A Remote View
Good face for radio
By London Lark
April 23 2010
A report with a difference for Day 3, from someone not at game , yet described a she could have been there, in between other games and various distractions. Sounds like the perfect view.... Read on.
One compensation for not being at the cricket itself nowadays is the internet commentary, but I turned it on just after 11.00 only to find that while it was working there was no sound! Radio without sound is not good.
So I did the equivalent of a wicket walk – I thought I would try another commentary to see if it was me or the BBC not working. Could not quite bring myself to listen to Surrey so I wander of to Bristol to listen to the Sussex match and lo and behold a wicket falls at Northants. Hall’s a useful wicket and I assume it’s a good slip catch by Malan (it’s great what you can assume from a distance) now get the last five in good time please.
Sussex commentary is working fine; and the comment on the Bristol outfield is that itis bobbly with long grass; sound like their wicket is like that as well.
Try Kevin again and he is back with sound and having a complicated discussion with his sidekick DT about hay fever tablets. They are also discussingthe BBC report from yesterday, which says that Peters was impressive - apparently Kevin and DT don’t agree, and people spotting: Iain O’Brien is stil laround, which is nice from a team bonding point of view; Vinny Codrington is here with Richard Goatley – obviously Northants is the place to be. And John Carr, Andrew Strauss and Hugh Morris – were spotted having dinner last night – wonder what they were discussing.
At that point nothing much is going on on the field but my next check on the scores produces a catch from Strauss to get Sales and then wickets seem to be fall reasonably regularly every time I go away. Wicket walks are obviously very effective from a distance, and Northants are very close to the follow on; from my remote view I think they must enforce it if they can, but probably won’t. Lunch is at 292/9 how close ist hat. Would the lunch break influence the follow on decision if we can get that last wicket straightaway?
Meanwhile Gloucester are 92-8 – surely something will happen about that pitch at Bristol; and will we will be able to roll them over as easily at Lord’s next week?
Errands after lunch mean I have to rely on the phone and see they have avoided the follow on, but are all out soon after. So the remote plan is – get lots of runs quickly today – set them around 400 or so and bowl them out tomorrow. Simples.
Five wickets I see for Evans – will make an interesting selection dilemma when Iain O’Brien is fit and Pedro Collins arrives.
Get back to spend an hour with Kevin and DT – we are 18-0 not exactly a racing start. But there are apparently a lot of balls that don’t need playing. DT is having a go at Northants negative bowling and then he describes a Strauss pull as “girlie hook” – what on earth is that!
Tea is approaching and the commentary suggests the game is drifting a bit – there is a bit of discussion about an article from Atherton suggesting – guess what: that some counties ought to be abolished! What is it about ex cricketers constantly criticising the game that gave them these careers.
Missed the action after tea until just before five when itis clear that Middlesex are on the charge and Newman is approaching a century,and the lead near 300. Could my remote plan be working?
Newman gets his 100 with a big pull and there is a huge cheer from the Middlesex balcony, sounds like a few other supporters in the ground as well. An excellent effects microphone on the radio almost make you feel as if you are there. Apparently Newman was dropped on 1, with an easy catch. On such things can careers turn.
It’s a very entertaining last hour on and off the field – Middlesex courtesy of Berg and Malan are having great fun and in between the sixes, fours,overthrows and general mayhem of Northants falling apart, the radio commentary has descended into very funny nonsense. (Sorry you had to be listening to appreciate it!) Almost beats being there!
Lorraine in the Middlesex office has just emailed the Sunday side – includes Tom Smith, and OwaisShah has obviously made it back from India. Adam London has hurt his finger and won’t play.
Middlesex declare with five overs to go: batting crisis - what batting crisis? and my remoteplan was obviously the perfect one. Shame there are no wickets tonight but itis all set up nicely for tomorrow if the bowlers fire. Simples.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:26:22:35:40 by BarmierKev.
At Bristol, there were 23 wickets on the first day of the Northamptonshire match and 20 on the first day of the Sussex match, yet in both matches it would appear the pitch got better as the third innings scores were 243 and 302 respectively. I'm not an expert on pitches, but I thought they and the match scores get worse as matches go on, so these third innings scores feel weird.
How comes Sunday's team news is available to radio listeners (of which I have to admit to seldom being one) but not on the official website or Facebook? It is great news that Ace is back and is nice that Smith is getting a go (with all the one-day cricket we have this season I am sure many fringe players can expect to get a game sooner or later). I hope London will be back for Tuesday's match.
Click here to read why I sensationally sacrificed the big bucks of Chelsea for the adventure of Watford
(image on left not representative of how relative my support of Watford is to my support of Middlesex)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:04:24:08:38:47 by BeefyRoberts.
Looking foreward to going again on saturday and seeing us get our season up and running.