Preview:
This strange,
fractured season of near-misses for the Shire, resumes. A season of both over
and under-performance. No side managed more wins than Gloucestershire, but 21
bowling bonus points out of a possible 30 was the worst tally in the
Championship and only Derbyshire earned fewer than Gloucestershire’s 14 batting
bonus points out of a possible 50. Even Middlesex, who lost 7 of 10 matches,
managed 15 batting and 30 bowling points. And thereby hangs a tale of two
sides. Middlesex were often in a dominant position after two days, bossing
games due to their strong hand of bowlers, but time and again fell apart in the
third innings, letting slip the advantage. Gloucestershire showed an
astonishing ability to receive a cauliflower ear for two or three days and then,
suddenly, come good when it counted, winning matches or drawing them in extremis. Had Gloucestershire summed
the Middlesex performance in the first and second innings of each match, to
their own third and fourth innings performances they would, in all probability,
have topped their Group.
The consequence of
the first innings struggles is a battle in Division 2 for seventh to twelfth
place in the 2021 County Championship. The Shire carry forward 12 points for a
win and a defeat against Surrey, starting Division 2 in fourth place, seven
behind Essex and four behind Northamptonshire.
Dan Worrall and
Glenn Phillips have left. David Payne and Josh Shaw are injured. Dom Goodman is
unfit to play, so it will be a much-changed XI from the Hampshire game. In to
the squad come Zafar Gohar, a Pakistani Slow Left-Armer, who played an ODI v
England in 2015 (taking 2-52 in his 10 overs) and the New Year Test v New
Zealand (0-159 in a massive innings defeat), Graeme van Buuren (the second
overseas player), Ben Charlesworth (now fit again) and Jared Warner, who looks
almost certain to debut.
It is likely that
Gloucestershire will play two spinners, with the main questions in the squad of
14 being how many seamers (three or four) play and who opens the batting, given
that Miles Hammond has been so spectacularly successful as an emergency opener,
but Charlesworth is the regular opener. Tom Lace’s position looks under threat
given the excellent form of Jack Taylor in the One Day Cup and Ian Cockbain’s
decent run of form since his recall to the Championship side: Cockbain, Lace
and Taylor (J) may be battling for one batting spot, unless the risky decision
is made to go with just three seamers and increase the load on both Ryan
Higgins and Graeme van Buuren, which would only happen if the pitch looks
likely to be one on which the spinners will do most of the work.
Day 1:
Chris Dent won the Toss and, unsurprisingly,
inserted on a cool, grey morning with a pitch that had plenty of green around
the middle. Tom Lace won the batting place that was in doubt: an investment for
the 2022 season. With Higgins, Taylor, Price and Warner to bowl seam and Zafar
and van Buuren as spinners this looks like the best balanced attack of the
season. The XI on the Gloucestershire web page suggested that Dent and
Charlesworth would open, with Hammond at #7, while CricInfo had Hammond and
Charlesworth opening and Dent batting at #4, either of which would be
surprising, although one could see the argument for getting Chris Dent away
from the New Ball and letting Miles Hammond continue as opener.
Ryan Higgins opened the bowling and shared the New
Ball with Matt Taylor. After six overs it was 23-0 as Northants got a fast
start. One edge off Ryan Higgins dropped agonisingly short of 2nd
Slip, another delivery, a couple of balls later beat the bat all ends up.
Unfortunately, Taylor, at the Pavillion End, was looser and went for 19 from
his first four overs. Meanwhile, Vasconcelos and Gay batted confidently and
looked determined to dominate the bowling, undoubtedly thinking of the less
experienced change bowling to come. When Tom Price came on to replace Matt
Taylor, Vasconcelos flashed at the last ball of his opening over, but the edge
flew wide of the Slips and ran for four. At 41-0 from 12 overs the batsmen were
well on top and real chances were in short supply. Ryan Higgins finished his spell
with his usual, economical 8-2-19-0, but had been unable to force the
breakthrough, although Miles Hammond’s drop had robbed him of a wicket. Higgins
was relieved by Jared Warner’s tall, blond frame. The change brought a sudden
halt to the scoring: there were just two scoring shots from the first five
overs of change bowling, one of them that uncontrolled edge. The breakthrough
almost came in bizarre fashion in Tom Price’s third over, as the bowler
half-stopped a drive from Gay that rebounded straight to Mid-On; Gay was half
way down the pitch, but the throw was a poor one and Gay scrambled back. Up came
the 50 in the 19th over and still no breakthrough.
Finally, as the batsmen started to accelerate
again, Vasconcelos drove hard at a Tom Price delivery outside off, edging low
to Miles Hammond, who was standing very close at Second Slip. Hammond had
earlier dropped Gay, but made no mistake this time and, at 67-1 in the 22nd
over, finally the bowlers had some reward. With Lunch approaching, Tom Price
got a second as Proctor top-edged a pull into orbit. As the ball fell back vertically
towards the stumps both the bowler and James Bracey went for it and, for a
horrible moment it looked as if each was leaving it to the other before Price
claimed it finally and took the catch. 73-2 in the 24th over and the
scoreboard looking so much better. Price then had a loud LBW shout first ball
against Keogh, while, two balls later, Gay top-edged a pull off Jared Warner
and the ball just beat the fielder at Cover who was running back furiously.
Suddenly, batting was looking tricky. With the seamers looking threatening and
a new batsman, on came Ben Charlesworth as fifth seamer when most people
expected Zafar to be given a go: his first ball was driven to the boundary by
Keogh, who then got a very nice bouncer that he just fended past the Slips. This
encouraged Charlesworth to try another bouncer in the last over before Lunch.
This time the batsman was waiting for it and the ball went sailing away for
four: you got the feeling that he would do better to pitch the ball up, look
for movement and use the bouncer as an occasional surprise weapon.
So, 90-2 at Lunch. Not as bad as it might have
been, but not as good as one would have wanted after inserting. In contrast, rivals
Essex had Glamorgan 59-6 at Lunch, a sign of what Gloucestershire would be
facing later.
So, back came Ryan Higgins after Lunch, with three
Slips waiting and almost had success at once as a loud and good-looking appeal to
his second ball was refused. The morning pattern was repeated as Ryan Higgins
threatened, but Matt Taylor was greeted with consecutive boundaries. His second
over, however, was better and, second ball, Gay was pinned in front for 44,
even if the batsman was not happy with the decision: 102-3. Keogh was starting
to look dangerous, but Matt Taylor bowled him neck and crop and, at 115-4, the
scoreboard was looking much healthier. Four wickets had fallen for 38, all from
the Pavillion End. It could have been five. Adam Rossington came in and tried
very hard to get an edge to the last ball of the over, but survived. The match,
though, was tilting back to the Shire.
A partnership started to build once more. Zaib and
Rossington were starting to get back on top when Jared Warner got a deserved
edge from Zaib and Miles Hammond took another excellent catch: 147-5 and
Gloucestershire back on top. Finally, on came Zafar for the 49th
over. Immediately he turned a fabulous delivery past Rossington’s bat: there
was no edge, but it showed what the Shire had been missing. Tom Price, though,
was kept on for one over too many and went for ten from it, including two No
Balls. He was replaced by Ben Charlesworth, who was a bit too loose. Again, a
stand started to build. This time, however, it was not nipped in the bud. A
boundary by Gouldstone brought up the 50 partnership in the 58th
over, while another off the last ball of the 59th over brought up
the 200. 218-5 at Tea, the stand 71 and Northants definitely feeling the
happier of the two sides.
Ryan Higgins and Zafar Gohar opened with 19
consecutive dot balls after Tea before Gouldstone got a ball that was a little
overpitched and swept it powerfully for four, spoiling the sequence and
releasing briefly the pressure, which returned as the sequence of dot balls
resumed: 35 out of 36 deliveries after Tea were scoreless. As the light faded, Matt
Taylor took over from Ryan Higgins. Two clips to Fine Leg for singles and then
two edged boundaries through the Slips came from his first four balls before
the umpires decided that it was too dark to continue.
232-5 at Stumps and the momentum back with
Northants. Gloucestershire’s strong position half way through the day had
slipped: how often we have said that this season. The New Ball will come in ten
overs in the morning. Gloucestershire would dearly love to remove both these
batsmen before it is taken but, with Zafar finishing his first day with
11-3-19-0, there will be a temptation to delay it, possibly even trying a few
overs of Zafar and van Buuren in harness if the initial thrust from the seamers
is unsuccessful.
Day 2:
Dark, damp and drab at the County Ground. Covers
on. Umpires inspecting, although without umbrellas, which was promising, as the
drizzle was insufficient to stop play, but just enough to stop it starting. However,
the ground staff were waiting by the covers, awaiting a decision, which was not
long in arriving. Play started after a delay of some twenty minutes. It was the start of another day of ups and downs.
Matt Taylor completed his over with two dot balls and, with Jared Warner, took the game up to the New Ball, while Rossington and Gouldstone continued as they had the previous night, accumulating comfortably and hitting the bad balls for boundaries. Up came the century stand in the 77th over, followed swiftly by the 250 in the 78th as the score mounted far faster that Chris Dent would have hoped thanks to the batsmen finding a four-ball in most overs. So, with 34 added in 9.2 overs with no alarms, the New Ball was taken immediately by Ryan Higgins, in harness with Tom Price. Price started by beating Gouldstone’s bat with his first two deliveries; fifth ball was edged low to Miles Hammond, who asked about the catch, although it was ruled not to have carried and then, final ball, Gouldstone drove and missed. As can happen, despite Tom Price causing all sorts of problems it was Ryan Higgins who made the breakthrough, bowling Gouldstone for 43 with a nip-backer: 271-6 in the fifth over of the New Ball. Price, though, got his reward with his next over, removing Rossington for 94 as a lovely delivery sent the Off Bail flying to Short Fine Leg: 275-7 and the tail exposed.
It could have been even better, as new batsman,
Taylor, edged Ryan Higgins, but the ball did not quite reach James Bracey. Then
Kerrigan inside edged Tom Price and the ball just missed the Off Stump. As the ball bobbled, Kerrigan kicked desperately at it (missing both it and, fortunately for him, the stumps). Then Ryan
Higgins beat Kerrigan all ends up, but the umpire ruled that it was missing
leg. Suddenly, batting was looking impossible. Ryan Higgins finally
did get him as the next delivery caught the shoulder of the bat and flew to
Jared Warner: 290-8 and three wickets had fallen for 19. That became four for
22 swiftly, as Tom Price got Sanderson LBW to claim his best innings figures. A lofted wahoo to leg by Taylor brought up the
300 and third batting point in the 95th over as an irritating last
wicket partnership started.
Nothing drives bowlers to distraction like a last
wicket partnership after a collapse. They have done what they think is the hard
work and some #11 bat comes out and wrecks your figures. When Jared Warner replaced
Ryan Higgins his over finished with 4 2 4 as he offered some bad balls. On came
Matt Taylor and started with . 4 3 1 4. Suddenly, the partnership was 34, with 22
runs from the last 8 balls; the hard work with the New Ball was being
undone and Northants were disappearing into the distance.
Finally, Jared Warner used his head. He tried a Yorker,
then a good length ball on 4th stump, then one slightly wider again that
the batsmen drove at hard and edged behind, James Bracey taking a good catch
diving to his right. 327 all out and Lunch.
The mystery of the Gloucestershire openers was
resolved as Miles Hammond accompanied Ben Charlesworth out after the break. The stand,
though, was brief and the start, catastrophic. Unfortunately, it was a mere
prelude of worse to come. Charlesworth reached for the fourth delivery of the
innings and only succeeded in edging a low catch behind. 0-1 and another poor
start. However, both Miles Hammond and James Bracey batted sensibly and without
alarms for a time so it was all the more galling when James Bracey reached for one outside
off and edged to Third Slip: Bracey out for 7, 20-2 and the Shire in the mire…
again. In came Chris Dent in at #4 with a big re-building job to do: it did not last
long. Miles Hammond edged Sanderson to Third Slip: 21-3, Hammond 10.
Slowly, Chris Dent and Tom Lace stabilised the
innings. The Captain took ten, including two boundaries from a Taylor over,
bring up the 50 in the 18th over with a savage hook. Just as it
seemed that the crisis was passing, Tom Lace edged Procter and fell for 12:
53-4 and the Follow-On mark of 178 was looking increasingly distant. Gloucestershire’s plight only got worse
as Procter bowled Chris Dent for 21: 56-5.
Tea came after 30 overs, at 78-5, van Buuren 17*,
Higgins 3*, the floodlights on full and two lightmeter readings already taken.
After two maiden overs, Ryan Higgins tucked the
ball off his legs for two to get the score moving again but, with four shadows
forming around the players, the chances were that play would not last long. Too
long though for Ryan Higgins. He drove at Procter, edged to the ‘keeper and
departed for 8: 83-6, 244 behind and Zafar coming to the wicket, carrying a bat
bare of any markings and getting an idea of what he was letting himself in for. Yet
another light reading was taken, but play continued. Procter was showing
himself to be a formidable challenge at the best of times and, in such murky
light, even more. After eight overs the shadows from the floodlights were so
dark that it was no surprise that the players went off.
At the Close, 90-6, van Buuren 19*, Zafar 3* and the Shire still in the mire.
Day 3:
Realistically, Graeme van Buuren and Zafar Gohar
had to add at least 50 to give Gloucestershire a real chance of avoiding the Follow-On.
It was a tall order on a pitch where the par score looked to be more like
200-220 than 327 however, for around twenty-five minutes the score mounted
slowly. Graeme van Buuren clipped Sanderson to leg for the single to bring up
the 100 with the last ball of the 43rd over. All looked fine for a
time until Procter produced another fine delivery that beat Zafar all ends up
and pinned him LBW for 7: 101-7 and the Shire sinking. All through this Graeme
van Buuren was taking the scoring chances when they came: a lovely clip off his
legs sent a leggish delivery from Procter speeding to the Square Leg boundary
and took him into the thirties. Even he though was riding his luck, with one
inside edge bouncing off the boot and just evading the stumps.
Slowly, as the ball got older and the bowlers
tired, Graeme van Buuren and Tom Price started to put a stand together. Tom
Price has shown that he is a capable bat in a crisis and Graeme van Buuren was
advertising what the Shire have been missing. The reward for the batsmen was to
see Simon Kerrigan come on for the 57th over and an end to the
relentless pace. He was immediately swept nicely by GvB for a two and a one to
take him to 48*. Kerrigan, who made such an impact in this early career, is not
the bowler that he was before his chastening Test debut, but still a capable
one and it is good to see him in a First Division outfit.
It was Kerrigan who broke the stand of 45 that was
just beginning to threaten the domination of the ball: Tom Price left one
expansively and was castled. It was an unfortunate end for a batsman who has
shown his mettle batting in a crisis more than once this season. 146-8, van
Buuren 49*, 32 needed to save the Follow-On. Graeme van Buuren got the first of
them with a lovely Cover Drive to bring up his 50 (121 balls, 6x4). However,
with the 150 up, Kerrigan gave him a straight one, Graeme van Buuren missed it
and the ball thudded into the pad in front. 153-9, van Buuren out for 56, the
Follow-On now just a matter of when, not if. However, at that point there had
to be some doubt that Northants would enforce it. There followed an, at times,
bizarre passage of play as the batsmen tried to get through to a delayed Lunch,
barely playing a shot in anger and, as the clock ticked towards 1340, there was
the unusual sight of the umpires taking their time with the change of overs in
the hope that 1339 would become 1340 and they could get some food. Probably the
batsmen were even more grateful given the knowledge that the 80 overs were up
and that if another was bowled, it would be delivered by a pumped-up bowler
with a New Ball.
167-9 at Lunch, Matt Taylor 10*, Jared Warner 3*.
11 needed to save the Follow-On and 62 overs left in the day.
So, at that time, it seemed that if the Follow-On
were saved and if more overs lost to bad light, the draw would, most certainly,
become a real possibility. Given what we had seen, it would be rough justice
for Northamptonshire, but, also, the sort of escape that Gloucestershire have
specialised in this season. Where the top order had struggled, #10 and #11
batted calmly for over after over. The runs came down slowly with ones and twos
until a ball too far down leg gave Jared Warner a chance to play a fine clip for
two that saved the Follow-On, the ball being chased down just short of the
rope. The Northants tactics were odd: the tail was allowed to bat in relative
comfort as if the bowlers were not keen on taking the last wicket too early.
There were three Slips, but no one else close, no Short Forward Square Leg for
the fend-off, or Silly Point; the pressure was limited with no one under the
batsman’s nose to keep him nervous. Finally, with a batting bonus point looming
and the match drifting, Procter was finally brought back and, in his first
over, induced an edge from Jared Warner that went to Vasconcelos at First Slip.
191ao, 136 behind and now Northamptonshire needed a lot of runs, very quickly
to set up the declaration. The last wicket partnership had eaten-up almost 26 overs
and added 38 priceless runs.
Despite Northamptonshire needing quick runs, Ryan
Higgins and Tom Price opened with three maidens. Only a ball from Higgins that
went for 4 byes had moved the scoreboard before Price clean bowled Gay to make
it 4-1. Tom Price should have got Procter too to make it 18-2, but Miles
Hammond missed a low, but by no means difficult chance at Second Slip. However,
seeing the ball almost rolling through to James Bracey a few deliveries later
was a reminder how difficult life was for the ‘keeper and Slips. The drop was
not especially costly because Ryan Higgins pinned Procter LBW in the next over
to make it 21-2. In came Keogh and out he went, almost as quickly, LBW to the
impressive Tom Price, making it 26-3, 162 ahead and the shadows cast by the
floodlights getting darker. In came a fourth Slip as Chris Dent realised that
another wicket in the tricky light could make Northants very nervous.
Tea taken at 34-3 after 13 overs, the lead 170.
Double change after Tea with Matt Taylor and Jared Warner taking over. Although it was not as murky as the previous day, the
umpires still cast four dark shadows as they came out. Matt Taylor bowled a
delivery at Zaib that cut back in violently and lifted, hitting him in the upper
stomach. Two balls later, a disconcerted Zaib slashed at a ball the also lifted
a little and sent an edge flying high between 1st and 2nd
Slip to bring up the 50 with a lucky boundary. As 2nd and 3rd
Slip were standing very close because edges has not been carrying, it was a
hard chance to take. Gloucestershire could not afford to let a stand build and
Vasconcelos and Zaib had put on 31 when Matt Taylor bowled the former, who took
an age to drag himself off, perhaps realising that his wicket had ended hopes
of an aggressive declaration.
At this point it was 57-4 in the 20th
over, the lead 193 and Northants now on the defensive. In the next over, Jared
Warner found the edge of Zaib’s bat and James Bracey took an excellent, low
catch: 61-5, the lead 197. You could almost hear Chris Dent exhorting “get
Rossington and we’re in with a real chance of winning”.
With Northants wobbling, back came Ryan Higgins and
Tom Price and out came the lightmeter. Three boundaries briefly relieved some
pressure, but the first ball of Higgins’ second over clean bowled Gouldstone:
85-6, the lead 221 and the prospect of a chase growing. Unlike in the first
innings, every time a stand started to grow it was nipped in the bud. The key
wicket was that of Rossington and Ryan Higgins did for him too, bowling him to
leave the score 92-7. Incredibly, Northants were facing possible defeat.
Perhaps in an act of mercy, the umpires took the
players off for bad light, ending play for the day, but the Gloucestershire
players were, understandably, reluctant to go.
Could the Shire yet turn this around? With good
weather forecast for tomorrow and a full day’s play expected, it could happen
if those last three wickets go down quickly. That said, anything over 250 will
take some chasing, but you would fancy the Shire to go for anything up to 280. The optimists, though, will remind us that we were 146 behind Leicestershire on first innings and won, although that was after a generous declaration, kamikaze batting and against a threadbare attack.
Day 4:
So, Gloucestershire won at a canter. Another
amazing comeback win. However, the team took the scenic route: for a large part
of the day, it looked very uncertain with scoring slow. However, the margin – 6
wickets with more than 4 overs to spare – brooked no arguments.
A cloudy morning but with sun promised in the
afternoon. Maximum of 96 overs. A difficult balance for Chris Dent: he needed
to attack for quick wickets, but could not afford to concede runs. Ryan Higgins
opening the attack with three Slips, partnered by Tom Price. Ryan Higgins took
just seven (legitimate) balls to take a wicket as his first delivery of his
second over jagged back in, hit the back pad and got the lifted finger from the
umpire: 97-8 and the start that the Shire needed. Up came the 100 and a morale-boosting
landmark for Northants in the fourth over of the day, but Tom Price immediately
induced a wild edge from Sanderson that James Bracey pocketed gratefully: 100-9
and the lead 236. In came Higgins again and Kerrigan edged his first delivery
just short of Tom Lace at Gulley. Kerrigan replied with a lofted On-drive that
flew over Chris Dent for a two-bounce four. With the lead at 240 you felt that
every run would make the chase harder. Kerrigan had obviously decided to enjoy
himself and repeated the dose three balls later. With runs at a premium, the
last wicket stand started to become a major nuisance, helped by some
misdirected bowling. The lead passed 250 and, with every run, the chase was
getting harder. A top-edged hook to a leg-side bouncer from Tom Price flew for
6 and the lead reached 264.
Finally, Ryan Higgins, who had been a little
expensive, bowled an Off Stump Yorker, wrecked Kerrigan’s stumps and that was
that. 129ao, 266 the target. 85 overs left. The discipline of the bowlers had
let them down a bit against the last pair and those extra runs might be crucial.
So, another last day chase, far more than the Leicestershire game that was
being remembered, this reminded one of the game against Surrey in which
Gloucestershire suddenly surged through on the third afternoon and chased
brilliantly on the last day.
Out came Ben Charlesworth and Miles Hammond. Charlesworth
got off his pair with a single first ball and the old hands knew that this
could go one of two ways: either 20-5 and chase over, or the target hunted-down
with something to spare – a draw looked unlikely. A lovely drive for four from
Ben Charlesworth was a nice settler for the nerves. Then, a ball from White
bounced a little higher than Miles Hammond expected and a hard edge flew over
the Slips for four, bringing the target under 250; it was never realistically a
chance with the Slips standing up so close, but still got the heart racing. Miles Hammond had another lucky escape when a
Chinese Cut just missed leg stump and went for two, but they all count.
On came Procter. Two drives and misses from Ben
Charlesworth were followed by a disastrous, expansive leave that removed Off
Stump: 23-1, Charlesworth, 7 and Procter had started with a wicket maiden. With
the wicket, the whole tenor of the match changed once more. Northamptonshire were
energised and, suddenly, batting looked impossible again. From the time that
Procter came into the attack, there were five consecutive maidens, including
Charlesworth’s wicket before, after 32 scoreless deliveries, a Miles Hammond
cut was slashed for four. Such impudence could not go unpunished and James
Bracey paid the price, folding like a pack of cards as Procter crashed the ball
into his box.
So, at Lunch, 33-1, Hammond 24*, Bracey 2*. 233
needed and 66 overs to get them. Both sides could feel satisfied with their
efforts but, how expensive might that last wicket stand prove to be?
After Lunch it was more of the same. The batsmen
biding their time as the bowlers beat edges, had moral victories but,
crucially, failed to take wickets and were burning up their energy. When a bad
ball came, Miles Hammond despatched it through the Covers with aplomb for a
boundary. Unfortunately, James Bracey was riding his luck, never looking
comfortable and it finally run out when he edged Taylor through to the ‘keeper
for 4: 40-2. Miles Hammond was still there and it was on him that victory hopes
depended, although the scoring was so slow that, at that point, the draw or
defeat looked most likely. Up came the 50 in the 28th over with a
nice Cover Drive by the captain and the first signs of aggression from the
batsmen started to appear as Chris Dent took nine, including two fine
boundaries through Point from a White over. This brought back Sanderson for a
second spell in a clear sign that Northants were beginning to worry a little
that the batsmen were starting to score more freely: he kept it tight, but the
batsmen responded by looking for quick singles to keep on some pressure. On
came Kerrigan, who has probably had a kind word to James Bracey on the subject
of chastening England debuts, with a Slip and a Short Forward Square Leg.
A single to Miles Hammond brought the target under
200 with 51 overs remaining. The cricket was attritional and you wondered how long
Kerrigan would be allowed to bowl maidens before the batsmen decided that they
had to go after him. 79-2 from 40 overs. Still on, but getting harder for both
sides. Back came Procter and Miles Hammond brought out a forearm smash down the
ground for four to take him to 50 (137 balls, 6x4): it was not fluent, but it
was what his side needed. A cheeky ramp for a single by Chris Dent and a
clubbed boundary by Miles Hammond were the first signs that the batsmen were
looking to take on Kerrigan. The pitch was one that rewarded batsmen who
battled through and there was something of the big Northants stand from the
first day in the growing partnership between Hammond and Dent, which reached 50
with a single off Procter. On came Keogh to bowl some more occasional spin – a signal
that the batsmen were in control – and a pushed single brought up the 100:
100-2 from 47 overs. Kerrigan dropped one short and Chris Dent came out to meet
it and hammered it back over his head for 4, a cheeky dab for a single and then
Miles Hammond nailed the reverse sweep for another boundary: ten from 4 balls,
before Dent had a nibble at a wide one and edged it to the ‘keeper. 111-3, 155
needed and Dent out for 26, valuable runs.
In came Tom Lace, needing runs and they started to
flow from Kerrigan’s bowling, although Keogh continued to be treated with exaggerated
respect. 123-3 at Tea, Hammond 79*, Lace 4*, 143 needed from 32 overs. Very
much on for both sides.
Out came the players and Tom Lace took eight from
the first over, delivered by Kerrigan, including a delicious drive for 4. That
was the end of Kerrigan’s spell. A quick single to Miles Hammond off Procter
brought Gloucestershire to 133-3 and half way at the end of the 56th
over. Six off a Sanderson over. Six off the next from Procter: slowly the runs wanted
were coming down. 121 wanted, 27 overs left. A boundary from Tom Lace brought
the runs required under 100, with Hammond 94* and Lace 29*. Sadly, Miles
Hammond, who has had a wonderful season, could not see it through to the
finish: Taylor bowled him comprehensively for 94, with 98 needed, but it was
the last success that Northants had. That brought in Graeme van Buuren who set
about the bowling with gusto. Runs came more and more rapidly and then in a
flood. Taylor overpitched outside off and van Buuren hammered it through the
Covers. Next ball, a horrible misfield at Mid-Off allowed an all-run four. A
single and a guide through Third Man for Tom Lace: 13 off the over and the
wheels were coming off the Northants waggon. A boundary first ball of the next
over and it was 17 scored from just 6 deliveries. A drive to Deep Mid-Wicket
for a single brought up the 200 at the end of the 69th over and the
target was down to 66. Kerrigan gave Graeme van Buuren one in his hitting zone
and the pull flew over Deep Mid-Wicket for six. A single brought the target
down to 50 and the Shire were cruising.
A single to Mid-Wicket took Tom Lace to an
excellent 50 and the score to 224-4. Then, a superb On-Drive added another
boundary and brought the target down to 38. Then Graeme van Buuren added a
lofted On-Drive for 4: nine off the over, 33 needed. The floodgates had opened:
4, 4, 6 from the last three balls of next over, delivered by Kerrigan, took van
Buuren up to his own, rapid-fire 50: just 18 wanted and 9 overs to get them.
With 4 needed, Northants had the option of the New Ball but decided not to take
it. A horrible delivery down leg from Keogh was helped on its way by Tom Lace,
who moved to 67* and took the Shire to a wonderful win, with van Buuren 53*
from just 50 balls having given the final push.
