Ends quickly

Yorkshire 557-6 Declared
v Durham 208 all out &
302 all out following on

Yorkshire win by an Innings & 47 runs
at Chester-le-Street

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

In the end, that has not been the Title Winning Shoot Out that “we were hoping for”. Although, it has been absolutely gripping for long periods. Pessimism takes over. Clearly you’d expect Yorkshire to take 6 wickets & wrap it up, maybe needing to bat a small total. In the event, it all played out pretty quickly - 244 for four to 302 all out. The difference between the teams has been that mental stand between Bresnan & Bairstow. That’s never gonna be broken. A team posts that against you, after you’ve put them in, once in a lifetime.

It does enhance Yorkshire’s find a way, someone will put their hands up, efficient machine reputation. And, with the overseas players (plural) playing the role of passenger. That’ll arsebite me. One of ‘em will put their hand up eventually.

Now that the Ashes is more-or-less underway, our Championship side looks to be settling in. We’re not going to have Root, Ballance, Lyth. We are going to have Bairstow. Not sure what is going on with Plunkett. Injuries. Discipline. I’ll put him down as movable feast. Alongside Adil Rashid. I’m on record as saying you need two spinners in a touring party. And if you only play one, play the best one. Let the other carry the drinks. That is how it works.

But, in Home Tests, it becomes more problematic if you’re always picking two, playing one. Let us see what happens. I’d like to see a change of approach. Pick Rashid as the “attacking, but might go for runs” option. And then, either pick a seamer who can give you control (in the Patto mould) or…. Rein in the wild dog existing attacking seamers/swingers & ask them to bowl control spells from time-to-time. That’s Captaincy.

Yorkshire’s if you look for it problem area is the spinner. If Rashid is missing, they have a problem. One of my favourite cricketers of recent years (Azeem Rafiq) has apparently “gone”. They said they’d go with Carver. But, it’s patchwork quilt Middlebrook all the way now. They need to put some serious development work into a longer-term second spinner/ Rashid fill-in.

Durham Verdict

I like being up in Chester-le-Street. It’s a good well appointed place. As an International ground, there is lots of space up in the hills for us anti-social County Fans.  The Members Lounge is great. It has the one-way-in approach abandoned at Headingley. A ground level door, polited by a single steward, show your Membership Card. Then a lift or stairs up to the lounge. A double row of outside seats - which are protected a bit from any rain & the sun. The one-way-in means it has a nice self-policing clubby feel (as abandoned at Headingley). But, the downside is very little actual viewing seating. Two hand pulls on the bar. Marstons Pedigree on. And then it seemed to be a rotation between Jennings Cumberland and the Marstons/Jimmy Anderson vehicle - King of Swing. One is better than none, two is one up on one.

It was essentially the same offering in the well appointed public bar (is it Austins?).

Some preening & showing off by the Yorkshire Cabal. Main issue - queues to get in. “Don’t they want our money?”. I’ll happily refund anyone who wants to nip off & be a bit more polite. Meeting them halfway…. Usual mad system. Hand over one bit of paper (sterling), be handed another bit of paper, hand that over to someone else, who rips it in half, retains half & gives you half back. With all queues melding into one scrum.

Or of course. Most grounds have to be multi-use. At Headngley, claim to be a student or checking into the Lodge or going to have a look in the Rhino Shop. You’re in. At Durham, it’s the Gym. You can either queue to pay £15. Or wave a beer-belly and a pack of Statins, mention - GP says I need to get some weight off…. And you’re in.

159/344