So once again, congratulations to Durham, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, while Surrey and Kent look forward to life in a lower league (hang on – didn’t I say that would happen?). One last duty before the tremendous 2008 county season is put to bed. Following Tim’s review of the season, comes my Team of the Season. Same rules as last year: only those who win a player of the week are eligible, so Jacques Rudolph and Steve Harmison aren’t eligible for selection but Josh Cobb and Darren Pattinson are. The team also fits to county regulations with only one overseas player, although I must admit that was through merit rather than planning!
Openers - No specialist openers won a POTW this season, so the places have to go to two players who have filled in rather a lot.
1, Andrew Gale (Yorks) A breakthrough season for the young batsman, who scored a match winning century in week 2 and has been one of the reasons for Yorkshire scoring more batting points than anyone else in Division 1.
2, Vikram Solanki (Worcs) Outscored by Stephen Moore over the season, but scored big when it mattered, including 270 at quicker than a run a ball against Gloucestershire. Captained the team back to Division 1, averaged 47 and scored well over a thousand runs – a fine season.
Middle order – also available for selection were Josh Cobb, Sean Ervine, Tony Frost, Ian Blackwell and most unlucky of all, Martin van Jaarsveld
3, Ravi Bopara (Essex) Following a disappointing winter with England Bopara delivered very quickly for Essex, making POTW in week 1 and keeping that form going all season. He still looks unsure in an England shirt, being dropped for the more recent One Day matches and the forthcoming tour, but for Essex he has averaged nearly 65 and keeps Martin van Jaarsveld out of this team.
4, Mark Ramprakash (Surrey) In any other team he would be a star. In the current Surrey set up, he is so far ahead of the rest of his team mates, it is embarrassing. He couldn’t perform his heroics of single handedly keeping the team up again, but averaging over 60 and reaching his 100th hundred, he had a fine season.
5, Will Smith (Durham) The champion’s only representative shows how much of a team effort winning the title was. He started the season as Paul Collingwood’s stand in and ended up by outscoring the likes of Chanderpaul, di Venuto and Benkenstein.
Wicket-keeper – missing out were Chris Read and James Pipe
6, Matt Prior (Sussex) Like Bopara, Prior had a lot to prove after a difficult winter with England. Like Bopara, Prior answered his critics by scoring a lot of runs regularly, averaging over 50 for the season. At the start of the season, Prior was responsible for keeping the Sussex batting together as the rest of the team struggled. His keeping has reportedly improved immensely and he has been rewarded with an England recall.
All-Rounders – missing out are Jonathan Clare and Ian Blackwell (again)
7, Adil Rashid (Yorks) The final POTW, with his sole century of the season and a 7 wicket haul to kleep Yorkshire in Division 1. His bowling got better and better during the season, with 62 wickets despite the damp summer, while his batting went backwards until that last, vital innings. The England Lions tour beckons for the winter and it will be a surprise if he isn’t in the full England squad this time next year.
8, Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hants) With the loss of Shane Warne at the start of the season, Hampshire went to one of the title favourites to relegation candidates. However, a remarkable run at the end of the season, inspired by Mascarenhas, who averaged 30 with the bat and took 41 wickets at 23 with the ball, saw them as unlikely title candidates even one the last day of the season, finishing 3rd. A downside to the season was the loss of his England limited overs place, to the bemusement of everyone.
Spinner
9, Imran Tahir (Hants) Of course, Mascarenhas was helped in his turning around the Hampshire season by the introduction of a spinner who looked awful in his one performance for Yorkshire last season, but took 44 wickets at 16 in just 7 games at the back end of this season. Tahir gave the team the mystery factor that Warne’s absence had taken away. It will be interesting to see how he fairs over a full season next year.
Seamers – missing out are Yasir Arafat and Ryan McLaren
10, James Tomlinson (Hants) Hampshire’s third representative in the team, Tomlinson was the top wicket taker in Division 1 and was responsible for keeping Hants in touch with the rest of the division during the first half of the season, particularly inspiring a vital win over Yorkshire, which started the Hants revival.
11, Darren Pattinson (Notts) Michael Vaughan may not have heard of him, but he’s never been that interested in county cricket anyway. Pattinson, a Grimsby born Aussie bred roofer ended up being selected for England based on some excellent early season form, leading the Notts attack in the absence of Broad and Sidebottom
Showing posts with label Will Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will Smith. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
2008 Season Review: Durham
Continuing our season reviews, 'Durhamfootman' offers an assesment of Durham's triumphant campaign.
Final placings:
Championship Div 1 - Winners
FP Trophy - Semi-finalists
Twenty20 Cup - Semi-finalists
Pro 40 Div 1 - 3rd place
After the euphoria of 2007 and the club’s first piece of silverware, it was always going to be hard to live up to the expectations, some of it optimistic, of its supporters in 2008. Yet that is precisely what Durham did, by winning their maiden county championship title, just 16 years after gaining first-class status.
The central core of Durham’s success lay in its seam attack. The loss of Ottis Gibson was always going to be difficult to overcome, but England, in their wisdom, saw fit to provide the solution, by dropping Steve Harmison from the test team.
Harmison, with a point to prove, set about demolishing division 1 batting line-ups with vigour. Re-discovered rhythm, pace and accuracy saw him return figures of 60 wickets at an average of 22, ably supported by Callum Thorp (50 @ 19s) and Mark Davies (39 @ 15s). A less successful season for Plunkett and Onions, both suffered from injury problems and struggled to get going, once fit. More will be expected from them next season, once Harmison returns to the England fold.
Ben Harmison made steady, if not spectacular, progress with the ball, but was found a little wanting, with the bat. Nevertheless he has shown that he may well have the ability to play a bigger role in 2009. Spin has never been one of Durham’s strong suits, but Paul Wiseman was an ever-present, chipping in with 16 wickets and scoring some very useful runs. Gareth Breese had limited CC opportunities, yet averaged 184 in the final two games of the season. Reason enough, I think, to thank him for.
The batting department was less successful. Batting collapses were an all too familiar feature of Durham’s season, without ever proving truly fatal. DiVenuto (1058 runs) and captain, Benkenstein, (783 runs) were the bedrock of the batting line-up and the team’s reliance on them, in the early part of the season, at times bordered on the embarrassing.
The introduction of Will Smith steadied the ship and he chipped in with 925 runs from 12 matches, which included 3 big hundreds, one a double hundred, and 3 fifties. Fortunately for Durham, of those three players, only one of them was ever out of form, at any one time.
The overseas players did little to rectify the batting imbalance, McKenzie was poor and Chanderpaul only came good towards the end of the campaign. Phil Mustard failed to improve on his 26 average from 2007, but his final innings 84, helped get Durham over the line. The fact that Durham secured 8 batting points less than Surrey, is probably a ‘flattering’ reflection on Durham’s batting. This will need to be addressed for the 2009 season.
Durham were able to make a determined defence of their FP title, losing out to Kent in the semi-final. They established themselves in the Pro 40 division 1, after promotion last term, finishing a creditable 3rd. The biggest improvement came in the Twenty20 cup, where Durham’s record of being the worst county in T20 cricket was redressed with a maiden appearance (albeit woeful) at Twenty20 finals day.
2009 will be an interesting season. Benkenstein looks set to relinquish the captaincy, but is likely to remain Durham’s most influential player. Harmison will be a big loss. The contracts of some senior players will end next year, which is likely to lead to some retirements.
The challenge for Durham will be to continue with the development of its young players like Harmison jnr, Stoneman, Smith, Coetzer, Muchall and Park, all of whom have now got first team experience. These are the players who must step up and be ready to fill the places that will be left in 2010 by DiVenuto and the, poorly selected, overseas batsmen. Hopefully Durham will then be able to acquire the services of a world class spinner. It is now time for the team that convincingly won the 2nd XI Championship, to lead Durham's 1st XI to further success, in the coming seasons.
Player of the Season:
Probably a toss up between Harmison and Smith
Most Disappointing Player:
Neil McKenzie
Highlight:
Stupid question
Lowlight:
Twenty20 Cup semi-final
If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com
Final placings:
Championship Div 1 - Winners
FP Trophy - Semi-finalists
Twenty20 Cup - Semi-finalists
Pro 40 Div 1 - 3rd place
After the euphoria of 2007 and the club’s first piece of silverware, it was always going to be hard to live up to the expectations, some of it optimistic, of its supporters in 2008. Yet that is precisely what Durham did, by winning their maiden county championship title, just 16 years after gaining first-class status.
The central core of Durham’s success lay in its seam attack. The loss of Ottis Gibson was always going to be difficult to overcome, but England, in their wisdom, saw fit to provide the solution, by dropping Steve Harmison from the test team.
Harmison, with a point to prove, set about demolishing division 1 batting line-ups with vigour. Re-discovered rhythm, pace and accuracy saw him return figures of 60 wickets at an average of 22, ably supported by Callum Thorp (50 @ 19s) and Mark Davies (39 @ 15s). A less successful season for Plunkett and Onions, both suffered from injury problems and struggled to get going, once fit. More will be expected from them next season, once Harmison returns to the England fold.
Ben Harmison made steady, if not spectacular, progress with the ball, but was found a little wanting, with the bat. Nevertheless he has shown that he may well have the ability to play a bigger role in 2009. Spin has never been one of Durham’s strong suits, but Paul Wiseman was an ever-present, chipping in with 16 wickets and scoring some very useful runs. Gareth Breese had limited CC opportunities, yet averaged 184 in the final two games of the season. Reason enough, I think, to thank him for.
The batting department was less successful. Batting collapses were an all too familiar feature of Durham’s season, without ever proving truly fatal. DiVenuto (1058 runs) and captain, Benkenstein, (783 runs) were the bedrock of the batting line-up and the team’s reliance on them, in the early part of the season, at times bordered on the embarrassing.
The introduction of Will Smith steadied the ship and he chipped in with 925 runs from 12 matches, which included 3 big hundreds, one a double hundred, and 3 fifties. Fortunately for Durham, of those three players, only one of them was ever out of form, at any one time.
The overseas players did little to rectify the batting imbalance, McKenzie was poor and Chanderpaul only came good towards the end of the campaign. Phil Mustard failed to improve on his 26 average from 2007, but his final innings 84, helped get Durham over the line. The fact that Durham secured 8 batting points less than Surrey, is probably a ‘flattering’ reflection on Durham’s batting. This will need to be addressed for the 2009 season.
Durham were able to make a determined defence of their FP title, losing out to Kent in the semi-final. They established themselves in the Pro 40 division 1, after promotion last term, finishing a creditable 3rd. The biggest improvement came in the Twenty20 cup, where Durham’s record of being the worst county in T20 cricket was redressed with a maiden appearance (albeit woeful) at Twenty20 finals day.
2009 will be an interesting season. Benkenstein looks set to relinquish the captaincy, but is likely to remain Durham’s most influential player. Harmison will be a big loss. The contracts of some senior players will end next year, which is likely to lead to some retirements.
The challenge for Durham will be to continue with the development of its young players like Harmison jnr, Stoneman, Smith, Coetzer, Muchall and Park, all of whom have now got first team experience. These are the players who must step up and be ready to fill the places that will be left in 2010 by DiVenuto and the, poorly selected, overseas batsmen. Hopefully Durham will then be able to acquire the services of a world class spinner. It is now time for the team that convincingly won the 2nd XI Championship, to lead Durham's 1st XI to further success, in the coming seasons.
Player of the Season:
Probably a toss up between Harmison and Smith
Most Disappointing Player:
Neil McKenzie
Highlight:
Stupid question
Lowlight:
Twenty20 Cup semi-final
If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com
Monday, 8 September 2008
Championship - Week 18
A good week for those with a week off as the weather plays havoc with this round of matches. In Division 2, Worcestershire are almost home at the top, although their home ground is under water again.
Division 1
Somerset met Nottinghamshire in a top of the table clash, and were indebted to 86 from Peter Trego to get them up to 252 all out in bowler friendly conditions. Charl Willoughby then took two quick wickets, but Notts could only get up to 46 for 2 by the end of the match as less than a full days play was possible.
Also looking to make ground at the top of the table were Durham against struggling Lancashire. Durham got up to 280 for 3, with the impressive Will Smith scoring an unbeaten 144. Unfortunately that was it and Lancs suffered another game with very few points.
Slightly more play was possible at Scarborough, where Sussex and Yorkshire got into the second day before the washout came. Sussex collapsed from 195 for 2, with Andrew Hodd and Chris Nash having put on a hundred for the second wicket to 265 all out, Adil Rashid taking four wickets. In reply Yorkshire struggled to 133 for 7, with Michael Vaughan’s 19 looking better and better as the innings went on. Yorks are still in the relegation zone, but level on points with Lancashire and still only 21 points off the top.
A Mark Ramprakash century got Surrey to 307 for 9 against Kent. Joe Denly and Rob Key then put on 159 in 21 overs in an attempt to get to bonus point territory. However, the weather stopped even that, with Kent finishing on 160 for 1.
Division 2
Worcestershire and Warwickshire ironically played as much cricket as anyone before New Road reverted to being a public baths. Worcester made 339 in their first innings, although at 200 for 1, they would have expected more. Neil Carter took six wickets and Chris Woakes four as the Bears fought back. Jon Trott then made an unbeaten 88 as Warwickshire made 251 and Worcester made just 45 for 1 when the rains came and Worcestershire will be moving to Kidderminster for the rest of the season, although they ought to secure promotion at Glamorgan this week.
Graeme Wagg took 5 wickets as Derbyshire dismissed Glamorgan for 348, Gareth Rees scoring his second ton of the season. Derbyshire were on 225 for 5 at the close of the game, which ends their promotion push.
Gloucestershire made 218 as Alan Richardson took 5 wickets for Middlesex. Jon Lewis also took five wickets, although a Billy Godleman ton led Middlesex to declare on 313 for 7. Gloucester had wiped off the lead and reached 161 for 4 before the close of the game and remain bottom, three points below Glamorgan. Middlesex’s season finished with the 20Twenty win and they will remain in Division 2 next season.
England Player Watch
Michael Vaughan made 19, which ended up being Yorkshire’s second top score against Sussex. Rob Key and Joe Denly made a rapid 76 and 80 respectively in the hunt for bonus points, while Andrew Strauss’s 43 was overshone by a Billy Godleman century as he pushes for a winter Lions spot.
Adil Rashid’s fine form with the ball continues with four wickets while Darren Pattinson took three to keep himself in the selectors minds.
Player of the Week
Durham’s top order has a very international look. However, it is a young Englishman who tops the averages and has scored more centuries than the rest of the Durham batsmen combined. Initially selected as replacement for Paul Collingwood, he’s made the position his own and looks a decent bet for a Lions tour this winter. For an unbeaten 144, the Player of the Week is Will Smith.
Division 1
Somerset met Nottinghamshire in a top of the table clash, and were indebted to 86 from Peter Trego to get them up to 252 all out in bowler friendly conditions. Charl Willoughby then took two quick wickets, but Notts could only get up to 46 for 2 by the end of the match as less than a full days play was possible.
Also looking to make ground at the top of the table were Durham against struggling Lancashire. Durham got up to 280 for 3, with the impressive Will Smith scoring an unbeaten 144. Unfortunately that was it and Lancs suffered another game with very few points.
Slightly more play was possible at Scarborough, where Sussex and Yorkshire got into the second day before the washout came. Sussex collapsed from 195 for 2, with Andrew Hodd and Chris Nash having put on a hundred for the second wicket to 265 all out, Adil Rashid taking four wickets. In reply Yorkshire struggled to 133 for 7, with Michael Vaughan’s 19 looking better and better as the innings went on. Yorks are still in the relegation zone, but level on points with Lancashire and still only 21 points off the top.
A Mark Ramprakash century got Surrey to 307 for 9 against Kent. Joe Denly and Rob Key then put on 159 in 21 overs in an attempt to get to bonus point territory. However, the weather stopped even that, with Kent finishing on 160 for 1.
Division 2
Worcestershire and Warwickshire ironically played as much cricket as anyone before New Road reverted to being a public baths. Worcester made 339 in their first innings, although at 200 for 1, they would have expected more. Neil Carter took six wickets and Chris Woakes four as the Bears fought back. Jon Trott then made an unbeaten 88 as Warwickshire made 251 and Worcester made just 45 for 1 when the rains came and Worcestershire will be moving to Kidderminster for the rest of the season, although they ought to secure promotion at Glamorgan this week.
Graeme Wagg took 5 wickets as Derbyshire dismissed Glamorgan for 348, Gareth Rees scoring his second ton of the season. Derbyshire were on 225 for 5 at the close of the game, which ends their promotion push.
Gloucestershire made 218 as Alan Richardson took 5 wickets for Middlesex. Jon Lewis also took five wickets, although a Billy Godleman ton led Middlesex to declare on 313 for 7. Gloucester had wiped off the lead and reached 161 for 4 before the close of the game and remain bottom, three points below Glamorgan. Middlesex’s season finished with the 20Twenty win and they will remain in Division 2 next season.
England Player Watch
Michael Vaughan made 19, which ended up being Yorkshire’s second top score against Sussex. Rob Key and Joe Denly made a rapid 76 and 80 respectively in the hunt for bonus points, while Andrew Strauss’s 43 was overshone by a Billy Godleman century as he pushes for a winter Lions spot.
Adil Rashid’s fine form with the ball continues with four wickets while Darren Pattinson took three to keep himself in the selectors minds.
Player of the Week
Durham’s top order has a very international look. However, it is a young Englishman who tops the averages and has scored more centuries than the rest of the Durham batsmen combined. Initially selected as replacement for Paul Collingwood, he’s made the position his own and looks a decent bet for a Lions tour this winter. For an unbeaten 144, the Player of the Week is Will Smith.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Championship Review – Week 11
New leaders (again) in Division 1 as Notts have the week off, while at the wrong end of the table, the bottom two are beginning to come adrift. In Division 2, last year’s relegated teams occupy the top spots after big wins.
Division 1
With Nottinghamshire having a week off, Kent were the best placed team to take advantage. Somerset, however, had different ideas and set off like a train to record 427 all out at nearly 5 runs an over. The three bowling points did take Kent to virtual top spot, but that was as good as it got for them as they were bowled out for 208. Somerset declared second time round on 243 for 8 leaving Kent needing 463 to win, with Rob Key unable to bat for family reasons. Stefan Jones took 5 wickets, Kent made 216 and Somerset move up to second, ahead of Kent, who stay third.
This meant that Durham had the chance to go top as they played Surrey at the Guildford festival. Guildford is normally a batsman’s paradise. However, while Scott Newman didn’t seem to have many difficulties, his 113 was more than half the team score of 220 as Surrey were missing both Marks Ramprakash and Butcher from their middle order. Will Smith, the man most likely to make way for Paul Collingwood, then made an unbeaten 201 as Durham scored 410 for a healthy first innings lead. Surrey did better second time round scoring 323. However, Durham knocked off the 134 needed for victory without losing a wicket and move to the top of the table. Surrey, however, are struggling.
Also struggling were Sussex and Hampshire who met at Arundel. Sussex batted first and recovered from 25 for 4 thanks to a stand of 194 between Murray Goodwin (184) and Carl Hopkinson (106), ending up on 426 all out, James Tomlinson taking 5-fer. Corey Collymore took four wickets as Hants were unable to meet the follow on target, making just 257. They did even worse second time round, scoring 179, Ollie Rayner taking 5 wickets as he bids to keep the returning Mushtaq out of the team. Sussex scored the 11 they required without loss to move up the table while Hants remain bottom.
Division 2
The top two met at Uxbridge, with Warwickshire batting first and making 393, built around a stand of 157 between Jim Troughton and Tony Scott. Middlesex could only make 170 in reply, and then made 3 less in their second innings, Chris Woakes showing his promise with a five wicket haul. The Bears thus won by an innings and remain well set for promotion.
Also pushing hard for promotion are Worcestershire, for whom the match saw Simon Jones facing his old county, Glamorgan for the first time. Batting first, Worcester declared on 457 for 8, with Ben Smith top scoring on 99. Imran Arif then took five wickets on his debut as Glamorgan made 279. Following on, they made the same score in their second innings, with Kabir Ali taking 6 wickets. Worcester made the 102 required without losing a wicket and move into second.
Northamptonshire were also looking to make up ground towards the top of the table. However, the weather, and a flat Northampton pitch meant that their game with Derbyshire could not produce a result. Batting first, Derby declared on 485 for 7, thanks largely to a stand of 203 between Graham Wagg and Jonathan Clare, both of whom hit tons. Clare then turned to his stronger suit and took seven wickets as Northants made 341. Batting again second time round, Derby were in a strong position at 278 for 5, Chris Rogers getting a ton, when the game drew to a close.
England Player Watch
Following the surprise selection of Darren Pattinson, it would seem that any player is fair game. However, I will keep the search to those I believe should be considered rather than Australian wild cards.
Owais Shah had a pretty miserable time with the bat as Middlesex collapsed twice, while neither Rob Key nor Joe Denley were able to put pressure on the England top order. As the wicket-keeper debate starts again, Matt Prior’s runs have dried up. Stephen Davies, however, made 83 for Worcester.
Bowling-wise, Simon Jones had a quiet match against his old county, although encouragingly, he did bowl 21 overs in the first innings (taking 3 wickets). Steve Harmison took 6 wickets for Durham while Liam Plunkett continued his recovery from injury with 5 wickets.
Player of the Week
I normally like the winning player to have had an impact in a positive result. However, despite the double hundred for Will Smith, Kabir Ali’s 6-fer and Chris Woakes’s performance, this weeks award goes to the stand out performer in a drawn game. For an unbeaten 129 and 7 for 74 in the only competed innings of his match, this weeks Player of the Week is Jonathan Clare.
Division 1
With Nottinghamshire having a week off, Kent were the best placed team to take advantage. Somerset, however, had different ideas and set off like a train to record 427 all out at nearly 5 runs an over. The three bowling points did take Kent to virtual top spot, but that was as good as it got for them as they were bowled out for 208. Somerset declared second time round on 243 for 8 leaving Kent needing 463 to win, with Rob Key unable to bat for family reasons. Stefan Jones took 5 wickets, Kent made 216 and Somerset move up to second, ahead of Kent, who stay third.
This meant that Durham had the chance to go top as they played Surrey at the Guildford festival. Guildford is normally a batsman’s paradise. However, while Scott Newman didn’t seem to have many difficulties, his 113 was more than half the team score of 220 as Surrey were missing both Marks Ramprakash and Butcher from their middle order. Will Smith, the man most likely to make way for Paul Collingwood, then made an unbeaten 201 as Durham scored 410 for a healthy first innings lead. Surrey did better second time round scoring 323. However, Durham knocked off the 134 needed for victory without losing a wicket and move to the top of the table. Surrey, however, are struggling.
Also struggling were Sussex and Hampshire who met at Arundel. Sussex batted first and recovered from 25 for 4 thanks to a stand of 194 between Murray Goodwin (184) and Carl Hopkinson (106), ending up on 426 all out, James Tomlinson taking 5-fer. Corey Collymore took four wickets as Hants were unable to meet the follow on target, making just 257. They did even worse second time round, scoring 179, Ollie Rayner taking 5 wickets as he bids to keep the returning Mushtaq out of the team. Sussex scored the 11 they required without loss to move up the table while Hants remain bottom.
Division 2
The top two met at Uxbridge, with Warwickshire batting first and making 393, built around a stand of 157 between Jim Troughton and Tony Scott. Middlesex could only make 170 in reply, and then made 3 less in their second innings, Chris Woakes showing his promise with a five wicket haul. The Bears thus won by an innings and remain well set for promotion.
Also pushing hard for promotion are Worcestershire, for whom the match saw Simon Jones facing his old county, Glamorgan for the first time. Batting first, Worcester declared on 457 for 8, with Ben Smith top scoring on 99. Imran Arif then took five wickets on his debut as Glamorgan made 279. Following on, they made the same score in their second innings, with Kabir Ali taking 6 wickets. Worcester made the 102 required without losing a wicket and move into second.
Northamptonshire were also looking to make up ground towards the top of the table. However, the weather, and a flat Northampton pitch meant that their game with Derbyshire could not produce a result. Batting first, Derby declared on 485 for 7, thanks largely to a stand of 203 between Graham Wagg and Jonathan Clare, both of whom hit tons. Clare then turned to his stronger suit and took seven wickets as Northants made 341. Batting again second time round, Derby were in a strong position at 278 for 5, Chris Rogers getting a ton, when the game drew to a close.
England Player Watch
Following the surprise selection of Darren Pattinson, it would seem that any player is fair game. However, I will keep the search to those I believe should be considered rather than Australian wild cards.
Owais Shah had a pretty miserable time with the bat as Middlesex collapsed twice, while neither Rob Key nor Joe Denley were able to put pressure on the England top order. As the wicket-keeper debate starts again, Matt Prior’s runs have dried up. Stephen Davies, however, made 83 for Worcester.
Bowling-wise, Simon Jones had a quiet match against his old county, although encouragingly, he did bowl 21 overs in the first innings (taking 3 wickets). Steve Harmison took 6 wickets for Durham while Liam Plunkett continued his recovery from injury with 5 wickets.
Player of the Week
I normally like the winning player to have had an impact in a positive result. However, despite the double hundred for Will Smith, Kabir Ali’s 6-fer and Chris Woakes’s performance, this weeks award goes to the stand out performer in a drawn game. For an unbeaten 129 and 7 for 74 in the only competed innings of his match, this weeks Player of the Week is Jonathan Clare.
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