On Thursday night, I was at the Golden Fleece, Chelmsford, for a gig that I was promoting. It wasn't a particularly busy night but among the punters were Essex's two best performers this season.
Dutch all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate and Zimbabwean batsman Grant Flower were enjoying a pint or two after Essex has secured a draw in the final day of their Championship game against Kent.
Essex had done well to avoid defeat after letting Kent had posted a forboding 474 in their first innings.
Alastair Cook's 72 in his side's second innings was pivotal, but once again ten Doeschate proved his worth to Essex, taking four wickets in Kent's first innings and pitching in with 66 runs in Essex's reply.
Following on from his remarkable, match-winning century against Derbyshire in the Clydesdale 40 competition last Monday, it elevates the Dutchman to the top of the PCA Most Valuable Player rankings in county cricket.
After almost two solid weeks of cricket, ten Doeschate is rested for the tour match with Bangladesh in which Grant Flower is captaining Essex. Other first team players have also been rested for the game, but it's a chance for some who have been lacking form to rack up some runs.
That's true of John Maunders who has struggled to build a big innings so far this season. Opening for Essex in reply to Bangladesh's 231, Maunders compiled an impressive 126 off 188 balls including 16 fours and three sixes... in other words, 82 of his runs were scored from boundaries. Essex coach Paul Grayson reckons Maunders has been hitting the ball well in the nets all season and this would seem to bear that out.
Let's hope he can carry that confidence into their next round of matches, starting with the 40 over match against the Netherlands at Amstelveen. This is an interesting game, with a foreign, national team competing in a domestic English competition.
Of course, it's an especially interesting one for Ryan ten Doeschate, as he'll be playing for his club against chis ountry. The 29-year-old was actually born in South Africa but qualifies for the Netherlands through family heritage and is their star player.
Alastair Cook has been rested for the Essex vs Bangladesh match as well and been picked as captain for the England Lions game against the tourists at Derby, starting on Wednesday, May 19.
With England's first Test against Bangladesh beginning on May 27, it's likely the left-hander has played his last game for his county until the end of the season. Which will make the form of John Maunders even more important from here on in.
Saturday 15 May 2010
Sunday 9 May 2010
Flower powers Essex to win (and more pints) plus Ravi returns
He's done it again. Grant Flower showed why he's such a valuable one-day player for Essex again today when he bagged his second century in three games in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition against Gloucestershire.
Showing his customary mix of poise, intelligence and controlled aggression, Flower helped Essex out of a spot of bother when they were wobbling on 79 for three when Alastair Cook was dismissed to put on a record one day fourth wicket partnership of 166 with Ryan ten Doeschate (84).
That partnership helped Essex to a 42 run win, despite the efforts of the visitors' teenage bowler David Payne who took seven for 29, including a remarkable last over in which he took five wickets.
Essex could do with Flower's experience in the longer form of the game for the visit of Kent in the County Championship tomorrow. With the top order batsmen yet to find real consistency this season, a steady hand like Flower would be invaluable but alas he's only one-dayers for the county this season.
I'm not sure what Grant Flower does in between one day matches but he could easily spend a few hours in the Golden Fleece, Chelmsford without having to spend a penny. The pub and the Brentwood Brewing Company are sponsoring the Essex batsman to the tune of a pint per run scored this season. In three matches, Flower has accumulated 113, 29 and 116 meaning, by my calculations, he's entitled to 258 pints of beer. Well, playing cricket is thirsty work.
Meanwhile, over in the Caribbean Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara looks set to make his debut in the ICC World Twenty 2010 as Kevin Pietersen flies home for the birth of his first child. Bopara impressed with 62 runs from 49 balls in a warm-up game against Bangladesh and will be keen to show his credentials once again in England colours.
Showing his customary mix of poise, intelligence and controlled aggression, Flower helped Essex out of a spot of bother when they were wobbling on 79 for three when Alastair Cook was dismissed to put on a record one day fourth wicket partnership of 166 with Ryan ten Doeschate (84).
That partnership helped Essex to a 42 run win, despite the efforts of the visitors' teenage bowler David Payne who took seven for 29, including a remarkable last over in which he took five wickets.
Essex could do with Flower's experience in the longer form of the game for the visit of Kent in the County Championship tomorrow. With the top order batsmen yet to find real consistency this season, a steady hand like Flower would be invaluable but alas he's only one-dayers for the county this season.
I'm not sure what Grant Flower does in between one day matches but he could easily spend a few hours in the Golden Fleece, Chelmsford without having to spend a penny. The pub and the Brentwood Brewing Company are sponsoring the Essex batsman to the tune of a pint per run scored this season. In three matches, Flower has accumulated 113, 29 and 116 meaning, by my calculations, he's entitled to 258 pints of beer. Well, playing cricket is thirsty work.
Meanwhile, over in the Caribbean Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara looks set to make his debut in the ICC World Twenty 2010 as Kevin Pietersen flies home for the birth of his first child. Bopara impressed with 62 runs from 49 balls in a warm-up game against Bangladesh and will be keen to show his credentials once again in England colours.
Saturday 8 May 2010
Cricket, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and Sherlock Holmes
Lovely story here about Peter Pan author JM Barrie putting together the first celebrity cricket team, when he drafted in SirArthur Conan Doyle, PG Wodehouse, AA Milne and Jerome K Jerome for his curiously named team the Allahakbarries between 1887 and 1913.
It's about a new book called Peter Pan's First XI: The Extraordinary Story of JM Barrie's Cricket Team by Kevin Telfer out later this month, which looks to be a fascinating read.
A mixed bag
It's been a mixed week for Essex.
After Sunday's washout at Lord's meant there was no play in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Middlesex, Mark Pettini's side showed real character to overhaul Derbyshire's huge total in the same competition the next day in a rain-affected game.
Derbyshire had set an imposing 299 for seven from their 40 overs but under the Duckworth Lewis Method Essex were given a revised target of 247 from 30 overs.
They looked in trouble at 27 for three and then 64 for four but it was Ryan ten Doeschate who came to the rescue again. The Flying Dutchman reached his century from just 59 balls, doing it in style with a six. In all he hit eight sixes to guide Essex home with good support from Jaik Mickleburgh (34) and James Foster (31).
Tendo couldn't save Essex from an embarrassing defeat to Yorkshire as Scarborough this week though. Yorkshire had posted a massive 516 all out in their first innings which Essex couldn't overhaul innings, losing by an innings and 96 runs in three days.
Captain Mark Pettini has identified an understrength bowling attack as his side's main problem and this is undoubtedly true. The return of Danish Kaneria this week, who's set to play in the County Championship against Kent at Chelmsford, will undoubtedly bolster the bowling but the batting is fragile too.
Alastair Cook, John Maunders and Mark Pettini will have been disappointed by their tallies with the bat so far this season, often getting in but losing their wicket before they could go on to make fifties or centuries.
The whole team needs to raise their game and Kaneria's arrival may be the catalyst to do this. The Friends Provident t20 competition will put everything else on hold during June and early July, so Essex will want to have some more wins under their belt in the Championship by then.
Kaneria's arrival also puts New Zealander bowler Chris Martin's position under question. It may be that the Kiwi will have come all this way for just a week's First Class cricket.
After Sunday's washout at Lord's meant there was no play in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Middlesex, Mark Pettini's side showed real character to overhaul Derbyshire's huge total in the same competition the next day in a rain-affected game.
Derbyshire had set an imposing 299 for seven from their 40 overs but under the Duckworth Lewis Method Essex were given a revised target of 247 from 30 overs.
They looked in trouble at 27 for three and then 64 for four but it was Ryan ten Doeschate who came to the rescue again. The Flying Dutchman reached his century from just 59 balls, doing it in style with a six. In all he hit eight sixes to guide Essex home with good support from Jaik Mickleburgh (34) and James Foster (31).
Tendo couldn't save Essex from an embarrassing defeat to Yorkshire as Scarborough this week though. Yorkshire had posted a massive 516 all out in their first innings which Essex couldn't overhaul innings, losing by an innings and 96 runs in three days.
Captain Mark Pettini has identified an understrength bowling attack as his side's main problem and this is undoubtedly true. The return of Danish Kaneria this week, who's set to play in the County Championship against Kent at Chelmsford, will undoubtedly bolster the bowling but the batting is fragile too.
Alastair Cook, John Maunders and Mark Pettini will have been disappointed by their tallies with the bat so far this season, often getting in but losing their wicket before they could go on to make fifties or centuries.
The whole team needs to raise their game and Kaneria's arrival may be the catalyst to do this. The Friends Provident t20 competition will put everything else on hold during June and early July, so Essex will want to have some more wins under their belt in the Championship by then.
Kaneria's arrival also puts New Zealander bowler Chris Martin's position under question. It may be that the Kiwi will have come all this way for just a week's First Class cricket.
Saturday 1 May 2010
Farewell Harold Larwood
One of my favourite sports journalists is Frank Keating of The Guardian. The paper's former chief sports writer now writes a regular column which is always informative, entertaining, reflective and often moving.
This week he wrote about the departure of former England bowler Harold Larwood for Australia 60 years ago from the Essex port of Tilbury. Larwood had terrorised the Australians in the infamous Bodyline series of 1932-33 when England had used controversial short-pitched bowling to nullify the threat of the Aussies' brilliant batsmen Don Bradman.
Only one journalist went to Tilbury to see Larwood off in 1950, the inimitable John Arlott. Keating's account of that occasion manages to capture its sadness without being sentimental and asks us to reconsider Larwood's standing in the annals of cricket. Well worth a read.
Gruelling schedule for Essex
Essex's County Championship match with Somerset petered out into a draw after the last two days were severely affected by rain. Overall, it was an encouraging performance after the chastening losses to Lancashire in the Championship and Yorkshire in the 40 over competition.
Positives from the Somerset game included Billy Godleman's maiden century for Essex and David Masters' bowling (four wickets in Somerset's innings) and then a quickfire 50 off 38 balls. The draw leaves Essex lying in fourth in the championship with 44 points, having chalked up a win, a loss and two draws.
With New Zealand paceman Chris Martin finally arrived after visa problems, Mark Pettini's team will go into tomorrow's Clydesdale Bank 40 game against Middlesex at Lords with renewed impetus.
They'll certainly need it with a busy couple of weeks ahead. A win against Middlesex is a must after last week's trouncing at the hands of Yorkshire in the 40 over game.
There's another game in the same competition against Derbyshire at Leek on Monday, before the team travel to Scarborough for a Championship match against Yorkshire.
Then there's just a day's respite before Essex are back home in Chelmsford to face Gloucestershire in a 40 over match next Sunday. Oh, then it's a home match against Kent in the Championship starting the next day.
It's an exhausting schedule in a season that's started earlier than normal, and it's all geared around accommodating the Friends Provident T20 competition which takes over the whole of July to the exclusion of everything else.
Football managers are always moaning about busy schedules when they have to play a couple of games a week. Cricket coaches have as much cause for whinging with this relentless procession of fixtures.
Positives from the Somerset game included Billy Godleman's maiden century for Essex and David Masters' bowling (four wickets in Somerset's innings) and then a quickfire 50 off 38 balls. The draw leaves Essex lying in fourth in the championship with 44 points, having chalked up a win, a loss and two draws.
With New Zealand paceman Chris Martin finally arrived after visa problems, Mark Pettini's team will go into tomorrow's Clydesdale Bank 40 game against Middlesex at Lords with renewed impetus.
They'll certainly need it with a busy couple of weeks ahead. A win against Middlesex is a must after last week's trouncing at the hands of Yorkshire in the 40 over game.
There's another game in the same competition against Derbyshire at Leek on Monday, before the team travel to Scarborough for a Championship match against Yorkshire.
Then there's just a day's respite before Essex are back home in Chelmsford to face Gloucestershire in a 40 over match next Sunday. Oh, then it's a home match against Kent in the Championship starting the next day.
It's an exhausting schedule in a season that's started earlier than normal, and it's all geared around accommodating the Friends Provident T20 competition which takes over the whole of July to the exclusion of everything else.
Football managers are always moaning about busy schedules when they have to play a couple of games a week. Cricket coaches have as much cause for whinging with this relentless procession of fixtures.
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