The downsides of my job are considerable, for a cricket obsessive. Two weekends a month written off (unless I choose to take annual leave), and sometimes another one due to having worked a night shift on a Friday. On the plus side, I get random free weekdays. What else to do on a sunny Tuesday than mosey down to the Oval and watch an unremarkable day of county cricket? My pal Ek is similarly at a loose end so I'm not alone - for a brief moment there I was about to suggest I wouldn't have taken this sojourn if I'd had to go there on my tod.
Ah, what a wonderful place the Oval is. It lacks the portentousness of Lord's, but the weight of history towers over it, like the skeletons of the gas holders that have stood there since it staged its first Test in 1880. It's the cricketer's cricket ground, for me - far more personal. We head straight into the shop and coo over the swanky new equipment. Just outside, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams is on his mobile phone, setting up business deals from the sound of it. During the lunch break, Alec Stewart, Dirk Nannes and Alex Tudor have a little practise on a strip a few yards from the boundary. Henry Blofeld is outside the back of the pavilion, signing copies of his book.
But we're ostensibly here to watch Surrey play Glamorgan - two second division stragglers. Seems a little odd to say that, but both are teams in a state of upheaval. Glamorgan have recently lost their captain, Jamie Dalrymple, who was sacked/walked out after the new captain, Alviro Petersen, was drafted in as a fait accompli. Surrey's annus horriblis, for their part, came in 2008, when they were relegated to Division 2. In 2009 Rory Hamilton-Brown was appointed captain at the age of 22.
We finally take our seats with Glamorgan on about 40-1. Will Bragg, the wicketkeeper, and Petersen are making steady progress. Jade Dernbach is bowling from the Pavilion End and Tim Linley from the Vauxhall End. Linley is evidently in the side due to Chris Tremlett's call up for the Test squad, and has something of the journeyman about him (as his career shows); a lanky seamer with a high, not particularly dynamic action, he's Tremlett-lite. A perfect player for a second division team - he'll reel off 30 overs in an innings and not go over four an over.
He's replaced by Chris Jordan, who has something of Alex Tudor in his action - though he's a little shorter and a bit whippier - he soon cracks Petersen in the box with a nasty lifter. There's a very, very lengthy delay. The physio runs on - so far as I can see all he can do is stand over him and offer words of sympathy. Jordan is bowling quickly now, and follows up with a bouncer that clears the keeper and shoots for four byes.
It's Zander de Bruyn who makes the breakthrough. Tall, with a decent action, he looks a handy bowler for a number four batsman. He traps Wagg well forward. The new batsman, Mike Powell, comes in and immediately looks in all sorts of trouble, playing and missing repeatedly. Mark Ramprakash, from third man, shouts encouragement to the bowler: 'Let's take this chance boys.' 41 years of age, Ramprakash jogs a little stiffly between fielding positions these days, but as soon as the bowler runs in he still slinks swiftly towards the wicket like a man trying not to be heard. Soon Hamilton-Brown is setting two fields, offering Petersen singles either side of the wicket to get Powell on strike, as if he were a number eleven. Cruel, but probably the right option.
Thus far the game has drifted along - both Petersen and Wagg had been happy to make their runs off the back foot, rarely driving at the ball and leaving well, but in the last ten minutes of the session the combination of Jordan from the Pavilion End and Dernbach from the Vauxhall End sparks things to life. Dernbach is playing on the back of an impressive performance for England Lions against Sri Lanka, and on this evidence it's easy to see why he's in the international reckoning. With a smooth, easy approach to the wicket, he has a beautiful action - he keeps a high front arm, but he's still very whippy:
He nearly scones both batsmen on a number of occasions - they both manage to jerk their heads out of the way at the very last minute - and has Powell, who at this point looks like he's going to struggle to get past ten, in all sorts of bother outside off stump. Such is the ebb and flow of a county match - an hour of almost nothing, and then a sudden burst of adrenaline among players and crowd alike.
We take our lunch, and have a wander onto the outfield. Having seen the pitch, Glamorgan have batted very well, I reckon:
We do the usual sauntering around, inevitably end up at the bar, and go for the cider option. Back out after tea, and the game is once again drifting. Petersen had reached a wholly unremarkable 50, but now he begins to open up. His stroke play isn't what you'd call flamboyant, but he's extremely well-organised. His punched straight drives off the returning Linley are a joy, and when Gareth Batty comes on (soon generating tuts from my Indian off-spinning co-spectator, so little is he willing to flight it) his second ball is unceremoniously dumped over midwicket for six into the stand.
Powell has started to play too, and one of his drives through wide long-on is the shot of the day. Petersen's ton comes up after four overthrows - a mighty effort, over the keeper's head from longish-on. Former English great leg-spinning hope Chris Schofield comes on - his first ball is a preposterously slow long hop that brings groans from the crowd even before the batsman has swung through it and the ball has clattered into the boundary boards. Linley comes back, and Petersen hooks him twice through the leg side. Rather hard to see where Surrey can turn from here. Their seamers have been unlucky, but they've also bowled too short. I take my leave with Glamorgan 220-2, and in my opinion one team are in all sorts of bother. Looks like I was right.
Wonderful day. Can't think of a better way to have spent it. And a great purchase in the shop, too:
Ah, what a wonderful place the Oval is. It lacks the portentousness of Lord's, but the weight of history towers over it, like the skeletons of the gas holders that have stood there since it staged its first Test in 1880. It's the cricketer's cricket ground, for me - far more personal. We head straight into the shop and coo over the swanky new equipment. Just outside, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams is on his mobile phone, setting up business deals from the sound of it. During the lunch break, Alec Stewart, Dirk Nannes and Alex Tudor have a little practise on a strip a few yards from the boundary. Henry Blofeld is outside the back of the pavilion, signing copies of his book.
But we're ostensibly here to watch Surrey play Glamorgan - two second division stragglers. Seems a little odd to say that, but both are teams in a state of upheaval. Glamorgan have recently lost their captain, Jamie Dalrymple, who was sacked/walked out after the new captain, Alviro Petersen, was drafted in as a fait accompli. Surrey's annus horriblis, for their part, came in 2008, when they were relegated to Division 2. In 2009 Rory Hamilton-Brown was appointed captain at the age of 22.
We finally take our seats with Glamorgan on about 40-1. Will Bragg, the wicketkeeper, and Petersen are making steady progress. Jade Dernbach is bowling from the Pavilion End and Tim Linley from the Vauxhall End. Linley is evidently in the side due to Chris Tremlett's call up for the Test squad, and has something of the journeyman about him (as his career shows); a lanky seamer with a high, not particularly dynamic action, he's Tremlett-lite. A perfect player for a second division team - he'll reel off 30 overs in an innings and not go over four an over.
He's replaced by Chris Jordan, who has something of Alex Tudor in his action - though he's a little shorter and a bit whippier - he soon cracks Petersen in the box with a nasty lifter. There's a very, very lengthy delay. The physio runs on - so far as I can see all he can do is stand over him and offer words of sympathy. Jordan is bowling quickly now, and follows up with a bouncer that clears the keeper and shoots for four byes.
It's Zander de Bruyn who makes the breakthrough. Tall, with a decent action, he looks a handy bowler for a number four batsman. He traps Wagg well forward. The new batsman, Mike Powell, comes in and immediately looks in all sorts of trouble, playing and missing repeatedly. Mark Ramprakash, from third man, shouts encouragement to the bowler: 'Let's take this chance boys.' 41 years of age, Ramprakash jogs a little stiffly between fielding positions these days, but as soon as the bowler runs in he still slinks swiftly towards the wicket like a man trying not to be heard. Soon Hamilton-Brown is setting two fields, offering Petersen singles either side of the wicket to get Powell on strike, as if he were a number eleven. Cruel, but probably the right option.
Thus far the game has drifted along - both Petersen and Wagg had been happy to make their runs off the back foot, rarely driving at the ball and leaving well, but in the last ten minutes of the session the combination of Jordan from the Pavilion End and Dernbach from the Vauxhall End sparks things to life. Dernbach is playing on the back of an impressive performance for England Lions against Sri Lanka, and on this evidence it's easy to see why he's in the international reckoning. With a smooth, easy approach to the wicket, he has a beautiful action - he keeps a high front arm, but he's still very whippy:
He nearly scones both batsmen on a number of occasions - they both manage to jerk their heads out of the way at the very last minute - and has Powell, who at this point looks like he's going to struggle to get past ten, in all sorts of bother outside off stump. Such is the ebb and flow of a county match - an hour of almost nothing, and then a sudden burst of adrenaline among players and crowd alike.
We take our lunch, and have a wander onto the outfield. Having seen the pitch, Glamorgan have batted very well, I reckon:
Green, very green.
We do the usual sauntering around, inevitably end up at the bar, and go for the cider option. Back out after tea, and the game is once again drifting. Petersen had reached a wholly unremarkable 50, but now he begins to open up. His stroke play isn't what you'd call flamboyant, but he's extremely well-organised. His punched straight drives off the returning Linley are a joy, and when Gareth Batty comes on (soon generating tuts from my Indian off-spinning co-spectator, so little is he willing to flight it) his second ball is unceremoniously dumped over midwicket for six into the stand.
Powell has started to play too, and one of his drives through wide long-on is the shot of the day. Petersen's ton comes up after four overthrows - a mighty effort, over the keeper's head from longish-on. Former English great leg-spinning hope Chris Schofield comes on - his first ball is a preposterously slow long hop that brings groans from the crowd even before the batsman has swung through it and the ball has clattered into the boundary boards. Linley comes back, and Petersen hooks him twice through the leg side. Rather hard to see where Surrey can turn from here. Their seamers have been unlucky, but they've also bowled too short. I take my leave with Glamorgan 220-2, and in my opinion one team are in all sorts of bother. Looks like I was right.
Wonderful day. Can't think of a better way to have spent it. And a great purchase in the shop, too:
Thanks for inviting me :(
ReplyDeleteI assumed you were working!
ReplyDeleteMy last trip to a county game was the last day of Warks v Lancs at Edgbaston in 2007. The game was petering out to a draw and I managed to miss the two highlights of the day, which were a wicket (fruitless search for somewhere selling beer) and Mal Loye reaching his ton (bending down to get a sandwich). Inspiring stuff.
ReplyDelete