By Grockle
May 8 2004

So Keith Dutch is only really to be used in the white ball competitions is he? 5 for 65 says differently! Kaneria was supposed to be the spin sensation of this game...didn't quite work out that way!

So, we go away for the first time in 2004 to another weak but awkward side.  No Gough, but then we have no Trescothick or Blackwell.  They will work on the spin aspect and we will be asked for the first time to show how we are going to deal with the demands of a pitch catering for spin.

Derbyshire showed some promise but we need to be harder and faster than we were.  Nixon and Laraman generated a great deal of pace on Sunday and Caddick and Johnson looked more at home as last week went on.  Good stable batting....bit faster on the scoring rate though please lads.

The object of the exercise is not to lose at home and to win away...let's hope this is the first of many.

The Game

Rain, rain and more rain and then some space to play cricket when there's not a lot to play for!

After getting to 87 for 1 before rain washed out most of the first half of the game, Bowler and Burns  seem to have hit a rich vein of form.  Another start from John Francis which only yielded 18 was followed by an equally solid 34 from Matt Wood but he fell to the spin of Kaneria.  Cox doesn't seem to have got into the groove yet and only managed 22 before he was cuaght and bowled.

So, it's left to Bowler to hit another century (at the moment he's 2 from a 150) and the captain to actually go beyond the century he should have had last Sunday. In fact, he's just gone past the three figures as they continue on after tea. 338 for 3 as I write.

Bonus points are all we can get from this isn't it?  The weather doesn't look wonderful for tomorrow and we aren't gonna take 20 wickets in the time we have.  Let's get some practice and let the bowlers go for a while...before the rain returns!!#

Day 4

Another draw with bonus points, a better start to the season than in the last few years...2 weeks in and undefeated.  But will this be enough?  Well of course it won't but this was a weather thing rather than a "too damn slow" thing.

The bowlers got a good run out on the last day and shot through the Essex batting line-up in decent time.  All the hype before the game was about the arrival of Danish Kaneria (sounds like some exotic bacon!) and his spinning prowess.  It was seen as a problem for us that we didn't have that kind of weapon in our arsenal on their home pitch, designed for his specific abilities.

Match figures?  Kaneria 1 for 92 off 34.3.  The spinning sensation in this match?  Keith Dutch 5 for 65 off 25!!  So much for having little to contribute to the longer version of the game!  Caddick and McLean both wieghed in with wickets in the Essex reply to our 400 but Mr Dutch did the damage and it is to be hoped that those in team selection positions took a whole lot of notice.  Not only does it suggest that we have a spinner but that he still has a thirst for the game and will give us what we want if we give him the chance. 

We mustn't forget of course that Peter Bowler continued his remarkable form with 187 (that's not out) and Burnsy also sits on a not out score of 124.  It ain't looking bad...we just need four days to turn it into big points!!