Poynton makes century against Seconds
Tue 5 May 2015
REPORT | By Pete Johnson
Second XI Championship Day One: Derbyshire 341-4 (Poynton 130, Wood 86, Wells 2-47)
Tom Wells won the toss for Leicestershire and invited Derbyshire to bat first on a cloudy and windy first day of the Second XI Championship game at Grace Road but the visiting batsmen played well in the difficut conditions.
Leicestershire’s team included six trialists and two Academy players. The umpires decided that play would start at 11.20am as a result of heavy overnight rain, but there was a strong wind to assist in drying the playing area.
One of the standing umpires was on International Exchange from the West Indies, Zahid Bassarath, who is based in Trinidad and Tobago. He certainly had an interesting baptism to UK conditions today. Ramanpreet Singh and Tom Wood opened up for Derbyshire. Singh was certainly ‘on song’, finding the ropes on five occasions from County’s opening attack of Dan Hampton and Joe Dawborn.
His opening partner Wood initially played a supporting role. Singh (26) was sent on his way when Hampton found his length and trapped him lbw. The total on 36-1 off 6.6 overs. Amjad joined Wood, and they steadily built a platform to the innings.
In the meantime, we experienced a mini twister at Grace Road. Play was halted when matting covering an adjacent wicket was tossed into the air by the wind, heavy bails were employed, and umpire Bassarath’s sun hat made several excursions around the square, being retrieved on numerous occasions by the fielders.
Amjad (21) was eventually bowled off peg by Wells when not offering a shot. Derbyshire on 80-2 from 16.1 overs. Then followed a partnership of 123 between Wood and Tom Poynton. Just before lunch, after 23 overs, had been bowled the umpires decided to play on, minus the bails, due to the strong wind.
Wells was rotating his bowlers, with bowlers from the Pavilion End running into the teeth of a gale. Wood progressed to his 50 (9x4) from 69 balls from the last ball before lunch. Derbyshire going in on 115-2 from 25 overs, Poynton on 11*.
The afternoon session belonged to Derbyshire with Poynton moving to his 50 (6x4,1x6) from 81 balls with the score on 194-2 from 45.1 overs. Shortly afterwards Wood was finally dismissed for 86 when he was caught behind by Matt Cross off Academy prospect Joe Clarke, this being the first Second XI wicket for the tall left arm seamer.
Poynton was joined by Matt Comber and the pair proved hard to dislodge. Poynter went to his century (11x4,1x6) from 161 balls with the score on 275-3 from 67.5 overs. It was good to see Poynton back in action after what he has gone through over the past 12 months, and I am sure no one would begrudge him his 100.
Poynton 110* and Comber 38* took Derbyshire into tea on 289-3 from 72 overs. After the interval Comber went to his 50 (5x4) from 116 balls with the score on 329-3 from 83.6 overs. Wells, wishing he could get a wicket, finally made the breakthrough when he had Poynton (130) caught at third man by James Sykes.
Tom Knight briefly joined Comber before the players went off for a combination of rain and bad light at 5.59pm with 14.5 overs of the days play remaining. The umpires made a couple of inspections, and after lengthy deliberations in the direction of menacing clouds approaching over the Groundsmen’s retreat, abandoned play for the day at 7.03pm.
