Not many results this week as the weather gets involved, despite bizarre happenings at Taunton. The tables are still sorting themselves out and Division 2 has a very strange look to it.
Division 1
The weather and the fact that Headingley is turning into a surface as reliable as Taunton meant that a positive result was never an option between Yorkshire and Worcestershire. Batting first in dank conditions, Yorkshire declared in 460 for 6, with Jacques Rudolph getting 198 and Antony McGrath 120 in a stand of 247. At 39 for 2, Yorkshire had thoughts of enforcing a follow on. However, a stand of 317 between Vikram Solanki (206 not out) and Moeen Ali (153) meant that Worcester won the battle of the bonus points as they finished on 405 for 3.
Taunton looked like it was playing to type as Durham racked up 543, with Dale Benkenstein scoring 181 against Somerset. What followed, though, was not expected as Graham Onions celebrated his England call up by taking 6 for 31 as Somerset made just 69. Normal service was resumed in their second innings which closed with them on 485 for 5, centuries for Marcus Trescothick, Craig Kieswetter and Justin Langer.
At Old Trafford, Lancashire batted first, but were bowled out for just 189, Andre Adams taking four wickets. In reply, Nottinghamshire declared on 367 for 9, with Adam Voges making 95. Ashwell Prince led Lancs to safety, making an unbeaten 135 in their 230 for 3 in another weather affected encounter.
Finally in Division 1 to the Rose Bowl, where Sean Ervine made 109 out of Hampshire’s 350 for 8 declared. Matt Prior replied with 140 as Sussex managed 336 all out and with the weather intervening, there was only time for Hants to reach 127 for 2 by the end of play.
Division 2
Northamptonshire hosted Gloucestershire and the visitors made 294, thanks to a late order unbeaten 60 from Ian Saxelby, David Wigley taking 6 wickets. Northants responded with just 161, Steve Kirby and Vikram Banerjee taking four wickets a piece. Gloucester made 237 second time round, setting Northants 370 to win, with Gloucester being two bowlers down through injury. Despite the injuries, Northants were bowled out for 326 to give Gloucester the win which puts them second in the table.
Setting the pace are Derbyshire, who were saved by the weather as they visited Glamorgan. The home side declared on 403 for 6, with Mike Powell and Jamie Dalrymple getting tons. Derby were then bowled out for 210 and were struggling on 34 for 3 following on when the game drew to a close, with two days lost to the weather.
The title favourites met at Chelmsford, where Essex batted first and made 370, with Matt Walker making 98 and James Foster 99. In reply, Kent made just 205 to leave Essex well on top. Following on, Kent did much better and with Darren Stevens and Martin van Jaarsveld making centuries, they declared on 512 for 9, setting Essex a target of 348 to win. This time it was Essex’s turn to collapse, Robbie Joseph taking 6 wickets as they made just 155 to leave Kent as comfortable winners.
Andrew Strauss warmed up for the test series with a ton for Middlesex against Leicestershire. He was joined by Philip Hughes and Eoin Morgan in scoring centuries as Middlesex made 493 for 7. Leicester struggled to 258 in reply. However, as is often the case, the follow on was much more successful, with James Taylor getting a ton as they made 400 for 7 as the game petered out into a draw.
England Player Watch
Michael Vaughan’s week went from bad to worse as he made just 5 in Yorkshire’s 460 for 6. Ali Cook made a run a ball 41 in Essex’s first innings, but collapsed with the rest of the team in the second innings. Andrew Strauss looks in fine form with a run a ball 150, while ODI new boy Eoin Morgan also hit a ton.
Following the plethora of centuries from other wicket keepers last week, Matt Prior responded with one of his own this week and one suspects he will need to be injured not to be England’s test keeper for the summer. James Foster’s 99 keeps him to the top of those poised to challenge for Prior’s place if an injury does occur though.
Contrasting fortunes for the England new-boys Tim Bresnan went wicketless for Yorkshire, while his fellow England debutant, Graham Onions took a 6-fer, outperforming Steve Harmison yet again. Ryan Sidebottom started the rot for Notts against Lancs as he took two early wickets with the new ball. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar bowled tidily, but picked up just the one wicket apiece in seaming conditions.
Player of the Week
Mentions to Jacques Rudolph, who’s 198 was made in tricky conditions and Vikram Solanki’s who’s 206 wasn’t, but you still have to get the runs. However, the outstanding performance was at Taunton, a pitch normally associated with batting feats. Player of the Week for his first innings 6 for 31 is England new boy, Graham Onions
Showing posts with label Jacques Rudolph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jacques Rudolph. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Championship review - Week 8
As we move in to the 20:Twenty break, just 19 points separate the whole of Division 1 as last week’s leaders lose and the bottom team win in thrilling matches. In Division 2 Warwickshire’s charge to promotion continues while Middlesex finally show some batting form.
Division 1
Last week’s leaders Somerset entertained a much changed Yorkshire team, who only fielded four specialist batsmen and had Jacques Rudolph opening in place of the out of form Joe Sayers. The changes worked as Yorks made 372, with Rudolph making 155. This was enough for a healthy first innings lead as the home side struggled to 258. Yorks then lost both openers for ducks and despite a second 50 in the match for Andrew Gale, the total of 202 meant that Somerset needed 323 to win. Despite a century from Zander de Bruyn, Somerset finished 40 runs short and Yorkshire replace Somerset at the top of the table.
Last week I said that Hampshire were struggling and this looked to be continuing as Durham’s Callum Thorp took five wickets to restrict Hants to 239. The returning Shane Bond also took 5-fer as Durham made just 202 to give Hants a small lead. Steve Harmison took 6 wickets second time round, but 74 from Dimi Mascaranhas gave Hants a total of 256 and meant that Durham needed 294 for victory. Losing their 9th wicket at 232, victory looked a long way off, but Harmison and Mark Mavies took Durham to within four runs before Bond took the crucial wicket. Hants climb to equal 5th with Durham, but only two points ahead of bottom club, Surrey.
Poor weather in the south east of the country restricted Kent and Sussex to just two days play. Kent were indebted to a century from Justin Kemp to allow them to declare on 350 for 8, while Sussex called a halt 50 runs shy of that, also for 8 wickets. There was only just enough time for Kent to start their innings, and Joe Denly have a dent made in his average, before the game was called to a close.
Rain also played a part as Lancashire entertained Nottinghamshire. Lancs scored 384 in their first innings with Steven Croft getting a century. Mark Wagh made 94 as Notts made 304 in reply. Lancs then declared on 234 for 6 to try to force a result and at 46 for 3 there seemed to be a glimmer of hope. However, 71 from Chris Read put paid to any thoughts of victory and the spoils were shared.
Division 2
Ian Westwood scored 176 as Warwickshire put on 421 against Glamorgan. The Welshmen fell well short of the follow on with James Anyon taking 6-fer as they made just 248. They did better second time round, but with 19 year old Chris Woakes (below right) taking 5 wickets for the first time in first class cricket, Glamorgan made 355 to set the Bears a winning target of 183, which they reached for the loss of 5 wickets, Westwood making another 50. Warwickshire are clear at the top of the table and look well set to go straight back up again.
Left: Glamorgan's David Harrison takes a breather as Warwickshire pile on the runs.
Right: Warwickshire's impressive Chris Woakes on his way to 5 wickets in the 2nd innings (Pics c/o RTE).
Tim Murtagh took six wickets as Middlesex skittled Essex for just 161 runs. The much vaunted Middlesex batting line up then fired as only Ed Smith of the top 6 didn’t reach 50 and Owais Shah scored 144 in a total of 583, despite Danesh Kaneria’s seven wickets. Batting 422 runs behind, Essex made a decent fist of trying to make Middlesex bat again, but with Murtagh taking another four wickets they made 384 and Middlesex won by an innings to move to 3rd in the table.
Gloucestershire are the only team in Division 2 without a win and they started well against Northamptonshire, Marcus North top scoring with 96 in a total of 475. The was enough for a big lead as Northants only just avoided the follow on, scoring 329 despite a ton from Stephen Peters. However, Gloucester collapsed in their second innings, with David Lucas taking 5 wickets as they made just 142 to set Northants a target of 289 to win. Robert White hit an unbeaten 132 as Northants reached their total for the loss of just four wickets. They remain in contention at the top of the table and even more pleasingly, the major contributors to this latest win were English born and bred.
Worcestershire have started the season well without getting the results but they were skittled by Derbyshire for just 151 and were indebted to a final wicket stand of 50 between Steve Magoffin and Simon Jones to get that far. Derby were seven wickets down for around the same score, but a ton from wicket keeper James Pipe with support from Graham Wagg took Derby to 356 and a healthy lead. Jones took five wickets for Worcester to continue his promising return to form. Worcester did worse second time round, scoring just 110 to hand Derby an innings victory.
England Player Watch
Michael Carberry showed something of a return to form for Hants, although opportunities are likely to be limited at the top of the England batting order. Owais Shah hit a big century, while Ravi Bopara was the pick of a poor Essex batting line up. Matt Prior scored just one for Sussex, while Chris Read’s match saving 71 was a large improvement on his first innings golden duck.
Chris Tremlett took a couple of wickets in each innings for Hants, while Steve Harmison took 6-fer for Durham in the same game. Tim Bresnan outbowled his opening bowling partner, the returning Matthew Hoggard by 6 wickets to 4 while Adil Rashid also picked up 4 wickets and will be hoping for a drier second half to the season.
Player of the Week
I seem to be saying this every week, but it’s a tricky call. Jacques Rudolph and Shane Bond are the main contenders from Division 1. However, this week’s winner is from Division 2 and yet another wicket keeping win. Despite Ian Westwood's two fine innings and Graham Wagg’s all round contribution for Derby for a career best 133 in a low scoring game, the player of the week is Derbyshire’s James Pipe.
Division 1
Last week’s leaders Somerset entertained a much changed Yorkshire team, who only fielded four specialist batsmen and had Jacques Rudolph opening in place of the out of form Joe Sayers. The changes worked as Yorks made 372, with Rudolph making 155. This was enough for a healthy first innings lead as the home side struggled to 258. Yorks then lost both openers for ducks and despite a second 50 in the match for Andrew Gale, the total of 202 meant that Somerset needed 323 to win. Despite a century from Zander de Bruyn, Somerset finished 40 runs short and Yorkshire replace Somerset at the top of the table.
Last week I said that Hampshire were struggling and this looked to be continuing as Durham’s Callum Thorp took five wickets to restrict Hants to 239. The returning Shane Bond also took 5-fer as Durham made just 202 to give Hants a small lead. Steve Harmison took 6 wickets second time round, but 74 from Dimi Mascaranhas gave Hants a total of 256 and meant that Durham needed 294 for victory. Losing their 9th wicket at 232, victory looked a long way off, but Harmison and Mark Mavies took Durham to within four runs before Bond took the crucial wicket. Hants climb to equal 5th with Durham, but only two points ahead of bottom club, Surrey.
Poor weather in the south east of the country restricted Kent and Sussex to just two days play. Kent were indebted to a century from Justin Kemp to allow them to declare on 350 for 8, while Sussex called a halt 50 runs shy of that, also for 8 wickets. There was only just enough time for Kent to start their innings, and Joe Denly have a dent made in his average, before the game was called to a close.
Rain also played a part as Lancashire entertained Nottinghamshire. Lancs scored 384 in their first innings with Steven Croft getting a century. Mark Wagh made 94 as Notts made 304 in reply. Lancs then declared on 234 for 6 to try to force a result and at 46 for 3 there seemed to be a glimmer of hope. However, 71 from Chris Read put paid to any thoughts of victory and the spoils were shared.
Division 2
Ian Westwood scored 176 as Warwickshire put on 421 against Glamorgan. The Welshmen fell well short of the follow on with James Anyon taking 6-fer as they made just 248. They did better second time round, but with 19 year old Chris Woakes (below right) taking 5 wickets for the first time in first class cricket, Glamorgan made 355 to set the Bears a winning target of 183, which they reached for the loss of 5 wickets, Westwood making another 50. Warwickshire are clear at the top of the table and look well set to go straight back up again.
Left: Glamorgan's David Harrison takes a breather as Warwickshire pile on the runs.
Right: Warwickshire's impressive Chris Woakes on his way to 5 wickets in the 2nd innings (Pics c/o RTE).
Tim Murtagh took six wickets as Middlesex skittled Essex for just 161 runs. The much vaunted Middlesex batting line up then fired as only Ed Smith of the top 6 didn’t reach 50 and Owais Shah scored 144 in a total of 583, despite Danesh Kaneria’s seven wickets. Batting 422 runs behind, Essex made a decent fist of trying to make Middlesex bat again, but with Murtagh taking another four wickets they made 384 and Middlesex won by an innings to move to 3rd in the table.
Gloucestershire are the only team in Division 2 without a win and they started well against Northamptonshire, Marcus North top scoring with 96 in a total of 475. The was enough for a big lead as Northants only just avoided the follow on, scoring 329 despite a ton from Stephen Peters. However, Gloucester collapsed in their second innings, with David Lucas taking 5 wickets as they made just 142 to set Northants a target of 289 to win. Robert White hit an unbeaten 132 as Northants reached their total for the loss of just four wickets. They remain in contention at the top of the table and even more pleasingly, the major contributors to this latest win were English born and bred.
Worcestershire have started the season well without getting the results but they were skittled by Derbyshire for just 151 and were indebted to a final wicket stand of 50 between Steve Magoffin and Simon Jones to get that far. Derby were seven wickets down for around the same score, but a ton from wicket keeper James Pipe with support from Graham Wagg took Derby to 356 and a healthy lead. Jones took five wickets for Worcester to continue his promising return to form. Worcester did worse second time round, scoring just 110 to hand Derby an innings victory.
England Player Watch
Michael Carberry showed something of a return to form for Hants, although opportunities are likely to be limited at the top of the England batting order. Owais Shah hit a big century, while Ravi Bopara was the pick of a poor Essex batting line up. Matt Prior scored just one for Sussex, while Chris Read’s match saving 71 was a large improvement on his first innings golden duck.
Chris Tremlett took a couple of wickets in each innings for Hants, while Steve Harmison took 6-fer for Durham in the same game. Tim Bresnan outbowled his opening bowling partner, the returning Matthew Hoggard by 6 wickets to 4 while Adil Rashid also picked up 4 wickets and will be hoping for a drier second half to the season.
Player of the Week
I seem to be saying this every week, but it’s a tricky call. Jacques Rudolph and Shane Bond are the main contenders from Division 1. However, this week’s winner is from Division 2 and yet another wicket keeping win. Despite Ian Westwood's two fine innings and Graham Wagg’s all round contribution for Derby for a career best 133 in a low scoring game, the player of the week is Derbyshire’s James Pipe.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Yorkshire 2007 Season Review
After the surprising turnaround in fortunes last winter, from the depths of Chris Adams coming and going, Michael Lumb leaving and Antony McGrath trying to walk out, to the return of Darren Gough and Martyn Moxon persuading McGrath to stay and Jacques Rudolph to join, most Yorkshire fans were quietly optimistic about the new season. Certainly in Rudolph and Younus Khan, there was the potential for big runs from the middle order.
Also, with the strange set up to the English summer and the domination of the World Cup at the start of the season, Matthew Hoggard was available for a much greater chunk of Yorkshire’s games than he had been previously. This meant that the three main strike bowlers – Gough, Hoggard and Jason Gillespie could boast well over 700 test wickets between them. Backed up by England Lions tourists, Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid, this looked to be a deep batting line-up and a useful bowling attack.
Indeed, consistency was a key to the season. In the Championship, eleven players played in at least ten of the matches, with only Hoggard and Gough not going on to make a century during the season. However, only Jacques Rudolph scored over 1000 runs for the season. Of the five main bowlers, all took more than 20, but no-one got more than 40. Therefore, while Yorkshire were missing a Ramprakash or Di Venuto with the bat, or a Gibson or Mushtaq with the ball, the effort was very much a team one and the make up of young talent (Joe Sayers, Rashid and Bresnan), old pros (Craig White, Gough and Gillespie) and established stars (McGrath, Younus, Rudolph and Hoggard) is a good mix to move the county onwards.
Overall, Yorkshire still finished in the same place as last year. However, the journey was very different and there is huge promise for next season
In the One Dayers, consistency certainly wasn’t the watch-word. Yorks didn’t threaten promotion in the Pro 40 nor look like qualifying from the Friends Provident. Reaching the quarter-finals of the 20:20 was a shock and probably more a feature of the weather.
Highlights of the season
Essentially the first half of the season showed Yorkshire playing to a successful formula. Joe Sayers, in particular, would set a platform for the more explosive middle order to build upon and with Bresnan coming in at 8, the team batted a long way down. This would then set the platform for bowling the opposition out twice. Starting by winning three of the first four championship matches, Yorkshire were comfortably top of the table, and stayed there or there abouts up to the penultimate week.
Low Point
The Champioship showdown with Sussex was a huge disappointment. The loss of form of Sayers and White, Younus and Gillespie being called back to International duty and Gough pulling out injured at the start of the game meant that much of the consistency had gone from the team. Inzamam looked to be a good replacement, but didn’t get to grips with the situation. Michael Vaughan seemed in holiday mode after a tough test series and even at the time, the selection of Imran Tahir made no sense to anyone. The only positive out of the game was another 50 for Andy Gale, who will have a bigger part to play in the team next season.
Player Ratings
Joe Sayers - a breakthrough season for the Limpet. Reminiscent in so many ways of Geoff Boycott, he was the platform around whom the rest of the batsmen played. His aim now has to be to do it for the whole season 7
Craig White – Once a bowling all-rounder, now an opening batsman. Next season is likely to be Chalky’s last and he will probably see less and less action in the Championship. A great servant over the years, but a poor season by his standards 5
Antony McGrath – From want-away to vice-captain, a fine season after a slow start, although Mags will be disappointed at just missing out on 1000 runs 6
Younus Khan – The big scores were expected, the leg-spin bowling wasn’t. Almost single-handedly forced a win against Sussex at the start of the season which would have had a huge impact at the end. A real team man who seems rejuvenated by his season if his recent performances for Pakistan are anything to go by 7
Jacques Rudolph – A controversial signing, but just the type of Kolpak player that should be coming over as he raised the standard of those around him. Solid if not spectacular, he was the stand out one-day player as well as top scoring in the Championship 8
Gerard Brophy – A huge improvement after a disappointing 2006. Useful runs and solid behing the stumps. Also an effective pinch-hitter in the limited over stuff 6
Adil Rashid – Following his break-though with the ball last season, this year he showed he could bat as well, scoring nearly 800 runs and still finished up as the leading wicket taker. His bowling tailed off as pitches became less spin friendly following the rains, and the emergence of Graeme Swann should put back any international call-ups for the time being. However, it was another season than showed more than just promise. 8
Tim Bresnan – Over 500 runs at nearly 40 with the bat plus a century for the England Lions and 34 wickets at 32 with the ball adds up to another excellent season for Brez, who despite having been around for ages is still only 22. On the fringes of the England One Day squad, next season could be a big one for him 7
Jason Gillespie –He created a lot of pressure for his fellow bowlers but only 23 wickets during the season is a disappointing return for the overseas bowler 5
Matthew Hoggard – Started the season like a train and was a big factor in Yorkshire’s flying start to the season. Less effective when he returned after teh test matches, he's still England’s best bowler and good to have around when fit and firing. 6
Darren Gough – The expectations were for the occasional glory day, plenty of missed matches and reminiscence about how good he was first time round. In reality, he took two 6-fers and 37 wickets at just 23, while only missing two games. His captaincy was almost as good as he said it would be and he has to take a lot of credit for turning the club around 7
The Others
Michael Vaughan played in 6 matches, but was a waste of a place after the test series had finished, when he probably needed to rest.
Deon Kruis played when Hoggy didn’t and only managed 8 wickets in 6 matches
Amjad Shahzad was the next quick bowler in an turned in some promising performances. He is likely to feature more next season
Andy Gale played five games but was a One Day regular. Again he’s likey to feature more next season, with his fifty against Sussex showing what we can expect.
Player of the Season
Tricky. As I said at the top, it’s currently a team without stars and the contribution came from everyone. Runner up is Jacques Rudolph, who showed that there would be runs without Darren Lehman. However, the winner is Adil Rashid for his all round effort.
Also, with the strange set up to the English summer and the domination of the World Cup at the start of the season, Matthew Hoggard was available for a much greater chunk of Yorkshire’s games than he had been previously. This meant that the three main strike bowlers – Gough, Hoggard and Jason Gillespie could boast well over 700 test wickets between them. Backed up by England Lions tourists, Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid, this looked to be a deep batting line-up and a useful bowling attack.
Indeed, consistency was a key to the season. In the Championship, eleven players played in at least ten of the matches, with only Hoggard and Gough not going on to make a century during the season. However, only Jacques Rudolph scored over 1000 runs for the season. Of the five main bowlers, all took more than 20, but no-one got more than 40. Therefore, while Yorkshire were missing a Ramprakash or Di Venuto with the bat, or a Gibson or Mushtaq with the ball, the effort was very much a team one and the make up of young talent (Joe Sayers, Rashid and Bresnan), old pros (Craig White, Gough and Gillespie) and established stars (McGrath, Younus, Rudolph and Hoggard) is a good mix to move the county onwards.
Overall, Yorkshire still finished in the same place as last year. However, the journey was very different and there is huge promise for next season
In the One Dayers, consistency certainly wasn’t the watch-word. Yorks didn’t threaten promotion in the Pro 40 nor look like qualifying from the Friends Provident. Reaching the quarter-finals of the 20:20 was a shock and probably more a feature of the weather.
Highlights of the season
Essentially the first half of the season showed Yorkshire playing to a successful formula. Joe Sayers, in particular, would set a platform for the more explosive middle order to build upon and with Bresnan coming in at 8, the team batted a long way down. This would then set the platform for bowling the opposition out twice. Starting by winning three of the first four championship matches, Yorkshire were comfortably top of the table, and stayed there or there abouts up to the penultimate week.
Low Point
The Champioship showdown with Sussex was a huge disappointment. The loss of form of Sayers and White, Younus and Gillespie being called back to International duty and Gough pulling out injured at the start of the game meant that much of the consistency had gone from the team. Inzamam looked to be a good replacement, but didn’t get to grips with the situation. Michael Vaughan seemed in holiday mode after a tough test series and even at the time, the selection of Imran Tahir made no sense to anyone. The only positive out of the game was another 50 for Andy Gale, who will have a bigger part to play in the team next season.
Player Ratings
Joe Sayers - a breakthrough season for the Limpet. Reminiscent in so many ways of Geoff Boycott, he was the platform around whom the rest of the batsmen played. His aim now has to be to do it for the whole season 7
Craig White – Once a bowling all-rounder, now an opening batsman. Next season is likely to be Chalky’s last and he will probably see less and less action in the Championship. A great servant over the years, but a poor season by his standards 5
Antony McGrath – From want-away to vice-captain, a fine season after a slow start, although Mags will be disappointed at just missing out on 1000 runs 6
Younus Khan – The big scores were expected, the leg-spin bowling wasn’t. Almost single-handedly forced a win against Sussex at the start of the season which would have had a huge impact at the end. A real team man who seems rejuvenated by his season if his recent performances for Pakistan are anything to go by 7
Jacques Rudolph – A controversial signing, but just the type of Kolpak player that should be coming over as he raised the standard of those around him. Solid if not spectacular, he was the stand out one-day player as well as top scoring in the Championship 8
Gerard Brophy – A huge improvement after a disappointing 2006. Useful runs and solid behing the stumps. Also an effective pinch-hitter in the limited over stuff 6
Adil Rashid – Following his break-though with the ball last season, this year he showed he could bat as well, scoring nearly 800 runs and still finished up as the leading wicket taker. His bowling tailed off as pitches became less spin friendly following the rains, and the emergence of Graeme Swann should put back any international call-ups for the time being. However, it was another season than showed more than just promise. 8
Tim Bresnan – Over 500 runs at nearly 40 with the bat plus a century for the England Lions and 34 wickets at 32 with the ball adds up to another excellent season for Brez, who despite having been around for ages is still only 22. On the fringes of the England One Day squad, next season could be a big one for him 7
Jason Gillespie –He created a lot of pressure for his fellow bowlers but only 23 wickets during the season is a disappointing return for the overseas bowler 5
Matthew Hoggard – Started the season like a train and was a big factor in Yorkshire’s flying start to the season. Less effective when he returned after teh test matches, he's still England’s best bowler and good to have around when fit and firing. 6
Darren Gough – The expectations were for the occasional glory day, plenty of missed matches and reminiscence about how good he was first time round. In reality, he took two 6-fers and 37 wickets at just 23, while only missing two games. His captaincy was almost as good as he said it would be and he has to take a lot of credit for turning the club around 7
The Others
Michael Vaughan played in 6 matches, but was a waste of a place after the test series had finished, when he probably needed to rest.
Deon Kruis played when Hoggy didn’t and only managed 8 wickets in 6 matches
Amjad Shahzad was the next quick bowler in an turned in some promising performances. He is likely to feature more next season
Andy Gale played five games but was a One Day regular. Again he’s likey to feature more next season, with his fifty against Sussex showing what we can expect.
Player of the Season
Tricky. As I said at the top, it’s currently a team without stars and the contribution came from everyone. Runner up is Jacques Rudolph, who showed that there would be runs without Darren Lehman. However, the winner is Adil Rashid for his all round effort.
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Championship – Week 17
At last, the weather works for Yorkshire and against Sussex. It’s all very close at the top and bottom of Div 1 while in Div 2, Notts put themselves in pole position.
Div 1
Surrey and Sussex met in a game which was critical to both teams at either end of the table. However, the four day drizzle affecting the South East of England last week meant that no play was possible. Surrey keep pace with Kent in the battle to stay up while Sussex drop down to second in the table.
Yorkshire took full advantage of Sussex’s misfortune with a comprehensive win over Warwickshire. Batting first on the normally placid Scarborough pitch, the Bears were skittled for 129, with Matthew Hoggard marking his return with four wickets. Yorkshire then amassed 561 for 7 declared, Jacques Rudolph scoring a double hundred and Tim Bresnan getting his second championship ton of the season. Hoggard and Darren Gough then reduced Warwickshire to 31 for 7 before Tim Ambrose’s unbeaten 89 brought some respectability in a total of 222, Gough taking 5-fer. Yorkshire won by an innings and a lot and are back on top.
Rain affected Lancashire and Hampshire’s efforts to make up ground at the top of the table. Hants batted first scoring 393 with Sean Ervine getting a ton, putting on 80 for the last two wickets with James Bruce (1) and David Griffiths (0). Lancs then declared on 403 for 8, with Luke Sutton and Paul Horton both scoring tons. Potentially more critical to the end of season race was Shane Warne fracturing a rib, which threatens to end his season early. Hants only had time to reach 111 for 2 by the end of play.
The bottom of the table battle was also curtailed, and after 3 days of rain Kent and Worcestershire played a one innings game. Kent scored 293 for 3 with Rob Key and Martin Van Jaarseveld scoring tons. However, this didn’t leave enough time to force a result and both teams came away with four points when both really needed a lot more.
Yorkshire are back on top of the table, but have played a game more than Sussex in second and two games more than Hants, Lancs and Durham in 3rd, 4th and 5th. Any of these could still come out on top. However, with Sussex and Hants left as their last two games, Yorkshire have their destiny in their hands. Hants look to have the easiest run in, but the loss of Warne could be crucial. At the bottom, it looks to be between Kent and Surrey for the second relegation place, although Warwickshire’s loss of form means that they are not out of the equation yet.
Div 2
A tight game at Trent Bridge saw Nottinghamshire bowl Northamptonshire out for 285, with Mark Davies, on loan from Durham, taking 7 wickets. Notts replied two runs shy of that, before bowling Northants out for 229, leaving themselves 231 to clinch a crucial win. A vital 8th wicket partnership between Graeme Swann and Andre Adams of 38 saw them home by 2 wickets to keep them well clear of Essex and Middlesex in the battle for the second promotion spot.
Essex managed to contrive a win against Leicestershire, despite only scoring 191 in their first innings, Jerome Taylor taking 5 wickets. Leicester then declared on 52 for 2, and Essex scored a rapid 151 from 14 overs (against the part time bowling of Tom New and John Sadler) to set Leicester a target of 290 to win. This was 114 too many and Essex keep their challenge alive.
Also still challenging are Middlesex who declared on 305 for 7 against Gloucestershire, before bowling them out for 163. Middlesex then scored a rapid 120 for 2 (unlike Essex, though, this was against Gloucester’s front line bowling attack) to set Gloucester 260. Resolute batting second time round from Gloucester denied Middlesex the win. However, with a game in hand and Notts still to come to Lords, they still have a chance to make up on lost ground.
Glamorgan started well against Derbyshire, bowling the visitors out for 206, with Robert Croft taking 5 wickets. The Welshmen then took a first innings lead, scoring 225. Croft went one better second time round, taking 6 wickets as Derby scored 287, setting Glamorgan 268 to register their second win of the season. However, despite a ton for Gareth Rees, they lost their last 6 wickets for just 12 runs and Derby ran out winners by 42 runs, Ant Botha and Tom Lungley doing the damage with 5 and 3 wickets respectively.
Somerset could confirm their promotion this week at home to Glamorgan. However, the battle for the second spot could also be a lot clearer this week as Notts go to Middlesex, while Essex will be hoping for a draw at Lords and a win for themselves at Derby. Intriguingly, if it goes to the last game of the season, Somerset host Notts, while Middlesex visit Essex.
England player watch
Michael Vaughan managed just five runs for Yorkshire. Andrew Strauss did a bit better with 75 and 36 for Middlesex. Bowling-wise, the return of Matthew Hoggard brought 8 wickets.
Player of the Week
Jacques Rudolph played the stand out innings, with his 220 in Yorkshire’s win over Warwickshire. However, the Player of the Week is the latest player to try to stem the Notts injury jinx. I’m not sure why he’s not getting in the Durham team, but with 7 first innings wickets, along with a crucial unbeaten 35 to keep Notts title challenge alive, the Player of the Week is Mark Davies.
Div 1
Surrey and Sussex met in a game which was critical to both teams at either end of the table. However, the four day drizzle affecting the South East of England last week meant that no play was possible. Surrey keep pace with Kent in the battle to stay up while Sussex drop down to second in the table.
Yorkshire took full advantage of Sussex’s misfortune with a comprehensive win over Warwickshire. Batting first on the normally placid Scarborough pitch, the Bears were skittled for 129, with Matthew Hoggard marking his return with four wickets. Yorkshire then amassed 561 for 7 declared, Jacques Rudolph scoring a double hundred and Tim Bresnan getting his second championship ton of the season. Hoggard and Darren Gough then reduced Warwickshire to 31 for 7 before Tim Ambrose’s unbeaten 89 brought some respectability in a total of 222, Gough taking 5-fer. Yorkshire won by an innings and a lot and are back on top.
Rain affected Lancashire and Hampshire’s efforts to make up ground at the top of the table. Hants batted first scoring 393 with Sean Ervine getting a ton, putting on 80 for the last two wickets with James Bruce (1) and David Griffiths (0). Lancs then declared on 403 for 8, with Luke Sutton and Paul Horton both scoring tons. Potentially more critical to the end of season race was Shane Warne fracturing a rib, which threatens to end his season early. Hants only had time to reach 111 for 2 by the end of play.
The bottom of the table battle was also curtailed, and after 3 days of rain Kent and Worcestershire played a one innings game. Kent scored 293 for 3 with Rob Key and Martin Van Jaarseveld scoring tons. However, this didn’t leave enough time to force a result and both teams came away with four points when both really needed a lot more.
Yorkshire are back on top of the table, but have played a game more than Sussex in second and two games more than Hants, Lancs and Durham in 3rd, 4th and 5th. Any of these could still come out on top. However, with Sussex and Hants left as their last two games, Yorkshire have their destiny in their hands. Hants look to have the easiest run in, but the loss of Warne could be crucial. At the bottom, it looks to be between Kent and Surrey for the second relegation place, although Warwickshire’s loss of form means that they are not out of the equation yet.
Div 2
A tight game at Trent Bridge saw Nottinghamshire bowl Northamptonshire out for 285, with Mark Davies, on loan from Durham, taking 7 wickets. Notts replied two runs shy of that, before bowling Northants out for 229, leaving themselves 231 to clinch a crucial win. A vital 8th wicket partnership between Graeme Swann and Andre Adams of 38 saw them home by 2 wickets to keep them well clear of Essex and Middlesex in the battle for the second promotion spot.
Essex managed to contrive a win against Leicestershire, despite only scoring 191 in their first innings, Jerome Taylor taking 5 wickets. Leicester then declared on 52 for 2, and Essex scored a rapid 151 from 14 overs (against the part time bowling of Tom New and John Sadler) to set Leicester a target of 290 to win. This was 114 too many and Essex keep their challenge alive.
Also still challenging are Middlesex who declared on 305 for 7 against Gloucestershire, before bowling them out for 163. Middlesex then scored a rapid 120 for 2 (unlike Essex, though, this was against Gloucester’s front line bowling attack) to set Gloucester 260. Resolute batting second time round from Gloucester denied Middlesex the win. However, with a game in hand and Notts still to come to Lords, they still have a chance to make up on lost ground.
Glamorgan started well against Derbyshire, bowling the visitors out for 206, with Robert Croft taking 5 wickets. The Welshmen then took a first innings lead, scoring 225. Croft went one better second time round, taking 6 wickets as Derby scored 287, setting Glamorgan 268 to register their second win of the season. However, despite a ton for Gareth Rees, they lost their last 6 wickets for just 12 runs and Derby ran out winners by 42 runs, Ant Botha and Tom Lungley doing the damage with 5 and 3 wickets respectively.
Somerset could confirm their promotion this week at home to Glamorgan. However, the battle for the second spot could also be a lot clearer this week as Notts go to Middlesex, while Essex will be hoping for a draw at Lords and a win for themselves at Derby. Intriguingly, if it goes to the last game of the season, Somerset host Notts, while Middlesex visit Essex.
England player watch
Michael Vaughan managed just five runs for Yorkshire. Andrew Strauss did a bit better with 75 and 36 for Middlesex. Bowling-wise, the return of Matthew Hoggard brought 8 wickets.
Player of the Week
Jacques Rudolph played the stand out innings, with his 220 in Yorkshire’s win over Warwickshire. However, the Player of the Week is the latest player to try to stem the Notts injury jinx. I’m not sure why he’s not getting in the Durham team, but with 7 first innings wickets, along with a crucial unbeaten 35 to keep Notts title challenge alive, the Player of the Week is Mark Davies.
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