The Friends Provident semi finalists return to the 50 over format this weekend. Which teams can successfully merge the skills required in the Twenty20 cup and county championship to reach the season’s only Lord’s final?
Durham meet Kent in Friday’s first semi final at Chester-le-Street. Both teams topped their respective divisions and will be in Twenty20 cup quarter final action early next week (indeed, all of the semi finalists have reached the last eight of the shorter format tournament).
Proof that this tournament’s contenders are the country’s limited over specialists and both these teams are equipped to pull off the double. Durham claimed their first ever silverware in winning last year’s Friends Provident trophy and I have been tipping Kent for Twenty20 glory since the season started.
Both won their latest county championship assignments, so there will plenty of players in form on display at the Riverside.
It might be a bowler’s day. There have been plenty of low scoring encounters at Durham recently, including their one wicket win over Nottinghamshire in the quarter finals. Steve Harmison has 16 wickets at 20.87 in the tournament to date and could be the home side’s key man.
Kent’s Yasir Arafat is the tournament’s top wicket taker (22 at 13.45) and he is just one of the Spitfires’ many form allrounders. It is a sign of their strength that their century-hitting hero in the quarter final win over Somerset, Neil Dexter, has been loaned out to Essex.
Kent are a well-drilled One Day outfit and this should be a close contest, with Durham my tip for a final place.
Another north vs. south battle takes place at Chelmsford on Saturday as Yorkshire travel to Essex. Both teams are in the Pro40 second division this season and should be expected to be the hunt for promotion, as they have been consistent limited overs performers this term.
Both enjoyed comfortable quarter final wins. Yorkshire eased past Gloucestershire by six wickets with more than five overs remaining, whilst Essex hammered Leicestershire by 118 runs.
That win at Grace Road was based around one of the great domestic one day performances. Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten 201, made off just 138 balls, was only the eighth double ton in limited overs cricket and makes him the man to watch at the Ford county ground.
Bopara played with the freedom that has eluded him at international level and seems to have inspired his team mates with that knock. Graham Napier found some big-hitting form in the Twenty20 cup and in Ryan ten Doeschate Essex have another form batsman capable of clearing the ropes.
However, their bowling is perhaps too reliant on Danish Kaneria and I expect Yorkshire’s experienced line-up, led by the batting of Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath and the bowling of Tim Bresnan, to edge this one.
Showing posts with label FP Trophy 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FP Trophy 2008. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
It pure simple knockout from now on in the Friends Provident Trophy as the race to be this year’s winner hots up.
Essex opted to bat at Grace Road against Leicestershire and were in a spot of bother at 37-3. Ravi Bopara arrived at the crease and played the innings of his life in front of England selector Geoff Miller. He plundered his way to 201 not out, in the process hitting an incredible 18 fours and 10 sixes, as he joined a select group of players who have achieved the feat in fifty over cricket. The prominent support came from another England player who was keen to impress, James Foster, who hit a rapid 61. The Eagles finished up on 350-5, a formidable total indeed. Garnett Kruger (2-70) and Dillon du Preez (2-60) each took two wickets for a rather South African looking Foxes side. In fact there were only four England players on view for the home side, which according to Essex Captain Mark Pettini, made the victory all the sweeter, much to the disgust of the Leicestershire board. In reply, it was two of those Englishmen, Matthew Boyce (57) and the evergreen Paul Nixon (62), who impressed most, each hitting fifty, but it was Bopara (2-34) who again stole the show, taking two wickets, as the Foxes were all out for 232. Alex Tudor (2-38), Graham Napier (2-48) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-32) were the other major wicket takers.
Play was delayed by a day at Beckenham where Kent eventually took to the field against Somerset, opting to bat first in a match I fancied the winners of to go all the way. They made 259-6, with Captain Rob Key (73) and Neil Dexter (101*) (only in the side because of the absence of Martin van Jaarsveld) scoring the major runs. Ben Philips (2-55) and a miserly Charl Willoughby (10 overs for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Chasing, Craig Kieswetter hit a well paced 90, but he received precious little support as Yasir Arafat impressed once again with 3-23, Somerset all out for just 222. Kent appear to have the whole package when it comes to limited overs cricket and they remain my pick for the title. They bat deep, with plenty of explosive hitters towards the lower order, have plenty of experienced bowling options, have an excellent captain in Key and they field with energy.
At Bristol Yorkshire opted to field first against Gloucestershire and it proved to be a wise decision as the Gladiators were restricted to 201 all out, Matthew Hoggard (3-26) and Tim Bresnan (4-31) impressive up front in swinging conditions. Gloucestershire were indebted to Chris Taylor (54) and Steve Adshead (71), who managed to forge a total which they had a chance of defending. Yorkshire failed to struggle in reply however, as minus Steve Kirby, Gloucestershire seemed to lack penetration, despite the valiant efforts of Captain Jon Lewis (2-21) and Mark Hardinges (2-36). Craig White’s patient 55, coupled with Jacques Rudolph’s solid 53 not out, was enough to see them home as they made 205-4, Adam Lyth hitting a rapid unbeaten 38 at the end.
The final quarter final saw Nottinghamshire opt to bat first in a thriller at The Riverside against holders Durham. Samit Patel played a blinding innings of 114 from 113 balls, as nobody else on his team managed to make it beyond the teens. Resultantly, the Outlaws could only total 188 all out, with Steve Harmison (2-40), brother Ben Harmison (2-33), Callum Thorp (2-20) and Gareth Breese (2-50) all taking two wickets apiece. Although Phil Mustard (14) fell early once again in reply, Michael Di Venuto (70) and Will Smith (41) then shared 107, as Durham reached 127-1. A collapse followed though and they found themselves 177-9, with Gareth Breese and Mark Davies at the crease. Breese hit 34 from 37 balls to win the match for the Dynamos with an over to spare to ensure that Durham remain on course to defend their title. Patel completed an impressive allround performance with 3-27, while evergreen Mark Ealham (2-29) and Darren Pattinson (2-46) each took two wickets.
Player of the Week: It can only be on player despite the valiant efforts of Neil Dexter, Yasir Arafat, Samit Patel, Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan. Ravi Bopara is this week's star player for his awesome unbeaten double century and two wickets against Leicestershire for Essex. Let us hope that he can take that form into England's upcoming One Day Series against New Zealand.
The Semi Final Draw:
Durham v Kent, The Riverside
Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford
Essex opted to bat at Grace Road against Leicestershire and were in a spot of bother at 37-3. Ravi Bopara arrived at the crease and played the innings of his life in front of England selector Geoff Miller. He plundered his way to 201 not out, in the process hitting an incredible 18 fours and 10 sixes, as he joined a select group of players who have achieved the feat in fifty over cricket. The prominent support came from another England player who was keen to impress, James Foster, who hit a rapid 61. The Eagles finished up on 350-5, a formidable total indeed. Garnett Kruger (2-70) and Dillon du Preez (2-60) each took two wickets for a rather South African looking Foxes side. In fact there were only four England players on view for the home side, which according to Essex Captain Mark Pettini, made the victory all the sweeter, much to the disgust of the Leicestershire board. In reply, it was two of those Englishmen, Matthew Boyce (57) and the evergreen Paul Nixon (62), who impressed most, each hitting fifty, but it was Bopara (2-34) who again stole the show, taking two wickets, as the Foxes were all out for 232. Alex Tudor (2-38), Graham Napier (2-48) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-32) were the other major wicket takers.
Play was delayed by a day at Beckenham where Kent eventually took to the field against Somerset, opting to bat first in a match I fancied the winners of to go all the way. They made 259-6, with Captain Rob Key (73) and Neil Dexter (101*) (only in the side because of the absence of Martin van Jaarsveld) scoring the major runs. Ben Philips (2-55) and a miserly Charl Willoughby (10 overs for 24) were the pick of the bowlers. Chasing, Craig Kieswetter hit a well paced 90, but he received precious little support as Yasir Arafat impressed once again with 3-23, Somerset all out for just 222. Kent appear to have the whole package when it comes to limited overs cricket and they remain my pick for the title. They bat deep, with plenty of explosive hitters towards the lower order, have plenty of experienced bowling options, have an excellent captain in Key and they field with energy.
At Bristol Yorkshire opted to field first against Gloucestershire and it proved to be a wise decision as the Gladiators were restricted to 201 all out, Matthew Hoggard (3-26) and Tim Bresnan (4-31) impressive up front in swinging conditions. Gloucestershire were indebted to Chris Taylor (54) and Steve Adshead (71), who managed to forge a total which they had a chance of defending. Yorkshire failed to struggle in reply however, as minus Steve Kirby, Gloucestershire seemed to lack penetration, despite the valiant efforts of Captain Jon Lewis (2-21) and Mark Hardinges (2-36). Craig White’s patient 55, coupled with Jacques Rudolph’s solid 53 not out, was enough to see them home as they made 205-4, Adam Lyth hitting a rapid unbeaten 38 at the end.
The final quarter final saw Nottinghamshire opt to bat first in a thriller at The Riverside against holders Durham. Samit Patel played a blinding innings of 114 from 113 balls, as nobody else on his team managed to make it beyond the teens. Resultantly, the Outlaws could only total 188 all out, with Steve Harmison (2-40), brother Ben Harmison (2-33), Callum Thorp (2-20) and Gareth Breese (2-50) all taking two wickets apiece. Although Phil Mustard (14) fell early once again in reply, Michael Di Venuto (70) and Will Smith (41) then shared 107, as Durham reached 127-1. A collapse followed though and they found themselves 177-9, with Gareth Breese and Mark Davies at the crease. Breese hit 34 from 37 balls to win the match for the Dynamos with an over to spare to ensure that Durham remain on course to defend their title. Patel completed an impressive allround performance with 3-27, while evergreen Mark Ealham (2-29) and Darren Pattinson (2-46) each took two wickets.
Player of the Week: It can only be on player despite the valiant efforts of Neil Dexter, Yasir Arafat, Samit Patel, Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan. Ravi Bopara is this week's star player for his awesome unbeaten double century and two wickets against Leicestershire for Essex. Let us hope that he can take that form into England's upcoming One Day Series against New Zealand.
The Semi Final Draw:
Durham v Kent, The Riverside
Essex v Yorkshire, Chelmsford
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
There were only three results from the final round of Friends Provident Trophy matches this week, with the weather wreaking havoc once again.
At Lord’s Essex were able to bat a full fifty overs despite the gloom, with Ryan ten Doeschate top scoring with 97, as they made 244-8. Tim Murtagh (2-28), Steven Finn (2-52) and Vernon Philander (2-46) shared six wickets evenly for the Crusaders. Duckworth Lewis came into play for Middlesex as they won by eight wickets, finishing on 120-2 from 25 overs, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 43, while there were 34 runs at nearly a run a ball rate from Shaun Udal, batting at number three.
The rain tried its best to ruin the game at Oakham School between Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, however there was a result. The Foxes batted 35 overs, in the process scoring 147-7, HD Ackerman making a patient 37 at the top. England hopefuls Samit Patel (3-32) and Graeme Swann (3-23) each took three wickets for the Outlaws from six overs. Nottinghamshire were only able to bat 12 overs in reply, making 47-3, although that was enough for a result, whether rightly or wrongly, as they lost out on Duckworth Lewis by 13 runs.
In Dublin Northamptonshire amassed 205 against Ireland, Andrew Hall the Steelback’s saviour with 72, as Ravi Rampaul (2-61), Kevin O’Brien (2-34) and Gary Kidd (2-33) each took two wickets apiece. Ireland were abysmal in reply however and were soon all out for just 106, opener James Hall the top scorer by some distance, with 27. In fact only one other player made it into double figures. Skipper Nicky Boje took 4-12, while there were two wickets each for Lance Klusener (2-20) and Johann van der Wath (2-21). You could be forgiven for thinking you had just watched a One Day International…
Player of the Week: Well it is exceedingly hard to pick a star player this week thanks to the truncated nature of the games and the lack of volume of them. Ultimately, Andrew Hall (72) and Nicky Boje (4-12) probably should share the honour as their respective performances ensured that there was to be no embarrassment for South Africa, sorry Kolpakshire, I mean Northamptonshire, against Ireland.
The Quarter Final Line-up:
Durham v Nottinghamshire, Riverside;
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Bristol;
Kent v Somerset, Canterbury;
Leicestershire v Essex, Grace Road.
At Lord’s Essex were able to bat a full fifty overs despite the gloom, with Ryan ten Doeschate top scoring with 97, as they made 244-8. Tim Murtagh (2-28), Steven Finn (2-52) and Vernon Philander (2-46) shared six wickets evenly for the Crusaders. Duckworth Lewis came into play for Middlesex as they won by eight wickets, finishing on 120-2 from 25 overs, Billy Godleman carrying his bat for 43, while there were 34 runs at nearly a run a ball rate from Shaun Udal, batting at number three.
The rain tried its best to ruin the game at Oakham School between Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, however there was a result. The Foxes batted 35 overs, in the process scoring 147-7, HD Ackerman making a patient 37 at the top. England hopefuls Samit Patel (3-32) and Graeme Swann (3-23) each took three wickets for the Outlaws from six overs. Nottinghamshire were only able to bat 12 overs in reply, making 47-3, although that was enough for a result, whether rightly or wrongly, as they lost out on Duckworth Lewis by 13 runs.
In Dublin Northamptonshire amassed 205 against Ireland, Andrew Hall the Steelback’s saviour with 72, as Ravi Rampaul (2-61), Kevin O’Brien (2-34) and Gary Kidd (2-33) each took two wickets apiece. Ireland were abysmal in reply however and were soon all out for just 106, opener James Hall the top scorer by some distance, with 27. In fact only one other player made it into double figures. Skipper Nicky Boje took 4-12, while there were two wickets each for Lance Klusener (2-20) and Johann van der Wath (2-21). You could be forgiven for thinking you had just watched a One Day International…
Player of the Week: Well it is exceedingly hard to pick a star player this week thanks to the truncated nature of the games and the lack of volume of them. Ultimately, Andrew Hall (72) and Nicky Boje (4-12) probably should share the honour as their respective performances ensured that there was to be no embarrassment for South Africa, sorry Kolpakshire, I mean Northamptonshire, against Ireland.
The Quarter Final Line-up:
Durham v Nottinghamshire, Riverside;
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, Bristol;
Kent v Somerset, Canterbury;
Leicestershire v Essex, Grace Road.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
There should have been a mountain of games to review this week. However, thankfully from my point of view the weather put a stop to no less than eight matches.
We start back at last Tuesday with Hampshire vs Worcestershire at The Rose Bowl. The Royals were put in and quickly slipped to 66-6, Dimi Mascarenhas (3-37) and Chris Tremlett (2-44) both in inspired form. However, Gareth Batty led a comeback with a spirited 52 and he was well supported by Kabir Ali (28), Gareth Andrew (30*) and swinging Steve Maggoffin (24*) as the Royals made 201-8. Hampshire themselves were soon 65-6, Simon Jones particularly impressive with 2-38, while Maggoffin (2-31) was similarly dangerous. However, Michael Brown (96*), the deputy wicket keeper, made his highest ever List A score and well supported by the captain, Mascarenhas making 56 from 89 balls, demonstrating that he has another side to his game. The Hawks won with thirteen balls to spare.
Steve Stubbings (95) and Chris Rodgers (94) shared an opening stand of 150 for Derbyshire against Lancashire at Derby, as The Phantoms made 288-5. Lancashire were blown away for 188 in reply, Tom Lungley (3-31) and Graham Wagg (2-34) the main destroyers, as only Francois du Plessis (54) offered any meaningful resistance. Lancashire seem to be really struggling with the bat this season and Gary Keedy’s run a ball 33 was evidence that batting was a good deal easier than they made it look.
There was a Twenty over aside game at Bristol where Gloucestershire hosted Hampshire. The Hawks were put in and could only muster 144-6, Michael Lumb (76) and Jon Lewis (3-17) the respective stars. In reply, Craig Spearman (71) did the damage with a typically belligerent knock and it was he and Mark Hardinges (49*) who rescued the side from 27-4 to take them home with two balls to spare, despite Shane Bond’s (3-11) best efforts on his return.
Glamorgan had 31 overs to bat against Worcestershire at Swansea, having been put into bat. They could only make 135-9 in that time, despite Jamie Dalrymple’s 47, Steve Maggoffin (3-19) and Kabir Ali (2-21) doing the damage up front. The Royals made it over the line with seventeen balls remaining, captain Vikram Solanki leading the way with 69.
Glam v Worcs @ Swansea: Simon Jones works up a pace close to 'home', and Vikram Solanki eases Worcestershire to victory again (Pics c/o RTE).
Essex were all out for 215 against Surrey at Chelmsford, having been put in, Varun Chopra top scoring with 79, as Jade Dernbach took 3-31, while there were two wickets apiece for Matt Nicholson (2-40), James Ormond (2-41) and James Benning (2-35), who was less economical. Surrey eased to victory, Scott Newman (52), Mark Butcher (66*) and Usman Afzaal (50*) all scoring fifties.
Defending Champions Durham made 230-6 at The Riverside against Scotland, as Phil Mustard (57) finally showed some form, with Neil McKenzie (68) also hitting fifty. John Blain was once again the pick of the Scottish bowlers (2-34). Brothers Steve (3-39) and Ben Harmison (3-43) shared six wickets as Scotland were all out for 192 in reply, Kyle McCallum making 60.
Scotland were in action at Headingley the following day and made a respectable 244, skipper Ryan Watson (54) and Colin Smith (60) each making fifty, despite the impressive bowling of Darren Gough (2-40) and the much hyped Adil Rashid (2-36). Dewald Nel (2-53) took two early wickets for the Scots to give them hope, but Anthony McGrath (105*) and Jaques Rudolph (82) put paid to any ideas of victory as Yorkshire won with 9.2 overs remaining.
There was a thrilling contest at Trent Bridge, where Nottinghamshire faced Ireland. Put into bat, The Outlaws made 241-6, Adam Voges (82) and Samit Patel (75) the main scorers, with “Irishman” Ravi Rampaul taking 3-40. Patel must be on the radar of the England selectors after his impressive start to the season. The Irish reply was all about Kevin O’Brien (93*), but unfortunately the Irish finished on 240-6, one run shy of a tie, with Luke Fletcher taking 2-41.
There was a much shortened game at Oakham School where Leicestershire welcomed Warwickshire. The Bears were put in and made 187-8, thanks in no small part to veteran Tony Frost (55*). Ryan Cummins (3-50) and James Allenby (2-40) were the best bowlers for The Foxes. At 53-2 from 19.3 overs the rain came and Warwickshire were awarded the victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method by 8 runs.
Our final game takes us again to The Riverside, where Durham opted to bat first against Derbyshire, Michael Di Venuto making 138. Phil Mustard was back to his old tricks, making a quick fire 24 before getting out. Meanwhile, Will Smith contributed 55. Graham Wagg (2-46) was the best Phantom bowler on show. Derbyshire were all out for 181 in reply, John Sadler the top scorer with 46, as Gareth Breese (5-41) ran through the line up.
Player of the Week: Michael Di Venuto certainly deserves a mention for his magnificent hundred, but the player of the week, for his 3-37 and patient 56 not out against Worcestershire in difficult batting conditions, is Dimi Mascarenhas, who will be hoping to be named in the England ODI squad this week.
We start back at last Tuesday with Hampshire vs Worcestershire at The Rose Bowl. The Royals were put in and quickly slipped to 66-6, Dimi Mascarenhas (3-37) and Chris Tremlett (2-44) both in inspired form. However, Gareth Batty led a comeback with a spirited 52 and he was well supported by Kabir Ali (28), Gareth Andrew (30*) and swinging Steve Maggoffin (24*) as the Royals made 201-8. Hampshire themselves were soon 65-6, Simon Jones particularly impressive with 2-38, while Maggoffin (2-31) was similarly dangerous. However, Michael Brown (96*), the deputy wicket keeper, made his highest ever List A score and well supported by the captain, Mascarenhas making 56 from 89 balls, demonstrating that he has another side to his game. The Hawks won with thirteen balls to spare.
Steve Stubbings (95) and Chris Rodgers (94) shared an opening stand of 150 for Derbyshire against Lancashire at Derby, as The Phantoms made 288-5. Lancashire were blown away for 188 in reply, Tom Lungley (3-31) and Graham Wagg (2-34) the main destroyers, as only Francois du Plessis (54) offered any meaningful resistance. Lancashire seem to be really struggling with the bat this season and Gary Keedy’s run a ball 33 was evidence that batting was a good deal easier than they made it look.
There was a Twenty over aside game at Bristol where Gloucestershire hosted Hampshire. The Hawks were put in and could only muster 144-6, Michael Lumb (76) and Jon Lewis (3-17) the respective stars. In reply, Craig Spearman (71) did the damage with a typically belligerent knock and it was he and Mark Hardinges (49*) who rescued the side from 27-4 to take them home with two balls to spare, despite Shane Bond’s (3-11) best efforts on his return.
Glamorgan had 31 overs to bat against Worcestershire at Swansea, having been put into bat. They could only make 135-9 in that time, despite Jamie Dalrymple’s 47, Steve Maggoffin (3-19) and Kabir Ali (2-21) doing the damage up front. The Royals made it over the line with seventeen balls remaining, captain Vikram Solanki leading the way with 69.
Glam v Worcs @ Swansea: Simon Jones works up a pace close to 'home', and Vikram Solanki eases Worcestershire to victory again (Pics c/o RTE).Essex were all out for 215 against Surrey at Chelmsford, having been put in, Varun Chopra top scoring with 79, as Jade Dernbach took 3-31, while there were two wickets apiece for Matt Nicholson (2-40), James Ormond (2-41) and James Benning (2-35), who was less economical. Surrey eased to victory, Scott Newman (52), Mark Butcher (66*) and Usman Afzaal (50*) all scoring fifties.
Defending Champions Durham made 230-6 at The Riverside against Scotland, as Phil Mustard (57) finally showed some form, with Neil McKenzie (68) also hitting fifty. John Blain was once again the pick of the Scottish bowlers (2-34). Brothers Steve (3-39) and Ben Harmison (3-43) shared six wickets as Scotland were all out for 192 in reply, Kyle McCallum making 60.
Scotland were in action at Headingley the following day and made a respectable 244, skipper Ryan Watson (54) and Colin Smith (60) each making fifty, despite the impressive bowling of Darren Gough (2-40) and the much hyped Adil Rashid (2-36). Dewald Nel (2-53) took two early wickets for the Scots to give them hope, but Anthony McGrath (105*) and Jaques Rudolph (82) put paid to any ideas of victory as Yorkshire won with 9.2 overs remaining.
There was a thrilling contest at Trent Bridge, where Nottinghamshire faced Ireland. Put into bat, The Outlaws made 241-6, Adam Voges (82) and Samit Patel (75) the main scorers, with “Irishman” Ravi Rampaul taking 3-40. Patel must be on the radar of the England selectors after his impressive start to the season. The Irish reply was all about Kevin O’Brien (93*), but unfortunately the Irish finished on 240-6, one run shy of a tie, with Luke Fletcher taking 2-41.
There was a much shortened game at Oakham School where Leicestershire welcomed Warwickshire. The Bears were put in and made 187-8, thanks in no small part to veteran Tony Frost (55*). Ryan Cummins (3-50) and James Allenby (2-40) were the best bowlers for The Foxes. At 53-2 from 19.3 overs the rain came and Warwickshire were awarded the victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method by 8 runs.
Our final game takes us again to The Riverside, where Durham opted to bat first against Derbyshire, Michael Di Venuto making 138. Phil Mustard was back to his old tricks, making a quick fire 24 before getting out. Meanwhile, Will Smith contributed 55. Graham Wagg (2-46) was the best Phantom bowler on show. Derbyshire were all out for 181 in reply, John Sadler the top scorer with 46, as Gareth Breese (5-41) ran through the line up.
Player of the Week: Michael Di Venuto certainly deserves a mention for his magnificent hundred, but the player of the week, for his 3-37 and patient 56 not out against Worcestershire in difficult batting conditions, is Dimi Mascarenhas, who will be hoping to be named in the England ODI squad this week.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
There were ten FP matches this week and so to the round-up…
We begin at Stormont Belfast, where Warwickshire continued their abysmal start to the season against Ireland. Opting to bat first they could only muster a paltry 211-7 from their fifty overs, Tony Frost top scoring with 56. West Indian Ravi Rampaul took 2-53 while there were also two wickets for Gary Kidd (2-37). The Irish made it home with 3.2 overs to spare, William Porterfield laying the foundations up top with a patient 69. James Anyon (2-47) was the pick of the Bears’ attack.
Essex were in buoyant mood at Chelmsford following their demolition of Surrey. Unfortunately they were a bit too confident and were well and truly thrashed by Kent. The Spitfires made 230-7 from their allotted fifty overs, Justin Kemp top scoring with 51. Graham Napier (3-29) and Ravi Bopara (3-49) each took three wickets. That total should have been gettable given the location, however, the Eagles were shot out for just 124, with Yasir Arafat (4-29), Robbie Joesph (3-30) and Simon Cook (2-35) all impressing.
Justin Langer (117) was in sublime form yet again at Taunton where Somerset racked up 278-9 against Worcestershire. He shared in a match winning 100 run partnership with Ian Blackwell (53), whilst there were 3 wicket for Steve Magoffin (3-36) and two apiece for Kabir Ali (2-54) and Gareth Andrew (2-46) against his old side. The Royals were all out for 194 in reply, Daryl Mitchell by far and away the top scorer with 92. Peter Trego followed up his 31 from 16 balls with 3-37, while Steffan Jones (3-36), Charl Willoughby (2-21) and Zander de Bruyn (2-20) did the rest.
Scotland were unable to do to the White Rose county what they had done to the Red Rose county, as they totally only 193-8 against Yorkshire at The Citylets Grange. Darren Gough (2-40) and Richard Pyrah (2-30) led the way for Yorkshire. Craig White was able to take his time and hit 69 not out in reply at a strike rate below 50, while Gerard Brophy’s 61 not out came from just 45 balls, as Yorkshire cantered home with just 3 wickets down, the impressive John Blain (2-17) taking two of them in his economical ten overs.
There was a low scoring affair at Trent Bridge, where Warwickshire looked to be in serious trouble yet again when they totalled only 173 against Nottinghamshire, Ian Westwood’s patient 64 the sole score of real note. It was that man again, Darren Pattinson 4-29, who did the damage, while Samit Patel (3-19) finished things off. In reply though Notts collapsed, with Will Jefferson making 41 in their total of just 121. James Anyon impressed again with 3-6, while Neil Carter (3-25) and Naqaash Tahir (2-47) were also in good form.
Complete contrast now as 657 runs were scored at Canterbury, 337 of them by Kent, for the loss of just three wickets, all of them to Surrey’s Chris Jordon (3-53). Martin van Jaarsveld (113* - can anyone stop him in the FP Trophy?) and Darren Stevens 119* each notched up unbeaten centuries as the Surrey attack was devoured yet again. Surrey looked on course for a remarkable victory after Mark Butcher (139) and Usman Afzaal (74) shared a rapid 126. However, Surrey old boy Azhaar Mahmood (4-40) proved decisive as he did earlier on in the season at The Oval, with four wickets at the death, Surrey carrying a rather long tail. He was backed up by Ryan McLaren (3-75) and Yasir Arafat (2-55) as Surrey fell short, all out for 320 with only two balls left.
Ireland were unable to follow up their victory over the Bears with victory over the Foxes. Opting to field first, hopeful that a repeat performance was on the cards, Ireland could only restrict Leicestershire to 245-5, HD Ackerman (54) and Boerta Dippenaar (69) each making fifties, while Kyle McCallan was this time the best Irish bowler, taking 2-46. The Irish reply was again led by William Porterfield (65), but there was no real support for him as Claude Henderson (4-30) ran riot and the Irish were all out for 164.
The Swalec Stadium saw Glamorgan take on Hampshire (pics below). The Dragons made 229-5 with Michael Powell (114) and Matthew Wood (64) the main men. Dimitri Mascarenhas, back from his IPL excursion, took 2-38 from his ten overs, while Sean Ervine took a more expensive 2-38 from six overs. Michael Carberry led the Hawks’ reply with a rapid 65 and was given good support by Michael Lumb (35), Chris Benham (39) and Michael Brown (35*), as they made it home with ten balls to spare, despite the best efforts of David Harrison (2-46) and Jamie Dalrymple (2-48).
1. Dimitri Mascarenhas bowls to centurion Mike Powell.
2. Powell reaches a one day ton at last, congratulated by his big pal Mark Wallace.
3. Michael Carberry gets Hants off to a good start.
4. Mascarenhas and Michael Brown see Hants home. (Pics c/o RTE)
Essex were in action again at Chelmsford, this time against Middlesex. The Crusaders made 259-7, Eoin Morgan’s 100 the highlight, while Captain Ed Smith’s 75 was also key. Graham Napier (2-60) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-57) each took two wickets. Jason Gallian was imperious in reply hitting an unbeaten 111, while Varun Chopra (50) and Ravi Bopara (85*) also found conditions to their liking, as Essex crossed the finishing line just two wicket down and with seven overs remaining.
Our final game took place at The Riverside, where Durham made 205-8 from their fifty overs against Lancashire, Dale Benkenstein (64) and Gary Park (42*) the main contributors, as Kyle Hogg (2-19) impressed yet again and was backed up by youngster Stephen Cheetham (2-39) and Gareth Cross (2-26). Mal Loye led the Lightning reply with 77, but there was no support for him, aside from Cross (48), and they fell short with 199-9 from their fifty overs, Steve Harmison (3-44) and Graham Onions (2-44) reminding the selectors of the talents.
Player of the Week: Justin Langer, Darren Stevens, Martin van Jaarseveld, Jason Gallian, Azhar Mahmood, Yasir Arafat and Claude Henderson all stood out this week with match winning performances. Yasir Arafat’s 6-84 across two matches ultimately make him the stand out performer of the week as he destroyed the Essex top order of Mark Pettini, Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower and then took the key wicket of Alistair Brown in the high scoring triumph over Surrey.
We begin at Stormont Belfast, where Warwickshire continued their abysmal start to the season against Ireland. Opting to bat first they could only muster a paltry 211-7 from their fifty overs, Tony Frost top scoring with 56. West Indian Ravi Rampaul took 2-53 while there were also two wickets for Gary Kidd (2-37). The Irish made it home with 3.2 overs to spare, William Porterfield laying the foundations up top with a patient 69. James Anyon (2-47) was the pick of the Bears’ attack.
Essex were in buoyant mood at Chelmsford following their demolition of Surrey. Unfortunately they were a bit too confident and were well and truly thrashed by Kent. The Spitfires made 230-7 from their allotted fifty overs, Justin Kemp top scoring with 51. Graham Napier (3-29) and Ravi Bopara (3-49) each took three wickets. That total should have been gettable given the location, however, the Eagles were shot out for just 124, with Yasir Arafat (4-29), Robbie Joesph (3-30) and Simon Cook (2-35) all impressing.
Justin Langer (117) was in sublime form yet again at Taunton where Somerset racked up 278-9 against Worcestershire. He shared in a match winning 100 run partnership with Ian Blackwell (53), whilst there were 3 wicket for Steve Magoffin (3-36) and two apiece for Kabir Ali (2-54) and Gareth Andrew (2-46) against his old side. The Royals were all out for 194 in reply, Daryl Mitchell by far and away the top scorer with 92. Peter Trego followed up his 31 from 16 balls with 3-37, while Steffan Jones (3-36), Charl Willoughby (2-21) and Zander de Bruyn (2-20) did the rest.
Scotland were unable to do to the White Rose county what they had done to the Red Rose county, as they totally only 193-8 against Yorkshire at The Citylets Grange. Darren Gough (2-40) and Richard Pyrah (2-30) led the way for Yorkshire. Craig White was able to take his time and hit 69 not out in reply at a strike rate below 50, while Gerard Brophy’s 61 not out came from just 45 balls, as Yorkshire cantered home with just 3 wickets down, the impressive John Blain (2-17) taking two of them in his economical ten overs.
There was a low scoring affair at Trent Bridge, where Warwickshire looked to be in serious trouble yet again when they totalled only 173 against Nottinghamshire, Ian Westwood’s patient 64 the sole score of real note. It was that man again, Darren Pattinson 4-29, who did the damage, while Samit Patel (3-19) finished things off. In reply though Notts collapsed, with Will Jefferson making 41 in their total of just 121. James Anyon impressed again with 3-6, while Neil Carter (3-25) and Naqaash Tahir (2-47) were also in good form.
Complete contrast now as 657 runs were scored at Canterbury, 337 of them by Kent, for the loss of just three wickets, all of them to Surrey’s Chris Jordon (3-53). Martin van Jaarsveld (113* - can anyone stop him in the FP Trophy?) and Darren Stevens 119* each notched up unbeaten centuries as the Surrey attack was devoured yet again. Surrey looked on course for a remarkable victory after Mark Butcher (139) and Usman Afzaal (74) shared a rapid 126. However, Surrey old boy Azhaar Mahmood (4-40) proved decisive as he did earlier on in the season at The Oval, with four wickets at the death, Surrey carrying a rather long tail. He was backed up by Ryan McLaren (3-75) and Yasir Arafat (2-55) as Surrey fell short, all out for 320 with only two balls left.
Ireland were unable to follow up their victory over the Bears with victory over the Foxes. Opting to field first, hopeful that a repeat performance was on the cards, Ireland could only restrict Leicestershire to 245-5, HD Ackerman (54) and Boerta Dippenaar (69) each making fifties, while Kyle McCallan was this time the best Irish bowler, taking 2-46. The Irish reply was again led by William Porterfield (65), but there was no real support for him as Claude Henderson (4-30) ran riot and the Irish were all out for 164.
The Swalec Stadium saw Glamorgan take on Hampshire (pics below). The Dragons made 229-5 with Michael Powell (114) and Matthew Wood (64) the main men. Dimitri Mascarenhas, back from his IPL excursion, took 2-38 from his ten overs, while Sean Ervine took a more expensive 2-38 from six overs. Michael Carberry led the Hawks’ reply with a rapid 65 and was given good support by Michael Lumb (35), Chris Benham (39) and Michael Brown (35*), as they made it home with ten balls to spare, despite the best efforts of David Harrison (2-46) and Jamie Dalrymple (2-48).
1. Dimitri Mascarenhas bowls to centurion Mike Powell.
2. Powell reaches a one day ton at last, congratulated by his big pal Mark Wallace.
3. Michael Carberry gets Hants off to a good start.
4. Mascarenhas and Michael Brown see Hants home. (Pics c/o RTE)
Essex were in action again at Chelmsford, this time against Middlesex. The Crusaders made 259-7, Eoin Morgan’s 100 the highlight, while Captain Ed Smith’s 75 was also key. Graham Napier (2-60) and Ryan ten Doeschate (2-57) each took two wickets. Jason Gallian was imperious in reply hitting an unbeaten 111, while Varun Chopra (50) and Ravi Bopara (85*) also found conditions to their liking, as Essex crossed the finishing line just two wicket down and with seven overs remaining.
Our final game took place at The Riverside, where Durham made 205-8 from their fifty overs against Lancashire, Dale Benkenstein (64) and Gary Park (42*) the main contributors, as Kyle Hogg (2-19) impressed yet again and was backed up by youngster Stephen Cheetham (2-39) and Gareth Cross (2-26). Mal Loye led the Lightning reply with 77, but there was no support for him, aside from Cross (48), and they fell short with 199-9 from their fifty overs, Steve Harmison (3-44) and Graham Onions (2-44) reminding the selectors of the talents.
Player of the Week: Justin Langer, Darren Stevens, Martin van Jaarseveld, Jason Gallian, Azhar Mahmood, Yasir Arafat and Claude Henderson all stood out this week with match winning performances. Yasir Arafat’s 6-84 across two matches ultimately make him the stand out performer of the week as he destroyed the Essex top order of Mark Pettini, Ravi Bopara and Grant Flower and then took the key wicket of Alistair Brown in the high scoring triumph over Surrey.
Monday, 12 May 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
All eleven games ended in a result again this week. Fantastic! And there were plenty of runs to be had in the sunshine…
Sussex played host to Surrey on Thursday at Hove and were forced to field first. The Browncaps racked up 346-3 off of their fifty overs with a rapid fifty for James Benning (51), a slightly more pedestrian one for Mark Ramprakash (63) and a superb unbeaten hundred from Usman Afzaal (126*). Nobody failed though with Scott Newman hitting 43 and Ali Brown blazing a quick fire 40 not out. Young Left Arm Spinner Thomas Smith was comfortably the best Sussex bowler, finishing with respectable figures of 1-41 from his ten overs. Most of the Sussex line up got starts, but nobody was able to go on. Captain Chris Adams was the top scorer with 40, although four other players made scores in excess of thirty. Jade Dernbach (3-56) was the most successful Surrey bowler as Sussex could only manage 279-8. Afzaal completed a fine allround game with bowling figures of 2-42 from ten overs, while Matt Nicholson also took two wickets (2-59).
Friday’s game saw Gloucestershire pay a visit to Glamorgan, where they opted to field first. The Dragons were soon reduced to 92-5. Young Tom Maynard briefly impressed with a breezy 29, but the real mainstay of the innings was another youngster, Ben Wright, who hit 60 as Glamorgan closed on 202-8. There were two wickets apiece for Captain Jon Lewis (2-29), Steve Kirby (2-44) and Mark Hardinges (2-30). Buoyed by their recovery, the Dragons soon reduced the Gladiators to 16-3, with Alex Gidman, Hamish Marshall and Marcus North falling cheaply. Jason Gillespie was in inspired form and the game looked to be very much in Glamorgan’s favour. However, Craig Spearman (66) and Chris Taylor (66*) rebuilt the innings impressively and David Brown (45*) helped to take them over the finishing line with a cool 5.4 overs to spare.
Sussex played host to Surrey on Thursday at Hove and were forced to field first. The Browncaps racked up 346-3 off of their fifty overs with a rapid fifty for James Benning (51), a slightly more pedestrian one for Mark Ramprakash (63) and a superb unbeaten hundred from Usman Afzaal (126*). Nobody failed though with Scott Newman hitting 43 and Ali Brown blazing a quick fire 40 not out. Young Left Arm Spinner Thomas Smith was comfortably the best Sussex bowler, finishing with respectable figures of 1-41 from his ten overs. Most of the Sussex line up got starts, but nobody was able to go on. Captain Chris Adams was the top scorer with 40, although four other players made scores in excess of thirty. Jade Dernbach (3-56) was the most successful Surrey bowler as Sussex could only manage 279-8. Afzaal completed a fine allround game with bowling figures of 2-42 from ten overs, while Matt Nicholson also took two wickets (2-59).
Friday’s game saw Gloucestershire pay a visit to Glamorgan, where they opted to field first. The Dragons were soon reduced to 92-5. Young Tom Maynard briefly impressed with a breezy 29, but the real mainstay of the innings was another youngster, Ben Wright, who hit 60 as Glamorgan closed on 202-8. There were two wickets apiece for Captain Jon Lewis (2-29), Steve Kirby (2-44) and Mark Hardinges (2-30). Buoyed by their recovery, the Dragons soon reduced the Gladiators to 16-3, with Alex Gidman, Hamish Marshall and Marcus North falling cheaply. Jason Gillespie was in inspired form and the game looked to be very much in Glamorgan’s favour. However, Craig Spearman (66) and Chris Taylor (66*) rebuilt the innings impressively and David Brown (45*) helped to take them over the finishing line with a cool 5.4 overs to spare.
From left to right: Glamorgan build a respectable but inadequate total, Jason Gillespie puts early pressure on Glos, and Taylor and Spearman guide Glos home under the lights. (Pics c/o RTE)
Saturday’s offering came from Northamptonshire, where the Leicestershire Foxes were the visitors. The Foxes amazingly rattled up 268-6, with HD Ackerman (139) the only man to score more than 23! Johann van der Wath was the most successful Steelbacks bowler, taking 2-41. The Northamptonshire reply was in tatters at 98-5, but Niall O’Brien (95) took his side close. Johann Louw (35*) and Monty Panesar (17*) had too much to do in the final over however and they finished seven runs shy, with eight wickets down. Ryan Cummins (2-35), Nadeem Malik (2-45), Garnett Kruger (2-65) and Claude Hendersen (2-38) all took two wickets for Leicestershire.
And now to Sunday’s action. Hampshire were well and truly trounced at New Road by Worcestershire. Shorn of a number of experienced players, including both of their wicket keepers, Hampshire were only able to post 209 after stand-in skipper James Adams decided to bat. Greg Lamb top scored with 84, having been given his chance higher up the batting order. Simon Jones was in lethal form, taking 5-32, reminding those present of what he is capable of. Worcestershire reached their victory target in just 27.3 overs. Every Hampshire bowler was embarrassed by Vikram Solanki (81), Steven Davies (72*) and Moeen Ali (42*), bar Billy Taylor (1-43). The Hawks remain rooted to the bottom of the South-West table.
Northamptonshire were in action again, this time at Edgbaston, where Warwickshire batted first and made 232-8, largely thanks to centurion Jonathan Trott (120*). It is worth asking just what Northamptonshire are doing for English cricket though (other than Monty) as they used six bowlers, of whom five were ex-South African internationals. The only English bowler was the ageing Jason Brown (1-34). He happened to bowl the least amount of overs and was back up to Johann van der Wath (2-45), Andrew Hall (3-39), Johann Louw (0-43), Nicky Boje (1-33) and Lance Klusener (1-33). The batting display was at least led by an Englishman, in Stephen Peters (97*), but Rikki Wessels (another South African Kolpak) was the other main contributor (78), as the Steelbacks won with 4.3 overs to spare. David Sales, Rob White and Irishman Niall O’Brien were in fact the only other players not of South African origin. Incidentally, Neil Carter (3-31) was the top wicket taker for the Bears, another veteran South African…
Essex chose to bat first at The Brit Oval and they put Surrey to the sword in style. Captain Mark Pettini (who had the dubious honour of making a pair in mid week) smashed 144 from 120 balls and featured in a 269 run opening partnership with Jason Gallian (117). Ryan ten Doeschate (60) and James Foster (46) kept up the pressure with strike rates of 200, as the Eagles made an intimidating 391-5. Pedro Collins was the best bowler taking 2-55, while Jade Dernbach went for 107 from his ten overs. Perhaps Surrey need to think about their policy of playing only four frontline bowlers. They could only make 235 in reply, David Masters (5-17) and Graham Napier (3-41) doing the damage, with only Mark Ramprakash making fifty (98).
At one point it looked as though Durham were going to be the latest county side to succumb to Scotland. However, even though they only posted 181-9 from their fifty overs, the Dynamos achieved victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method by restricting Scotland to 52-5 from17.1 overs, over 40 runs shy of where they needed to be. The stars of the show were of course the bowlers. John Blain (3-31) and Dewald Nel (2-42) impressed once again for the Saltires and were joined by Glenn Rogers (2-36), while Callum Thorp took 2-16 for Durham. Steve Harmison took 1-15 from 4.1 overs.
Nottinghamshire overcame Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in a tight low scoring affair. 197 all out was the best the Foxes could muster and the Outlaws got home off of the final ball of their allotted fifty overs, with just two wickets remaining. For the Foxes there were fifties for Boerta Dippenaar (51) and Paul Nixon (75), while Darren Pattinson was once again impressive, taking 4-35. England hopeful Samit Patel also impressed with 3-34. Despite James Allenby’s (4-27) and Nadeem Malik’s (3-21) best efforts, Matthew Wood (50), Will Jefferson (34), Mark Wagh (37) and Adam Voges (35) scored enough between them to ensure victory for the Outlaws.
Lancashire emerged victorious in the Roses match at Old Trafford via the Duckworth-Lewis method. Yorkshire totalled 204-7 from a reduced 45 overs, Jacques Rudolph leading the way with 65. Kyle Hogg impressed for the Lightning taking 3-27 from ten overs. Lancashire reached their target with an over to spare thanks mainly to Francois du Plessis who hit an unbeaten run a ball 77, to rescue his side from 76-5. Darren Gough (3-45) and Tim Bresnan (2-45) were the best bowlers on offer for Yorkshire.
Sussex lost their second game of the week, this time to Kent at Canterbury, where a score of 218-9 was not good enough, despite Michael Yardy’s fifty (54). Simon Cook continued his impressive limited overs form, taking 3-41, while their were two wickets apiece for Yasir Arafat (2-31) and England hopeful James Tredwell (2-33). Kent made it home with 7.5 overs remaining for the loss of only one wicket. Joe Denly (83*) and Martin van Jaarsveld (109* - another impressive score) were the stars for the Spitfires, against an attack which lacked penetration. Mushtaq Ahmed cannot return soon enough for the Sharks and it is evident just how dependent they are on him.
Our final game takes us to Bristol where Gloucestershire chose to field first against Somerset. Justin Langer brought his impressive midweek form into this game, scoring 112 not out. Late hitting from Peter Trego (56) took the Sabres to 290-6. Mark Hardinges (3-60) and Steve Kirby (2-58) were the main wicket takers for the Gladiators. In reply, Craig Spearman upstaged Langer with an unbeaten 140 and he saw the side home along with Steve Adshead (41*), with ten balls remaining. Steffan Jones (3-53) was the pick of the Somerset bowlers.
Player of the Week: For his unbeaten 126 and 2-42 against Sussex (he also scored a rapid 43 against Essex), this weeks player of the week is Surrey’s Usman Afzaal. I reserve a special mention meanwhile for Craig Spearman (66 and 140*).
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up, Part Two!
We now complete out round-up of FP trophy matches, starting at Old Trafford.
Lancashire fans look away now! The Scots were in town on Monday and they embarrassed the Lightning again, having done so previously in 2007 and 2003. Opting to field, Stuart Law’s side restricted the Saltires to 155-9 from their 50 overs, Andrew Flintoff impressive once again in taking 2-18 from 9 overs. He really seems to be back to somewhere near his best with the ball, if only the same could be said of his batting, but I will return to this momentarily. Steven Croft took 4-24, whilst Kyle Hogg took 2-33. James Anderson meanwhile went wicketless for 33 runs from his 8 overs. Ed Cowan (41) and Colin Smith (35) were the main contributors for the Scots. It looked easy for Lancashire, guess again though. They soon found themselves reduced to 44-7, after terrific bowling from Dewald Nel (3-26), John Blain (2-22) and Craig White (2-34). However, then Kyle Hogg (66) and Luke Sutton (24) offered some gritty resistance. Hogg and Anderson took it to the last over and with Anderson needing four off of the final ball, bowled by Gordon Drummond, they could only scamper a single, which handed Scotland a deserved victory. Returning to Flintoff, who made just 8, and the selectors must really be concerned about whether they can even bat him at seven in International Test Match Cricket. They must already be thinking about using a four man attack, supported by Collingwood and Vaughan. The only question would seem to be over whether Matthew Hoggard or Monty Panesar plays at Lords next week and given their current form it would be hard to pick against Hoggard.
Moving on to Northampton, where Northamptonshire welcomed Ireland. The Irish were put into bat and struggled to 203-9 from 50 overs, youngster Paul Stirling (70) the stand out performer and one saving grace of the day. Monty Panesar did well with the ball here, taking 3-36 from 9 overs, which will help his England cause. Chasing, the Steelbacks got home with plenty to spare and with just 2 wickets down. It was an Irish boy who did for Ireland ironically, Niall O’Brien scoring 75, while Stephen Peters (103) helped himself to a hundred.
Kent elected to bat at The Oval and it looked a pretty bad decision by Rob Key (0) initially, as they slipped to 52-4, Surrey's Pedro Collins showing some lethal swing bowling (4-46). Justin Kemp (63) and Geraint Jones (86) put together a fantastically paced partnership however and allowed Azhar Mahmood (62) and Ryan McLaren (17*) to come in and lauch some fireworks, as the Spitfires totalled 282-7. Surrey never got going in reply as Yasir Arafat (4-35) and an injured Mahmood (1-27) bowled fantastically in tandem up front. Ryan McLaren (5-46) kept up the pressure with career best figures and the Brown Caps were all out for 192, only Jon Batty (63) offering any real resistance. The commentators from Sky seemed particularly impressed with Geraint Jones’ keeping, as well as his batting. Whilst I agree that his keeping is of a far better standard now than it has been, it is still his batting which is of concern. He needs to prove that he is a consistent run scorer once again, as he was dropped in the end ironically for his lack of runs, rather than keeping errors.
Middlesex’s top order put in a better showing on Monday than on Sunday, but to no avail, as Sussex still emerged victorious. The Crusaders totalled 273-5, with Ed Joyce (80) and Owais Shah (68) scoring good runs. Andrew Strauss meanwhile hit 26. There were 2 wickets apiece for Michael Yardy (2-36) and James Kirtley (2-59). Sussex got off to good start, Chris Nash (34) and Matt Prior (79) sharing a rapid 70 for the first wicket. Chris Adams then stole the show with 109 not out and he was well supported by Murray Goodwin (44), as Sussex won with two overs to spare.
There was a shortened 23 over game at Edgbaston where Warwickshire elected to field first against Leicestershire. The Foxes made 148-6 courtesy of cameos from Jacques du Toit (34), James Allenby (32) and Boerta Dippenaar (32). The Bears didn’t get close in reply, subsiding to 103 all out, only Darren Maddy (29) and Tim Ambrose (28) scoring anything of note. Ian Bell made just 3. Ryan Cummins was the pick of the bowlers (3-21) and he was supported ably by Garnett Kruger (2-23), Nadeem Malik (2-20) and Claude Hendersen (2-23).
Glamorgan visited New Road in another shortened game, but they couldn’t defend their total of 184-4 from 28 overs against Worcestershire, who crossed the line with 9 balls to spare. David Hemp (47), young Tom Maynard (48) and Jamie Dalrymple (both pictured below) helped set the target. Simon Jones got through 6 overs which went for 43 runs, as he took a wicket in the process. The Royals reply was led by Vikram Solanki (88* (below)), who carried his bat through the innings. Ben Smith (41) and Stephen Moore (30*) offered the support, while Alex Wharf was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers (2-37).
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Lancashire fans look away now! The Scots were in town on Monday and they embarrassed the Lightning again, having done so previously in 2007 and 2003. Opting to field, Stuart Law’s side restricted the Saltires to 155-9 from their 50 overs, Andrew Flintoff impressive once again in taking 2-18 from 9 overs. He really seems to be back to somewhere near his best with the ball, if only the same could be said of his batting, but I will return to this momentarily. Steven Croft took 4-24, whilst Kyle Hogg took 2-33. James Anderson meanwhile went wicketless for 33 runs from his 8 overs. Ed Cowan (41) and Colin Smith (35) were the main contributors for the Scots. It looked easy for Lancashire, guess again though. They soon found themselves reduced to 44-7, after terrific bowling from Dewald Nel (3-26), John Blain (2-22) and Craig White (2-34). However, then Kyle Hogg (66) and Luke Sutton (24) offered some gritty resistance. Hogg and Anderson took it to the last over and with Anderson needing four off of the final ball, bowled by Gordon Drummond, they could only scamper a single, which handed Scotland a deserved victory. Returning to Flintoff, who made just 8, and the selectors must really be concerned about whether they can even bat him at seven in International Test Match Cricket. They must already be thinking about using a four man attack, supported by Collingwood and Vaughan. The only question would seem to be over whether Matthew Hoggard or Monty Panesar plays at Lords next week and given their current form it would be hard to pick against Hoggard.
Moving on to Northampton, where Northamptonshire welcomed Ireland. The Irish were put into bat and struggled to 203-9 from 50 overs, youngster Paul Stirling (70) the stand out performer and one saving grace of the day. Monty Panesar did well with the ball here, taking 3-36 from 9 overs, which will help his England cause. Chasing, the Steelbacks got home with plenty to spare and with just 2 wickets down. It was an Irish boy who did for Ireland ironically, Niall O’Brien scoring 75, while Stephen Peters (103) helped himself to a hundred.
Kent elected to bat at The Oval and it looked a pretty bad decision by Rob Key (0) initially, as they slipped to 52-4, Surrey's Pedro Collins showing some lethal swing bowling (4-46). Justin Kemp (63) and Geraint Jones (86) put together a fantastically paced partnership however and allowed Azhar Mahmood (62) and Ryan McLaren (17*) to come in and lauch some fireworks, as the Spitfires totalled 282-7. Surrey never got going in reply as Yasir Arafat (4-35) and an injured Mahmood (1-27) bowled fantastically in tandem up front. Ryan McLaren (5-46) kept up the pressure with career best figures and the Brown Caps were all out for 192, only Jon Batty (63) offering any real resistance. The commentators from Sky seemed particularly impressed with Geraint Jones’ keeping, as well as his batting. Whilst I agree that his keeping is of a far better standard now than it has been, it is still his batting which is of concern. He needs to prove that he is a consistent run scorer once again, as he was dropped in the end ironically for his lack of runs, rather than keeping errors.
Middlesex’s top order put in a better showing on Monday than on Sunday, but to no avail, as Sussex still emerged victorious. The Crusaders totalled 273-5, with Ed Joyce (80) and Owais Shah (68) scoring good runs. Andrew Strauss meanwhile hit 26. There were 2 wickets apiece for Michael Yardy (2-36) and James Kirtley (2-59). Sussex got off to good start, Chris Nash (34) and Matt Prior (79) sharing a rapid 70 for the first wicket. Chris Adams then stole the show with 109 not out and he was well supported by Murray Goodwin (44), as Sussex won with two overs to spare.
There was a shortened 23 over game at Edgbaston where Warwickshire elected to field first against Leicestershire. The Foxes made 148-6 courtesy of cameos from Jacques du Toit (34), James Allenby (32) and Boerta Dippenaar (32). The Bears didn’t get close in reply, subsiding to 103 all out, only Darren Maddy (29) and Tim Ambrose (28) scoring anything of note. Ian Bell made just 3. Ryan Cummins was the pick of the bowlers (3-21) and he was supported ably by Garnett Kruger (2-23), Nadeem Malik (2-20) and Claude Hendersen (2-23).
Glamorgan visited New Road in another shortened game, but they couldn’t defend their total of 184-4 from 28 overs against Worcestershire, who crossed the line with 9 balls to spare. David Hemp (47), young Tom Maynard (48) and Jamie Dalrymple (both pictured below) helped set the target. Simon Jones got through 6 overs which went for 43 runs, as he took a wicket in the process. The Royals reply was led by Vikram Solanki (88* (below)), who carried his bat through the innings. Ben Smith (41) and Stephen Moore (30*) offered the support, while Alex Wharf was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers (2-37).
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Images from Worcester (left to right): The highly promising Tom Maynard strikes out, Vikram Solanki on his way to a match winning 88*, and Worcester Cathedral - an iconic backdrop to domestic cricket. (Pictures c/o RTE)
Our final match took place at The Riverside, where Durham hosted Yorkshire. Durham were all out for just 185, Kyle Coetzer top scoring with 61. Phil Mustard scored 26, failing to go on yet again, while Paul Collingwood managed just 2. Darren Gough (3-31) did the major damage, removing Mustard, Collingwood and Neil McKenzie. Richard Pyrah (3-25) and Adil Rashid (2-21) also got in on the wicket taking act. Yorkshire briefly wobbled in reply at 94-3, after Michael Vaughan (22) had fallen after a start yet again. The ever improving Andrew Gale (68 from just 50 balls) and Anthony McGrath (45*) did the bulk of the scoring and Yorkshire avenged last week’s defeat with plenty of overs to spare. Steve Harmison took 3-58 from his 9.4 overs, threatening, but very expensive given the context of the game.
That completes the round-up of the 17 FP Trophy matches this week and so there is just one final matter to address…
Player of the Week: I am going to pick five this week based on one performance and give a few honourable mentions to overall performers, given the volume of games on offer. First up is Geraint Jones, whose 86 and partnership with Justin Kemp turned the game at The Oval for Kent against Surrey. He was also splendid behind the stumps, taking one superb catch. Second is Darren Gough whose key wickets of Mustard, Collingwood and McKenzie against Durham put Yorkshire in charge. Third is James Benning, whose 106 at the top of the Surrey order defeated Middlesex. Fourth is David Hemp who put in two good performances for Glamorgan, his 95 at Taunton effectively setting up the game for the Dragons. Lastly, Yasir Arafat excelled in both of his matches for Kent, taking key early wickets and destroying the Surrey top order. Meanwhile, how can I not mention Ryan McLaren’s best bowling figures of 5-46 or Dewald Nel and John Blain, whose new ball bowling partnership did for Lancashire. Finally I must also give honourable mentions to Vikram Solanki, Chris Adams and Chris Benham, who all guided their sides to victory, remaining unbeaten with substantial scores at good run rates.
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up, Part One!
Well, where does one start? With no games called off because of incremental weather there are a whopping seventeen games to review this week!
Starting at the Rose Bowl on Friday with Hampshire vs Somerset. A cracking game of cricket here, once again demonstrating that the Rose Bowl pitches are ready for Test Match status, even if the access currently is not. Hampshire batted first and racked up 286-4 from their 50 overs, Kevin Pietersen scoring a belligerent fifty (61) on his first appearance of the season. He was joined in reaching that landmark by Michael Lumb (55), John Crawley (51) and Sean Ervine (55), who ended unbeaten with a strike rate of 153. Perhaps after a below par season last year he is returning to the kind of form which made him a key component in the 2005 winning side. To Somerset’s innings and Ervine once again stands out, for the wrong reasons this time however. His 10 overs went for 88 runs, not what was required, although he did dismiss Marcus Trescothick (1). Shane Bond meanwhile limped off after 5 overs and will be out for a few weeks. South African allrounder Zander de Bruyn scored 79, following his 1-56 from 7 overs. The main man was James Hildreth though, who finished unbeaten on 112 from 90 balls. Greg Lamb took 4-47 from 9 overs, while Chris Tremlett (10-1-45-0) and Pietersen (5-0-34-0) both went wicketless.
Derbyshire played host to holders Durham and emerged victorious, just. The Phantoms scored 236-6 from their 50 overs, Chris Rogers (72) and Steve Stubbings (52) sharing an opening stand of 132. Neil Killeen took 2-21, whilst Gareth Breese ended with 2-50. Paul Collingwood kept up his decent bowling form, taking 1-48 from 9 overs, which will be of interest to the selectors who must decide whether to go into the New Zealand Test series with a four or five man bowling attack. The Dynamos started well with Michael Di Venuto (41) and Phil Mustard (45) sharing 76, Mustard again failing to go on when well placed. Graham Wagg sparked a collapse with 4-35, whilst Charles Langeveldt continued his impressive start to his Derbyshire career, taking 3-44. Ben Harmison (31*) and Neil Killeen (16) took the Dynamos to the brink of victory (235 all out) but Killeen was run out on the final ball, handing victory to Derbyshire by 1 run. Durham seem to have a penchant for the tight game, having narrowly defeated Yorkshire the previous week, and they were to experience another tight game against Lancashire as we shall see. Collingwood scored a slow 25, whilst Steve Harmison bowled 10 harmless overs for 47 runs and no wickets.
To Sunday’s fixtures now. Kent narrowly defeated Sussex at Hove with one ball to spare. Michael Yardy (50) was the star of the Sussex innings of 245-6. Matt Prior (31) made his lowest score of the season to date, whilst fellow England hopeful, Luke Wright, hit 35 before being run out. Yasir Arafat took 3-58 from 9 overs, whilst Simon Cook was in miserly form, taking 2-25 from his 10 overs. In reply, Rob Key (2) failed to keep up the pressure on the selectors, whilst fellow opener Joe Denly hit a painfully slow 43 from 80 balls. South African’s Martin van Jaarsveld (58) and Justin Kemp (68*) made the difference, whilst fellow countryman Ryan McLaren finished the job (17*). Luke Wright took 3-65 from 10 overs to make him the most successful Shark bowling wise.
There was a rare event indeed at Taunton meanwhile where only 423 runs were scored across the two innings, Somerset losing to Glamorgan. The Dragons hit 221-7, with Captain David Hemp (95) (pictured below) the only real scorer of note. Alfonso Thomas took 2-43 from 10 overs for the Sabres, whilst Ian Blackwell (pictured bowling below) was tidy with 1-36 from 10 overs. Blackwell, who will be catching the selector’s eyes, and Steffan Jones, each hit 42, but with little contribution from the top order, the Sabres were all out for 202, Alex Wharf (3-42) and Jamie Dalrymple (3-47), two ex-England ODI players, each taking 3 wickets and pushing their cases for inclusion.
Starting at the Rose Bowl on Friday with Hampshire vs Somerset. A cracking game of cricket here, once again demonstrating that the Rose Bowl pitches are ready for Test Match status, even if the access currently is not. Hampshire batted first and racked up 286-4 from their 50 overs, Kevin Pietersen scoring a belligerent fifty (61) on his first appearance of the season. He was joined in reaching that landmark by Michael Lumb (55), John Crawley (51) and Sean Ervine (55), who ended unbeaten with a strike rate of 153. Perhaps after a below par season last year he is returning to the kind of form which made him a key component in the 2005 winning side. To Somerset’s innings and Ervine once again stands out, for the wrong reasons this time however. His 10 overs went for 88 runs, not what was required, although he did dismiss Marcus Trescothick (1). Shane Bond meanwhile limped off after 5 overs and will be out for a few weeks. South African allrounder Zander de Bruyn scored 79, following his 1-56 from 7 overs. The main man was James Hildreth though, who finished unbeaten on 112 from 90 balls. Greg Lamb took 4-47 from 9 overs, while Chris Tremlett (10-1-45-0) and Pietersen (5-0-34-0) both went wicketless.
Derbyshire played host to holders Durham and emerged victorious, just. The Phantoms scored 236-6 from their 50 overs, Chris Rogers (72) and Steve Stubbings (52) sharing an opening stand of 132. Neil Killeen took 2-21, whilst Gareth Breese ended with 2-50. Paul Collingwood kept up his decent bowling form, taking 1-48 from 9 overs, which will be of interest to the selectors who must decide whether to go into the New Zealand Test series with a four or five man bowling attack. The Dynamos started well with Michael Di Venuto (41) and Phil Mustard (45) sharing 76, Mustard again failing to go on when well placed. Graham Wagg sparked a collapse with 4-35, whilst Charles Langeveldt continued his impressive start to his Derbyshire career, taking 3-44. Ben Harmison (31*) and Neil Killeen (16) took the Dynamos to the brink of victory (235 all out) but Killeen was run out on the final ball, handing victory to Derbyshire by 1 run. Durham seem to have a penchant for the tight game, having narrowly defeated Yorkshire the previous week, and they were to experience another tight game against Lancashire as we shall see. Collingwood scored a slow 25, whilst Steve Harmison bowled 10 harmless overs for 47 runs and no wickets.
To Sunday’s fixtures now. Kent narrowly defeated Sussex at Hove with one ball to spare. Michael Yardy (50) was the star of the Sussex innings of 245-6. Matt Prior (31) made his lowest score of the season to date, whilst fellow England hopeful, Luke Wright, hit 35 before being run out. Yasir Arafat took 3-58 from 9 overs, whilst Simon Cook was in miserly form, taking 2-25 from his 10 overs. In reply, Rob Key (2) failed to keep up the pressure on the selectors, whilst fellow opener Joe Denly hit a painfully slow 43 from 80 balls. South African’s Martin van Jaarsveld (58) and Justin Kemp (68*) made the difference, whilst fellow countryman Ryan McLaren finished the job (17*). Luke Wright took 3-65 from 10 overs to make him the most successful Shark bowling wise.
There was a rare event indeed at Taunton meanwhile where only 423 runs were scored across the two innings, Somerset losing to Glamorgan. The Dragons hit 221-7, with Captain David Hemp (95) (pictured below) the only real scorer of note. Alfonso Thomas took 2-43 from 10 overs for the Sabres, whilst Ian Blackwell (pictured bowling below) was tidy with 1-36 from 10 overs. Blackwell, who will be catching the selector’s eyes, and Steffan Jones, each hit 42, but with little contribution from the top order, the Sabres were all out for 202, Alex Wharf (3-42) and Jamie Dalrymple (3-47), two ex-England ODI players, each taking 3 wickets and pushing their cases for inclusion.
Somerset's Ian Blackwell bowls to the in-form Glamorgan skipper David Hemp at a redeveloping Taunton. (Pic c/o RTE)
The weather played a part at Trent Bridge, where Northamptonshire could only muster 189-7 from 50 overs, Stephen Peters (90) and Lance Klusener (60) the only standouts. Darren Pattinson took 3-39 and is looking like a handy bit of business by the Outlaws. Nottinghamshire reached 145-4 from 28 overs to claim victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method, Adam Voges ending unbeaten on 42 from 40 balls. Monty Panesar only bowled 2 overs, which went for 17 runs, to continue his less than impressive start to the county season. Will the selectors go to Lord’s with an all seam attack of Flintoff, Hoggard, Sidebottom, Broad and Collingwood I wonder?
It was local derby time at Lord’s where Middlesex hosted Surrey. The Crusaders top order crumbled to leave them 55-5, Ed Joyce (1), Andrew Strauss (13) and Owais Shah (1) the notable failures. Gareth Berg (65) and wicketkeeper Ben Scott (52 in two parts) gave them something to defend, helped by Tim Murtagh’s late bludgeoning (35). Jade Dernbach (3-44) and Matthew Nicholson (3-37) each took 3 wickets. If England fans were dismayed by the performance of the Middlesex top order, they would have been delighted with the form of James Benning who won the game with a typically belligerent 106 from just 84 balls. Ali Brown chipped in with 40* to end it meanwhile. Berg followed his good batting display with average bowling figures of 1-56 from his 10 overs.
Grace Road bore witness to Leicestershire vs Ireland. HD Ackerman hit 103 in the Foxes’ total of 251-6 and was ably supported by James Allenby (62). The pick of the Irish bowlers was Thinus Fourie who took 2-45 from 9 overs. Ireland slipped to 68-5 in reply and were indebted to Andrew White (52) and young wicket keeper Gary Wilson (58), who took them close. Garnett Kruger (3-25) and Allenby (4-44) proved too much for them however as they were all out for 212.
Durham were in action again, this time at home to Lancashire, in a truncated 23 over game. The Dynamos reached 151-7, Michael Di Venuto (66) and Dale Benkenstein (40) the main contributors, while Andrew Flintoff stole the headlines with 2-13 from 5 overs. James Anderson in comparison took 2-40 from 5 overs, while Kyle Hogg took 2-24 from his 5 overs. Should Anderson be in the England side? I personally think not, given his unpredictability and inconsistency. Phil Mustard meanwhile scored only 6. Durham's 151 was not enough and the Lightning won off of the final ball to continue Durham's trend of being involved in tight matches. Mal Loye hit a rapid 58 up front, while replacement overseas signing Mohammad Yousuf scored 32. Andrew Flintoff was snared for just 10 by Paul Collingwood (1-22 from 4 overs), while Steve Harmison took 2-33 from 5 overs.
The Rose Bowl was the place to be this weekend for runs. Having not been able to defend 286 against Somerset on Friday, Hampshire Captain Nic Pothas elected to bowl first on Sunday when Gloucestershire were in town. Still short of Dimi Mascarenhas and the injured Shane Bond, the Hawks attacked looked thin and so it proved to be. The Gladiators tallied 350-5 from their 50 overs, a new record for the Rose Bowl. Alex Gidman led the way with 105, while Hamish Marshall (64), Marcus North (85) and Chris Taylor (53) all played their part, Taylor’s knock coming at an incredible strike rate of 230. Billy Taylor took 2-72, whilst England hopeful Chris Tremlett ended with 1-62 from 10 overs. Gulp, game over, go home. Then the rain came, hang on a minute. Duckworth-Lewis came into play and suddenly the Hawks had a revised target of 240 from 30 overs, demonstrating that perhaps Duckworth-Lewis is a little dated in the age of Twenty20 cricket. The new target seemed a lot more gettable and England Lion Michael Carberry (60) set the Hawks on their way. With Kevin Pietersen contributing just a run a ball 23, the Hawks seemed to be in trouble. However, Chris Benham (54*) and Pothas (43) came together to score nearly 100 runs off of the last 10 overs, Benham nearly matching Taylor’s strike rate with his own standing at 200. Greg Lamb hit the winning runs with 3 balls to spare. Steve Kirby took 1-46 from 6 overs for the Gladiators as he looks to keep the selectors interested.
Duckworth-Lewis played a role in the match between Scotland and Derbyshire as well. Scotland were all out for 169, Navdeep Poonia standing out with 75. Charles Langeveldt took 4-28 from 8.1 overs, while allrounder Jonathan Clare captured 3-39 from 8 overs. Derbyshire won it with 136-4 from 31.4 overs, Chris Rogers the main man with 57. Gordon Drummond (2-27) and Glenn Rogers (2-20) each took 2 wickets for the Saltires, but it wasn’t enough.
Monday’s games to be reviewed soon…!
Monday, 28 April 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
Another damp weekend hindered attempts to complete the latest round of Friends Provident Trophy matches. However, there were six results out of eight, which is pretty good going for April really and there was at least some play at all of the grounds.
Firstly to Bristol and Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan. No result here I’m afraid, which will have been much to the annoyance of The Gladiators, as they were set a Duckworth-Lewis 10 over target of 74, after The Dragons had managed to amass just 174-4 from 42 overs. There was though enough play for opener Matthew Wood to impress with a frustratingly close 91 not out, whilst David Hemp hit a fifty. Marcus North meanwhile impressed with his off spin for Gloucestershire, taking 3-32 from 10 overs, as he continues in the role of premier spin bowler for The Gladiators.
There was a similar tale at New Road, where the weather again led to a draw between Worcestershire and Somerset. The Royals were able to complete 39 overs of their innings, in the process scoring 154-8. Only Daryl Mitchell made a score of note, ending on 48 not out. There were two wickets apiece for Charl Willoughby (2-14) and Steffan Jones (2-44), Willoughby’s the more deserved and economical. The surprise performer with the ball was James Hildreth though, who also earnt two wickets, albeit quite expensively.
Essex were involved in another run feast against Sussex on the placid Chelmsford wicket. Chris Adams won the toss and chose to field, just as Rob Key did a week ago. The result was a similar story of carnage. The Eagles amassed 291-8 off of their fifty overs, Ravi Bopara acquiring yet another batting landmark, just a fifty this time though (59). Grant Flower (75), Ryan ten Doeschate (61) and James Foster (35*) all chipped in with speedy contributions. Alistair Cook meanwhile failed to get a score of note again (8). There were two wickets apiece for James Kirtley (2-45), Robin Martin-Jenkins (2-39) and Michael Yardy (2-56), although Mushtaq Ahmed went wicketless for 55 runs from his 10 overs, a rare occurrence indeed. Sussex needed 156 from 24 overs after a bit of Duckworth-Lewis magic. Matt Prior continued his impressive start to the season, blazing a rapid fifty in reply, but with 3 run outs and 2 stumpings, it was clear that Sussex just couldn’t keep up with the rate and they fell away to end on 141-6. There was meanwhile another wicket for the impressive Bopara, whilst Andre Nel conceded just 16 runs from his 5 overs.
Ireland hosted Nottinghamshire in Dublin and despite having the visitors 19-3, they allowed them to escape to 217-9 from their fifty overs. Overseas signing Adam Voges hit 60, whilst captain Chris Read blasted a quick fire 45. O’Brien was the most impressive of the Irish bowlers, taking 4-31 from 10 overs. Ireland regularly lost wickets in reply and no-one managed to make it past 30. England players and hopefuls, Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad, Charlie Shreck and Graeme Swann all took a wicket, whilst ex-England player Mark Ealham claimed 4-39.
The home of cricket witnessed a tight game between Middlesex and Kent. Opting to bat, The Crusaders made 177-8 from a shortened 36.5 overs, Billy Godleman top scoring with 43. Azhar Mahmood continued his resurgence with 2 wickets for 29. In reply, Martin van Jaarsveld again took The Spitfires close with 53. However, the wickets tumbled as the required run rate soared and they finished on 166 all out after 33 overs, just 7 short of their target, Tim Murtagh taking 4-29. To England watch and Andrew Strauss struck 33, whilst Owais Shah managed only 2.
To Northampton, where Northamptonshire avenged their four day defeat to Warwickshire with a limited overs triumph in what was a high scoring game. Warwickshire racked up 293-5 from their fifty overs, Neil Carter typically belligerent in blazing 30 from 20 balls at the top, whilst Darren Maddy struck a run a ball 77 and was ably supported by Ian Westwood (65), Jonathan Trott (60) and Michael Powell (45*). Tim Ambrose made just 1, while Ian Bell did not feature. Captain Nicky Boje took 3-54, to top the bowling figures, but Monty Panesar went wicketless and dropped a catch. In reply, Northants started badly, slipping to 60-3. However the reliable David Sales steadied the ship with 60, while Robert White stole the show with a superb 111 from 113 balls. Ex-South African international’s Boje (23) and Lance Klusener (26*) finished the job with David Lucas (9*), a cool seven balls remaining. Carter took 3-49 to complete an impressive all round performance, while Ant Botha took a less impressive 2-59.
A bit of a miss-match now as Lancashire faced Scotland at The Citylets Grange. The Scots were skittled for just 73 from 37 overs. There were two miserly wickets for James Anderson (2-19), whilst Andrew Flintoff went for just 14 runs from his 7 overs. It was young Tom Smith who impressed most though, with 3-14 from 7 overs. In reply Dewald Nel took two wickets, but The Lightning cantered to an easy eight wicket victory from just 11.5 overs, Andrew Flintoff finishing not out on 27 from 23 balls, though he will need to score more runs against more illustrious opposition before he can be considered worthy of a place in England’s top seven.
Our final match takes us to Headingley, where Yorkshire, buoyed by their recent emphatic triumph over Hampshire, faced an equally invigorated Derbyshire. The Phoenix hit 119-7 from 24 overs, Adil Rashid ending on 41 not out. There were two wickets apiece for new kolpak signing Charles Langeveldt (2-25), the impressive Tom Lungley (2-12) and all rounder Graham Wagg (2-34). Michael Vaughan continued his less than impressive start to the season with just 16. Derbyshire never got close in reply though and stumbled to 94 all out from 22.4 overs, only Jamie Pipe making 20. There were two wickets apiece for England hopeful Tim Bresnan and utility player Richard Pyrah. Meanwhile Anthony McGrath took 3-16.
Player of the Week: For managing to score the only hundred of the week and for it being crucial to the result of his side’s match, this weeks player of the week is Northamptonshire’s Robert White. Meanwhile, there are honourably mentions for Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara who both continued their impressive early season form, whilst Tom Smith showed why he was included in the Young Pretenders XI 2008.
Firstly to Bristol and Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan. No result here I’m afraid, which will have been much to the annoyance of The Gladiators, as they were set a Duckworth-Lewis 10 over target of 74, after The Dragons had managed to amass just 174-4 from 42 overs. There was though enough play for opener Matthew Wood to impress with a frustratingly close 91 not out, whilst David Hemp hit a fifty. Marcus North meanwhile impressed with his off spin for Gloucestershire, taking 3-32 from 10 overs, as he continues in the role of premier spin bowler for The Gladiators.
There was a similar tale at New Road, where the weather again led to a draw between Worcestershire and Somerset. The Royals were able to complete 39 overs of their innings, in the process scoring 154-8. Only Daryl Mitchell made a score of note, ending on 48 not out. There were two wickets apiece for Charl Willoughby (2-14) and Steffan Jones (2-44), Willoughby’s the more deserved and economical. The surprise performer with the ball was James Hildreth though, who also earnt two wickets, albeit quite expensively.
Essex were involved in another run feast against Sussex on the placid Chelmsford wicket. Chris Adams won the toss and chose to field, just as Rob Key did a week ago. The result was a similar story of carnage. The Eagles amassed 291-8 off of their fifty overs, Ravi Bopara acquiring yet another batting landmark, just a fifty this time though (59). Grant Flower (75), Ryan ten Doeschate (61) and James Foster (35*) all chipped in with speedy contributions. Alistair Cook meanwhile failed to get a score of note again (8). There were two wickets apiece for James Kirtley (2-45), Robin Martin-Jenkins (2-39) and Michael Yardy (2-56), although Mushtaq Ahmed went wicketless for 55 runs from his 10 overs, a rare occurrence indeed. Sussex needed 156 from 24 overs after a bit of Duckworth-Lewis magic. Matt Prior continued his impressive start to the season, blazing a rapid fifty in reply, but with 3 run outs and 2 stumpings, it was clear that Sussex just couldn’t keep up with the rate and they fell away to end on 141-6. There was meanwhile another wicket for the impressive Bopara, whilst Andre Nel conceded just 16 runs from his 5 overs.
Ireland hosted Nottinghamshire in Dublin and despite having the visitors 19-3, they allowed them to escape to 217-9 from their fifty overs. Overseas signing Adam Voges hit 60, whilst captain Chris Read blasted a quick fire 45. O’Brien was the most impressive of the Irish bowlers, taking 4-31 from 10 overs. Ireland regularly lost wickets in reply and no-one managed to make it past 30. England players and hopefuls, Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad, Charlie Shreck and Graeme Swann all took a wicket, whilst ex-England player Mark Ealham claimed 4-39.
The home of cricket witnessed a tight game between Middlesex and Kent. Opting to bat, The Crusaders made 177-8 from a shortened 36.5 overs, Billy Godleman top scoring with 43. Azhar Mahmood continued his resurgence with 2 wickets for 29. In reply, Martin van Jaarsveld again took The Spitfires close with 53. However, the wickets tumbled as the required run rate soared and they finished on 166 all out after 33 overs, just 7 short of their target, Tim Murtagh taking 4-29. To England watch and Andrew Strauss struck 33, whilst Owais Shah managed only 2.
To Northampton, where Northamptonshire avenged their four day defeat to Warwickshire with a limited overs triumph in what was a high scoring game. Warwickshire racked up 293-5 from their fifty overs, Neil Carter typically belligerent in blazing 30 from 20 balls at the top, whilst Darren Maddy struck a run a ball 77 and was ably supported by Ian Westwood (65), Jonathan Trott (60) and Michael Powell (45*). Tim Ambrose made just 1, while Ian Bell did not feature. Captain Nicky Boje took 3-54, to top the bowling figures, but Monty Panesar went wicketless and dropped a catch. In reply, Northants started badly, slipping to 60-3. However the reliable David Sales steadied the ship with 60, while Robert White stole the show with a superb 111 from 113 balls. Ex-South African international’s Boje (23) and Lance Klusener (26*) finished the job with David Lucas (9*), a cool seven balls remaining. Carter took 3-49 to complete an impressive all round performance, while Ant Botha took a less impressive 2-59.
A bit of a miss-match now as Lancashire faced Scotland at The Citylets Grange. The Scots were skittled for just 73 from 37 overs. There were two miserly wickets for James Anderson (2-19), whilst Andrew Flintoff went for just 14 runs from his 7 overs. It was young Tom Smith who impressed most though, with 3-14 from 7 overs. In reply Dewald Nel took two wickets, but The Lightning cantered to an easy eight wicket victory from just 11.5 overs, Andrew Flintoff finishing not out on 27 from 23 balls, though he will need to score more runs against more illustrious opposition before he can be considered worthy of a place in England’s top seven.
Our final match takes us to Headingley, where Yorkshire, buoyed by their recent emphatic triumph over Hampshire, faced an equally invigorated Derbyshire. The Phoenix hit 119-7 from 24 overs, Adil Rashid ending on 41 not out. There were two wickets apiece for new kolpak signing Charles Langeveldt (2-25), the impressive Tom Lungley (2-12) and all rounder Graham Wagg (2-34). Michael Vaughan continued his less than impressive start to the season with just 16. Derbyshire never got close in reply though and stumbled to 94 all out from 22.4 overs, only Jamie Pipe making 20. There were two wickets apiece for England hopeful Tim Bresnan and utility player Richard Pyrah. Meanwhile Anthony McGrath took 3-16.
Player of the Week: For managing to score the only hundred of the week and for it being crucial to the result of his side’s match, this weeks player of the week is Northamptonshire’s Robert White. Meanwhile, there are honourably mentions for Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara who both continued their impressive early season form, whilst Tom Smith showed why he was included in the Young Pretenders XI 2008.
Monday, 21 April 2008
FP Trophy Weekly Round-up
The domestic limited overs season got off to a cold, miserable and pretty soggy start this weekend, not that the sides who emerged victorious will have minded! The elements did for Lancashire vs Derby, Leicestershire vs Northamptonshire and Warwickshire vs Nottinghamshire. There was though play elsewhere and a couple of entertaining matches.
Nowhere was there a closer match than at The Riverside, where Durham narrowly came out on top over Yorkshire. Put into bat, Durham were in trouble early on, with young seamer Ajmal Shahzad particularly impressive (1-30). Phil Mustard (25) was once again guilty of getting in and then out, courtesy of a leg side hack. He will need to go on more often if he is to stay in England’s ODI side. Despite the wickets of Shahzad, Tim Bresnan (3-51) and Deon Kruis (2-37), the Dynamos crept their way up to 220 all out with four balls remaining, recent overseas arrival, Neil McKenzie, top scoring with a well paced 77. It was a good total on what was a seamer friendly wicket and Yorkshire soon slipped to 57-5 and then 140-8 in reply, largely thanks to an impressive opening spell of 2-19 from 8 overs by Neil Killeen. However, the holders were given a scare by Shahzad (33), this time impressive with the bat and the ever improving Bresnan (55). The Dynamos closed out the game though, just, with Graham Onions (1-40) having Bresnan caught in the covers with 6 needed off of 2 balls. It was a wonderful advert for the game and as far as England player watch is concerned, Liam Plunkett bagged 1-32 and Steve Harmison 2-40. Adil Rashid meanwhile bowled just four overs and was run out for a duck.
Elsewhere, Essex and Kent served up a run feast at Canterbury. Essex were stuck into bat by Rob Key and the decision backfired spectacularly with the Eagles amassing 317-5 from their fifty overs, captain Mark Pettini (119) and Ravi Bopara (99) the standout performers. There were two wickets apiece for Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren, but the bowling figures were generally expensive and England hopeful James Tredwell returned a less than impressive 0-52 from ten overs. Kent got to 286-9 in reply, but Martin van Jaarsveld (124) was the only Spitfire to get beyond 30 odd. Meanwhile, Bopara pitched in with a wicket and there were two apiece again for Andre Nel, Chris Wright and James Middlebrook.
To The Oval and Surrey vs Middlesex. More runs aplenty here, with Middlesex registering 315-6, Andrew Strauss hitting a career best 163, ably supported by Ed Joyce (42) and Owais Shah (55). Chris Jordan and Jade Dernbach each took two wickets, but with economy rates of over six. In reply, Surrey made a good start with Scott Newman (65) and James Benning (47) giving the Brown Caps hope. However, youngster Danny Evans (3-36) and debutant Gareth Berg (4-50) were impressive and only Mark Butcher (46) offered any real further threat.
Somerset meanwhile opted to field first at Taunton against Hampshire and the Hawks struggled to 221 all out with four balls left and were indebted to Michael Lumb (47), Nic Pothas (55) and captain Dimi Mascarenhas (53), who were the only real contributors. The returning Ben Phillips (3-47) and wily Steffan Jones (2-29) were the standout bowlers. 221 was never enough at Taunton, even in April and although Somerset suffered an early scare, slipping to 91-4, with a run a ball rate need from the last 20 overs, Ian Blackwell (86*) and John Francis (48*) saw them home with 14 balls left, Blackwell particularly destructive, which will undoubtedly have registered on Peter Moores’ radar. Mascarenhas (1-26), Shane Bond (1-33) and Chris Tremlett (1-39) each took a wicket and ended with tidy figures, but the back up bowling just wasn’t there.
The final match of the day saw Gloucestershire canter to victory over Worcestershire at a lively Bristol. Put into bat, The Royals made 221-8, Ben Smith (75) and Daryl Mitchell (63) the main players. The pace bowling trio of Jon Lewis (2-48), Anthony Ireland (2-43) and Steve Kirby (2-19) exploited the conditions well. In reply, Kadeer Ali (63) and Hamish Marshall (57) laid the foundations, while Craig Spearman (64) finished off the game, Chris Whelan taking two uneconomical wickets for the Royals.
Player of the Week: For a career best 163 off 130 balls, with 23 fours and 4 sixes, it has to be the resurgent Andrew Strauss. Ian Blackwell gets an honourable mention as do Neil McKenzie and Tim Bresnan.
Nowhere was there a closer match than at The Riverside, where Durham narrowly came out on top over Yorkshire. Put into bat, Durham were in trouble early on, with young seamer Ajmal Shahzad particularly impressive (1-30). Phil Mustard (25) was once again guilty of getting in and then out, courtesy of a leg side hack. He will need to go on more often if he is to stay in England’s ODI side. Despite the wickets of Shahzad, Tim Bresnan (3-51) and Deon Kruis (2-37), the Dynamos crept their way up to 220 all out with four balls remaining, recent overseas arrival, Neil McKenzie, top scoring with a well paced 77. It was a good total on what was a seamer friendly wicket and Yorkshire soon slipped to 57-5 and then 140-8 in reply, largely thanks to an impressive opening spell of 2-19 from 8 overs by Neil Killeen. However, the holders were given a scare by Shahzad (33), this time impressive with the bat and the ever improving Bresnan (55). The Dynamos closed out the game though, just, with Graham Onions (1-40) having Bresnan caught in the covers with 6 needed off of 2 balls. It was a wonderful advert for the game and as far as England player watch is concerned, Liam Plunkett bagged 1-32 and Steve Harmison 2-40. Adil Rashid meanwhile bowled just four overs and was run out for a duck.
Elsewhere, Essex and Kent served up a run feast at Canterbury. Essex were stuck into bat by Rob Key and the decision backfired spectacularly with the Eagles amassing 317-5 from their fifty overs, captain Mark Pettini (119) and Ravi Bopara (99) the standout performers. There were two wickets apiece for Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren, but the bowling figures were generally expensive and England hopeful James Tredwell returned a less than impressive 0-52 from ten overs. Kent got to 286-9 in reply, but Martin van Jaarsveld (124) was the only Spitfire to get beyond 30 odd. Meanwhile, Bopara pitched in with a wicket and there were two apiece again for Andre Nel, Chris Wright and James Middlebrook.
To The Oval and Surrey vs Middlesex. More runs aplenty here, with Middlesex registering 315-6, Andrew Strauss hitting a career best 163, ably supported by Ed Joyce (42) and Owais Shah (55). Chris Jordan and Jade Dernbach each took two wickets, but with economy rates of over six. In reply, Surrey made a good start with Scott Newman (65) and James Benning (47) giving the Brown Caps hope. However, youngster Danny Evans (3-36) and debutant Gareth Berg (4-50) were impressive and only Mark Butcher (46) offered any real further threat.
Somerset meanwhile opted to field first at Taunton against Hampshire and the Hawks struggled to 221 all out with four balls left and were indebted to Michael Lumb (47), Nic Pothas (55) and captain Dimi Mascarenhas (53), who were the only real contributors. The returning Ben Phillips (3-47) and wily Steffan Jones (2-29) were the standout bowlers. 221 was never enough at Taunton, even in April and although Somerset suffered an early scare, slipping to 91-4, with a run a ball rate need from the last 20 overs, Ian Blackwell (86*) and John Francis (48*) saw them home with 14 balls left, Blackwell particularly destructive, which will undoubtedly have registered on Peter Moores’ radar. Mascarenhas (1-26), Shane Bond (1-33) and Chris Tremlett (1-39) each took a wicket and ended with tidy figures, but the back up bowling just wasn’t there.
The final match of the day saw Gloucestershire canter to victory over Worcestershire at a lively Bristol. Put into bat, The Royals made 221-8, Ben Smith (75) and Daryl Mitchell (63) the main players. The pace bowling trio of Jon Lewis (2-48), Anthony Ireland (2-43) and Steve Kirby (2-19) exploited the conditions well. In reply, Kadeer Ali (63) and Hamish Marshall (57) laid the foundations, while Craig Spearman (64) finished off the game, Chris Whelan taking two uneconomical wickets for the Royals.
Player of the Week: For a career best 163 off 130 balls, with 23 fours and 4 sixes, it has to be the resurgent Andrew Strauss. Ian Blackwell gets an honourable mention as do Neil McKenzie and Tim Bresnan.
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