365 Sporting Days

As has been the way this summer I’m coming to this very much after the fact, I want to keep my record and share my photos but this will be more Phlog than Blog again.

Essex had their sights on promotion to Division 1 with 3 games to go, could they get a win against Worcester to strengthen their position?

The weather was perfect for cricket and the day was pretty perfect from the viewpoint of an Essex fan.  Worcestershire were bowled out for 230 runs and a look at the scorecard sees 38 year old David Masters name listed 7 times!

Masters took the first 3 of those wickets in the 13th over, despatching Brett D’Oliveira, Tom Fell and Joe Clarke and seeing the visitors fall to 35 for 3.  He then took his 4th wicket in the 17th over 36 for 4.

Ben Cox, another wicket keeper who’s handy with a bat top scored for Worcestershire with 63 before being caught by one young Essex star, Dan Lawrence from the bowling of another Jamie Porter.  Masters finished with figures of 7 for 52!

The Essex innings in reply started with a small disaster, Nick Browne and Alastair Cook, cleared to play by England for 2 games opened the batting, Browne who’d scored 957 runs in the season, top scoring with 255 was out in the second over, LBW to Joe Leach.  Essex were 1 for 1.

In came Tom Westley to join Cook, the 2 clearly have a good relationship, that’s clear to see when they’re in the slips together, that early wicket was to be the only glimpse of light for the visitors for the remainder of the game.

Westley and Cook both looked comfortable and the day finished with the score on 111 for 1, something of a recovery.