Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Excellent century from Lees. For once the pitch seems oretty good for day 1 batting.

No space for negativity here. Durham bossing this.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:No space for negativity here. Durham bossing this.

So far so good! And the wickets of Robson and Handscomb looked dodgy decisions- the latter in particular gave the umpire a disbelieving look. Ball kept lower than he thought but looked not out.

Don't know why our games against Leicestershire are always odd ones. That dreaded loss last year after we got bowlec out twice in a few hours, then getting bowled out for just over 100 in the first innings only to win easily.
Then last year up here - if I remember rightly they wanted to bat first and we obliged. Got a huge 1st innings score only to lose after we followed on!
Will this be another dramatic game? Hopefully not. 243/3.

I stayed until Lees brought up his century.

I saw almost all of his innings and it looked pretty chanceless. 2 batting points already on the board..... blimey!

Steel looked poor at the start, could barely get bat on ball, but he grew into it and eventually he was finding the middle of the bat with regularity. The Leics fans near me began recalling a double hundred he scored at Grace Rd a couple of years ago, so it was a shame that he got out when he did, because he was just beginning to get going. Whether he was unlucky and the ball did something different or whether it was a well worked plan from Leics, I'm not sure, but Davis and Griffiths started serving up drive balls to both openers so we were driving (and looking to drive) almost everything. I think we sent 5 balls to the boundary in 2 overs, so it wasn't too surprising when one of them got a tickle through to the keeper...... it felt like it was coming tbh. That being said, Steel got us through to the 20th over without loss, so he'd pretty much done his job.

The rate dropped dramatically after Steel got out and we started batting more sensibly again. Robson looked untroubled until the finger went up. Leics were appealing a lot for LBW at that time, so whether the ball was nibbling around a bit (it was pretty windy), or whether the umps was worn down, I don't know... hard to tell from where I was sitting.

Not often I get comfortable when we are batting, but everything was looking very good today. Can we make the most of this good start? There are some interesting match ups going on in the battle for promotion and I feel we need to take big points from this game to have any realistic chance of going up

Durhamfootman wrote:I stayed until Lees brought up his century.

I saw almost all of his innings and it looked pretty chanceless. 2 batting points already on the board..... blimey!

Steel looked poor at the start, could barely get bat on ball, but he grew into it and eventually he was finding the middle of the bat with regularity. The Leics fans near me began recalling a double hundred he scored at Grace Rd a couple of years ago, so it was a shame that he got out when he did, because he was just beginning to get going. Whether he was unlucky and the ball did something different or whether it was a well worked plan from Leics, I'm not sure, but Davis and Griffiths started serving up drive balls to both openers so we were driving (and looking to drive) almost everything. I think we sent 5 balls to the boundary in 2 overs, so it wasn't too surprising when one of them got a tickle through to the keeper...... it felt like it was coming tbh. That being said, Steel got us through to the 20th over without loss, so he'd pretty much done his job.

The rate dropped dramatically after Steel got out and we started batting more sensibly again. Robson looked untroubled until the finger went up. Leics were appealing a lot for LBW at that time, so whether the ball was nibbling around a bit (it was pretty windy), or whether the umps was worn down, I don't know... hard to tell from where I was sitting.

Not often I get comfortable when we are batting, but everything was looking very good today. Can we make the most of this good start? There are some interesting match ups going on in the battle for promotion and I feel we need to take big points from this game to have any realistic chance of going up

I hesitate to say it but ...we should get at least 400 in the first innings. Another 129 with 7 wickets in hand.
Only concern is that it's clouding over now and a few spots of rain in the air so if a wicket falls it might be tricky for the new batsman who will be Eckersley if the card is correct. He's down at 6 with Trevaskis 7.

Sun coming out again now! Should get 500.

is Lara playing?

3 batting points

new ball taken, I presume

Durhamfootman wrote:is Lara playing?

Durham's Lara. Alex Lees!

Durhamfootman wrote:3 batting points

new ball taken, I presume

Yep.

Northants well on top against Worcester

Gloucs well on top against Derby

Glamorgan under the pump a bit -v- Lancs

the ball is well on top in the Sussex/Middle game

Huge lbw shout by Abbas against Lees, I was sure the finger would go up...but not out. Bowler even more furious when the next ball went for 4!
Score board pressure is going to be a factor but it looks an excellent batting pitch. Not sure why.

might be desperation.

they've been shouting long and hard for everything

140 run stand

Durhamfootman wrote:might be desperation.

they've been shouting long and hard for everything

140 run stand

Given out on the next over and looked furious! Card was wrong and Trevaskis is in ahead of Eckersley.

Burnham has four 50's this season but no tons