A Dark Day in Kent FPT 7 May 2007


Top scored in vain
By Diamond
May 8 2007

Diamond ventures away to see Middlesex play Kent on a gloomy Bank Holiday Monday. Learn about Diamond and his family's sleeping habits. Also read about the ups and downs of this rain-affected one-day match.

A DARK DAY IN KENT.

Journey to the Eastern Front.

Being up around my usual early time I took the chance to check on the Highways Agency website for any problems with road works on the route down to Canterbury. It was a good job I did as I found out that there had been the worst crash in the M25 motorways history overnight in which six people had died and the road was to remain closed Kent bound till around midday. Left about 7.30am having woken the whole house up with cries of “come on you will be late for school!!” which didn’t work as they are both wise to that old one by now.

I had thought of going South Circular out to the M25 below the closure but thought instead to go with the 25 and use the signed diversion route. Big mistake, on coming off the motorway you get the sign which says “diversion follow(symbol) “, the problem being that was the only one you got! OK so the road had been closed since about 3am what’s wrong with getting some proper diversion signs out? I ended up virtually back at the South Circ at Clapham and crawled across town to the M20, from then on the journey was ok. Signage for the ground could not have been more different from that provided earlier by the Highways Agency; it was excellent from the last main road right into the ground.



Wet,wet,wet.

Kent’s ground at Canterbury is great for access. You pull up to pay for both the car park and your ground admission at the same time and are then directed to a parking space right near the playing area. £10 for parking and £15 gate price I thought was not too bad.



Having driven down in the rain I was none too surprised to see the covers still on when I got in the ground at 10.20am  and spots of rain in the air. At the allotted start time umpires Jones and Dudleston went out for a look at the state of the wicket. Our lads were on the outfield doing their stretches and playing handball to warm up. In the gale that was blowing across the ground they would have to have play hard to have warm up at all.



A wander round the ground to purchase a 50p scorecard (single sheet but with all you need on it including details of Kent membership for £127 plus £10 joining fee), check on food prices: burger £3, bacon roll £2.50, coffee £1.20, tea £1 plus lots of other choices from many outlets around the ground.



11 o’clock sees the rain easing and the dark clouds thinning a bit and still very windy. No prospect of play for a while I fear. At 11.35am the pa announces the toss at 11.45am and a start if no more rain at 12.15pm. 41 overs a side, time to check out those beer prices before the off then!



A quick flash of the Middlesex membership sees me greeted into the pavilion with a “Good morning Sir”, I checked behind me but there was no one there so the fellow must have been talking to me. On entry to the building two things were confirmed, one Kent is one of the finest beer making counties in the country and £2.60 a pint ain’t bad either and two that they have a major planning application in to develop the ground.



Kent had won the toss and inserted Middlesex under very gloomy conditions.

 

Let play commence.

Our two Ed’s open but are soon parted when Joyce falls to Hall slashing at a ball after being pinned down for a few, a good square side catch by McClaren, (18-1) Ed gone for 11.



Middlesex old boy Simon Cook is brought on for the 9th over and straight driven by our remaining Ed for four. “England’s skipper” plays almost the same shot in McClaren’s first over. In the 11th over Straussie hits Cook for a big 6 into the car park “you , mind my car!!”. All too soon he is gone, well taken behind the stumps by Jones standing up to McClaren for 28 (60-2).



Ace comes in and sees off the rest of the over and I’m able to say I’m glad he did. What followed was the horror show we all see every now and again. Skipper holes out to Key off Cook for 19 (60-3) then Knocker gets a first baller from his old mate (60-4).



With Ace and JD both on nought it is time to rebuild what had been a promising innings at the time of the collapse of the top order. JD negotiates the hat trick ball and Cook only ends up with a double wicket maiden which is well received by the Kent faithful. The sun makes an effort to come out and gives up again almost as quickly.



79-4 of 20 overs becomes 135-4 off 30 overs with the batsmen playing well and scoring off any opportunity rather than freely. JD trying to push on and being bogged down by Tredwell tries to reverse sweep him and does, straight into Key’s hands, out for 32. (136-5).



150 up in the 34th over and Ace reaches 50 of 70 balls soon after this. Eoin is playing well and contributing a lot of runs as Ace makes his way to 95 not out at the close off our 41 overs. On looking at the figures Eoin’s are pretty fine: 43 off 35 balls with 3x4’s and a 6.



A good recovery from 60-4 to 233-5 was down to the way the middle order applied themselves to the task in hand, playing in the dark is no fun at anytime. Ace and Eoin putting on 97 gave us half a chance of winning the game. Only 22x 4’s and 5x6’s in the innings though on a wicket that was close to the boundary might prove costly.

 

Gloom and Doom.

At 3.15pm with play due to commence at 3.17pm after a shortened lunch interval the heavens open again and the covers are rushed on. Me, I head for the car to get out of it, wind the seat back and listen to the rain fall. The next thing I know I’m in a dream state with the pa announcing Middlesex taking the field! I must have fallen asleep in the car because it’s 4.20pm the covers are off, the players on and the skies clearing though nowhere near a bright day, typical Bank Holiday really.



Kent have sent out Jones and Stevens as their target under the D/L method is 200 off 32 overs.



Dial M accounts for Stevens (caught Shah) for 10 and Hall (well caught by Kartik) for 2. (15-1: 36-2). We then lose Knocker to an injury that I didn’t see happen [Editor’s note: concussion – hopefully mild – caused by an accident off the field], and Joycie takes over the gloves, Chad on as fielding sub and Straussie causing total confusion by wearing one of Whelan’s outfits! It didn’t work Andy, no way has Whelan got a tan like that!



Jones and Van Jaarsveld see the score to 111 before Jones becomes Kartik’s first victim of the day bowled for 39(111-3). He then accounts for McClaren for 0 caught sub as it says on the scorecard but we all know Chad took it well(111- 4). Who is the little bloke coming in now?



Good grief it’s Rob Key! Tell you what though folks the weight loss sure hasn’t taken any of the power he hits a cricket ball away. I felt like going and standing in front of my car to protect it as he and Van went 6 happy, five of them between them, mostly into the car park! Key fell on 170 to Johnson caught Strauss trying to go into the car park again, his innings of 39 off 19 balls with 3x6 3x4’s being the turning point of the match. All the time at the other end the belligerent Van Jaarsveld was scoring heavily as well.(170-5).



With Key gone Walker and Van saw the game to it’s conclusion with Kent winning by 5 wickets on the D/L .Van Jaarsveld: 86 not out, Walker: 10 not out, Kent reaching their required score with 2.4 overs left to be bowled.

 

Conclusions.

A good day out spoilt by the weather and the result, the weather I knew was going to be like it the result I had hoped would not be.



Kent had the better of the conditions which is not surprising as they won the toss, local knowledge and a short boundary on Rob Keys favourite side. Knowing they needed 200 from the start of their innings meant they could send in the pinch hitters, see how that went and then rely on the big guns to see them home. A good crowd in were well entertained and the experience of Canterbury is always a pleasure even when we lose.



Rain break entertainment? Yes, a good kip in the car.



Eccentric supporter ? The MCC member in full egg and bacon (including blazer).



Champagne moment? The Kent fielder climbing through the covers to search for a straight driven Strauss 4, the shot was excellent and the ball hunt pure pantomime. 

 

Man of the match? Ace for his 95? ; Eoin for his quick 43? Neither today, though on another day it could have been either. Today the honour goes to Tim Murtagh for removing two of the top three Kent batsmen and toiling away in a wind of some severity. 6.2 overs, 1 maiden, 2-35, Dial M, your the man.