Owing to other commitments I was not able to spend the whole day of the third day of Essex v Durham at the Fortress. So this blog is primarily my photos of the session…the match on a flat almost white pitch looks like a batting paradise as the Durham score showed.
Essex will do well to escape with a draw but did Durham make an error in not enforcing the follow on? This Essex team has form!
On a hot day, even the fielders seek shade on the boundary!Peter Siddle – at a mature age – still has all the skills!Matt Parkinson – thumbs up & tongue out!Is Robinson the next England keeper?Compare this grip from Siddle with…This and…This from Potts
Incidentally, Potts looked one of the fastest I’ve seen all season (and only Gloucester, Northants and Nottinghamshire for the whole 18).
‘Proper’ cricket provides an escape from the harsh realities of life and given that the current election campaign seems to have been going since the start of recorded time, the return of the Championship even for a brief time is most welcome.
So, in what could be the start of the English summer weather, I rock up at Lord’s for the first day against visiting Derbyshire. Not a fixture to set the pulse racing but there’s more at stake for the Middle as they strive for promotion being second in the second division.
Where else but the best…?
Derbyshire, however, would want to move up from the bottom place but with an opening attack with careers averaging in the mid/high 30s each and a greenish pitch looking to dry out, Middlesex win the toss and opt to bat.
Under cloudless skies – for the first time this season? – the Derby attack of Connors and Chappell belie their averages as the ball seams and moves considerably. Robson is back in the Pavilion in plenty of time to catch the end of morning coffee!
Stoneman and Holden do the ship-steadying for the next hour and gradually the rate increases whilst the number of maidens starts to dry up.
So far, there’s no ‘thrash and bash’ hangover for the Middle (they are not that good at it) and lunching on 86/2 is probably a fair reflection of the morning session. Derbyshire have used six bowlers already but none look really threatening!
Nothing to set the blood coursing but the increasing cloud cover could make the afternoon ‘interesting’ – let’s see!
A cloudy afternoon with increased and high humidity would, you would think, bring more favourable quick bowling chances – but No! If anything batting seems to have got easier or did the Derby bowlers fall for the trick of over-indulging on a Lord’s lunch?
De Plooy scores the first 50 of the match but falls soon after and from 171/3 at 40 minutes before tea the Middle creep to 189/5 at tea.
Alex Thompson provides the spin
This browning pitch looked like a potential batting paradise at lunch but now I suspect it will turn more – especially on the fourth day by when the Middle could be pressing for a win. What looked like a 450/475 pitch now looks like 350 will be a challenge! So there’s all still to play for!
Du Plooy counterattacks Not always as intendedWhilst the wonderfully named Daryn Dupavillon provides the best bowling action of the day
The first over after tea – the thick cloud has gone and it’s a lot fresher – sees Davies depart and a middle order collapse looks inevitable. All six wickets have fallen to catches which implies there’s a bit in this pitch when the sun shines and given the heatwave forecast for the week…🤔
A 7th soon follows (230/7) and it looks to be all over bar the shouting in this innings with the new ball looming and bowlers fresh but…
It’s a funny old game!
Derby don’t take advantage of the new ball whereas the Middle do as the new ball often sees the run rate increasing. Higgins – the MVP of the season already for Middlesex – reaches 50 off 107 balls before launching himself to 107 in partnership of 112no with TRJ (himself 51no at the close).
The Middle end on 342/7 and in a much healthier position than expected. Derby however really lack some decent firepower in their bowling and whilst this is the only time I expect to see them this season, Division 2 looks nailed on for several seasons to come.
I end with an apology. I thought 350 would be a challenge but I got that wrong, and I can’t end without thinking about betting!
I promised to make this blog an election free zone but can I bet on the number of bets being placed about any new names who were betting on the date of the election one day before the rains came and the announcement ?
For my non-UK readers, the number of bets on the date of the general election reached close to 5,500 on the day before it was announced – the previous months/weeks had been almost deadly quiet! Seems some people in knowledgable positions couldn’t resist temptation! 🤔
Cricket51days 