Away Day: Somerset v Middlesex

Following the disappointing loss to Surrey the previous night the middlegless lot were looking forward to visiting another part of the country and a mini break in the west country.

The group arrived at Reading station late on Saturday afternoon to make the trip to Taunton. Having friends who lived in Somerset as well as being Somerset fans meant that this was a trip which had to be made and soon the group were speeding westwards towards Taunton.

We're off

Staying hydrated

Lovely countryside

A long way from London

Arriving at Taunton P (Somerset fan) was waiting to collect us and drive us towards the coast and where the group were staying. Once the group had settled in, it was time for dinner in the form of an indian takeaway washed down with some 'cold drinks'. Following dinner it was time for N, T and P to head to stones pub in town whilst E headed off to the cricket club and to meet his friends. Pictures from this night are subject to a confidentiality agreement and will not be published. 

The following morning it was bacon sandwiches followed by the short journey to Taunton to meet other Somerset fans who were also heading to the game over a spot of lunch. Sadly it was chucking it down when we arrived and we were not only soaked but learned of a delay to the game whilst the outfield was dried (where's Lord's drainage system when you need it!). 

Once it had dried up the group made the short walk to the rather lovely country ground. On the way in we were greeted by free samples of the rather nice St Austell's Tribute much to the delight of T who happens to rather enjoy this beer. 

The ground

Get the flag out!

Team:McCullum, Barber, Eskinazi, Finn, Franklin, Gubbins, Helm, Higgins, Morgan, Patel, Scott, Simpson, Southee, Sowter

With the game reduced to 16 overs a side thanks to the weather the middle were in need of a fast start and that's exactly what they didn't get with McCullum falling for 7 off 2 overs. Simpson then managed to run the free scoring Gubbins out for 21. Enter Morgan who managed to send 3 balls out of the ground as he smashed his way to 59 before being caught. The middle finished on 162-6 on what looked like a challenging wicket to bat on leading to all agreeing this was a good score. 

Urm? We came to watch cricket

Sun at last!

Somerset appeared to start brightly until Helm took and fantastic catch of his own bowling to dismiss  Gregory for 25 with Finn then sending Allenby on his way back to the pavilion for 11. The difficult Hildreth offered good resistance until he was caught by Simpson off Helms bowling for 63. This had put Somerset into a good position taking the game into the last over. Unfortunately for the middle Somerset got the runs. 

Following the game it was off to the nearby Plough for post match refreshments. This pub didn't look like much from the outside but inside contained a wonderful selection of Cider! All were happy with this choice. 

Small but fantastic

Following the post match refreshments it was into a Taxi back to the groups accommodation stopping for supper on the way (in another pub), before venturing to Wetherspoons before bed. 

The next morning it was a walk for E whilst N and T attended to business matters. Following lunch it was a lazy afternoon before P took the group back to Taunton where they bored the train back to London. 

Next Up: Essex at Lords! (Post to come soon!)

E

Away Day: Surrey v Middlesex

Sorry for the delay to this post. It's been a hectic few days.

Following on from the previous days victory against Kent, Middlelegless were looking forward to the game at the Oval and were feeling confident.

Arriving into Vauxhall in the late afternoon the group headed to the lovely but busy Black Dog. T went to get the first drinks in whilst E and N headed outside to find a perch.

Packed!

Clock or a window?

Heaving

T returned from the bar with the first round and found E and N engaged in a discussion about a certain gentlemen across the road standing outside the pub. Said gentlemen was wearing odd socks and no shoes. All were puzzled by this which led to a debate on why he had no shoes on and odd socks. 

Any ideas? 

Following the drinks the group decided it would be easier to head to the ground for a pre match drink rather than queue up again so the short walk to the Oval was made. This turned out to be a good call as on he way to the ground the group past the beehive which was so full it looked as if no one could move inside. 

Entering the ground via the Vauxhall end, the group purchased refreshments (including a G and T for N from the fever tree bar!) and then headed up into the OCS stand to take our seats for the match. 

In position

The match began with Surrey starting brightly with Roy and Finch putting on a respectable partnership. Roy then fell to a decent catch from Malan off the bowling of Sowter and then emerged Pietersen. After facing his first delivery from Finn, a farce then ensued. Pietersen then demanded a runner as the injury he had been tested for before the game apparently had flared up again (a likely story). Whilst the umpires were consulting the 2 captains causing a delay of 15 mins to the game McCullum granted Pietersens wish and allowed the runner (wish he hadn't). thankfully justice was done as a few balls later Pietersen managed to run out the free scoring Finch much to the amusement of middlegless. Shortly later it got even better as Pietersen top edged a ball straight to TRJ who took a simple catch and sent the idiot back to the pavilion for 4. 

Some decent bowling from the Middle left Surrey at 156-7 after there 20, a target which we all thought was achievable. The only frustrating thing was the number of fielding errors made by the middle which had cost a good 20 odd runs. 

Things started badly for the Middle with McCullum falling for a duck after 5 balls. Things got even worse with Malan falling for 12. Morgan and Franklin thankfully managed to steady the ship however it wasn't enough with Middlesex falling short by 15 runs and ending on 141-7 after there 20. If only it wasn't for those fielding errors... 

Shortly after the end of the game, it started chucking it down so the group made the decision to head straight back to the station and head home. However, no journey home would be complete without stopping for a drink so train ciders were purchased for the homeward journey. 

Train Beer!

The group met again the following day to make the trip to Sommerset (blog post to come!)

E 

Outground Diary: Middlesex v Kent (Old Deer Park)

Having been unable to make the first outground match of the season at Uxbridge, this would be the first of the season for the middlelegless lot and it would be one of our favourites; the wonderful old deer park in Richmond.

For E it was a half day in the office then a quick journey along the M4 to drop the car at home and meet T and N. It was then onto the train to Richmond where T and N both fell asleep for different reasons, leaving E to wake them both shortly before Richmond. The train pulled into Richmond shortly before 3, leaving us ample time to visit some licensed premises before the 5:30 start.

We've Arrived

First up was the aptly named cricketers on Richmond green. This pub was a must for any cricket fan with walls adorned with cricketing memorabilia from many years ago. The middlegless lot became intrigued by an old photo of lords showing the old warner stand. A collection of old bats was also of particular interest.

Pub number 1

Fascinating

Old magazines 

After the first pint of cider for T, pint of Estrella for E and coke for N and a natter about the evenings match and our surroundings, it was off to pub number 2, the sun inn. This pub consisted of a wonderful old wooden bar in the middle of the pub and walls adorned with rugby memorabilia. E stuck to form here and ordered a pint of Fosters with T sticking with cider and N opting for wine. A quality conversation then ensued as to who came up with the measure of a pint. T was far more interested in the golf on the TV to participate in this discussion (probably best for his sanity) Following this pub we made the short walk down the road to old deer park sending E along ahead to secure front row seats.

Pub number 2

Fantastic old bar

What is this strange game?

True to form

N and T joined E shortly afterwards in the seats at square leg and T headed off to the bar to purchase refreshments for the match. With Kent winning the toss and electing to bowl first (something all of middlegless would have done too) discussion turned to what would be a good score. E went for 175, T for 165 and N for 230. We were all disappointed to see the kew gardens pagoda covered up (if anyone knows of any other ground with a pagoda end, we'd love to here it).

Covered Up

Team: McCullum, Finn, Franklin, Helm, Higgins, Malan, Morgan, Patel, Roland-Jones, Simpson, Southee, Sowter, Stirling

The game began with the middle getting off to a good start with a knock of 88 from McCullum and 33 from Malan making a partnership of 92 of 10 overs before Malan fell. Following the wicket of McCullum a mini collapse ensued (again!) leaving the middle defend a total of 179-8 (E was closest) which all thought was a decent score on a wicket which seemed to be doing a bit.

Seats at Square leg

The Kent innings then began with Bell-Drummond falling lbw to Southee and Denly falling to a catch by Stirling of the bowling of Finn leaving kent at 2-2! Only Northeast and Neesham offered any real resistance as the middle restricted kent to 163-8 of 20 overs giving Middlesex the victory by 16 runs.

E found a balloon hat which he used to celebrate the victory much to the amusement of the rest of the group.

Celebrating

Following the game it was off to a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate the victory and shortly after midnight it was into a taxi and back to HQ. 

The group meets again for the second london derby of the season at the oval. 

E  

Middlesex v Surrey

At last! Our first home game of the T20 season and what a way to start it; a London derby against Surrey.

For N and T it was a straightforward train into Paddington and then a cab to the home of cricket. For E it was leave the office and onto the bus towards the greenlands of Ealing and then onto the train into Paddington and into a cab.

T and N were already in position on the top tier of the Pavilion for the match by the time E arrived half an hour before the start. Both were already enjoying there drinks and tucking into our fine range of snacks. Sadly for E he was committed to providing his luxury taxi service home for the middlelegless lot this evening so no drinks for him.

D (a temporary member of middlelegless) arrived 10 mins after E and proceeded to join them on the bottles.

Team:
McCullum, Barber, Finn, Franklin, Helm, Higgins, Malan, Morgan, Patel, Scott, Simpson, Stirling, Southee, Sowter

Fielding first was a good bit of luck for the middle with the first wicket coming of a cracking delivery from Southee dismissing the Surrey opener inside 2 and a half overs. Little more than an over later, Finch was on his way back to the pavilion after being skittled out by Helm. Only Sangakkara offered any real resistance.

This put the middlelesglees lot (who weren't driving!) in an excellent mood, So much so that T decided champagne was required at the break in order to celebrate. With Surrey being 158-9 off there 20 the mood was confident. However, following the departure of Malan a mini collapse ensued which made the game much closer than it should have been, eventually boiling down to middlesex needing 3 runs with one wicket remaining.

Steven Finn showcased his night watchman skills by holding the fort and hitting the winning boundary, much to the delight of the capacity crowd at the home of cricket.

Following the match all stayed behind for a natter about the game before climbing into a cab back to Paddington and out to Ealing and into E's luxury taxi! A quick stop at the kebab shop for a bite to eat and all were happily tucked up in bed.

Prior commitments mean the group will not be at Uxbridge on Sunday, however they will be at Richmond on Thursday and the return leg of the London Derby south of the river (shudders!)

E

Lords under lights. Is there a better sight?

England v South Affrica: Day 4

So, here we go; our first match report. For this one we go to the home of cricket and indeed the home of the mighty Middlesex CCC for the 4th day of the test match.

Given that this was a test match and started at 11am, it was an early start for the middlelegless lot catching the 9:30 train into London (this may not seem that early but T and E were nursing hangovers from U2 the previous night, T more so). Train showed up late and meant we didn't arrive into London until nearly 11. Thankfully once we got to the ground the queues had gone down and we were straight in (T then made a run to the toilet leaving E and N with a load of bags).

Having re grouped; N went of to join D (a guest member of middlelegless) in the grand stand whilst E and T headed into the Pavillion and straight to the bowlers bar for some hair of the dog and then settled down to watch the morning session which saw somewhat of an England collapse leaving us on the ropes.

It was now time for lunch. E and T ventured outside to join N and D in our usual meeting spot for a sausage roll and pork pie and a natter about the mornings events. N then decided to open a bottle of wine which then led to another being drunk putting us all in a rather merry state. D suggested we ought to venture to the Harris Garden for some bubbles. Some bubbles turned into 3 bubbles which put E in a peckish mood. N then produced a bag of doritos which he got rather friendly with (see below).

E shows his delight about being fed

Another bottle was then produced which N declined in favour of a rather delicious looking G and T. We then settled down to watch the rest of the afternoon session and a fantastic display from England and Moeen Ali with South Africa being all out by the end of the day.

N's delicious G and T

Another Bottle

The Middlelegless group the decided enough beer and bubbles had been drunk and that vodka was very much required. Sadly; the supply at Lords is rather scarce so it was off to the rather lovely Crockers Foley for a few shorts. 

Oh look, a pub! 

Amazing decor! 

YUM! 

Hard at work

Being amazed by the decor, a few turned into a lot and by 9:30 it was time for the group to go our separate ways. The group will meet again on Thursday for the first London Derby of the season...

E 

Welcome!

Welcome to our new blog!

This blog will follow a group of Middlesex CCC fans on their travels this season accompanied by a few licensed premises along the way. We may even throw in the odd England game for good measure!

We are a group of 3 cricket fans who primarily attend games at the one and only home of cricket, Lords, but we do travel regularly to out grounds and to other grounds.

Bios:
E: The organised one and primary author of this. Checks the fixture list and arranges travel.
Favourite drink: Lager (Usually a cheap one!)
Favourite bar snack: Salt and Vinegar Crisps
Teatime Treat: Mini Rolls
Can be found: With four cans or pints of Fosters engaged in a ridiculous discussion (argument).

T: The noisy one. Loves to support Middlesex and England vocally.
Favourite drink: Ale (Timothy Taylors Landlord)
Favourite bar snack: Pork Scratchings
Teatime Treat: Jam Tarts
Can be found: Towards the front near the boundary rope (One made an appearance on Sky catching a ball!)

N: The newsy one. Always up to date with all things cricket.
Favourite drink: Gin and Tonic
Favourite bar snack: Cheese and Onion Crisps
Teatime Treat: Ginger biscuits.
Can be found: Reading a newspaper, program or cricketing website (not whilst theres a game on!)

If you see us on a match day (look for our flag!) come and say Hi!

Our Flag