September 2008 Archives

Lunch. Worcestershire 107 for 1 (30 overs). Mitchell 47, Solanki 10.

Mitchell has batted very well against some decent bowling with Martin and Carter in particular inducing one or two false shots.

Solanki, whose last three championship innings had yielded 0, 0 and 0, again began sketchily and, on 4, edged Woakes to second slip. Maddy failed to hold a sharp but very catchable chance, chest-high.

Could that be the catalyst for a Solanki revival? He's not the sort of chap into whom opponents want to see confidence flooding back!

Worcestershire 75 for 1 (23 overs). Mitchell 26, Solanki 0.

Twelfth man Tom Allin moseyed out there for five minutes while Martin was off the field and was lurking at mid-on when Moore, on 46, mistimed a pull off Carter straight to him. Moments later, Martin returned and Allin departed, job done.

Sun shining brightly now as the cathedral strikes 12. Glorious.

There's a big, round, wooden thing leaning on the perimeter fence in front of the press-box and it looks just like that big, round, wooden thing that featured in an episode of Dad's Army as some sort of strange, rolling bomb (a strong candidate for most unconvincing prop ever).

Brilliant series though.

Worcestershire 52 for 0 (16 overs). Mitchell 17, Moore 35.

After a curious two-over spell from the skipper, Rankin and Carter are now bowling in tandem. Both forced false shots in their opening overs but Moore is batting with the confidence you would expect from a player averaging 58.09 this season.

No extras yet.

The sun is out and New Road looks divinely elegant, the trees so vividly green, brown, red and grey after this wet summer. This really must be the second most attractive sports arena in the Midlands, behind the magnificent Hampton Road home of Racing Club Warwick FC.

Worcestershire 21 for 0 (9 overs). Mitchell 9, Moore 12.

Martin and Woakes have delivered some testing new ball overs, well met by the two batsmen playing watchfully in moderate light.

Martin has had a couple of half-decent lbw shouts but both were rightly turned down by umpire Dudleston.

It is a very good contest. Maddy has just brought himself on, conditions being decent for bowling, though I reckon this could be a day for Carter.

Twelve points from a draw would just about assure Worcestershire of promotion so expect them to take miminal risks in pursuit of 400-plus.

Worcestershire won the toss and will bat. Hick is ruled out by an elbow problem so Moeen Ali plays. Jones, Kabir Ali and Mason are all injured.

The Bears have brought back Carter at the expense of Botha. Their team: Westwood, Maddy, Frost, Trott, Troughton, Ambrose, Salisbury, Woakes, Carter, Martin, Rankin.

It's a tremendous effort to get the ground playable for 10.30am. Sadly, grey clouds have gathered above and, of course, the forecast for the next few days does not encourage hopes of a full and fulfilling contest.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. There was heavy rain for hours last night and, having squelched across the outfield, I was not optimistic but the players are out on the grass warming up, the sun is out and, apparently, play will start on time, which would be a great effort by all concerned.

Graeme Hick has this morning announced that he will retire at the end of the season.

Ashley Giles says Warwickshire must "take the initiative and attack" against Worcestershire starting tomorrow. Ant Botha is still in discomfort from his hip injury but will play if the pitch encourages two spinners. Neil Carter is also in the squad. Jimmy Anyon still injured. Shame the Bears can't call upon great fast-bowler Frank Field (born right on the Warwickshire/Worcestershire border) who dismantled the Worcestershire batting with 8.4-7-2-6 at Dudley in 1914.

Darren Maddy will no doubt be full of nostalgia tomorrow when he sees Steve Rhodes. It was Rhodes who supplied Maddy with his first championship catch, off David Millns, when Maddy made his championship debut for Leicestershire against Worcestershire at Grace Road in 1994.

Warwickshire's fielding throughtout the 1962 season was "slipshod".

Aye - Glenn Turner. Class. Anyone remember his 100th 100? Against the Bears at New Road in 1982. 128 not out at lunch. Ends up 311 not out. 39 fours and two sixes. It wasn't too shabby a bowling attack he was facing either, including Willis 12-0-76-0. Small 7-0-54-0 and Cumbes 9-0-58-0. What an exhibition of strokeplay. Ormrod scored just 79 in an opening stand of 291. And Lloyd Budd umpired it all in his inimitable style.

Darren Gough's first victim in Test cricket, caught off the glove in the slips by Graeme Hick, was....Mark Greatbatch. Wonder what happened to him.

Ah well, let's see what this week will bring. Four days at New Road is always a pleasure. Now, please, can we have a cracker of a cricket match. It has been thin fare for the most part this season hasn't it? Yet another stale mate against Derbyshire last week. Personally, I must say, it's been a tough summer what with bereavement and redundancy and, last night, a king-size telling off for leaving gunge round the top of the tomato-sauce bottle. Come on Worcestershire and Warwickshire - serve us up a classic!