Middlesex cling on while Klinger falls

Fozie reports on a short but highly succesful day with diversions through  M.A.S.H, and the IPL and ending with Middlesex third in Division One.  

The final day of the game, and for once the forecast – cold and grey, but dry - suggested that we might get a full day’s play if the light held.  Ironically, although there were no interruptions the match was over by 3 p.m., with the great satisfaction of the Middle netting a win and 19 points.

Like many, I was taken by surprise by Saturday’s declaration, though I was pleased that Buck was clearly aiming for a win. RecallingEssexlosing 20 wickets in a day at Lords last season, I felt that it was certainly possible that we could take 18 Worcs wickets, given a full day and a good start.  Even so, the most likely outcome was that we would spend the day chiselling out bonus points on the way to an honourable draw.  So it was quite a surprise to be greeted in the Middlesex Room at 10.30 by Kimmy with the news that Worcs had declared on their overnight score of 45-2 and Middle had forfeited their second innings.  This turned everything on its head, and Worcestershire would start their second innings needing 283 for victory.

Full credit to both captains for daring to give up the chance of bonus points in a bid for victory, but my immediate feeling was that Middlesex were in a better position.  Our seam bowlers have been performing well and the conditions would be in their favour, while Worcs have only managed one score above 157 all season.  My guess is that their experience in avoiding relegation last season taught them the value of striving to make opportunities to win matches, even if that opens up the risk of defeat.

The start of play beckoned, and we made our way to huddle in the grandstand, where a reasonable number of diehards were braving the conditions to see Tim Murtagh and Steve Finn open the bowling to Mitchell and Klinger.  At this point I recalled that the TV series M*A*S*H had featured a Corporal Klinger who wore women’s clothing in an unsuccessful bid to be discharged due to insanity.  Sadly, Worcester’s Klinger never removed his  (very masculine) helmet, so there was no chance to establish whether there was any similarity. A later check on Cricinfo suggested not – although Corporal Klinger does seem to bear more than a passing resemblance to a certain MTWD moderator.  (ED - Make your own minds up here)

Anyway, I digress.  The openers started cautiously, with the only early chance being a possible run-out when Dex’s throw from gulley just missed the stumps.  However, the breakthrough came in the 9^th over with the score on 21 when Klinger shouldered arms to Murts and was adjudged LBW; and Murts struck again in his next over when Mitchell edged to Dawid Malan in the slips.  It must give the Lambeth Lara confidence that his bowling offers a second string to his bow, just in case his batting should ever fall on hard times.

The left-handed Moeen Ali looked nervous as Buck brought in four slips and a gulley, and he took 15 minutes to get off the mark.  At the other end Vikram Solanki was more confident, coming forward whenever possible but without finding many opportunities to score.  After an hour came the first bowling change with Gareth Berg replacing Finny, and it quickly paid dividends when in his second over Solanki pushed forward and was caught in the slips by Strauss.  At 35-3 it seemed that Worcestershire’s gamble had back-fired, and the situation soon became worse when after nine consecutive overs from the Nursery End by Murts, Toby Roland-Jones came on and immediately got rid of Ali, again snaffled at slip by Strauss after scoring just 1 in 35 minutes.

This meant that two more young left-handers, Pardoe and Cameron, were together, and they began nervously before starting to play some shots.  Cameron took three boundaries in a Berg over that cost 15, and Finny too came in for some rough treatment when recalled in place of Toby. The score had doubled to 70 in quick time when Ice got some extra bounce and Pardoe edged to Simmo.  Enter Ben Scott to warm applause (and rather more than that from the Winsky region of the grandstand).  One could almost feel the relief emanating across the stand from Jonathan as his hero scampered a quick single to get off the mark, and to bring the score at lunch to 73-5.  An excellent morning’s work by the Middle, though there was a hint of drizzle in the air.

After a pleasant lunch in the warmth of the Middlesex Room, spent slagging off the IPL and proposals of franchise cricket, it was back to business in the cold outside.  The batsmen were looking to be aggressive, and Scott cover-drove consecutive boundaries.  But then Toby dismissed Cameron for a decent 30, and in the following over Murts won his duel with Ben Scott by bowling him for 13.  I thought at the time that a perfect day for Jonathan would probably beWorcesterall out for 150 with Ben Scott scoring 60 not out.  If so, half of that equation was to come about even if Ben couldn’t deliver his part.

Lucas quickly fell to another AC catch off Toby, and at 96-8 it looked as if the end was imminent, with tail-enders Kapil and Jones batting very tentatively.  But after a few overs Buck made an unexpected change and brought on AC to bowl his legspin, probably in an effort to improve the over rate which had stubbornly remained at -1 all day.  If that was the plan it worked, although Jones (who only seconds earlier had been unkindly compared by Dingy Bags to Corporal Jones of Dad’s Army) found AC rather more to his liking, with two sixes into the grandstand and lofted drives for fours – which did give rise to the alarming thought that the amount of time spent retrieving the ball might actually make the over rate even worse.  Jones generously allowed Kapil to monopolise the strike against Finny, only for Kapil to get in on the act himself with a scorching off-drive that was the best shot of the day.  The 50 partnership came up in quick time, but then Dex took a brilliant diving catch in the gulley to dismiss Jones.  Three balls later it was all over, as Finny bowled Alan Richardson and Worcs were all out for 150.  It was a nice moment to see these two fine bowlers embrace at the end.

Thus Middle won by 143 runs, with another good all-round performance by the seam attack, who shared the wickets around.  Credit, too, to the fielding, especially the close catchers who didn’t miss a chance.  So, again, another shortened day at the cricket - only this time there were no complaints.  Third in the table, two wins from four matches – and two wins more than Lancashire,DurhamandWorcesterhave achieved to date.  I think that at the start of the season we would have happily settled for that.