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Post by newby on Apr 20, 2024 13:18:48 GMT
Always annoying when the last couple of batters stick in there. On the positive side the longer they are out there, not scoring obviously, the better this pitch should become.
We've probably seen enough of them now though.
Well done Thommo on his 5 for, and Ben Coad on his 4 wickets.
It could have been a lot worse but now is the time to bat long.
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Post by davemorton on Apr 20, 2024 16:43:58 GMT
I would long us to bat long...but we haven't. We've batted short. Again. Our innings has gone down Hill and is in Tatters, our last two great hopes. Middlesex bowling is on a different planet, and all it is is old-fashioned, professional, County line-and-length.
Currently enjoying Corey Collymore on commentary. Now I'm going to watch Exeter v Bath, sound off, cricket sound on from t' computer.
I was also following Sheffield Tigers v Rotherham on Twitter, which Roth came from behind to win, picking up a late late bonus-point 4th try. They lead Leeds Tykes by 2 points going into the last game, so any win will do.
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Post by newby on Apr 20, 2024 17:50:27 GMT
99 ahead, perhaps we should pull out now and give them a tricky 3 overs tonight!
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Post by davemorton on Apr 20, 2024 19:07:57 GMT
One or two plusses from today. Good bowling by Coad and Thompson this morning, offset by some poor strokes and poor shot selection. I was particularly exasperated by Fin Bean, lbw trying to play a dead straight, full-length ball to square-leg. There were aeons left in the game, no need to take a chance at all.
George Hill was another plus, given a chance, and the need, to play the sort of innings with which he made his name. Orthodox, classy, good to watch. No need to play Bazball, George.
Jordan Thompson, who began as a batsman who could bowl, has been forced by team needs to turn it the other way. His batting always was a bit flaky, to be honest, but lovely in full flow. Now he almost did it again, until the Bean action replay that ended it.
Coad too has the natural timing of a player who doesn't move his feet much. Middlesex seemed not to know where to bowl to him (so I won't tell them). Ben and George live to fight another day. We are 129 for seven, in effect, which is still a big-time losing position. But a few more tomorrow, a cloudy, swingy day, and...well, our chance is better than zero.
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Post by newby on Apr 20, 2024 19:09:53 GMT
Congratulations to George Hill on a steady 50 and Jordon Thompson and latterly Ben Coad for keeping him company.
Lead of 129, I reckon that gives us about 3% on my version of winviz.
We have no chance of course, but while there's less than 10 wickets down we do have a tiny chance.
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Post by byased on Apr 20, 2024 20:32:18 GMT
A lot of optimism about the strength of the batting, but a bit like Rashid and Bairstow, not sure how much Root cares about these games. Just saw the last half hour or so, and Coad made batting look quite easy.
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Post by davemorton on Apr 20, 2024 21:44:03 GMT
3% is about right, but if we could add another 60 or 70 tomorrow...
...well, that would mean that batting conditions are good, but perhaps now 5%.
Coad is becoming a bit of a treasure at scoring rapid and important runs. Why do modern teams lose the plot when an aggressive tailender hits a few? We did the same with Toblerone Jones's batting. De Caires played the role Hill is playing, and batted very well, actually.
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Post by hawke on Apr 21, 2024 5:32:25 GMT
Very glad George Hill is making runs again. Very important player, Coad is taking on the Patto batting and bowling role. Tommo has responded well. Root seemed motivated, talking a lot to Hill. Can we extend to 175 and give it a go?
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Post by tykemania on Apr 21, 2024 9:43:10 GMT
Belated day two report, because yesterday ended up being a very long one, with a visit to Record Store Day and then a very amenable Mexican meal with friends.
Conditions on Saturday were a little better than on Friday, with no rain around, and even periodic visits from the sun. When there was cloud cover though, the ball continued to move in the air as well as off the deck, so it was never an easy pitch for the batsmen.
We bowled well early doors - Coad was much more probing than he had been on Friday, and Thommo had a run of about four overs where he looked like taking a wicket every ball - Du Plooy in particular having a nice line in edging balls in the air past the widest slip. Again, the problem came when we had to look at our second string bowlers - Edwards, apart from one ball that leapt at De Caires, was poor and Hill, whose skillset is in attacking the stumps, was bowled from the wrong end which rendered him ineffectual. In the final analysis, I suspect that the 100 or so scored after the seventh wicket fell may prove crucial.
When we came to bat again, it was more of the same. Lyth was gone before I made it back from the bar, but Bean and Masood were doing a decent job seeing off the new ball when Roland-Jones struck Masood on the pad, and the finger was up before he had even had time to appeal. Its fair to say at the top of the Compton there was a lot of discussion between two sets of supporters on this one helped by the availability of a decent replay - my take was that it was a home decision, with questions over whether the ball pitched in line, the height and whether it was going past the off stump. We certainly didn't get the same leeway on a couple of close appeals against De Caires.
Harrumpf. Root batted nicely, looked in complete control until he spooned a catch to a short ball that seemed to stick in the pitch. From the reports of my MCC member friend about his language, I don't think we can say he doesn't care. Brook didn't get a chance, good nut first ball, and it was left to Hill to give us something to bowl at. I've said before and will repeat here, we are doing him no justice batting at six, he looked as good as anyone in the match. Thommo got a few, and Coady was going well at the close - he has an odd style, sort of like a right handed Trescothick with minimal foot movement and a decent eye, and there were definite signs of frustration amongst the fielding side toward the end.
State of play? I'd say we're down but not out. If - and I regret as I type in the member's pavilion that there is a lot of cloud around this morning - we could get another 80 against the older ball then you never know what Thommo might do with his tail up.
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Post by newby on Apr 21, 2024 10:30:13 GMT
Thanks for the first hand report, lost track of which end the umpires were, is it Shantry who is very quick with the finger!
Shame about Coad, no reason to go mad in he search for quick runs as long as we have the old ball to play with, so just keep them out there for as long as possible as you never know.
Decent crowd, bet there's more than at whatever they call the Rose bowl these days to watch the bore in Southampton.
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Post by newby on Apr 21, 2024 10:43:48 GMT
Obviously Hill has no confidence whatever in the ability of Edwards to hold a bat never mind hold up an end.
Nothing against him but unless he takes 5 wickets and gets us a win then I hope it's the last chance he gets in red ball cricket for Yorkshire.
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Post by davemorton on Apr 21, 2024 10:51:56 GMT
I don't know why proper batsmen self-destruct as soon as number 11 walks in. Edwards showed he could bat defensively last season.
On our three test batsmen, they have scored 79 between them in 6 completed innings. If someone like Luxton or Duke should do that, they would be banished to the 2s for ever. Average 13.17? Not 1st XI quality. Obviously.
Stoneman out.
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Post by donnylad on Apr 21, 2024 11:39:01 GMT
Good from Hill and Coad. Glad to see Stoneman hutched.
There was a little whisper that some water got under the covers on Friday ... possibly nothing in it.
I watched Edwards ..... bowling is what he is there for. We have got rid of better bowlers.
Cheered myself up at the 'news' that Middlesex might be moving from Lord's to a 'new specialist cricket centre' in London. Just at the moment I read that a porcine beast flew into the garden and perched on our apple tree. Made me think of lunch.
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Post by davemorton on Apr 21, 2024 12:36:11 GMT
Sun shining, not much getting past the bat now, though possible dropped catch down legside by Tatters. Middlesex will win, probably by about 7 wickets. We blew our chance yesterday, but it was a hugely bad toss to lose.
Lanky (146 and 107) have lost by an innings to Essex (377) at Chelmsford. So it's not only us, then.
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Post by newby on Apr 21, 2024 14:43:55 GMT
100 up, I should think they will feel confident enough to rush to a win from here, Coad and Thompson have given it their best shot.
It could be worse, we could be Lancashire, of course they are in division 1 so we wouldn't mind that.
Early days of course but Lancashire do look a bit soft under the new management. That's a real thumping, even taking a bad toss to lose into account.
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