Essex County Cricket 2011 Season

[Yorkshire Blue]

Interesting day at Chelmsford yesterday........ Seventeen wickets! Thought we had made a big error, electing to bat, when we were all out for 183. By the end of the day the decision didn't seem that floored.............a wicket prepared for a result or was there just a lot of movement out there during the day?

The wicket was prepared for a result (and the groundsman wasn't too happy about being overruled) in the sense that we opted to use an used pitch but it was to negate Northants seam heavy attack and allow Essex to field two spinners.

I'm guessing it was the humid conditions combined with poor batting that saw so many wickets fall Saturday rather than the pitch.

The reason for the low scoring in Div 2 is due to a couple of things they are trialing including a different ball and also not being allowed to flatten the track during the game and thus making it harder to score in the process.

We declared on 331-9 with Wheats scoring 163 off 143 balls. Fossie got his 103 off 150. They closed on 37-1 and with a boiling day tomorrow, i wouldn't be too surprised if they chased it down!

In t20 action, Somerset unsuprisingly won against Glamorgan! Gloucester set all kinds of records getting 254 against Middlesex with Irish O'Brient getting 119 of 52 balls (he hit more 6's than 4's) and Marshall also getting a century but that doesn't really matter as they are the bottom two. Kent beat Surrey so now sit 5th but we do have the advantage of playing Kent twice so that should work in our favour as we can do more about being above them and that game on the 15th July at Chelmo could be crucial!

I still think the main reason for the low-scoring in division two is poor batting. A bit of movement and it's calypso-collapso. Too few players are capable of digging in.

Excellent knock by Wheater though, who gets real value for his shots. It certainly didn't look a bad pitch when he was scoring 150 at better than a run a ball and putting on a record Essex stand for the 6th wicket partnership, beating a mark that had stood since the 1920s.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Northants are 112/3 they don't appear to have a strong batting line up so hopefully Essex can force a win.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Shouldn't take too long, whatever the result. Northants clearly don't want to stay for a fourth day. 193-6 Middlebrook 1 six and 2 fours in his 15...........Vass out as I write 196-7.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Shouldn't take too long, whatever the result. Northants clearly don't want to stay for a fourth day. 193-6 Middlebrook 1 six and 2 fours in his 15...........Vass out as I write 196-7.

Well done young Tom Craddock, who snares two test centurions for his first two fc wickets.

Is Phillips injured? The coach wasn't overly complimentary about his fc bowling last night, but he's only bowled 5 overs on a track offering some turn when a part-time spinner reels off 20+.

I know you might want off-spin for left-handers like Vaas and O'Brien, but Middlebrook and Wakely are right-handers.

Edit: And a third for Craddock.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Huzzah!

Four for Craddock and 16 points for Essex.

 

[MrB]

19 points as we bowled them out first innings. Great result that. Is our season finally turning the corner?

 

[number11]

Two good 20/20 results for Essex yesterday with Somerset beating Surrey and Hampshire beating Kent, both quite convincingly. Puts them on a negative run rate with us and keeps us in 4th spot. From here on in I think we would rather Hampshire and Somerset win their remaining matches against the others convincingly and go clear and then it is largely in our own hands for the first time in a while to get one of the top 4 spots. Big game against Kent tonight.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Two good 20/20 results for Essex yesterday with Somerset beating Surrey and Hampshire beating Kent, both quite convincingly. Puts them on a negative run rate with us and keeps us in 4th spot. From here on in I think we would rather Hampshire and Somerset win their remaining matches against the others convincingly and go clear and then it is largely in our own hands for the first time in a while to get one of the top 4 spots. Big game against Kent tonight.

If BLUEBLOOD is going expect a heavy defeat. :sad:

 

[Grayson]

This lot are a total shambles. Not one deserves their wage tonight as things stand. Ravi got 14 off 28 balls, what on earth is he doing?!

 

[Stats]

What on earth is going on with Essex this evening.

74-7 off 14overs.

Think Essex need to get to at least 130 to make a comp total.

 

[number11]

What on earth is going on with Essex this evening.

74-7 off 14overs.

Think Essex need to get to at least 130 to make a comp total.

Essex just edged the win against Middlesex but made hard work of a winning position. First time Ive seen a side docked 6 runs for low over rate and it reduced the target from a tough 27 off two overs to a gettable 21 off 2....thankfully Napier was superb in going for just 4 runs (and having two chances dropped in the deep off his bowling) in the penultimate over. That Napier hobbled off for the last over was worrying and hope it was only precautionary.

Kent won a vital game yesterday which puts us back in 5th, and a tough game against Somerset today. We really need to pull out something special and I think 4 wins out of last 5 games will be needed to qualify.

 

[The General]

Sussex vs Surrey equally important tonight and its live on Sky!

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

For once a good batting performance from Essex............209-5.............don't know whether it will be enough against Somerset but in any way it's such an improved display compared to the debacle at Chelmsford.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Trescothic out in the first over!!! Phillips gets his revenge!

 

[The General]

Impossible to tell how good of a score this is as its being played on for the first time in a t20 match by Somerset as its in bath. However, leading wicket taker Tim Phillips opens the bowling and gets Tresco in the first over! Tom Craddock makes his debut in t20 for Essex and we are without Styris and Napier so also have bowling from Masters, Southee, Tendo, Ravi to the 2 mentioned upfront.

Sussex have got to chase just over 200 on a small pitch against Surrey which is probably about par!

 

[canveyshrimper]

25/2 Phillips gets his second wicket.

 

[MrB]

5 down and the RR drifting, this would be a great result.

 

[The General]

Luke Wright also us a massive favour against scummy Surrey with Luke Wright doing us a huge favour with 66 off 26 balls!

 

[MrB]

Luke Wright also us a massive favour against scummy Surrey with Luke Wright doing us a huge favour with 66 off 26 balls!

The General Luke Wright

 

[Stats]

Well its all pretty open now.

Good wins for Surrey & Essex this evening.

1 Hampshire 12 9 1 0 2 0.98 18.0
2 Somerset 13 5 4 0 4 1.05 14.0
3 Sussex 12 6 4 0 2 0.49 14.0
4 Essex 13 6 5 0 2 -0.04 14.0
5 Kent 12 6 4 0 2 -0.44 14.0
6 Surrey 12 5 4 0 3 0.07 13.0