Visitors On Top After Day One
Top Score Of 52
By Dave Buxton
April 10 2003
Middlesex had the better of day one of the two-day friendly at a bitterly cold Chelmsford, leading by 117 on first innings. Darren Robinson and James Foster both recorded excellent fifties for the home team, but the bowling was a little short on a pitch being used for the second successive day.
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You can tell the cricket season is here, because if it's not raining, it's blooming freezing and that's exactly what Chelmsford was like today, as I ventured for my first cricket watching of the new season.
After yesterday's two 20 overs matches, today (and tomorrow) saw a two-day 4 innings friendly, of 110 overs each day and a compulsory declaration after 55 overs.
Both sides named 12 men, with only 11 to bat and the 12th just bowling and fielding. Ronnie was back to captain his men and the Essex side lined-up: Robinson, Jefferson, Grayson, Habib, Irani (*), Foster (+), Middlebrook, Bopara, Stephenson, Clarke, McGarry & Grant as the 12th man to bowl.
Ronnie won the toss and although I'm sure wouldn't have wanted to have fielded in freezing conditions, inserted the seaxes in on a cloudy morning, hoping the seamers would bring some early wickets on the track used yesterday and the closest to the pavilion, so fairly short boundary. On the opposite side of the pitch, the nets were up and being used by both teams for some practice.
Back to the action and Andrew McGarry got the early breakthrough, by trapping Andrew Strauss lbw for just 5, to leave the visitors 11-1 after only 4 overs.
McGarry and Irani bowled excellent and tight opening spells, but after they left the attack, Koenig and Shah took advantage of mostly short bowling to take the score along to 186-1 after 35 overs at lunch, with Koenig 81 and Shah 86.
After lunch, the partnership extended to 196 before Owais Shah leg-glanced a six over the short boundary towards the pavilion to reach his hundred; a very good knock that lasted only 85 balls. At this point, he was retired and David Nash joined Koenig at the crease.
He didn't last long though, edging a rising Grant delivery to Jefferson at second slip for only 8 and when on the verge of his hundred, Sven Koenig gave his wicket away for 98 by mis-timing a pull off Andy Clarke and Aftab Habib sprinted and took an excellent diving catch at square-leg.
The score stood at 235-3 at this point and the visitors batted right through to the 55th over, as Ed Joyce (16 not out) and Paul Weekes (34 not out) added an unbeaten 4th wicket stand of 54 with a few lusty strikes, to see Middlesex close their 1st innings on 289-3 declared.
The bowling figures were poor for most the Essex bowlers, although Ronnie was as economical as ever without success (5 overs for 15) and McGarry bowled well for his figures of 12-1-50-1 and Clarke so too also with 10 overs 1-46.
That left Essex their 55 overs for the day, but couldn't have got off to a worse start.
Ben Gannon's first two balls didn't hit the track and his third was a no-ball and the freak over continued when another wide ball was unlucky played onto his stumps by Will Jefferson and he went, unusually, for a duck.
Gannon's next over saw him take the wicket of Paul Grayson, as Essex slipped to 4-2. Larry fell lbw to a ball that hardly bounced and was out for nought also.
Robbo and Habib comfortably took the score to 44-2 off 12 overs at tea, but could add only 4 more to that afterwards, before the third wicket fell, as Habib edged a thin one to Nash off Tim Bloomfield for 10, just when he was playing himself in and looking good.
That brought the man in his Benefit year, Ronnie Irani, to the crease and he and Robbo stabilised the innings well with a stand of 46 for the 4th wicket. Robinson cut loose on anything short and full, while Ronnie played more cautiously, in looking for time in the middle as he'd not played since England's World Cup defeat to India.
Robinson went to 50 off 72 balls with 11 excellently timed fours, before being the fourth man out, by being trapped plum in front for 52 by Thos Hunt, a very promising looking seamer.
That was 94-4 and more repairing was needed, as well as scoring runs to keep in check with the Middlesex total. This was done by Ronnie and James Foster, who added 62 together in quick time.
Ronnie was beginning to play his usual aggressive self, while Fossy played some excellent shots and brought up his fifty off 89 balls, with 7 fours and 3 sixes, two pulled from Keegan into the pavilion seating and the third a straight flat drive off Weekes towards the Hayes Close End.
With overs running out, Ronnie tried to push the total near the visitors and in doing so, was caught by Weekes for 39 to give Gannon his third wicket.
The very next ball, Middlebrook was bowled by a yorker for nought and at a promising 156-4, Essex were now 156-6.
But Fossy and Ravi Bopara steadied the ship, before Fossy holed out looking for runs with only 3 overs left of the day. The England keeper top-edged a pull shot off the gentle seam of Ed Joyce to give Chad Keegan a good catch at mid-on for an excellent 51.
John Stephenson faced just a handful of deliveries before the close and finished on 0 not out, with Bopara on 2 not out, as Essex 1st innings of 55 overs saw them make only 172-7 declared, giving Middlesex a lead of 117 on 1st knockings.
The final day of two is tomorrow and Essex will look for accurate bowling that was lacking a bit today and hopefully that bringing early wickets, as the second innings start. Play will resume at 11:00am.
Click below to view the match scorecard and day one images:
DAY ONE PICTURES
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Date: 9/4/03