Northamptonshire Steelbacks, RLODC at Wantage Road

OUTLAWS COME-UP SMELLING OF ROSES AFTER WASH-OUT AT WANTAGE ROAD

The cricketing gods were smiling on Notts as after the abandonment of their game at Northampton, both the Red and White Rose were victorious leaving Notts to face away quarter final at what is likely to be at bogey ground Taunton. Despite Durham and Notts having identical playing records, Notts got through via the two point deduction imposed by the ECB on the North Easterners last Autumn; Durham having a much superior net run rate. Leicestershire could have qualified if they had beaten Yorkshire but failed against what was predominantly a second eleven bowling line up.

Notts brought in Taylor and Wood for Hales and Ball at Wantage Road. With rain forecast Chris Read inserted the home side. the captain played throughout in a Mullaney top. It was a bit of a collector’s item as Notts opened up with two left armers Gurney (Abingdon Avenue) and Wood (Pavilion) against two left hand batsmen Duckett and Max Holden on loan from Middlesex. 

Notts bowling was pretty innocuous as Duckett in particular looked in fine form. Pattinson replaced Wood to bowl the eighth over and Mullaney replaced Gurney for over 13. Pattinson got one ball to lift off the seam but other than that not a single ball misbehaved. Duckett the thorn in Notts side in the baseball semi last season raced to 50 in 43 balls. No slogging here just well placed shots across the carpet. With skies darkening the rain arrived at 1458 with Northants well placed on 79 for 0 off 14.4 with Duckett on 56 and Holden on 23. The rain set in and the match was finally called off by umpires Garratt and Cook at 1945; it was touch ironic to see the sun finally appear as we drove past Franklin Gardens on the way back; the pitch though was soaked; prospects of play were nonexistent. 

Notts ultimately qualified due to no small part to the outstanding mid innings bowling by Pattinson and Broad which pegged the majority of teams back. Indeed Broad had still to bowl when the rains came yesterday. Worcester apart where the team bowled too short too often the team bowled well as a unit. All the batsman got scores at one time or another; the problem was that in certain circumstances the batting was too gung ho; with the batsman throwing their wickets away in clusters when well set. Yorkshire was the prime example but the Durham loss was also as a result of late innings batting madness. The quarter final could prove troublesome. If it is Somerset they will have a full strength team whereas unless England get eliminated in the group stage Notts will be missing Hales, Ball along with Jimmy Pattinson.

MAG

After more wash-outs in the South group, it is now known that: 
Outlaws have the small matter of having to beat Somerset at Taunton on 13th June and then Essex at Chelmsford in the Semi-Final on Friday 16th, if they are to reach the Lord's Final on 1st July.

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Outlaws have a must win match at Wantage Road on Tuesday evening and have announced a 13 man squad.

No Luke Fletcher, who's not quite recovered fro his elbow injury and neither of the England duo, Hales and Ball who have flown off to Spain with England.

In come Luke Wood and Brett Hutton as well as Brendan Taylor and Greg Smith, leaving the Seconds, playing at Lady Bay against Warwickshire, with a very young eleven.

Brendan Taylor, 
James Pattinson, 
Steven Mullaney, 
Chris Read, 
Stuart Broad,
 Riki Wessels, 
Harry Gurney,
 Luke Wood, 
Samit Patel, 
Greg Smith, 
Brett Hutton, 
Michael Lumb 
Billy Root.