Day 2 At The Battle of the Alamo

 Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor pops his reporting cherry and gives us the low-down on the day’s events ‘down Mexico way’.

After another slowish journey down south, in the company of Seaxe Man, I arrived at the Alamo to find dark clouds and light rain. (North of the river it had been blue skies all the way from Hillingdon).

A heavy shower had put the start time back to 11:15 and even more pitch covers coming on meant that it wasn’t going to happen much before 12 o’ clock. Sure enough, we had to wait until 11:55 before the day’s play began. Finally, we were away, with 6 overs being lost.

Dernbach began bowling from the Vauxhall end, and had Robson adjudged lbw to the 4^th ball of the day for 29. It’s 99 – 2 and not the start we wanted.

De Bruyn began from the Pavilion end, his 3^rd ball is flicked to the square leg boundary by Tom Smith – and our 100 is up. Joe Denly then gets off the mark with a four off Dernbach straight back past the bowler. The very next ball produces a huge lbw shout, but thankfully Mr Umpire is not interested.

More black clouds appear overhead and at 12:16 off they go, as the rain begins again with only 6 overs bowled. The score is 107 – 2. That was that for the first session, and with all the covers back on by 12:40, the umpires call for an early lunch.

 The rain finally cleared and after a slow mopping-up of the square, play finally begins again at 1:50. By this time I had moved myself from an over-full Pavilion (Ollie Rayner seen in the Long Room munching on a sandwich) down to the Vauxhall end to join Seaxe Man in “Moaners’ Mound”.

With Dernbach and Linley bowling under leaden skies our progress was slow, but Denly and Smith are batting sensibly. All was going along nicely until Denly feathers an edge to the ‘keeper on 17 and it’s 128 – 3.

Dawid Malan comes in as more murk appears overhead. The groundstaff come out again. A Malan push through the off-side is mis-fielded and trickles to the rope, to ironic jeers from the Mexican members in the Pavilion.

Kartik comes on to bowl and in his 3^rd over Tom Smith crashes him through the covers for a lovely boundary and moves on to 18 (It’s 139 – 3).

More spin as Batty comes on at the Pavilion end and immediately gets turn. But another four from the blade of Tom Smith makes it 145 – 3 and we take the lead!

All looking good until Tom edges one behind off Kartik and is taken by the ‘keeper for an excellent night watchman’s 31. (It’s 164 – 4). Neil Dexter now joins Malan.

It couldn’t last. On 22, Malan is caught at short-leg off Kartik and we’re 171- 5.

Andrew Balbirnie walks to the wicket for his debut innings and things are taking on a familiar shape. He starts very well. A cover-driven four to begin with, followed by another down to fine-leg and then yet another cover drive takes him to 12 in three scoring shots.

Then Dexter is caught at slip off Kartik for 5 and it’s 186 – 6. The somewhat flaky middle-order are having another average day.

Adam Rossington comes in to join Balbirnie and both our batsmen are playing their first championship innings of the season.

Soon it’s 188 – 7 as Balbirnie is lbw to Batty for 14.

Make that 188 – 8 as Crook goes lbw first ball and Batty is on a hat-trick. All the Mexicans, the players and the supporters are well up for this now. Toby, thankfully, survives the hat-trick ball but then almost pops up a caught and bowled to the very next one! That once-assured batting point is in serious danger of being missed.

A few minutes’ respite and then (yes, you’ve guessed it) 188 – 9 as Rossington goes for a duck, caught by Batty off Kartik.

With the Mexican spinners making it look like batting on a minefield, it’s up to Toby and Murts to get that bonus point. Murts gets fed-up and launches a six into the Bedser stand, then a four to the same area and it’s 199 – 9. So near!

A cut from Murts through the off side and it’s 203 – 9. We’ve salvaged something. Well done Tim.

Both batsmen decide to attack when they can. And, by both luck and judgement, take the score up to 232, before Murts finally holes out to mid wicket. We are all out with a reasonable lead of 88, but it could have been a good deal more.

After a very late tea, we have 27 overs to get amongst the Mexican batsmen as they begin their 2^nd innings. I move from the Vauxhall end to the Pavilion in a shameless attempt to top-up the tan.

Murts starts from the Pavilion end and the first ball goes for 5 wides. Not good. All dot balls until the 6^th is flicked for four by Burns, 9 – 0.

Then Toby from the Vauxhall end who opens with a maiden.

Wicket! With the score on 13, Ansari goes without troubling the scorers, caught low down at 3^rd slip by Robson. Brilliant catch!

Harinath comes in to join Burns and they take the score along to 25 – 1 with Toby looking much the more threatening of our bowlers.

Buck then begins a series of regular bowling changes, with Balbirnie, Smith, Crook and Dexter all coming on for short spells.

It all then meandered along slowly, with neither batsmen looking too troubled – although both our spinners are getting a bit of turn. A few appeals were turned down and right at the end there was a chance of a run-out, but nothing really went our way. At the end it was 86 – 1. A lead of just 2 runs for the Middle - and plenty of work for the bowlers to do tomorrow.

All to play for, I think. But Middlesex missed a chance to get a really decent lead.