Story Essex: In The Now!..............

[6ry4nj]

​

Hello. My name is Hassan bin Said. I?m a?sort of businessman. From Saudi Arabia. Originally.

I?ve got a lot of time on my hands. So a couple of years ago, I took a close look at Essex Cricket Club. I like cricket, and especially I like Essex. And it?s not far.

I got involved behind the scenes, on a voluntary basis at first, assisting the captains and coaching staff. Over time, my suggestions started to bear fruit. Results were improving. I thought everyone would be happy. But it was just the opposite. When a suggestion of mine paid off, it became a bone of contention between management and the paid coaching staff. 2009 really wasn?t a great year overall, and by the end of it, Paul Grayson would leave the room any time I walked in. It was hard, sad, you know?

You?d think the club would stand behind its coach rather than me, an outsider. Do you think that? No, I haven?t told you all about me. I have a lot of time, and I don?t worry too much about pay-cheques and all that, because my father is Khalid bin Said. The construction billionaire.

So people listen to me.

And yes well enough of the ancient history. 2010 was a better year, I got all the credit for that ? and rightly so, honestly ? so at the end of August, Paul took his leave from us. By that time, our consortium SCII was in discussions with Essex at the top level, so that by the start of this season, we had purchased the club. So I?m sort of the head coach now. And, I think you say, bottle washer too, of course. You know how it is with the family business.

I do want to tell you more about the two and a half years I have already been involved with the club. But we'll have to do that later. We?ve got an important game, and it?s on today. The Twenty Over Cup quarter final, against Surrey! I?ve got to go!

 

[Aussie Team]

Essex is a team that brings luck.

 

[6ry4nj]

Well!

That was?terrible! Have you heard about the game?

It wasn?t a good toss to lose, but we lost it, and were put in to bat. The overcast conditions were expected to clear later on, and the slow outfield definitely wasn?t going to get slower. Oh well!

These were the teams:

We started slowly, but what was worse, we were losing wickets at the same time. After two overs, we were 5 for 1. It was a brilliant catch by Walters at 2nd slip, but our opener Mark Pettini didn?t enjoy it! Andrew Hall bowled another over, and it was 8 for 2 ? Mal Loye had been caught at mid-on by Benning.

Walters' brilliant diving catch to dismiss Pettini

Moore and Foster managed to last 29 balls, and score 14 off one Ormond over. Then it was one of those suicidal run outs to the left of short cover. Moore was gone, and we were 41 for 3, after 7.5. An improvement, anyhow.

But then three more wickets fell in the next three overs! After 11, we were 55 for 6. Even surviving our overs was looking doubtful. We had a long tail too, so we were into it already, with Paul Welch at the crease.

Fortunately Freddie Klokker was there with him! When Freddie gets going, it?s a sight to see ? that?s for sure. And luckily for us, he was firing today. And Welch didn?t get out either, and kept rotating the strike. Their partnership was worth 74 - I?m sure it?s a club record for the seventh wicket. When Hall finally bowled Welch, there were only 8 balls to be negotiated, and there were 128 runs on the board.

Klokker brought up his half-century, last ball of the 19th. It had taken just 28 balls. And although the new man, Maurice Chambers, was bowled second ball having scored only one, the wicket ball was the only ball of the last over that wasn?t scored off. There was a no-ball that went for a single as well, and four ?klokked? by Klokker off the free hit. Two singles and a two later, we finished at a respectable 142 for 8. Considering we could have easily been all gone for 80, that was really rather pleasing.

Could we defend it? I won?t keep you in suspense ? it?s cruel. No we couldn?t! Not even close! Although I would say we were rather unlucky.

We could do nothing to stop the boundaries. They were raining down all around us. There were catchable shots, but they did not go near the fieldsman. There were lbw appeals, including one that Hawkeye said was out, but they were all turned down by the umpires. Two balls into the 16th over, Benning and Walters reached their target. Surrey had not lost a wicket. Napier and Masters had gone at well over ten, and Harris and Welch at over 8. So Chambers? three overs for 13 was quite impressive in the circumstances. But we were?humbled!

So, that?s the end of Twenty 20 for another year! Our next game begins on the 31st. We are at home to Derbyshire in the County Championship ? yes we are still in Division 2. In the meantime, perhaps, if I?m not too busy, I might give you another of my history lessons.

 

[6ry4nj]

Of course, you will want me to tell you about this year?s squad. Yes I should have told you all that when I started. You see, I decided quite impulsively to start this blog, and that in it I would report every single day that we play, on that same day. But as you know, that meant I had a game to report on right away! So that made it all a big rush ? to write my introduction, then hurry to the game. You did not expect me to be writing during the game, I hope. I get too emotionally involved in my team?s trials and tribulations on the ground! Then of course, after the game, I had to write the match report. That was a lot for you, the reader, to take in, wasn?t it? So I decided to hold off on publishing any more for a day or two. And so, here we are!

The Essex squad for 2011, is as follows:

Of the players who were with us in 2009, we still have:
Alastair Cook: needs no introduction, 26, left-hand opening batsman, part-time off-spinner; England contracted
Ravi Bopara: you all know him too, 26, right-hand top/middle order batsman, useful part-time medium pacer; T20 vice-captain; England contracted
Ravi gets picked for England in all formats, all the time. So does Alastair, but not so much for ODIs and T20Is recently. They also both play in the IPL every year.
Mark Pettini: 27, right-hand opening batsman (don?t bowl him - haha!)
Matt Walker: 37, left-hand middle-order batsman, first-class and one-day vice-captain; he is also a useful one-day medium-pace part-timer - although I?m having trouble convincing him of the fact
Jamie Foster: 31, right-hand wicketkeeper/batsman, usually bats at 4 or 5; had two T20I games for England in the 2009 tournament
John Maunders: 30, left-hand opening batsman
Mark Hardinges: 33, right-hand batting all-rounder
Graham Napier: 31, T20 captain; right-hander, medium-fast bowling, batting all-rounder, except in first-class where he?s better at bowling; was in the England squad for the 2009 World Twenty20, but didn?t play
David Masters: 33, right-hand fast-medium bowler; I like to call him my ?bowling captain?
Jahid Ahmed: 25, right-hand fast-medium bowler
Maurice Chambers: 23, right-hand fast bowler

At the start of 2009 we also picked up:
Frederik (Freddie) Klokker: now 28, one-day specialist left-hand wicketkeeper-batsman; a mainstay of the Danish team

During 2009, we discovered a couple of youth players who are still with us:
Mike McPhee: now 22, right-hand opener/top-order batsman
Paul Welch: now 23, right-hand medium-fast bowler

At the end of the 2009 season, we had high hopes to revamp our squad, but only limited success. That was when the following players joined us:

Ben Wright: 23, right-hand opener; just between you and me, he wasn?t my choice ? although I kept him on because he is handy in T20; came from Glamorgan
William Porterfield: you know him I?m sure, 26, left-hand opener, star of the Irish team; also a great one-day off-spinner! Got him from Gloucestershire
Christopher Liddle: 27, left-arm medium-fast bowler; from Sussex I think; just privately, I?ve kept him on because of promise shown in T20, but it?s probably just wishful thinking I?m afraid

And so that brings us to our 2011 acquisitions. In all modesty, there are no mistakes here:

Stephen Moore: 30, right-hand opener/top-order batsman (so don?t ask me why I have had him opening the bowling); formerly at Worcestershire
Mal Loye: needs no introduction, as you say; first-class and one-day captain; 38, right-hand opener; I have also found him a surprisingly useful offspinner, most notably in T20; from Lancashire
William Jefferson: 31, right-hand one-day specialist opener; also bowls part-time fast-medium ? I?m told he?s pretty good in the nets; he?s from Notts
Derek Carson: 21, left-hand middle-order bat; an inspired youth signing of mine ? he has scored 480 at 68.57 in 5 first-class matches already this year, with 2 centuries and 3 fifties; he debuted with another county last year, but I would have to check where
Graham Wagg: 28, right-hand bat, left-arm fast-medium, bowling all-rounder; from Derbyshire
Paul Harris: yes, that Paul Harris; 32, South African slow-left-arm bowler
Naqaash Tahir: 27, right-arm fast-medium bowler; from Warwickshire

Then just the other week, these two came on the scene:

Fred Harrison: 21, right-hand top-order batsman
Nathan McDonald: 19, right-hand medium-fast bowler

I?m not sure either of them will even get a game to be honest.

That?s all for now. Next time, I hope to be telling you about last season, and the international comings and goings of 2010.

 

[Haarithan]

I'm liking your signings for the new season, Porterfield & Liddle would do wonders if played on a regular basis. And Paul Harris's arrival at Chelmsford clearly underlines the club's priority to raise its FC standards, so good luck there in getting promoted to Division 1.

 

[6ry4nj]

I'm liking your signings for the new season, Porterfield & Liddle would do wonders if played on a regular basis. And Paul Harris's arrival at Chelmsford clearly underlines the club's priority to raise its FC standards, so good luck there in getting promoted to Division 1.

Thanks. (Hassan and) I like them too!

Under the competition (ie. ICC09) rules, I am allowed one overseas player. Paul Harris, while high-profile, is a relatively cheap option. I have had to deal with the retirements of almost literally irreplaceable players in Grant Flower and Ryan ten Doeschate, as well as first team vice-captain Jason Gallian.

As for who gets a game and where, I hope to cover such things in a forthcoming update. Watch this space !

 

[Aislabie]

ten Doeschate retired? WTF?

 

[6ry4nj]

With only hours to go now until the Derbyshire game at Southend gets under way, I can only give you a very brief summary of our 2010 campaign. All things considered, we performed very strongly last year. While we can take encouragement from that, it was almost heartbreaking that we have nothing to show for it, despite coming so close in three of the four competitions.

In the County Championship, we missed out on promotion by 8 points. We lost our last two games ? if we had won either one, we would be in the top division now! In the Challenge Trophy, we likewise fell at the last hurdle, losing the final ? to Ireland CC of all people!

In the Pro League, again it was the story of what might have been. We were unbeaten with three games to go, but then we lost two of the three. That meant we missed out on the competition (we are in Division One of this league) on net run rate. Here it was a somewhat resurgent Lancashire who pipped us at the post. Finally, in the Twenty Over Cup, again we had a creditable but unrewarded performance, losing in a semi to runners-up Derbyshire. Durham took the prize in this one.

Whereas Danish Kaneria had been the stand-out performer of 2009, last year was Ryan ten Doeschate?s time to shine! He achieved a phenomenal 2209 runs and 122 wickets over all comps. His runs included 756 in the one-day format, and 302 in the T20s ? in both of these he was our season top-scorer. He was also our standout bowler in T20, with 23 wickets at 12.13.

And then, to our sadness and amazement, Ryan retired! It was a tragedy - for me and my team, yes; but also for his many devoted fans, for the Netherlands, for lovers of explosive batting everywhere - and finally, for the game of cricket itself. I remember telling myself at the time to have a sense of perspective, because for a few days it hit me almost like a death in the family.

A special mention must also be made of Mark Pettini, our top run-getter in the first class arena. He scored an amazing 1486 first class runs ? this was the highest aggregate in either division of the Championship!

Yes, I was pleased with the season that was 2010. Yet it leaves me with much to live up to - and to try to do better than - this year. Next time we get so near some silverware, I vow that we will not let it slip away.

Now I really must try to get an hour or two of sleep before the game.

PS: The 2010 team summaries are attached below, along with Ryan and Mark's campaign statistics.

 

[The Rock]

Tendo retired?

It is going pretty well so far. GL JB!

 

[6ry4nj]

County Championship – Essex v Derbyshire,
Garon Park, Southend-on-Sea - Day 1

Wow - sorry to be posting so late! I’m sure Rebekah Brooks would sack me for such a lapse - hahaha!

You must have heard all about it by now!

We went out for a few drinks to celebrate! Paul Harris really knows how to party when he wants to! Unfortunately it was day 1 of the match, so I had to send the team home to bed. Ryan – Mr. ten Doeschate – was there too. He’s got my old consulting job now haha! Not on the payroll as yet – but I will convince him soon. After the team ‘retired’ for the night, me and him stayed on, talking tactics.

What’s that? You haven’t heard? My embargo on cricinfo must have worked – I didn’t think it would! And then some of those smartarses at Planet Cricket sometimes get in on the act, to make matters worse! You see, I have tried to organize it so that my match report is the first one you see unless you were at the game. Of course, even for me and my family, this is almost impossible.

So, it worked this time? That’s great! But that means I should start at the beginning – yes?

You will like my team lineup. You won’t agree with it – but you’ll like it! In fact, I would not be surprised if it provides you with endless amusement!

I believe I have mentioned in passing how many useful all-rounders I have. In the spin department, in particular, I find myself having to make use of Mal Loye, Will Porterfield, and even Alastair - especially when Paul is away with the Proteas.

I mentioned also that I’d been hearing reports that Will Jefferson was a decent fast-medium, on the quiet. You remember that? No? No matter! To cut a long story short, my bowling attack for this game will be: Masters…Harris… Porterfield and Jefferson!

What do you think? Are you rolling on the floor laughing?

The light and the pitch were perfect, but the weather was rather unsettled, and the outfield was quite slow. Whoever won the toss was going to bat, but it wasn’t us, so we had to make the most of it. Newman to face. Jefferson to take the new ball.

You really must stop laughing now! I'm afraid you may do yourself an injury!

Their opening partnership only lasted until 23. In the 9th over, Jefferson had Birch caught by Pettini at short leg. Not his first wicket in first class, but certainly his first this year. He had already gone some way towards repaying my unreasonable faith in him.

However, by the time the second wicket, that of Newman, fell, Derbyshire appeared to have recovered from the early setback. Certainly the ensuing century partnership between Clare and Park seemed to indicate so. Wickets were hard to come by, and decent partnerships followed one another in a procession. When Masters and the second new ball accounted for Clare, he had amassed 124, and the Ghosts, on 291 for 5, had had the better of the day so far. After 14 overs, the new-ball storm had been weathered, and Harris came back into the attack.

His first ball was to Dwayne Smith (perhaps I should have mentioned who ‘D Smith’ was). It was a full ball on leg from over the wicket. Smith got all tangled up, the ball fizzed and missed everything – except leg stump. Smith had made a brisk 32 off 38, and Derbyshire, at 324 for 6, didn’t need to panic. Next man was Barry Taylor the keeper, with a decent keeper’s first-class average of 28. Harris still over the wicket to the right-hander, on a good length just outside leg. Taylor’s reaction to his first ball was rather odd. He backed away and attempted a glide behind point. The ball only took the bottom edge however, and Jamie Foster snaffled it. 324 for 7, and Harris after two balls of his spell, is on a hat-trick. Liam Plunkett strides to the crease.

For a tail-ender, Plunkett is no slouch with the bat. And Harris’ short, albeit fizzing, leg stump ball is not one of his best. However, Plunkett can only get a thick outside edge to the ball, and it flies at regulation height to Mark Pettini at short point.

Hat-trick ball - Pettini doesn't miss those

Hat-trick!!! First class hat-trick to Harris!!! That doesn’t happen every day!

Harris getting the party started – is that the Protea haka?
​

Trevor Lungley came out, and he and Chopra successfully negotiated the remaining 6.3 overs to stumps. It was still quite an even day, but as we were the only ones to take a hat-trick, we will be claiming it!

Essex v Derbyshire - end of day 1
Derbyshire 340 for 8
V Chopra 39(54)
T Lungley 3(12)
Bowling: P Harris 23-4-71-4
W Porterfield 22-2-76-1

 

[Gaurav_7]

Lol at Porterfield bowling so many overs. Harris was good for you guys taking that hat trick. But, I'd say Derbyshire have the day with 340 runs on the board.

 

[Umair7]

good story

 

[6ry4nj]

After all that excitement - and so little sleep ? I decided to combine my reports for days 2 and 3 into one.

The weather yesterday in Southend was unsettled again. The wicket had already started helping the bowlers, but only a little. And the outfield was fast now.

Lungley hung around but at last we finished them off for 380 just after mid-day. Nine overs were bowled by lunch ? enough to account for Pettini lbw to Clare ? so we were 32 for the loss of 1.

Mal Loye got close to his half-century before he was out, lbw to Dwayne Smith, and we were 91 for 2. In the 38th over, Carson brought up his 50 off 82 balls. We went to tea at 140 with no further loss.

In the third over after tea, however, Carson was out to Brian Smith, caught at mid-off, so we were 153 for 3. Matt Walker came in, and he too got a good start. But he didn?t survive the session, caught at 2nd slip off their fifth seamer Lungley, for 43. So we were 4 down at stumps, but we did have 249 on the board. A mere 131 behind!

This morning as Mike McPhee and Stephen Moore came out to bat, it was sunny and getting hot at the ground. Stephen only lasted until the second over of the day, when he was lbw to Brian Smith for 18. McPhee and Jamie Foster put on another 50 partnership, but then disaster struck. Please don?t ask me to go into details. Our remaining 5 wickets fell in the space of 20 balls. We had been 314 for 5, but we were all out for 327. So much for batting down to 9!

So it was that with half an hour still to lunch, Derbyshire were batting again. Birch again didn?t last long. Dave Masters had him caught behind in only the 6th over. 26 for 1 at lunch, and we were very much still in the hunt.

By tea time, it didn?t really look that way any more. Newman and Clare had their half-centuries, and Derbyshire were 133 for just the one wicket.

They came out after tea like it was a T20, in pursuit of quick runs. And they got them. Eventually Clare fell to Harris, but by then he had posted his second century of the match. The partnership was worth 237, for goodness? sake! Garry Park came and went, and the scoring slowed a bit, but at stumps they were 294 for 3, and they had not declared yet. We batted well for most of our first innings, but we will have to bat better tomorrow, just to save this match.

By the way, England won the Test against Pakistan. It went right down to the wire: Pakistan came out after tea needing just 19, although with only 1 wicket left. Unfortunately for them, that wicket was lost just one run later, and England won by 17. Man of the Match was Pietersen, primarily for his 193 in the first innings. It was mainly Younis Khan and Sheharyar Ghani that made things difficult for England. It was a target of over 400 that they nearly chased down! Pakistan is the only team representing my native region at the highest level of world cricket, so although I am an Englishman now, I have a soft spot for them also.

So I'll sign off for now. Be sure to check back tomorrow night around this time (although honestly it may be later) for the final report on the Derbyshire game.

 

[6ry4nj]

Okay. It?s the final day of the match at Southend. The weather is unsettled again, and the pitch seems like it is starting to favour spinners some more. Newman on 137 and Dominic Telo are the batsmen, and it is 4 overs until the new ball is due. So Harris and Porterfield were doing the bowling. And still getting hit. Thanks to 9 off one Porterfield over, Derbyshire were 312 for 3 when the new ball became available. Dave Masters was at the top of his run-up before they decided to declare.

That left us with 325 or so minutes, either to just survive, or to get 366 runs to win. Which would you choose?

We were going for the draw, but the batsmen were advised to play their natural game. Clare and Brian Smith were obviously attacking all out from the very beginning. Judging by the run rate, I don?t think they reduced their aggression all day. The aggression reaped immediate rewards too. Mal Loye was caught at short leg in the very first over. In the eighth over, Pettini too was gone, and we were 36 for 2. Last ball of the 15th over, Carson edged Plunkett well wide of the slips for four, to bring up his fifty ? off only 49 balls.

Yet it was only in Dwayne?s second over three overs later that Carson was dismissed. He was trapped lbw, and departed for 56 off as many balls. He was soon followed by his partner McPhee, and then Walker, and it seemed the fates were conspiring against us. It meant that at lunch we were 107 for 5, and with Moore and Foster both relatively new to the crease.

We needed one really big partnership to bring the odds of a draw back in our favour. But the wickets kept tumbling ? next was Moore, in the second over of the new session. We had batsmen down to 9, so we could still get that partnership. But not with Porterfield ? he came and went and we were staring down the barrel. Foster and Jefferson, the last pair before the tail, stopped the rot for a while. In nearly thirty overs, their partnership of 93 was the highest of our innings. Even so, it did not survive till tea. They both had half-centuries, but Foster was gone for 51, and hope was no longer genuinely possible.

As it happened, Harris and Masters put up even less resistance than usual. Sixteen balls into the new session, we were all out for 262, and the match was over. Victory to Derbyshire by 103 runs.

What can I say now? It?s not a disgrace by any means! Probably in hindsight the game was lost with that double-century stand in their second innings. A few batsmen in each innings did perform. And the two part-time bowlers performed adequately too, although the attack as a whole decidedly lacked penetration. Frankly I?m worried about the strike rates this year in first class of all my bowlers. Want to know who tops the rankings? Alastair Cook, that?s who! And he was away helping England to beat Pakistan (not with his bowling of course!).

I will need to have a good look at the team for the next first class match. There will certainly be changes.

We have not had such a good season so far this year. This loss takes us to four wins, four losses and a draw in this comp. So we are on 104 points, which is enough for a ?midtable? ranking of fifth.

But, I can?t dwell on the first class contingencies just now. We have another game tomorrow, in the Pro League (where we are in Division One). We are to be visited by Somerset, back at Chelmsford this time. In that league we have lost our only game so far. But Somerset have played and lost two. We can hope to go into this one as favourites.

So I?ll see you back here tomorrow, where you will find my report on the Somerset game. Ciao till then, yes?

Essex vs. Derbyshire, at Southend

Derbyshire 380 (Clare 124 Chopra 69* Harris 5-85) & 312-3 dec. (Newman 144* Clare 123) defeated Essex 327 (McPhee 88 Carson 54 B Smith 4-87) & 262 (Jefferson 70* Carson 56 Plunkett 3-55) by 103 runs

Man of the Match: Jonathan Clare (2 centuries and 5 wickets)

 

[Prats]

Wow! This story is going beautifully. Great presentation and good write-up