Redfern ton sees Seconds to safety
Fri 28 Aug 2015
Dan Redfern made a sparkling century as Leicestershire Second XI made 422-8 to secure a three-day friendly draw at Wantage Road.
Leicestershire's batsmen resumed with the score at 60-2 and began strongly under mostly sunny skies on day three. Rob Taylor's four fours in Gleeson's first two overs were all cleanly struck and well in front of square, the pick of them a back-foot punch straight of mid-on.
Lewis Hill then imparted similar treatment to the replacement, Dawborn, either side of a stroke of luck against Chambers - the pick of the attack early on, despite much grimacing that gave the impression that injury breakdown could be imminent! - whose rising delivery took the shoulder of the bat and looped over the slips for four.
A quick single to cover brought Hill to 50 (77 balls, 9x4) just before midday, but a change of ends for Gleeson resulted in a double strike.
Firstly, he induced a loose shot from Hill (55), who was caught behind trying to cut a ball that both bounced and was too close to him; then in his next over, Taylor (40 from 65 balls, 8x4), who had seemed a touch fretful as his supply of boundary balls dried up, was bowled off the bottom of the bat when he made a late decision to leave.
Suddenly, from cruising towards parity with eight wickets in hand, Leicestershire were four down and still 13 behind. Redfern then allied with the newly-promoted Zak Chappell in an unbroken stand off 44, both taking advantage of the occasional loose ball, especially from the spinner, Taylor, and lunching at 167-4.
After the interval, what took place might be termed 'controlled carnage'. 100 were added from the first 80 balls, without anything that might be termed extravagant strokeplay. Deliveries were simply despatched judiciously to the boundary.
Redfern pulled the opening bowlers for three sixes to the shorter side with Chappell twice finding the same stands. Cover-driven fours abounded as the bowlers over-compensated. Redfern's 50 came from 65 balls with a six and 7 fours, and 45 minutes later, he reached 100 from 102 balls, with a 12th four, pulling the spinner Taylor along the floor to deep square leg.
This uncharacteristic use of the carpet with his beloved pull shot may have been partly attributable to the fact that he should have been caught from it, off Chambers six runs earlier, but Taylor spilled the straightforward chance at long leg.
Chappell's 50 (82 balls, 5x4, 3x6) came in the over after this chance, with the second of his pulled sixes, his third overall, the other being an imperious strike over long off from the occasional off-spin of Thurston.
Another such strike came from the seam bowling of Claydon in the next over and resulted in a five-minute delay. The ball was damaged landing on the concrete of the tunnel leading to the car park and it took some time to locate a replacement.
Over-confidence then brought about Chappell's demise for 62. He carted the first ball of Claydon's next over for four, with what could best be described as a straight-legged, almost straight-batted whip/slog over mid-wicket, but was bowled by the next, attempting something similar, possibly slightly more agricultural.
The partnership had yielded 175 in 190 balls with seven sixes and 19 fours. Bizarrely, this was the first of three wickets in three overs to fall to the seventh and eighth bowlers.
Munsey's first delivery was a filthy leg-side loosener, but Redfern somehow contrived to get a hint of glove on it, to be dismissed for 105 (106 balls, 13x4, 3x6), and Claydon then produced a deadly, slow, wide long-hop, which Wells bottom-edged quite some distance back into his stumps, bagging a 'pair'.
The lead was now 168 with 46 overs remaining, but a brisk little partnership of 40 between Oldfield and Mike Burgess (11) put paid to any thoughts of a Northants chase, the latter then rather hanging his bat to give slip-catching practice to Patel, in the penultimate over before tea.
Resuming on 347-8, with no prospect of a result, the final session resembled batting practice. Greg Oldfield looked well-organised in compiling an unbeaten 71 (91 balls, 14 fours), his one stroke of luck being, to edge the enthusiastic Munsey through second slip the very ball after the fielder had been moved from there.
Jigar Naik finished on 30 (70 balls, 5 fours), surviving a chance to third slip on 8, costing the unlucky bowler, Gleeson, a 10-wicket match haul. Leicestershire’s final match of the season is against Derbyshire at Denby on Monday, September 14.
