four through the onside but only made 2 more runs before Finn got him to edge to the keeper. Wainwright came in and hit his first two balls for a boundary each before he was caught on the back foot for a plumb lbw.

Bresnan posted his fifty without much fuss about it and carried on doing as he was doing already, working the ball around and hitting the bad ones away. It took a very good delivery from Martin-Jenkins to do him in, coming back in off of the seam and taking the top of off stump. Martin-Jenkins went on to remove Balance via lbw for only two and Yorkshire’s strong position slipped. They went to tea on 241 for 6.

Middlesex took the new ball just after tea and it took only two overs before it paid off, Brophy fending one to short leg who took a good catch. Finn bowled Humphries three overs later for one 1. Meanwhile, Dowland had worked his way into the 40s and looked set to make a half century. He registered it with a boundary and looked elated, his first ever half century at this level.

Yorkshire closed the day without losing another wicket.

End of day 1: Yorkshire 326/8, J Dowland 71*, M Hoggard 11*, S Finn 4-81, R Martin-Jenkins 3-67
Yorkshire lead by 326 runs

[qpeedore]

Day 2: Finn struck in the first over of the day, bowling Hoggard comprehensively to take his fifth wicket and his second consecutive five-for. Silverwood then had Dowland lbw in the next over and Yorkshire closed their innings.

End of Yorkshire innings: 330/10, M Vaughan 102, J Dowland 71, S Finn 5-85, R Martin-Jenkins 3-67
Yorkshire lead by 330 runs

[qpeedore]

Middlesex started to chip away at the lead very slowly, but soon started playing shots, especially Morgan. Morgan survived a run out appeal in the 16th over, but the replays showed that he was well home.

Smith was bowled by Rashid for 22 and Shah came out to join Morgan to a good ovation from the home crowd. Morgan continued to look well and Middlesex held off the bowlers until lunch, going in on 89 for 1 with Morgan on 48.

Morgan posted his fifth fifty of the season two overs after the break and looked set to go even further but he was well caught in the ring on 66. Compton came to the middle and was immediately tested by Hoggard, who even got him to edge one that flew through the gap between the two slips and to third man.

Hoggard was definitely bowling well, getting the ball to come back into the batsmen and testing them more than once. He got Shah to play and miss several times, drawing gasps from most of the fielders. Shah was very happy to see him out of the attack but he soon fell to Rashid, who was also bowling very well.

Woodward bowled Compton in the next over and Middlesex found themselves in a little bit of trouble. When Joyce went for 15, Middlesex definitely needed players to just stay at the crease. Godleman tried to do that but he could not resist trying to hit Hoggard over the top and the result was a simple catch to mid on.

Middlesex went to tea on 226 for 6, still 104 behind.

Scott and Martin-Jenkins stemmed the flow of wickets after the break, their partnership reaching fifty with about an hour to go in the day. It did not have a chance to go much past that however, as Bresnan got Scott to edge one to second slip, who took a good catch moving to his right. Kartik fell two balls later, in much the same manner, without scoring.

Silverwood batted well with Martin-Jenkins, taking the singles to give his partner the strike but also scoring runs himself in the few balls that he did face. Between them they managed to bring the lead down to only ten by the close of play.

End of Day 2: Middlesex 320/8, R Martin-Jenkins 48*, C Silverwood 20*, M Hoggard 2-100, A Rashid 2-97
Middlesex trail by 10 runs

[qpeedore]

Day 3: Silverwood fell early on in the day, but for a well played 26 as part of a 64 run partnership between himself and Martin-Jenkins.

Middlesex had a double reason to celebrate when Martin-Jenkins brought up his fifty, as that single also took them into the lead. The innings ended soon thereafter, however, with Finn edging one to the keeper, leaving Martin-Jenkins unbeaten.

End of Middlesex innings: 336/10, E Morgan 66, R Martin-Jenkins 51*, A Rashid 4-106, L Woodward 2-34
Middlesex lead by 6 runs

[qpeedore]

There would be no repeat of Vaughan’s first innings, as he was bowled off of the last ball of the first over for a duck by Silverwood. Rashid and Pyrah played well, however, and they hit the change bowlers for over 5 an over, going to lunch on 71 for 1.

Martin-Jenkins struck in the first over after the break, getting Rashid to hit one to square leg. Joyce then got rid of Pyrah in the next over, hitting to leg slip as he tried to work it behind square but coming off of the edge of the bat. The first change bowlers were having the last laugh.

Wainwright got a few good ball at first but he waited for his chance and it soon came, and he launch Joyce over mid off for a big six. Joyce came back well in the next over, however, only letting one run be scored.

Kartik got the next wicket, getting Bresnan to pop one into the air off of a defensive push. Wainwright entered the 40s and Dowland looked like he was ready to pick up from his first innings score. Wainwright registered his fifty off of 84 deliveries with a good boundary through the covers.

It was Finn who removed Wainwright for 67, the ball flying straight to backward point. Yorkshire went to tea on 201 for 5 with the match very even to that point.

Dowland posted his second fifty of the match after the break and continued to look in great touch in what should turn out to be a great career for the young player.

Martin-Jenkins reacted quickly in his follow through as the batsmen attempted to go for a quick single. He fielded well off of his own bowling and knocked the striker’s end stumps over with a direct hit to find Balance short of his ground.

Middlesex took the new ball but it took 5 full overs before Brophy was bowled off of the first ball of the sixth over by Martin-Jenkins, who was also having a great match. Yorkshire held off the bowlers until the close of play, with things still very close.

End of day 3: Yorkshire 286/7, J Dowland 80*, T Humphries 9*, R Martin-Jenkins 2-45, S Finn 1-63
Yorkshire lead by 280 runs