Story Glamorgan - Rise to the top [Day 3 v Middlesex]

[Jakester1288]

Glamorgan are the worst, or there abouts, team on ICC, so I decided to take over them and try to make them good.

This will be posted in the same format as the Ashes story. I am on holidays now, this gives me something else to do when I'm bored.

Just a quick update to get us started.

Originally Posted by Cricinfo
Glamorgan announce new coach
Cricinfo staff
18th April 2009

Today Glamorgan officials announced new rookie coach, Jake McDonald, to step into the vacant first XI coaching position. He has no previous coaching experience, just club cricket playing experience.

The Glamorgan team are taking a massive risk, to lift their club in trouble, up the leaderboards, just a day before the new season starts. With a couple of weeks until the first game, they will have time to set up the team and bond with their new coach.

We caught up with Jake earlier today. "I am taking over this club, and have plans for success. The starting squad is relatively strong, I just need to get the results out of us. The batting is definitely the strong point of out team. Today, I secured the signing of 18 year old Gary Welch. Gary has been playing second XI cricket, and I picked him up on a three year deal, and in the future, he will be the rock of our middle order. I look forward to having lots of success with Glamorgan."

 

[OffCutters]

Good start, simple and clean presentation, It`ll be tough for Glamorgan, lets see if you can turn it around eh? KIU

 

[Jakester1288]

Good start, simple and clean presentation, It`ll be tough for Glamorgan, lets see if you can turn it around eh? KIU

Yeah, thanks. They are about as good as my graphics get, that's why they aren't in my stories.

 

[mattfb]

Nice start there mate, looks good.

This is the best way to help your graphics improve - also look at surens and toms stories etc to see there gfx and try to create something similar but a little bit simpler just to get an idea of hows they do theirs. Then you can make your own unique gfx ideas.

 

[blake]

I struggled with Glamorgan. They have an incredible amount of bowlers that are distinctly average, and their batsmen aren't brilliant either.

This is the lineup I played in my first season with them. Didn't win any competitions, although the next year we won the Challenge Trophy courtesy of Indrasiri (Sri Lankan off-spinner, averages about 17 in FC).

1. Gareth Rees (solid bat, one of the better players)
2. Tom Maynard (has a shocking FC average, but didn't play too badly)
3. Mark Cosgrove (probably the best batsmen, although he isn't reliable)
4. Mike Powell (quite a good keeper-batsman, I played him as a pure bat)
5. Jamie Dalrymple (didn't bowl too badly as a fifth bowler)
6. Ben Wright (struggled with the bat)
7. Mark Wallace (wicketkeeper, wasn't brilliant)
8. James Harris (not a great batsman, but a superb strike bowler)
9. Adam Shantry (second best bowler)
10. Alex Wharf (struggled with ball)
11. Garnett Kruger (struggled with ball)

Good luck with your story.

 

[mattfb]

Maynard... I have him in 2014 on my Kent save. Good player. Worth keeping.

 

[Jakester1288]

I struggled with Glamorgan. They have an incredible amount of bowlers that are distinctly average, and their batsmen aren't brilliant either.

This is the lineup I played in my first season with them. Didn't win any competitions, although the next year we won the Challenge Trophy courtesy of Indrasiri (Sri Lankan off-spinner, averages about 17 in FC).

1. Gareth Rees (solid bat, one of the better players)
2. Tom Maynard (has a shocking FC average, but didn't play too badly)
3. Mark Cosgrove (probably the best batsmen, although he isn't reliable)
4. Mike Powell (quite a good keeper-batsman, I played him as a pure bat)
5. Jamie Dalrymple (didn't bowl too badly as a fifth bowler)
6. Ben Wright (struggled with the bat)
7. Mark Wallace (wicketkeeper, wasn't brilliant)
8. James Harris (not a great batsman, but a superb strike bowler)
9. Adam Shantry (second best bowler)
10. Alex Wharf (struggled with ball)
11. Garnett Kruger (struggled with ball)

Good luck with your story.

Thanks for the tips, not keen to lose heaps, but if I keep this story going for a few seasons, I could start winning.

Clean out at the first contracts (that you can fire and stuff) methinks.

 

[Jakester1288]

Far out. I've tried to get this going 3 times, and each time it's stopped working. If it fails again, I think I'll need to restart. All of these are in setting up my nets.

 

[mattfb]

Lawl, it's funny watching him QQ rage about it on msn!

Hope it gets fixed. Otherwise do an essex story mmkay.

 

[Jakester1288]

Rees ton sets up last over win for Glamorgan​

Challenge Trophy - Lancashire v Glamorgan
19th April, 2009

Glamorgan captain Powell got off to a bad start by calling incorrectly at the toss, forcing his inexperienced side to bowl first on a batting wicket, with slightly overcast overhead conditions.

Lancashire's openers were cruising at 0/35 after 8 overs, prompting a bowling change, bringing Harrison into the attack. This was to turn Harris around, so he could bowl from the other end, and he promptly captured the wicket of dangerman Horton for 15.

Powell took the powerplay, then introducing spinner Croft into the attack the over after Harris had got the wicket. Using a spinner in the power play was a risk, but Powell was willing to take it, and the captain stuck by him after his first over went for 9, but then he bowled a maiden, then went for 2, to pay off his captains faith.

Dalrymple came on in place of Harrison so Powell could have his two spinners working through the middle overs. After 20 overs, Lancashire were nicely positioned at 1/94, laying a platform to attack. The spinners were keeping it tight, doing their job. In the 22nd over, Croft struck, removing du Pellis for 32, and having the score at 2/96, another quick wicket or two meant the game could go anyway.

Lancashires Croft started well against the bowler Croft, hitting him for 4, then a huge 6. After 30 overs, Croft had been bowled out, and had handy figures of 10 overs, 1/54, with Loye, and in particular, Croft, hitting out against him at the end.

Lancashire were speeding up, Powell had bowled out Croft, and decided it was time for Harrison to come back into the attack. After that over, he run up to Dalrymple, and discussed tactics. Next ball, Dalrymple had Loye plum LBW, playing across the line to a straighter delivery, out for 80. The new batsman, Chilton, started well, putting him to the boundary in consecutive deliveries, before playing out three dots and finishing Dalrymple's 10 overs, with 1 wicket, having gone for 61 runs, proving the spinners to be extremely expensive.

Kruger replaced Harrison next over, and Harris came on from Dalrymple's end. He had a big LBW shout on Croft, which Hawkeye said was taking out off stump, comfortably. Harris was rewarded next over, as he removed Chilton courtesy of a neat catch from Cosgrove in the slips, bringing Sutton to the crease with the score at 4/217, and it being time to hit out or get out.

Sutton bumped a single then first ball from Kruger, was gone LBW, for 1. Smith survived a huge LBW shout, as the ball hit him on the foot infront of middle stump. Krugers angle was enough to convince the umpired it was not out, however not enough to convince Hawkeye and the spectators, who were, for the Glamorgan part of the crowd, disappointed to see it on the big screen that it was taking out leg stump.

Harrison came on, and went in the sequence of 4, 2, 4, 1, then a wicket, removing Smith for 5, giving himself his first wicket. Harris came back from the other end, going for 11, including a 6 from Chapple. After another bowling change, Kruger went to the boundary for 4 to move Croft into the 90's, with plenty of time to reach the milestone. However, he was impatient, and tried to force a yorker through midwicket next ball, and the result was his middle stump being pegged back, and him having to go back to his team mates in the pavilion, a chance at a century he will never get again.

With 5 overs left, they took the powerplay, and pushed on to 288 before Mahmood was trapped LBW by Kruger, leaving them 8 wickets down, in the 49th over. The following ball, Kruger took another wicket, a thick inside edge from Anderson and a great catch down the leg side from Wallace putting him on a hattrick. The hattrick ball was a false climax, as Keedy played and missed outside off. As Wallace threw the ball to the slips fielder, a member of the crowd, apparently intoxicated, started leaping for joy, presuming that Wallace was celebrating. A small section of the crowd cheered in unison, until they realized they were making fools of themselves, and settled down.

Harrison had Keedy caught in the slips next over to bring a premature end to the innings, a good one at that, for Lancashire. They had forced their way to 293, a large target for the Glamorgan batsmen to chase in the second innings.

Glamorgan started well, with 9 from the first over, however they were very shaky. A bouncer reared up at the head of Powell, and the keeper didn't expect the bounce, just getting a glove to it, and it raced away for four byes. The other boundary was an uppish backfoot drive, past the bowler.

After a slow second over, captain Powell was caught at slip off Mahmood, for 7, putting a major setback in Glamorgans innings so early into it.

Glamorgan survived the first ten overs, then started to play their shots. 14 overs, in, at the first bowling change, they were 1/67, having a good platform to score quickly when needed. Having two batsmen in the 20's and 30's was good at the start, to progress into bigger scores. Ree's brought up his 50 with a crisp back foot cover drive, rocketing into the fence. After the last ball of the over, a pull toss pulled away powerfully for 4, was completed, Glamorgan were past 100 with only 1 wicket lost, going at just over 5 and over, steadily knocking off runs.

Then, they decided to take the powerplay, as the run rate was over a run a ball, and they had two set batsmen, so they set about taking it down. They started well with a boundary first and second ball, but next over Cosgrove was caught on the boundary, out for 45. They only scored 30 runs in the powerplay, and lost a wicket, so it was a very poor power play for them.

After a few overs of flashy shots and boundaries, the score was 2/179 after 30, and the asking rate was down to 5.4 runs per over. Rees' was approaching his century, and Dalrymple his half century. With a couple of boundaries next over, Rees moved into the 90s. After a beautiful cover drive for, he survived a LBW shout, and at the end of the over, was 98, with strike. Next ball, he took a single to get off strike, and have time to calm his nerves, and hope they don't build up more if a good ball was bowled to his partner, or he got run out. Dalrymple run 2, then knocked a single to give Rees his chance. He guided a good ball through cover between the two deep fieldsmen, set off and went absolutely ballistic, in celebration. He saluted every part of the ground, held his bat high and kissed his helmet in pride. But it was back to work now.

Dalrymple set off straight to mid off for a quick single to bring up his 50, a small celebration, because he knew if he got out now, he could danger the team to losing. Rees didn't understand the danger, or misjudged the length of the ball, as he tried to send a full pitched ball through midwicket, leading to his bails being dislodged, bringing Maynard to the crease.

At the 40 over mark, Glamorgan were positioned nicely at 3/245, with 49 runs remaining and 7 wickets in hand. They couldn't lose, surely not. Dalrymple and Maynard were going comfortably until Dalrymple fell to Keedy for 65, but the match was all but won. The batsmen slowed down, with the new batsman in. With 2 overs left, they needed 8. 8 from 12 balls, with Wright, a new batsman, on strike.

First ball, 3 runs to fine leg, the ball literally millimeters from crossing the rope. Second ball, LBW shout, not out. Third ball, single. Fourth ball, single. Fifth, wide. Sixth, single. The seventh, the extra ball, was played and missed at. Only 1 run needed from 6 balls. Maynard faced up. Smith charged in, pitched right on Maynards pads. 4 runs through the leg side, hammered!

Glamorgan coach Jake McDonald had been successful in his first game! Amazing to see the side that was bundled out for 200 regularly last season to chase 297, comfortably, in the first game of 2009.

MOTM:

Gareth Rees​

I missed a couple of wickets, so I didn't write them in. I will be sure to remember them next time, and I will have scorecard updates through the posts, not in the text.

 

[drainpipe32]

Great work, well written! A good chase from 'gans, a great ton from Rees and god support from the middle order. Kruger bowled really well too, took wickets throughout and kept it tight!

Looks good for Glamorgan with Jake at the head!

 

[JD10]

well batted to rees and Krugar.

 

[Jakester1288]

Haha, cheers mate. Was an exciting game when I was batting, fun to play. Good signs with Rees, being young, making big runs.

Jakester1288 added 1 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...

well batted to rees and Krugar.

Kruger didn't get to bat, thank god, seeing as he was at 11.

 

[JD10]

I meant he bowled well:doh

 

[Sartaj]

Why don't you sign some big overseas guns mate?