Captain's match reports - 2001 onwards

Middlesex v Sussex 2nd June Middlesex, being captained for the first time by Keely Juster took on a strong Sussex side containing England captain Claire Connor (Connie) and New Zealand World Cup star Haidee Tiffin. Winning the toss, Sussex were asked to bat. The new ball partnership of Beth Morgan and Sherina Blanche were immediately into their stride, bowling very tightly and frustrating the openers. After an uncharacteristically loose over (which went for 8 runs – the remaining 9 overs went for 4!!), Bethie struck, having Connie caught behind by a sprightly Carole Ward (who went on to take 4 more catches and a stumping – a career best). Not content with one wicket in the over, they were at it again three balls later. A quiet hush fell over the spectators as four overs later, the pair stuck again (3 wickets, 16 balls, 2 runs). Sherina supported her new ball partner by removing Mandy Godliman and things were beginning to look serious for Sussex. A mid innings rescue was called for, and Thomson and Burton duly obliged, until Thomson was stumped by Carole off Keely. Laura Young was introduced into the attack, and showed a lot of potential to claim her first senior county wicket. The last 10 overs saw Sussex in all out attack as they managed to scramble to 140. In reply, Alex was smartly stumped by Mandy, standing up to a medium pacer (may be staking a claim for an England place behind the sticks?! ). This saw the Dukesmead duo of Katie Berry and Lorraine Poole (Lozza) come together in the 4th over. Bowling was tight and runs became increasingly hard to come by, with Sussex looking exceptional sharp in the field. More and more pressure was being placed on Middlesex batsmen as the overs began to slip by. Coral Handley arrived at the crease with 14 overs to go and 98 runs needed, and watched the next couple of overs carefully. Always one to relish a challenge and never give up, she decided that Sussex were celebrating a little too early. A blistering 62 runs off 51 balls, 20 of which were dot balls (just to add to the challenge!) brought the crowd to their feet. Ably supported by Carole the pair was finding gaps at will. When the field was moved, a different gap was found - highly entertaining for us on the side line, much to the frustration of Sussex and Connie. The final over saw Middlesex requiring 7 runs, with 3 wickets in hand. The field was spread, England bowling star against ordinary county batsmen. Tension in the dressing room was such that numbers 10 and 11 were white with apprehension. First ball was put away for 3 runs by Carole. Coral on strike. A hefty blow by Coral, saw Carole run out trying desperately to get Coral back on strike. 3 runs needed, 4 balls to go. Sherina at the non-striker end. Another hefty blow by Coral, this time Sherina run out trying to get Coral back on strike. 2 runs needed 3 balls to go. Coral again swings her bat this time for a single. 1 run needed, 2 balls to go. Laura making her debut, heart beating, pulse racing facing the England captain with the entire field in. An almighty swing at the ball, no connection, ball in keeper’s hand. 1 run needed, 1 ball to go. Connie spends 5 minutes setting her field. Just as she has done so, Coral chooses to go and have a chat to Laura – who’s playing mind games?! Now I’ve been playing cricket a long time, but I can honestly say that never in all my years have I ever seen batsmen cross at the crease. Coral was level with the ball all the way down the pitch, arriving beside Laura at about the same time it hit her mid thigh. Laura having listened well put her head down and ran, as the Sussex fielders appealed for LBW – not a chance she’s nearly 8 foot tall. A very satisfying victory, made possible by two players really - Bethie removed the heart of their batting, whilst Coral completely demoralised their bowling. Middlesex v’ Civil Service 14th June A pleasant sunny day saw Middlesex take on the Civil Service, led by Carole Ward. Middlesex were put in to bat and lost their first wicket in the 5th over, with Chander Kaul making her debut, caught in the gully by Carole. Coming from the heat of the World Cup in New Zealand, where she represented India, Chander has since blamed the weather – every one else had sun cream on, she wore jumpers! Lorraine Poole joined Middlesex junior, Katie Berry, at the wicket, and the pair were frustrated with some tight bowling, which resulted in Katie being caught backward of square as well. In walked 15 year old Hayley Shepperd and after a cautious start, she began to take the bowling to pieces. With effortless ease, she drove and lofted the finest the Civil Service could bowl at her. Supported by Keely Juster, the pair put on 70 for the 4th wicket, before Hayley was bowled for 69. Kate Dunham and Sarah Trinder (another promising youngster) carried on the attack, to take Middlesex to 176 at tea, when the innings was closed. The fourth Middlesex junior to be called into action was Laura Young who was given the task of opening the bowling. This she did with precision, taking 1 for 13 off her 7 overs. This included bowling at Chander Kaul, who was helping out the opposition, which makes it even more impressive. The arrival of Kelly Greenstreet saw some rather casual Middlesex bowling severely punished, before Marilyn Smith had Kelly caught by Kate, at the third time of asking. Chander carried on and was soon joined by Karen Malvern, who appeared not to know what a forward defensive was. Or was it our bowling? By this time the rain had started, and the ball resembled a bar of soap. Needless to say our control was not as it should have been, and Lori Bedborough playing against us for the first time, scored the winning runs with one over to go. Middlesex v Surrey 12th July Friendly Middlesex entered this game with high expectations. Winning the toss, Surrey were sent in to bat, as juniors Beth Morgan and Laura Young were given the new ball. Despite bowling well, they couldn’t tempt the Surrey openers, and it wasn’t until Sarah Trinder (a junior), was given the ball, that the breakthrough was achieved, when she had Emma Jones (another junior) lbw for 10. Three overs later, she struck again, having Sinead Gooden caught at slip by Keely Juster. Meanwhile, Surrey captain Caroline Barrs, was settling down to business. Some sloppy fielding and poor catching helped her, as she gave a number of chances throughout her innings. Supported by Sarah Clarke (another junior – it’s difficult to believe this was a senior game – maybe it’s easier getting time off school these days!!), threatened until Katie Berry (yes, you’ve guessed it- another junior), sent her stumps flying. Try as we might, it just wasn’t to be our day with the ball, as Barrsey showed us just how to bat. She claimed after the game that the ball was like a football towards the end of the innings – that will explain why she was taking Beth from out side off stump and putting her through the leg side a la Viv Richards in his prime. Surrey finished on 241, with Barrsey unbeaten on 104. As much as it pains me to say, it was a class innings from the ‘old enemy’ – had she not scored it and had we not given away so many extras, Surrey would have ended up on 95 – isn’t cricket a funny old game. In reply, we got off to a solid start, despite losing Alex Cram in the 4th over, as Katie and Hayley Shepperd kept the scoreboard ticking at around 3 an over. Just as she looked set, Hayley found herself beaten by the spin of Clarke, as she skied one to cover. At this stage application was called for. Unfortunately it was not found, as wickets fell for not many runs. Michelle Quayle threatened until she was tempted once too often by Barrsey, bowled for 34. Middlesex finished some way short of the target, but on a positive note learnt some lessons – catches win matches, and concentration is a must. Middlesex v Hampshire 22nd July Friendly According to the bookmakers, this was a carbon copy of the deciding game at the forth coming County Championships, for the promotion spot in Division Three. Whilst Hampshire were missing at least 3 key players, we had none of our juniors, and were also missing key players. It was a bit like cat and mouse, or Alex Ferguson / Arsene Wenger, as both sides tried to gain the upper hand without giving too much away. Put into bat, we started sprightly enough, before Lorraine Harward (Lozza) (ne: Poole) was judged caught at slip, despite the keeper and the other slip, calling it a bump ball. Anita Thorose, making a guest appearance, proceeded to take some ordinary bowling to task, before being run out, by a superb piece of fielding. Keely Juster and Coral Handley looked comfortable and the board began moving quickly, until Coral misjudged a straight one. A few overs later, Keely was bowled off her pads – always look where the ball is before practicing how you should have played the shot. Cathy Mowat representing her county for the fourth decade (surely a record?) showed promise with the bat but could not put off the inevitable, as we were all out for 113. In reply, Hampshire set off at the same rate as we had. Keely claimed the first wicket in the 4th over, having Claire Slaney caught at mid wicket by Lozza. She was on target again in the 10th over, bowling Hampshire captain Sharon Eyres; in the 14th over she claimed her third wicket and two overs later, had danger bat Sian Price superbly caught at slip by Marilyn Smith. However, runs were coming too quickly and chances weren’t going to hand. Cathy was asked to roll back the years and looked like she could have done – her three overs going for just three runs (– are you up for trials next year?!), but despite being partnered by Coral bowling at the other end, the task proved too much even for these seasoned campaigners. Far from breaking Hampshire hearts, the only thing that was broken was Carole Ward’s nose – dropping a catch off Coral. A week before the most important County Championships in our history, Middlesex have played 4, lost 3. Far from being disillusioned, we are actually relishing the challenge. We go in knowing why we have lost, realising the mistakes we have made and confident we have the squad to win the Division. I’ll keep you posted. Middlesex at Cambridge: County Championships 2001, Division Three Saturday 28th July: RestDay Around about the time most captains were walking out to the middle to mark the start of this campaign, I was frantically running around my house, trying to find enough pairs of long white socks and a fourth clean white shirt. Ahh, the beauty of having a rest day before you’ve actually done anything. It had been agreed that we would meet up at our hotel at lunchtime, before going off to spy on the opposition. Katie Berry, having arranged to meet up with the ‘kids’ at 11.30, still hadn’t left home at 3.00. The rest of us went on our merry way, swanning around the various grounds telling tales to anyone who would listen, of the unbelievable whitewash we’d just inflicted on our opposition. People were amazed to hear tales of centuries by the score, hat-tricks and game over with only three overs bowled. The gullibility of some people never ceases to amaze me. Sunday 29th July: Wiltshire St Johns Things have come a long way in a short time in county cricket. We met Chander Kaul making her Cambridge debut, at the ground at 9.45am, and she was duly introduced into her first ever game of football – much to her amusement. Wearing our navy ‘The only way is up’ t-shirts, a more serious warm up then took place, taking full advantage of the facilities offered to us at the ground. Winning the toss, I elected to bat. Lorraine Harward (still Lozza) and Alex Cram walked out to the middle to face a county playing its second ever game at Cambridge. We got off to a cautious start, losing Alex early on to a ball that found a surprising bit of lift. Wiltshire hopes were high, as Chander strode towards the crease. The next 30 overs saw some superb shots as the ball disappeared over the boundary ropes at an average of almost twice an over, before Chander was out for 85. Keely Juster joined Lozza but wasn’t able to get into the swing of things. It took the arrival of Coral Handley to increase the tempo again as she played with her usual no nonsense approach. The pair guided us to 337 with Lozza unbeaten on 131. Beth Morgan and Sherina Blanche shared the new ball, and each broke through in their second over – Beth removing one opener LBW, whilst the other fell to a sharp catch by Coral at short mid on. That really set the tone for the afternoon, only Henley and Green, getting into double figures for Wiltshire. Coral ended up with 3 for 12, and Keely got 2 for 7 as they struggled to 67 all out. A rather predictable result, but considering that it took us 33 overs to get only 9 wickets (Chander having earlier sent their Captain to hospital as she split her shin with a fierce off drive), and we bowled 15 extras, a lot of work to do. Monday 30th July: Warwickshire Churchill As a way of getting to know her new teammates, Lozza had very kindly given Chander the job of ‘waker upper’. All well and good in theory – the team all get to breakfast on time, Chander gets to talk to everyone etc., but in practice she was sharing a room with Kate Dunham and me, which meant that we were awake at the crack of dawn, listening to all the ‘good mornings’! For those of you who have never played at Churchill, it is like a cauldron. There’s no air, the boundaries are massive, even by Cambridge standards, and the heat can be relentless. I was given a lot of advice on tossing by a team desperate for me to win. Lozza explained a highly scientific experiment carried out by Dukesmead in to the probability of the toss, and the girls nodded in agreement. As I stood there on the strip, I could feel my nose turning a nice shade of red; a quick look back at the girls revealed that 10 big bottles of water were already in the bin and I made sure that the odds were in my favour, as regards the Dukesmead tossing theory, as I flipped my coin high into the sun, and waited for the inevitable. Imagine then my astonishment when I won. Katie and Alex opened the batting, and as in the previous game, made a cautious start, before Katie was out. Both Alex and I were keen to make up for missing out on the runs against Wiltshire, and Alex in particular looked particularly aggressive and determined. She played well for 55, before getting a ball that kept very low. Beth came to the wicket, and was promptly off the mark, cutting the ball for 3. Determined not to be out done by someone who had been sitting in the shade, resting for the last hour and a half, I decided to make Beth run everything I could. She responded by doing the same – I think we both saw it as an opportunity for a spot of pre-season footie training. The runs came quickly with very few 4’s, until Beth was caught for 43. Chander arrived and departed almost as quickly, to be replaced by Coral – even she struggled to find the boundary and had to resort to running. The cheekiest run was one taken with the keeper standing up, the ball hitting me on the knee roll, and coming to a stop about a yard from the stumps. I was eventually run out for 90, as we ended up on 289 – not bad for the size of the ground. In reply, Beth’s partner with the new ball was Laura Young, making her Championship debut. We didn’t have to wait long – 5 balls to be precise – before Beth claimed another opener LBW, and we were off. Laura was very unlucky in her spell, and on a different day against better batsmen might well have been rewarded with a couple of wickets; however it was not to be. Warwickshire proved to be tougher than Wiltshire, which we expected, but a little spark or ruthlessness was missing from our game and we allowed them to bat for 40 overs, scoring 96 runs in the process. Wickets were shared by Beth, Marilyn Smith, Lozza, me and Coral, but we bowled even more extras – 22. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the opposition but whatever the answer, we need to start concentrating on our game, regardless of the quality of the batsmen. Tuesday 31st July: Essex Gonville and Caius Nobody in the party could ever remember playing here, and Marilyn (Mazza) promptly decided to christen the ground by doing a spot of washing. The Essex girls appeared full of the confidence of youth, and we were surprised when they put us in. Lozza and Beth opened the batting and were soon into the swing of things – Beth carrying on where she left off in the previous game, as the runs began to mount. Lozza’s departure for 31, saw Chander arrive, keen to make amends for her last innings. They began to take control of the bowling and looked well set – even the rain which was inevitable as soon as Mazza hung out her washing to dry on the tennis court fence, didn’t put them off. Just when she looked set, Beth was out for 55 (the fifth batsmen to score 50 – when was the last time 5 different people scored 50 at Cambridge?), and Katie joined Chander. Still the runs came, although not as quickly. With the dismissal of Chander for 69 (her second 50), Kate arrived and showed that as well as being superb at running between the wickets, she can also hit boundaries, batting very well for her 22. As we entered the last 10 overs, looking to really pile on the runs - we surrendered our wickets somewhat – actually being bowled out for the first time, which was a little disappointing. Still, against the best bowling attack we’d faced we still scored 250. For the third game running, a new opening bowling partnership was tried (there’s nothing like trying out all your options before the crucial game). Coral was handed the ball, and 4 balls into her over, one unhappy batsman was walking back to the pavilion. Not to be out done, Katie struck on her 5th ball of the second over. Would this game last longer than 10 overs, we began to wonder – perhaps if I’d been concentrating on the present rather than the future, it might have been, as I dropped a regulation catch off the girl who went on to be their top scorer. Our fielding was tighter than in previous games – we got two run outs, which doubled our total, and the mood seemed more focused. Essex were proving to be the best batting side of the three faced so far, and our bowling started to sharpen up a little (although we still managed 9 wides!!). Beth came on and showed some superb control, taking 3 for 5, obviously trying to prove a point about the opening spot! We ended up bowling out Essex for 79, in 34 overs. What was a little worrying was the attitude shown by some of the Essex girls. Whilst confidence is commendable, big headedness is not. Considering the age of the team – they are a very young county in all senses of the word - the vocals on the field at times became rather boorish. This is an ugly feature of the men’s game which seems to be creeping more and more into the women’s game at younger and younger ages, more’s the pity. Wednesday 1st August: Hampshire Clare The eagerly awaited, traditional quiz night had been saved for Tuesday evening. Teams had been selected and each one is given a line which must be incorporated into a song / poem / mime etc. As Hampshire was always going to be the do or die game in the championships, naturally the songs focused on our opposition. I must say that the level of creativity and imagination this year really impressed me – the tune of ‘who let the dogs out?’ would be heard resounding around the outfield on various occasions during the game, and indeed almost became our war cry. As a way of getting team spirit going, it certainly worked. At 9.15 both teams were at the ground – that might give you some indication of the importance of the game. Walking out to the middle to toss the wicket looked like the sort of thing you see on Channel 4, on the morning of a test match – it was smooth, hard and flat as a pancake – you could almost see the words ‘batting track’ plastered all over it. Imagine my almost disbelief, when we were put in – the girls couldn’t believe I’d actually lost the toss!! In the changing room, Alex padded up in silence. When asked if she wanted some throw downs, she shook her head – it was only after the game was over that she confessed to being unable to talk such were her nerves!! Together with Beth, the pair got us off to a great start, again displaying some excellent running between the wickets, whilst punishing the bad ball. Having done the hard work and seen off the opening bowlers, two lapses in concentration, 6 balls apart, saw both of them depart. With two new bats, the runs dried up somewhat, as Chander and Keely started to rebuild the innings. Gradually, they began to get on top of the bowlers, forcing the Hampshire captain to go on the defensive and remove all the close catchers, and then placing the ball through the gaps. For someone so slight, Chander hits the ball harder than anyone in the country – watching her bat is like poetry in motion- she uses her feet so well and has exquisite timing - it is a pleasure to bat with her. The pair put on 95 off 16 overs, and Middlesex were looking at 300 plus, when another lapse of concentration saw Keely depart. Coral for once forgot her usual aggression and looked to place the ball; unfortunately, she placed it straight into the fielder at mid wicket. Hampshire sensed they were back in the game and one or two of us feared a collapse. Enter Katie, who proceeded to make it look easy, giving Chander the strike and keeping the board ticking, but also reminding Hampshire that she can hit bad balls. However, the impetus wasn’t maintained and we ended up on 249, our lowest score of the campaign, against the best bowling side we’d faced. Chander was out in the last over for 95 – her third 50, not a bad return. Katie and Coral were given the task of opening the attack and were immediately on the spot. Katie in particular looking menacing, bowling with pace and getting a lot of lift. They were supported by some solid fielding, Laura Young in particular pulling off some superb stops, saving a good 20 runs – it all added to Hampshire’s sense of frustration. Katie was finally rewarded in her sixth over with the wicket of Foster, caught behind by Carole in front of first slip. Two balls later, she removed the off stump of Sian Price and you sensed the heart had been torn out of the Hampshire side. Indeed the songs from the sidelines seemed to stop almost immediately, much to the relief of Kate, who was fielding on the square leg boundary and had become almost deaf. Beth and Keely replaced Katie and Coral, and tightened the screws – at the half way stage, Hampshire needed 180, but the arrival of Karen Wood (Woodie) at the wicket saw a different approach. She decided to take the attack to Middlesex and hit anything and everything. As a means of putting off our bowlers, it worked – this was the first game where we actually came up against some one prepared to take the attack to us. When Beth Davies McNaught came to the wicket, she carried on in the same way and the runs began to flow. As with our batting, so with our bowling - called back into the attack, Katie was immediately on target. In as focused a display as I have ever seen from her, she bowled the game back in our favour – it culminated in the run out of Beth, who felt forced to try to take a run when she hit the ball straight to Keely at square leg. That left Woodie on her own, and with Coral also back in the attack, the pressure proved too much and she fell for 72. With that, Middlesex sensed the end was in sight. Lozza was called upon to bowl and looked like she’d been bowling all week, as she was right on target, whilst at the other end, Beth was back – our own metronome. Lozza was given the task of bowling the last over; all the field were inside the circle cutting off the singles, as we waited for the last ball of the game. Now I’ve been playing cricket a long time, but I have never heard the bowler scream ‘yes’ as she bowls a big full toss, which promptly disappears over the boundary rope, but on this occasion, it a yes that the whole team wanted to shout, as it meant that our stint in Division Three was over, and the job that we came to do had been successfully completed. Next year will see us in Division Two. Well done girls!!! Highlights Best Bat in Division Three Chander 250 runs Best Bowler in Division Three Coral 30.1 / 7 / 56 / 8 Top score Lozza 131 not out v’s Wiltshire Most 50’s Chander 3: 85, 69, 95 People who made 50 Lozza, Alex, Keely, Beth and Chander Most catches Coral 4 Best supporters The Morgans, the Berrys, Bill Middlesex v Sussex - team pictured below - from back, left to right: Hayley Shepperd, Laura Young, Katie Berry, Beth Morgan, Sherina Blanche, Kate Dunham, Coral Handley, Alex Cram, Lorraine Poole, Carole Ward, Keely Juster