Preview:
After the heart-stopping excitement of the draw
against Hampshire, Gloucestershire are back in action at Bristol against
Leicestershire.
Whereas Gloucestershire have won two and lost one,
Leicestershire suffered heavy defeats against Somerset (9 wickets) and
Hampshire (an innings and 105), although they escaped with a draw against
Surrey after conceding 672-8d. So, on paper, this is a game that the Shire
would hope to win to keep their top-two options very much alive, knowing that
Somerset will be pressing hard to make up lost ground. With Leicestershire’s
bowling misfiring (so far they have conceded 612-5d, 672-8d, 318 & 118-1:
1720 runs for 24 wickets at a cost of 71.7 each), Gloucestershire will look to
their top five to make big runs.
The 15-player squad includes all three overseas
players (of whom the unfortunate Graeme van Buuren is likely to be the one to
miss out), plus David Payne, Tom Smith (unlucky to have missed out v Hants) and
George Scott. David Payne’s form means that a place has to be found for him, if
available and Dom Goodman has bowled extremely well in both his games, which
makes the places of Josh Shaw and, possibly, Matt Taylor vulnerable. The most
interesting decision may well be whether to persist with the 5-seamer attack,
or play Tom Smith (assuming that Graeme van Buuren has to miss out).
Day 1:
Watery sunshine at Bristol and two changes for the Shire: despite
being named in the squad, David Payne was not included, as his wife has not
given birth yet but, after feeling the lack of a front-line spin option, Tom
Smith came in for Matt Taylor, who had struggled a bit against Hampshire. You
felt better for the presence of a more balanced attack. Chris Dent won the Toss
and inserted, probably thinking that any life in the Bristol pitch would happen
early and that the Leicestershire batting was a bit fragile. By the end of the
day, that decision was looking increasingly debatable.
It took only moments for the drama to start. Second ball of the
morning Dan Worrall thudded one into the pads of Hassan Azad, Leicestershire’s
star bat and got him LBW: it really did look absolutely plumb. This was Dan
Worrall’s 200th First Class wicket at an average of 27.6. However,
there was no swing for him and, seeing it, he started visibly to crank the
speed up. The Sun went in and, with both batsmen looking comfortable, it was
30-1 after 12 overs and time for Dom Goodman, now promoted to first change, to
enter the attack, starting with another pinpoint over. At the other end, Josh
Shaw took over from Ryan Higgins. There was no sign of an alarm until Josh Shaw
found the edge of Evans’ bat and just fell short of Kraigg Brathwaite at 1st
Slip; to add insult to injury, the ball went for four. It really set the tone
for the day. The 50 came up in the 19th over (50-1, Harris 20*,
Evans 24*) and you started to wonder how long it would be before Tom Smith came
into the attack. Certainly, it looked already as if the seamers would have a
lot of hard work and that the decision to insert was questionable.
Sure enough, there was a double change in the 23rd
over: first Dan Worrall replaced Josh Shaw to try a second burst, then Tom
Smith came on for Dom Goodman. In fact, after the early wicket, the only really
good news of the morning was that Hampshire had sunk to 44-6: those 230 overs
in the field seemed to be taking their toll. 92-1 from 34 overs at Lunch,
Harris 49*, Evans 37* and not the score that the Captain would have been hoping
for.
During Lunch, as the clouds got darker, first the covers and then
the tarpaulins were brought on and, at the scheduled re-start, it looked pretty
miserable and grey. The delay, though, was not a long one and the batsmen
resumed the business of grinding out a total. Both batsmen were past 50 and it
was hard to see how a wicket would come. Suddenly, out of nothing, Dan Worrall
angled a ball across Harris who groped and James Bracey accepted the edge.
Harris 62 and 127-2. Rain was spitting down again and batting was not quite so
comfortable, maybe due to the moisture on the pitch. Dan Worrall was getting a
smidgen of outswing with the old ball. Next over from Dan Worrall, straight one
angled-in to the new batsman, Patel. The ball did not deviate at all and hit
off as Patel left it extravagantly. 129-3 and Leicestershire wobbling a little. Evans
though was still there and, with Hill, settled the innings again. 168-3 at Tea,
with Evans 65* and Hill 27*.
The tonic remained the same after Tea. 200 up in the 74th
over. Tom Smith wheeling away at one end, without much threat, seamers
alternating at the other as the new ball bowlers were rested. All very genteel,
as if the game was on hold until the second new ball became available. With
five overs to go to the new ball, Chris Dent convinced the umpires that the
ball was out of shape, but changing it made no difference: Hill cruised
on to his 50 and the bowling held minimal threat. Last delivery before the new
ball, Tom Smith finally hit the pad and went up, but the ball seemed to be
going well down leg… slightly optimistic that appeal. The new ball was taken at
221-3 but not before Dom Goodman’s economy was severely dented by an expensive final
over that went for 13.
Dan Worrall’s first delivery with the new ball was extraordinary:
it started very wide and then swung late and violently, going between 1st
and 2nd Slip for 5 wides. It set the pattern: unlike the first new
ball, which had barely deviated, he could get some big outswing, but only by bowling
very wide of off. The only scares were one for James Bracey, who took a blow on
the finger from a Ryan Higgins delivery that surprised him by lifting. The ‘keeper
was in some discomfort for a time and stopped standing up. Then Evans got an
inside edge and the ball passed agonisingly close to leg stump. A clip to leg
off Dan Worrall and Evan moved to his century (251 balls, 13x4) and, at 247-3,
Gloucestershire had a real problem. When something happened finally, it could
only be thanks to Dan Worrall: Evans turned a ball on leg to Tom Lace at Short
Square Leg and departed for 102, absolutely furious with himself. Worrall with
4-53 and a new batsman in against the still new ball. That, though, was that.
264-4 after the 96 overs, with Hill 77* and Swindells, 3*. The Shire with a
solitary bowling point and just 14 overs to take a minimum of two more wickets
to get a second.
Day 2:
After a quiet first day in which run-scoring was never easy, but
wickets did not come (this sounds horribly like the game at the Ageas Bowl), Gloucestershire
needed quick wickets to get the second bonus point – a third would surely be
impossible. Leicestershire needed 36 runs in 14 overs for a third batting
point. The first hour would be critical in shaping the day ahead for both sides.
What the Shire did not want was to chase another massive first innings total on
a pitch that could deteriorate.
The opinion at the start was that if Leicestershire were still
batting at Tea, the best result possible would be a draw. Early signs were
hopeful as, after a quite anonymous first day, Ryan Higgins started making
chances immediately. Swindells drove the ball back to him, uppishly, fourth
ball and Higgins took a painful blow to the hand trying to take the low chance.
Fortunately, we did not have to wait long for a wicket: with the thirteenth
ball of the morning the selfsame Swindells came half forward to Ryan Higgins,
missed and was sent on his way, LBW. 268-5, Swindells 5. In came Mike, who was
lucky to escape an inside edge past leg stump, again off Ryan Higgins. Then,
the batsmen went for a quick single and Hill just beat the direct hit at the
bowler’s end. 284-5 and half chances coming thick and fast. More seriously
though, Bobby Bracey took another blow on the finger standing up to Ryan
Higgins. The glove came off and, after a long delay, he went off and Tom Lace
took over behind the stumps.
Unfortunately, half-chances did not become wickets and, again, runs
started to come much faster as a new stand developed, only ended when Ryan
Higgins (who else?) served up a ball to drive on 5th stump line,
that Hill got a thick inside edge onto, deflecting the ball onto his stumps.
Hill 121 (221 balls, 15x4, 1x6) and 360-6. So, Lunch was reached at 362-6 and
the Shire needed to wrap-up the innings quickly after Lunch. That, though,
never looked like being an option. Mike got to his 50, the 400 approached and
any thought of a win, disappeared. Finally, Tom Smith, who had bowled well,
despite his limitations in the 4-day game, won a shout for LBW against
Parkinson – 393-7. And still they came! Two boundaries in a Tom Smith over to
Wright and up came the 400. It was not pretty to watch.
Just when it was too late to be any real use save to limit the
damage, that little flurry of wickets that you had expected three sessions ago
appeared. Josh Shaw got one to lift a little at Mike, who touched it through to
Tom Lace: 405-8. Then he bowled a magnificent Yorker that completely defeated
Klein, stumps flying third ball: 405-9. Wright though was determined to enjoy
himself and smashed the persisting Tom Smith for a 6 and a 4, back over his
head before Dan Worrall gave him a straight one that he missed and sent stumps
and bails akimbo.
421ao. At Lunch, it had looked like being much worse. Worrall with
34.1-9-79-5 was the star with the ball. Certainly, at 360-5, Leicestershire
would have been hoping for 500+, but their last 4 wickets went down for 24. If
only they had found that collapse two sessions earlier…
Out came Kraigg Brathwaite and Chris Dent. The latter got very
lucky when an edge dropped just fractionally short of 2nd Slip. Things
were looking good, even if both openers played and missed more than one would
like until, with three Slips waiting, Kraigg Brathwaite overbalanced a little
playing across the pad to Wright. The ball was probably hitting leg. Brathwaite
LBW for 9, 28-1 and the day had just got a little worse again. Reassuringly, in
came James Bracey, who was obviously not too badly inconvenienced by his finger
injury. 33-1 at Tea, Chris Dent 17* and James Bracey 1* and still a long, long
way behind.
The advent of the change bowlers after Tea brought an acceleration. Chris Dent crashed a square cut for six as a spell of 5 overs
brought 42 runs, including his own 50 (71 balls, 8x1, 1x6), while Bobby Bracey
seemed untroubled by his injury. However, with the score on 99-1 and his own
tally on 27, he played right across a ball from Parkinson and was palpably LBW.
Now, the Shire needed a score from Tom Lace. Disaster followed when Chris Dent
pushed at a ball across him from Wright and departed for 53. Two wickets had
fallen in four balls on 99 and that follow-on mark was, for the second week
running, looking a long way away. Ian Cockbain survived two balls. The third
was straight and full and hit him on the toe. 99-1… comfortable. 99-4… in dire
straits. It was a horrible collapse. Eventually, Tom Lace clipped the ball
through Mid-Wicket for the boundary to bring up the 100, but with the Shire in
an awful mess and Leicestershire thinking of a first win in Bristol since 1998. It got worse still soon enough. Klein gave Tom Lace a ball outside off that the
batsman obligingly steered to 2nd Slip. 103-5 and the batting in
full shambles mode. The inexplicable panic continued as Ryan Higgins played
across a straight one from Wright and departed LBW for 5. 121-6.
Five wickets had fallen for 22 in 39 balls, on a blameless pitch,
to an attack that had taken just 23 wickets at 73 each in its previous three
games.
Seventeen balls passed without a run off the bat, a sequence
broken only by a no ball. The spell was
broken when Klein dropped short and George Hankins hooked him nicely for four.
Sixteen more deliveries without a run off the bat, again, only a single no ball
breaking the sequence and we got a repeat: ball slightly too straight from
Evans and hit through Mid-wicket for another boundary. Then Tom Smith got off
the mark with a nicely timed on-drive for four. Slowly the score was mounting. A
wild bouncer from Mike that flew over George Hankins and the wicket-keeper and
went for four byes, a full toss, dispatched gratefully through the covers for
four more then, next ball, the second wild bouncer of the over with the same
result and, this time, signalled no ball. The pained look of “what on earth is
going on?” from Swindells, behind the stumps, was expressive, but the six added
to the score brought up the 150. Two more off his legs to George Hankins from
the extra ball and seventeen runs from the over: 19 from the last 7 balls.
The shadows lengthening as the Sun played hide and seek with the
clouds, back came Parkinson to bowl his slow left arm, but that did not stop
the rush of runs: seven off the over, including another boundary to George
Hankins. Mike offered Tom Smith a full toss outside leg and the batsmen added
another boundary. The balconies of the flats were filling up and even had
something to applaud. Parkinson decided to surround Tom Smith with close
catchers, who were probably not happy to see him deliver a short ball outside
off that, fortunately for the close catchers, Tom Smith cut delicately through
a gap for four. There were plenty of alarms, plenty of appeals but, slowly the
batsmen were getting on top. Mike offered Tom Smith a vicious bouncer in the
last over of the day that he just avoided, but then gave him width on leg and
three more came from a ball that was pulled up just short of the Square Leg
boundary.
176-6 at the Close, George Hankins 29*, Tom Smith 19* and 96
needed to save the follow-on. Not quite the situation that the Captain would
have envisaged.
If the Shire plans on a top-two finish, these bad days have to
stop soon.
Day 3:
In the end, rain and a much better day for the Shire mean that
this game seems to be heading for a draw, barring remarkable events on the last
day.
For starters, Gloucestershire needed a long partnership to
extricate themselves from the mess that they had got into. For half an hour all
seemed well. George Hankins and Tom Smith took their partnership to 73, and
were starting to score with considerable freedom again: a Cover Drive for four
by George Hankins off Wright, followed by a clip to Fine Leg for two and a cut
for four more – ten from 3 balls. Tom Smith then produced a savage cut for four
off Evans. Unfortunately, George Hankins then played down the wrong line to
Wright and was possibly a little
unlucky to be given LBW for 37. 194-7 and saving the follow-on once more becoming
unlikely. In came Dan Worrall, who is showing little evidence of being better
than a #11. Wright bowled him middle stump only to see that No Ball had been
called: Worrall knew nothing of the delivery whatsoever. That would have been
198-8. Possibly as a result he decided that he was out to enjoy himself and
brought up the 200 with an extraordinary slash over Gulley. Next ball, the ball
passed the inside edge and everyone went up but, somehow, the umpire did not
give it.
219 behind. 70 needed to avoid the follow-on. Mike overpitched on
leg and Tom Smith produced a lovely on-drive for 4. 206-7, 66 needed. Dan
Worrall then launched an authentic Cover Drive off Evans – 212-7, 60 needed –
where did that come from??? It was evident that Dan Worrall was not thinking of
survival, although one wished that he would – he has but a single First Class
fifty to his name and an average of 13 – and, finally, he went after one ball
too many: Parkinson bowled one well outside off that turned away a fraction,
Worrall slashed at it and somehow deflected the inside edge onto leg stump.
215-8, 66 needed and Leicestershire facing an interesting question as to whether
or not to enforce the follow-on. Surely the Shire would not bat this badly
again?
First, it was time for Josh Shaw, average 11, to make another bid
to go in ahead of Dan Worrall. His tactics included a classic 9-iron shot off
Parkinson: seeing that Mid-On and Mid-Off were not far back, he lobbed the ball
nicely over them and saw how it plugged short of the boundary. That was
followed by a delicate deflection past 1st Slip that went for 4 more.
So, at 240-8 and Lunch approaching, on came Jupiter Pluvius for a cameo appearance
and on came the covers and one tarpaulin to greet him, although it was evident
that the rain, despite being fairly hard, was not going to last long. Early
Lunch taken, with the Shire 181 behind, 32 needed to avoid the possibility of
being asked to follow-on and, of course, out came the Sun. Came the scheduled
re-start, Sun still shining brightly, and Jupiter Pluvius back on for another
stint. Back came the tarpaulin, then another and another until full covers were
on.
Finally, the rain relented, the Sun came back out and play
re-started at 14:13 with a No Ball from Evans, followed by one slightly
over-pitched that Josh Shaw drove magnificently to the Long Off boundary. Just
24 more needed. Wright back on to try to
end the stand and started with a No Ball that Josh Shaw cut for a single: 250
up and the second batting point. Josh Shaw was taking a leg stump guard – unlike
many of the top order, who were taking guard on Off – and moving forward and
across, showing perfect technique. And he was doing more than survive: Parkinson
gave him one in the slot and he lifted it magnificently over Long On for a six:
just 14 needed. At the other end, Tom Smith was approaching his fifty. Wright
strayed outside leg and Josh Shaw clipped beautifully square, getting three and
saving the follow-on, as the ball was stopped athletically on the boundary.
Finally, with Tom Smith on 47, Wright dropped one quite short that stayed low
and came in a long way and pinned him: he had deserved a 50. 273-9 and in came
the Ashford Bradman, still without a batting average. Sad to tell, three balls
later he was to acquire one when he missed a straight one from Wright, who
obtained his sixth LBW of the innings, finishing with 7-53.
Gloucestershire 275ao, 146 behind and Leicestershire in need of
quick runs to set a target. Josh Shaw high and dry on 41*, just one shy of his
First Class best.
With 51 overs to go – if the weather allowed – and probably 350
the lead that they wanted, Leicestershire would need to score just over 200
runs in about 40 overs in order to get a few in at the end of the day at the
Gloucestershire openers.
Bobby Bracey back behind the stumps. Dan Worrall opened with a
maiden, but without much threat. Ideally, the Shire needed either to stifle
scoring, or to get a big clatter of wickets: either would do. Dan Worrall
brought one back into Azad in the fifth over and must have been perilously
close to getting him LBW. Five overs gone, 3-0. When would the attack start?
Three overs from Ryan Higgins and on came Dom Goodman, who had earned the
chance to bowl with an almost new ball and immediately bowled a beautiful delivery
at Evans that moved away and almost took the edge. Now, Leicestershire were definitely
going for quick runs and Goodman was likely to be the most economical bowler,
so this was an excellent move. Even with the batsmen looking for runs, Dan
Worrall’s first six overs went for just ten runs, which was just what his
captain needed. Back came Ryan Higgins to replace him and immediately he took
the edge of Evans’ bat, George Hankins taking an excellent, low catch at 2nd
Slip. 38-1, 184 the lead and the light, poor.
With the Shire +8 on overrate they had no incentive whatsoever to
hurry. 54-1 at Tea, from 19 overs, with the scoring in check; after Dom Goodman’s
first over went for 10, his next five had cost just 9. Leicestershire now exactly
200 ahead. How would they play this? Might the two captains try to set
something up? Back came the rain and the covers and we had to wait to find out.
The sensation was growing that without an agreed declaration, a draw might be
the only possible result.
The re-start was delayed to 16:55, with a theoretical 34 overs
remaining, but little prospect of getting them all in. Josh Shaw bowled one
that beat Harris and almost rolled through to James Bracey, which was a little
alarming. Leicestershire though were batting busily and clearly trying to score
quick runs, but nowhere need as quickly as they hoped. Another spanner was
thrown in the Leicestershire works as Harris, Australian Test star, went to
drive Josh Shaw and the off stump went over at a crazy angle: clearly, his
batting had given him some confidence and he was now showing some real fire
with the ball. 77-2, Harris 23 and the lead 223. Next ball, Ryan Higgins got a
ball to lift a little and Azad could only edge it to Bracey: 77-3.
Leicestershire seemed uncertain whether to swing the bat and risk
losing wickets, or play more conservatively and risk running out of time. They
were scoring at a little under 3-an-over when they probably needed closer to 6
to set up an aggressive declaration. 94-3 and Dan Worrall got Patel to edge to
George Hankins at 2nd Slip; Hankins dropped the chance, taking a
nasty blow on the finger on his left hand in the process and Kraigg Brathwaite
just failed to get to the re-bound. George Hankins vacated the Slips and Chris
Dent replaced him. In went a Leg Slip and Dan Worrall almost got Patel to
glance the ball to him as the shot flew just wide of his half dive. One hundred up in the 32nd over.
With 8 overs to go and the light really gloomy, the umpires
decided that enough was enough. The lead 271 and Leicestershire probably 60
short of any sort of declaration target. The draw was beginning to look the
only likely result, as the bowlers had stifled any kind of chase for quick runs
to set up a realistic declaration.
Day 4:
The only question this morning was the matter of the declaration.
Were Leicestershire desperate enough for victory to be willing to set up some
kind of chase? Among the fans, 330-340
seemed to be the minimum that they thought that Leicestershire would set
against a side that had already chased-down one target with ridiculous ease
this season. On the other hand, taking ten wickets was going to require plenty
of time. Again, seeing the ease with which the Gloucestershire tail had batted,
you felt that Leicestershire needed to have declared well before the Close to
give themselves time to take ten wickets. Any declaration would have to come
early enough to ensure a second new ball at the end of the day if they needed
to remove the tail. At the same time, quick run-scoring had never been easy at
any point – Leicestershire, chasing quick runs, were scoring at just 3.3 runs
per over – and it looked unlikely that a chase of, say 320 in 85 overs would be
feasible, barring a remarkable innings from someone. With 8 points for the
draw, would both sides be happier to let the match fizzle-out rather than take
a big risk of defeat?
It did not take long to find out the answer. Leicestershire, 125-3
overnight, started in full assault mode, determined to plunder quick runs. The
first six overs produced 39 runs and a wicket when Dan Worralll served up a
ball outside off that Patel fenced straight to James Bracey. With barely a
fielder in shouting distance of the bat edges, were almost more likely to be
scoring shots than balls that were middle, but this one was a gift for the ‘keeper,
who was looking so much more comfortable in this innings. 156-4, Patel out for
44, the lead 302. Wickets then started to tumble rapidly as the game resembled
a 50-over chase more than a red-ball match.
Thirteen came off a Dan Worrall over, than Ryan Higgins came in
for his fifteenth over of the innings. A single to Swindels, then a full toss
that Hill swung at, edging onto his stumps. In came Mike who, third ball,
played across a Yorker that went between his legs, ripping out middle stump and
sending it cartwheeling. 180-6, 326 the
lead. How many more would they want? A quiet over from Dan Worrall – 4 singles,
185-6, the lead 331 – and back came Ryan Higgins. Wide of off, Swindells
manages to get the toe-end of the bat to it and calls Parkinson for a quick
two. Accurate throw to the bowler’s end and a desperate dive from Parkinson as
Ryan Higgins took the ball inches from the stumps and broke the wicket. 185-7.
Six from Josh Shaw’s over and the final act before the declaration. The batsmen
now flinging the bat and running for everything. Two from the first ball. Dot.
Single from the third and a No Ball as Higgins altered his line from wide of
off to leg stump. Fourth ball short of a length and lobbed straight back by
Wright, Ryan Higgins taking an excellent, low return catch, tumbling forward.
With Klein injured, in came Evans, the last man. Push to short Mid-wicket and
run, Chris Dent hitting the stumps at the bowler’s end direct with a diving
throw, with Evans well short.
So, officially 201-9d. 348 to get from a nominal 82 overs.
Unlikely, unless Gloucestershire got an extraordinary start. It looked, though,
as if Kraigg Brathwaite intended to knock the runs before Tea: 20-0 from 3
overs, with Brathwaite 16*. Evans, the 20-year-old, bowling in the absence of
Klein. Ball angled in. Brathwaite fenced and edged at a comfortable height to
Patel at 2nd Slip. 23-1. Kraigg Brathwaite still struggling to
adjust to the County game. The wicket slowed the helter-skelter progress, but
the score was still advancing at almost 4-an-over, with a the batsmen clearly
exploring a chase. With glorious sunshine and a bowler missing, there might be
an outside chance. Evans pummelled the ground with his fist as James Bracey
drove him elegantly for four. 10 overs, 37-1, 311 needed from 72 overs.
In came Wright, ball down leg, Chris Dent got a touch and
Swindells took a good, diving catch. The Captain out for 9, 37-2 and surely any
thoughts of chasing, forgotten. 45-2 from 13 overs at Lunch. Straight after the
interval, a single to Tom Lace brought the target down to just the 300. A
boundary to Square Leg for James Bracey and the 50 was up. Ball from Mike that
got up a little on James Bracey and surprised him and yet another one chopped
onto the stumps via an inside edge. 52-3, 67 overs left and a Leicestershire
win beginning to look a distinct possibility.
Tom Lace and Ian Cockbain had to re-build and did so, cautiously.
Survival was not so hard, scoring quickly, was. Slowly, the total mounted. 90-3,
back came Parkinson with three men around the bat. Tom Lace cut hard and Patel,
at Slip, could not quite hang on to a very hard chance above his head. The
scoring had dried-up completely and survival was the only thing on the minds of
the batsmen.
The 100 came up finally in the 35th over when Tom Lace
sent a savage cut off Mike to the boundary: 101-3, Lace 27*, Cockbain 19*. 47
overs to go, 247 wanted. A delivery from Parkinson turned a little, beat everything
and went for four byes. 42 overs left, 112-3 and stalemate approaching.
Gradually, though, the intensity of the bowlers eased and runs
started to come faster. 132-3 at Tea. Tom Lace 40*, Ian Cockbain 33* and 37
overs left. A nominal 216 to win but, more realistically, 7 wickets needed by
Leicestershire, although they did not look like getting them. In contrast, Tom
Lace was providing the sort of innings that he had promised to so often, but
rarely delivered. Seven off the 46th over, nine, including 2 No
Balls from the 47th as Wright started to tire: could something be
on? The rate required was just under a run-a-ball. 150 up in the 48th
over as the batsmen started to pressure the fielders with quick singles. And up
came Tom Lace’s 50 in 117 balls with 5x4.
Short ball from Evans, Ian Cockbain launched into it and hooked it
for six. 163-3, ten from the over and 185 needed from 32. Gloucestershire
started to get a sniff of an unlikely victory. The target 178 from 31. Surely
they were not going to strike out for the most unlikely of victories?
Wright bounced Cockbain who hooked, positioning it perfectly between
Fine Leg and Square Leg and going to his 50 (112 balls, 6x4, 1x6). 178-3, 170
wanted from 29 overs. Then the scoring rate slowed right down again as the
bowlers re-gained some control. 25 overs to go, 155 wanted. Over a run a ball
now. Parkinson gave Ian Cockbain one in his zone and Cockbain launched it for
an enormous six. Wide one from Mike to Tom Lace and carved for four through
Point to bring up the 200 in the 59th over. A single left Ian
Cockbain on strike. Mike gave him one to hit, but he missed it and was… hit
amidships… and went down in some pain. 60 overs gone, 211-3, 22 left and 137 to
win. 128 from the last 20, Tom Lace 75*, Ian Cockbain 75*. Wright dropped short
and Ian Cockbain launched a slog for six back over his head with a horizontal
bat, to move to 92*. 11 off the over 100 needed from 17. Parkinson was keeping
it tight at the other end, but the quicks were leaking runs and, incredibly,
the RRR was coming down slightly. Breathless stuff. The chase was so unlikely
that there was less tension than you might have expected.
Wright was visibly shattered, having held together the
Leicestershire batting all match and now, as a result, was struggling with line
and length. 91 wanted from 15 overs: Ian Cockbain 94*, Tom Lace 92*. Whatever
happened, it was heroic. How often in the past have the Shire been 4 down and
folded? Now, they were chasing hard. However, there were far too many No Balls from
tired bowlers, a lot of which also went for runs and a lot of quick singles and
twos. A Wright over went for 14 as Ian Cockbain hooked the last ball for the
two that he need for his hundred (101*, 166 balls, 9x4, 3x6). His first
Championship hundred since 2014. Suddenly, the Shire were favourites to win. 72
needed from 13. Parkinson to Tom Lace on 97*. Bad ball, Lace went for the
boundary to bring up his century and only managed to top-edge high into the sky
only to fall where the ‘keeper was waiting underneath. 276-5. The partnership
224. 71 needed from 12 and the match in the balance again.
Back came the inexperienced Evans to relieve Wright and Ryan
Higgins pulled him high over Mid-wicket for a boundary. Ten from the over. 61
needed from 11. One from Parkinson in Ryan Higgins’s hitting zone and an
enormous six over Mid-wicket. Evans chased Ian Cockbain outside leg and,
somehow, Cockbain straight-drove it for four and it was called a No Ball to
boot. 300 up . Next ball launched over Long-Off for a huge six. Twelve from the
first legal delivery of the over and it seemed that Leicestershire had given
up. Seventeen off the over. 38 needed from 9. Suddenly, the Shire cruising.
Tossed up by Parkinson, Ryan Higgins slog-swept it for an enormous
six. Overpitched from Parkinson and Ryan Higgins slog-swept again, this time “only” for four. 26 to win, 8 overs to
get them. The Rhino was playing the perfect innings, taking the pressure off
Ian Cockbain. And, now, the light was becoming an issue. 21 wanted from 7
overs, if the light held. Perhaps mindful of this, Ian Cockbain danced down the
wicket to Parkinson and only lofted the ball to Mid-Off (117, 179 balls, 10x4,
4x6). Next ball, Ryan Higgins did the same and was out for 33. Two wickets in
two balls and, suddenly, it was 327-6 and two new batsmen at the crease, but
the Sun was breaking through and the danger of losing overs to bad light was
receding. George Hankins took a single from the hat-trick ball. Six overs left,
19 to win. George Hankins and Tom Smith batting.
Full Toss down the legside from Mike. 4 byes to help the cause.
Then got a gentle one outside off the Tom Smith steered through the
non-existent Slips for 4. Nine off the over. Five overs left, 10 wanted.
Parkinson tossed one up and Tom Smith placed it perfectly through the Covers.
Six wanted. The boundary gathered, everyone saving the single, Tom Smith
blocked out the rest of the over: it had got that easy. Mike offered George
Hankins width, he drove through Extra Cover and the ball reached the boundary
for an astonishing win with 22 balls to spare. The 2nd highest
fourth innings chase at Bristol in Gloucestershire’s history.
Incredible. A better chase than the Surrey game. And
Gloucestershire 14 points clear at the top.
Not since 1948 had the Shire started with 3 wins and a draw (but
Glamorgan won the Championship that year. In fact, Gloucestershire finished 8th,
with 9 wins, 9 draws and 7 defeats)!!
Who’d have thunk it??? I admit... not me!!! #GoGlos
Aftermath:
There is a temptation to think that the successful chase was
inevitable. On social media there was a clear feeling that it was a very
generous declaration and that the task was, somehow, easy. Well, it did not
look that way at the time. A comment made by Somerset supporters during that
game was that the Gloucestershire batting “looked top-heavy” which, to be fair,
it is. Much of the fire-power is in the top three which, less we forget, was
shot out in 14.4 overs for just 52. In the first innings, the next three
wickets had contributed just 22. When James Bracey fell, 296 runs were needed
in 67.2 overs at a rate of 4.4 per over, with the best batting gone.
At that stage, the chase depended on a player who had played just 3
Championship games since 2016 (season when he played just 4 matches) and had no
Championship century for seven years and two players who needed runs to be sure
of their places, plus the all-rounder who, for years, has been the Plan B in any
situation and would be forgiven for hoping that it was time that someone else
stepped up every time that they was a crisis.
Gloucestershire 2020 would have folded tamely. As we saw against
Hampshire, Gloucestershire 2021 have that quality to take a beating for ten or
eleven sessions of a match and somehow turn the situation around. Back in the
1980s, Matthew Engel said of a certain Somerset all-rounder “you know what Ian
Botham’s strategy would have been at Dunkirk: he’d have marched on Berlin”;
what we saw against Surrey and against Leicestershire was something similar –
one more wicket in either game and the situation would have been critical, with
survival no better than a fifty-fifty bet, but Ian Harvey and Chris Dent have
put some steel into the spine of the side and they now find ways to turn a
certain defeat into a draw and a certain draw into a win.
Credit to Leicestershire who, a bowler down, with a tired and inexperienced
attack and having seen the rain wreck their plan to declare on the third
evening, still made a game of it. Had that chance given by Tom Lace been taken,
they could well have won the match still. There was a lot of criticism of the bowling
as the chase advanced: Gloucestershire’s task was made easier by 15 byes and 16
No Balls (27 byes and 38 No Balls in total in the match) and, in the final
session, there was a lot of poor bowling to hit, but that was because the
bowlers were exhausted and the fielders were being run ragged. It is hard to
imagine, if you did not watch it, just how much Tom Lace and Ian Cockbain
pressured the fielders and the bowlers with their placement and running. So
many singles became twos and twos became threes and gentle nudges were so
placed that they became boundaries that it must have been utterly dispiriting for a Leicestershire side who saw victory slipping away and were powerless to stop it.
Similarly, Young Alex Evans, just twenty years old and, in his third First
Class game, promoted to opening bowler, was finding the ball chasing him in the
field, ensuring that he could not relax, even when not bowling: it is hard to
believe that it was an accident that he was constantly chasing leather in the
outfield rather than being able to rest between spells.
Much will be made of the fact that this is the best
Gloucestershire start since 1948. However, it is as well to remember that
promising starts do not win Championships. In fact, in 1948, Gloucestershire
finished in a discrete, mid-table position. Granted that, in 1948, the
Championship consisted of 26 games, while this is a 10-game sprint, in which a
good start is essential, but Somerset and Hampshire are still uncomfortably close
and even Surrey are not out of contention, while defeat to Middlesex this week
would put them back in contention too.
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