This is a game that has been a great advert for County cricket, played on what appears to be a very sporting wicket, with something for batsmen and bowlers alike.
Yesterday I wrote that I thought we could win with a lead of 250. Well, at tea we lead by 242 with one wicket in hand. The innings has been the result of an excellent team effort that shows a willingness to fight and for each man to do his bit for the cause. It would appear to be a track on which you are never truly "in", as evidenced by the number of dismissals on either side for 30+
Rikki Clarke led the way with 37, but when Fred Klokker was out cheaply and we slipped to 91-5 I felt that we were going to subside and lose the match.
Not so. John Sadler batted with admirable restraint and concentration for a crucial 37 in three hours of batting, while Graham Wagg batted for almost two hours for 41. The crucial partnership may yet turn out to be that between the highly talented Jon Clare (unbeaten at tea on 46) and Charl Langeveldt, who carved the bowling to all parts in he course of a typically cavalier 30 from just 17 balls. There is a big psychological difference between chasing 200 and 250 and the pair might have made all the difference to the result of this match.
After tea? Taking the lead over 250 would be great and it would be great to see young Clare make another 50 in what is turning out to be an excellent season for the young all rounder. Then its all up to the bowlers and if Charl and Dean (cue cinema tune!) have their radars right we could make early inroads into a talented if brittle Middlesex batting line-up. Much will depend on skipper Ed Smith and on Owais Shah, but this should be an excellent finish to a very good game of cricket. Hopefully the result goes the right way
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