Swelling the crowd at Wantage Road

posted by John Winn

An early start from the Lower Ure Valley on Sunday saw me on my way to Northampton for the second time in a month for the second day of the championship game between Northants and Somerset. Taking the A1 rather than the M1 made little difference in terms of distance or time and I was parked very close to the ground before 10:00 and was the first cash paying customer of the day.

The heat of the previous few days had dispersed but although cloudy there was never any doubt that play would start on time which it did with the visitors  seeking to build on their 366 for 8 made on Saturday. With Kieswetter* absent having been felled by a blow to the head the innings closed on 379 when Dockrell was caught behind off Hall. When Somerset took the field wicket keeping duties were in the hands of sub Alex Barrow.

The interval between innings gave me time to tackle a bacon sandwich and size up the crowd. Small sums it up but with a decent contingent from the south west in the members' area, which was unpoliced. Two faces I recognised were those of Mr and Mrs Ralph Middlebrook, supporting son James who was captaining Northants and as usual opened the innings when they began their reply.

The remaining morning's play followed a typical and depressing pattern for the bottom club as wickets fell steadily: four down by lunch and five shortly afterwards, enter Middlesex loanee Andy Rossington, who proceeded to set about the bowling in general and to the delight of the crowd that of Peter Trego in particular. I enquired of a Northants' supporter why joy, an infrequent visitor to the ground, was in such abundance when Trego had an appeal turned down and then next ball was sliced away for  four. It was explained to me that he had been given not out on Saturday when the ball clearly carried and had gone on to make 77. Good things are not meant to last for ever, at least not at Wantage Road and the return of Alf Thomas sent Rossington on his way after a 73 run partnership with Coetzer who followed shortly after.

David Willey's natural game is similar to that employed by Rossington and his fifty at better than a run a ball lifted the homesters to a batting point and he was last out at 221 at which Trescothick decided not to enforce the follow on. This probably pleased both sides for the Somerset bowlers could put their feet up and Northants were saved the possible  ignominy of being bowled out twice in a day. As I type this Northants will shortly begin the fourth day's play still needing 296 to win with just five second innings wickets in hand. A ninth defeat from 11 matches by lunch seems a reasonable wager.

A relatively trouble free return by the same outward route saw me home in time for the ritual Sunday g and t. As I left the ground which I first visited, albeit for football, in 1977, I felt slightly saddened that it might be my last call for until Sunday Somerset were the only county I had not seen in action against Northants. So another full set and completed in twenty years  for I saw my first cricket at Wantage Road in August 1994 when Middlesex visited. In the Northants' XI that day were Rob Bailey, Alan Lamb and Curtley Anbrose, what wouldn't the county's members give for talent like that now? Just for the record Middlesex had Haynes, Ramprakash, Gatting, Fraser and Tufnell in their ranks. 'Oh my Hornby and my Barlow long ago,'

Off to Swaledale for a couple of days but back for Scarborough on Saturday, one of the most keenly anticipated days of the year. Middlesex in town with Lord's in use for the test.

* He has since had surgery on a broken nose and fractured cheek.