1 Over And Out. Rogers and Not Out

It took Middlesex until the last away game at Worcester to notch their first win on their travels last season. This season, it has taken just one match to equal that tally after a 10 wicket victory at Trent Bridge which was ultimately achieved with remarkable ease early on the final day.

The hosts led by 107 runs going into the last day with just one wicket remaining, with Andre Adams unbeaten on 50 and Andy Carter yet to score. A sunny, but breezy start to the day gave hope that the weather would not foil our hopes of victory. My watch was showing 10:58 when Roland-Jones’ first ball of the day was taken by Ollie Rayner at second slip via the edge of Adams’ bat. The locals were critical of Adams for not hanging around a bit longer, which seemed a bit churlish given his and Fletcher’s efforts the previous evening.

Only ball Notts faced of the day. Out the way umpire

108 was our target, and both openers looked comfortable early on, scoring at around 5 runs per over against the bowling of Fletcher from the Radcliffe Road end and Shahzad from the Pavilion end. Rogers in particular made hay scoring freely to the short west side boundary and Robbo too was not shy in dispatching the loose ball, of which there were too many from a Notts perspective.

A big caught behind appeal by Fletcher against Robbo was not upheld (it appeared to flick his pad) and the natives were further incensed by another turned down appeal against Rogers in the next over. Buck coolly ignored the local advice to walk and proceeded to put the next three deliveries from the hapless Shahzad to the boundary.

At that point, the wind really went out of the Nottinghamshire sails (both players and supporters) and although an edge by Robbo dropped just short of Cowan at third slip off the bowling of Adams, it was just a matter of time before victory was secured at 12.40. Both openers reached half centuries,  and the only real drama occurred when one of our stalwart supporters thought he’d lost his bus ticket home (you’ll all be glad to know he found it).

And the Scores on the doors are

All in all, it couldn’t really have gone any better for us today. The first ball wicket put us immediately on the front foot, and the openers making back-to-back century stands can only bode well for the rest of the season.

All that was left was for me to avoid the lure of Notts County v Colchester and sup a few ales in the VAT & Fiddle near the station, which enabled me to avoid those lovable Lions going to Wembley on the Metropolitan Line in the early evening.