v Middlesex Panthers RLODC at Lord's

In hopeless one-sided contest at Lord’s Notts triumphed by 77 runs on the Vera Duckworth method, a result which still managed to completely flattered the home side.

At the toss the captains muttered about a used wicket and how it would turn, as at Headingley their predictions were so off beam they were laughable. Notts ended up beating their highest List A score by 22 runs despite five overs being knocked off for rain. The Middlesex bowling was execrable and must have left Angus Fraser with an embarrassed frown.

Eoin Morgan won the toss and with rain forecast he sensibly elected to bowl. The Duckworth-Lewis formulae need a serious look at, the eventual Middlesex target was, given their complete hammering earlier far too generous and the door that had been locked in the face earlier was suddenly more than just ajar.

Notts welcomed back their two Lion hearts and both scored tons in unbelievable fashion. Jake Ball and Sam Kelsall made way. The Middlesex bowling first up ToRoJo apart was poor. Harris seemingly a Daffodil one day and then a Seaxe next has completely lost all form and confidence and young Podmore was even worse. Lumb hit the first ball of the innings for four and excellent batting and running between the wickets made sure that Notts made a good start when rain arrived at 1345 with Notts 55 for 0 off 10.1 overs.

An hour’s play was lost and the game became a 45 over affair. With showers all over London; being surrounded by black skies, we were extremely fortunate that Notts' innings was completed without further interruption. Hales hit two sixes as the crowd in the Grandstand was being peppered; Hales raced to his 50 in 44 balls. This was just hors d’oeuvre as the right hander then exploded as he has surely now booked his place in the England one-day squad. He only needed a further 29 balls to reach his ton  The Middlesex bowling full of full tosses and half volleys and leg side dross was appalling; the fielding was not much better, capped when Captain Morgan gave Hales four runs with an misdirected shy at the stumps.

The double ton came up in the 28^th over as the old record List A opening partnership was surpassed. The previous best was a partnership of 199 made by Pasty Harris and Basher Hassan in a B&H zonal game in 1973 at The Circle, Hull, a match incidentally that Notts lost easily. Hales left to a standing ovation after he slapped a long hop from Malan’s leggies straight to extra cover. Nine short of his Notts PB, his 141 came off 96 balls with 19 fours and four sixes, an innings which Murdoch TV awarded him man of the match. The opening stand was worth 217 in 30.5 overs. It was now seemingly just a case of Notts bowling 10 overs and the game was bagged and tagged. Taylor came in at three and he batted initially in normal circumspect mode. Notts took the power play and Lumb found Chris Rogers at deep mid-wicket as Roland-Jones got a wicket. Lumb’s 81 came off 104 balls with six fours, 246 for two in 37^th over. But what followed was sheer carnage as Taylor (100*) and Patel (37*) added an unbroken 122 in 57 balls.

Taylor in Rose Bowl 2012 mode was brutal, hitting seven sixes and eight fours. With the chance of a ton virtually gone Taylor needed a six off the last ball of the innings to get his 100. With the crowd extremely animated and rhythmically clapping from the Grandstand, Roland-Jones served a leg stump full toss as the ball sailed in the stands at mid-wicket. Taylor’s 100 came off 55 balls. Patel meanwhile had seen must of the strike and had scored 37 off a mere 15 balls with seven fours. The previous List A high of 346 for nine against the Irish at TB in 2009 had been wiped out as Notts finished on 368 for two off 45 overs. Harris’ nine overs had gone for 87 and Podmore’s figures were 8-0-87-0. Notts had taken advantage of the short boundary on the Grandstand side to great effect.

With the sky black and the Lord’s lights on full beam Middlesex started their reply but after five balls with a single on the board the skies opened. A torrential storm of high intensity left the ground flooded but the famed Lord’s drainage ensured that an hour after the rain had relented the match could resume. I’m virtually certain on any other ground in the UK that the match would have been abandoned, such was the size of the deluge.

The lunacy of the duck egg was proven when Middlesex required a revised target of a mere 158 off 16 overs. Never mind, the Metronome bowling from the Pavilion End had Paul Stirling edging to Wessels at slip for a single, one for one. Malan played on Harry Gurney for 4, eight for two. Next ball Zimbabwean born Ryan Higgins was castled by Gurney for a golden duck. Morgan and Dexter added 30 in three overs but after clouting Franklin for a six and a four the Irishman found Michael Lumb at long on and left on an innings high of 19. Dexter fell next over as he looped a ball from Samit Patel straight to Franklin in front of The Grandstand. In Patel’s next over, Rogers was stumped by Read for four, 45 for six. Franklin remained on from the Pavilion End and in next over Roland-Jones was caught at third man by Gurney. The end was nigh and the sky pitched black when Gurney took another two in two. Firstly Simpson was caught excellently by Franklin sliding in front of the Mound Stand and then with the batsman having crossed the hapless Harris was bowled. Off the third ball of the next over Shahzad had Ravi Patel hitting the ball straight to Mullaney in the covers. Middlesex down and out and completely humiliated on 80 all out. Gurney off colour recently had figures of 3-0-16-4. Notts now face “a winners take all” contest against The Bears next Wednesday, a win would ensure a home quarter final. With Somerset a virtually dead cert to defeat the hapless and uninterested Surrey, a home defeat would therefore mean elimination from a competition that Notts have lost just one game from seven.  MAG