Mexicans beat Dexicans

Hola gringos!

I am afraid it was the same old story at Lord’s tonight. Middlesex started both innings really well but could not sustain things, although funnily enough there were two or three overs when, had the rain set in at that point, we would have won.

Bumped into Fozzie and we tried to access Upper Tavern but were refused entry. Then Ged, once of this parish, said that his party were going up there so we tried another steward and were allowed up. It would be useful to sit under cover. Alas, we soon spotted Kev sitting in the third row. which was out in the open, so we were to get a bit wet later.

Inevitably, we lost the toss but were put into the field which might have been what we wanted. Our line-up had plenty of all-rounders, with Tom Smith at 11 but the bowling had an inexperienced look. Rayner opened the bowling with a tidy start and, after Davies had taken two fours off Crook H-Brown was bowled. Toby took the third over and got a wicket first ball, Davies caught by Simmo. In fact, Toby’s first two overs cost only four runs and Bergie and smudge also got wickets with their first balls. End of the powerplay 32-3, then Smudge got his wicket and then off for rain. Back on shortly for five balls but then off again.

It was looking good for us at this stsge

Surprisingly, when they started for a third time it was still a twenty over game. They didn’t lose another wicket. Spriegel and Wilson went sensibly to start with and only really accelerated in the last four overs. The first six wasn’t until the ninth over (Wilson off Smudge) and even in the fourteenth Crookie started with four dot balls. Still, 150 was a stiff-looking target.

It looked even harder after the first ball of the second over, Meaker bouncing Denly who hooked gently to deep square leg. If he had really tried to hit it he’d have got a six. As H-Brown rang the changes – first four overs bowled by four different gasmen – Nannes took the third and Stirling hit him for three fours and a two. In the fifth over (Meaker) Mala took two fours and in the sixth (Spriegel) Mala took two fours and Stirlo a six. So, our powerplay produced 53-1. Had it rained then, or in the next over or two, we would have won. Seaxe Man will remind you that the powerplay is often the most crucial part of a T20 innings: tonight was an exception. From the moment Mala was lbw to Batty in the eigth over we lost seven wickets for 22 runs, all to spinners. Battty got Stirlo (running down the wicket and round his legs) and Bergie (forward defensive) both bowled in consecutive balls and that was it. One word in defence of Buck – it looked like the rain was coming and he tried to clear long-on (only just failed) to get us back above the Vera.

In fact, we played on for another four and a half overs, including the sight of the opposition captain lobbing a few deliveries up in the air and inviting our batsmen to do the same: Simmo and Crookie both out for nought.

As late as the fifteenth over, now eight down, we had more runs than they had had at that stage (95/91) and I had not completely given up hope with Ollie and Toby timing it nicely and getting ready for the last four overs that never were.  I think that shows how much of a panic, frankly, we seemed to get into against the four spinners we faced. You could make the excuse of the weather and the need to get up above the rate but the point is we were well ahead of the rate and sensible cricket could have kept us there, having got to the point where we needed 86 to win with nine wickets in hand.

The crowd was only moderately sized given the weather but at least we got a game in and have not lost the money, as other counties have done. Scant consolation.