"I was there I saw it all." Over the years of my self imposed exile in England, I have been fortunate to have witnessed some dramatic and epoch making cricket, often at Worcestershire's picture postcard New Road ground, where I have spent many happy hours watching the great game in excellent company. One glorious June Sunday eleven years ago, for example, I witnessed Graeme Hick, very often a destroyer of Irish, among other, bowling, score his 100th first class century. The year before, in less aimable meterological conditions, I had seen the County convincingly defeat the Australians, at the outset of yet another Ashes winning tour. Yet for me, neither of these memorable matches, or another dozen or so which spring to mind, quite equalled the events of Wednesday 20 May 2009.
The day's weather forecast was most unpromising. My PC screen suggested heavy showers on the hour from 10 am, a prediction which might have kept me away, had not both the prospect of seeing Ireland in action, and the fact that Worcestershire probably needed to win to ensure a quarter final place, made my 40 mile drive from home worth the gamble. As it was the forecast turned out to be wrong: the sun shone for most of the day, the rain eventually arrived, a few spots, at almost exactly the time forecast by Roy Torrens in a conversation between the innings, as the day's extraordinary proceedings neared their conclusion
Worcestershire had done well in the Friends Provident this season, had they not slipped up against the considerably less talented Leicestershire side the prevoius week, this match would have been of merely academic interest. At New Road on Wednesday, the County's captain Vikram Solanki won the toss and, unsurprisingly, inserted the visitors.
Jeremy Bray and Paul Stirling began against the Austrlian pace pair of Matt Mason and Ashley Noffke. Mason, now qualified for England, originally played his county cricket on an Irish passport, but he showed no inclination to favour either of his countrymen. Both played and missed seveal times. Noffke, the County's overseas player, looked formidable, his changes of pace and swing worrying Stirling, who had come to New Road straight from the examination hall. It came as no surprise when wicket keeper Steve Davies helmeted and standing up to Mason - a task requiring skill and courage from the gloveman, caught Bray off Mason.
Stirling found the boundary a couple of times, once with a well judged hook off Noffke which clearly showed his class, but he soon lost Cusack bowled by Mason with one which moved off the seam. Kevin O'Brien and Stirling then began to buld a partnership, but though the Cliftonville man again found the boundary, he never seemed totally relaxed, and, when first change bowler Chris Whelan, one of the County's most improved players, joined the attack, Stirling was gone, feeling outside the off stump, and nicking the ball to Davies. Around me in the crowd, and indeed in my own mind, the prospect of a very early finish loomed. Would Ireland be able to reach 100? It did not seem likely. Would they bat out 50 overs? More chance of Britain's MPs being chosen the most respected people in the country at the moment. This feeling increased when Solanki, having called the fielding power play, introduced his slow left armer Ian Fisher, who has not been the most run saving of bowlers, into the attack. "Possible meat and drink to the man from Park Avenue," I thought. Unfortunately Kevin thought so too. Down the track to Fisher, aiming to hit him into the stand behind me at the New Road End, he was stumped by some distance.
Andrew Poynter was batting sensibly, but another wicket was thrown away, as Andrew White aimed an ill judged hook at Whelan. His fellow Associate cricketer Alexi Kervezee, a last minute replacement for high scoring batsman Ben Smith, held an acrobatic catch at midwicket. 38/4 and the possibility of the match being all over by 2 pm was being discussed.
Trent Johnston at once looked assured. Sound in defence, and confident in attack, he showed that the County's bowlers were no superheroes, and, with Poynter playing a sensible, if slow innings, the Irish ship slowly began to return to an even keel, the score passing 70. Then, just as the County faithful around me, began to think that they might have to eat their sandwiches in the ground, rather than on their way home, another wicket was thrown away. Poynter, going for a second run. on his own call, was out by some yards, visible even to the naked eye some 80 yards away, and, at 75/6 the innings seemed in ruins again. In fact that wicket marked the turning point of the match.
Kyle McCallan, showing how and why he had once scored a century for Ireland, proceeded to prove the ideal partner for Johnston. The Railway Union man looked in control against all bowling presented to him, while Kyle, unleashing one or two excellent shots, presented a cast iron defence. His stentorian calls "YES! NO! WAIT!" rang across the tranquil ground in competition with the Cathederal bells, but made sure that there were no more run outs. Eventually, as the overs approached 50, Johnston fell, failing to clear long on, off the deceptively gentle looking medium pace of Daryl Mitchell, a vastly underrated cricketer in this form of the game. He and his captain had added a vital 57. Neither West nor McAllister lasted long and McCallan was finally out for 42, having played one of his most valuable innings for Ireland.
152 did not seem enough but it would ensure that Ireland were not humiliated, as had earlier seemed likely. An announcement over the public address at lunch that Nottinghamshire were 145 all out v Hampshire at Trent Bridge was greeted with a cheer. A home draw for Worcestershire in Saturday's quarter final looked certain. A family wedding party on that day, in which two of those I was watching the match with - not as the key participants, I must add, - were involved, seemed misplaced.
Worcestershire began the quest for 153 against Peter Connell and O'Brien. The County openers, Solanki and Davies, have several blistering partnerships to their credit. Almost always, one of them rushes away to a quick 60 or 70. With half of one leye on the gathering clouds and half of the other on the Duckwort Lewis target, they began their reply.
Solanki is a wonderful player to watch. When he is in form, his elegance and power make him the player whom, above all, I would want to watch. Yet he has a weakness for flashing outside the off stump. In Connell's second over, he did just that, to one that moved away and McAllister, low and to his right, took the catch well. Next in was England Lions man Stephen Moore, out of form this season, but a very good player. He and Davies, a left hander who evokes memories of Gower to those of us who bask in nostalgia, Davies unleashed his classic cover drive and the score reached 20. Solanki's dismissal had been a hiccup, but normal service was now being resumed.
Then Moore pushing forward to Connell, got an edge as the ball moved away from an off stump line. The ball flew low and hard to Bray at second slip. He held an excellent catch; Moore - perhaps thinking it had not carried - appeared to stand his ground. From my position, on the boundary edge, and directly behind the catcher, there was no doubt.
Enter Moeen Ali. Replacing Hick in the side, to gain a regular place this season, Moeen, cousin of paceman Kabir Ali and brother of Gloucestershire's Kadeer, has been a tremendous success in both forms of the game this season. Beaten for pace he played on to Connell first ball. Off the last ball a hat trick beckoned, but Connell greeted Kervezee with a rather harmless looking bouncer, which the Dutchman calmly ducked. AT 21/3 the game was now, to say the least, interesting!
The unbelievable continued to happen. Gasps of astonishment in the crowd began to be mingled with derisory comments and laughter, directed at the home batsmen, but were soon drowned out by warm and generous applause for the fielding side. A single to Davies brought Kervezee to face O'Brien, who had not looked as hostile as Connell. Now, however, he breached Kervezee's defence with a straight ball, to gain an lbw decison from Umpire Mallender, who, as a former England seamer, must have been admiring Connell's work.
In Connell's next over Davies was well caught by West and then off spinning all rounder Gareth Batty, a hard player to shift, fell lbw to the North Down man, who had now taken 4 wickets for 0 runs in 8 balls. Batty appeared to disagree with the verdict, ostentatiously showing his bat to Umpire Michael Gough on his way out. Some in the crowd did not think much of this. Batty's parents, a row or to behind your correspondent, kept their own counsel.
Enter Ashley Noffke, smarting no doubt at Cricket Australia's decision, to take his central contact away fom him. He joined Mitchell, an opener in the 4 day game, but at 6 in limited overs.
They saw Connell take his sweater (7 - 2 - 19 - 5), and then began the process of trying to rebuild the innings. As they more than doubled the score, without ever looking in control against Cusack and Johnston, the Duckworth Lewis target, which had been reaching astronomical proportions over by over, began to stabilise. Some in the crowd dared to breathe again.
Then Noffke, going for a big shot against Johnston - he had little other option - was caught by Cusack. They then wrapped up the innings between them. Fisher, whose hitting had been a vital factor in the win over Hampshire the previous Thursday, was caught by White off Johnston, Whelan bowled by Cusack, and Mason caught behind off Johnston to bring an astonishing period of play to its conclusion.
The crowd rose to the victors. "Well done Ireland”, came the call as applause ran around the ground, drowning out the calls for the head of Worcestershire Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes. It was good to see Solanki, who must have wished the ground would swallow him up, lead his entire side out onto the field to offer their congratulations for some remarkable cricket.
Already facing relegation in the Championship, barring some remarkable turn in fortune, the County's season was in ruins. Mind you, I will be back to see how they try to recover. As for Ireland, the disappointments of the earlier FPT matches should not be forgotten. Even as they dominated the proceedings it was easy to see areas where they are not a top class side. However in what BBC Radio 5 Live called "An upset of seismic proportions", they had won a famous victory, and, having dismissed Worcestershire for their lowest ever limited overs score, had produced a performance fit to rank beside that at Sion Mills 40 years ago. Now if only I had been there as well!
Copyright: Cover Point
