Ten go mad in Leicester.

With lots of people going reporting duties were split.I bunked off them on the grounds of writing up the notes and doing the travel up travel back summary.

A really lovely morning in London as I made my way easily to St Pancras to meet my fellow 10:30 travellers to Leicester.No problems on my part of the network though others had quite circituous routes to get there.Coming off the Underground I met a rather sprightly 98 year old running up the escalator and we decided as we were early to go and get a coffee and a sit down while waiting on theothers arrival. Very nice coffee,mind you at £3 a cup it should have been,Phil the Power and Beefy arrived and decided to source their coffee elsewhere.Ken then walked straight past us and up to the barriers to check if he could board the train,bit tough as it wasn't even on the platform yet.We finally attracted his attention and the London 5 were ready to go.

After boarding we found our reserved seats (all over the carriage) so decided to cause chaos and sit together,train pulled out on time with the air conditioning working full bore in our carriage which felt almost like a fridge freezer.First announcement was that there was no buffet on the train,some not happy bunnies but hey let's have a dry run to the ground.The young lady who had stuck to her seat when we got on got out a packet of Percy Pigs and a conversation started as to how many of them would make it to Leicester(her destination) and the fact they were full of e numbers and very bad for children,thereby they should only be eaten by adults.Paul joined the train at Bedford and walked straight passed us in the same way Ken did at St Pancras,we can't be that missable can we?

Journey up passed quickly and at some stage we must have passed the "Pav mobile" as the line for a good stretch runs parallel with the M1. A £10 taxi ride to the ground (split 6 ways) and after purchasing our tickets a spot of lunch and a much needed drink in the Cricketers.Into the ground with 5 mins to spare before the start and on to the cricket reporting.

Reporting credits to Beefy,Spillage,Seaxe Man,Ken,LP and Dingy Bags anyone else who did some and I have missed apologies but some of the hand writing is murder to read.

Anyone going 380?

We won the toss and put Leicestershire in.Harris opens for us from the indoor school end and his first ball is despatched for 4.TRJ opens the other end and suffers the same fate.Paul gets his box out and offers it around.Gasps from the rest of the Leics 10 until we realise it is his sandwich box.The first ball of Harris's second over also goes for 4 and Dingy observes and points this out (well spotted Sir).Leic are off at a gallop with runs coming all over and the faithful are in good voice.Cobb hits a big edged shot to Murt's in the deep and he just fails to get his hands to it.

Beefy then buys a wicket and it's 51-1 as Cobb is cleaned up by Harris.Sweepstake sorted for the Leic score with some really big totals (300 plus) in there. Scoring at this stage was still rapid with TRJ being despatched for 6 by Smith.

Guess the reporter?

Nice ground,Lovely weather,lots of green grass and men wearing strange coloured pyjamas,not a good beer selection.Scoreboard very pretty.Diamond wearing Ravi Patels top at least 6 sizes too small (eds note, it was Denly's and yes it is a little snug).Roy taking an afternoon nap(he's 98 you know).Stirlo drops O'Brien of lettuces bowling,not straightforward but should have held on to it. 96-1 102-2,Smith out for30,102-3 O'Brien gone for 41 and the cry of "Battle!!" goes up. LPisum of the day "Welshman can't play cricket,they leek runs" Burns goes for 0 a stunning catch taken low by Ollie in the slips and Leics good start is looking rocky at 103-4 (as are the bets of folk who went 300 plus ed)

Over 20 and on .

Some sharp fielding and very few boundaries (if any) saw Leics start pegged back to what would be a more normal total.131-4 in the 24th then the Berg/Raynor combo removes Thakor and it's135-5. Leic had scored only 35 runs from the previous 11 overs.Ollie then takes the wicket of Boyce lbw for 22 and it's 138-6 (200 anyone?) and the MTWD posse are getting more vocal. 30 overs gone and they had only scored 165! Taylor goes and it's 176-7 which brings to the wicket our old boy Ant Ireland. 36th over sees TRJ get another wicket 194-8 with his first ball.Well held by Stirlo.Powerplay two sees the suspected Mexican(Naik) nearly run out by Berg,Dingy gets told to sit down,which he does,on the step,then when the over is complete he goes to the toilet(good job he wasn't busting). 200 up in the 38th over and Naik then deposits a ball from TRJ into the stands.Harris picks up the wicket of Thornly which means Robbie Williams (ex Middle) gets the chance to enterain us. Only to be removed by Ollie and Leic are 220 all out. (ed note, 40 short by my reckoning,100 short bysomeone elses,no winner of the sweep it doubled up on the finishing over of the Middlesex inning).

Middlesex Reply.

221 to win and we are straight off the mark with a leg bye.An all ex Middle opening attack of Williams and Ireland for Leics.Stirlo dropped at second slip and the "clown song" rings out,a young lad turns to look at us as if we are all mad and had 2 heads.Malan gets a life too as the keeper drops him and watches the ball go to the rope for 4 more to the Middle. 5 overs in and we are 37-0. LP by now has gone OCD about the fact the boundary rope was broken by a sliding fielder and not repaired in fact in his reporting notes there is a plea "Please mend the bloody rope someone".Stirlo brings up his 50 and the Middlesex 100 follows soon after.Steady progress is made with few scares except Naik thinking he had an lbw on Stirlo,not out.Malan gets to his 50 in the 19th over 142-0 and both batsmen are playing some fine shots all around the ground. two 4's off succesive balls see Stirlo to his 100 and a standing ovation.Must be getting hot,Phil's taken his jacket off.200 up in the 27th over and LP can relax....the rope has been repaired by Tom Helm.

Over 31 sees us win the game with Stirling on 132 not out and Malan on 80 not out,a record first wicket partnership in the 40 over format of the game. Cheered the lads off and as we left the ground the Middlesex song was heard being belted out of the away dressing romm loudly and proudly.Well played lads. Spillage had over 31 (or was it Kimmy) so won the pot.

Time to go home.

4 in the Pavmobile and 6 on the train all very happy.The train ones decided as we had time on our hands to walk back to town along the canal towpath.Ken got the radio operators slot (last man) and we set off on a short walk according to Phil the Power. Short? not in my book it wasn't but a very pleasent walk all the same. Into the Spoons for a quick pint,Beefy disappeared to get a Subway and then we wandered down to the station and caught the train home,good job it left on time as Beefy had managed to wind up the station staff before we left,railway employee banter I think.

Train back had a "standing buffet trolley" so a beer was avaliable,we said goodnight to Paul at Bedford and I headed for the Picc line at St Pancras while the Uxbridge mob headed for the Met.I take it they all got home.

A 6am start for me this morning,hence late getting report up and the irony of it was my third job of the day......was in Leicester,you couldn't make it up could you.

A good day out and thanks as ever to all who made it thus,the MTWD mob,Leicesters staff and mostly the Middlesex lads who pulled off a very good win in some style.Middle,Middle,Middle......