Comprehensive and proud is the only way you can describe the Steelbacks’ powerful victory over the Durham Dynamos in the t20 quarter-final.
A brilliant night for all at a packed County Ground! Heading into the T20 campaign, the then Stillbottoms had won just three of their last 27 t20s.
Now we are in finals day, Tuesday night testament to what David Smith, Alex Wakely and David Ripley have achieved. I honor them the most, as the nucleus of the players were the same lot that didn’t pull for Capel to produce those pathetic three wins to earn the derision of the crowd. Isn’t winning fun guys!
So what’s going on? I think it’s simple (as I told the groundsman). Give the fans flat pitches, find someone who can belt the ball and hope for sunshine and you will pack the grounds and win. We got all three. Few teams lose that score 160 first up. Hopefully the days of worn slow turners are over at Wantage Road.
The ambush of the members with a £2.50 admin charge denied the team the maximum 6,000 crowd but still an impressive in tough times.
IT savvy members could have ordered a ticket with a smartphone at the same ticket desk to avoid the £2.50.
The sports editor’s mum of this paper has fired off a missive to the club in disgust. But I reckon Smudger has plans to make Twenty20 group games all pay, like Essex, and so a line in the sand being drawn here.
A £2.50 voucher for members to spend on the ground in good faith would be appropriate! I get that we need the money and a great chance to make some but why didn’t he just price it at £20 for the members first up?
Northants hit first and almost the perfect innings on a likewise pitch and evening, 183 about par, again all about partnerships as guys get in and the run rate increases.
Willey (46) reveled opening, eagerly swooshing away, 89-0 the way to start a quarter-final.
Coetzer also impressed with 46 and Cameron White did the rest as the Defacto captain blasted eight mighty boundaries in his 27-ball match-winning 50.
Durham were never really in it once Mustard was out for 46 half-way although Stokes may have won it if he had come in earlier, creaming an impressive 51* off 33 balls, matching Cameron White. In the end our fourth highest score on the ground was too much, Daggett the star with the ball with a bizarre 1-13 off four. It’s off to Edgbaston we go! Well played boys.
The other question this week was could Northants win a championship game without Trent Copeland? It was almost answered against a poor looking Gloucestershire side this week at the County Ground but rain and a ludicrously flat pitch putting off a decision.
Even the fracking companies wouldn’t fancy blasting through this slab of the midlands mantle!
It was a strong Ripley side put out but the match dominated by the bat. Gloucestershire seemed to be on the way to a big score with Hamish Marshall taking an impressive hundred off the tiring attack on a grassless pitch to sit comfortably on 306-4, Willey demonstrably not happy that the groundsman had not supplied a result pitch to set up him and Azhar Ullah, letting his feelings be known with another strop.
It was almost as if Ripley played it safe until the Caped Crusader Copes returns!
But Az turned things around by removing Marshall for 145 and the last six wickets pleasingly fell for 52 with all the seamers putting in a good shift on that tough top.
The highlight of the day was the Gloucestershire fans in fancy dress, at one point out in the middle seeing Paul the groundsman (not grumpy Paul) discussing seed depths with a cardboard robot and Marge Simpson!
Northants’ reply was magnificently dominant, the returning and in-form Peters (87) putting on 170 with Coetzer for the first wicket. This was our highest opening partnership for a quite while and very encouraging these two have gelled, Coetzer cracking another hundred.
This could be the cure for our top five collapses from now on in. At the tea interval Wendell pushed for inclusion in the quarter-final with an impromptu fitness test on the outfield, Azhar teasing our giant spin bowling mascot by having him bowl off 35 yards, much to the mirth of the crowd, baying for Azhar to bowl at Wendell. 48-year-old Wendell GENUINELY thinks he should be playing in the side. He just edges it over Spriegel for me.
But the highlight of the day was a sumptuous hundred by Sales, rolling back the years with gorgeous cuts, pulls and drives. It was the perfect championship century. What a stylist he is. Problem is he has been playing himself in through April, May, June and July, averaging just 12, 40 his previous top score. If he was 18 and stroking that ton you would be very excited and waving contracts but he simply takes too long to get going now, like your granddad getting out of his favorite chair, Sales afforded the luxury of waiting for the flattest pitch of the year to score. But sitting tenth in the all-time list of century makers for Northants with 27 he demands respect.
Day three and four were rain-affected as the attention turned to Tuesday, but time enough for Sales to post his eighth score of over 200 to set the declaration at 567-4, his quite brilliant 255* coming off just 279 balls, sharing a 170 stand with Hall (55*) to close the innings.
David Smith now has a decision to make he probably didn’t want, perhaps one for the departing chairman Martin Lawrence to make instead.
Will Sales get an 18th year at Northampton in 2014 at the age of 36?
I don’t think he will and the selection of Duckett over Sales for the prestigious Twenty20 quarter-final tells me he is not wanted anymore, even though Sales the power hitting call on a central pitch.
Gloucestershire enjoyed some batting practice to close out the draw on 227-1 with Dent (129*) and Klinger (79) putting on 190 for their first wicket.
Good bonus point draw, but no more of those pitches please Mr Marshall!