Ro Jo has found his Mo Jo as Northants wickets go go

In the absence of an eye witness London Leprechaun gives us another radio report on this momentous day for TRJ. A short commentary on a short day but we needed to mark it sonmehow.

I only clicked we could go top of the table late last night, but was told to not get too excited about that – we have been there before – about this time last year. And even Neil Dexter played things down in his interview – remembering how we fell away last summer. Nevertheless it was still a good place to be this morning, especially after I managed to get the commentary working.  There was a bit of a panic when I could not hear anything when I clicked on the link on the bbc website. But I resolved it by using the cricinfo link which worked fine.  Hmm.. BBC can’t link to their own commentary but cricinfo can.  Hey Ho

No harm done though as I was tuned in for the first wicket to go - Murts first ball again – that is a good habit to get into.  Followed swiftly by two more to the inimitable TRJ including the dangerous Hall.  Three wickets gone by 11.30 and the commentary turned to the match being likely over before lunch and the need therefore to eat biscuits and cake now because there certainly won’t be tea. However Duckett did not duck responsibility and Butler did a good job waiting.  That is waiting to play the ball then not running even to easy singles.  The Northants commentators were slightly bemused by the tactics, as surely he could not wait all day and Northants were nowhere near making us bat again. Maybe there was a fitness issue.  No matter – the partnership proved obstinate and I had to go on a wicket walk to the shops to try something – but no avail.  While the commentators never though Northants could make a fist of the whole day it gave them the chance to dissect the Northants season so far – poor batting and not learning the lessons from previous games seemed to be the main reasons.  Also not getting to grips with the intensity of the 1^st Division.  Which then sent the commentators into a discussion about how quiet the Middlesex team are on the field.  Not something I have been especially aware of unless it is relation to other teams that are especially noisy.  You can see that the morning drifted a bit towards lunch and just after as we waited for the new ball. But it took little time after that as TRJ got his fifth and sixth wickets sharpish and the last wicket went to a run out. C.  Can’t give you too much detail as I was trying to work as well. And all the the commentators said about the run out was that it was shambolic before wrapping up the broadcast sharpish And it all came so quick Kevin barely got a look in except to be there for the last wicket. And comment on TRJ’s four lots of career best in one match – that is surely being a bit greedy though a fabulous all round performance. And put the win in a bit of perspective – Northants are not the strongest team we meet this season.  But you can only play what is in front of you as they say and what a match for TRJ who most definitely has his mojo back.

Apparently in our last fifteen CC games we have only drawn once.  Was our last draw then the game at Sussex, which we should have won? If it was lets hope that history does not repeat itself at Merchant Taylors this weekend.