April 2009 Archives

Lunch: Hampshire 116 for 2 (32 overs). Crawley 30, North 1.

Just when the morning was evolving into a worrying one for the Bears, Miller, having switched to the Pavilion End, nipped one away to end Carberry's attractive innings. Ambrose took the catch and Carberry departed for 77 from 110 balls with 14 fours and a six.

Miller has acquitted himself well on his debut. Rankin impressed. Clarke remains a worry.

Hampshire 98 for 1 (25 overs). Carberry 68, Crawley 23.

Carberry reached his half-century from 72 balls with ten fours, assisted by two fours punched from short deliveries in Clarke's first over.

As I typed that he has just thrashed another short delivery from Clarke to the point boundary.

Warm and sunny. Good batting conditions.

Woakes is now having a go from the Pavilion End.

Now Carberry pulls Clarke for six and hammers another short ball through wide mid-off for four. Clarke 3-0-28-0.

Hampshire 49 for 1 (16 overs). Carberry 32, Crawley 14.

Woakes was not at his tidiest in his first spell but Rankin has bowled with pasce, aggression and accuracy (eight overs for 15) and Miller has started solidly enough.

The ball has done a bit but Hampshire will feel that, if they can get through this morning with little damage, a commanding total beckons. Carberry, who has plundered the Bears before, is timing the ball crisply.

Blueberry muffins have just arrived in the press box, courtesy of a kind spectator.

Hampshire 24 for 1 (9.2 overs). Carberry 23, Crawley 0.

Adams, on 1, edges Rankin and Clarke takes a fine low catch at second slip.

Rankin 4.2-3-1-1. Impressive start.

I don't agree with much that Prince Philip says but when in 1975, he asserted: "It seems to me unwise to place too great a reliance on a growing or even a steady contribution of commercial sponsorship to the first-class game," I think he was spot on.

Hampshire 16 for 0 (3 overs). Carberry 15, Adams 1.

Woakes and Rankin have opened the bowling. Rankin ripped his first ball past Carberry's outside-edge but the early signs are that it is a good track.

Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Tim Ambrose and Chris Woakes are in the England Lions squad to play West Indies in a four day match at Derby starting April 30 so will miss the Bears' FPT game with Scotland at Edgbaston on May 3.

Hampshire won the toss and will bat.

Warwickshire: Maddy, Frost, Bell, Trott, Troughton, Ambrose, Clarke, Botha, Woakes, Miller, Rankin.

This if the first of six successive home championship games at home for the Bears.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

What a truly sparkling morning. Goldfinches chuckling away and flitting from branch to branch in the sunshine.

A couple of butterflies too. Let's hope they make a comeback this year.

(Not those two specifically - I don't know their personal histories. I mean butterflies as a diminishing and threatened species as a whole).

Anyon and Carter injured. Rankin and Miller (for his championship debut) likely to come in.

Warwickshire v Hampshire at Edgbaston in June 1922 was a rather interesting game.

Hampshire won by 155 runs.

Warwickshire 223 all out.

Hampshire 15 all out.

Hampshire 521 all out

Warwickshire 158 all out.

The Bears' first innings total was well below par in good batting conditions but then Hampshire collapsed in freak fashion. Five of their top seven - and eight batsmen in all - bagged ducks and captain Philip Mead, at number four, was left high and dry on six not out. If they had not profited from four byes it would have been really embarrassing. Harry Howell took 4.5-2-7-6 and the Hon Freddy Calthorpe 4-3-4-4.

When Hampshire were 186 for 6 in their second innings, it looked all over but George Brown scored 172, number ten Walter Livsey thrashed 110 not out and even number eleven Stuart Boyes chipped in with 30. Howell 63-10-156-3. Calthorpe 33-2-97-2.

Chasing 313, an ageing Bears unit then showed the effects of 164 overs in the field. No-one reached 50 and eight of them failed to reach 20.

For Warwickshire, The Reverend Ernest Waddy, who in 1905/06 had headed the inter-state batting averages in Australia with an average of 70.20 for New South Wales and was to die in 1958 at Evesham where he was vicar of The Littletons, had a quiet match. He did not bowl, took no catches and bagged a pair.

But, perhaps, in the light of the torment experienced at the hands of Somerset's batsmen last weekend, it wouldn't do Warwickshire any harm to get a vicar in the team against Hampshire tomorrow.

Some thoughts after the Somerset game.

672 for 4 sounds a bit grim and it was but judgement should be reserved on the bowling attack until it has operated on a less merciless batting track and nearer to full-strength.

Although Ian Bell took most credit for his glorious 172, Jim Troughton also batted very well in overcast conditions which, on the first day, were not totally straightforward for batting.

Taunton is a lovely, historic cricket venue and Somerset's supporters and staff are mostly a friendly and engaging lot and let's hope their long wait for a championship title ends soon.

Arnold Ridley would have richly enjoyed James Hildreth's innnings.

Warwickshire cannot get Jeetan Patel's visa sorted out soon enough.

Even on a shirt-front, Chris Woakes took wickets with the new ball.

The renowned childen's game "Operation" is not as spectacular and exhilarating in the flesh as it looks in the TV commercials.

Jimmy Anyon has a shoulder niggle and is a doubt for the championship game against Hampshire this week but Boyd Rankin, due back from the ICC Trophy on Tuesday, should be available.

Somebody HAS to do something about seagulls. They do no good and lots and lots of bad. Either a nationwide cull must be carried out or a return to the old system, widely used regarding sparrows in the 18th and 19th centuries, of the local parish paying children for each dead bird they brought forward.

Warwickshire 78 for 1 (29 overs). Frost 28, Bell 1.

Maddy, on 36, tried to lift Suppiah straight but miscued to mid-off.

Surprised to see Bell come in. Trott might have appreciated a trip to the middle to put his first-innngs first-baller behind him.