Keeping Up With The Rowland Joneses Wickets
Bowled Him
By Harringay Racer
July 22 2010
Day 1 at Uxbridge. We start with the not so easy travel experience of our reporter. Then there are some excellent pictures to accompany a report that captures an entertaining day cricket with mixed fortunes for Middlesex. This is really worth a read, or failing that try a scan of photos showing the moment of impact of Middlesex wickets.
Living, as I do, in Southgate and not
owning a car Uxbridge games require an early start. Today I had to start
even earlier to pick up a repeat prescription from my GP and visit the
local pharmacy to get it dispensed. Mission duly accomplished I caught
the Piccadilly Line just after 9am. Approaching Finsbury Park things
started to move slowly. At Finsbury Park we waited for what seemed like
an eternity as the whole of the Victoria Line platform joined our train
to escape ‘severe delays’ on that line. We then inched to Kings
Cross. The driver kindly left the PA on while he received a message
from control that trains had to approach Kings Cross slowly because
of overcrowding on the platforms there due to the Victoria Line platforms.
Changing to the Met line (that’s the quicker route when everything’s running properly) snag number two became apparent. Strike action meant that the Met line was running a reduced service to Uxbridge. Eventually the Uxbridge train arrived and we reached our destination without further ado at about 10:40. A brisk walk up the hill saw me in my seat in plenty of time for the start.
Meanwhile players warming up
Dexy won the toss and elected to bowl
first on a pitch that looked as green as the outfield was brown.
The ECB three were all included in the starting line up and, interestingly
John Simpson was listed on the card to open. Only five members of the
side from Bristol were included: Simpson, Dexter, Shah, Malan and Roland-Jones.
Strauss, Morgan, Udal, Finn, O’Brien and Berg replaced Newman, Robson,
Smith, Murtagh, Collins and Davey. The cynics near me suggested various
close of play scores. About the most optimistic of these was “400-1
with a run out”. Sussex gave a Championship debut to Lewis Hatchett.
Finn opened from the Gatting Way End. The first ball was wide down the leg side and helped on its way by Yardy for 4. O’Brien opened from the Pavilion End and his fifth ball had Yardy lbw for 6.
This brought Ed Joyce to the wicket and he and Chris
Nash survived a bit of seam movement (from Finn in particular) while
taking advantage of some full length deliveries that refused to swing.
The 50 came up in the 11th over without any undue alarms
and things were starting to look ominous. Roland-Jones and Berg then
took over the attack and the batsmen carried on serenely until Nash
lofted Roland-Jones to deep backward square leg where Berg held a difficult
catch made even more difficult by a collision with umpire Jeff Evans
en route. 81-2 in the 18th over, Nash out for 46.
Berg Catches Nash
This brought in Murray Goodwin and with his ;past record against us and Joyce with a point to prove the mood was not getting any more optimistic. Apart from one delivery from Finn that leapt at Goodwin I can’t recall any great alarms and lunch was reached at 142-2 (29 overs); Joyce 46no Goodwin 33no.
During lunch I met up with an old friend
who is still playing club cricket at age 47 or 48. He told me about
his new opening partner who recently achieved something I have never
heard of in any class of cricket: stumped after missing a square
cut. He observed that Roland-Jones was the only bowler consistently
hitting the right length. Just how shrewd this observation was became
apparent in the afternoon session.
Goodwin and Joyce carried on much as
before although Joyce did edge a four through the vacant third slip
region. In the 38th over Finn fell over in his follow through
for the first time. It therefore came as some surprise when Joyce clipped
O’Brien off his legs to Shah at midwicket for 85 (still not converting)
in the 40th over. This brought in yet another ECB escapee,
Matt Prior. He and Goodwin took the score to 259-3, aided by a hooked
six from Prior into the scorers’ tent – I don’t think they needed
the signal for that one –whereupon Goodwin hooked Finn to Roland-Jones.
Goodwin hooks Finn to TRJ
Things became even better in the following over when Roland-Jones bowled Prior. Suddenly 259-3 had become 259-5 after 56 overs.
TRJ bowls Prior
Toby Roland-Jones then took two wicket in successive balls, having Thornely caught by Strauss at slip and bowling an absolute pearler to Ollie Rayner that removed his off stump.
Thornley edges TRJ to slip
TRJ Bowls Raynor
2 wickets successive balls
This brought in Monty Panesar at the giddy heights of number 9 but he didn’t have to face the hat-trick ball as Rayner’s wicket fell at the end of the over. At the start of Toby’s next over Luke Wright calmly prevented the hat-trick. Tea was taken at 286-7.
Luke Wright was batting very sensibly,
interspersing good clean hits with sound defence and Monty carried on
from his career best at Hove until he was caught and bowled by Shaggy
at about the third juggle. Monty didn’t look happy but left for 9
out of a stand of 45.
Hatchett survived for 63 balls before
edging Finn to Strauss at slip for 20 (out of 53).
Hatchett man edges Finn to slip
This brought in Collymore and Wright quite reasonably decided that there was no point defending and went for all out attack. One slash off Finn was parried by slip and landed about a yard from the boundary and he reached an excellent hundred (96 balls) with a six (his third) from the last ball of the day to leave Sussex on 413-9.
Editors note - A massive thank you to Haringay Racer for your superb pictures and a report that captured an entertaining days cricket so well.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:07:25:15:45:07 by Ged.
Kimmy
Never again
