Taylor made finishing prevents even a Tye
Doom and Gloom
By Rogers and Out
July 30 2016
Rogers and Out presents a painful report on for the second day running how we contrived at the death to lose a game from a winning position. Thanks for not just copying and pasting comments from the previous days report for convenience.
Our dismal record against Gloucestershire in T20 continued as we contrived to lose by four wickets at Bristol on Friday. Whilst both teams had already qualified for the quarter finals, it was galling to lose in very similar fashion to the game the night before against Essex. Once again, it was our bowling at the death that let us down, although credit should also go to Jack Taylor, whose quick fire, unbeaten 44 runs saw the hosts over the line.
My train journey from Reading to Bristol Temple Meads had been uneventful, although I did have to take a nap in my hotel before setting out for the game due to over exuberance whilst watching the previous night's loss at Lord's. Suitably refreshed, I paid brief visits to both the Cornubia and the Bridge Inn before taking a taxi to Nevil Road.
We won the toss and elected to bat. In the only change to the line up from the Essex game, Dawid Malan was absent due to a groin injury and his place was taken by Steve Eskinazi, while captaincy duty fell to James Franklin.
Matt Taylor opened the bowling from the Pavilion end to Eski, and it was pie throwing heaven as he bowled a couple of wides with both openers taking comfortable boundaries as well. That over went for 12 runs, but sadly, it was by no means the worst bowling of day as will be described later.
Liam Norwell took the second over and Gubbo soon pulled him over mid wicket for six. His over went for ten and we were 22/0 after two.
After this early loose bowling, Gloucester looked to take the pace off the ball by employing van Buuren, who was unlucky to see Gubbins dropped on the square leg boundary. Gubbo rode his luck and pulled Norwell for another maximum, followed up by a straight six down the ground. Eski was also enjoying himself with a couple of fours and we reached the heady heights of 52/0 from five overs.
Andrew Tye bowled the sixth over and with his first ball, elicited a false shot from Gubbins and Phil Mustard, last seen playing for Durham second eleven at Arundel, pouched the skyed chance behind square.
Captain Franklin came in at number three as he had done the night before, and I'm still trying to work out why. By this time, the economical Benny Howell had come on to bowl and it was he that put Franco out of his misery by having him stumped by Mustard with the last ball of the eighth over.
In his next over, the redoubtable Howell secured a double wicket maiden by having Eski caught at third man by Norwell, and then getting a leg before decision against Bailey, which George did not seem too enamoured with.
From 52/0, we had slumped to 68/4 at the halfway point. Simmo and Ryan Higgins made a good effort to repair the damage but boundaries were proving difficult to find against the frugal Gloucester slow bowlers, one of whom was our old friend Tom Smith.
Simmo managed to flick the Seaford Plumber down the leg side for our first four in eight overs from the last ball of the thirteenth. The partnership reached 53 before Tye cleaned up Ryan, and thanks to some decent blows off the last over from Tye by Simmo and Toby, we managed to register a final total of 156/5, with the boy from Bury unbeaten on 40.
Although that total did not seem enough, the pitch was a used one (again, similar to Lord's the previous night) and I felt we had a chance if we bowled well.
Unfortunately, the first two overs went for 22 from first TR-J and then Finny. Three times the ball went to the boundary from Finn's over, and although one of these were for leg byes, he was guilty of bowling too short and Hamish Marshall despatched him with ease.
Worse was to follow in the third over bowled by James Harris. Although Marshall was run out after good work by Toby and Simmo when going for an unnecessary second run during this over, it was painful watching James bowl a series of wides resulting in a nine ball over that cost 15 runs.
The usually prolific Klinger was scratching around somewhat and had been already dropped by Sowter off the unfortunate Harris, when the young Australian made amends by having him caught by Finn via an injudicious reverse sweep from the last ball of the eighth over. Gloucester were now 63/2.
Ollie, Nathan and Franco were now in the attack and despite Cockbain being at the crease, the Gloucester run rate slowed considerably. Colonel Mustard was bowled by Franklin and Ro-Jo put us on top in the fifteenth over when he dispatched Cockbain for 42 followed up by Howell. At 101/5, we now had a real chance of victory but we hadn't reckoned on Jack Taylor plus some desperate death bowling.
Taylor had already dished up some treatment to Harris in the 17th over, but it was in the last two overs that he became the match winner. The penultimate over from Toby saw Taylor crash a couple of straight sixes down the ground leaving just nine to get from the last over.
With a bowler as experienced as Steven Finn, you'd think we might have had a glimmer of hope, but in an evening full of poor pace bowling, he could not rise to the occasion.
Two no balls due to height were certainly not what the doctor ordered even if the second of these was slightly harsh. To add insult to injury, Sowter then managed to turn a single into a boundary with a bad misjudgment in the field. All that was left was for Taylor to gleefully pull Finny over mid wicket for the winning six and a game that could easily have been won was well and truly lost.
We now face Northamptonshire away in the quarter finals on Tuesday 9 August. If we are to have any hope of continuing in this competition, our death bowling must improve ; without JK Fuller, I'm not sure we have anyone to fit the bill. I think it's also important that Franklin bowls his full allocation when the other pace men are struggling. In both these last two games, he's only bowled two overs whilst others are getting hammered all around the park.
Taylor made finishing prevents even a Tye
Posted by: Middlesex till we die (IP Logged)
Date: 30/07/2016 10:12
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:31:23:17:52 by BarmierKev.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016:07:31:23:17:52 by BarmierKev.
Re: Taylor made finishing prevents even a Tye
Posted by: Seaxe_Man (IP Logged)
Date: 30/07/2016 11:50
As a fellow witness. Very accurate and insightful R and O.
From the fall of Gubbo's wicket, in the 5th. The next 5 overs produced 16 runs.
It took until the 15th over to double the 5th over score of 52.
Amusingly, SWHT Eskinazi making his T20 debut contributed a useful 29.
I was informed that he can't hit the ball when inquiring as to his previous absence. Specsavers anyone?
Agree totally that the available bowling was'nt used to best effect.
Higgins did'nt bowl at all. Sowter and Franko had 3 between them unused. They went for 26 off 5 overs and 2 wickets.
Same tactics have been pursued since 2008 with little success until this year, due I suspect to a bit of belated investment.
From the fall of Gubbo's wicket, in the 5th. The next 5 overs produced 16 runs.
It took until the 15th over to double the 5th over score of 52.
Amusingly, SWHT Eskinazi making his T20 debut contributed a useful 29.
I was informed that he can't hit the ball when inquiring as to his previous absence. Specsavers anyone?
Agree totally that the available bowling was'nt used to best effect.
Higgins did'nt bowl at all. Sowter and Franko had 3 between them unused. They went for 26 off 5 overs and 2 wickets.
Same tactics have been pursued since 2008 with little success until this year, due I suspect to a bit of belated investment.
Re: Taylor made finishing prevents even a Tye
Posted by: Darren Gosling (IP Logged)
Date: 30/07/2016 22:55
Good report R & O, accurate summing up of events - as painful as it was reliving it again!
Bowling was very below par, if we had bowled like that all tournament we certainly wouldn't be in the quartes.
I can see Northants tearing us apart if we bowl like that next time out...
Bowling was very below par, if we had bowled like that all tournament we certainly wouldn't be in the quartes.
I can see Northants tearing us apart if we bowl like that next time out...
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