It’s always good to start on a happy note and after Monday’s rained-off match at Hastings, we are now guaranteed qualification for the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy. We have one game left in the group stage (away to Middlesex) to decide whether we have a home or away tie but we’ve played some good cricket in the competition so feel we have a team capable of making progress wherever and whoever we play in the next round.
Wednesday’s match against Middlesex will be our eighth day of cricket (including friendlies) against our local rivals already this season – with more to add in the very near future! From a personal point of view I don’t feel that intensifies a rivalry because when you come across players so often you get to know them on and off the field, to the betterment of the relationships. What you can say for sure is that by the end of these matches we will know each other’s games inside out.
Our Championship match against Middlesex earlier in May did make a few headlines because of our decision not to allow our opponents to bring in a substitute wicketkeeper in our second innings when David Nash got injured. Although the decision is ultimately down to the coach and captain our collective view was that if a seam bowler got injured you can’t call in a substitute bowler so the same rule should apply to wicketkeepers.
It appears there is a bit of needle kicking around between the sides as a result of that decision so we wait to see how that impacts upon our forthcoming matches.
As it turned out our Championship game with Middlesex was one of the best victories I’ve been involved in for some while. When James Middlebrook and Chris Wright joined together in our second-innings run-chase it seemed the game was up but they came up trumps with an excellent unbeaten partnership.
Chris Wright had not had a lot of chances with the bat until that point but he had a good technique and timed the ball extremely sweetly on that afternoon. Our most recent Championship match – at home to Leicestershire – was one of the stranger four-day games I’ve been involved in. At the end of day one – with 18 wickets already done – it appeared we’d all be sat at home on Saturday with our feet up. After that, however, the wicket flattened out and Leicester ended up with a substantial lead to set us a tough run-chase on the last day.
Had Jason Gallian and Ravi Bopara gone into tea with unbeaten centuries then we could have mounted a charge in the final session. Alas it wasn’t to be so it came down to a matter of survival. Having felt out of touch in four-day cricket I was glad to get the chance to bat as much time as I could and with a couple of decent contributions down the order from David Masters and Tony Palladino we managed to hang on for a draw.
There was one nervous moment when last man Danish Kaneria spooned the ball just over mid-off’s head before it was down to me to survive the last over. At the end my exuberant fist-pumping celebrations were a mixture of relief at securing a draw and also at being able to bat for over four hours. There was a fair amount of needle in this match as well – as seems to be a regular occurrence these days! – so it was a good test of concentration and making sure I didn’t get involved in any potential confrontation.
Everybody has mucked in this season with good individual performances and it was my day on this occasion. That will be the key to a successful season or not.
congratulations on your place in the semis and mow we hope you can go the distance to the Lords final.
I am also an active playing cricketer in the trippon league.
Posted by: abdul at May 27, 2008 6:12 PM
congratulatrions on your place in the seimis and mow we hope you can go the distance to the Lords final.
I am also an active playing cricketer in the trippon league.
Posted by: Philip at May 28, 2008 9:38 AM
I can't understand why James is overlooked for England. Definitely the best wicketkeeper- batsman balance.
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The Contributors
James Foster was still a student for Durham University when he was called up to the England A squad in 2000-01, before progressing to full
international honours the following winter. However, he broke his arm in the nets early in the 2002 season which allowed Alec Stewart back into the side and he has played just one further Test, at Melbourne in 2002-03. But two strong seasons have put him back in the frame and he was part of the England Lions squad during the 2007-08 winter tour to India. He was appointed
Essex's vice captain in 2007.
Nick Compton, grandson of the legendary Denis, was raised in South Africa before moving to Harrow as a teenager. Like many young South Africans, he excelled at handball sports and, although he took some time to
cement his place, he's been a consistent and elegant batsman at the
top of the order for Middlesex ever since. This winter, instead of
spending it in the gym, he and Graham Napier trekked in the foothills
of Mount Everest to stage the world's highest ever cricket match.
Will Smith was 22 when he sparked Nottinghamshire's interest with a fine 156 for Durham Universities in 2005, and it was enough to earn him a
contract and three games with the county in their Championship-winning
season. A strong opening batsman, he had to wait until 2006 to hit his
maiden first-class hundred following a winter in which he had double
hernia and shoulder operations. He joined Durham in 2007 and has a
range of curious nicknames: Posh Kid, Smudge and Jiggy.
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