The Longest Groundhog Day - Middx v Worcs Day One

Shaggy The Bat

By Ged Ladd
July 23 2008

Ged Ladd describes a long day at Lord's, including Day 1 of the County Championship match v Worcestershire and the much-awaited forum that was to be an SGM then wasn't to be an SGM. Still, the sun shone more or less all day so it can't have been that bad........

THE LONGEST GROUNDHOG DAY

Pre Match

Rose early to the strains of "I Got You Babe", sorted web site for a while, did some real work for a longer while, went to the gym, did some more real work, realised I was running later than intended.

Un-groundhog day moment - determined to see the first ball of a CC match (for the first time ever) jumped in a cab and got to my seat just in time to see the first ball.

Match

Compton looked all at sea - Mason soon got him but even my mum coulda, let alone Geoffrey Boycott's mum. 

Kabir Ali was bowling really well and it was going to take some solid batting to see off his early spell.  Shah was cleaned up by a beauty that did enough coming back and Malan likewise with one that went away from him.

Andrew and Imran Arif came on and looked distinctly ordinary compared with Kabir Ali and Mason.

Joyce and Morgan looked to steady the ship for a while, until Morgan tried to drive Andrew off a good legth and was caught behind.  Something about Andrew's bowling mysteriously seemed to induce the inappropriate drive all day.  Perhaps it was the number of four balls that he did bowl.

Joyce and Scott see us through to lunch.

Mr Perambulate is our announcer for this match, who announces the return of Joyce and Morgan at the start of the afternoon session - this might have surprised Morgan who was out a good 20 minutes before the interval.

Joyce got a life soon after lunch when he hooked one high in the direction of long leg, where the hapless Imran Arif was confounded by the ice on the ball and dropped it.  Village shot, village drop.

The drop cost less than it might have done, when Joyce tried for a risky second and was run out off a fine throw by Moore.  Joyce looked as though he'd made enough ground though, so I suspect he failed to ground his bat.

Udal joins Scott and they go well until Scott gloves one through.  Udal and Dial M for Murtagh look solid at tea - 200-odd for 6.

After tea, Udal and Murtagh go well, but soon after recording the 100 partnership Murtagh is caught somewhat unfortunately as his shot hits short square leg and lops up simply for Hick to catch on t'other side o't wicket.

273/7 come the new ball.  Udal looks good for 100 but it wasn't to be. The tail is tailing off and Udal goes for one shot too many - Davies makes no mistake with that ice-ball.

Some attrition followed with Evans and Finn trying to get us 9 more runs for a 3rd batting point and Worcs trying to prevent it.  Joy of joys, we get to 300.  As soon as we do, Finn still on 0 tries a celebratory shot against Ali and that's him and Middlesex done.

300 on the nose.  Below par, but better than 61/4 inferred.

Five overs "attem" with a few ooohs and aahhhs but no wickets.

If we can restrict Worcs to less than 400 I think we could still win it and certainly still draw it.  That will take some bowling Day 2, but we have 5 bowlers and something reasonable on the board to bowl at.

Post Match - The Longest Groundhog Day - Forum Time

A swift drink with some fine fellas in the Middlesex Room, catching the end of the Durham innings in TV.  Guessed that Durham would win.

And then to the forum.

Professor Silverman makes a well-considered speech, carefully dropping those elements of his statement that found little favour and focussing on some of the less disputable gripes.  His speech is well received, all things considered.

Then Ian Lovett made a response to the speech, mostly picking off specific points.

Open to the floor, where a few malcontents and former malcontents say that they are disappointed that the matter didn't go to the vote.

Several more questions from the floor, including the mandatory stuff about scorecards (I was amazed that no-one mentioned numbers and names on the back of shirts).

Then eventually, a few people from the non-malcontent fraternity got to say their piece.

The elephant on the table, of course, is the outcome of the strategic review which will probably interest us further here on MTWD once the season is over.  Ironically, it transpires, those changes will require a Special General Meeting.

I think the ill-considered no-confidence matter has now been aired and put to bed.  I also think the Chairman did a pretty good job of it in the circumstances - the meeting was a bit less awful than I thought it would be.

So a couple of quick drinks before home - the longest groundhog day needed a bit of drowning before bedtime.

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