Leicestershire Hanging out to Dry

By Grockle
May 18 2002

The weather saved Leicestershire as no play was possible on the last day of this game. One of those boring games where you wait all day for the decision you know is coming but where play is possible for most of the day!! 11 points...should have been over 20 but points is points.

V LEICESTERSHIRE CC1 @ TAUNTON 15 MAY 2002

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

The end of days....

Day 3 was a damp squib.  It looked promising at 10:50 but by quarter past it was absolutely belting down!

The covers came on and stayed there until mid afternoon.  The Umpires had popped out with their little light meters at 10:55 with two lights on and that set the seal on the day when we finally started. 

The players came out at 5:00 to start.  The umpires checked the light and took them off before a ball was bowled.  The 'Foxes' batsmen were happy as hell.   They came back out at 5:15 and we actually started!  Four lights on the scoreboard but the batsmen seemed to be seeing it fine, hammering boundaries off every other ball it seemed.  However, they still complained bitterly about the light after every delivery.  Maybe that is what kept them out there.  They did 'protest too much..'

I found it difficult to understand why Cox insisted on bowling Bulbeck and Burns when there were a possible 20 overs to be bowled and the light was a problem.  Why he didn't give the ball to Dutch and Blackwell in order to ensure that we got 120 balls at the tail is beyond me...then again I'm not paid to captain a professional cricket side so what do I know?

Stevens was the man we needed and although the runs were moving at quite a rate we did get him with the score on 284.  He was the established part of the batting and getting him brought in Malcolm with only Whiley to come.  With 10 overs left it was possible to see us facing their second innings at the beginning of play on Saturday.

Unfortunately the umpires had other ideas.  Devon faced Burnsy's next ball and scooped it over Tucker (on for Parsons although the hand injury doesn't look too bad) for four and the officials decided that the paceman was being threatened by intimidating bowling in poor light and brought the players off.  End of the day and frustration all around Taunton.  The outfield had kept us off for longer than it should have, the umpires got 'light happy' when we got on, Leicestershire reallly didn't want to play and we may well have had this game plucked away from us by the elements!!

Day 4... No play after all. It looked promising until about 3:00 when the rain finally put paid to the game. They did inspect at about 4:30 (why?) but there was no real chance. Disappointing but it is better to be in the leading position than hoping for the end of the game. No more cricket at home until FRIDAY 21 JUNE!! I know it is not all in the hands of the Somerset management but there hasd to be something wrong with the fact that there is no cricket at Taunton during the school half term holiday and nothing at all for about 5 weeks. Ah well, there's always Bath...See you there!