***Essex vs YORKSHIRE, Nat-West Semi Final, 5th July 2008***

Seeing as I have no chance of getting a game in today - lets get excited about this one!

JKL's boys off to a decent start 41/0 off 10 on a good track.

Yorkshire's bowling attack: Hoggard, Bresnan, Gough, Rana Naved, Rashid & McGrath should have wickets in them, but Essex have England hopefuls Cook, Bopara and Foster to strengthen their batting.

Let battle commence...

Watched this for a couple of hours. Cook run out brilliantly for 95 - a dour 95, I must add. Bopara looks scratchy as anything with leading edges, plays and misses against Rashid. Generally all over the place and has just gone too. Essex have scored too slowly and it looks like it could cost them with a procession of wickets towards the end. A lot lies with Napier, I suppose.

Well Napier did his stuff - 61 off 34 balls.

I'd certainly have taken 285-8 at the start.

No doubt the Yorkies are good enough to chase that down as our pace attack is non-existant. Interesting we've gone with 3 spinners and a dry pitch. They'll have to get more out of the deck than Rashid did...

Get Rudolph and McGrath out cheaply and you win the game...

By the way - what on earth is going on with these speed guns?

Napier - 89.1mph, I think not. But even more outrageously Darren Gough was measured at 90.3mph.

In his mid to late 90s pomp he barely got above 85mph on those old Cornhill Direct speed guns, now Sky are claiming at almost 38 and trundling up to the stumps he's put on an extra 5mph? I think not.

142-2 - all down to how Yorks play the slower bowlers over the last 15 overs, could go any way....

Napier regularly clocks 85mph, 89 seems to be stretching it a touch.

Skys speed guns are definitely farked - Flintoff was pinging batsmen on the head in the Lancs/Sussex game yet was being regularly clocked in the low 80's

Bugger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...

Ok, now you're farked....

The final match-up then:

Southern c.u.n.t.s. vs Southern c.u.n.t.s.

140-1 to 198ao

Oh dear.

Angela .... I am SOOOOO sorry! (backatcha!)

Well, I was there today ... albeit only for the second innings, so I missed Napier's latest tour de force.

Impressions:

Angela and Geoffrey: you have way too many bit players in there..... (back at Geoffrey too ) ... Brophy is not a Number 5 until he gets a bit of luck (as gifted by Lancs) and gets going. And after that, it is all bowlers you have. You need a decent number 5. As it was, a house of cards. It is one thing to be tied down by Danish - but to be skittled by ten Doeschate and Masters ... hmmm.

Rudolph is a cut above. He only got 5, the scoreboard says. But he moves into position so fast, he gives himself time for a proper shot. He was out far too early (for him - too late for Yorks) swinging in desperation, when the rest had collapsed around him.

The openers for Yorks were none too imposing. They scored runs at not far from the required rate, but it took Gale a long time to look anyway comfortable or fluent, and the other lad looked like a seriously hungover crab on a beach in everything he did, batting, standing, running. Maybe just nervous. Maybe he will grow into something other than a morale-booster to the opposition.

I was not at all impressed with McGrath's innings. He eventually got swinging, hit about 4 long-on sixes I think, and somehow got to 50. But he took about a dozen balls to score at all, constipated the batting (slowing Gale) for too long, and gave Essex the initiative.

I applauded Goughie all the way. A bitter pill for him - he had obviously fancied his side's chances this time round. Strange to think of him bowing out at the end of this season. Yorks will have to go some to give him something to remember in his last year.

I hope Hoggy pushes his way back into England's team - but perhaps not ODIs. He is as plucky and availing as ever - the one-day scene is just not his forte.


For Essex, I was surprised how weak Ali Cook's throws looked in the field. He has a certain charisma, though, a certain mark of greatness about him (didn't see him bat).

Pettini seems a good judge of bowling changes. Easy to say in retrospect when they have paid off, obviously. But at no time (apart from Masters' opening over, which went for 10 or 11!) did Yorks look like seizing the initiative. He seemed to juggle his options well.

Danish is a mighty bowler, and a TERRIBLY slow fielder!! Heavens above.
ten Doeschate, on the other hand, reminds me of ... wait for it, Lever ... Luke Wright in the field. Livewire, fast, willing, runsaver, and an inspiration to his team.

From the look of Yorkshire's innings, Napier deservedly won the MOM award. I heard it, didn't see it, but it seems that that took the game and momentum away from the visitors when they had Essex relatively well controlled. It was always a long stretch then, given that Yorks do not have a class batting line-up, Rudolph (very much) apart.

One final impression was that Yorks wear far too tight arses on their trousers. McGrath and Bresnan were almost busting out of theirs. That cannot be good for you.

Augustus wrote:The final match-up then:

Southern c.u.n.t.s. vs Southern c.u.n.t.s.

It's the Dartford tunnel Derby!!! Yay!!

No northern moonkeys beering it up darn sarf for the day

Plenty of stoned Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee--ggguwwwwwwwwwwzz though, by 'sound o' it, JK!

What was a lanky lanky lancashoire fan doing at fortress Chelmo?