Story Warwickshire CCC - Time to turn things around

[Aussie Team]

Roll on
August 15, 2011

We have the new kit for the first time in Thursday's match against Somerset in the LV = County Cricket Championship. In this time, we've had the T-Shirts, we've tidied round the edges of the club, we've persuaded ourselves we were doing something valuable and important for the season ahead. We've collaborated with Lotto and the traditional cream four-day kit, the gold one-day outfit and the black Twenty20 strip. "has designed a playing kit that we think will make our competitors envious." - Ed McCabe. The team can't wait to pull on the shirts and show their support in this unique way. In addition, we are delighted to welcome Lotto to the official family of partners, alongside Pinsent Masons, ahead of the hugely successful county competition which begins its second year on Thursday, April 14. Their reputation is second to none. We would also like to thank Pinsent Masons for their excellent contribution during the last four years.​

 

[Prats]

Nice looking kits here AT. I wish Warwickshire good to beat Somerset in next match.

 

[Fenil]

I liked the kits. T20 one is the best of the lot. Hope Warwickshire beats their rivals in the upcoming game.

 

[Dipak]

Well it seems that KSK and SKIN are fired as the sponsors.
But the kits are top class

 

[Aussie Team]

Heating up in Taunton
August 25, 2011

Jonathan Trott made his second invaluable score with 106​

Somerset: Marcus Trescothick* ; Craig Kieswetter? ; James Hildreth ; Arul Suppiah ; Nick Compton ; Peter Trego ; Jos Buttler ;
Ajantha Mendis ; Gemaal Hussain ; Steven Kirby ; Charl Willoughby

Warwickshire: William Porterfield ; Varun Chopra ; Jonathan Trott ; Jim Troughton * ; Ian Bell ; Rikki Clarke ; Tim Ambrose? ;
Chris Woakes ; Andre Nel ; Andrew Miller ; Boyd Rankin

Inspirational day of weather beckoned of our first LV = County Cricket Championship against Somerset at Taunton. On the face of it, it may not appear there was much out of the ordinary. The past couple of weeks have been spent at the Taunton where we have undergone to train and unfortunately Ian Westwood wasn?t selected when the team was announced that evening, which I was disappointed about. Winning the toss and batting first proved unlikely the sort of day they had in mind. It appeared unwieldy when Jonathan Trott came to the crease in the middle of a spell of three wickets that left us tottering on 89 for three - Gemaal Hussain on removing William Porterfield and Varun Chopra followed shortly, being caught at second slip by Gemaal Hussain off Ajantha Mendis.

Jim Troughton, dropped before he had scored and on four, took 28 balls to get off the mark, while Trott played some excellent attacking strokes scoring 28 from 31 deliveries. Jim Troughton got a thin edge on an attempted pull to be caught behind of Kieswetter with just 17 runs added to Trego. Perhaps we should not have been surprised, in a game containing more ups and downs than a day, that should choose the depths of 103 for three as the starting point for another spirited recovery.

We resumed on 103 for three on the evening, Trott then found a partner in Ian Bell, their partnership approaching an half-century. In the 47th over Bell twice drove Kirby to the cover boundary then edged a third through the slips. Trott was unbeaten on 43, and, after rain had delayed the resumption until 2.20 pm, he took three more boundaries off the second over of the afternoon session from Charl Willoughby whose 57 was his fifty half-century of the season. Rikki Clarke was typically positive in scoring 39 runs off 49 deliveries, with five fours, and together the pair dug out of a hole. When he swung into the stand moments after reaching 50, fans must have known it was going to be our day. Somerset bowled too loosely from the Old Pavilion End. Looking back on it, They offered too much width to batsmen who thrive on it.

It is unlikely that the 108 Trott made against Durham UCCE at Emirates Durham ICG was any more impressive than his unbeaten 106 today, which occupied 185 balls before got a thin edge on an attempted pull to be caught behind off Kirby. The batsmen were soon struggling on a pitch still offering some assistance as seamer Hussain claimed the wicket of Rikki Clarke for 62. Tim Ambrose settled for a period of defence and needed 24 balls to get off the mark with a single into the leg side.

Shortly after the restart, Steven Kirby trapped Chris Woakes lbw for 17, Andre Nel was undone, was adjudged lbw playing well forward to Hildreth - by the time heavy rain ended play.

Warwickshire - 314/8
Tim Ambrose - 23* (88)
Ajantha Mendis - 2/68 (23)
Steven Kirby - 2/83 (24)​

 

[Prats]

The current score isn't that bad. Also Ambrose is well-settled now.

 

[Fenil]

Its a decent score on the board. Trott played a good innings. Tim Ambrose is batting like Jason Gillespie here.

 

[Aussie Team]

Time to turn things around
August 32, 2011

Tim Ambrose and Andrew Miller continued accruing at a steady rate, Tim Ambrose kept away from the strike for two overs. In trying to scamper runs with a batsman back in the hutch, Andrew Miller was well bowled by a full-length delivery by Gemaal Hussain before the remaining wicket fell in the space of four overs. Right-arm spinner Ajantha Mendis claimed his 200th first-class victim of his career by bowling Boyd Rankin. Gemaal Hussain was the pick of the Somerset bowlers with 3-76 from his 28 overs.

Weather ; Scorecard ; Partnership ; Run rate

-----------------------------

Second Innings: Somerset

Marcus Trescothick troops off for nine​

Although there was little at stake for either side other than pride, we had achieved three batting point but the innings. The ball swung around a hell of a lot which brought LBWs into play. The ball was swinging, which is key, and control is if anything a bit sharper than it was when Rankin came in off with an old long run. At the moment this key technical change seems to have worked because the bowlers bowling good areas and physically it is benefiting. We even hoping it will put a couple of extra sessions.

The first wicket yielded only 14 and this was followed by a stand of 43, Marcus Trescothick attempted to cut Rankin and was bowled for nine from 30 balls. Rain stopped play into the morning session, forcing an early lunch and costing seven overs.

End of the session

52 runs in 20 overs
1 wicket ; Run rate: 2.6

-----------------------------

James Hildreth's unbeaten 129* helped Somerset to move on​

Resuming on 52 for one, Somerset opener Kieswetter and Hildreth showed great resolve throughout much of the second session to churn out a first-wicket stand worth 96. Kieswetter did his utmost to accelerate the scoring rate with four boundaries in a cameo 38 until he fell to Miller, superbly caught by Troughton, diving forward at short-leg. James Hildreth was soon at his most fluent, however, pulling and cutting Andre Nel for successive boundaries as he reached his 38 half-century in his career.

He shared a third-wicket stand of 41 with Arul Suppiah, who made 19. Hildreth took Somerset to 100 in the 38th over with a cut for four off Andrew Miller. Fifteen overs later, the home side had 150 on the board thanks to some clean hitting both down the ground and over extra-cover from Hildreth.

End of the session

99 runs in 32 overs
1 wicket ; Run rate: 3.09

-----------------------------

Somerset were deep in the mire as early as tea,
when Woakes dismissed Tergo​

At one stage the home side had looked to be plummeting to a below-par total - A collapse set in as they stumbled to 217 for five and then to 225 for eight. Suppiah's attractive innings was ended when he was bowled charging down the wicket to Rikki Clarke, who then pinned Nick Compton for golden duck chased a ball outside off stump and edged to third slip, while Hildreth also hung his bat out eleven overs. Trott held an excellent diving catch at fourth slip. It went from bad to worse when Peter Trego, who on 7 was just threatening to get going, trapped lbw. Woakes bowled round the wicket and brings the ball back into the right-handed, so you have to be alert all the time. Has the ball pitched in line? Is it too high? The umpire take a couple of seconds to think about the LBW shout and was given out.

He then had Joe Buttler lbw in the space of nine balls. Hilderth, meanwhile, lifted Clarke straight for four and looked in determined mood as he sought a 22nd century faced 266 balls, hitting 19 boundaries. He was at the crease for 15 minutes short of four hours, facing 244 balls and scored 129 of his runs from 45 well-struck boundaries. Mendis perished for two when he tried to flick Andre Nel to leg and was adjudged caught off Porterfield at second slip. Later Hussain went down the pitch to Woakes and flipped a simple catch to Troughton at short-leg. Heavy rain then began to fall for a prolonged period.​

End of the session

99 runs in 32 overs
6 wickets ; Run rate: 3.09

 

[Dipak]

Hildreth is the key and Warwickshire need to get him out. Great presentation

 

[Fenil]

Hilderth played an excellent innings under pressure. He's still there so it will be vital what his approach would be with the tail-enders. I guess he'll go bang bang.

 

[Dipak]

Joe Buttler

Small correction needed here. It is Jos Buttler

 

[Prats]

Nicely presented. Hildreth looks well settled now. It'll be a tough job to remove him.