Story Three Lions on the Shirt? - Match Day: Northamptonshire fight back!!!

[OrderDX]

good innings thus far from you and to be honest you should win from here but i have a feeling there will be a twist or two lol great work Tom!

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Great batting Tom...very well batted...luck with the run out though...kent to win surely

 

[gamerkid22]

Awesome stuff mate. You are winning this one easily. Make sure that you will stay till the end and enjoy the winning moment KUTGW

 

[surendar]

How about a hattrick now in the similar way you did to them before? (just kidding) This should fetch you a convincing wicket. If you stay as NO batsman, I am sure, it would be one of the great moments.. If suppose, wickets collapse in other end and you stay rooted and get the victory runs, it would be a crucial moment for you.

Either ways, this story is looking fantastic with great storyline and presentation. Keep it going. :hpraise

 

[Jaztheman]

Fantastic work as per your usual Standards Tom, lovely batting from you and Mike.

Is this the umpire you paid ?150,000? Oh no wait no that was the last one. This one is ?200,000 isn't it?

 

[Highlander999]

Friday 5th April

It was the 12 over stage and the match looked to be in the bag for us. I managed to settle myself back into the routine after the drinks break which was important. I felt pleased as my timing still felt good and I was seeing the ball well. Mike also looked to be in good form as well and both our scores accelerated. The amount of runs required began to drip away. I was now mainly facing Lawson. He had a lot of pace and had been putting them in on a short line.

Once again I picked out the short ball. I got on top of it and dropped it down. I thought there was room for a single.

"YES!!!"

I set off

"NO,NO,NO!!!!!"

Mike had not moved. Oh crap, I was miles out of my crease. I turned around and tried to get back. Best was running in to field, it would be close. I was running as hard as I could but I saw a little white dot whistle past me. It was the ball. It struck the stumps and sent them shattering. I didn't even stop to look and just kept on jogging towards the changing room. I was angry, with myself. There had never been a single, but it was my call. I would have words with Mike. It didn't matter though as Kent were safe now. Or were they?

My dismissal, animated

I passed Rob as he headed out. Hopefully some time out in the middle without any pressure would be good for him. As I passed through the double doors into the changing rooms I heard a massive appeal then a loud cheer. I could guess what happened. Soon Rob appeared. He had made a duck and was angry with himself. He had apparently edged it to slip but he said it had not carried. It transpired later it had. I tried to console him but he was so angry, I left him alone and headed upstairs. I was now slightly worried. This couldn't be a fightback by the West Indies could it?

Up on the balcony I saw Gemma was still there. She gave me a big hug but then let go squealing that I stunk of BO.

"Hey give me a rest. It's hard work out there "

The boys all seemed relaxed. It looked like we, the underdogs, were going to give these World Class players a complete thrashing. Darren and Mike were out in the middle now. Mike still looked in good form, and Darren had struck some nice shots. David looked thoroughly relaxed. His captaincy really had created a calm atmosphere. I noticed Graham in the corner all plastered up. He looked a mess with his face all swollen up.

"Come on coach. What have I told you about tap-dancing on the stairs"

All the boys who heard me snorted.

"Now don't be cheeky Tom or else you'll be feeling some plaster up your behind. My damn cat tripped me on the stairs. Spilt wine all over the floor as well. Bloody cat"

"Ohhh, so you weren't dancing just drinking "

"Enough of your cheek or else I'll drop kick you with my good leg."

I moved away laughing. He seemed in a good mood which was good. People of his age had to be careful as bones got more and more fragile, but Graham was fit and should make a speedy recovery. All of a sudden there was a commotion out in the middle. I ran to the edge of the balcony to see Darren trudging back to the dressing room and the West Indie fielders celebrating. Mike had run out a second batsman : If we won he would be paying for a few drinks tonight : If we loss he would be getting the silent treatment. Things were now a bit tense as Jimmy headed out.

Everyone up on the balcony was on tender hooks. Jimmy although a solid batsman, for a number 8, should not be batting under such pressure. We needed 15 runs off 4 overs with only 4 wickets in hand. This looked like it would be a close finish.

In the end it all came to nothing. Jimmy did his job well and after he struck a boundary then Mike hit a beautifully timed 4, we knew we were safe. Eventually at the end of the 17th over, Mike found the gap and they made a quick single. WE HAD WON :happy It had been a bit of a tense finish but it wouldn't matter. The key had been we had used up our overs while the Windies had been too agressive and payed the price. Cooky found some champagne and started firing it across the room. We all got soaked, with Cooky eventually ending up with a bucket of water being tipped over him in revenge :laugh It was a great atmosphere and spectators started running onto the pitch to celebrate with Mike and Jimmy. You would have thought this match was important instead of a friendly.

Mike hits the winning runs

Back in the changing rooms, the umpires came up and spoke to David. David walked over to me

"Congrats Tom. YOU'VE GOT MOTM :happy"

"OMG this is brilliant. Free drinks on me !!!"

What a result for me. My first MOTM. The 1K would also be useful as well. Gemma once again huged me but then quickly backed of as the clown of the team, Cooky, came charging in with a group of other guys and piled up on top of me. We were still a bunch of kids at heart I did deserve the award though if I stepped back and looked at it. I had bowled really well and then had a great showing with the bat. I felt so proud. The partnership between myself and Mike had been good fun and batting against such a great line-up of bowlers had really opened my eyes.

David came over again, this time with a stranger.

"Hey Tom. This is Mr Brown from Sky Sports. He has to fix you up with a mike."

"What do you mean?"

"You know for the interview. You've caused quite a sensation. Sky want to record you getting the MOTM award and then talk to you afterwards."

My stomach actually dropped a couple of inches. I had not expected this. I was led away to get myself wired up. This was a much bigger test. I was about to get a crash course in PR

 

[Ollie_H]

Excellent work mate. Loving the new style with more insight into your life.

 

[OrderDX]

wonderful mate well done on MOTM and you do deserve it great win for Kent and one step closer to an England call up maybe. Can't wait for next update already! Great Work!!!

 

[jarl]

Awesome win for Kent and congrats on MOTM you deserved it..

 

[Karachi Xpress]

Great win for Kent! Congrats on MOTM! Waiting for next update

 

[gamerkid22]

Great victory but i told you to wait till the end and don't lose your wicket to enjoy the winning moment Congrats for the MOTM

Awesome update mate. U r the best

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Great victory for kent and yeah congrats for ur MOTM

 

[surendar]

Follow Tendulkar to get more and more MOTMs and become a legend like Sachin in future It would have been more convincing win if you had stayed there till the end.. but never mind, you are still climbing the ladder of pride! And you are on right track.

Fantastic presentation, Tom Your excellent commitment level and dedication to this story has been well reflected. Keep it going. I am enjoying this career diary!

 

[Highlander999]

Friday 5th April

As I walked out of the pavillion and towards where Sky Sports had begun setting up I began to feel really sick. TV cameras had begun to be fixed up on massive stands and there was still a sizeable number of the crowd who had stayed behind to watch the presentation. Mr Brown spoke up

"Right Tom. Ian Botham is going to be presenting the awards. He'll talk to Lara and David first and then he'll ask you to come up. Your to shake the hands of all the gentlemen up there and then have your photo taken while holidng the cheque. Botham will then conduct a brief interview."

Well this would be interesting. It appeared to me that I was becoming a bit of a celebrity. I walked into a tent and sat down in the chair offered to me. A lady then began wiring me up so that I could be heard across the ground. Eventually David turned up and began having the same process done to him. He was a lot less nervous due to him doing this sort of stuff before. He must have noticed how pale I had gone.

"Tommy my boy. There is nothing to be worried about. Just sit back and enjoy the moment. This is your moment now. Just don't say anything extreme and you'll be fine."

Before I had a chance to reply Mr Brown came back in. It was time for us to head out. The rest of the team were there waiting for us. Up on the stand Ian Botham had begun the presentation:

Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Now begins the post-match presentation. If the defeated captain Brian Lara might come up for a word?

Lara headed up.

So Brian what do you think on that display?

Well, I feel we bowled pretty well out there today. It was our batting that let us down. We are all quite new to this 20/20 format and we went out there too agressively and payed for it with our wickets. It was a good practice match for us though and I feel it has prepared us for next week's first ODI.

What do you think you can take from this match?

Well I think the lads all learnt a bit about how the pitch will behave out here in England. Also the lessons our bowlers learnt in keeping a tight line and length will be key going into the next few matches. Hopefully our batsmen may also learn to time their innings slightly better.

Ok thank you Brian and all the best for the future. If I might now call the winning captain David Fulton!!!

So David. Your first match as the new captain. Pleased with your team.

Oh absolutely. We went out there aiming to give 100% and instead we gave 110%. Our bowlers did extremely well to reduce the West Indies to such a low score and then Mike and Tom batted well in the middle overs to put us in an unreachable position.

Yes, your team did really well. There has been a lot of talk about Tom Baker and his prospects for England. What do you have to say on the issue?

Well Tom knows that I feel he is England potential. He does however still have a long way to go yet. He has definetly came onto the scene with a bang and that has attratced a few people, but he must focus on just playing good cricket for Kent at the moment.

And what can you tell us David about a possible divide in the Kent dressing room at the moment?

I'm not prepared to comment about that at the moment.

Ok well thanks for your time David and congratulations on a fabulous result.

Now will the Natwest, Man of the Match, Tom Baker come forward!

This was it. My big moment. All the team cheered as I started walking towards the platform. I went up to the first group and shook all their hands. They all said well done or something along those lines. Botham and some random from Natwest presented me the cheque. We all looked towards the photographers who started snapping away. I had a smile plastered on my face but I still felt like I wanted to vomit. Eventually Botham led me away.

So Tom. Your first ever MOTM award. How do you feel about your performance today?

Well Ian. Our bowlers did an excellent job out there. Apart from Lara they met little resistance and just carved through their middle order. Jimmy and Martin got some crucial wickets, while Sheriy kept it very tight. It set me up for that hat-trick at the end. It was a great team performance.

Yes, your team did very well. But special notice must go towards your hat-trick. How did it feel?

Leading up to that third ball, I must admit I did feel very nervous. I knew we were in an excellent position so this was more for pride than anything else. I must admit that when I got that final wicket it was one of the best moments in my life.

How do you feel about your batting performance and what would you say to those people who say that you are the key to England's problems?

Err. Well, I'm deeply honoured that people feel I could play for England. At the moment I am happy focusing on County Cricket but I'm sure the selectors have my number somewhere Regarding my batting form in this match, I got sent in by David just so as I could get some experience in the 20/20 format. I hope I have proven I am up to the challenege.

I think you have easily proven yourself. However if I look at your stats for this season. You are currently averaging 41 in OD games and have so far picked up 8 wickets with 5 from the FC game. Pretty impressive.

I am pleased with how the season has begun for me, considering this is my first season. I'm just trying to keep a good line and length when I bowl and play every ball on it's merit when I bat.

Yes. Well good luck for the rest of the season. Enjoy your evening celebrating.

I said my thanks and headed of the platform. I headed back over to the rest of the team where they all sterted laughing and chatting with me. We were hitting the clubs tonight in celebration of our famous win. Gemma would be coming with us as well and a few of the lads were bringing some of their girlfriends. It looked like it would be a good night.

Back inside the pavillion, I headed off to the locker room. everyone else was still outside so I expected it to be empty. However it wasn't. I could see through the glass a shadow. Someone was in there and it certainly wasn't any of the team.

"Hello! Who's in there"

The figure jerked up. I pushed open the door.

BANG!!!!

Find out what has happened in the next update

 

[surendar]

lol, this is a great suspense like a thriller movie may be you should take TV thrilling serials/shows Fantastic stuff, Tom.. Are you equipped with any weapons for self protection?