Durham Match Thread 2018

[captaincolly]

Once again the cunning plan of opening with Colly doesn't work. 7/1.

Colly's batting is a concern. Agg. 66 runs in 7 inns this season

A big problem. Don't think it'll improve opening either! Hopefully it's just down to a couple of niggles and lack of rhythm but a run of low scores at his age must be a concern - might just be bad form but could also be a sudden and irreversible decline.
Latham gone after a mini-recovery and we seem in the mire again.

[captaincolly]

He'll probably be out now I've said it but Richardson seems to have scored some useful runs this season. Has a half century - apparently rather fortunate as he was dropped just before he got there.

[captaincolly]

Run a ball century for Richardson in a great partnership with Will Smith. Club record 4th wicket partnership against Warwickshire.
It suggests batting conditions are good so we will probably need a really big score.

[captaincolly]

And now Richardson out to our nemesis Barker.

[captaincolly]

100 for Smith!
261/5 with just under 4 overs left.

[captaincolly]

Target is 300. Could be ultra critical and say we should have got a few more but I think that'd be harsh.
299 after a terrible start is a fine recovery.

[captaincolly]

Good start , big hitting Pollock out lbw to Dixon's first ball.

[captaincolly]

Ominous partnership developing between Trott & Bell. Could do with getting rid of one of them sharpish-or better still, both of them!

[captaincolly]

Closing in in a century stand. Might be time to get Will Smith on, he must be feeling confident after his batting.

[captaincolly]

Warwickshire cruising towards the target. Wickets required!

[captaincolly]

Trott finally out but almost certainly too late. Looks as if the dismissal was followed by a couple of expensive overs too.

[captaincolly]

A few wickets towards the end but the result never really in doubt after that massive Trott/Bell partnership. According to Martin Emmerson Bell was lucky not to have been given out lbw on 20 so some misfortune there but still a fairly poor performance to score 300 and then have the opposition cruise home.

[westoelad]

A few wickets towards the end but the result never really in doubt after that massive Trott/Bell partnership. According to Martin Emmerson Bell was lucky not to have been given out lbw on 20 so some misfortune there but still a fairly poor performance to score 300 and then have the opposition cruise home.

Bell was absolutely plum to Dixon from the video. Important thing is we've improved massively since the 1st 2 games of the tournament.

[captaincolly]

A few wickets towards the end but the result never really in doubt after that massive Trott/Bell partnership. According to Martin Emmerson Bell was lucky not to have been given out lbw on 20 so some misfortune there but still a fairly poor performance to score 300 and then have the opposition cruise home.

Bell was absolutely plum to Dixon from the video. Important thing is we've improved massively since the 1st 2 games of the tournament.

Yes. The umpire strikes ( or doesn't strike ) again!
I agree, after the first couple of games I genuinely thought we would not win a single match in the competition so the improvement has been dramatic. This bizarre decision to open with Colly remains a mystery but very encouraging signs otherwise. Rimmington and Dixon were hopeless earlier on but maybe they just took time to adjust because they've started to perform well.

[captaincolly]

Colly and Rimmington rested for tomorrow's game but Wood is back. I wonder if the calf injury is a factor in Colly's poor batting form - hard to know in the recent games because of this doomed opening strategy.