ALASTAIR COOK AND JAIK MICKLEBURGH GIVE A SOLID START TO ESSEX AGAINST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Centuries from Alastair Cook and Jaik Mickleburgh put Essex into a very dominant position against Northamptonshire in a County Championship Division Two match, at the County Ground Northampton in England. The visitors ended day-one of the four-day match at 345 for the loss of just six wickets.

Essex’s captain James Foster chose to bat first after winning the toss, as the pitch was conducive for the batsmen. He expected his team to post a big first innings total, in order to pressurise the home team.

However, the start to the visitors’ innings wasn’t an ideal one. Opening batsman Billy Godleman was unable to make an impression, as he was sent back to the pavilion early in the match, scoring just four runs. His opening partner Cook was joined by the team’s first-drop Mickleburgh and the pair took the game away fromNorthamptonshire.

Both batsmen played sensible cricket and didn’t play a single reckless shot in the innings. They put together a massive partnership of 258 runs for the second wicket, guiding their team to 264.

The marathon partnership finally came to an end, as the Essex’s first-drop was dismissed after scoring a ton. He managed 112 runs in his innings off 205 balls with the help of 15 fours and one big six. His wicket brought England’s player Ravi Bopara at the crease, who constructed a half-century stand with Cook.

The left-handed opener was dismissed after playing a brilliant innings of 155 runs from 235 balls. He struck 20 fours in his superb knock and showed no mercy for the bowlers of the opposition.

Bopara looked good in the middle, but was unable to make the most of the start he got to his innings. He was dismissed after scoring 31 runs off 64 balls, hitting three fours and one six.

Two more wickets fell before the close of play, as Matt Walker and David Masters were sent back to the hut. They scored five and zero before getting out. Mark Pettini and the Essex captain were unbeaten on eight and five respectively when the final session of play was over.

Although the day belonged to the visitors, there was some fresh air for the Northamptonshire bowlers towards the end of the final session’s play. Essex lost four wickets for just 11 runs and the momentum shifted towards the hosts in the final few overs of the day.

Veteran Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas was the pick of the bowlers for his team, taking three wickets in the innings. He got good support from Jack Brooks, who sent two batsmen back to the pavilion.

Read More

Middlesex defeat Essex in a one-sided affair

Middlesex cruised to an eight wicket win in a match of the County Championship Division Two against Essex, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in England. The hosts were given a target of 54 runs, which they achieved easily for the loss of just two wickets. Middlesex scored 277 and 54 for two (end of match) whereas Essex managed 115 and 215 in the match.

James Foster elected to field first after winning the toss for Essex, but his decision proved to be a wrong one. The wicket had some assistance for the bowlers, but the hosts batted well for their 277 runs in their first innings.

Middlesex’s openers, Scott Newman and Chris Rogers, got off to a very good start, scoring 65 runs for the first wicket. They got out after getting starts of 38 and 25 runs respectively. Wickets started to tumble after the openers got out and the home team was struggling at 115 for five at one stage.

However, wicket-keeper batsman, John Simpson, and middle-order batsman, Gareth Berg, batted sensibly for a 66 run partnership. They scored 32 and 34 runs respectively, but failed to carry onto the start they got to their innings.

Lower-order batsmen, Ollie Rayner and Steven Finn, did a good job for their team, scoring 32 runs each. There was no half-century scored in the Middlesex innings, but they still managed to score close to 300 in the first innings.

Reece Topley was phenomenal with the ball in his hand, as he took five wickets for the visitors.

Essex batsmen were unable to post a threat to their opponents, as only five players reached double figures. Tom Westley was the top scorer with 36 runs whereas star opener, Alastair Cook, was the second highest scorer with 19 runs.

Middlesex’s attack bowler, Tim Murtagh, gave away a few runs, but he took four wickets in the innings. The visitors had to come out to bat once again, as the home team captain, Neil Dexter, imposed the follow on.

The second innings for the visitors was better compared to their first outing, but they were not able to post a serious threat to Middlesex. Westley was yet again the leading run scorer for his team, collecting 59 runs. Apart from him, Jaik Mickleburgh looked good for his 41 runs.

The South African born, Gareth Berg, was the pick of the bowlers for his team in the second innings, claiming four wickets. Middlesex required only 54 runs for victory after some good performances by their bowlers.

Although the hosts lost two quick wickets in their run chase, opener Newman guided his team to victory with an unbeaten 38 runs off 31 balls. Dawid Malan was the other not out batsmen, scoring 12 runs.

Read More

KENT OVERCOME ESSEX IN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO

Kent overcome Essex in County Championship Division Two

Kent defeated Essex by 57 runs in a closely fought game of the County Championship Division Two, at the County Ground, Chelmsford in England on Monday. Chasing 285 runs for victory, the hosts were bowled out for 227 in their second innings on the final day’s play.

Earlier, Kent amassed 247 runs in their first innings after electing to bat first. The highlight of the innings was a terrific ton by first-drop batsman Sam Northeast. He scored 112 runs off 170 balls, hitting ten fours and two sixes.

Maurice Chambers bowled well for Essex, taking three wickets in the visitors first innings.

In reply to Kent's first innings total, the hosts got off to a dismal start. However, an unbeaten 88 by Essex captain James Foster guided the team’s total to 201, giving some hope to the side.

Kent scored 238 runs in their second innings and their first innings lead of 46 runs helped them post a target of 285 runs for the home team. The captain of the visiting team, Robert Key, and seasoned campaignerMartin van Jaarsveld scored half-centuries for their team.

Teenager Reece Topley was the pick of the bowlers for his team, taking his maiden five wicket haul for Essex.

Billy Godleman and Alastair Cook started the chase on a positive note for the home team. The pair put together 60 runs for the first wicket before Cook was sent back to the pavilion. The star player scored 31 runs off 51 balls in his innings. His wicket was followed by Jaik Mickleburgh, who managed to add only four runs to the total.

The fall of two quick wickets brought Ravi Bopara to the middle, who managed a 57-run stand with Godleman for the third wicket. However, the Essex opener got out after scoring a valiant 58 runs with the help of nine fours.

After that, none of the Essex batsman managed to make a big impression, and kept on losing wickets after getting starts. Bopara got out after scoring 39 runs whereas Foster managed just 21 runs in his innings. Topley was the last wicket to fall in the day, giving Kent a solid victory.

Fast bowler Robbie Joseph was exceptional with the ball, taking four wickets in the final innings of the match.

Read More