Middx hold firm against old boy Richardson

Dingy Bats give us another view of day three at New Road

My final day’s cricket of the year (like Diamond, it feels weird to be saying that before September) turned out to be thoroughly enjoyable. Not least because, having driven through weather that made me feel that Hurricane Isaac had bypassed New Orleans and headed for the English Midlands, we had a full day’s cricket, only (which proved significant, as we shall see) stopping a ball early for tea and for about ten minutes around six o’ clock. And the match is intriguingly poised tonight.

The first thing I saw when I turned up was the familiar action of Alan Richardson, like a kind of undersexed windmill, going through his warm-up. Not the roll-your-arm-over, go-through-the-motions variety but the full-blooded, accompanied-by-the-grunt versions. What an example for any watching youngsters! You couldn’t help but warm to the man.

Spent the day in the excellent company of WHam Man, a fellow deluge survivor. Our mood wasn’t too good after the first hour or so. I had read that the groundsman reckoned this to be the dampest wicket he had prepared all season and yesterday’s rain would hardly have helped but I was soon wondering how we had let Worc get past 300 in the first knock for only the second time this season. Richo, from the Diglis End in a spell that lasted for 75 minutes (he’s 48 you know), and Andrew soon had our openers playing and missing, so that the inevitable happened and Buck scraped one behind. Joe Denly, his good form now a distant memory, played the sort of shot that had got him out twice in Birmingham and edged a four, but was bowled all over the place next ball, and then Mala, who is in form, somehow manged to ping one back at the venerable bowler who took a smart return catch, 55-0 to 61-3. [The cl word comes to mind but I will not use it.]

When Richo finally came off his spell was 16 7 26 3. Thus it was that Sam had scored only one run in the first forty minutes of play but, others please not, he is one of our batsmen who will ‘battle.’ When Russell replaced Andrew at the New Road End, he took two fours off the back foot. Dex was in more fluent mode and moved serenely on, with only the odd alarm, to lunch which was taken at 140-3, Sam 63 and Dex on 35. We had won the second half of the morning.

For a while after lunch we looked untroubled except for the odd delivery from Ali, a much improved spinner since I last saw him, which seemed to turn and bounce. I was entertaining a pleasing though: on March 31, watching my first first-class cricket of the season, I saw Robbo get a ton. Could it happen again, on my last day? Alas no: is was a surprise when Sam went, caught at short leg of bat and pad, 167 – 4. Rosso, after one immaculate cover drive, was bowled by Andrew, in a good spell from the New Road End, 181-5 but that was it for the session. Dex, looking better than he did in Birmingham, moved to 82 and Bergie, now looking more the part was all aggressive intent in getting to 30. A brief showed had taken then off a ball early, 241-5 (76.5 overs).

I have to admit I missed only a few balls in the whole day, one of which was the first after tea, Russell completing the over interrupted by the shower. There were then three more overs before the new ball. Off that one ball Bergie was caught in the slips (I presume). Then, out of the blue, Dex missed one from the persevering Leach and was bowled, so Worc had two players on 0 when the new ball was taken.

Not that it showed immediately, except to show that the new ball can come off the bat quickly. Russell had the first go with it and Crookie and Toby took 13 off it, the former especially showing what a good timer and placer of the ball he can be. More to come from him, one feels.

It didn’t last. Toby was yorked by the excellent Richo and Crook likewise by Russell. 241-5 to 281-9 and the third batting point looking unlikely. Someone had told me that Ravi can’t bat but , if so, they don’t know what they are talking about. He played one or two nice shots against the Bores, now he played a few more, to Richo’s obvious anguish, desperate for his fivefor. In fact, he strained so hard for it that he did himself a mischief and it seemed briefly as if he would not be able to continue. But his 48-year old legs carried him through to the end though it was Russell he got Murts out. Not before the 300 was posted, helped by Cox dropping Ravi in a generally scruffy display (19 byes). I read that Ben Scott could be on his way out of Worc – God knows why on this evidence.

With 16 overs to go things were interesting. It seemed to me that Worc had to try to set us some sort of target, to have a chance of bowling us out in a game they really need to win. Since we were not going to collude in this, they had to go for it tonight. On the other hand, their lead was small enough that, if we got wickets, we could put them under pressure. In fact we got both, sort of. Murts opened at the New Road End but Toby’s first ball from t’other got Hughes lbw. Then the first ball of Murts second over served Mitchell the same fate and Worc’s chances of quick scoring seemed to be gone. Except Pardoe and Ali went for their shots and runs came quite quickly, until the second short shower of the day. When they came back, Toby, now from the other end, soon had Ali feathering one to Rosso, at which, Russell came out as nightwatchman and the day ended with a run of maidens.

Will Worc now play for a draw? Or will they try to score quickly and get 230 or so ahead and have a go at bowling us out. Will our bowlers run through them by lunch, with a ball still quite new and a pitch doing a bit?

I have to end by saying what a great cricket ground New Road is. It’s not just the setting but little things, like the scorecards on a stand for you to help yourself, like the club official, in blazer and tie, who came up to Wham Man and me and thanked us for coming and supporting our club and then proceeded to tell us what a pleasure it was doing contractual business with Richo, Best of all was the announcement, at 2.50, “Tea is now being served in the Ladies Pavilion.” At this, about ninety people stood up and moved quicker than I imagined they could, and made for the entrance. Only at an Englishcricket ground! Where do they go for their tea and cake in the winter? With that grim though I am signing off for 2012.

Happy New Year

Dingy Bags