Middlesex Crusaders: Into the future (a story)

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Day 3: It took almost 40 minutes before Middlesex got the ninth wicket, finally getting Dowland lbw for 86. Finn then had Humphries caught at second slip before Martin-Jenkins dismissed Hoggard to wrap up the innings.

End of Yorkshire innings: 307/10, J Dowland 86, D Wainwright 67, R Martin-Jenkins 4-55, S Finn 2-74
Middlesex need 302 to win

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With a total that was not impossible but would be challenging, Middlesex needed to score their runs at a decent rate in order to win this match. They started off well, not defending as usual, but looking to score at every opportunity without taking too much risk.

Morgan was definitely the one who scored at a quicker rate, reaching 40 by the time lunch arrived while his partner had only reached 26 off of an almost equal amount of balls faced. Middlesex went into the pavilion on 68 for none, still 234 to win and two full sessions to go.

Rashid bowled his first over of the innings after lunch and got quite a lot of turn from the pitch, almost surprising the batsmen but they saw off the over. Morgan reached his fifty a few overs later, his second of the match. He continued to look good, even hitting Hoggard for 14 in one over, which included a six over midwicket.

At the other end, Smith fell to the sharp turn that Rashid was getting, edging one to the keeper that spun a lot. Morgan did not seem to notice, as he continued hitting his shots. He soon overtook the amount of balls he had faced but slowed down near the hundred, posting it at exactly a run a ball.

Shah was no slouch either, hitting his boundaries and scoring at a fast pace also. When Morgan went for 112, Shah took over with the hitting, and soon posted his fifty off of 65 balls.

At the other end there was less luck for Compton, who was bowled by Hoggard for only 9 just a minute before tea. Middlesex went in on 238 for 3, with 64 runs needed in the final session to win the game.

Shah continued to play but Joyce fell for only 1 in the second over after the interval, edging to first slip. Godleman came in but only lasted a few deliveries before he had to make his way back to the pavilion as well.

Scott came in and stuck around, however, allowing Shah to concentrate on scoring runs instead of trying to farm the strike to protect his partners. He made his second century in as many games and fittingly, hit the winning runs.

End of Middlesex innings: 303/5, E Morgan 112, O Shah 106*, A Rashid 3-95, M Hoggard 2-91
Middlesex win by 5 wickets
Man of the match: E Morgan

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21st September 2009

Cricinfo news

Tense final round in County Championship

With just one game to go in the County Championship, tension is high in Division 2 as only three points separate the top three. The fight is for one of the coveted top two spots, which would mean promotion to Division 1 for next season, but it is very close.

At the moment Middlesex are at the top of the standings with 228 points. Just one point behind them is Derbyshire, on 227. Two points behind them are Yorkshire, on 225. Yorkshire were at the top of the standings until they faced Middlesex in their last game. But it could be anybody’s guess as to who will be promoted. In theory, any two of these three teams could go upward.

The odds are on Middlesex to advance, however, as they take on 8th placed Warwickshire in the final round. Coincidentally, they will also play Warwickshire in their Pro40 playoff just a few days before that match.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire and Yorkshire have to play each other in what may be the most important game of the season. Still, even a draw between them and a loss for Middlesex will see Derby and Yorkshire advance while Middlesex stay down. It will be very difficult to say for sure who will advance. What is definite is that one of the three teams will not be going to Division 1 after a very close season.

The final round promises to be tense.

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21st September 2009

Warwickshire vs. Middlesex – Pro40 League playoff

Warwickshire: K Hutchinson, I Westwood, I Bell, J Troughton, D Maddy, N Poonia, T Frost (wk), A Botha, N Tahir, W Rankin, T Henshaw

Middlesex: E Smith ©, E Morgan, N Compton, E Joyce, B Godleman, D Nash, B Scott (wk), D Baker, M Kartik, C Silverwood, S Finn

Forecast: A good day for cricket. Conditions are not ideal, but there would be enough sun to ensure that there is a full day’s play.

Pitch Report: With even bounce and a lightning fast outfield, things look grim for the bowlers in this match but cricket is a strange game sometimes. Still, bat first.

Toss: Middlesex, who chose to bat. Ed Smith: “We’re definitely looking to go out there and pile on the runs. Things got a little closer than we would have liked and our net run rate brought us to this point, but we have no doubt that we’ll get a good total and then we’ll see what happens when they bat.”

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Report: Martin-Jenkins was dropped in favour of the uncapped Baker, who has had no first class experience thus far. There was talk of a little bit of fatigue for Martin-Jenkins, who really has done nothing else to deserve being dropped from the team. Shah also sat this one out and Nash came into the side.

Middlesex got off to an incredibly slow start, going at only two runs an over before Smith was bowled for only 9. Morgan started to pick up the scoring rate after his captain’s dismissal, however, and they went from 20 after ten overs to 70 after 20, with Morgan getting to fifty in fine style with a little nudge off of his hips and to fine leg.

Compton tried to keep up with Morgan but he went for only 15. Vice-captain Joyce came in and started hitting the ball all over the place, going at well more than a run a ball. He took only 36 balls to register a fine fifty that contained 7 fours. He did not stop there, however, carrying on with his strokeplay while Morgan, having been out there since the start of the innings, took the singles and doubles. Both men carried the innings to the end and received warm applause from the fans for their efforts.

End of Middlesex innings: 199/2, E Morgan 94*(123), E Joyce 77*(60), T Henshaw 2-35(8)
Warwickshire need 200 runs at 5.0 per over

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Boosted by a good performance near the end, Middlesex looked in good spirits when they took the field.

Silverwood started well, only leaking one run off of his first over. Finn could not be so successful, however, letting his first two overs go for 21 before Smith took him out of the attack. Baker came on but bowled 3 overs for 25 before Kartik found himself into the attack with the fielding restrictions still in place and Smith trying to set as defensive a field as possible.

Baker did redeem himself a little, however, taking a good catch to get rid of Westwood for 28. Hutchinson, on the other hand, had to work harder for his runs but he did not give up and the speed at which he had scored earlier in his innings meant that by the time he got to fifty, it was still at more than a run a ball. Joyce and Kartik had brought the run rate well down, however.

A huge mixup between the two batsmen led to Bell being run out almost halfway down the pitch and he went for only 8. Smith then decided to give Finn another chance and he came back well, keeping the runs down and getting the wicket of Troughton.

Silverwood returned to the attack for the final burst and immediately had Maddy caught at first slip. The last over saw the equation being 10 runs needed from 6 balls and with Hutchinson looking fine on 97.

He played the first ball to deep square leg for a well-run three to bring up his century. 7 from 5. Poonia promptly hit the next ball for four runs. 3 from 4 now. This situation seemed vaguely familiar to Middlesex as Silverwood ran in to bowl and Poonia tucked it away for a single. Hutchinson then played the ball into the gap for another single. 1 run, 2 balls. Silverwood ran into bowl and kept it full and straight, striking Poonia on the pads and appealing loudly but the finger stayed down. Replays showed a faint inside edge onto the pads. 1 from 1 now.

Silverwood ran into bowl and tried to play it to third man but the slip fielder immediately dived to his right and threw the ball to the keeper, who was up to the stumps, preventing the single.

The scores were tied, but Middlesex would win on the basis that they had more wickets remaining at the end of their innings. They looked appropriately relieved at the victory.

End of Warwickshire innings: 199/4, C Hutchinson 101*(109), J Troughton 36(42), E Joyce 1-36(8), C Silverwood 1-39(8)
Middlesex win on wickets remaining and remain in Division 1 of the Pro40 League

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2 wickets down and you only set 200 to win? Not a good pitch to bat on?

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Good batting pitch but the batsmen didn't score even with aggression one away from max.

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Ooh, I hate that. I use Phil Mustard as an opener. I had his bars set to 7, and he scored 14 from 48 balls! I think he was using a stick of celery to hit the ball!

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24th September 2009

Warwickshire vs. Middlesex – County Championship, Division 2

Warwickshire: K Hutchinson, I Westwood, I Bell, T Ambrose (wk), J Troughton, S Hole, I Trott, A Both, N Tahir, T Henshaw, J Anyon

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

Forecast: The sun would be fighting with the clouds all game, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. Rain may threaten but not for too long hopefully.
Pitch Report: Much like the pitch of a few days ago, this one has good bounce and should come onto the bat nicely. There may be something in it for bowlers who put it in the right places, but it still looks like a good pitch to bat on.

Toss: Middlesex, who chose to bat. Ed Smith: “This is the last game of the season and we definitely want to go out on a winning note and see if we can get promoted. But before all of that we have a game to play and we’ll be playing our regular game.”

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Report: Godleman had suffered a back injury that forced him out of action for this game but it allowed Strauss to come back into the team while Martin-Jenkins comes back as well. Smith had only 17 runs to go in order to become the season’s top scorer, the injury to Jacques Rudolph coming at a bad time.

Smith would not get the chance to score his runs in the first innings, however, falling lbw for only 1 run. Morgan came in and immediately showed that he was a man in form, getting off the mark with a four. Strauss looked good until he hit one right back to Botha for an easy caught and bowled that saw him going for 43. Morgan had no such problems in getting to his fifty, now his third consecutive first class fifty and his fourth consecutive in all matches. He fell in the last over before lunch for 66, looking a little angry with himself at his dismissal. Middlesex went to the break on 128 for 3.

After the break Joyce seemed to carry on where he left off against the same team in the playoff match, looking good as he played his shots. At the other end, Shah got to his fifty, his amazing first class season getting even better despite it drawing to a close.

It did not take Joyce much longer to register his fifty as well, bringing it up with a single to mid on. Both shah and Joyce then started hammering the ball all over the place, with shah bringing up his century with a boundary that beat mid on. The batsmen did not even bother to run. They slowed down just before tea, giving the bowlers three overs that only went for eight runs. The ten overs before that had gone for 78 runs.

Middlesex went to tea on 313 for 3.

Warwickshire finally got the wicket they were searching for just after tea, with Henshaw bowling Joyce for 85. Compton came in but could only face 4 deliveries before the rain came and the umpires called for the covers. 41 minutes were lost to rain in total.

Shah survived a close run out appeal after the break for rain but replays showed he was just in. Warwickshire took the new ball and brought back on their main bowlers as they searched for another wicket but it did not seem to matter to Shah, who kept hitting the boundaries and brought up his 150 off of only 175 deliveries.

Warwickshire were not helped by some ordinary fielding, which gave Compton a life when he was on 17, the ball going straight to first slip and bursting through his hands. Compton settled himself with a six to show that he was more than happy for the dropped chance, while Shah kept on doing what he had been doing all season long, both for England and for Middlesex.

Compton was the man to watch, though. While Shah did hit the boundaries, it was Compton who showed no respect for the bowlers. Most batsmen would play defensively with two overs to go in the day but Compton instead hit two boundaries to bring up his fifty, at better than a run a ball. He did calm down in the last over, though, only scoring one run.

End of day 1: Middlesex 441/4, O Shah 181*, N Compton 54*, I Trott 0-35, J Anyon 0-97
Middlesex lead by 441 runs

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Day 2: Compton was bowled early in the day as he tried to play himself in but clearly he wanted to just hit boundaries instead of being forced to see how the pitch was playing on the new day. Scott came in and survived a close caught behind appeal but the ball had come off of his shoulder and not the bat. Like Compton, he took it upon himself to hit a six in order to calm himself down.

Shah entered the 190s but was bowled by a very good delivery on 192 and Warwickshire breathed a sigh of relief. Martin-Jenkins came in but was back in the pavilion first ball, hitting one right back to the bowler. When Scott was bowled two overs later, Middlesex would have felt that they let things slip a little.

The final two wickets hit some runs but eventually Middlesex closed their innings after what could be termed a collapse.

End of Middlesex innings: 508/10, O Shah 192, E Joyce 85, N Tahir 6-124, A Botha 2-78
Middlesex lead by 508 runs

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Warwickshire played relatively defensively until the lunch interval, going in on 18 for no loss.

It took Middlesex a while, but eventually the first wicket fell with the score on 59, Finn getting the dangerous Hutchinson lbw for 34. Westwood played well and soon reached fifty, showing good patience in his innings. Joyce almost had him caught on 65, but the man at backward point grassed it and Joyce looked understandably annoyed. When the man at short midwicket dropped Westwood again, this time off of Silverwood, Middlesex seemed deflated in the field. Warwickshire went to tea on 130 for 1.

Middlesex finally held onto a catch from Westwood after tea, finally getting him for 74. Ambrose came in but did not last long, falling lbw to Kartik for only 5. Bell looked good at the other end, however, and he definitely had to work for his runs but posted a very good fifty.

At the other end Martin-Jenkins bowled Troughton but Middlesex could make no further breakthrough into the batting and Warwickshire closed the day with four wickets down.

End of day 2: Warwickshire 207/4, I Bell 64*, S Hole 1*, R Martin-Jenkins 1-20, E Joyce 0-30
Warwickshire trail by 301 runs[/b]

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Day 3: The new ball was available one over into the day and Middlesex took it, but had to wait another 6 overs before the first breakthrough came, that of Bell, falling to Silverwood for a well-played 70.

It took another while for the next wicket, Martin-Jenkins getting Trott to edge to first slip for 17. At the other end, Hole batted sensibly and soon entered the 40s. He was running out of partners, however, with Martin-Jenkins getting Botha for only 9 and still 67 needed to avoid the follow on with 3 wickets in hand.

Hole made his fifty in the next over and tried to farm the strike. It worked well and no further wickets fell before lunch, where they went in on 307/7.

Finn got him in the next over after lunch, however, getting him to drive on the up and the ball taking a thick edge and flying to backward point. Henshaw came in and started to play shots, however, and the chance of a follow on was eventually negated. The tail wagged for quite a long time, with Tahir even getting his first ever half century, but eventually Warwickshire were dismissed.

End of Warwickshire innings: 398/10, I Westwood 74, I Bell 70, M Kartik 3-59, R Martin-Jenkins 3-70
Middlesex lead by 110 runs

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Smith would not be getting the award for most runs in the season, falling for only 11, so close but still short of the mark. Morgan came out to join Strauss and the two saw things through until tea.

Strauss fell soon after the break, sending the ball straight to short midwicket for an easy catch. Shah came out and the pair of himself and Morgan seemed to frustrate the bowlers. Morgan posted his fifty is good time, with Shah not too far behind. Middlesex closed the day without losing another wicket and looked good going into the final day.

End of Day 3: Middlesex 137/2, E Morgan 60*, O Shah 40*, T Henshaw 0-34, N Tahir 2-20
Middlesex lead by 247 runs[/b]