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Match report Lancs v Glos totesport League 2004
by Neil Adams


Scorecard:Lancashire v Gloucestershire

Summary

Probably one of the oldest and most used sayings in cricket, but still very pertinent, and certainly applicable to this match versus Gloucestershire. Excluding Oliver Newby's compulsory drop on the boundary (See key notes below) Lancashire dropped 3 other very straight forward chances. Consequently, Lancashire ended up losing the match by 18 runs to extend their run to 10 games without a win. In 2001, Lancashire went 13 matches without a success before finally beating Derbyshire in a one day match at Blackpool. Ironically, Lancashire's next match is against Derbyshire at Derby in the Twenty 20. Let's hope history repeats itself.

 

Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat. The same wicket was used as the previous match against Leicestershire in the Twenty 20 cup two nights previous. Lancashire included Gary Keedy in the team for his first totesport appearance of the season. Stephen Adshead (8) was the first player to be dismissed courtesy of an excellent slower delivery from Dominic Cork (12-1). This was the hosts only success in the opening 10 overs of the Gladiators innings, in which time, Craig Spearman blasted the ball to all areas of the ground. Spearman was particularly savage when facing John Wood. At one stage, he hit 2 consecutive sixes followed by a boundary four. Needless to say, Wood did not bowl again upon completion of his fourth over. One has to question how much longer Lancashire can keep faith with Wood despite the pace bowling attack being devoid of first team players due to international selection and long-term injuries.

 

Philip Weston was the second player to be dismissed. He fended a lifting ball from Crook to Law fielding at gully for 8, having been previously dropped by Iain Sutcliffe at mid-wicket on 3. This will probably go down as the easiest missed chance of the season (66-2). The anxiety was palpable particularly amongst the Lancashire players. Poor fielding was the last thing the team wanted to occur, but worse followed in the 17th over, when Keedy dropped Spearman (76) while running towards the long-on boundary. Although this opportunity was somewhat more difficult than Sutcliffe's effort, Keedy still managed to get two hands on the ball. The anxiety turned to despair for both players and supporters.

 

In the 22nd over, Spearman attempted another big hit over long on. However, on this occasion he was slightly beaten in the flight by Mongia, and failed to strike the ball cleanly. John Wood scampered around the boundary edge and held a marvellous catch (129-3). Spearman's innings lasted just 66 balls and contained 10 x 4 and 2 x 6 (89). Gary Keedy entered the attack in the 23rd over, and in tandem with Dinesh Mongia proceeded to strangle the scoring rate. Matt Windows (30) was caught by Hegg off Keedy in the 29th over (148-4) from a very fine edge. Mongia completed his spell of bowling with a maiden in the 28th over to finish with 1 for 46.

 

Faced with the dilemma of who to bowl in place of Mongia, but not feeling confident enough to return to his main bowling attack, Hegg opted to employ Mark Chilton from the Brian Statham end. In Chilton's second over, Chris Taylor (15) pulled the ball straight to Steven Crook fielding on the boundary edge in front of the pavilion (162-5). Three overs later, Mark Alleyne (8) attempted a tight single to Dinesh Mongia fielding at mid-wicket. Mongia's direct hit should have been sufficient evidence from Alleyne to walk back to the pavilion. Instead, he attempted a second cheeky run as the ball Ricocheted away towards the boundary (177-6). In the 43rd over, Martyn Ball (15) was caught by Mal Loye at long off to leave Gloucestershire on 206 for 7 - a score which Lancashire could only have prayed for when Spearman was in full flow earlier in the day.

 

The 30 runs which Lancashire conceded in the last 2 overs of Gloucestershire's innings were to come back and haunt them later in the day. 17 runs came from Chilton's sixth over as he returned to the attack following a one over absence. This was as many as he conceded in his first 5 overs, and one can surmise why Hegg elected to pull him out of the line-up at such a crucial time. Newby conceded 13 runs from the final over to set Lancashire a winning target of 238. Newby collected the wicket of Lewis (0) which made up for the disappointment of "Having-to" drop Hancock on the long off boundary in the 44th over, or face the prospect of conceding six runs.

 

Lancashire started their response well, reaching 33 in the seventh over, before Sutcliffe (7) played back to a ball from Smith and was adjudged leg before wicket. With a total of seven runs from his previous three innings (20 balls only), Stuart Law made his way to the middle. Seven runs and ten balls later, he marched back - another dreadful shot (43-2). Dinesh Mongia and Mal Loye steadied Lancashire's ever increasing nerves by adding 55 runs for the third wicket in just 10 overs, mainly thanks to some beautiful ground strokes from the left hander. Unfortunately, disaster struck in the 20th over when Mongia and Chilton fell in successive balls leaving the score on 98 for 4. Warren Hegg entered the fray at number 6 with Loye unbeaten on 38.

 

Mal Loye finally reached his half century in the 27th over. His innings only contained 2 sixes and 1 four with all of these runs coming in first six overs of the innings. Hegg's first 19 scoring strokes were all singles as Lancashire failed to score a boundary for 66 runs. With the pressure mounting, Loye finally hauled out on the long off boundary for 65 in the 32nd over (145-5). Hegg and Cork offered Lancashire brief hope with 45 runs being scored from the next seven overs, until Lancashire's captain was stumped by Adshead for 36 (190-6). Steven Crook scored 13 runs from 10 balls before playing on to his stumps with the eleventh ball he faced (213-7). John Wood was bowled for nought with just his second ball (213-8). At a crucial time, Dominic Cork was starved of the strike.

 

In the 43rd over, Gary Keedy (3) was caught by Martyn Ball in the gully attempting to put Cork on strike (217-9) Oliver Newby survived the last 4 balls of the over to leave Lancashire requiring 19 runs from the last 12 balls. Unfortunately, Cork (37) was bowled by Lewis with the opening ball of the 44th over to complete an 18 run victory for the visitors. If only Lancashire had held their catches earlier in the day.

 

Key Notes of the Day

  • Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat
  • Adshead bowled Cork 8 (Slower ball - middle & off) - 12 for 1 in the 3rd over - Spearman 4*
  • Weston 3 dropped by Sutcliffe at mid-wicket - 45 for 1 in the 8th over - Spearman 32*
  • 50 for 1 in the 10th over - Spearman 36* Weston 4*
  • 50 partnership - 62 for 1 in the 10th over - Spearman 48* Weston 4*
  • Weston caught Law bowled Crook 8 (Gully) - 66 for 2 in the 11th over - Spearman 48*
  • 50 Spearman from 32 balls (8 x 4 & 2 x 6) - 70 for 2 in the 12th over - Windows 0*
  • 100 for 2 in the 16th over - Spearman 74* Windows 7*
  • Spearman 76 dropped by Keedy (Mid-on running back toward boundary) - 103 for 2 in the 17th over - Windows 9*
  • 50 partnership - 116 for 2 in the 19th over
  • Spearman caught Wood bowled Mongia 89 (Running catch at long-on) - 129 for 3 in the 22nd - Windows 21*
  • Windows caught Hegg bowled Keedy 30 - 148 for 4 in the 29th over - Taylor 8*
  • 150 for 4 in the 29th over - Taylor 9* Hancock 1*
  • Taylor caught Crook bowled Chilton 15 (Deep mid-wicket) - 165 for 5 in the 32nd over - Hancock 7*
  • Alleyne run out 8 (Mongia from mid-wicket - direct hit) - 177 for 6 in the 38th over - Hancock 13*
  • 203 for 6 in the 42nd over - Hancock 25* Ball 14*
  • Ball caught Loye bowled Newby 15 (Long-off) - 206 for 7 in the 43rd over - Hancock 25*
  • Hancock 26 dropped by Newby at long-off (Caught ball but had to throw it back as his momentum would have taken him over the rope) - 207 for 7 in the 44th over - Fisher 0*
  • Fisher caught Law bowled Chilton 2 (Deep mid-wicket moving in) - 212 for 8 in the 44th over - Hancock 29*
  • Lewis bowled Newby 0 (First ball - stepped across and ball hit leg stump) - 224 for 9 in the 45th over - Hancock 41*
  • Hancock 45 dropped by Loye at long-off (Ball moved in air significantly) - 229 for 9 in the 45th over - Smith 1*
  • 50 Hancock from 53 balls (3 x 4 & 2 x 6) - 237 for 9 from 45 overs - Smith 1* - last ball of the innings - Hancock 53* Smith 1*
  • Lancashire required 238 runs @ 5.29 runs per over
  • Sutcliffe lbw bowled Smith 7 - 33 for 1 in the 7th over - Loye 24*
  • Law caught Adshead bowled Lewis 7 (Wicket-keeper) - 43 for 2 in the 10th over - Loye 26*
  • 50 for 2 in the 11th over - Loye 26* Mongia 7*
  • 50 partnership - 93 for 2 - Loye 37* Mongia 36*
  • Mongia caught Adshead bowled Alleyne 40 - 98 for 3 in the 20th over - Loye 38*
  • Chilton lbw b Alleyne 0 (First ball) - 98 for 4 in the 20th over - Loye 38*
  • 100 for 4 in the 21st over - Loye 39* Hegg 1*
  • 50 Loye from 69 balls (1 x 4 & 2 x 6) - 121 for 4 in the 27th over - Hegg 10*
  • Loye caught Hancock bowled Fisher 65 (Long-off) - 145 for 5 in the 32nd over - Hegg 19*
  • 150 for 5 in the 33rd over - Hegg 23* Cork 1*
  • Hegg stumped Adshead bowled Fisher 36 - 190 for 6 in the 39th over - Cork 27*
  • 205 for 6 in the 40th over - Cork 35* Crook 7*
  • Crook bowled Lewis 13 (Played-on) - 213 for 7 in the 42nd over - Cork 37*
  • Wood bowled Lewis 0 (2nd ball) - 213 for 8 in the 42nd over - Cork 37*
  • Keedy caught Ball bowled Smith 3 (Gully) - 217 for 9 in the 43rd over - Cork 37*
  • Cork bowled Lewis 37 (Yorked off-stump) - 219 all out in the 44th over - Newby 2*
  • Gloucestershire 4 points beat Lancashire 0 points by 18 runs

 


(Article: Copyright © 2004 Neil Adams http://www.cricketimages.co.uk/adams-report/intro.html)

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