We Came Second – Middlesex 2nd XI v Notts 2nd XI

Travel and weather together

Got there just in time for the start of play at a delayed 11.35 am . The weather had been very mixed in West London all morning from the thunderstorm at 6.30am onwards. Playing right under the flight path for Heathrow must be really distracting for all the players but the whole day was full of flights inbound, most of them invisible through the low cloud.

The Oppo bat first (it all seems dreadfully familiar, this)

With Warren and Bicknell opening for Notts and Peploe and Weekes in the Middlesex line up this didn’t have the feel of a seconds match, more like a get some practice game for both sides. Beer was 10p cheaper than at the weekend (result) and the weather very close and muggy when not raining.

Good control of the new ball had restricted Notts to 40 runs in the 13^th over when Bicknell went, guess who was in the loo, yes I did it again, buy a wicket Diamond strikes!!   The score then continued to rise at a good rate 95-1 off 26 105-1 off 27 with Warren reaching 50.157-2 sees a new TV show possibility “Two men in a hedge “ searching for a ball that had been smeared for six . To cries of “leave it we’ll find it later” the search was abandoned.

The score climbs at the opposite rate that the planes continue to descend into Heathrow. At 178-2 two ducks appear on the field and neither of them is Ed Smith! Both seem quite happy to wander up to the score box, check out the score and the fact there was no food available and then take off again. After a sharp shower during the 48^th over Notts were allowed to resume their innings and the batter who came in at the fall of the first wicket completed a good 100 finishing 114n.o. close of innings score Notts 260-3. 

Lunch and Rain Breaks 

With another rain break over the lunch interval and the flight path moved  over Kew gardens rather than over the ground there was some respite from the noise but none for Weeksie who on 8 saw all his stumps leaning backwards minus bails !

Various rain breaks disrupted the Middlesex innings but both Peploe and Godleman looked good at the crease and hit the ball with some assurance until the partnership was broken with Godleman out for 34 (77-3). With the rain delays, low body temperature and things to do in the evening I had to leave at about 5pm and was unfortunate to be at the bus stop to see Pepsi troop back to the Pavilion, gone but were Middlesex chances ….  check the official web site to find out (sometime next week). Better still, any one of the 20 people at the ground till the death who accesses this site please update with the result.

In Summary

A wet and dry day with more cricket than I expected to see, all in all a nice day out and a good standard of cricket played. Would I do it again?

Yes I think I would, ready access to a scorecard would be handy though as only the Notts first teamers with the names and numbers on the back and MCCC firsts like Weekes and Pepsi were recognisable to me.  Shame the canteen was not open to the public but with a playschool in there that would be impossible. 

Thanks once again to London Welsh for their hospitality this season, it is a pleasure to watch cricket at Old Deer Park.