The Last Rites at Lord's of our 2006 CC Season
Batted with spirit
By Diamond
September 10 2006
The Diamond reviews Saturday's play. It isn't a long piece, but then it wasn't a long day's play. We learn a little more about Diamond's little brother, Nick. We also discover that Diamond just cannot or will not see Ben Hutton's dismissals.
Do it in style.
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It being the last day of the home season in the 4 day variety of the game, my chauffeur picked me up at 9.00 am and we headed up to NW8 arriving well before start time.
The Mercedes parked by St John’s Wood. Nick (little brother) and I walked over to the ground in very light pedestrian traffic. Too early for the bar I settled for a coffee instead and will be reviewing my overdraft with my bank on Monday morning. The wind had switched round again and was east west from the Nursery end, a September chill in the air meant it was cool if you were not in direct sunlight, which the top of the Allen as ever was not.
Skippers return.
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Ben Hutton resumed the innings for Middlesex, a good night’s sleep and some pain killers probably enough to see off the painful blow that Sidebottom had delivered him yesterday. 274-6, only 138 runs from making them bat again. Can we do it, can we survive the day, can we last till lunch, will it all be over in an hour? All questions to be answered in due course. The rest of Sidebottom’s over which dismissed Nash last night is seen out with no alarms. Peploe in the next few overs grows in assurance that he can bat a bit and then in the 99th over of the innings hoyks one into the air, not even off of the square to be gobbled up by Bicknell off the bowling of Shreck for 16, the fall of the 7th wicket at 286.
301 up off of 624 balls and the runs are adding on nicely as both opening bowlers are seen off with no more problems.
Hutton then flaps at one from Harris and is snapped up by Fleming in the slips for 27. A needless shot I am informed by little brother, you guessed it folks I was on the stairs with a couple of beers in hand when he went. Missed both of his dismissals this match (see Wednesday’s report for details of that one). 316-8 at 11.22hrs. This became 353-8 off 698 balls with Louw and Wright putting up a bit of a spirited fight.
Last orders please.
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Louw, in the over he got out, had hit Hussey’s first two balls for sixes, only to get out to his last ball trying to repeat the dose. 42 runs to Louw and his middle pole bent by Hussey summed up the morning, much spirit but not enough application. It was however his top score in the Championship this season and was rather well played. Enter Silverwood who decides he has to be places this afternoon and takes a stack of runs off of a Hussey over before holing out to Shreck off the same bowler for 16 in front of a very not packed pavilion. Wright left not out on 25 had shown some promise with the bat, shame about his efforts with the ball this match.
Game Over.
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12.15hrs Saturday the 9th of September 2006, innings closed, match lost big time and life in County Championship Division One is now on a Life support system being run by other Counties playing their games in hand next week while we sit and watch. It is too early technically to pronounce our Div One status extinct but on this performance the machine could be switched off very soon, sooner than our trip to Kent in two weeks time, I fear.