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CC2: Gibson too Ottis for Notts

Monday, May 17 2004

Cardiff: Glamorgan v Essex
Essex cling on

Glamoirgan's last 3 wickets managed to eke out a further 88 runs before Middlebrook winkled out Simon Jones, leaving the visitors 69 overs in which to make 334 for victory.

They got off to a splendid start courtesy of a century opening stand between Nasser Hussain and Alastair Cook, the first to go for 51 with the overall total on 124. When Jefferson went shortly afterwards to Simon Jones, the door was prised open for the home side but Essex seemingly slammed it in their faces courtesy of a helter-skelter innings by Andy Flower.

Hussain went past 100 for the 51st time in his career and seemed to be carrying Essex inexorably toward victory when he was caught by Maynard off Darren Thomas. Wickets fell regularly throughout the evening session as Essex sought to accelerate the run rate, and in the process brought Glamorgan into the game with a chance of an unlikely win themselves.

In the end it went to the wire with Graham Napier and last man Adrian McCoubrey clinging on at the death despite the best efforts of the Glamorgan bowlers for whom Thomas and Jones excelled - a fitting end to this most even of encounters.

Glamorgan 435
Elliott 114, Wharf 78, Maynard 64, Hemp 55, Napier 4-91, Kaneria 3-111
and 335
Matnard 63, Powell 61, Middlebrook 4-92
Essex 437
Habib 157, Napier 82, Middlebrook 80, Harrison 5-99, Thomas 3-85
and 325-9
Hussain 102, Flower 66, Cook 51, Thomas 4-47, Jones 3-44

Match drawn. Glamorgan 10.5 points, Essex 12 points

Leicester: Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire
Notts find Gibson to Ottis to handle

Nottinghamshire, one of the perennial collapsers in county cricket, were at it again yesterday, much to the delight of the supporters of local rivals Leicestershire. Opening bowlers Ottis Gibson and Phil DeFreitas did most of the damage, reducing the visitors to an embarrassing if not exactly unfamiliar 22-6 with barely half an hour of the morning's play gome.

It was left to Jason Gallian and first innings hero Mark Ealham to drag matters round a little for Notts with an uncompromising two hour stand which added 66 for the seventh wicket before Gallian departed, clean bowled by DeFreitas for 24.

Leicestershire can be forgiven for any feelings of deja-vu as Ealham found in Paul Franks once again a partner who could put his higher order brethren to shame. The pair added 92 for the eighth wicket and for a while must have entertained thoughts of a most unlikely victory being prised from the once firmly clamped jaws of defeat, but it was merely an illusion.

Gibson claimed a fifth victim for the second time in the match when he had Franks caught by Sadler for a valiant 51, then effectively ended the game as a contest by removing the ever-dangerous Ealham, caught by Snape for a splendid 85. It was left to Darren Maddy to supply the coup-de-grace when he had MacGill caught by Henderson to end Nottinghamshire's resistance 93 runs short of victory.

Leicestershire 223
Sadler 62, Gibson 57*, Sidebottom 4-52, Shreck 4-73)
and 430
Robinson 98, Sadler 72, Snape 66, Maddy 53, Shreck 3-87, Sidebottom 3-98
Nottinghamshire 366
Ealham 139, Warren 72, Gibson 5-98
and 195
Ealham 85, Franks 51, Gibson 6-43, DeFreitas 3-53

Leicestershire beat Nottinghamshire by 92 runs. Leicestershire 18 points, Nottinghamshire 7 points.


Taunton: Somerset v Durham
It's a Breese as Durham chase down huge target

Durham's somewhat precarious overnight position on 174-5, still all of 277 shy of a somewhat unlikely victory was compounded by the early demise of Nicky Peng for 88, the fourth of Andy Caddick's five victims in the innings. For Somerset, victory surely was only a matter of time, especially when Pratt went following a quickfire 25.

They reckoned without one Gareth Rohan Breese, proud possessor of a British passport, the Jamaican captaincy, a solitary West Indian cap and, until yesterday, just as many first-class centuries. Somerset's Richard Johnson, unplayable on day 2, was totally innocuous on this occasion, ending with the less than anonymous figures of 0-141 from his 31.5 overs.

When Breese was joined at the wicket by a whirling Shoaib Akhtar (46), the resultant tempestuous partnership threatened to blow Somerset away. Once more the home side came back, this time through Keith Dutch who had Shoaib caught by Wood with the total on 357.

On this occasion, Breese found a willing partner in Neil Killeen and in the next hour and a half dragged Durham ever closer until Killeen was bowled by Nixon McLean for a valiant 35. This left just last man Mark Davies to tough it out as he and Breese eventually eked out the final 18 runs to give the Northerners a most unlikely victory.

Breese had gone in fifth wicket down, batted just shy of six hours, struck 24 boundaries in a lifetime-best 165* and once and for all laid the ghost that he is just a useful off-spinner in the Jack Simmons mould.

Somerset 375
Hildreth 101, Dutch 72, Cox 66, Parsons 55, Davies 3-55, Shoaib Akhtar 3-63)
and 310-5 dcl
Cox 124, Hildreth 72
Durham 235
Lewis 65, Johnson 7-69
and 453-9
Breese 165*, Peng 88, Caddick 5-149

Durham beat Somerset by 1 wicket. Durham 18 points, Somerset 7 points.


Posted by Eddie