A Rich Tea day.

Up with the lark, in fact before him this morning (he was still in his bed) and to Lord’s via the wonders of Mayor Boris’s combined transport system, so well combined that after the third E3 pulled up with no E1 to be seen I went on that and the 207 to Ealing Broadway, good job the Oyster was topped up or I’d be thinking they were trying to con more fares out of me. Underground a pure delight, the joy of getting on a train where it starts from is that you are more or less certain of a seat.

The weather was just about holding up but the prospect of rain looked high under greying skies. I got in the ground as the bell went to find that Gloucestershire had won the toss and chosen to bat first , an interesting choice given the weather, or a toss Shaggy was glad he lost, all would be revealed over the next three or four days. The match being played on the second strip in from the Mound Stand was sure to make for some big scoring shots if the batsmen were able to settle. The 10.30am start seemed to have caught a few out but later having spoken to one or two they said it was impossible with connection changes to get in for that time as their “twirly card” wouldn’t get them there without paying.

Dial M opened from the Nursery End and Richo from the Pavilion End .The first ball of Dial M’s second over sent Porterfield packing LBW for 5(6-1 total).Not to be outdone Richo bowled Ali an abracadabra ball and feng shuied his stumps for him for a seven ball 0 (6-2) with the second ball of his second over. Gidman and Marshall then set about getting the innings started, Gidman by bashing 4’s all over the place, Marshall by remaining on 0 till the second ball of the 10^th over when a pushed single from him was greeted with a big cheer from the visitors balcony (He had been dropped at second slip by TSO of Richo three overs before this).

Finn replaced Dial M for the 13^th over and the hapless Marshall failed to get his feet out of the line of his first ball, LBW shot out for a 28 ball 1(34-3).A point on the board for Middlesex within an hour of the start of play, not to shabby.

Richo in his next over had Taylor caught for 5 by Billy the Kid, a very smart catch it was too (39-4). Glous 50 up off 107 balls in 76 minutes. Dial M then replaced Richo from the Pavilion end, Richo’s figures for his first spell 9 overs 3 maidens 2 for 20 were good but don’t tell the story of how many times he beat the bat or had batsmen jumping around. Dial M removed Gidman for 38 by bowling him (80-5), TSO replaced Finn and Glous went into lunch with 92-5 on the board, Brown 21, Snell 28.

Not too shabby, it seems

Post lunch saw the Glous 100 up in the 31^st over and a brief spell of rain, deemed hard enough by those in the uncovered bit of the Allen stand to do a runner into the dry but not by the umpires to call the players off. Slow but steady accumulation by the batsmen saw the total to126 when Dial M gave Snell the hurry up and had him caught by The Captain for 31(126-6).

Glous then reset and played some good cricket Brown reaching his 50 ably supported by Dawson. Finn eventually got Brown LBW (the third one of the innings) for 68 off 128 balls with 6x4’s and 2x6’s(187-7).Lewis and Dawson added 18 before Richo had Lewis edge him to Scooby behind the timbers for 15(215-8). This became 216-9 when Dawson hit the last ball of a Richo over right up the creek, so far up that AC had plenty of time to get under it and take a good catch, Dawson gone for 29.Last man Saxelby had about as much idea of how to play Richo as most of his team mates and his fourth ball had him hit in front of the timbers for 1. Gloucestershire 218 all out off 62 overs. Fine figures of 18 overs, 6 maidens, 5 for 34 from Richo and able support from Finn and Dial M restricting them to a single point batting score.

Tea was taken at the change of innings and Straussie and the Kid then set about getting the 71 to save the follow on. Kirby and Lewis’s opening spell proved fruitless for them (for a change) so much so that Saxelby replaced Lewis after just two overs. With good stroke play and sound defence the 50 was up off just 82 balls .

Follow on saved and a hundred partnership looking good or so I thought till Straussie holed out to Saxelby off the bowling of Lewis for 43 off 69 balls with 6 4’s.(77-1).Portrait and the Kid edged the score on and when Billy got to 34 the cheer from the home balcony was bigger than the one for Marshall’s first(and last) single in the morning. A wave of the bat to the boys shows he has a sense of humour even when things are not as good in the runs department as they were last year. A hard flashed 4 over the fielders from Billy saw the 100 up and half an hour of overtime for the bowlers saw Middlesex close day one on 106-1.Godleman 40 not out , Joyce 22 not out.

For a day that started out under grey skies with the new skipper losing the toss it didn’t turn out too bad at all .  Of all the performances for me Richo’s took the biscuit by tea time.