ICC 2008 Succession Game Results

[bryce]

CT Quarter-Final

Flintoff & Mahmood were cruelly called up for England on the eve of the quarter-final against Warwickshire. Chapple & Newby their replacements.
Warwickshire won the toss and elected to bat in good conditions. Newby got rid of Maddy lbw early for 6. Then in the 12th over there was a brilliant run-out of Ambrose for 23 then Chapple bowled Troughton very next ball for a golden duck to have Warwickshire 51/3 after 12 overs. Next on Chapple's list was Trott - lbw in his next over for another duck. Westwood & Mike Powell meandered along before Westwood was caught at short point off Keedy for 38 - Warwickshire 123/5 after 31 overs with Powell 45* and Brown 2*. Chapple then got rid of the both of them for 49 & 2 respectively in an inspired spell of first-change bowling to finish with 4/28 off his 10. Newby took a shine to the tail and ended with 3/42 as Warwickshire were all out in the 44th over for 163.

Lancashire were extremely cautious of their shot selection in the ensuing chase. Du Plessis dropped anchor and faced 112 balls before he was out for 62 after a 98 run stand for the third wicket with Horton who batted chance-lessly at number four to be there at the end on 64*. Victory to Lancashire in the 41st over by seven wickets.

 

[Somerset]

CC Game 6

Lancashire retained the side that won the Challenge Trophy quarter final for the first class match against Nottinghamshire, with Horton opening and du Plessis batting at number three. Newby played his first County Championship match of the season.

The hosts lost yet another toss and Nottinghamshire had no hesitation in batting first. Lancashire did reasonable well to restrict them to 331, with Anderson, Newby and Chapple impressive. It could've been better though had Shahfayat, who eventually top scored, not been dropped twice. Lancashire were disappointing in reply, with only centurion du Plessis and Sutton passing 20. They still had the chance to challenge Lancashire's first innings total, but the part timer Jefferson and the hardly threatening spin of Patel reduced the side from 6/233 to 239 all out.

James Anderson was brilliant in Nottinghamshire's second innings and tore through the batting order to leave them 8/192. Keedy provided good support and picked up two wickets and Lancashire looked certain to be set a target of less than 300. A dropped catch of Franks with Nottinghamshire still less than 200 basically lost the match as with Broad, the pair put on 159 for the ninth wicket. Franks was dropped again late in the innings as Nottinghamshire's lead was extended to a massive 461. Anderson eventually managed to collect his seventh wicket of the innings, and tenth of the match. Lancashire started sensationally and began day four on 1/162. With exactly 300 runs to win and the sensational Yousuf still to bat, hopes were high. Remarkably the game was all over before lunch as the hosts collapsed embarrasingly to just 209, losing nine wickets for only 41 runs, and handing Nottinhamshire a 248 run win.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 1

Loye scored just two runs in the County Championship loss and was dropped for the first Twenty20 game of the season. Simon Marshall took his place and batted at number three, with du Plessis opening.

Lancashire started brilliantly after winning the toss and found themselves 87/2 after 10 overs. du Plessis was sensational and ended on 83, and was well assisted by Horton, Marshall and Yousuf (who had scored only 16 and 0 in the previous county match). Leicestershire went behind the run rate early but always had wickets in hand. Cork was the pick of the bowlers with 2/19 from four overs and Anderson finished with 0/22 from his four. They attacked spinner Keedy and Newby late in the innings but the ask was always too tough. Needing 20 from the final over, Keedy conceeded just four runs to ensure a 15 run victory first up in the Twenty Over Cup.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 2

Lancashire made one change for the Derbyshire T20 match with Thomas Smith recalled at the expense of Keedy.

Another lost toss saw Lancashire sent in and they made an aweful start, crashing to 5/36. Sutton, Cork and Chapple kept the innings alive and at 5/72 at the halfway stage, a decent total was still on offer. However, Lungley had other ideas and he continued to take Lancashire wickets, finishing with 5/23 and limiting the total to just 126. Derbyshire looked at ease in reply and Newby's wicket of Rogers came with just eight runs required. Rikki Clarke then smashed two boundaries off Newby to seal a lackluster game by nine wickets.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 3

Lancashire played Leicestershire for the second time in three games in the Twenty Over Cup. Mahmood returned from English duties but Horton was called up as cover. Loye took Horton's place at the top of the order, Mahmood came in for Smith, and Keedy also regained his spot in the starting XI in place of Newby.

After winning the toss, Lancashire decided to change their tactics and bowl first. The strategy worked, as Anderson and Mahmood reduced Leicestershire to 3/35. Cork, with figures of 1/16 from four overs, was miserly and Chapple and Keedy supported the strike bowlers well, as Leicestershire finished on just 122. Lancashire made short work of the target and won easily with 23 deliveries to spare. Loye smashed 52 from just 31 balls to mark a successful return, whilst Marshall and du Plessis made pleasing contributions before Yousuf and Law sealed the victory.

 

[bryce]

Newby came back in for the Leicestershire fixture as Lancashire played five fast bowlers on a pitch expected to do a bit for the seamers. With this in mind Law was pleased to win the toss and field first.

Anderson started well and had two wickets after five overs with the score at 36/2. Benkenstein(37) played well from number three before Newby had him caught at deep mid-on in his first over, the 12th of the innings with the score at 84/3. Collingwood hit 50* off 39 balls and had good support from Park(25) to push the total to 145/5.

24 runs went from the opening Plunkett over, then Harmison struck in the next by bowling Du Plessis. Loye hit a 20-ball 32 and Yousuf(25) looked good before Collingwood bowled him, but with both of them perishing Lancashire found themselves in a precarious position - needing 47 off the last seven overs with Law & Sutton at the crease. Sutton went then so did both Cork and Chapple(both lbw to Collingwood), to leave Lancashire 128/7 needing 18 off the last two overs with Law and Mahmood in the middle. Though it was not to be as Plunkett got Law plumb in front for 32 then cleaned up Newby & Anderson and the game was lost by the sum of 15 runs

 

[bryce]

We were unchanged for the Yorkshire fixture. Won the toss and batted then started disasterously - Du Plessis lbw to Hoggard and then Marshall ran Loye out to be 20/2 after four overs. Yousuf hit an effortless 23 runs before Hoggard got him in front with a ball that ducked in late. Marshall - who was holding firm, then proceded to do the inconceivable by then running his skipper Law out just as he was setting himself. Sutton(15) also got started then was plucked by Bresnan at mid-on trying to hit the left-arm spinner Wainwright over the top, Lancashire 100/5 with five to go and only Cork's flurry of 24* restricted embarrassment finishing 133/8.

The attack behind Anderson & Mahmood proved somewhat toothless. The two inconsistent seamers appeared to have come up big by taking the top off the Yorkshire batting order and leaving them reeling at 27/3.However, Rashid(44) and Bresnan(43*) then plundered the other seamers - leaving the selectors with more questions than answers.

 

[bryce]

The return home clash against Yorkshire two days later is one the Lancashire faithful were depesrately seeking a win in. Smith came in for Newby as the up-and-down bowling attack - badly missing Andrew Flintoff, was persisted with.

Another toss won and another decision to bat first. Run-out woes continued, and it was Loye again the victim out for two with Marshall then snicking one to the keeper to be in the horrible position of 11/2. At the 10 over mark Yousuf and Law were each 22* with the score 57/2 and looking to push on with a big total in mind. Bresnan got Law for 38 and it seemed to fire Darren Gough up as he removed Sutton & Cork both for golden ducks. Bresnan returned to collect Yousuf lbw for 37. Only some smart tail-end batting brought the total up from 90/7 to finish 120/8.

The ensuing Lancashire chase was academic. Anderson bowled well and created many chances for no reward.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 7

Lancashire maintained their batting line up of du Plessis, Loye, Marshall, Yousuf, Law and Sutton but the bowlers were shuffled again. Cork, Mahmood and Anderson retained their spots, but Chapple and Smith were replaced by Newby and Chad Keegan, who played his first game for the club.

Batting first after winning the toss against the previously unbeaten Nottinghamshire, the side made a superb start and found themselves 1/95 after ten overs. Loye was outstanding in smashing 61, while du Plessis (29) and Marshall (28) provided good assistance. Swann, Ealham and Franks bowled well towards the end of the innings to ensure Lancashire only made 163. Mahmood picked up the wicket of Jefferson with his first delivery but Nottinghamshire recovered well and looked in a good position at 3/100. Cork then bowled Wagh (27), and Keegan, who was hit for 14 from his first over, then took three wickets in four balls to reduce the home side to 7/103. Nottinghamshire struggled to reach 132, as Lancashire celebrated a well deserved 31 run victory.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 8

Sutton was give a rest and Gareth Cross was selected to wicket keep for the T20 match against Derbyshire, with an otherwise unchanged side.

Unusually, Lancashire won another toss but elected to bowl first. Rogers got his side off to a good start but apart from Akhi Patel, no other players passed 20. Keegan picked up another three wickets but two were from the 20th other of the innings. Only Anderson (1/31) conceeded more than 30 runs from his four overs in a superb bowling effort. Lancashire made a sluggish start chasing 132 to win, and at 3/48 found themselves behind the run rate and with wickets falling. Yousuf was dismissed for his second consecutive golden duck. However, Loye found a useful ally in the form of his captain Stuart Law and the pair closed the match out with a dominant unbeaten partnership of 84.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 9

Simon Marshall suffered a bruising and was out for several days so Iain Sutcliffe took his place at number three for the return match against Nottinghamshire, still at the top of the table.

Nottinghamshire won the toss and made a flying start. Anderson went for 20 from his first over and Nottinghamshire's run rate was above 11 for much of the innings. Mahmood with 2/29 and Newby with 0/30 were relatively unscathed, but Anderson and Keegan had figures of 1/92 from their combined eight overs. David Hussey was the main destroyer with 67 from 40 deliveries, though 30s from Jefferson, Wood and Patel also all came at a rapid rate. The weather deteriorated for the Lancashire innings and they found themselves 4/25. Law featured in partnerships of 40 with Cross and 44 with Cork to at least reduce the damage on Lancashire's net run rate but the 59 run loss still had a clear impact, and made the task of qualifying more difficult with one T20 match remaining.

 

[Somerset]

T20 Game 10

Lancashire went into the tenth Twenty20 match in fourth spot, needing to finish at least third, if not second in the group to qualify for the quarter finals of the Twenty Over Cup. Yorkshire, in third, played Nottinghamshire so were unlikely to win, but Derbyshire, in second, faced Leicestershire and looked more likely to qualify. The objective for Lancashire then, was to win, and hope that other results turned out favourably. Sutcliffe scored a duck in the previous match so was replaced by ex-wicket keeper Sutton, who played at number three as a specialist batsman.

After losing the toss and being sent in against Durham, Lancashire made a great start through Loye (64), with Sutton (36) proving his worth as a batsman, and Yousuf (49*) finally making a contribution in the Twenty20 format. They finished on an imposing 178/5 and on a testing pitch, Durham should've had no chance. That wasn't to be as Anderson was terrible in his opening spell again, and Durham had a realistic chance of winning when they found themselves needing 65 from nine overs, after Keegan's opening over went for 21 (including an eight run delivery). However, Newby and Anderson came back well towards the end of the innings, and Keegan conceeded only 10 runs from his next two overs to avoid another embarrassing bowling display and ensuring a 16 run victory as Durham were bowled out with 11 deliveries remaining.

 

[Somerset]

Yorkshire were bowled out for just 89 against Nottinghamshire, but it took Notts until the 20th over to win the game. Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by one run, so Lancashire finished in third spot and outside the automatic top two qualification for the quarter finals. However, they still qualified as the second of the two next best third place finishers, squeezing into the play offs with the finest of margins! In a strange quarter final draw, they face Derbyshire, even though we've faced them twice already in the group stages. And interestingly, Warwickshire won all ten of their Twenty20 group matches to take the favourites tag heading into the knockout section of the competition.

 

[bryce]

You done amazingly well Somerset, and in hindsight made some inspired selectorial moves

 

[bryce]

CC Game 7

Lancashire welcomed Horton and Flintoff back with open arms for the first-class away fixture against mid-table Sussex. Loye was left out to rest and prepare for the upcoming semi-final, his spot taken by Marshall who was to play his first first-class match of the season.

Law won the toss and chose to bat on a cloudy morning. Horton's stint with the national side seemed to have made little difference, as he continued his lousy FC form. Marshall showed guts and faced over 100 balls for his 32. Du Plessis was obdurate in making 60, while Yousuf hit 81 before Silence bowled him. Law(34) and Flintoff(37) also threw away their wickets before the close of play on day one - Lancashire 296/6 at stumps.

Sutton and Cork's partnership blossomed on the morning of day two, the pair putting on 117 for the seventh wicket before Sussex finally had their first wicket of the day.The innings was closed at 428 all out. Cork's savage 80 was his third half-century of the first-class season, and he is averaging over 35 with the bat at a strikerate touching 65.
An 172-run opening wicket stand was not the start Lancashire had envisaged. Openers Hopkinson(127) and Nash(88) top-scored and set the tone which allowed the rest of the list to make small but significant contributions all the way through the order to finish 441 all out, a lead of 13 runs.
Lewry removed Horton early and then Marshall for a well-made 39. Yousuf was run out to leave the score at 74/3, but Du Plessis(60*) and skipper Law(47*) saw Lancashire through to stumps on day three 168/3 - 155 runs ahead looking to play aggressively for a win.

Du Plessis and Law both completed centuries on day four. Law was sensational and once he declared the innings closed at 366/7 he had made 142* off only 180 balls.
354 runs in just under four hours was the end total set for Sussex to grab victory points and they never looked twice at it.
I almost declared before the start of session two but was hesistant given our bowling attack is typically very expensive. To be honest I can't say I regret it either so meh

 

[bryce]

CT Semi-Final

Here it is. There was a big buzz amongst the squad - mainly aroused because Freddie was available for such a crucial fixture. Chad Keegan was the big winner pre-match, his late 20/20 form means him being preferred to both the experienced Chapple and the wicket-taking Newby. Loye was back opening the batting and Law at three. Horton, Yousuf & Flintoff making up the middle order.
We were sent into bat in seaming overcast conditions. Loye was caught off Lawson for 10, but Du Plessis and Law flourished against the Leicestershire seam attack. After 40 overs Lancashire were in the commanding posistion of 191/2, with 300 looking like the target. Law's 98-ball innings was closed after he was caught in-short one-short in the 43rd over, with the score at 210/3. Horton(49) played a wonderful hand before he slashed one to deep third-man. 274/6 was the end result for the Leicestershire batting list to challenge.

Anderson had a early wicket thanks to a Du Plessis slip catch, but the bowling attack again looked shaky and proved far too expensive. However, it was the talents of the mercurial Du Plessis which ultimately swayed the final birth Lancashire's way, ending with three wickets. Flintoff's class rose to the top as he knocked over three lower order players. Leicestershire number 11 - Daniel Rowe, managed a bewildering 41* off 25 balls, but Leicestershire no closer than 33 runs to victory. A final against Middlesex

 

[Somerset]

T20 Quarter Final

Our third Twenty20 match against Derbyshire in 2008 was in the quarter final of the competition. The usual batting mix of du Plessis, Loye, Law, Horton, Yousuf and Sutton played, while Flintoff's international duties saw Newby recalled alongside Cork, Mahmood, Keegan and Anderson.

Unfortunately, Lancashire lost the toss on an overcast afternoon and were put into bat. After a cautious start (0/13 after three overs), the tempo rose remarkably, led by the impressive du Plessis. He smashed an unbeaten 118 from just 67 deliveries, and singlehandedly saw his side to a massive 175/4 in their 20 overs. Yousuf, Law and Loye all supported well. Anderson then took two wickets with his first two deliveries to further depress Derbyshire. Mahmood chipped in with three wickets and Cork polished off the tail, as Derbyshire were dismissed for just 77 in less than twelve overs, handing Lancashire a mighty 98 run victory.

 

[Somerset]

CC Game 8

Lancashire travelled to Hampshire, who currently led the county championship, and they were involved in a thrilling encounter between two evenly matched sides. Horton, struggling for form after just two 50s in seven county matches, just kept his place ahead of Marshall, who had scored well in the previous county match, while Keegan and Chapple were selected instead of Newby or Keedy.

After winning the toss, Lancashire had no hesitation in asking Hampshire to bat first on a cloudy first day offering assistance to the bowlers. Hampshire scrambled through to 295 which represented a good effect considering the conditions. Mahmood was the pick of the bowlers, and he continually created opportunities, while Anderson and Keegan accounted for the rest of the batsmen. Horton and Loye began well with an 89 run partnership but Lancashire then collapsed horribly. Mascarenhas started the rot and then Bond took three wickets in an over. They failed to collect a single batting point and handed Hampshire a 106 run first innings lead.

With conditions more ideal for batting, Hampshire looked at ease but collapsed somewhat from 4/231 to 308 all out. Even so, a target of 415 was still a huge ask. Chapple bowled poorly and failed to take a wicket in the match, while Keegan also was inaccurate in the second innings. Again Mahmood was the star, with another five wicket bag resulting in ten for the match, and again Anderson supported him well, particularly with the crucial wickets of both Crawley and Pothas. Cork picked up the other two wickets. Lancashire made a good start to the chase, and with a day to play found themselves at 1/92, needing another 323 on the last day to win.

Du Plessis was dismissed early on day four and Law, batting at number four, followed relatively soon after to see Lancashire at 3/147. However, Horton played wonderfully attacking cricket and that allowed Lancashire to score 133 runs in the session. Horton was brilliant and justified his selection, and when he was dismissed for 140, the game was Lancashire's to lose. With just 80 to win in the last session and six wickets in hand, Yousuf ensured his middle and lower order batted responsibly, and although the Pakistani was dismissed for 104 with 11 runs needed in 24 minutes with only three wickets in hand, there were no late dramas and Lancashire completed a memorable victory.

 

[Somerset]

Due to Lancashire's great chase, the county championship is ridiculously close at the halfway stage.

 

[bryce]

What an effort x2