Middlesex 210 for 8
beat
Surrey 146 all out (18.4 Overs)
by 64 runs
beat
Surrey 146 all out (18.4 Overs)
by 64 runs
Vitality Blast T20, South Group
Played at Lord's
Played at Lord's
If it's a Summer Thursday at Lord's, it's all about two things. The most vibrant day of County Cricket of the year. And, Cans of Beer. Look, I'm a proud Yorkshireman. When I was growing up, the traditional August Holiday fixture was Yorkshire v Lancashire, 3 Day Championship, at my ground, Bramall Lane, Sheffield. I just find the Yorkie Lanky T20s a bit braying & less enjoyable because of that. Close second mind, but the Middlesex v Brown Hatter Mugs "Derby' does have more of a cricket feel to it.
A new record crowd for a Domestic T20 game tonight helps make my point - 27,773. Squeezed into every corner. At a Test Match, or International ODI, the crowd can drift. Go & get some lunch. Sit in the gardens. Have a mooch. Nip out to the Ale House. But, it doesn't work like that for Flash Bang Wallop T20. So, Lord's looks full & feels full. Bulging.
Imran Tahir squeezed Malan with the third ball of the innings, and he holed out. Eskinazi went at 56 for three on 6.5 overs. That brought Money Making Machine AB de Villiers & Eoin Morgan together. They took it to 171, with the best part of three overs left. de Villiers eventually dug 64 off 40 balls, Morgan 70 off 37.
Surrey stayed with it a bit (nod to Duckworth-Lewis-Stern for that). 95 for 1 off 8.4, before Finch went second down. Half way through the 14th they were 124 for 4. Thirty one balls later, they were gone for 146. Steven Finn has run them down at the end. He's finished with five for 16 off a full 4 overs. Rout by the end. Had to rush the cans.
I'd enjoyed a day at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival the day before. Seemed a great opportunity for me to source some beers from the "International Can & Bottle Bar". They thought my demands were a bit odd. It must be IPA/Pale, it must be American, it absolutely must be a can, and it must be 16oz, not 12. If you know, you know.
A new record crowd for a Domestic T20 game tonight helps make my point - 27,773. Squeezed into every corner. At a Test Match, or International ODI, the crowd can drift. Go & get some lunch. Sit in the gardens. Have a mooch. Nip out to the Ale House. But, it doesn't work like that for Flash Bang Wallop T20. So, Lord's looks full & feels full. Bulging.
Imran Tahir squeezed Malan with the third ball of the innings, and he holed out. Eskinazi went at 56 for three on 6.5 overs. That brought Money Making Machine AB de Villiers & Eoin Morgan together. They took it to 171, with the best part of three overs left. de Villiers eventually dug 64 off 40 balls, Morgan 70 off 37.
Surrey stayed with it a bit (nod to Duckworth-Lewis-Stern for that). 95 for 1 off 8.4, before Finch went second down. Half way through the 14th they were 124 for 4. Thirty one balls later, they were gone for 146. Steven Finn has run them down at the end. He's finished with five for 16 off a full 4 overs. Rout by the end. Had to rush the cans.
I'd enjoyed a day at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival the day before. Seemed a great opportunity for me to source some beers from the "International Can & Bottle Bar". They thought my demands were a bit odd. It must be IPA/Pale, it must be American, it absolutely must be a can, and it must be 16oz, not 12. If you know, you know.
Bootlegger's Brewery, Fullerton California, Far Out IPA at 7%. That was a nice enough beer. Although, I was left a bit underwhelmed. It looked the part, clear & brown. And smelled nice & rich. But, I felt it pulled up a bit short on flavour. And needed a kick.
Karl Strauss Brewing Co, San Diego, Boat Shoes Hazy IPA at 7.2%. A lovely, strong tropical fruit smell. But, that didn't quite survive into the taste. It had a slightly off putting thin, watery feel. But, a nice bitterness came in, like The Cavalry to save it.
FiftyFifty Brewing Co, Truckee California, West Coast Haze at 6%. Part of me wondered why they bothered. That was a perfectly decent West Coast pale. The haze added nothing. It seemed to be just dressing up. If anything, the bitterness was just a little too harsh. But, there was some nice mango & the bitterness was hop forward.
But, the Best In Show was Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, The Great Return (American IPA) at 7.5%. That just felt nice, straight ahead, plan A. A hit of Demerara sugar & great bitterness coming off that.
Stats
I have now Blogged from 828 games in 1,815 days
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