Glory Days: Two v Lancs

When Ged suggested me as a candidate to write about the glory days (how old does he think I am?), two matches immediately sprang to mind. Oddly, given my preference for the longer game, both were one-dayers against Lancashire. These have stuck in my mind because they featured the best individual one-day batting and bowling performances I have seen from Middlesex.

Middlesex v Lancs, Nat West Quarter Final, 1984

The first is the Nat West quarter-final in 1984. Middlesex won the toss and batted. Lancashire gave a first appearance to a young West Indian quickie announced over the PA as ‘Balfour Patterson”. The following season he signed for them as an overseas player under the more familiar name of Patrick.

The scorecard: 

http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/45/45086.html

tells the story of the innings. Graham Barlow seemed to be playing on one strip; everyone else on a different one. 158 out of 276 was quite simply phenomenal. My memory of Patterson, which seems to be backed up by the scorecard is that he was very fast but lacked a bit of control: Barlow simply hit the ball where he liked.

Lancashire’s reply took place on the alternative strip and Wayne Daniel quickly showed his experience: unlike Patterson he put the ball in the right places and was simply too quick for the top order. For John Abrahams he was bowling to a field of nine close catchers and that wasn’t showing off: it was fully justified. Lancashire were all out for 105. meaning that Middlesex won by 171 runs, or to put it another way Barlow won by 53 runs.

One other thing that I had forgotten was Jack Simmons’ dismissal: hit wicket, bowled Hughes. How embarrassing was that?

Middlesex went on to beat Northants in the semis and Kent in the final.

Middlesex v Lancs, Sunday League 1991

The second game was a Sunday League match in 1991 and was one of Norman Cowans’s final appearances – this was one of only six Sunday games he played that season; he made no appearances in 1992 and only four in 1993. This time Middlesex lost the toss and were put in on a pitch that was clearly giving a lot of help to all the bowlers. Only Ian Austin went for many runs but he did take three wickets. 143 for 6 in 38 overs didn’t seem like enough, but Cowans thought differently.

Bowling unchanged from the Nursery End (I think: my mind’s eye sees him running away from me) he took 6 for 9 in the best eight over spell I have ever seen. Add the run out of Graeme Fowler and Lancashire seemed dead and buried at 36 for 7. Enter Warren Hegg and Ian Austin. Slowly but surely they took control. The crowd, with its usual large contingent from Lancashire was enthralled. Every run was greeted with loud cheers. Just as it seemed that the pair had seen their side home Austin was run out for 48 with 3 runs needed. This time it was the Middlesex crowd that went wild. Two runs were taken leaving the scores level with two balls left. David Hughes duly obliged. Looking at the scorecard:

http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/54/54648.html 

I see that the final over was bowled by Mike Gatting –  something else I had completely forgotten. Dean Headley only bowled six overs so I assume he must have been injured.

It jut goes to show that you don’t need lots of fours and sixes to make a great one-day game.