MIDDLESEX CCC SEASON IS UP AND RUNNING

The Boys Are Back In Town

By Ged
April 22 2009

Spring is here, spring is here. Life is skittles and life is beer. Ged Ladd reports on the first day of Middlesex's new season. His guest was Charley "The Gent" Malloy, of match reports passim. Learn all about the glorious weather and an equally glorious wind-up. Oh, and the cricket.

Ged’s guest for the day was Charley “The Gent” Malloy of match reports passim.  Indeed, Ged’s last visit of 2008 involved Charley and a rather amusing tie incident at the end of the day. 

http://www.cricketnetwork.co.uk/main/s66/st133038.htm

Well, I have to report to you that Charley, being a gent, sent me a splendid new silk tie as a reciprocal gift last autumn when I told him that the tie I had lent him was his to keep.  It took me a small feat of rummaging and recollecting to uncover that very tie to wear and to ensure that it was ideally colour co-ordinated with the rest of my clobber.

Charley and I arrived from opposite directions at more or less exactly the same time and took our seats in the Pav in good time for the start.

Some surprise at electing to field first, but there was a greenish tinge to the pitch and you don’t get many chances to get helpful conditions at Lord’s.

Richardson and Murtagh bowled excellent opening spells, which the Glammy boys played cautiously.  One early wicket to Murtagh – Rees fell caught behind to a good one - but we could easily have got some more in that first hour.

The change bowlers (Evans and Berg) looked less threatening and bowled enough “four-balls” to enable Glamorgan’s run rate to recover.

Meanwhile Charley wanted to tell me all about his recent trip to Barbados and St Lucia with his good lady Edie and our mutual friends Barry & Teri from Devon.  Unbeknown to Charley, however, Daisy and I had met up with Barry & Teri in Devon last weekend and they had told us all about the trip.  In that lovely seaside pub, Ged, Daisy, Barry & Teri hatched a fiendish plan.  I told Charley that I was aware of the highlights of his trip (meeting players etc. etc.) because Sky Sports had picked up on their triumphs and mentioned them on the broadcast. 

Charley fell for it hook, line and sinker.  Indeed, in the end I had to break the spell, otherwise Chas would have rushed off to phone Edie at lunch and cause some real strife.  Suffice it to say that Charley assures me that his revenge will be eaten cold at some stage later this season.

Meanwhile Shaggy stole a wicket from nowhere a few minutes before lunch – good catch by Murtagh to remove the stubborn Wright.  Then, later that same over, a big shout for LBW (actually, more like two-and-a-half shouts – careful Shaggy) turned down.  Two down at lunch.

Wonderful opportunity to perambulate at lunch (who’d have thought it) – Charley and I played catch to stretch our legs.  I felt my fielding form was restored more readily than his.

A tough afternoon session followed for Middlesex.  Again, Murtagh and Richardson were excellent but luckless.  Big Al was mean as hell – at one point his figures were 14-6-14-0, very unlucky that 0. 

We returned to the Pavilion after lunch, but as soon as the sun went behind, Charley was itching to take more sun.  Charley and then I relocated to the Mound Stand.  I observed Gareth Berg’s tattoo and guessed that it was Hindi.  Charley, always contrary, suggested perhaps Chinese.  I asked Gareth who confirmed that it is Hindi – his name in Hindi in fact.

Surprisingly, it was Dawid Malan bowling change who broke the Cosgrove/Powell partnership, Powell out LBW.  Enter Jamie Dalrymple who hung around until tea.

Middlesex really needed a flurry of wickets.  Well, in the hour after tea three came.  First Rymps, an excellent low catch by Morgan off Evans.  Then the centurion Cosgrove fell LBW to the nagging medium pace of Dexter.  Cosgrove really is a big lad, as extolled by King Cricket today:

http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/mark-cosgrove-flobs-back-into-county-cricket/2009/04/22/#respond

Then Dexter got another – young Tom Maynard – an excellent catch up to the stumps by Ben Scott.

At 281/6 with the new ball due I thought Middlesex might run through the Glammys, but Wallace and Croft had other ideas.  Scotty up to the stumps even for Murtagh at times, very impressive.

But at 351/6 you’d have to say that Glamorgan are ahead.  I’d suggest that the par score on this track (playing on the South side with a short boundary) is 380 to 420 and you’d expect Glammy to exceed that tomorrow unless Middlesex can induce a flurry early doors.  Here’s hoping.

Charley and I decamped back to the Pavilion for a final drink before ambling our separate ways. What glorious weather for the first match of the season.  But Middlesex will need to lift the performances for the next three days if there is to be a reasonable outcome to this match.

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