July 2008 Archives

Middlesex 85 for 3 (36 overs). Shah 33, Morgan 24.

Martin and Woakes have both bowled well this morning, beating the bat and allowing no easy runs. Martin should have got the big wicket of Shah, on 25, when he outside-edged but Trott grassed the chance low at second slip.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It's cool, cloudy and breezy in Uxbridge but brighter than yesterday so prospects of play look pretty good.

Allan Donald has just walked out to the middle and back carrying two big red things and a yellow thing.

He did not appear to carrying any purple things.

Bad light has brought a premature close to the day's play with Middlesex 70 for 3 from 30.1 overs (Shah 25, Morgan 13).

The P.A announcer has just read out the scores from around the country including, helpfully, "...at Uxbridge, Middlesex are 70 for 3 but bad light has stopped play."

We had sort of figured that out.

Middlesex 46 for 3 (21 overs). Shah 13, Morgan 1.

A feather in the cap of Maddy who brings himself into the attack and strikes with his seventh ball which nips away from left-hander Joyce and takes the edge on the way through to Frost.

Bringing himself on. And taking a wicket. Should that be two feathers? I suppose as, without the act of taking a wicket (the second feather) the bringing himself on would not rate as any sort of a feather so perhaps it really should be only one feather. But a big one.

Middlesex need 244 to avoid the follow-on. Intriguing. Martin and Woakes bowled well. Carter and Maddy are bowling well. Feathers all round.

Middlesex 21 for 2 (9 overs). Shah 5, Joyce 5.

Martin pitches one right up, Malan gets his feet in a tangle and the ball ricochets from his pads on to the stumps.

Woakes is bowling excellently. With successive balls he forces Joyce to edge just short of second slip then beats him on the other side of the bat but an inside-edge saves the batsman from a stentorian lbw appeal.

Middlesex 4 for 1 (3 overs). Malan 4 Shah 0.

Martin opened up with a maiden then Woakes' second ball was well pitched-up and found Compton playing across the line and adjudged lbw.

"I must have put it somewhere," a man in the press tent has just said.

"Do you still have the original?" replied the adjacent scribe.

Warwickshire 393 all out.

Carter's merry 67 (62 balls, 9 fours, 1 six), ended with a nick to the keeper. That left Woakes and Martin with 17 to find for the last bonus point and although Woakes cover-drove one lovely boundary, Martin, in his long-awaited first knock for the Bears, edged Murtagh to second slip for a score which has become rather familiar to him over the years - 0.

It's still grey with more showers around by the look of it. Tea is now being taken with potentially 42 overs still left to be bowled today. A draw is very warm favourite.

And that's about all that's very warm here today.

Warwickshire 374 for 8 (122 overs). Carter 59, Woakes 0. RAIN STOPPED PLAY.

A great partnership of 90 from 20 overs between Botha and Carter ends when the former, on 54, leg glances Shah and is brilliantly caught at leg-slip by Kartik.

Botha was rock steady (50, 111 balls), while Carter, after a patient start, exploded into life (50, 48 balls) with a flurry of boundaries including a huge six miles over square leg off Evans.

Straight after the wicket falls, rain stops play again. Quite a heavy shower.

Warwickshire have got themselves into a position whereby they can put a bit of pressure on Middlesex if they bowl well.

Lunch. Warwickshire 301 for 7 (109 overs). Botha 37, Carter 8.

Bitty session.

A history of Uxbridge, written in the 1960s, pinpointed only two notable things about the town. The large number of uniformed people around (from RAF Uxbridge) and the shortage of petrol stations. I can vouch from bitter experience that the latter remains the case.

Spoke to one of the umps this morning. He is convinced that this pitch is so slow - and will remain so slow - that the match is doomed to a draw unless either side bats with great indiscipline. Don't suppose either side would mind a draw with good bonus points.

They have resumed.

Warwickshire 284 for 7 (103 overs). Botha 30, Carter 0.

Grey, windy, cold, drizzle, traffic noise, slow pitch, Salisbury played on to Finn for 2.