June 2008 Archives

Warwickshire's innings closed at 140 for 7 from 19 overs. After D/L, 141 remains the target but during the interval rain has started to pour down again.

Botha (2) flailed and missed at Watkins and Westwood (17) fell to a nicely-judged catch by the admirable Hemp running back from mid-wicket.

Groenewald smote one six over long on and finished 15 not out. Woakes 2 not out.

Warwickshire 117 for 5 (16 overs). Westwood 13, Botha 2.

Ambrise sliced a steer too fine and was caught at short third man for 18.

Then came a few singles, a missed stumping and a leg bye as the batsmen continue to make little of Croft.

Lots and lots of empty seats. Light drizzle.

The rain has abated and it is planned to resume cricket at 9pm with the contest reduced to 19 overs per side. Scheduled close of play 10.47pm.

There are many reasons why Twenty20 is a vital part of the future of cricket but not THE future of cricket and several of them are on display here.

The crowd is small and the atmosphere subdued.
The theories that T20 is a spectacle that a) you can watch on the way home from the office or b) the kids can watch and be at home nice and early, are fallacious because tonight's scenario happens quite a lot.
It will almost certainly rain again soon, thus disjointing the spectacle further.
The oft-stated argument that T20 cricket is full of genuine cricket skills just does not, pardon the pun, hold water and that statement gets leakier the shorter the game gets.

Warwickshire 94 for 4 (12 overs). Ambrose 7, Westwood 6.

The ninth over was interesting. Cosker bowled it and it went 644W3W with the Ws being Bell, caught at long-off for 42 (35 balls), and Trott bowled first ball.

Troughton was then bowled having a big mow across the line at Croft and the Bears had wobbled from 77 for 1 off 8.3 to 82 for 4 off 9.3.

Finally, the drizzle stopped play and it has now thickened up into steady rain.

A seagull is circling the press-box again and again with a malevolent look on its face.

Warwickshire 63 for 1 (8 overs). Bell 27, Troughton 3.

Carter struck 29 from 14 balls but was then bowled trying to defend the first ball of spin, from Cosker. Troughton came in to keep the left/right hand combination at the crease.

Batting looks more difficult against spin with Cosker and Croft both starting tidily.

It's drizzling quite steadily and there is mist over the distant hills.

Warwickshire for 26 for 0 (4 overs). Bell 13, Carter 10.

Bell left three balls in the opening over, which brought just one run - off the last ball. When Carter at last faced a delivery he hit it for six over long leg but Bell has has much more of the strike. Harrison 2-0-5-0.

Warwickshire's team: Carter, Bell, Trott, Troughton, Ambrose, Westwood, Botha, Woakes, Groenewald, Anyon, Martin.

Glamorgan won the toss and will field.

The purpose-built media centre here has one ever-so-slight design fault. In the gents, the hand-driers are placed immediately above the wash-basins and are activated automatically by any mitt going underneath them. Therefore when one washes one's hands the drier is immediately activated directly above the running taps, soaking the washee from head to toe.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Warwickshire's players are limbering up as, indeed, are Glamorgan's players, the umpires, the scorers, the gigantically officious stewards here at revamped Sophia Gardens and, unfortunately, the clouds which became thicker and greyer the closer we got to Cardiff and are forecast to empty themselves at approximately 7.05pm.

A final thought from Cardiff as a magpie and a pigeon peck at the outfield, a magpie soars over the River End of the deserted ground and a gigantic seagull moves in from the south looking, no doubt, for my car.

It's over to the Twenty20 now, of course, and I have been honoured with an invitation to Bristol tomorrow for the "launch" of the Midlands/West/Wales group.

According to the press release: "Hamish Marshall is having the Gladiators' Twenty20 shirt body-painted on his torso and will be available for the photo-call."

To borrow Groucho Marx's wise words: "Include me out".

Warwickshire 183 for 5 (46 overs). Troughton 14, Botha 4. Won by five wickets.

Frost smeared one handsome four then departed in strange fashion, gloving a swipe at Gillespie then looking round wondering exactly where the ball was only for it to loop gently upwards and fall on to his stumps.

The Bears supporters were getting a bit twitchy but, amazingly, Glamorgan did not have a single slip in and when Botha edged his first ball at catchable height through vacant first slip, four precious runs resulted.

Next over, Troughton settled all the nerves by swinging Croft for a four, six and six off four balls. Job done.

And a man in a purple shirt walks slowly, methodically across the greensward...