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Mohammed Asif signs/Mongia returns - (9/12/2005)
Leicestershire have completed the signing of highly rated Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Asif.
The 22 year old, who is now a regular in the Pakistan test squad, came to prominence by taking 10 wickets for Pakistan A versus the touring England side last month.
Asif is no stranger to Grace Road as he appeared for the second XI in 2004 and worryingly there is a very strong possibility that he will only be available for the County for half next season as he will most probably be selected in the Pakistan squad that tours England next year. It is an odd decision by the club to employ the services of an overseas player who they expect to only appear for half a season.
The club have also announced that Dinesh Mongia will be returning for 2006 despite being largely disappointing last season. The 28 year old, who is now way down the Indian one day pecking order, showed glimpses of class in 2005 for the Foxes but his contribution was not enough and a lot more is expected of an overseas player.
With Mohammed Asif being a relatively unknown quantity, Leicestershire fans will be hoping he proves a bigger success than Charl Willoughby but the re-signing of Dinesh Mongia will not fill the fans with optimism for next as they were expecting a new overseas batsman and maybe someone with the calibre of a certain Mr C Rogers.
Gibson departs for Durham/Broad signs new deal (13/10/05)
County fast bowler Ottis Gibson has turned down the offer of a new contract at Grace Road and has signed a two year deal with Durham.
The 36 year old was the County's leading wicket taker in both Championship and National League competitions last season and has provided plenty of entertainment with his big hitting. Employed by the club in a player coach role, the West Indian was prominent in the development of bowlers such as David Masters and Stuart Broad and he will be hard to replace.
Meanwhile, Stuart Broad has signed a new and improved two year deal with the Foxes. The 19 year old, who is part of the ECB National Academy squad this winter, enjoyed a brilliant debut season this year and County fans will be glad that his ongoing development will be as a Leicestershire player.
Nixon signs new deal (11/10/05)
Leicestershire wicket-keeper Paul Nixon has agreed a new one year deal with the club.
The 35 year old was out of contract at the end of the season and the club moved swiftly to tie him up for another campaign behind the stumps. 'Nico' had a great season with the County in all forms of cricket and with the emergence of a healthy crop of youngsters at Grace Road it helps their development by having players like Nixon in the squad.
Meanwhile, the County have announced the appointment of local businessman Mike Siddall to the board of directors. Siddall is currently Director of commercial banking with the Natwest and even though he has was born and raised in the north, Siddall has lived in Leicestershire for 13 years and is an avid County fan and member.
Daggers released by County (28/9/05)
Crowd favourite Charlie Dagnall has not been offered a new deal by Leicestershire and now leaves the club after a four year spell.
Dagnall has had a torrid time with injuries over the last couple of seasons and with the emergence of young bowlers, such as Stuart Broad and Ryan Cummins, the club has decided to say good bye to the charasmatic 29 year old.
Local lads Dave Brignull and Nick Ferraby have also not been offered new contracts. Brignull, 23, impressed in a couple of Totesport League matches this season but has been unable to command a regular place and Ferraby has failed to make a first team break through at all.
Good luck to all three players in the future and I'm sure Mr Dagnall will never be very far away from out TV screens!
Meanwhile, the remaining out of contract players Ottis Gibson, Paul Nixon, David Masters and John Maunders have all been offered new deals by the County and the club must now wait to see if each of them agree to the terms.
There is still no word from Grace Road regarding the overseas player situation for next season. Dinesh Mongia and Charl Willoughby have hardly set the world alight this season and expect to see favour for asian players due to the influence of the clubs commercial partners 'Investors in Cricket'.
LCCC v Kent - Totesport National League Division 2 (25/9/05)
 Leicestershire rounded off their season in style as they cruised to a 40 run victory over Kent by the Duckworth/Lewis method.
On a good batting track, Kent bizarrely elected to field first having won the toss and were soon in no doubt that they had made the wrong decision as they watched the Foxes rattle up their highest National League total of the season with 280-5.
Darren Maddy and the returning John Sadler got the ball rolling with an opening stand of 44 before the latter was caught by Tredwell off Amjad Khan for 19. The Foxes saw this wicket as no setback as Maddy and HD Ackerman shared in a stand of 81 until Maddy fell to former team mate Darren Stevens for 51, his 5th half century in the competition this season. Ackerman and Dinesh Mongia continued the good work with a 3rd wicket stand of 96 with Ackerman finally being clean bowled by Dexter for a wonderful 78 from 80 balls. Mongia followed shortly afterwards for an excellent 45 ball 50 but new batsmen Aftab Habib and Paul Nixon kept up the momentum with Habib making a 17 ball 22 and Nixon 29 not out from just 22 balls. Jim Allenby got a brief taste of the action on his National League debut by making 7 runs from 4 balls.
Things looked bleak for the Spitfires from the off, as opener Joe Denly was trapped lbw first ball to Charl Willoughby. A second wicket stand of 106 from former Fox Darren Stevens and Martin van Jaarsveld gave the visitors some hope before Stevens was trapped lbw by Mongia for a superb 76 from just 59 balls. Wickets tumbled as the skies blackened as Stuart Broad helped himself to 2-35 on his Totesport League debut and by the time the rain came down the Spitfires just could not keep up with the run rate despite an unbeaten 59 from van Jaarsveld. After 33 overs and with Kent standing at 170-6 the umpires decided the game was unable to be completed and so Leicestershire were victorious.
With the County winning and Warwickshire losing, this mean that Leicestershire finished only 2 points behind the Bears who were promoted. If it were not for the pathetic performance and defeat at home to Derbyshire only a couple of weeks ago then we would have been celebrating promotion instead!
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/25SEP2005/LEICS_KENT_NLS_25SEP2005.html
Lancashire v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (21-24/9/05)
Day 1
Leicestershire crumbled to a poor 165 all out despite winning the toss and electing to bat.
Only John Maunders with 40 and HD Ackerman, who scored 48 came out of the first day with only respectability. Glen Chapple proved the main threat with an excellent return of 5-22 and Indian spinner Murali Kartik as impressed by taking 4-43. In response, Lancashire closed at 61-2 with David Masters and Stuart Broad taking a wicket each.
Day 2
Having bowled out Lancashire for 191, it looked like Leicestershire had clawed their way back into this match but at close in their second innings the County were staring defeat in the face at 158-7, with a lead of just 132.
It was Stuart Broad with 3-57 and John Maunders with a career best of 4-28 that reduced the home side to a disappointing total but the Foxes reply was even more of a let down and this match could be all over within three days.
Despite this, the County started well but collapsed from 94-2 to 147-7 as HD Ackerman held firm with 37 not out and celebrated passing the 1,000 class runs barrier for the season. HD now needs just three more runs to reach 1,000 championship runs for the season and is now the second Leicestershire batsman to reach the landmark as Darren Robinson achieved the same last week. David Masters unfortunately sustained an arm injury and was unable to ball at all today and he is expected to miss the final Totesport League match at home to Kent on Sunday.
Day 3
As predicted this match was over by the end of the third day but incredibly Leicestershire were the winners!
At just after 6pm, Dinesh Mongia claimed the wicket of James Anderson to give the County an incredibly close victory by just 4 runs!
Resuming on 158-7, the Foxes added another 42 runs to finish on 200 all out with HD Ackerman added 30 to his over night score to finish with 67. This gave the home side, who despite the defeat are expected to be crowned champions of Division 2 on Saturday evening, a victory target of 175 and one and a half days to score them. Wickets started to tumble at regular intervals as Lancashire as Stuart Broad and Charl Willloughby both claimed 3 wickets a piece and despite some late resistance from the lower, Dinesh Mongia claimed the all important wicket of Anderson to win the match for Leicestershire.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/21-24SEP2005/LANCS_LEICS_CC2_21-24SEP2005.html
Maddy left out again for Lancashire clash (21/9/05)
Out of form Darren Maddy has once again been left out of Leicestershire's Championship side as they start the first of four days at Old Trafford today against Lancashire.
Vice captain Maddy, who has shone in National League cricket, has found the going tough this season at first class level and this latest omission sparks concerns over his future at the club. Fit again John Sadler, who returned for the 20:20 Club Championship, is surprisingly overlooked.
Tom New once again gets the chance to continue his solid form and Stuart Broad will be buoyed by his selection for the ECB National Academy squad.
Team
Darren Robinson, John Maunders, Tom New, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
Broad named in ECB Academy squad (20/9/05)
Leicestershire all rounder Stuart Broad has been named in the ECB National Academy squad for this winter.
The 19 year old has proved a revelation for the County this season and fully deserves his call up and being named in the squad caps off a brilliant season for Stuart who has also starred for England U-19's recently.
Other young stars on the County circuit such as Essex's Ali Cook and Ravi Bopara and former Foxes all rounder Luke Wright of Sussex are joined by some more experienced players such as Worcestershire's Gareth Batty, Surrey's Rikki Clarke and Kent's Robert Key.
National Academy Squad
Gareth Batty, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Rikki Clarke, Alastair Cook, James Dalrymple, Steven Davies, Mark Footitt, Ed Joyce, Robert Key, Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett, Chris Read, Owais Shah, Tom Smith, Luke Wright, Mike Yardy.
20:20 Club Championship Finals Day (17/9/05)
Leicestershire crashed to a semi final defeat as the Faisalabad Wolves were crowned the first ever 20:20 Club Champions.
1st Semi Final - Foxes v Marians
The Chilaw Marians won the toss and elected to bat and it looked like being the wrong decision as they could only manage 112-9 from their 20 overs thanks to some sensational bowling by David Masters. The former Kent man, who was named as the clubs player of the year last week, took an amazing 3-7 from his four overs and fellow seamers Ottis Gibson, with 2-20, and Charl Willoughby (3-27) also got amongst the wickets. Marians captain Hasantha Fernando made a 34 ball 38 for the Sri Lankans as the Foxes looked in a strong position.
The possibility of a win disappeared almost immediately as the County found themselves in all sorts of trouble. Darren Maddy was removed with the 4th ball of the innings without scoring and Dinesh Mongia, John Sadler, HD Ackerman and Jeremy Snape were all removed cheaply with the score at an embarrassing 43-6. Jim Allenby, who had replaced debutant Paul Harrison, showed brief resistance with a 17 ball 12 and Ottis Gibson (14) and Paul Nixon (19) worked very hard but the damage had already been done by all rounder Fernando who added to his score of 38 with 3-22 to claim the man of the match award. Needing 17 off the last over and with one wicket remaining, Charl Willoughby hit a six from the first ball but the excitement was short lived as Masters was run out from the penultimate ball of the innings with the Foxes losing by 9 runs with a disappointing total of 103 all out.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/CHLM-CC_LEICS_INT-2020_17SEP2005.html
2nd Semi Final - Wolves v Masters
After a disastrous start, the PCA Masters would have pleased with their total of 138-9 from their 20 overs. At one stage the Masters were 56-6 but a fine innings from veteran former India star Robin Singh kept their hopes alive as the 42 year old hit a splendid 38 from 31 balls. Samiullah Khan, Mohammed Hafeez, Imrad Khlaid and Saeed Ajmal all took two wickets for the impressive Faisalabad Wolves.
In reply, the Wolves got off to a dreadful start as they lost the wickets of star batsmen Hafeez and Asif Hussian with only 3 runs on the board. Three key batsmen turned the game around though, as Abdul Mannan with a 18 ball 29, captain Naved Latif (25 ball 36) and Mohammed Salman with a 27 ball 28 saw them through to victory. Chris Gayle took an excellent 3-13 and it was a exciting affair, as the match went down to the last ball with Salman keeping his cool to hit a six from the final delivery to give the Wolves a winning total of 142-7.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/WOLVES_PCA-XI_INT-2020_17SEP2005.html
Final - Wolves v Marians
The Faisalabd Wolves claimed a deserved victory to become the first ever 20:20 Club Champions.
Batting first, the Marians achieved a disappointing total of 132 all out despite some excellent knocks from Ishan Mutaliph and Nimesh Perera. Mutaliph hit a whirlwind 25 from only 10 balls including two sixes and two fours and Perera played a more steady innings of 37 from 33 balls but they unfortunately did not get much support from their team mates. Saeed Ajmal and Ahmed Hayat both claimed 2 wickets for the Wolves.
In reply, the Wolves got off to a fine start despite the early loss of Abdul Mannan for 8. All rounder Mohammed Hafeez was back to his best with the bat as he clubbed 31 from 23 balls but it was skipper Naved Latif who played the decisive innings. The Pakistan international scored a superb 45 not out from 35 balls including 3 big sixes to lead the Wolves to victory with 11 balls to spare and was rightly named Man of the Match.. Marians all rounder Perera was unlucky to be on the losing team as he added to his fine batting with bowling figures of 3-21. With a winning score of 134-5 from 18.1 overs, the Faisalabad Wolves deservedly won the tournament and proved fantastic entertainment with both bat and ball.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/CHLM-CC_WOLVES_INT-2020_17SEP2005.html
Comment:
Although the tournament got off to a nightmare start with the rain on day one, the entertainment was plentiful and it was fantastic to see the big hitting from the two asian sides the Wolves and the Marians. After an impressive victory over Somerset, Leicestershire put in a poor batting show against Chilaw to carry on their inconsistent batting form this season. Some excellent players were on view in particularly Mohammed Hafeez and Naved Latif of the Faisalabad Wolves and Hasantha Fernando of the Chilaw Marians and all three look like they would be valuable acquisitions as overseas players next season. Take note Leicestershire.
20:20 Club Championship (15-17/9/05)
Day 1
Heavy rain meant that only 2.1 overs were managed in the entire first day of the inaugural 20:20 Club Championship at Grace Road. All three matches were decided by bowl outs held in the indoor cricket school with Leicestershire winning their cricketing version of the penalty shoot out by beating the Faisalabad Wolves 5-3. Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman, John Sadler, Jim Allenby and Jeremy Snape all hit the stumps for the Foxes.
The PCA Masters progressed into the semi finals with two bowl out victories over the Nashua Titans and the Chilaw Marians. The only play of the day came courtesy of the PCA Masters' match with the Marians where only 2.1 overs were possible. Luckily the weather forecast is looking much brighter for both Saturday and Sunday.
Day 2
In sheer contrast to day one the spectators at Grace Road were treated a brilliant display of 20:20 cricket on day two in uninterrupted sunshine. Leicestershire qualified for the finals day on Saturday after gaining revenge on Somerset and will face the Chilaw Marians in the first semi final. First day bowl out qualifiers, the PCA Masters XI, will face the Faisalabad Wolves, who also beat Somerset earlier in the day, in the second semi final.
Pakistani international Mohammed Hafeez was in sensational form as the Fisalabad Wolves beat the Somerset Sabres in the opening match of the day. Hafeez hit an incredible 79 from just 35 balls (with 6 fours and 6 sixes) as the Wolves racked up a massive total of 207-5 and he also picked up 3-23 as the Sabres were bowled out for 177 despite a brilliant 48 ball 82 from skipper Ian Blackwell.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/SOMERSET_WOLVES_INT-2020_16SEP2005.html
The Chilaw Marians displayed some whirlwind batting as they crushed the weakened Nashua Titans in the second match of the day. The Marians totalled 179 all out thanks to big hitting scores from Mutaliph (14 ball 32), Gajanayake (24 ball 30) and Perera (39 from 18 balls). In reply the Titans, who were without their star players, crumbled to 112 all out as Gunaratne picked up excellent figures of 4-21.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/CHLM-CC_TITANS_INT-2020_16SEP2005.html
Leicestershire gained revenge on Somerset after the 20:20 semi final defeat at the Oval in July, as they cruised to a 66 run victory in the last match of the day.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the County got off to a flyer as HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy put on 76 for the opening wicket before Maddy fell after 9 overs for for a 29 ball 42. Ackerman followed 2 balls later for a run a ball 28 and if the nerves were setting in then Dinesh Mongia and John Sadler were obviously not affected as they put on a brilliant stand of 79 in just 8 overs. Sadler, playing his first match since breaking his collarbone aginst the Australians in June, looked like he had never been away as he made 40 from 29 balls including 2 big sixes. After a slow start, Dinesh Mongia got in on the big hitting by scoring 39 from just 23 balls and despite the late flurry of wickets, including that of debutant Paul Harrison, the County finished with a total of 172-6 from their 20 overs.
In reply, the Sabres got off to a poor start as Charl Willoughby removed Matthew Wood lbw for 2 with the first ball of the 2nd over. Things never improved for Somerset as they could only achieve a total of 106-8 with 49 of those runs coming from John Francis. It was the spinners who once again proved to be mightily effective for the Foxes with Jeremy Snape returning figures of 2-12 from his 4 overs and Dinesh Mongia with an incredible 2-6 from his 4 over allocation.
County go into Saturdays semi final high in confidence after beating the English 20/20 Champions and will relish the opportunity to beat their big hitting semi final opponents the Chilaw Marians.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/OTHERS/INT-2020/SCORECARDS/LEICS_SOMERSET_INT-2020_16SEP2005.html
20:20 Club Championship Preview (15/9/05)
 Leicestershire will be hoping that the cricket fever created by the Ashes win will continue over the next few days as they host 20:20 specialists from around the world in the inaugural 20:20 Club Championship starting today (Thursday).
South Africa's Pro 20 Champions the Nashua Titans, Sri Lankan 20:20 Champions the Chilaw Marians, Pakistan's 20:20 title holders the Faisalabad Wolves, this years English 20:20 Champions the Somerset Sabres and a PCA Masters XI complete this six team line up.
The Foxes include youth in their side as Jim Allenby, Paul Harrison and Stuart Broad are all included in the squad. Batsman Allenby has made a handful of appearances in 20:20 matches and appeared in the 20:20 final defeat to Somerset. Harrison has yet to appear for the first team but the 21 year old batsman has been in sparkling form for the seconds since arriving from Loughborough UCCE. Stuart Broad needs no introduction to County fans as he has made a massive impression since bursting on to the scene this season but this is the first time that the 19 year old will have had a taste of 20:20 cricket.
This years South African Pro 20 Champions the Nashua Titans, will not be at full strength as familiar names such as Martin van Jaarsveld, Andre Nel, Justin Kemp and AB de Villiers are all unavailable so expect to see a youthful look to the Springbok's side.
Pakistan's domestic 20:20 Champions the Faisalabad Wolves feature two Pakistan internationals in Naved Latif and Mohammed Nafeez and the Sri Lankan 20:20 Champions the Chilaw Marians have unfortunately lost some key players to the Sri Lankan test side. Expect to see big hitting and fireworks from both of these teams.
The PCA Masters XI will feature our very own Phil Defreitas, who gets the chance of a final 'Swan Song' in his last season as a professional cricketer. He will be joined in the side by West Indian stars Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan and other stars from the past and present are expected to feature.
The Somerset Sabres need no introduction to Leicestershire fans and the County will be looking to avenge their 20:20 semi final defeat. Obviously the Sabres went on to win the competition at the Oval and big hitters like Matthew Wood and Ian Blackwell will surely be amongst the runs.
If the weather is fine, then the crowds should start to build at tea time and should Leicestershire progress to finals day on Saturday, then the atmosphere should be impressive.
Schedule
Thursday, September 15
Chilaw Marians v PCA Masters 1030 - 1315
Leicestershire Foxes v Faisalabad Wolves 1400 - 1645
PCA Masters v Nashua Titans 1730 - 2015
Friday September 16
Somerset Sabres v Faisalabad Wolves 1030 - 1315
Nashua Titans v Chilaw Marians 1400 - 1645
Leicestershire Foxes v Somerset Sabres 1730 - 2015
Saturday September 17
First semi-final 1030 - 1315
Second semi-final 1400 - 1645
Final 1730 - 2015
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LCCC v Derbyshire - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (8-11/9/05) |
 Darren Robinson and HD Ackerman both made centuries as Leicestershire drew with Derbyshire but racked up their highest score of the season with a total of 552-6 declared. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Foxes went on to enjoy almost two full days at the crease in a side that was without Darren Maddy and the injured Claude Henderson.
Ackerman, who has been struggling for form, was finally back to his best and top scored with 125 and Darren Robinson wasn't far behind with 123. This was Robinson's 4th century of the season and during this innings he passed the 1000 first class runs landmark for the second season running. Tom New also got in on the act by making a career best 89 and looked well on his way to making a ton before being caught behind by Luke Sutton from the bowling of Ian Hunter. Dinesh Mongia made 71, Aftab Habib scored 42 and Paul Nixon finished on 50 not out, his 6th half century of the season.
Unfortunately for County, the whole of day three was lost to rain and day four was delayed for bad light, so winning the match was to prove impossible but after a great batting display the bowlers followed suit.
At close on the final day, Derbyshire finished at 190 all out as the County claimed maximum bowling and batting points and it could have been a lot worse for Derby had Ian Hunter and Ant Botha not put on a last wicket stand of 63. Charl Willoughby returned the best bowling figures of 3-27, Stuart Broad took 3-46 and David Masters, 2-30.
Now the County seem to have finally found their feet in the championship as in the each of the last four matches they have scored an innings of 400+ but without doubt the rain has played it's part and prevented the Foxes from winning.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/05-13SEP2005/LEICS_DERBY_CC2_08-11SEP2005.html
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Henderson ruled out of Championship clash (7/9/05) |
Claude Henderson misses out on the Championship math at home to Derbyshire that starts a Grace Road today (Thurs) due a broken finger.
The South African spinner picked up the injury whilst fielding in the Totesport defeat, also versus Derby, on Tuesday.
Squad:
Darren Robinson, John Maunders, Tom New, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Darren Maddy, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
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LCCC v Derbyshire - Totesport National League Division 2 (5/9/05) |
 After going into this day/night match with so much optimism, Leicestershire put in their worst performance of the season as they lost by 6 wickets at the hands of local rivals Derbyshire.
Having won the toss, skipper HD Ackerman surprisingly elected to bat when the majority of captains would have chosen to bowl first as this was always going to be a difficult track to score runs on. The decision was to prove a disaster as the Foxes could only muster a poor 164-8 from their 45 overs as a combination of a slow pitch and bad mistakes cost the County the match.
Darren Robinson was the only real bright spot of the innings as he made 61, even though he struggled early on he still managed to hold his nerve unlike others. Darren Maddy went for 0 as his impatience led to him driving a poor shot into the hands of Anthony Botha from the bowling of Graeme Welch. Dinesh Mongia played lazily before being trapped lbw for 1 to John Moss and Ottis Gibson, who was sent in early to try and up the run rate, lasted just 2 balls without scoring and left the crease with the exact same fate as Mongia. Ackerman was trapped lbw but Tom Lungley to a ball that kept very low and had been looking good with his 19 and Aftab Habib, Jermeny Snape and Paul Nixon all made useful 20 something scores. But the rate was never accelerated and the lack of boundaries was evident with just 12 being scored in the entire 45 overs.
In reply, Derbyshire encountered very few problems in knocking off the required runs as they finished with a winning score score of 168-4 from 40 overs. Steve Stubbings was the key man as he made 49 and was helped along by John Moss (36) and Hassan Adnan (31 not out). Ottis Gibson bowled poorly for the Foxes and the spinners were introduced too late to the attack as the seamers found little penetration.
So the County's promotion hopes are as good as dead and what was concerning was the amount of smiles on Foxes players faces as they left the field at the end. I thought we lost and threw away promotion?
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/05-09SEP2005/LEICS_DERBY_NLS_06SEP2005.html
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Somerse hand County big favour! (6/9/05) |
Promotion is looking now looking more likely for Leicestershire as Somerset beat Warwickshire last night in a thrilling match at Taunton.
The Sabres, who beat the Foxes in the semi final of the 20/20 and went on to win the competition, knocked off the 279 target with an over to spare and if the County win tonight at home to Derbyshire, then it gives the Bears a mountain to climb to achieve promotion. Was Durston was in sparkling form as he led the Sabres to victory by 4 wickets with an unbeaten 58 from just 35 balls. Funnily enough, this win means that Somerset have a chance of promotion, but it they would have heavily rely on the results of others, including Leicestershire.
The table as it stands going in to tonights match with Derbyshire:
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Sadler could return for crucial Derby match (5/9/05) |
John Sadler is included in the squad to face the Derbyshire Phantoms in the televised floodlit Totesport League match at Grace Road on Tuesday evening.
Sadler has now recovered from a fractured collarbone, sustained in the Australian tour match from a ball from Brett Lee. Although Sadler is included in the squad, his chances of playing will be limited as Leicestershire produced a fantastic performance to beat Yorkshire at Headingley on Sunday and are expected to be unchanged.
The top three gain promotion from the Totesport National League 2nd Division and Leicestershire currently lie on third place and Derbyshire are in fifth. A win for the Foxes on Tuesday will put Derbyshire out of the promotion picture and the only team that the County will need to worry about are fourth placed Warwickshire, who have three games in hand over us.
Likely team:
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman (capt), Dinesh Mongia, Jeremy Snape, Aftab Habib, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charl Willoughby.
Derbyshire's dangermen will be their Australian overseas players, Michael de Venuto and John Moss. De Venuto has been in sensational form this season having hit an incredible 728 National League runs this including 3 centuries. As well as hitting nearly 400 runs in this competition, Moss has surprised many with his medium pace bowling, having taken 22 wickets so far in this league.
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Yorkshire v LCCC - Totesport National League Division 2 (4/9/05) |
Leicestershire kept their promotion hopes very much alive as they thrashed the Yorkshire Phoenix by 133 runs. Aftab Habib and Darren Maddy both weighed in with half centuries as the Foxes responded superbly to the pressure.
Having won the toss and put the Foxes into bat, the Phoenix knew that they had made the wrong decision very early as Leicestershire got off to a flyer. Darren Robinson and Maddy shared in an opening stand of 81 and scored at a run rate in excess of six per over until Robinson fell for 29 having been easily run out. Maddy was next to go for a 53 ball 54 and he became one of Michael Dawson's three victims as did HD Ackerman who made 18. Dinesh Mongia and Aftab Habib then put on 62 for the 4th wicket to take the score to 180 until the Indian star was bowled by Anthony McGrath for 39. The wickets then started to tumble and the run rate dropped but Habib held firm in amongst the loss of the cheap wickets of Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon and Claude Henderson but Ottis Gibson did provide a brief cameo by scoring 15 from 13 balls. This burst by Gibson and a late flurry by Habib (who hit a six in the last over) ensured that the the total was a very competitive 253-8 and Habib was most certainly the star with the bat with a crucial unbeaten 62 ball 65.
The game was as good as over inside the first few overs of Yorkshire's innings as Ottis Gibson ripped through the top order and claimed the prize wicket of Ian Harvey for only 3 as the Phoenix buckled. At 57-7, there was no way back for the home team as the County's bowlers performed as well as the batters and only wicketkeeper Simon Guy's 40 proved any kind of resistance. Yorkshire prolonged the inevitable for just over 35 overs until they were finally all out for 120 and the whole Foxes bowling attack played their part but it was Ottis Gibson who picked up the best figures of 3-27 and it was he who got them off to such a cracking start.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/04SEP2005/YORKS_LEICS_NLS_04SEP2005.html
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Mongia and Gibson back for Totesport double header (3/9/05) |
Leicestershire welcome back Dinesh Mongia and Ottis Gibson as they prepare for two crucial Totesport League matches in three days.
Mongia returns after a bout of flu and Gibson comes back into the side after being rested for the Chmapionship clash at Worcester. The Foxes face Yorkshire at Headingley tomorrow (Sunday) and entertain Derbyshire under the floodlights at Grace Road on Tuesday. The County know that they must win both of the games to keep their promotion hopes alive and if the lads manage a win in Yorkshire on Sunday, then Tuesdays Sky TV match should a cracking encounter as Derbyshire are still in the chase for promotion too.
Squad:
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman (capt), Dinesh Mongia, Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby, Tom New, Jim Allenby, David Brignull.
Meanwhile, as exclusively reported on this site over a week ago, Chris Rogers will not be returning to the club next season as he has signed a deal with neighbours Northamptonshire for 2006. It really is a scandal how the club have let Chris slip through their fingers and it seems they just didn't try hard enough to retain his services as he was so keen to return to Grace Road. Let me know what you think on the Guestbook/Messageboard.
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20:20 Tournament screened across the globe (3/9/05) |
The inaugural International 20:20 Club Championship will receive massive TV coverage across when it gets underway in two weeks time.
The tournament, which is being held at Grace Road and has been organised by the County's commercial partners, Investors in Cricket, will be staged on the 15th, 16th and 17th of September and will feature 20;20 champions from around the world.
Leicestershire and current English 20:20 champions Somerset are joined by South Africa's Nashua Titans, Chilaw Marians of Sri Lanka, Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves and an all star PCA Masters XI in the six team tournament which is crickets version of the 'Champions League'.
Sony (India), Supersport (South Africa) and Sky Sports (UK) have all agreed deals for the rights to televise the event. Sony will be covering the tournament live (so I'll be flicking through the Sky Digibox!) and Sky will be showing extended highlights.
A full preview of the event will be on this site in the week leading up to the first day on the 15th of September.
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Worcestershire v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (30/8-2/9/05) |
Dinesh Mongia is again missing from the Leicestershire squad, apparently due to a flu bug. Charl Willoughby returns at the expense of Ottis Gibson who is rested.
Team
John Maunders, Darren Robinson, Tom New, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Darren Maddy, Paul Nixon (wkt), David Masters, Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
Day 1
John Maunders hit his first century of the season as Leicestershire posted an impressive total of 342-7 at the end of the first day. Maunders scored a deserving 148 in just under six hours as Tom New chipped in with 31 and Darren Maddy (34). Paul Nixon (37) and Claude Henderson (33) both remained unbeaten at close.
Day 2
Resuming on 342-7, the County reached an impressive 405 all out thanks to Paul Nixon's 5th half century of the season. Nixon made 58 and after losing Claude Henderson for 37, Stuart Broad displayed his batting talents with a career best 31.
In reply, Worcestershire made a solid start, until with score on 75, Steven Moore was to become one of David Masters two victims. More wickets started to fall quickly as Masters removed Chris Gayle for 51, Ben Smith fell cheaply to Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad claimed the prize scalp of Graeme Hick as the home side reached 177-4 at close to Leicestershire in a commanding position. After hitting another fifty, Paul Nixon continued his fine days work by claiming all four catches off each bowler!
Day 3
Leicestershire enter the final days play in a potentially match winning position. After bowling out Worcestershire for 290, the County reached 197-5 at close giving them a lead of 312.
Claude Henderson continued his cracking form by mopping up the home sides tail end to finish with figures of 4-72 and David Masters claimed a deserving 3-49.
The County's second innings got off to a poor start as John Maunders and Darren Robinson both fell cheaply with the score at 25-2 but Tom New and HD Ackerman steadied the ship with a stand of 52. The skipper eventually fell for 16 but New continued his promising form although he will be kicking himself as he was bowled by Ali for 49. Darren Maddy came in and made a slow 22 before being stumped by Davies off the bowling of West Indian Chris Gayle. Luckily two old heads again steadied the ship as at close Aftab Habib was unbeaten on 52 and Paul Nixon not out on 11.
Day 4
Leicestershire could not find enough in the tank to finish off Worcestershire as the match ended in a draw.
Resuming on 197-5, the County declared at 255-5, giving them a lead of 371 as Aftab Habib again showed his class by finishing 90 not out and was backed up by Paul Nixon with an unbeaten 28.
Worcestershire were never going to achieve their target and the Foxes looked to be on their way to victory as the home side were in a mess at 87-4. But former Fox Ben Smith stabilised the innings with an unbeaten 87 as Worcester reached 255-5 when the umpires called the match a draw. Charl Willoughby returned the best bowling figures with 2-49 as Leicestershire again picked 12 points.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/30AUG-02SEP2005/WORCS_LEICS_CC2_30AUG-02SEP2005.html
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LCCC v Northants - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (24-27/8/05) |
 Dinesh Mongia is absent from the Leicestershire squad after picking up a flu bug. The Indian left hander, who has eventually started to hit some form, is replaced by Tom New who is fresh from scoring a double hundred for the Second XI.
Stuart Broad also returns to the side after recovering from a back injury sustained whilst representing England U-19's. He replaces the dropped Charl Willoughby who has struggled for form all season.
Team:
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, Tom New, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, John Maunders, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, David Masters.
Day 1
No play due to rain.
Day 2
More rain again meant that only 14.3 overs were bowled today. Darren Robinson and John Maunders finally got the game underway after being put in to bat by the visitors, and the pair remained unbeaten at close with the score at 29-0. Maunders, who swapped position with the out of form Darren Maddy in the batting order, rode his luck on three occasions as he survived two genuine lbw shouts and survived a dropped catch.
Day 3
A full day's play was finally possible as the County produced an excellent batting performance, with Darren Robinson the star as he hit his third century of the season.
Robinson made 139 out of the Foxes close of play score of 390-6 and Tom New (41) and Ottis Gibson (63 not out) also found form.
Day 4
Leicestershire added just 15 more runs to their overnight score before declaring on 405-6 with Ottis Gibson finishing on an entertaining 74 not out from just 83 balls. Paul Nixon also continued his good form and also remained unbeaten on 36. Aussie bowler Damien Wright was the only real threat in the Northants bowling attack as he picked up figures of 4-87.
At this stage and after losing nearly two full days to rain, a draw was the only possible outcome but the Foxes claimed a 'moral' victory as they bowled out the visitors for 261. Claude Henderson returned his best figures of the season with 5-63 and John Maunders helped himself to 2-22. Openers Michael Love and Bilal Shafayat both made 50+ but their other wickets crumbled, mainly due to Henderson.
Another impressive all round performance from Leicestershire and if it were not for the rain, then a win could have been very much on the cards.
Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/24-28AUG2005/LEICS_NORTHANTS_CC2_24-27AUG2005.html
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Exclusive - No Grace Road return for Rogers (22/8/05) |
Australian batsman Chris Rogers will not be returning to Grace Road for the 2006 season.
I understand that Leicestershire were unable to offer Rogers a contract for next season, even though Director of Cricket James Whitaker had expressed very positive interest in the Western Australian left hander and was extremely disappointed he was unable offer a contract.
This is a massive blow to Leicestershire as all supporters were so impressed with Rogers and were keen to see him sign on a permanent basis. Chris told the Leicestershire Foxes Supporters site, 'I still have great memories of Leicester and wouldn't change them for anything'.
It remains to be seen what the clubs reasons are for not offering 'Buck' a contract and whoever they get as an overseas batsman next season, will have a tough task in matching Chris's popularity and achievements.
The Foxes Totesport League match at home to the Warwickshire Bears, was abandoned today (Monday) without a ball being bowled, due to rain. Two points were awarded to each side but the County now face an up hill task to achieve promotion as the counties that surround them have games in hand.
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LCCC v Sussex - Totesport League Division 2 (21/8/05) |
 Dinesh Mongia hit a match winning 92 not out and claimed 2-17 as Leicestershire beat Sussex by 5 wickets at Grace Road.
After losing their last two Totesport League matches it was vital that the County got back to winning ways, and so they did, by beating leaders Sussex for the second time in as many weeks, to put the Foxes in second place in the league.
Batting first, the Sharks could only manage a total of 186 all out from their 45 overs and it would have been alot worse had it not been for Michael Yardy (58) and Carl Hopkinson (39) who shared in a 5th wicket stand of 72. Ottis Gibson was the chief destroyer for the Foxes as he claimed excellent figures of 4-39 and spinners Claude Henderson and Mongia picked up 2 wickets each.
The County's reply was slow and they suffered some early setbacks as Darren Robinson and Darren Maddy fell cheaply but Dinesh Mongia was the man to get the innings back on track, with his superb innings of 92 not out from 93 balls. His main back up at the crease was the in form Paul Nixon who remained unbeaten on 26 as the Foxes reached their target with 6 balls to spare to finish at 190-5.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/21AUG2005/LEICS_SUSSEX_NLS_21AUG2005.html
Leicestershire are back in Totesport action immediately as they entertain fellow promotion chasers Warwickshire (Monday at 1pm). The Foxes are set to name an unchanged side in one of their most crucial matches of the season. |
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County trial South African (19/8/05) |
Leicestershire are giving a trial to South African born all rounder Jacques du Toit.
The 25 year old, who has played first class cricket for Easterns in South Africa, has played in the County's last two Second XI matches and impressed in the recent match against Kent by hitting a 74 ball 89.
It remains to be seen, if the County were to sign him, in which capacity du Toit would qualify to play, whether he would be a Kolpak signing or would qualify through an European passport.
http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/44934.html
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Durham v LCCC - Totesport League Division Two (16/8/05) |
Leicestershire's promotion hopes suffered a huge set back as they put in a horror show at the Riverside against Durham.
Having lost the toss and being put in to bat, the County could only muster a paltry 113 all out from jus over 32 overs. Darren Robinson, who was preferred on the day to Claude Henderson, provided the only resistance, as he grafted to make a 68 ball 30. Aussie bowler Mick Lewis returned impressive figures of 4-13 for the home side.
In reply, Durham cruised to the target, making 116-2 from just over 26 overs. Paul Collingwood was their chief run scorer and made a 38 ball 51 as Darren Maddy and Dinesh Mongia shared the two wickets.
So a disappointing performance all round for the Foxes and captain HD Ackerman must pick his side up if they are to keep challenging for promotion.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/15-17AUG2005/DURHAM_LEICS_NLS_16AUG2005.html
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New and Snape return for Day/Night match (16/8/05) |
Tom New and Jeremy Snape return to the squad for the Totesport League Day/Night match at Durham tonight (4.10).
Leicestershire will be buoyed by an impressive batting and bowling performance versus Durham in the Championship and up until last weeks defeat at the Oval, had won their previous six Totesport League matches.
James Whitaker has to make a tough choice between David Masters who is now fit and in great form and David Brignull who has not let the side down as his replacement.
Squad:
Tom New, Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman (capt), Dinesh Mongia, Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, David Brignull, Charl Willoughby.
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Durham v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (12-15/8/05) |
Charl Willoughby and Darren Robinson return to the starting line up at the expense of the unlucky Ryan Cummins and Tom New.
Day 1
Due to heavy rain, play at the Riverside did not get underway until 4.30 as Durham reached 54-1 from just 22 overs. Charl Willoughby took the only wicket as he trapped opener James Lowe lbw for 26.
Day 2
David Masters picked up 2 wickets and Durham batsman Mike Hussey made 70 not out as the rain once again again frustrated both sides.
Only 34.1 overs were possible as Durham posted a total of 149-3 at the close of play. Masters finished with figures of 2-40 as claimed the wickets of the dangerous Paul Collingwood and Gordon Muchall.
Day 3
After a rain interrupted first two days, day three was much better for the County in rain and performance. David Masters collected superb figures of 6-74 as the Foxes bowled out the home side for 315 and Durham were grateful to Mike Hussey who made a brilliant 146. Hussey is becoming something of a bogey player for Leicestershire as he scored a double century on the opening day of the season at Grace Road. Masters' excellent haul was backed up by Charl Willoughby's 4-92 and it was the former Kent players best return of the season.
Finally getting the chance to bat, the County lost Darren Maddy early for 12 but Darren Robinson and Dinesh Mongia punished the Durham attack as they put on 92 for the 3rd wicket. Previous to that stand, John Maunders had fell for 22 but Robinson and Mongia ensured a solid batting performance with 73 and 77 not out respectively. Mongia's 77 was well overdue as he has disappointed this season but hopefully this score will notch him up a gear or two. At close, Leicestershire were 217-3 from 52 overs.
Day 4
Dinesh Mongia finally hit his first century for Leicestershire as he made 164 out of a total of 443 all out, the County's highest score of the season.
The Indian all rounder, who has been through a poor spell of form, faced 191 balls and hit 26 fours and 3 sixes. HD Ackerman continued his sparkling form by making 61 and Claude Henderson chipped in with a valuable 30 not out. Durham spinner Gareth Breese ensured that his side batted again by taking 5-91.
With only 37 overs left to play, it was all about batting and bowling practice as Durham reached 103-2 at close as Ottis Gibson and Henderson claimed a wicket a piece. Mike Hussey again impressed for the home side as he made an unbeaten 61.
Even though a draw was the outcome, Leicestershire will look on this result positively, as not only did they make their highest total of the season but they also ensured maximum batting and bowling points.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/10-15AUG2005/DURHAM_LEICS_CC2_12-15AUG2005.html
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County aim to improve Championship form (12/8/05) |
Leicestershire aim to improve their Championship form as they travel to the Riverside to take on Durham today (Friday).
It will be a tough match as the County have only won two Championship matches all season compared to top of the table Durham who have only lost twice.
Ryan Cummins is expected to keep his place in the team at the expense of Charl Willoughby as Darren Robinson returns from injury to replace Tom New, who must feel aggrieved at his exclusion after scoring 50 in the last Championship match against Lancashire.
Squad:
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby, Ryan Cummins.
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Surrey v LCCC - Totesport National League Division 2 (9/8/05) |
Ali Brown produced a world class innings of 108 not out and sent Leicestershire crashing to their first defeat in seven matches.
It could have all been so different as the Foxes posted an impressive total of 258-5 from 45 overs, but Brown's innings from just 63 balls proved decisive.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the County made a slow but steady start. Darren Maddy was an early victim as he fell to a sensational catch from Stephen Walters off the bowling of Azhar Mahmood. Tom New and HD Ackerman shared 65 for the second wicket until the young opener fell for a 71 ball 28. Dinesh Mongia quickly followed for a second ball duck as he continued his disastrous run of form. At this stage the Foxes were 85-3 from little over 20 overs but Ackerman and Aftab Habib put together a stand of 78 to put them back on track. Ackerman carried on his sparkling form in this league with superb 78 from 89 balls and Habib continued his rich vein of form with a near run a ball 52. Once Paul Nixon came to the crease after the departure of the skipper, the floodgates opened as the wicket keeper showed his class. Eventually joined by Jeremy Snape after Habib's dismissal the pair scored more than 50 runs in the final 5 overs as 'Nico' fell just short of his 50 with a sensational powerful knock of 47 not out from only 28 balls. Snape wasn't to be out shone though, as he scored a 13 ball 25. It was exciting stuff to watch and the County must have though that their 258 was enough. Oh how wrong they were.
Some poor bowling made it easy for the Lions as Ali Brown and Mark Ramprakash took apart the Foxes attack. Although Brown was quite rightly the man of the match, captain Ramprakash was his main stay at the crease and made 69 from 77 balls. The usually effective spin bowling of Snape, Mongia and Claude Henderson was not apparent as the three shared 15 overs at the cost of 127 runs and not a wicket between them! Charl Willoughby was the only real threat as he picked up 2-36 from his 9 overs as the Surrey Lions reaches a winning total of 259-3 with 5 and a half overs to spare.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/09-10AUG2005/SURREY_LEICS_NLS_09AUG2005.html
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Leicestershire will name an unchanged side as they travel to the Oval once again for the Totesport League Floodlit tomorrow (Tuesday at 3.10).
The Foxes have now won six Totesport matches in a row and will look to make it seven in front of the Sky Sports cameras. David Brignull retains his place after an impressive display at Hove and HD Ackerman, Darren Maddy and Ottis Gibson will be looking to continue their match winning form.
Squad:
Darren Maddy, Tom New, HD Ackerman (capt), Dinesh Mongia, Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Brignull, Charl Willoughby, John Maunders, James Allenby.
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Sussex v LCCC - Totesport League Division 2 (7/8/05) |
HD Ackerman scored his first ever one day century as Leicestershire beat top of the table Sussex to make it six Totesport League wins in a row at Hove.
The South African scored a brilliant 114 not out and hit the winning runs off the final ball in a thrilling match. HD's innings consisted of 127 balls and included 10 fours and a six.
The Sharks batted first and recovered well from 86-5 to post 223-8 from their 45 overs thanks to Chris Adams (78) and Naved-ul-Hasan's 31 ball 45. Ottis Gibson bowled superbly for the Foxes as he picked 4-37 and David Brignull, who replaced the injured David Masters, returned an excellent 2-39.
Things didn't start too well in the Foxes innings as Tom New fell without scoring but luckily Darren Maddy and Ackerman were on song as they shared in a fantastic second wicket stand of 185. Maddy made 93 from 117 balls but was out shone this time by the captain fantastic. The County should never really have let matters get down to the last ball, but considering the Sharks are top of the table and had only lost once this season in this league, the result was superb.
The Foxes final total of 227-4 shows how valuable Ackerman's innings was, as he scored more than half of the runs and the victory lifts the County into third place and into a promotion place. Who said the season was dead after the 20/20 defeat?!
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/07AUG2005/SUSSEX_LEICS_NLS_07AUG2005.html
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LCCC v Lancashire - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (3-6/8/05) |
Ryan Cummins retains his place in the Leicestershire side, despite the return of Ottis Gibson, due to Charl Willoughby's absence. Tom New is given the chance to open as Darren Robinson is injured.
Day 1
Ryan Cummins, who picked up four wickets on his debut versus Essex last week, claimed 3-32 as Leicestershire bowled out Lancashire for 291. The 21 year old claimed the wickets of Mark Chilton, former Fox Iain Sutcliffe and Aussie star Andrew Symonds as Ottis Gibson also picked up three scalps. Claude Henderson and David Masters also grabbed two wickets each as Sutcliffe was the main man for Lancashire, scoring 93.
In reply, the County, with Tom New and Darren Maddy opening, were 16 without loss.
Day 2
Aftab Habib continued his terrific form as Leicestershire were bowled out for 261, 30 runs short of Lancashire's total.
Habib made 84 and hit 12 fours and a six and shared in a fifth wicket stand of 71 with HD Ackerman who made 41. Tom New impressed by hitting a patient 50 and David Masters provided some late order resolve by making 36.
The County assumed control of the game in Lancashire's second innings as the visitor's were reduced to 37-3 at close. Ottis Gibson claimed two wickets and David Masters one, giving Lancs a lead of 68 with 7 wickets remaining.
Day 3
After starting the day in a commanding position, the County ended the day on the verge of a heavy defeat with a poor second innings of 72-5.
Resuming on 37-3, Lancashire dominated the day as Andrew Symonds scored 121 as the visitors declared on 368-9. Glen Chapple made 60 and Warren Hegg 77 not out as the Leicestershire attack found the going tough. John Maunders, who is emerging as a geniune bowling option, was the pick of the bowlers and returned figures of 3-37.
Requiring 399 to win in their final innings, the Foxes embarrassed themselves by losing 5 wickets for 68 runs. Tom New had started brightly and made 20 from 29 balls, but Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman and nightwatchman Claude Henderson all fell cheaply. At close, the County were staring defeat in the face at 72-5 with Dinesh Mongia with 18 and Aftab Habib 4, both unbeaten.
Day 4
Resuming on 72-5, Leicestershire slumped to a 234 run defeat after being bowled out for 164. James Anderson claimed 5-79 as Dinesh Mongia top scored for the Foxes with just 31. David Masters and Ottis Gibson provided some late resistance by sharing in a 9th wicket stand of 42 but it was a case of too little and too late as the damage had already been done.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/03-07AUG2005/LEICS_LANCS_CC2_03-06AUG2005.html
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County blow it in 20/20 semi (30/7/05) |
Leicestershire threw away their semi final match with Somerset as they really should have made it to the final. Darren Maddy once again showed his 20/20 brilliance but was let down by poor batting from others.
1st 20/20 Semi Final: Lancashire v Surrey
More than 400 runs were scored in this classic match as Lancashire gained revenge on Surrey after last years defeat to progress into the final. Batting first, all of the Lightning top order impressed with some big hitting as they reached a massive total of 217-4 from their 20 overs.
Mal Loye and Stuart Law set them on their way as they consistently achieved 10 runs per over and they shared in an opening stand of 56. Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Symonds were the main run scorers with Flintoff hammering 49 from 28 balls and Symonds, 52 not out from 30 balls. Surrey bowlers Tim Murtagh and 19 year old debutant Jade Dernbach took particular punishment, conceding over 100 runs between them.
In reply the Lions started brilliantly as James Benning and Ali Brown shared in opening stand of 93 with a run rate of over 10 an over but a combination of the loss of quick wickets and a short interruption of for rain showers, halted their progress. Benning made 42 and Ali Brown a superb 52 from 32 balls as the wickets fell and Scott Newman and Rikki Clarke were both dismissed cheaply. Mark Ramprakash and Azhar Mahmood gave Surrey a great chance of victory with some sensational big hitting as Ramprakash knocked off 45 from 29 balls and Mahmood, 30 from 17 balls. But when both fell in the latter stages, the Lions fell short and totalled 195-7 from their 20 overs, losing by 22 runs.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LANCS_SURREY_TWENTY-20_30JUL2005.html
2nd 20/20 Semi Final: Leicestershire v Somerset
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Somerset started at a steady pace before an amazing display of fielding by David Masters saw the end of Graeme Smith. Having reached 29 from 20 balls, the South African captain cracked a thundering drive off Ottis Gibson which look destined for a four but somehow Masters sprinted and dived full length to his left to take one of the greatest catches ever! This game was to turn in the Foxes favour as the spinners took charge in amongst interruptions for rain, to leave the Sabres struggling at 111-6. Jeremy Snape was the pick of the bowlers and collected a superb 2-18 from his 4 overs and Dinesh Mongia picked up 3-30 from 4 overs including the prize wicket of Marcus Trescothick for 25. Mongia had owed the County some good bowling after some terrible fielding, including the terrible dropped catch of James Hildreth. The last over was to prove crucial as wicket keeper Carl Gazzard cracked 4 fours off Ottis before being caught by Claude Henderson off the last ball of the innings for 26. Somerset total 157-9.
In reply, Leicestershire were in control immediately as Darren Maddy took centre stage. Maddy hit 56 from 39 balls including 8 fours and a six as he dominated an opening stand of 74 with skipper HD Ackerman with a run rate of 10 an over. Ackerman fell to Blackwell, when he advanced down the wicket to play a defensive shot but only to see the ball turn past him and Gazzard whipped the bails off for a stumping. With 14 more runs on the board, Mongia again disappointed with the bat as he drove Ian Blackwell high only to see Trescothick take the catch on the boundary. The smart money would still have been on the Foxes until Maddy did the same as Ackerman by being stumped off Blackwell by Gazzard. At 90-3 and with the loss of the influential Maddy, matters swayed Somersets way and even more so when Jeremy Snape attempted running a ridiculous single, only to be run out for 6. James Allenby and Paul Nixon then tried to steady the ship, with Allenby playing quite well for a 19 ball 17 before an attempted big hit off Richard Johnson fell into the hands of Ian Blackwell. John Maunders followed shortly after for 1 as the wickets started to tumble and the run rate was increasing and in amongst the falling wickets, Nixon tried his best to push the County nearer to the total. 18 runs were needed from the final over, but with three dot balls to start it, there was no chance for the Foxes and Nixon's big six on the final ball of the over was irrelevant as Somerset claimed victory by 4 runs. Nixon's brave innings of 27 not out came from just 18 balls and included 2 sixes. Leicestershire final score 153-8.
It was a very disappointing defeat for Leicestershire as we had bowled so well and after a super start with the bat, the all to familiar batting collapse reared it's ugly head to leave nearly 2,000 travelling County fans, and many watching at home, very depressed.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LEICS_SOMERSET_TWENTY-20_30JUL2005.html
20/20 Final: Lancashire v Somerset
Somerset cruised to a 7 wicket victory over favourites Lancashire in a rain affected match, which was reduced to 16 overs a side.
Batting first, the Lightning could not match their batting performance of the semi final and crumbled to a total of 114-8 from their 16 overs. Only Stuart Law impressed with the bat, hitting 59 from 45 balls as Richard Johnson and Andy Caddick picked up 5 wickets between them. Johnson, who claimed 3 wickets in the semi final win over Leicestershire, once again picked up three to finish with 3-26 from 3 overs.
In reply, Somerset had to thank man of the match Graeme Smith for a superb 64 not out from 47 balls. The South African captain, playing his last game for the Sabres, hit 5 fours and three sixes as Somerset reached a winning total of 118-3 with 11 balls remaining.
The only pleasing party of the day was to see Somerset overcome the team everybody loves to hate, Lancashire! Congratulations Somerset.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LANCS_SOMERSET_TWENTY-20-FINAL_30JUL2005.html
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Twenty20 Finals Day Preview (30/7/05) |
Leicestershire aim to retain their Champions crown, as they go head to head with Somerset in the semi final of the 2005 Twenty20 Cup at the Oval today (Saturday).
The sell out finals day, will be watched by around 20,000 fans and play starts at 11.30am with the first semi final between Lancashire and Surrey. The County's match is scheduled to start at approx 3pm and at the time the ground should be packed to the rafters. Each County was allocated 1,800 tickets which were sold out rapidly and the atmosphere should be electric.
Leicestershire go into the match under strength as key batter John Sadler misses the match with a broken collar bone sustained by a ball from Brett Lee in the recent Australian tour match. His place goes to Aussie born James Allenby and this is sure to be the highlight of his, so far, brief career. Allenby, has appeared in two matches for the Foxes this season, including the semi final win over Middlesex, but has a reputation of a quick scoring batsmen who is excellent in the field. Ottis Gibson has been passed fit after missing the Championship match with Essex and Tom New and David Brignull are inclusions to the named squad of 13.
The Foxes have masses of experience to rely on. HD Ackerman has been in sparkling form and is the County's leading 20/20 run scorer, Darren Maddy is one of the best 20/20 batsmen on his day, Jeremy Snape possess's intelligence and guile with his batting and bowling and Ottis Gibson can be explosive with both bat and ball. Dinesh Mongia has struggled with the bat but is surely due a big score in this competition and his bowling has been superb, Charl Willoughby has shown his best form in the 20/20 and Paul Nixon is capable of quick scoring in the middle order.
Whether the County can be successful depends on these players performing on the day and if they do, then it would take a brave man to bet against us.
Leicestershire Squad
HD Ackerman (capt), Darren Maddy, Dinesh Mongia, James Allenby, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon, Ottis Gibson, John Maunders, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby, Tom New, David Brignull.
Key Man
Darren Maddy
Somerset welcome back England star Marcus Trescothick but he is not the only batsmen to fear. South African captain Graeme Smith hit a triple ton versus Leicestershire recently and Ian Blackwell and Matthew Wood (who is the leading 20/20 run scorer this season with 306 runs) are hard hitters of a cricket ball. Young James Hildreth is an emerging talent with the bat and Keith Parsons always seems score heavily against the Foxes. Bowling wise, the Sabres can rely on the experience of Andy Caddick and Richard Johnson and overseas star Charl Langaveldt.
Somerset Squad
Graeme Smith, John Francis, Marcus Trescothick, Matt Wood, James Hildreth, Arul Suppiah, Ian Blackwell, Keith Parsons, Carl Gazzard, Richard Johnson, Charl Langaveldt, Andy Caddick, Simon Francis, Wes Durston.
Key Man
Graeme Smith
Surrey have home advantage and will be looking to continue their ever presence in the 20/20 final. The Lions progressed to finals day with a nail biting bowl out victory over Warwickshire and will be hoping to repeat last years semi final result as they again faced and beat Lancashire. Big hitters Ali Brown, Rikki Clarke and Azhar Mahmood can produce the fireworks for the Lions and Mark Ramprakash and Scott Newman are consistent run makers. In the bowling attack former Fox Jimmy Ormond is a fine 20/20 bowler and was man of the match in the 2003 final and Nayan Doshi is an effective spin bowler in this competition.
Surrey (Likely Team)
James Benning, Ali Brown, Scott Newman, Rikki Clarke, Jon Batty, Azhar Mahmood, Mark Ramprakash, Ian Salisbury, Tim Murtagh, Jimmy Ormond, Nayan Doshi.
Key Man
Ali Brown
Lancashire welcome back England star Andrew Flintoff to their already impressive batting line up. The Lightning already possess the quality of Mal Loye, Stuart Law and new signing Andrew Symonds. All are capable of making big scores and will feel confident of progressing into the final. Their bowling attack is equally impressive with the likes of Glen Chapple, James Anderson, Dominic Cork and spinner Gary Keedy.
Lancashire Squad
Mark Chilton (capt), Iain Sutcliffe, Mal Loye, Andrew Crook, Stuart Law, Marcus North, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Symonds, Steven Crook, Dominic Cork, Warren Hegg (wkt), Glen Chapple, Gary Keedy, James Anderson.
Key Man
Andrew Symonds
Good luck to the Foxes and do us proud!
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LCCC v Essex - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (26-29/7/05) |
Day 1
Debutant Ryan Cummins, took 3 wickets as Leicestershire bowled out Essex for 297 but at close were left in a mess at 12-2.
21 year old fast bowler Cummins, who was a late replacement for the injured Ottis Gibson, was recently signed on a full 2 year contract after finishing his degree at Loughborough University. He did not disappoint on his debut as he claimed figures of 3-49 from 12 overs. David Masters was the key bowler though as he took an impressive 4-65 from 25 overs and this give him much needed confidence ahead of Saturday's 20/20 finals day. Charl Willoughby collected 2 wickets as Ronnie Irani and Ali Cook impressed for Essex with 97 and 62 respectively.
In response, the County faced just over 6 overs at the end of the day and lost the wickets of Darren Robinson and Darren Maddy with just 12 runs on the board as veteran England bowler Darren Gough claimed both scalps.
Day 2
On a rain affected day, Leicestershire limped to 132-6 at close as John Maunders and Aftab Habib were the only batsmen to emerge with any credit. Maunders made 46 and Habib remained unbeaten on 48 as only 48 overs were allowed in between rain showers.
Day 3
No play due to rain.
Day 4
Aftab Habib produced a sensational 153 not out against his former club as Leicestershire picked up 11 points with the match resulting in a draw. The County declared on 382-8 as Habib faced 300 balls and hit 19 fours and a six and was assisted by Paul Nixon who made a season best equalling 85. Claude Henderson also shone with the bat by making 36 from 43 balls.
In their second innings, Essex faced 29 overs, making 80-2 before the match was called to halt for a draw. Young Ravi Bopara impressed with 48 not out as David Masters and Ryan Cummins picked up a wicket each.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/26-29JUL2005/LEICS_ESSEX_CC2_26-29JUL2005.html |
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Mongia returns to team (26/7/05) |
Dinesh Mongia returns to the Leicestershire side as they entertain Essex in the Frizzell Championship at Grace Road.
Mongia replaces the departing Chris Rogers, who made such a marvellous contribution during his brief stay. John Sadler is still struggling with the shoulder injury sustained after being hit by a ball from Australia's Brett Lee and sees a specialist this week to find out if he will be able to lay in the 20/20 finals day on Saturday.
Stuart Broad is also missing as he is playing for England U-19's for the next couple of weeks.
Team:
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), A Habib, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby.
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Scotland v LCCC - Totesport League Division 2 (24/7/05) |
Darren Maddy hit a superb 95 as Leicestershire cruised to a 7 wicket win over Scotland at the Grange in Edinburgh.
Batting first, Scotland were struggling from the off with the loss of wickets and a slow run rate. A wicket each each from Darren Maddy, Ottis Gibson and Charl Willoughby had the Saltires in a mess at 51-3 but Ryan Watson and Doug Lockhart put on a gritty stand of 86 for the 4th wicket. Once Watson fell to Claude Henderson for an excellent 70, the floodgates opened at the Foxes reduced the home side to 166-9 from their 45 overs. Henderson was the outstanding bowler with figures of 3-25, with Maddy and Jeremy Snape picking up 2 wickets each.
Opener Tom New and Maddy started well at a casual tempo and they shared 53 for the opening wicket before New fell for 20 to the excellent Wright. Then Darren Robinson quickly followed, again falling to Wright for a duck but Maddy and HD Ackerman put the County into a winning position with a stand of 79. When Ackerman fell for 38, Chris Rogers stepped up to the crease for the final time in Leicestershire colours but he was to take a back seat to Maddy who decided to finish the game early with a flurry of fours and sixes to finish 5 short of his century from 100 balls. Rogers, who was 5 not out when the Foxes reached a winning score of 170-3 with 9 overs to spare, didn't go out with a bang on his send off but will always be remembered by County fans as a player who made a marvellous impression in such a short space of time. Cheers Chris.
Scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/24JUL2005/SCOT_LEICS_NLS_24JUL2005.html |
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Yorkshire v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship Division 2 (20-23/7/05) |
New overseas star Chris Rogers will play his last championship game for Leicestershire in the current match at Scarborough versus Yorkshire. The Australian, who scored a sensational career best 209 versus his home country on Sunday, will make way for the returning Dinesh Mongia. Rogers' final Foxes match will be at the Grange in the Totesport clash with Scotland on Sunday.
Aftab Habib returns to the side after a lengthy lay off and replaces the injured John Sadler and Darren Robinson and Stuart Broad return after being overlooked for the 20/20 win against Middlesex.
Day 1
Chris Rogers was again the star of the show on the first day of the championship match versus Yorkshire at Scarborough. The Aussie left hander top scored with 93 as Leicestershire posted an impressive score of 342-7 at stumps.
The Foxes started strongly through Darren Robinson and Darren Maddy. Robinson was first back in the pavilion with a score of 26 and was swiftly followed by John Maunders who made 6. Having being 60 without loss, the County now found themselves 68-2 but Rogers added important runs, which were made more important as Darren Maddy fell for 40 and Ackerman (20), Habib (0) and Nixon 10 were all survived by Rogers, who hit a 150 ball 93 including 16 fours before being stumped behind by Dawood off Lawson with the score at 226-7.
The County need not have worried as Ottis Gibson and Claude Henderson displayed their all round talents with an eighth wicket stand of 116. Gibson was the major run maker and produced a seasonal best 87 not out from 149 balls including 11 fours and a six. Henderson batted patiently for 42 not out from 125 balls with 6 fours and 1 six.
Day 2
An incredible 18 wickets fell on the second day of this match as Leicestershire finished in a reasonably commanding position.
The County added only 24 more runs to their overnight score to finish with 366 all out with Ottis Gibson bowing out with 91 and Claude Henderson scoring 49. Now it was the bowlers turn to impress and they didn't disappoint, as they bowled out Yorkshire for just 187. Gibson, Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad all claimed 3 wickets each with Ismail Dawood top scoring with 45.
Although given the option to enforce the follow on, the Foxes declined in an attempt to give the bowlers a breather but they must have wondered if this was the right decision when Darren Robinson was bowled by Bresnan from the opening ball of the innings. Darren Maddy soon followed, again falling to Bresnan without scoring and John Maunders and Chris Rogers set about steadying the ship. The pair put on 65 before Rogers fell for 35 with the score at 78-3 and his replacement HD Ackerman didn't last long, as he fell for 10 to Anthony McGrath. John Maunders was looking in good shape but was dismissed by McGrath for 48 as Leicestershire reached 106-5 at close.
Day 3
The County performed a little better on on the third day of this match as they added 111 runs to their overnight score, giving them a very good lead of 396.
Claude Henderson, Aftab Habib and Paul Nixon made twenty something scores and Ottis Gibson again showed his talent with the bat with a bruising 33 not out from just 25 balls, including 2 fours and 3 sixes. The Foxes finished on 217 all out giving the home side a daunting task of achieving near on 400 for victory with a day and a half to spare.
Yorkshire responded to the task in impressive fashion as openers Matt Wood and Joe Sayers put on 115. Wood was the major run maker and fell to Claude Henderson for 70 and at close the home side had reached 132-1, 265 runs short of victory. The Leicestershire bowlers now have to find something within themselves to knock down 9 wickets on the final day.
Day 4
Yorkshire achieved victory with little trouble as they reached the target of 397 with a total of 400-4. Joe Sayers hit a laborious century and Anthony McGrath, Phil Jaques and Ian Harvey all chipped in with 50+ scores. Claude Henderson bowled a mammoth 40 overs to finish with figures of 2-91.
All in all a disappointing result for Leicestershire as at one stage we were firmly in the driving seat.
Scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/20-24JUL2005/YORKS_LEICS_CC2_20-23JUL2005.html
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LCCC v Middlesex - 20/20 Quarter Final (18/7/05) |
 Leicestershire produced an excellent performance to reach the 20/20 finals day for the third successive year. Darren Maddy, Chris Rogers and Charl Willoughby all starred in a 19 run victory in front of a packed record 20/20 crowd of over 5,500 at Grace Road.
Batting first, the County were out of the stalls quickly as HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy hit an early flurry of boundaries. They put on 43 before Ackerman went for 14 but Chris Rogers came to the crease to keep up the rapid tempo. Maddy was next to go, falling to the tricky Peploe for 36 from 33 balls and Rogers was unfortunate to follow next ball after being run out at the non strikers end backing up a delivery to new batter Jim Allenby. Rogers had continued in a similar style to his double ton versus the Australians by scoring a brilliant 35 from 26 balls including 4 fours and 1 six. Allenby, after a promising start, was next out for 8 after a brilliant catch by Hutton again from Peploe's bowling and suddenly the Foxes good start was falling apart as Jeremy Snape and Paul Nixon found boundaries hard to come by in the middle stages of the innings. Luckily both found enough in them to speed up considerably in the last four overs as Snape made 23 from 21 balls and Nixon, 26 not out from 18. The final total of 159-6 looked around 20 runs short on a good wicket, but how many times have we thought that our total isn't enough, only to see the bowlers prove us wrong?!
Oh how they did prove us wrong, as Charl Willoughby ripped through the Middlesex top order, to see them struggling at 16-3. Willoughby bowled straight through his four overs to finish with amazing figures of 3-11 but the visitors did not give up after their poor start as James Dalrymple and Scott Styris set about giving the Foxes a match. The pair put on 87 for the 4th wicket and Styris in particular took a liking to the bowling of David Masters and Jeremy Snape. Luckily for Leicestershire, Claude Henderson removed Dalrymple for 39 and Ed Joyce for 6 to finish with figures of 2-24 from his four overs.
Although Styris was in sparkling form Middlesex were always going to struggle to match a run rate which had crept up to 12 and even higher in the latter stages. In the Darren Maddy's final over, the visitors required a Sir Garfield Sobers like innings as 34 runs were needed for victory! They fell 15 runs short with Maddy picking up the his solitary wicket of captain Ben Hutton and Styris ended on the losing side even though he was the highest run scorer of the day with 73 not out off 55 balls.
A pitch invasion followed as the County booked their place at the Oval on the 30th of July and a semi final tie with Somerset.
Scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LEICS_MIDDX_TWENTY-20_18JUL2005.html
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LCCC v Australia - Tour Match (15-17/7/05) |
Youngsters Stuart Broad and Tom New have been named in the Leicestershire line-up to face Australia in the three day tour match starting at Grace Road today (Friday).
It caps an excellent week for Broad who was also named in the England U-19 squad and New gets the chance to keep wicket and prove himself at first class level after some impressive innings' in the Totesport League.
The County also name Australian all rounder Jason Krejza in the team. The 22 year old who bowls off spin, plays for New South Wales in his homeland and it remains to be seen whether he is to become a permanent member of the Foxes squad.
The Australians name a strong team with the only omissions being that of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Former County players Damien Martyn and Mike Kasprowicz are in the line-up but there is no place for ex County star Brad Hodge.
Team
Darren Robinson, Chris Rogers, John Maunders, John Sadler, HD Ackerman (capt), Jason Krejza, Tom New (wkt), Ottis Gibson, David Masters, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
Australia
Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist (wkt), Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Mike Kasprowicz, Stuart MacGill.
Day 1
The Australian tourists were firmly in control at the end of the first day's play at Grace Road.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Leicestershire were bowled out for 217 but ironically it was two Aussies that impressed for the County. New signing Chris Rogers made a typically Australian 56 and trialist Jason Krejza impressed by scoring 38. Brett Lee was the main thorn in the Foxes side as he claimed figures of 4-53 and also forced John Sadler to retire hurt, after catching him on the shoulder with a short delivery. Sadler now faces a race against time to be fit for Monday's big 20/20 quarter final at home to Middlesex.
In reply, the tourists scored at a fast rate with openers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden putting on 131 before the latter fell to the part-time bowling of John Maunders. Hayden scored 75 from just 68 balls, scoring 12 fours and a six and Maunders was soon to strike again as he trapped Michael Clarke lbw for 9. Maunders was the most impressive bowler with figures of 2-22 from 6 overs and Stuart Broad bowled economically, conceding 21 runs from his 7 overs. At stumps, Australia were 169-2, 48 runs short of the County's total.
Day 2
Australia piled on the runs on day two as they finished the day on 582-7 with Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn helping themselves to centuries.
After being 71 not out overnight, Langer went on to make 115 before John Maunders dismissed him for his third wicket of the innings. Ponting made 119 before being clean bowled by Ottis Gibson but the the pick of the bunch was former Fox Martyn who remained unbeaten on 154. David Masters removed Simon Katich for just 4 and Stuart Broad picked up two wickets, including the scalp of Adam Gilchrist. Broad was the pick of the bowlers on the day and finished with fine figures of 2-77 from 22 overs.
Hopefully, Leicestershire will be given a full day's batting practice on the final day, as they prepare for Monday's 20/20 quarter final.
Day 3
New overseas star Chris Rogers scored an incredible 209 on his Grace Road debut as Leicestershire drew with the Australians. Rogers faced just 219 balls and smashed 32 fours and 3 sixes as he achieved a career best score and shared in a record breaking opening wicket stand with Darren Robinson of 247. Robinson made 81 in stand which was the best ever for the wicket for a county versus and Australian touring side.
Australia had declared on their overnight score and would have expected to win this match but the Foxes had other ideas. After Robinson and the brilliant Rogers departed there was a mini collapse, but this was not enough for the tourists as Leicestershire held out with 363-5 at close.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_LEICS_15-17JUL2005.html
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Broad gets England U-19 call (14/7/05) |
County all rounder Stuart Broad has been selected for the England U-19 squad for the Test and One Day international series versus Sri Lanka later this month.
The 19 year old has been in sparkling form for Leicestershire recently and fully deserves his selection. The U-19's will play three one day internationals and three tests against their Sri lankan counterparts.
Stuart, son of former England star Chris Broad, has taken 12 wickets in his last 3 championship matches and is very highly rated by captain HD Ackerman.
Meanwhile, the Foxes face the Australian tourists for the second time this season in a three day match starting at Grace Road tomorrow (Friday).
Former County batsman Brad Hodge could be selected for the Aussies who also welcome Justin Langer and Shane Warne back into the squad. Leicestershire will be without two key players for the tour match as Darren Maddy is best man at his brother's wedding and Claude Henderson is over in South Africa sorting out some family business.
New overseas signing Chris Rogers looks set to open the batting in the absence of Maddy and he will be keen to put in a good performance on his home debut against his countrymen.
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Somerset v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship - Division 2 (8/7/05) |
New overseas signing Chris Rogers, makes his debut today as Leicestershire are entertained by Somerset in the Championship match at Taunton. The Australian bats at four as the prolific Darren Robinson returns to open and 19 year starlet Stuart Broad comes back into the side.
Team
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Chris Rogers, HD Ackerman (capt), John Sadler, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
Day 1
A fine time effort gave Leicestershire a steady start to the Championship with Somerset at Taunton.
The County reached 322-9 at close as the majority of batsmen were among the runs. Winning the toss and opting to bat the Foxes lost Darren Maddy early on for 8, Darren Robinson (33) and John Maunders (30) steadied the ship but bigger runs were to follow as debutant Chris Rogers made 48 and shared in a stand of 79 with HD Ackerman who made 35. John Sadler continued his fine form with 52 but the man of the day was Paul Nixon who remained unbeaten on 55. Nico's innings was a patient one from 157 balls but still managed to up the tempo when required by hitting two sixes. Ottis Gibson and Stuart Broad both failed to score but Claude Henderson made a characteristically aggressive 25.
Day 2
South Africa captain Graham Smith scored a sensational career best 311 as Somerset battered Leicestershire's bowling attack.
Smith hit 27 fours and an incredible 11 sixes in his 255 ball innings as Somerset were 533-8 at close from just 96 overs. Their run rate of 5.55 would have been good in a one day match as Leicestershire's bowling figures were very poor. Only Darren Maddy gained any credit with 4-65 from 14 overs and new boy Chris Rogers took four catches.
Earlier in the day, the County added only 8 more runs to their overnight total, finishing with 330 all out with Paul Nixon unbeaten on 62. But the Foxes total was made to look minute by the home side with the brilliant Smith aided well by Matthew Wood (74) and Ian Blackwell (59).
Day 3
The County had some extra time to reflect after losing by 10 wickets with a day to spare at Taunton.
Stuart Broad mopped up the tail of the Somerset innings to finish with 3-119 as the home side were dismissed for 566.
In reply, the Foxes could only muster 253 all out, leaving Somerset just 18 runs for victory which they achieved without loss. John Maunders was the top performer for Leicestershire as he made 67 and HD Ackerman (51) and Paul Nixon (36 not out) were the only other batsmen to emerge from the innings with any credit.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/08-13JUL2005/SOMERSET_LEICS_CC2_08-11JUL2005.html
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LCCC v Yorkshire - 20/20 Group Match (6/7/05) |
Leicestershire produced their best 20/20 performance of the season to beat Yorkshire by 7 wickets at Grace Road and guaranteed a home draw in the quarter-finals stage. This game was crucial as Tuesday's match at home to Derbyshire was abandoned with each team gaining only 1 point.
Batting first, Yorkshire looked in pole position from the off thanks to Ian Harvey. The Aussie smashed a 45 ball 77 and took a particular liking to the bowling of David Masters who went for 37 runs from just 2 overs. After such a furious start, the visitors were some what stifled, as the wickets of White, Jacques and Pyrah had fallen cheaply and finally Harvey fell to a catch from HD Ackerman with the score at 99-4. The run rate had slowed but Anthony McGrath (33 not out) and Matthew Wood (30 from 15 balls) punished the Foxes bowlers in the last few overs to give them a final score of 177-5 from 20 overs. Dinesh Mongia was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 2-22 from his 4 overs.
In reply, the County made a disastrous start as they lost the wicket of Ackerman for just 3 as the Foxes found run scoring difficult in the early stages. Enter John Sadler, who changed that with some brilliant big hitting as he reached 27 in just 12 balls (including 2 successive sixes) before falling to a sensational catch from Ian Harvey. Darren Maddy became stronger as the innings went on and lost another partner in Mongia for 20 with the score on 108-3 at a healthy run rate. Then more fireworks began as Jeremy Snape must have had somewhere to go on the evening as he played in the same vein as Sadler. Both Maddy and Snape played with great confidence and style and despite some tense moments for the fans the County secured their place in the quarter-finals with 9 balls remaining, largely thanks to a six from Snape from the first ball of the 19th over. Maddy achieved his best 20/20 score this year with a brilliant 72 from 54 balls and Snape knocking off a fantastic 39 in just 23 balls as the County totalled 178-3 from 18.3 overs.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/06JUL2005/LEICS_YORKS_TWENTY-20_06JUL2005.html
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Rogers completes move to County (4/7/05) |
Aussie Chris Rogers has completed his move to Leicestershire and will make his debut in the Championship match with Somerset at Taunton on Friday. The Western Australia batsman looks set to be with the County until mid August to cover for Dinesh Mongia who is away on international duty with India.
Rogers, 27, told the clubs official site, 'This is a good opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to it because there is still a lot of cricket to be played this season.'
Meanwhile, the Foxes face Derbyshire in a 20/20 match at Grace Road on Tuesday evening and a win would see the County guarantee a place in the quarter-finals.
Likely team:
HD Ackerman (capt), Darren Maddy, John Sadler, Dinesh Mongia, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, John Maunders, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charl Willoughby.
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Aussie Rogers set to replace Mongia (1/7/05) |
Australian left hand opening batsman Chris Rogers is set to sign for Leicestershire as an overseas replacement for Dinesh Mongia.
Mongia has been selected in the Indian one day squad for the triangular series with the West Indies and hosts Sri Lanka from July 11th.
Rogers, 27, plays for Western Australia and had a injury interrupted spell with Derbyshire last season, hitting 498 first class runs in 6 matches at an average of 55.33. Having represented both Australia U/19's and A teams, Rogers has an impressive career first class average of 43.89 with a top score of 194 and in season 2002/3 won three seasonal batting awards for Western Australia. Rogers is currently playing club cricket in Wiltshire for Salisbury and is keen for another crack at English first class cricket.
Mongia's season has been mixed with highs and lows. Despite some excellent performances in the Totesport League with bat and ball, the Indian has under performed in the Championship and has disappointed in recent 20/20 matches.
Chris Rogers link:
http://content.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/7388.html
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Durham v LCCC - 20/20 North Group Match (1/7/05) |
John Sadler stole the show with a brilliant knock of 73 as Leicestershire thrashed Durham to win by 32 runs at the Riverside. Sadler, who came in earlier at number 3, played an innings with power and style as his 73 included 5 fours and 3 sixes from just 48 balls.
Having won the toss and choosing to bat first, the County made a slow start and lost the early wicket of Darren Maddy, who fell to Killeen for just 7, but HD Ackerman and Sadler put on 72 for the second wicket to up the run rate. Ackerman was for once overshadowed with the bat but his score of 39 from 41 balls was important as he gave the County innings stability. Also, HD has been suffering from a lower back injury and had to undergo a late fitness test before this match.
After Ackerman fell to a catch from Killeen off Benkenstein, Paul Nixon, Dinesh Mongia and Jeremy Snape all fell in quick succession as at the other end, Sadler was taking apart the Dynamo's bowling. The 150 milestone had looked a very tall order but Sadler and Ottis Gibson made show that total was surpassed. Sadler eventually fell to Gary Scott but in the final over, Gibson hammered two big straight sixes in successive balls in a 7 ball 17 before being run out from the final ball of the innings. The total of 154-7 was better than that as the pitch was again not the easiest for scoring runs.
The signs didn't look good for Durham as opening batsman Nicky Peng had to have Gary Pratt as his runner after an earlier clash of heads in the field.
Dangerman Nathan Astle was first to go for just 8 as he skied a Charl Willoughby delivery into Paul Nixon's gloves. Gareth Breese, Phil Mustard and Gordon Muchall were all back in the pavilion shortly afterwards as Durham could not get the runs flowing due to some very impressive tight bowling and sharp fielding. Indeed, Muchall's dismissal off the bowling of Maddy was a special fielding moment as Jeremy Snape pulled off a sensational catch low down to his left when it looked as if the ball was going for a well hit four.
Peng and his runner finally went for 37 as the home side found themselves at 75-5 with just 7 overs remaining and Dale Benkenstein was the only batsman who looked capable of giving them some hope as he hit 33 not out from just 16 balls including 2 sixes. At the loss of 7 wickets, Durham could only manage 122, which was 32 runs short of their required target. It was hard to pick out the best County bowler as everyone played their part but Darren Maddy picked up 2-21 from 3 overs and Jeremy Snape 2-20 from 2 overs. Gibson, Willoughby and Mongia picked up a wicket each but it was the opening pair who impressed as off their four over allocation, Gibson picked up 1-18 and Willoughby 1-14.
So a fantastic win on a fantastic evening for Leicestershire as the lads now have a break until Tuesday when they face two 20/20 home games in two days versus Derbyshire and Yorkshire.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/01JUL2005/DURHAM_LEICS_TWENTY-20_01JUL2005.html |
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Nottinghamshire v LCCC - 20/20 Group Match (30/6/05) |
An excellent all round performance gave Leicestershire a 21 run win over Notts at Trent Bridge and therefore increasing hopes of qualification to the quarter final stage of the 20/20.
The Outlaws won the toss and put the County in to bat on what turned out to be a difficult batting track but Leicestershire responded well with a score of 150-4. HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy got the Foxes off to a flyer by sharing a stand of 67 for the opening wicket. Captain HD again top scored with a knock of 36 from 26 balls and Maddy finally found a few runs with a run a ball 28. Both fell in quick succession and Dinesh Mongia and Jeremy Snape both fell in the their mid teens as the County were getting bogged down at 106-4. After a slow start to their partnership, John Sadler and Paul Nixon eventually upped the run rate and somehow managed to reach the 150 mark after a fruitful last 3 overs. Sadler hit 29 from 25 balls and Nixon made a run a ball 15 and the pair shared in a stand of 44 as the innings closed on a score of 150-4.
Notts were in all sorts of trouble from the off with their reply as Ottis Gibson removed Graeme Swann and dangerman Stephen Fleming leaving them in a mess at 6-2. Some excellent bowling meant that the Outlaws were always struggling with the required run rate and after 8 overs they were crawling along at only 4 an over! Wickets were falling by the bucket load as Darren Maddy helped himself to two wickets, the threatening David Hussey was trapped lbw by Mongia for 28 and David Masters picked up the wickets of both Mark Ealham and Paul Franks. Notts were now at 96-7 and requiring more than 10 an over for victory and Gareth Clough and Will Smith gave the target a good go with some big hitting. Both took a particular liking to the bowling of Jeremy Snape as Clough blasted 30 from 16 balls, including 2 sixes, and Smith hit a six in an 11 ball 16. Despite this, Charl Willoughby removed Smith in the penultimate over to calm the Foxes nerves and the home side went in to the last over requiring 32 for victory but managed only 11 off Ottis Gibson as they fell 21 runs short with a final score of 129-8.
This victory sets things up nicely for second placed County as they travel to third place Durham today (Friday) as a win in this match for either side puts them in the driving seat for qualification to the quarter-finals.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/30JUN2005/NOTTS_LEICS_TWENTY-20_30JUN2005.html
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Lancashire v LCCC - 20/20 Group Match (27/6/05) |
Leicestershire were sent crashing to an 8 wicket defeat at the hands of Lancashire at Old Trafford.
The County's batting and bowling was poor and the only saving grace was a sensational innings of 79 not out from captain HD Ackerman. HD's 79 came from just 55 balls including 9 fours and two sixes as he was the only Foxes player to make a score.
Batting first, the County were doing fine as they were 106-4 at one stage but Muttiah Muralitharan picked up the wickets of Jeremy Snape and Paul Nixon in successive balls and the last over battering by Ackerman on the dismal James Anderson upped the final score to a semi respectable 146-7. After Ackerman the highest County scorer was Snape who hit 15 from 12 balls.
Lnacashire's reply was awesome, despite Charl Willoughby removing Mal Loye in the first over. But some wayward bowling cost the County dear as naturalised Englishman Stuart Law smashed the attack all over the ground with a fabulous 92 from just 54 balls, including 12 fours and 4 sixes. Former Foxes captain Brad Hodge also got in on the runs with 31 but by the time Snape had removed him, the match was as good as over as Law saw the home side through with just under four overs to spare.
Leicestershire's habit of continually shooting themselves in the foot could cost them the chance of progressing in this competition and don't be surprised if James Allenby and David Brignull come into the reckoning for the next 20/20 match at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/27JUN2005/LANCS_LEICS_TWENTY-20_27JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Durham - 20/20 Group Match (26/6/05) |
Leicestershire overcame Durham in a nail biting finish in front of a packed Grace Road.
The County batted first and lost Darren Maddy and Dinesh Mongia early on but HD Ackerman and John Sadler stabilised the innings with some quickfire batting. Sadler was eventually out for a 16 ball 23 but Ackerman went on to make a brilliant 56 from 40 balls before being unfortunately run out. The Foxes encountered the usual collapse as Snape, Nixon and Maunders were out cheaply but Ottis Gibson's cameo role of 18 from 11 balls including 1 four ans 2 sixes upped the run rate. The County reached 150 from 20 overs when really the score should have been closer to 180.
In reply, the Dynamo's started well with Nathan Astle looking in good form but Nicky Peng struggled to make an impact and fell to Charl Willoughby for 4 with the score on 27. Durham then found themselves in deep at 94-4 as Astle, Mustard and Benkenstein were removed by wickets from Claude Henderson and Jeremy Snape (2). Gordon Muchall took the game to Leicestershire with an unbeaten 38 from 30 balls and was backed up well by Gary Pratt (15) and Gareth Breese (16 not out) as Durham edged closer to the total. Ottis Gibson's last over was nervy but County scraped through to win by just 3 runs. Jeremy Snape was the pick of the bowlers with 3-24 from 4 overs and Charl Willoughby picked up economical figures of 1-17 from 4.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/26JUN2005/LEICS_DURHAM_TWENTY-20_26JUN2005.html
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Derbyshire v LCCC - 20/20 Group match (24/06/05) |
 Leicestershire were blown away by 7 wickets by Derbyshire after a poor batting performance.
In the County's third trip to Derby in as many weeks, the batting again proved not good enough as the Foxes struggled to a disappointing 137 all out from their 20 overs. Only HD Ackerman, who opened with a score of 39 from 34 balls and John Sadler (26 from 29 balls), showed any competence with the bat as Derby's Ian Hunter, Mo Sheikh, Andy Gray and Ant Botha shared 9 wickets.
Derby's reply was rain interrupted and their revised Duckworth Lewis total was easily reached with 105-3 from 12.5 overs. Luke Sutton (42 not out) and Botha (25 not out) were the main inflictors of damage with some aggressive batting as only David Masters impressed for the Foxes with the ball, picking up figures of 2-19 from 3 overs.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/24JUN2005/DERBY_LEICS_TWENTY-20_24JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Notts - 20/20 Group Match (22/6/05) |
 A packed Grace Road crowd of over 5,000, witnessed Leicestershire beat Nottinghamshire by 5 wickets in their opening 20/20 group match.
It was the perfect day for 20/20. The sun beating down on scantily clad women in the crowd and there was barely a seat unfilled as the Sky TV cameras were there to capture it all! Notts won the toss, electing to bat first and quickly put runs on the board but at the expense of wickets. Graham Swann was unluckily bowled by Ottis Gibson with the score on 8 as the West Indian's wayward legside ball flicked off the Notts openers pad and onto the wicket. Stephen Fleming was in positive mood but played on to Ottis Gibson for a quick fire 24. Other than an impressive knock of 32 by Leicester born Samit Patel the visitors collapsed to 91-7 but were indebted to tail enders Gareth Clough (23), Paul Franks (17 not out) and Greg Smith (11 not out) who steered Notts to a near respectable 143-8 from their 20 overs. Spin was they key for the County as Jeremy Snape claimed excellent figures of 3-18 from his 4 overs. Dinesh Mongia and Claude Henderson also bowled economically and picked up a wicket each. Aussie born batsman James Allenby made his debut for the Foxes and impressed with some smart fielding.
The Foxes started poorly losing HD Ackerman and Darren Maddy in successive balls to leave them at 16-2, but Dinesh Mongia scored a superb innings of 39. The knock was played with such grace and style until Mongia finally went for a big hit and was caught out on the boundary. John Sadler had partnered Mongia well and scored a run a ball 26 including one huge six. The County's run rate started to slow down and they also lost Jeremy Snape cheaply but Paul Nixon grafted and managed to steer the Foxes home with 4 balls to spare with an excellent knock of 32 not out from just 19 balls. It was Ottis Gibson who scored the winning runs by hitting Andrew Harris for a huge six but things were so different in the previous over when Gibson batted erratically and could not get bat on ball. When the winning six was hit the crowd went wild and gave the 20/20 champions a winning start to this years tournament.
Scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/22JUN2005/LEICS_NOTTS_TWENTY-20_22JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Scotland - Totesport League Division 2 (20/6/05) |
 Leicestershire stabilised in third place position in Totesport League Two with a 20 run victory over Scotland at Grace Road.
Batting first, Tom New and Darren Maddy put on an opening stand of 72 before New fell for 23 and Maddy continued his rich vein of form by hitting 43 including 2 big sixes. A mini collapse followed with Dinesh Mongia and HD Ackerman falling cheaply but John Sadler and Jeremy Snape got things going again. Sadler made 37 and Snape made 42 not out as the Foxes reached a total of 208-7 from their 45 overs, when really the score should have been 30 runs more. Claude Henderson played a smart cameo role at the end of the innings by scoring 19 from 11 balls.
Scotland were down and out early as they crumbled to 78-6 as Charl Willoughby again impressed by picking up figures of 2-12 from 9 overs. Late rallies from Smith, Arafat, Maiden and Nel were not enough for Scotland as they were finally all out for a respectable 188. Ottis Gibson helped himself to 2-37, Snape took 2-40 and the best figures were by david Masters with 3-32.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/17-20JUN2005/LEICS_SCOT_NLS_20JUN2005.html
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Warwickshire v LCCC - Totesport League Division 2 (19/6/05) |
 Leicestershire moved up to third in the league with a 7 wicket victory over the Bears at Edgbaston.
It all started terribly for the home side as they lost the wicket of Neil Carter for 1 who tried to run 2 but failed! Charl Willoughby looked the part as he took two quick wickets and with the help of a solitary strike from Ottis Gibson reduced the Bears to 43-4. Ian Trott and Alex Loudon rallied for Warwickshire and put on 98 for the fifth wicket as they recovered to a decent total of 217-6 from their 45 overs. Loudon scored 51 and and Trott made 93 with 3 sixes.
The Foxes pretty much eased to victory by scoring the required total with eight balls to spare. Tom New and Darren Maddy put on an opening stand of exactly 100 before New fell for another impressive 42. Maddy was not going to be toppled as he stayed at the crease until victory was achieved by scoring a magnificent 107 not out and was backed up by HD Ackerman (24) and John Sadler who smashed 23 from 15 balls.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/17-20JUN2005/WARWICKS_LEICS_NLS_19JUN2005.html
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LCCC V Worcestershire - Frizzell County Championship - Division 2 (15-18/6/05) |
Darren Robinson returned from injury and youngster Stuart Broad retains his place.
Team
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, HD Ackerman (capt), Dinesh Mongia, John Sadler, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Stuart Broad, Charl Willoughby.
Day 1
Only 43 overs were possible today due to the rain at Grace Road but the County managed to make steady progress with the bat after winning the toss.
At stumps, the Foxes reached a total of 119-3 with Darren Robinson and Darren Maddy starting well and putting on 49 together before Robinson was run out for 31. Maddy went on to make 49 before falling to Price having already lost John Maunders for 19. Dinesh Mongia (17) and HD Ackerman (1) remained unbeaten at close and the County will be hoping for better weather on Thursday.
Day 2
After posing a reasonable total yesterday, the County's innings crumbled in familiar fashion and were bowled out for 225. Only Dinesh Mongia impressed and carried on his good form with a fluent 66 from 82 balls, an innings which included 13 fours. Former Notts paceman Nadeem Malik was the main thorn in the Foxes side and took 5-71.
Worcestershire's reply started in full flow but at the loss of 3 early wickets as they found themselves at 71-3 as Ottis Gibson picked up two wickets and Stuart Broad bowled opener Stephen Moore for 41. Ben Smith and Zander de Bruyn rallied to take the visitors away from danger before the former County man was caught and bowled by ex team mate Darren Maddy for 45. At close, South African De Bruyn had just reached his half century as Worcester finished on a comfortable 158-4.
Day 3
Leicestershire now stare defeat in the face after they suffered their usual batting collapse.
Resuming on 158-4, Worcestershire were bowled out for a total of 323 with all the plaudits going to Stuart Broad who claimed fantastic career best figures of 4-64. The 18 year old all rounder is grabbing his chance with both hands and it is great to to see some youth players coming through into the team. Ottis Gibson picked up two more wickets and Claude Henderson notched the remaining wicket. Worcester batsman Daryl Mitchell played one of the slowest innings ever by scoring 63 not out in 5 hours!
Trailing by 98 runs, things could have been worse for County and they were! The Foxes were left in a dreadful mess at 98-5 with only Dinesh Mongia posting a reasonable score with a characteristically fluent 36. Luckily John Sadler (19 not out) and Paul Nixon (26 not out) set about in achieving some respectability to leave the County at 132-5 at stumps.
Day 4
After being on the brink of defeat, Leicestershire produced one of the most sensational County Championship wins in recent years at Grace Road.
Resuming on 132-5, the County were in early trouble, losing the wickets of Ottis Gibson and Claude Henderson cheaply but some brilliant batting by Paul Nixon gave the Foxes some hope. 'Nico' easily produced his best batting performance of the season by hitting 85 and shared in two excellent partnerships for the 9th and 10th wickets with Stuart Broad and Charl Willoughby. Broad hit 14 out of 25 in his partnership with Nixon and even more importantly, Willoughby scored 16 not out in a last wicket stand of 64. Nixon was eventually run out for 85, immediately after tea giving the County a lead of 140, a score which you would expect Worcestershire's batsmen to knock off without any trouble.
The County bowling attack had other ideas and produced the best bowling performance of recent times. The visitors were in trouble from the off as key batsmen, Moore, Hick, Smith and De Bruyn were removed cheaply. Stuart Broad was again the star of the show taking 3-31 giving him match figures of 7-95. Ottis Gibson took his season's wicket tally up to 30 with 3-41 and Dinesh Mongia's cameo role brought figures of 2-8 including the final wicket of Malik as the visitors crumbled to 128 all out giving Leicestershire an incredible victory by 12 runs.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/15-18JUN2005/LEICS_WORCS_CC2_15-18JUN2005.html
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Foxes v Yorkshire Phoenix - Totesport League Division 2 - (12/6/05) |
Leicestershire made it three wins out of four Totesport League matches as they cruised past Yorkshire Phoenix to win by seven wickets at Grace Road.
The Phoenix won the toss and opted to bat but this decision looked wrong as they struggled from the off with a slow run rate and only Michael Lumb (66 not out) and Anthony McGrath (30) gave the visitors some hope. In their 45 overs, Yorkshire reached 172-9 with David Masters, Ottis Gibson and Darren Maddy all taking two wickets each and Charl Willoughby and Dinesh Mongia picked two more between them.
Set 173 to win, the Foxes did not take any chances and batted with caution and it was again young Tom New who impressed with an excellent and patient 47. Having lost Darren Maddy for 17 with the score on 46, HD Ackerman came to the crease and shared a 52 partnership with New until the yongster fell and the captain made a steady 30 before being run out by new batting partner Dinesh Mongia. At this stage the County found themselves at 118-3 and needing more than a run a ball to win but thankfully Mongia and John Sadler were in a rush to get home as they saw the Foxes home with just under 3 overs to spare. Mongia hit an excellent 46 from 38 balls and Sadler, who is now beginning to show his true self, knocked 23 from just 15 balls in a final total of 176-3.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/10-13JUN2005/LEICS_YORKS_NLS_12JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Australia - 50 Over Match - (11/6/05) |
The big Grace Road crowd were treated to a full strength Australia line up in full flow as they were blown away by some sensational batting.
Batting first, the Aussies made a massive 321-4 from their 50 overs with Matthew Hayden, former Fox Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds making the big runs. Opener Hayden made 107 from 96 balls including 2 sixes, Martyn hit 85 from 103 balls also hitting 2 sixes and Symonds smashed a brilliant 92 from just 59 balls including 10 fours and 3 sixes. The County bowlers were all dealt punishment but were not disgraced as Ottis Gibson grabbed two wickets and Darren Maddy and David Masters shared the other two.
The Foxes were never going to reach the target but made an impressive contribution by making 226-8 from their 50 overs. Captain HD Ackerman was the most impressive top order batsman and hit 38 but it was Paul Nixon and Ottis Gibson who took the game to the tourists. Nixon made 43 from 53 balls and Gibson cracked 50 from 49 balls including one big six.
To see pictures from the match, please go to the picture gallery in the nav bar on the left.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_LEICS_11JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Lashings - 20/20 Warm Up (9/6/05) |
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An under strength Leicestershire side lost out to the Lashings all stars in a close 20/20 warm up match at Grace Road.
Batting first the County made 131-4 from their 20 overs with Jeremy Snape blasting 44 from 30 balls. Aussie born 2nd XI player James Allenby impressed and hit a promising 28 and shared in a stand of 81 with Snape. Lashings pace attack included former County players Javagal Srinath and Vasbert Drakes and other stars on show were South African batsman Hershelle Gibbs, Indian batter VVS Laxman, Aussie Greg Blewett and New Zealand's Hamish Marshall, Chris Harris and Chris Cairns.
Lashings won the match by 5 wickets with just four balls to spare, Charl Willoughby impressing the most with two wickets and Allenby picking up two catches.
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LCCC v Somerset - Totesport National League Division 2 at Oakham (5/6/05) |
Leicestershire 217-4 (Mongia 75, Sadler 47*, New 45)
Somerset 146 all out (Smith 61, Mongia 4-12, Snape 3-41, Henderson 2-17)
Leicestershire won by 71 runs.
Dinesh Mongia produced a sensational all round performance by hitting a 72 ball 75 and claiming 4-12 from 7 overs. Tom New hit a patient 45 and John Sadler cracked a great 47 not out from just 35 balls.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/05JUN2005/LEICS_SOMERSET_NLS_05JUN2005.html
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LCCC v Somerset - Frizzell County Championship - Divsion 2 (1-4/6/05) |
Day 1
Play abandoned for the day due to rain.
Day 2
HD Ackerman again showed his class by hitting his maiden ton for Leicestershire in picturesque settings at Oakham School. HD finished the day unbeaten on 112 and shared an eighth wicket partnership of 103 with Claude Henderson (38 not out) in a day closing total of 294-7.
Winnin the toss and opting to bat, the County started well with Darren Robinson continuing his good form with 47 and Darren Maddy scoring 42 until both fell in quick succession. Then the wickets started to tumble with John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, John Sadler, Paul Nixon and Ottis Gibson all falling cheaply but Ackerman and Henderson steadied the ship to take the Foxes on the verge of the 300 mark and those crucial batting points. Henderson is proving to be a very useful batsman again this season and Ackerman has overtook Robinson as the County's leading first class class run scorer and passed the 500 run barrier for this season during his century.
Day 3
Leicestershire - 338 all out & Somerset 105 all out (Henderson 3-13, Gibson 3-34, Willoughby 2-27, Broad 1-21, Maddy 1-9)
Day 4
Somerset 225-3 (Francis 104*, Burns 59, Willoughby 1-39, Henderson 1-47, Broad 1-40)
Match Drawn
Unlucky Leicestershire, gave a good account of themselves by bowling out Somerset for a paltry 105 but unfortunately losing the first day to rain didn't leave the County the time to win the match.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/01-04JUN2005/LEICS_SOMERSET_CC2_01-04JUN2005.html
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Unchanged squad for Oakham fixture (1/6/05) |
Leicestershire name the same squad that beat Derbyshire in the Championship for the match versus Somerset at Oakham School beginning today (Wednesday).
The County would have been on a high after winning their first 4 day match of the season but unfortunately they were sent crashing back down to earth with a humiliating defeat to Derby in the Totesport League on Monday. Stuart Broad keeps his place in the 12 man squad it seems unlikely that there will be any changes to the starting X1. HD Ackerman, Darren Robinson and John Sadler are the in form players but the other batsmen need to back them up. Somerset will hand a debut to South African captain Graham Smith who starts his spell as one of their overseas players.
Squad
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), John Sadler, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charl Willoughby, Stuart Broad.
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Phantoms v Foxes - Totesport League Division 2 - (30/5/05) |
 Leicestershire produced a painfully poor performance in front of the Sky TV cameras as the Derbyshire Phantoms picked up their first Totesport League win of the season.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Foxes started well with Darren Robinson hitting a four off the first ball but the usual collapse followed as the County were left in a dreadful mess at 55-6 with Kevin Dean ripping apart the top order with a five wicket haul. Luckily for Leicestershire, total humiliation was halted by Ottis Gibson and in particularly, John Sadler who made 50 with patience and maturity. Having won the game in the previous match with a 50, Sadler seems to be finally coming of age. Gibson backed him up well with a patient 29 but no other batsman could hold their head high apart from the afore mentioned pair. A total of 146 all out from 40.1 overs is a poor showing against the weakest side in the country but after being 55-6 it could have been even worse!
The Phantoms were hardly in any trouble in the run chase but they looked nervous as they crept towards the total. Michael Di Venuto again proved a thorn in the Foxes side and just fell short of his half century with 48. James Bryant and John Moss carried Derby through to victory by upping the tempo with just under 4 overs to spare as the home side won the game with 147-4. The wickets came from Ottis Gibson, Jeremy Snape, Darren maddy and Dinesh Mongia and although not picking up a wicket, Claude henderson was the pick of the bowlers with 0-19 from his 9 overs.
An altogether disappointing performance including some poor fielding will have knocked back any confidence gained from the Championship victory v Derby on Saturday.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/30MAY2005/DERBY_LEICS_NLS_30MAY2005.html
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Derbyshire v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship - Division 2 (26-29/5/05) |
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Derbyshire achieved a total of 251-9 and then decided to declare!
After collecting their batting points, the home side declared their innings in an obvious move to deprive Leicestershire of the bowling points they would have received if the Foxes had downed all ten wickets. This kind of decision made by the home side shows how desperate they are to get off bottom of the league!
The County had started brightly with Charl Willoughby getting the ball rolling with the early wicket of Sean Stubbings and quickly found themselves struggling at 106-5. Michael Di Venuto was to be the main stay of the innings with a grafted 76 and was backed up by some late order resolve from Graeme Welch who hit 42. Bowling wise the wickets were shared out pretty evenly but Darren Maddy, Ottis Gibson and David Masters were the most successful and picked up 2 wickets a piece.
Upon Derby's desperate declaration, the Foxes were forced to face a tricky final two overs at the crease but luckily came away safely at 5 without loss.
In day two, Darren Robinson continued his good form with his second century of the season, as he scored 110 in a team total of 272 which gave the county a slender lead. Darren Maddy (44), Dinesh Mongia (51) and David Masters (25 not out) were the only other batsmen to contribute decent scores.
Batting for the second time, Derby looked well in control with Di Venuto again top scoring with 73 and James Bryant hitting 61 and finished day three on 271-7. In the final day, Leicestershire needed quick wickets and they came very quickly with Derby losing their final three for just 14 runs and giving the County a victory target of 258.
The Foxes were in big trouble from the off, losing Robinson, Maddy and Maunders cheaply and struggling at 48-3. Luckily four players played their part in helping the County achieve the win with only minutes to spare. Dinesh Mongia made 47 and HD Ackerman and John Sadler batting with guts and patience to help themselves to 57 and 56 not out respectively. Paul Nixon's 33 was important an innings which included one big six and the victory was sealed with only a few minutes to spare.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/25-29MAY2005/DERBY_LEICS_CC2_26-29MAY2005.html
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Broad in squad for 'Derby' match (26/5/05) |
18 year old all rounder Stuart Broad is included in the Leicestershire squad as they travel to Derbyshire for the Frizzell County Championship match starting today.
James Whitaker has opted to bring down the average age of the side by omitting both Aftab Habib and Phil DeFreitas, a John Maunders and John Sadler are set to bat at 3 and 6 respectively. Hopefully this move will freshen things up as the County aim to win their first Championship match of the season against bottom team Derbyshire.
Derby will be without consistent bowler Kevin Dean for the game and without him they have a week pace attack. In the batting department they could fare better as Aussies Michael Di Venuto and John Moss are both capable of runs.
Squad
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), John Sadler, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charl Willoughby, Stuart Broad.
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Warwickshire v LCCC - C&G Trophy 2nd Round (17/5/05) |
Leicestershire bowed out of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy with an 83 run defeat to Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Bears made a brisk start at the expense of the loss of early wickets. Neil Carter batted with his usual aggression and smashed Ottis Gibson for an early six before being clean bowled by Charl Willoughby for 17. Nick Knight was in good form and was to prove a thorn in the Foxes side as he made 69. England batsman Ian Bell started well before being stumped by Paul Nixon off Claude Henderson for 35. After that the 'part-time' bowlers dominated leaving the home side reeling at 180-8 with John Maunders grabbing 2 wickets in an over to finish with impressive figures of 2-16 from 4 overs. Dinesh Mongia bowled economically and picked up the wicket of Nick Knight and Darren Maddy added a further two wickets. In amongst the wickets, the County were left frustrated by a 9th wicket stand of 55 from Zimbabwe star Heath Streak and wicket keeper Tony Frost who each scored 28. After looking, at one stage, unable to reach the 200 mark, the Bears must have been delighted with the final total of 235-9 from their 50 overs.
So the run chase for Leicestershire began and it was as good as all over from the off. Dougie Brown ripped through the top order with 3 wickets to leave the Foxes floundering at 16-3 and having lost Maddy, Mongia and Ackerman. John Maunders and Aftab Habib set out to attempt a rescue mission but both fell before they reached serious runs. John Sadler with 27 and in particular Paul Nixon with a breezy 38 not out continued the middle order recovery but the victory target was never going to be reached as the County were finally all out for a disappointing 152 all out.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/C+G/SCORECARDS/R02/WARWICKS_LEICS_C+G_17MAY2005.html
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County set to be unchanged for C&G (17/5/05) |
Leicestershire are set to announce an unchanged side to face Warwickshire in the second round of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy at Edgbaston today.
Darren Robinson and Charlie Dagnall are certainly ruled out through injury and Jeremy Snape, who missed Sunday's win over Surrey with a bruised hand, only has a 50/50 chance of making the line up. Young wicket keeper Tom New and seam bowler David Brignull are included in the squad.
Squad
John Maunders, Darren Maddy, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, John Sadler, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charl Willoughby, Tom New (wkt), David Brignull.
Warwickshire squad
NV Knight; NM Carter; IJL Trott; IR Bell; AGR Loudon; JO; Troughton; TL Penney; T Frost; DR Brown; HH Streak; N Tahir; D Pretorius; J Anyon.
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Foxes v Surrey Lions - Totesport League Division 2 (15/5/05) |
Leicesershire picked up their first win of the season in the Totesport League as Dinesh Mongia was the hero with bat and ball.
Batting first, the Foxes were struggling at 16-2 but Mongia came to the crease and hit an excellent 67 with a little help from HD Ackerman and John Sadler who both scored 22. Claude Henderson with 13 (including a six), Ottis Gibson with 15 and David Masters making a 2 ball 7 not out all contributed in a late order rally to up the run rateas the Foxes reached a total of 194-9 from 45 overs.
In reply, the Lions were up against it from the off as Ottis Gibson claimed the early wicket of Jon Batty, although Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash tried in vain with some resistance scoring 28 and 34 respectively. After David Masters and Claude Henderson reduced the ions further with a wicket a piece it was Darren Maddy and Mongia who really tirned the game. Maddy took 2-14 from 4 overs and Mongia, after batting so well, picked up career best figures of 4-15 from 6.1 overs.
The County must build on this performance and hopefully can take enough confidence into the C&G match with Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
Scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/11-15MAY2005/LEICS_SURREY_NLS_15MAY2005.html
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Robinson misses out (15/5/05) |
In form opener Darren Robinson is likely to miss Leicestershire's Totesport League match with Surrey today (Sunday) with a thigh injury.
The former Essex man has been in excellent form in the Championship but has been struggling all season with the injury. That means John Sadler will keep his opening slot along side Darren Maddy. Welcome additions back to the squad are of Jeremy Snape and Charlie Dagnall.
The Lions, like the Foxes, are still looking for their first Totesport League win of the season which is very surprising considering some of the quality players they have. Opener Scott Newman is in terrific form having just become the first ever Surrey player to score a hundred and a double hundred in each innings of a Championship match. Captain Mark Ramprakash is always quality and has a habit of always performing well against Leicestershire and Rikki Clarke and especially Ali Brown are capable of some explosive batting. Jimmy Ormond returns to Grace Road and will be keen to put on a good show against his former club.
The last time the two teams met was in last years 20/20 final where the County battered the favourites to lift the trophy at Edgbaston!
Likely team
John Sadler, Darren Maddy, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Charlie Dagnall, Charl Willoughby.
Surrey
Scott Newman, Jon Batty (wkt), Mark Ramprakash (capt), Rikki Clarke, Ali Brown, James Benning, Martin Bicknell, Tim Murtagh, Jimmy Ormond, Nayan Doshi, Mohammed Akram.
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LCCC v Yorkshire - Frizzell County Championship (11-14/5/05) |
Day 1
HD Ackerman once again starred with the bat with an excellent 85 not out as the County reached a disappointing 278 all out on a good batting track.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Leicestershire started slowly unitl in form Darren Robinson stepped up a gear and was dubiously giving out caught behind off Tim Bresnan for 42. Then Dinesh Mongia fell for a first ball duck and Darren Maddy, even though making 53, was never comfortable and faced a massive 152 balls for his half century. Aftab Habib just fell short of his 50 with 41and then it was upto Ackerman to do it alone who eventually ran out of partners which deprived him of his first County century. From Nixon downwards, no other batsmen managed double figures but Charl Willoughby, in which was probably his longest ever stint at the crease, gave Ackerman vital help with a 27 ball 2.
Day 2
A brilliant bowling display by Ottis Gibson put Leicestershire in a strong position at the end of day two.
Gibson claimed figures of 6-56 as Yorkshire crumbled to 151 all out and if it were not for Ismail Dawood (62 not out) then the score would have been more humiliating. David Masters took 2-28 and Darren Maddy and Claude Henderson took a wicket each to mop up the tail.
Batting for the second time the County started shakily finding themselves 66-2 but Dinesh Mongia and HD Ackerman responded well. Mongia hit 70 and Ackerman a swift 30 before they both fell and at close Paul Nixon with 19 not out and Ottis Gibson (5 not out) held firm giving the Foxes a score of 183-5 and a lead of 310 runs.
Day 3
After finishing day two in a commanding position, now incredibly Leicestershire are on the verge of defeat.
Resuming on 19 not out, Paul Nixon finally found some form by hitting a gutsy 68 as the County declared at 276-9 setting Yorkshire a winning target of 404. Such a massive total in the final innings is very rarely achieved but Yorkshire seemed undaunted by this and cruised into a winning position at the end of the day at 261-3. Only Claude Henderson found relative success with 1-28 as all of Yorkshire's batters hit purposeful knocks but the bowlers were too expensive and now know that it will take some kind of miracle if they are to bowl out the visitors on the final day.
Day 4
Only 29.1 overs were needed for Yorkshire to cruise to a 6 wicket victory to leave Leicestershire wondering what might have been.
Anthony McGrath was the star of the show hitting a brilliant 165 not out as the visitors finished the game on 406-4. Phil Defreitas picked up the only wicket of the day, bowling Ian Harvey for 47.
After finishing day two in such a strong position, the County threw this match away and it is hard to see where a Championship win is going to come from.
Scorecard
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/11-14MAY2005/LEICS_YORKS_CC2_11-14MAY2005.html
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County unchanged (11/5/05) |
Leicestershire have surprisingly named an unchanged squad for the visit of Yorkshire in the Frizzell County Championship match starting today (Wednesday).
Despite another defeat, there are no new names in the squad as the County stick with the same line up from the Essex match. There could be one change to the starting line up though, with John Maunders, who was 12th man at Chelmsford, possibly making the XI if the Foxes opt for the extra batsman. This would be a wise choice, as in the defeat at Essex, the team consisted of only 5 specialist batsmen.
Yorkshire arrive at Grace Road with an unbeaten record in the Championship and it is not hard to see why. England stars Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard and Anthony McGrath will all feature and Yorkshire boast two brilliant Australian overseas players this season in batsman Phil Jaques and all rounder Ian Harvey. South African fast bowler Deon Kruis signed this season under the Kolpak ruling and has proved a big success with 16 first class wickets and young pace bowling prospect Tim Bresnan seems to be coming of age.
Squad
Darren Maddy, Darren Robinson, Dinesh Mongia, Aftab Habib, HD Ackerman (capt), Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Phil DeFreitas, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby, John Maunders.
Yorkshire Squad
Matthew Wood, Phil Jaques, Anthony McGrath, Michael Vaughan, Ian Harvey, Craig White (Capt), Ismail Dawood (wkt), Richard Dawson, Tim Bresnan, Matthew Hoggard, Deon Kruis, A Lyth.
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Essex v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship (6-9/5/05) |
Day 1
After a fine start to the match it ended up being the same old story with Leicestershire crashing from 98 without loss to 220 all out.
Darren Robinson, the only county batsman in any kind of form, again impressed and started the match as if it were a 20/20 match by racing to 25 at more than a run a ball. Robinson took his foot off the gas and began to bat more patiently like Darren Maddy and the pair just fell short of their 100 partnership when Maddy was trapped lbw by Ravi Bopara for 34. Then the meltdown occured as the Foxes found themselves floundering at 167-8 but luckily Robinson had salvaged some pride against his former County before eventually being bowled by Darren Gough for 73. During the collapse, captain HD Ackerman tried to grind out a captain's innings but was caught behind by James Foster off the bowling of debutant Dale Steyn for a 77 ball 25. Phil Defreitas and David Masters provided a late rally to add a little more respectability to the total, sharing a ninth wicket partnership of 49 with Masters providing 27 of those runs.
In reply, Essex encountered no problems by reaching 68 from 19.4 overs at close with Will Jefferson 35 not out and Ali Cook 28 not out.
Day 2
The Foxes face a tough task if they are to gain a postive result at Chelmsford.
Having restricted Leicestershire to a total of 220, Essex ended their first innings on 362 all out giving them a lead of 142. Will Jefferson top scored with 93 and the rest of the runs were shared equally with James Middlebrook scoring a quickfire 40. Phil Defreitas with 3-68 and Ottis Gibson (3-118) were the county's most effective bowlers and Charl Willoughby and David Masters picked up a wicket each.
Put in to bat for the last 14 overs of the day, the County lost Darren Maddy early on for just 6 but Darren Robinson again showed good form by finding himself unbeaten on 38 and was joined at the crease by Dinesh Mongia who was 9 not out. At stumps, Leicestershire were 58-1, 85 runs short of the home side's first innings total.
Day 3
The County produced a much improved batting performance and finished 332 all out at close, meaning that Essex require 190 runs to win on the final day.
On a rain interrupted day, where 80 overs were possible, Darren Robinson, Claude Henderson and particularly HD Ackerman were the batting stars. Robinson continued his good form by hitting 57, Henderson again proved his worth with the bat with 55 and Ackerman just fell short of his first century for Leicestershire with a captains innings of 93. HD started his innings like a 20/20 match blasting his way to 36 from 28 balls but became more patient as wickets fell around him. Dinesh Mongia, resuming on 9, fell for a slow 39, Aftab Habib made 30 and Ottis Gibson provided some late order resistance with 22.
With the home side requiring 191 runs to win on the final day (Monday) then the County bowlers will have to be on top form to give Leicestershire the victory.
Day 4
Essex reached the 191 winning total with little fuss as Leicestershire crashed to yet another defeat.
Winning by six wickets, the home side had to thank Andy Flower and Ali Cook who hit 74 not out and 59 respectively. Even when Essex found themselves at 94-3 the total was never going to be a problem and reached it with the loss of only on more wicket. Ottis Gibson was the pick of the bowlers taking 2-38 with Phil Defreitas and David Masters sharing the other two wickets. Charl Willoughby struggled, especially in his early spell, where he conceded 30 runs from 4 overs.
Surely there must be changes to the line up for the Championship match with Yorkshire on Wednesday at Grace Road with the possible inclusions of Jeremy Snape, John Maunders, John Sadler, Stuart Broad, Tom New and Charlie Dagnall.
Scorecard link:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/06-09MAY2005/ESSEX_LEICS_CC2_06-09MAY2005.html
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Defreitas & Robinson return (6/5/05) |
Phil Defreitas and Darren Robinson return to the Leicestershire squad for the Frizzell County Championship fixture with Essex at Chelmsford today.
Daffy returns after being left out for recent one day matches and Robinson recovers from a thigh strain to play against his former county. Jeremy Snape is omitted from the line up and Charlie Dagnall is again overlooked with David Masters being preferred. Charl Willoughby will be hoping to carry on where he left off from Wednesdays match with Somerset after taking a record breaking 6-16.
Squad
Darren Maddy, Darren Robinson, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Paul Nixon, Ottis Gibson, Phil DeFreitas, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby, John Maunders.
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LCCC v Somerset - C & G Trophy (4/5/05) |
Charl Willoughby was simply sensational as Leicestershire won their first match of the season by 3 wickets and gained revenge over Somerset
Willoughby took incredible figures of 6-16 (a competition record for Leicestershire)as Somerset slumped to 94 all out. The South African ripped through the top order, taking the prized wickets of Trescothick, Jayasuriya and Parsons. At one stage, Charl's figures were 5-3 and Somerset were 58-9 but a late rally by Ian Blackwell, who hit 40, took the visitors to a less humiliating total. Ottis Gibson mopped up the tail, chipping in with figures of 3-22 and Claude Henderson grabbed the final scalp of Blackwell.
In reply, the County made a solid start but then, as we have become used to this season, the collapsed started as the Foxes found themselves in a mess at 70-7. Thankfully, Ottis Gibson, with 21 not out and Claude Henderson, making 14 not out, managed to hold their nerves to send the Foxes through to the next round and a trip to Edgbaston to play Warwickshire.
Hopefully this result, although disappointing batting wise, will give the County some confidence and kick start their season after a very slow start. Please follow the link below for the full match scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/C+G/SCORECARDS/R01/LEICS_SOMERSET_C+G_04MAY2005.html
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Unchanged squad to face Somerset (3/5/05) |
Leicestershire have named an unchanged squad for Wednesday's Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy tie versus Somerset at Grace Road.
It is a chance for the County to gain immediate revenge after Sunday's defeat at Somerset in the Totesport League. Darren Robinson is still sidelined with a thigh strain as the Foxes hope to get the ball rolling in a season that has so far left them without a win.
Somerset are a team in good form of late. After the victory over Leicestershire on Sunday, they handed out a 99 run thrashing to Surrey in the Totesport League on Monday. Sanath Jayasuriya, Marcus Trescothick, Keith Parsons and James Hildreth all helped themselves to quickfire knocks as Somerset totalled a massive 325-6.
Squad
Darren Maddy, John Sadler, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Charlie Dagnall, Charl Willoughby, John Maunders, David Masters.
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Somerset v LCCC - Totesport League Division 2 (1/5/05) |
Once again, Leicestershire failed miserably after being beaten by 8 wickets by Somerset in the Totesport League on Sunday.
Batting first, the Foxes made an average start with Darren Maddy making 30 but wickets the County collapsed to 77-5 with John Sadler and Dinesh Mongia scoring 16 each, HD Ackerman recording a 3 ball duck and Aftab Habib making only 11. Jeremy Snape and Paul Nixon responded to the pressure and put the Foxes on their way to a respectable total of 211-8. Snapper made a swift 37 and Nico top scored with a patient 41 but it was Ottis Gibson who provided the fireworks, blitzing his way to 38 not out from 31 balls with 1 four and 3 big sixes.
In reply, Somerset never looked in trouble with Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya setting the early pace with 32 but it was John Francis and Keith Parsons who did the damage. They shared in an unbeaten third wicket partnership of 157 with the experienced Parsons top scoring with 91 and Francis not far behind with 73.
Charl Willoughby and Darren Maddy picked up the only two wickets for the County and not one of the bowlers can admit to having a good day.
Scorecard link:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/01MAY2005/SOMERSET_LEICS_NLS_01MAY2005.html/
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LCCC v Durham UCCE - 3 day match (27-29/4/05) |
Day 1
Leicestershire gained some valuable batting practice in a rain interrupted match at Grace Road.
John Maunders and Darren Maddy shared in an opening partnership of 126 with Maunders becoming the first wicket making 55. Maddy went on to make his first century of the season, eventually falling for 124 and was backed up by Dinesh Mongia who made 57. At close, the County had reached 288-3 from 86 overs with Aftab Habib (22) and John Sadler (5) remaining unbeaten.
Day 2
After dominating with bat and ball for the majority of the day, the County bowlers were left frustrated at close.
Aftab Habib and John Sadler continued Leicestershire's dominance hitting 82 and 36 not out respectively in a declared total of 384-4.
In reply, Durham UCCE found themselves in trouble as the County bowlers ripped through the top order to make it 92-6 but David Brown and Daniel Balcombe put in a unbeaten gutsy partnership of 76 to leave the students at 168-6 at stumps. David Masters picked up 2 wickets as did Claude Henderson who bowled 32 overs and only conceded 41 runs! David Brignull bowled tidily and bagged a wicket as did 18 year old debutant Stuart Broad, who after seeing his first over go for 8, responded in excellent fashion and finished with figures of 1-21 from 12 overs including 5 maidens.
Day 3
The final day ended in a predictable draw leaving the County still looking for their first win of the season.
Daniel Balcombe continued to hold the Durham UCCE innings together, eventually falling for 73 and Tom Bruce grafted away with him for an unbeaten 25. Claude Henderson carried on his tireless bowling, finishing with figures of 4-60 from a mammoth 43 overs, as the students crept to a total of 255 all out. David Brignull mopped up the tail to finish with impressive figures of 3-36.
As the Leicestershire batsmen stepped up to the crease for the second time, at this stage a draw was the only possible outcome and John Sadler and John Maunders shared in a patient opening stand of 119 before the latter fell for 47. Youngsters Tom New and Stuart Broad were given their chance to shine with the bat but unfortunately could only manage 4 and 11 respectively. At close, Sadler remained unbeaten on 82 along with Henderson who reached 17 not out in a total of 187-4 from 57 overs.
Scorecard link:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/MCC-UNIV/SCORECARDS/LEICS_DURHAM-UCCE_MCC-UNIV_27-29APR2005.html
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Broad, New and Brignull in squad for University match (26/4/05) |
18 year old all rounder Stuart Broad is in line for his first class debut when Leicestershire take on Durham University in a three day match starting on Wednesday at Grace Road.
Other young prospects Tom New (20), David Brignull (23) and Chris Liddle (21) are all included in the squad and a good performance from any will put them in the frame for a first team slot. Also included in the side is overseas star Dinesh Mongia who will make his Grace Road debut.
Meanwhile, Aftab Habib has been repremanded by the ECB and been given a three point penalty after an on field row with Northamptonshire fielders.
Habib made his feelings clear in the Championship match last friday when he was given out to a catch that obviously did not carry. Fortunately, Affie will need to reach nine penalty points this season before a ban is considered and with this incident being out of character, there is little chance he will pick up any more.
Squad
Darren Maddy (capt), John Maunders, Dinesh Mongia, Aftab Habib, John Sadler, Tom New(wkt), Stuart Broad, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charlie Dagnall, Chris Liddle, David Brignull.
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Kent Spitfires v Leicestershire Foxes - National League - (24/4/05) |
County again lost out via the Duckworth/Lewis method but put in a stronger looking performance.
Winning toss and electing to bat first, the Foxes started well with John Sadler and Darren Maddy putting on 65 for the first wicket. Maddy was in sparkling form reaching 40 from 41 balls with 7 fours and one big six but played a poor shot and was caught down at third man by former Fox Darren Stevens. Sadler joined him in the pavilion shortly afterwards after making a nervous looking 21. Debutant Dinesh Mongia was the batting star, and despite being dropped twice and running out HD Ackerman, reached 62 from 76 balls including one big six. There was good back up from Aftab Habib (30) and Jeremy Snape (16) but the County crumbled in the late order and finished with 214-8 which was possibly around 20 runs short of a good total.
In reply, Kent made a poor start with bowler of the day Charlie Dagnall picking up two early wickets, finishing with figures of 2-20 from 7 overs. Despite Claude Henderson and Jeremy Snape bowling tidily and picking up a wicket each there were two many loose balls, especially from Ottis Gibson. With the rain getting heavier, each captain had their minds firmly on the Duckworth/Lewis situation and it was the Spitfires who triumphed by 6 runs when rain interrupted procedings when they were 150-4 from 33.5 overs and had Martin van Jaarsveld to thank with his unbeaten 69.
Follow the link for the match scorecard:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/24APR2005/KENT_LEICS_NLS_24APR2005.html
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Mongia to make debut live on SKY (24/4/05) |
Dinesh Mongia goes straight into the Leicestershire team for today's televised National League match vs Kent at Canterbury.
The India one-day star arrived in England last week and will add much needed quality to the batting department. There are alot of expectations resting on his shoulders as supporters will be hoping that he is the man to rescue the County after their poor start to the season. Charl Willoughby will make his one-day debut in a match which sees the Foxes at full strength for the first time this year. Phil DeFreitas is again left out of the one day squad but John Sadler and Charlie Dagnall return. Paul Nixon and David Masters will hoping for a warm reception from the Canterbury crowd having both given good service to Kent in the past.
Kent also come into this game on the back of a championship draw and dsplay some impressive talent in their line-up. South African Martin van Jaarsveld made an incredible start to his Kent career last week. The Kolpak signing hit centuries in both innings of his bow and became the first Kent player in histrory to achieve that feat on his debut. David Fulton, England men Rober Key and Geriant Jones and Darren Stevens represent the other key batters. Stevens will play his first match vs Leicestershire since his departure over the winter and will be keen to put one over his old team mates. The Spitfires bowling attack is definitely their weak point and is filled with youth and inexperience and only Martin Saggers will pose a serious threat.
Squads
Foxes
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, Dinesh Mongia, HD Ackerman (capt), Aftab Habib, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon (wkt), Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, Charlie Dagnall, Charl Willoughby, John Sadler, David Masters.
Spitfires
David Fulton, Robert Key, Geriant Jones, Martin van Jaarsveld, Matthew Walker, Darren Stevens, Michael Carberry, Simon Cook, Rob Ferley, Amjad Khan, Matthew Dennington, Simon Cusden, Martin Saggers.
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Northants v LCCC - Frizzell County Championship - Division 2 - (20-23/4/05) |
Day 1
Only 26.2 overs were managed in a rain affected day at Wantage Road with the County winning the toss and electing to bowl and at close Northants had reached a steady 90 without loss.
Charl Willoughby, making his debut, sent down 9.2 tidy overs, conceding 21 runs and Ottis Gibson, Phil DeFreitas and Claude Henderson shared the rest of the bowling.
Day 2
A win for the County in this match is now just about impossible after Northants declared on 433-6.
Charl Willoughby celebrated his first Leicestershire wicket by trapping Aussie Michael Love lbw for 50 but the pick of the County attack was 39 year old Phil DeFreitas who grabbed an impressive 4-76 off 23 overs. The damage inflicted by Northants was a real team effort as Bilal Shafayat made 59, Gerard Brophy being unbeaten on 52, Robert White reached 95 and David Sales bagged a ton making 113.
Facing a tricky 18 overs before stumps, the Foxes made a swift and solid start, finishing on 69 without loss with Darren Maddy reaching 21 not out and most impressively Darren Robinson being unbeaten on 45.
Day 3
A draw seems the probable outcome of this match as Leicestershire replied to Northants' 433-6 falling 94 runs short with 339 all out.
Darren Robinson and Darren Maddy continued their good work by sharing a first wicket partnership of 135 with Maddy falling first by being caught behind by Brophy off the bowling of Steffan Jones for 45. Robinson though, became the first County centurion of the season by making exactly 100 before being caught at slip by David Sales, again off the bowling of Jones, facing the very next ball after reaching his ton. After the solid opening stand, the Foxes didn't really push on like they should have with only Aftab Habib (38), Jeremy Snape (28) and Claude Henderson with an unbeaten 30 making any significant contributions. Henderson, batting at 10, again impressed with the bat, cracking 5 fours in his 27 ball knock. Charl Willoughby made, by his standards with the bat, a mammoth 9!
Back at the the crease for the final 12 overs of the day, Northants reached 45 without loss giving them a total lead of 139.
If this match is to result in anything other than a draw, then two major factors will play a part, the weather and courage. It remains to be seen if the home side will set a reasonable target for the County to reach and if Leicestershire display the guts to have a go at the total or just sit back and play for the draw.
Day 4
As expected the match at Wantage Road resulted in a draw and leaves the County still looking for their first win of the season.
Northants declared their second innings on 238-3 with Martin Love scoring 112 not out and David Sales hammering 79 from 68 balls. Phil DeFreitas picked up 2 wickets to take his match tally to 6 and Claude Henderson was dealt particular punishment by conceding 69 runs from 10 overs.
Setting Leicestershire a victory target of 333 off a possible 57 overs, Northants did not leave themselves time to bowl out the visitors. At one stage a defeat for the Foxes looked possible when struggling on 41-3 with the added disadvantage of Darren Robinson having to retire hurt. A stand of 69 from HD Ackerman and Jeremy Snape made the game safe for the County as they reached 115-4 at close. Ackerman had just enough time to reach his 50 and remained unbeaten and Snape made a patient 31.
Follow the link for the full match scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/CC2/SCORECARDS/20-23APR2005/NORTHANTS_LEICS_CC2_20-23APR2005.html
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Willoughby to make debut at Northants (19/4/05) |
New South African overseas signing Charl Willoughby, goes straight into the side to play at Northants in the Championship match starting on Wednesday.
The left arm seamer is a welcome addition after the County's dismal start to the season and arrives in good form having taken 4-9 from four overs in South Africa for Western Province Boland in their Pro20 tournament last week. Unfortunately, Dinesh Mongia will not arrive in time to play in the match and is expected to make his bow in the televised match vs Kent at Canterbury on Sunday.
Darren Robinson and Phil DeFreitas return the squad but there are no places for John Sadler or Charlie Dagnall.
Northamptonshire have had a very busy summer and boast a string of impressive new signings. Australian former Durham batsman Martin Love is one of their new overseas players and has a fantastic record in english cricket and fellow Aussie Damien Wright fills the other foreign berth and has a good record with his fast medium bowling as well as being a capable batter. Other new arrivals at Wantage Road are young batting prospect Bilal Shafayat from Nottinghamshire and all rounder Kevin Innes arrives for his second spell from Sussex. The club has also followed Leicestershire's lead by securing South African all rounder Johann Louw under the Kolpak ruling. Add to this the existing strength of captain David Sales, who has been a whisker away from England selection for the last few years, the class of Usman Afzaal and the ever impressive spinner Jason Brown, then you can see why our neighbours will prove formidable opposition.
Squad
Darren Robinson, Darren Maddy, John Maunders, Aftab Habib, HD Ackerman(capt), Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon(wkt), Ottis Gibson, Phil DeFreitas, David Masters, Claude Henderson, Charl Willoughby.
Northants Team
Martin Love, Bilal Shafayat, Usman Afzaal, David Sales (capt), Robert White, Gerard Brophy (wkt), Damien Wright, Ben Phillips, Johann Louw, Steffan Jones, Jason Brown.
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LCCC v Durham - National League (17/4/05) |
Leicestershire's miserable start to the season continued on Sunday, losing to Durham by 9 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method.
Batting first, the Foxes reached only 175-8 off their 45 overs but things could have been alot worse had it not been for Darren Maddy, HD Ackerman and Paul Nixon. Maddy (50) and Ackerman (44) shared in a third wicket stand of 98 after a disastrous start left them at 4 for 2 but the pair batted sensibly and got the County back into a decent position before another collapse. After that only Nixon could manage a respectable score, remaining unbeaten on 29.
The bowling attack faired a little better with Charlie Dagnall proving economical (ableit the occasional wide), David Masters and Darren Maddy bowling tidily and Ottis Gibson picking up two wickets. But the seamers were always going to have their work cut out and when the rain came down in late afternoon, Durham had done enough to guarantee victory by the Duckworth/Lewis formula.
Things need to improve and quickly, and expectations will be placed even higher on the two incoming overseas players, Dinesh Mongia and Charl Willoughby, who arrive in time for the Championship clash at Northants on Wednesday.
Scorecard link:
http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/NLS/SCORECARDS/17APR2005/LEICS_DURHAM_NLS_17APR2005.html
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Sadler and Dagnall back for Foxes (17/4/05) |
John Sadler and Charlie Dagnall return to the Leicestershire Foxes squad for the National League match with Durham at Grace Road on Sunday.
After the nightmare start to the season last week, Sadler and Dagnall will be welcome inclusions in the side as the County will be looking to put that defeat behind them and put in a better performance. David Brignull is also included in the squad and could be a good bowling option after picking up 4 wickets in a one day warm up versus Notts a week ago.
Squad
Darren Maddy, Darren Robinson, Aftab Habib, HD Ackerman(capt), John Sadler, Jeremy Snape, Paul Nixon, Ottis Gibson, Claude Henderson, David Masters, Charlie Dagnall, John Maunders, David Brignull.
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The club have announced that the price of season tickets will be increased for the forthcoming season.
The cost of full adult membership will be £85 compared to last seasons price of £61. But despite the rise, the county's season tickets are still the best value in te country compared to other clubs.
Unfortunately, 20/20 group match tickets are not included in membership but the club has given season ticket holders the benefit of free match parking.
The price increase has been inevitable for a few years now and the county have now decided to move with the times. Hopefully this increase will prove justifiable in the future as the club continue to invest in developing the academy.
