Wells shines again for Seconds
Tue 26 Jul 2016
REPORT | By Pete Johnson
A lovely sunny morning greeted us when we arrived at Desborough Town CC for the second day of the SEC encounter between Leicestershire and Durham.
There was a pronounced stillness in the air that in the early morning was not interrupted by the constant drone of the children’s train, and obligatory screams and accompanied shrieks, from the adjacent Farm Park.
Everyone was sorry to learn that Nic Pothas was leaving LCCC at the end of the week, but had sincere good wishes and thoughts for him when he takes up his role on the Coaching Staff with the Sri Lankan national team.
The day’s play ebbed and flowed as Leicestershire took wickets regularly in the Durham first innings, then a last wicket stand gave Durham a useful lead of 83 runs.
Leicestershire’s reply initially looked promising, but a cluster of wickets late in the day gave Durham the ascendency. The day belonged, however, to Tom Wells who was on the field for the entire day’s play.
Wells returned career best Second XI figures for the Foxes of 5-51, and finished the day unbeaten on 71, in the process spending more time in the field than a workaholic salesman!
Durham resumed on their overnight 107-1 trailing Leicestershire by 135 runs. Hobson 57* & Poynter 36*. The official attendance at the start of the day’s play was 1, a gentleman who had travelled over from Coventry.
The 150 partnership between Hobson and Poynter came up from 154 balls, Poynter bringing up his half century from 59 balls (9x4). Poynter (68) was then dismissed in the 11th over of the morning when he chopped a delivery from Jigar Naik on to his stumps, leaving Durham on 163-2 from 27.1 over’s.
Scottish International Calum MacLeod joined Hobson, MacLeod had made 10 when a delivery from Wells uprooted his middle stump. Hobson was scoring freely and hit Atif Sheikh for two successive boundaries, one shot being a delightful pull. His pulling being of such a high standard that it reminded me of my ability in the dance halls of Leicester when I was in my youth.
Hobson was spilled behind the stumps by Nightingale off Wells when he was on 95 and went to his 100 (18x4/1x6) from 117 balls with the score on 204-3 from 39.1 overs.
In the over after reaching his century Hobson (101) feathered a ball to Nightingale behind the stumps off Sykes, and had no choice but to depart the crease.
Shortly afterwards Steve Bullen (4) became Nightingale’s 2nd victim, caught behind off Wells. Adeel Shafique and Graham Onions took Durham into lunch on 245-5 from 50 overs.
With three lads from the Channel Islands in the side it was a formality that we had Guernsey potatoes and milk from Guernsey at our disposal during the interval (I have allowed myself a bit of licence on that one).
Will Fazakerley who had bowled 4 overs the previous day for 27 runs, then took 2 wickets in 3 balls in the 57th over. He had Shafique (24) caught by Sykes between mid-wicket and mid-on, then had left-hander Randhawa (0) caught at cover by Sykes 2nd second ball. Durham now on 274-7 from 56.3 overs.
Onions had brought tears to his own eyes watching this mini collapse from the non strikers end. A good contribution from the left arm paceman, the fearsome Fazakerely taking 2-15 from his six-over spell.
Thereafter Onions and George Harding played somewhat of soporific innings to help the Durham cause. They played out five successive combined maidens from Naik and Wells. The partnership was broken when Onions (38) was bowled by Wells, and 3 balls later Main (2) was also ‘castled’ by Wells, leaving Durham on 287-9 from 66.5 overs.
There was then a frustrating last wicket stand of 38 between Harding and Gurjit Sandhu taking up 9.2 overs. The partnership was broken when Wells had Sandhu (16) lbw, leaving Harding not out on 23.
Durham were all out for 325, a useful lead of 83 runs. A great effort from Wells, who returned figures of 5-51 from 19.1 overs. Operating at the Farm Park End, Wells certainly showed some animal magic.
Sam Evans and Wells opened up for County, and they had had 10 overs to negotiate before tea. Evans (13) was pinned in front by Sandhu for the 2nd time in the match, and County went into the interval on 27-1.
After tea a promising partnership was developing between Wells and Aadil Ali, both striking the ball cleanly and powerfully. Wells launched two maximums off Harding and Ali one off Randhawa.
Wells went to his 50 (7x4/2x6) from 58 balls, the score on 84-1 from 18.5 overs. Ali (23) went bowled by a beauty from Randhawa, and shortly afterwards Chappell (0) was also bowled by Randhawa from one that appeared to come off his pads.
Matt Stokes (2) went caught behind by Shafique off Adam Hickey, leaving County in a bit of a mess at 105-4 from 28.2 overs, a lead of just 22 runs. James Sykes joined Wells. Sykes (17) went caught at mid-off by Neil Killeen off Randhawa.
Wells, meanwhile was still there, and paying a real captain’s innings, and from his earlier aggression was now playing an anchor role. He had earlier gone to 50 from 58 balls, but had now made a further 21 runs from 60 balls.
At stumps County were 135-5 from 42 overs, Wells 71* Nightingale 1*, a lead of 52 runs. After spending every second of the day’s play on the field, the all-rounder deserves to have a good long soak in the bath and let water wash away the worries of a world weary Wells. Can’t beat a bit of alliteration at this time of night. Leicestershire 6 points, Durham 8 points.
