Tuesday's weather forecast for Chester-le-Street was not the best, nevertheless somewhat better than Wednesday's. Temperature at 11 a.m. was forecast to be 5 degrees but would feel like 3 degrees.
Chance of precipitation varied between 36 and 42 per cent between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. but we decided to chance it and travelled north through persistent drizzle hoping to see day one of a three day second eleven game between Durham and Yorkshire.
We were pleasantly surprised north of Scotch Corner when the rain stopped and the skies began to clear, the road surface gradually became dry and on arrival at Riverside a prompt start was about to be made. Only a handful of people had braved the elements and fortunately we were able to get the car into the ground and found a perfect viewing position just to the side of the site screen at the northern end of the ground. The forecaster's temperature prediction was certainly correct.
To our considerable surprise it then stayed dry for the rest of the day and although we left at the tea interval, play continued almost to the scheduled close when bad light intervened with the loss of only five overs. Durham batted all day and opened with Cameron Steel, who has missed out on first team duty during the recent plethora of one day games, and twenty year old Ross Greenwell against two Yorkshire first teamers in Tim Bresnan and Ben Coad.
The two batsmen took no chances against some accurate bowling and and it was something of a surprise when Matthew Waite got a ball to lift quickly taking the edge of Steel's bat and wicket keeper Birkhead took a comfortable catch. Graham Clark followed fairly quickly bowled by Waite for no score and Durham had progressed to 61-2 at lunch, with Greenwell looking comfortable.
Greenwell put on a fifty partnership with Ned Eckersley after lunch before being lbw to Poysden for 52. Eckersley again looked in good form as we had seen with his century against Leeds/Bradford University recently and took his score past the sixty mark before tea. Will Smith again showing his ability with 44 before being caught off a skier by Jack Leaning from the bowling of off spinner Jack Shutt.
After we had left, Ned Eckersley completed his third century of the season for Durham seconds and certainly looks worth his place in the first team as a batsman, whether he keeps wicket or not. Much depends on how often Poynter is required by Ireland I suspect. Josh Coughlin also helped boost the total before the close with 32 not out as Durham finished the day on 294-7. So surprisingly a full day's cricket with not a drop of rain to be seen all day.
Wednesday of course was another story with no play at all and we had already taken the precaution of cancelling our overnight accommodation and returned home after one of the coldest day's cricket in living memory. Thank goodness for the shelter of the car!
No comments:
Post a Comment