O 60's v Essex Match Report
Norfolk 60+ should have realised fate often plays its fateful hand when they totalled a massive 282 – 5 against visitors Essex and comprehensively lost by 6 wickets and 15 balls to spare, another potential 30 runs.Norfolk’s dream start of 100 in 19 was evaporated when Martin Pearse (49) played a lazy shot and fellow England player Kevin Pratt and Richard Taylor departed without scoring. The run rate took a while to get back to six an over as Paul Rice (87) and Richard Davies (62) made the visitor's fielders pay. Evan Tuck (24*) and Colin Jackson (10*) saw proceedings to a close. Whilst the Essex bowling was always pretty accurate, their fielding was not what the captain ordered.
Essex found the Norfolk fielding very sharp but the bowling absolutely up their street and they obviously made hay whilst the sun shone. A very good innings from John Stuck (87) left him marginally in credit after his fielding stint (!!) but man of the match Malcolm Wright (83) showed up the rest of his side with some incredible efforts – it is not that difficult to dive if it saves four runs and Malcolm with weight of runs behind him, will be a contender for the International Team. (Though hitting the stumps when he was out didn’t impress Mr Toombes!)
Together with Captain Bob Newman’s quick 57, Essex gained another maximum and left the home team realising that the Champions have to live up to their reputation and with a bowling performance like that, it doesn’t auger well for 2010.