Batsmen guide Seconds to fine win
Thu 9 Jun 2016
REPORT | By Pete Johnson
Leicestershire Second XI played their first 50-over Trophy match of the season against Nottinghamshire at the Park Road home of Loughborough Town CC. The lovely sunny weather of the past few days had made its way from Hinckley in the west of the county to Loughborough in the North.
The scorers’ accommodation at Loughborough Town CC is rather snug, accommodating just the two people, and when one moves the other one is obliged to do so. Externally the building is painted white, and appears a very resolute structure. It could well have been modelled on various iconic brick buildings that contain the products of Armitage Shanks.
A pulsating day’s cricket ensued with 672 runs scored and County getting home by five wickets.
Ned Eckersley spun the coin, Nottinghamshire skipper Jake Libby called correctly and elected to bat. When speaking with Ned upon handing him the team sheet, he sounded a little croaky, and I asked him if he had a sore throat. He replied ‘No, I am just a little ho(a)rse.’
Libby and Tom Moores opened up for Nottinghamshire, and debutant Cameron Delport took the new ball for County at the Pavilion End. Some of his luggage was probably still going around on the airport carousel as he ran in to bowl his first ball, so swift was the announcement of his arrival and his subsequent debut.
Delport conceded just a single from his first over. Dustin Melton opened up at the Shelthorpe End, with Paul Horton at first slip, and Angus Robson at second slip. Moores was dropped in the slips from a somewhat difficult chance when on 0. I would not wish to name the person dropping the catch, but he was at second slip. However, he would make his mark on the game with a vengeance later in the proceedings.
Libby and Moores scored liberally during their partnership. Moores’ 50 (6x4/1x6/47 balls) coming up at the end of the 13th over with the score on 76-0. Moores (53) departed with the score on 86 from 15.5 overs, bowled by Rob Sayer.
Sam Wood joined Libby, and the pair enjoyed a sparkling partnership of 159. Libby posted his 50 (2x4/74 balls) with the score on 136-1 from 25.4 overs.
Wood’s 50 (3x4/1x6/48 balls) was registered with the score on 182-1 from 32.3 overs. Eckersley was rotating six bowlers, of which Sayer was the most economical.
Skipper Libby went to his century (5x4/1x6/110 balls), with the score on 235-1 from 36.4 overs before Wood (81) finally went caught at long off by Aadil Ali off James Sykes. Libby’s fine knock came to an end on 109 when he was caught in the deep by Delport off Sykes.
Anuj Dal (1) went well caught by Matt Stokes at mid-on off Ali, the ball going like a tracer bullet. Billy Root (26) scampered up and down the wicket a number of times, before going lbw to Sykes when attempting a reverse sweep.
Shortly afterwards Ashraf (1) was run out by a smart piece of fielding by Sayer at square leg, throwing the ball to Eckersley, who administered the coup de grace. After Ned’s time spent with the Hinckley Hound, I was half expecting him to chase the ball rather than catch it.
Nottinghamshire were now 306-6 with 2.2 overs remaining. Patterson-White (11) went caught on the long-on boundary by Sykes off Ali, Nottinghamshire closing on 335-7 from their 50 overs. Brown 42* & Carter 0*
The Leicestershire reply got off to a bad start and they soon found themselves on 33-3 after 5.4 overs. Opener Delport (9) was caught at mid off from a skier. Rob Taylor (6) went leg before to Ben Kitt, and Paul Horton (0) fell in the same manner.
At this stage Kitt had 3 for 7 after he had bowled 2.5 overs. Kitt must have been thinking ‘start the car son’. There is the name of a famous Wild West hero in that sentence, answers on a postcard please.
Then followed a superlative partnership between Robson, who had observed the Kitt carnage from the non striker’s end, and Eckersley. The pair propelled County from 33-3 to 207, a partnership of 174.
Milestones along the way: 50 partnership (53 balls), Robson 50 (7x4/1x6/44 balls) at 104-3 from 16.5 overs. 100 partnership (124 balls), Eckersley 50 (3x4/1x6/57 balls) at 150-3 from 24.4 overs. 150 partnership (139 balls). Robson went to a wonderful 100 (12x4/2x6/85 balls) with the score on 184-3 from 28.2 overs, combining it with the 150 partnership.
Eckersley (72) from 79 balls finally departed caught in the mid-wicket area by Dal from a Kitt long hop. Ned looked a little disappointed with himself hitting an inviting ball straight to a fielder, but he had helped lay the foundations for victory.
Robson’s fine innings came to an end when on 122. He offered a chance that was eagerly gobbled up by Patterson-White at short third man off the bowling off Dal. A tremendous innings from Robson, whose one-day appearances are somewhat limited. In fact they must be on a par with the number of times you see Dan Nice buying a round at the bar.
When Robson departed County needed 107 to win from 13 overs, a rate of 8.23 an over. It was to prove no problem whatsoever as Ali and Irfan Karim positively destroyed the Nottinghamshire bowling, both posting undefeated half-centuries.
Their strike rate and running between the wickets was electric. If either of these guys had a train to catch they would never miss it. They added 50 from 37 balls, and their century partnership came from70 balls. Aadil cruised to his 50 (4x4/1x6/53 balls) with the score on 329-5 from 48.1 overs.
A couple of runs later Karim did likewise (6x4/1x6/32 balls). When either of these pair connect with the ball, you have to go a long way to fetch it. County cantered over the line from the last ball of the 49th over, a trademark straight maximum from Ali.
County ended on 337-5 and won by 5 wickets with Ali 57* (55 balls) and Karim 50* (32 balls). Leicestershire 2 points, Nottinghamshire nil points (as in Eurovision Song Contest ‘Speak’).
One final note during the day a gentlemen kept coming to the Scorebox for player identification, bowling figures etc. He had travelled to Loughborough by train from Woking, and was visiting his 405th cricket ground. If any of you present spotted him he had long white hair, the dispersion of which would have challenged James ‘the scissors’ Sykes.
