John Winn has reported on his days at Headingley and Riverside for the two recent championship games involving Yorkshire against Notts and Durham against Kent. I went to both venues on different days to John and think we would both agree on the total unpredictability of these games.
Day two at the Riverside, which proved to be the last of the scheduled four, was an outstanding example of how the twists and turns of such contests are so hard to predict. Before setting out we were a little dubious of how long the game would last as Durham had been bowled out for 91 on the first morning and after Kent had taken a first innings lead of 78, the home side were 13-1 overnight.
Nevertheless, after a much smoother journey up the A1 than last season, there we were in position alongside our Hartlepool correspondent, for the first ball of the day. Despite a non-stop flow of interesting conversation, we somehow managed to keep our eyes on events on the field. We were soon told that according to one local sage the dismissal of new South African signing Markram for a pair, on the same day, yesterday was the first time this had ever happened to any player in the history of first class cricket.
True or not the carnage continued very rapidly with Kent's New Zealand quick bowler Henry again the main destroyer. Will Smith, returned to the Durham fold this season, soon went caught in the slips off Henry, followed by Harte clean bowled by the same bowler. 23-3 soon became 25-5 as Stevens removed Clark and Collingwood both without scoring. Like Headingley yesterday, thoughts were on Durham being all out before lunch.
Plans for an early finish centred on the fact that Durham Academy were playing Chester Le Street in the opening North East premier league game of the season just up the road at Ropery Lane. However as things turned out Durham did put up something of a rearguard action, centred initially on night watchman Potts who had surveyed all the initial collapse from the non-striker's end. Problems continued for a while as Richardson and Poynter also fell to the rampant Henry, making if 39-7.
Young Potts together with the number nine batsman, James Weighell, now managed to put on a partnership of 36 runs, riches indeed after what had gone before. Weighell from Stokesley is an all rounder of some ability and was by no means overawed by the perilous situation. When the two of them had seen off the dangerous Henry and his opening bowling partner Stevens, Potts who had batted with the utmost confidence was surprisingly dismissed by change bowler Podmore for an impressive 36. The score at this point was 75-8, almost enough to make Kent bat again.
The left handed Weighell now decided that attack was the best form of defence and took on the second string Kent bowlers in partnership with Australian bowler Rimmington to great effect.
The game went into the second session after all and when Rimmington was out for a confident 25 the pair had put on a fifty partnership and the total was 129-9 and Durham were building a small lead.
It took the return of Henry to get rid of Rimmington but even then Weighell continued on his merry way.
In partnership with Rushworth, who has few pretentions as a batsman, he added a further 41 runs, before he was eventually caught off the persevering Henry for 84, which included three huge sixes to the longest boundary and six fours. Indeed you felt he could have made a hundred with a little more care. He ensured that Rushworth only had to face ten balls and was left nought not out. Durham were all out out for 170, a vast improvement on 39-7, and Kent now needed just 95 to win. Henry was obviously already the man of the match, unless one of the Durham bowlers could match him, with figures of 7-45 in the second innings, despite some late punishment, and match figures of 12-73. An outstanding performance by the New Zealander who revelled in the bowler friendly conditions.
Rimmington did manage to dismiss opener Dickson cheaply but there were no more surprises and the second wicket pair of Bell-Drummond and the first innings top scorer, Kuhn, saw Kent home to a very comfortable nine wicket victory around tea time. So an action packed day out in the sunshine and even the handful of travelling Kent supporters must have been surprised at the ease of their team's victory which obviously robbed them of two more days cricket, but no doubt most welcome after Kent had been sent packing in similar style in their first match by Gloucestershire. Unpredictable or what?
No comments:
Post a Comment