Bob Willis Trophy, Round 5 - Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire

 

Bob Willis Trophy, Round 5

Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire

06/09/2020

 

Preview

So, this strangest of First Class seasons ends for all but two of the teams. Despite some initial doubts, the regional format of the Bob Willis Trophy has been a success and mostly applauded by the fans. Such a success that it is possible that it may return in 2021, potentially with a longer knock-out phase to decide the Champion County.

Realistically, Gloucestershire’s interest in the tournament ended when the Glamorgan ninth wicket pair held out for a draw back at Sophia Gardens. With such a compressed format and so little rest between games, the Somerset debacle was sadly inevitable. Tired bowlers made a supreme effort for two sessions when they must have been hoping for an extra day of rest, before the Somerset fightback knocked the stuffing out of the side.

A team with a small playing staff has few options to rest players or to cope with temporary loss of form. This game is now a dead rubber, with seemingly little hanging on it. However, look again. A win could push the Shire as high as third in the Central Group, which would be a reasonable return for the season, especially with the T20 side pushing for a Quarter-Final slot; defeat could see the Shire finish bottom, which would certainly start the wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the less positive fringe of the supporters.

The Shire’s final First Class match of the season will see the return of Bobby Bracey. Although he did not, in the end, despite rumours that he was very much in the frame for a debut in the final Test, get a match for England, but he spent a fair part of that game on the field as a substitute fielder. A surprise entrant in the original squad of 50, he made every cut in the squad and was just one stubbed toe from debut at the end. With the addition of James Bracey and Tom Lace, the Gloucestershire top order looks far stronger than the line-up of Dent, Hammond, van Buuren, Hankins, Higgins and Taylor that so nearly hung on long enough to get the draw against Worcestershire. If Chris Dent can translate his brutal T20 form into more red-ball runs (we forget that he scored two, fine fifties and was the standout batsman in that BWT defeat against Worcestershire, very much in his finest “Horatius at the Bridge” mode), there is no reason why the Shire cannot score some big runs.

[Stop Press: Chris Dent is out, injured for the game and not in the 13. He suffered a severe back spasm during his T20 innings against Worcestershire.]

While the batting, despite the catastrophe of the game at Taunton, looks to be getting into some kind of shape, the bowling is another matter. In the first four games, it has always required one of the triumvirate of Taylor, Payne and Higgins to fire and hope for some support from Josh Shaw, or Ben Charlesworth, or George Scott. There is no question that when the support bowling comes on, or one of the three main bowlers has an off-day, the intensity drops. Similarly, the lack of a spinner who can either attack for wickets, or tie an end down for ten overs and make the batsman give away his wicket at the other end, has hurt the Shire a lot. The shopping list for 2021 definitely includes someone with some extra pace and a quality spinner (imagine Tom Smith having an Adil Rashid or a Jack Leach at the other end to support him): Gloucestershire definitely missed a trick by not trying to sign Dominic Bess.

The lack of bowling depth has cost Gloucestershire dear at least twice this season: the Glamorgan and Somerset ninth wicket partnerships were at least in part due to the need to rest bowlers when a stronger side would have been able to go for the throat. However, needs must. Ryan Higgins, David Payne and Matt Taylor will be wound up for one last effort on what will undoubtedly be yet another dead surface at Bristol and, hopefully, it will be enough to overcome a spirited, but strictly limited Northants side that suffers from many of the same limitations of resources and squad depth as the Shire.

Finally, one cannot finish without mentioning the end of a commentary era. Bob Hunt – the Shire’s own Sir Robert – has finally decided to hang up his mic after an injury-hit season that has seen him miss a series of games. He has been the voice of the Shire (although occasionally he forgets that he is at the County Ground and not at the stadium in Nailsea, cheering on Forest Green) for 32 years and will be sorely missed. The tributes from his fellow commentators have been touching. Sir Robert is one of that endearing breed who have made County cricket FUN and have helped to fuel the tremendous surge in popularity of the County Championship over the last ten years. Happy retirement, Sir Robert (and careful with that bad back)!

And a final message to the team on the last Bob Willis Trophy game: #WinItForSirRobert

 

Day 1:

MATCH ABANDONED DUE TO A COVID-19 VIOLATION.

How was this possible? Putting aside the fact that Gloucestershire’s pre-Lunch batting display was almost as bad as against Somerset, but with far less excuse in terms of the attack that it was facing, the teams played a full session after a major violation of biosecurity had happened.

This was not a trivial “I slipped home to grab a bacon butty on the way to the ground” violation. This was a player who has a positive test for COVID who had been in close contact with playing squad members shortly before showing symptoms. Right now, the circumstances are still quite unclear: when did the (unnamed) player fall ill? When was the PCR taken? Who was aware that the player was ill, potentially with COVID?

Presumably, the Northants squad (and potentially some of the Gloucestershire team) now face quarantine and a succession of PCR tests until cleared of infection. On Friday, Gloucestershire are supposed to play Northants at Wantage Road in the Blast: it is inconceivable that the game can go ahead.

What happens to the points from the Bob Willis Trophy match and, if cancelled, the Blast game, is a good question. Whatever the match situation when the abandonment happened, Gloucestershire have been denied the chance to win this match and, potentially, a critical Blast game. Should they be punished for it by taking just the 8 points for a draw (as it stands, Northants would take 10)? The ECB how has a tricky and precedent-setting decision to take.

Update (20:40BST): At present the match is being listed as “No Result”, with no points, as if it has not happened.