Beaten and Battered

Date: 28th July 2010

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

Friends Provident t20 Quarter-Final

At Chelmsford: Friends Provident t20 Quarter-Final: Lancashire 183-6 (20) lost to Essex 184-2 (19.1) by eight wickets

Lancashire's defeat to Essex in the t20 quarter-final was so packed with incident that it may take a few days before the full effects of the game can be comprehended. In such circumstances it is probably wise to cling onto the essential facts of the matter. The first of these, very plainly, is that Lancashire lost their third successive Twenty20 quarter-final and will not be appearing at the Rosebowl on August 14th.

The second fact emerging from last night's high drama at the Rosebowl was that even defeat came at a price. Stephen Moore has probably dislocated his shoulder and if so, the opener could be out for most of the rest of the season. Glen Chapple also suffered an injury although Lancashire coach Peter Moores suggested at about 12.15a.m this morning that the Lancashire captain's ailment could be back related and that it might "just loosen itself off.". Steven Croft and one or two others suffered niggles on a night when, as Moore pointed out, "people were going to put their bodies on the line."

Most of the other conclusions to be drawn from a night of high drama in front of a capacity 6,500 crowd at the County Ground are open to debate, and since this is Lancashire, the debate is likely to be heated. Late last night people were ringing my mobile and asking how on earth Chapple's bowlers could fail to defend 183, a total which had been put together by the excellent efforts of Paul Horton, who made a t20 best 44, Tom Smith, who made 35 and, rather improbably, Sajid Mahmood, whose 17-ball 34 included two sixes, one of which disappeared out of the ground. Chapple's late blast added 28 to the total and left the Essex bowling figures looking pretty miserable, although Chris Wright (4-25) was an honourable exception.

The first point to make in answer to these queries from "Bemused of Bacup" or "Furious of Farnworth" is that Chelmsford is renowned as a ground on which it is eminently possible to chase down totals. That's partly why James Foster opted to bat first; Chapple would have done the same. The second is that Mark Pettini, who only resigned the captaincy on June 11th, and Matt Walker, late of Kent, batted quite magnificently to add 147 for the second wicket. There is no shame in being beaten if the opposition play outstanding cricket. Pettini's 56-ball 81 and Walker's 49-ball 74 not out were brilliant short form innings and their success owed very little to the deficiencies of Lancashire's bowlers and fielders.

"It was a tough night for us but it was a good game of cricket," said Peter Moores. "For a long time we contained them but they got away from us at the end. Walker and Pettini played very well. We missed a chance but we got stuck in and committed everything to the game. Unfortunately it wasn't enough on the night. You always back yourself to defend 180 but Walker and Pettini built one of the very best partnerships we've had against us all year." Amid their disappointment, most Lancashire fans will probably agree with Moores. None of Chapple's players left a speck of effort in the dressing room. It was all expended on the damp Essex turf as a county cricket match finished at 11.16 p.m., which is surely later than ever before. That said, it is probably true that Tom Smith lost his length and direction in his final over, which went for 18 runs, and that Chapple's decision not to have a man patrolling the extra-cover boundary in the 19th over cost his side two boundaries. Essex won this match by eight wickets and with five balls to spare but they did not coast home.

And so the summer's glorious caravan rolls on to the Rosebowl and a four-day game which will test the character of Chapple's players. Luke Sutton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul will come into the side with Gareth Cross and Stephen Moore making way. Other changes are almost certain too, while Peter Moores's coaching and motivational techniques are going to be tested as well. It should be worth watching.

One final point: I have frequently been critical of t20 and I remain convinced that it is a terribly limited format when set beside the four- and five-day games. Yet I still regard Tuesday's match as an epic and to to see it unfold was an absolute privilege.