Staffordshire vs Cambridgeshire Day 3 @ Checkley CC.
Staffordshire begin the final day needing just two wickets to wrap up a crushing victory. Sam Keeling-Wright will be hoping to add to his total of 12 wickets in the match so far.
Cambridgeshire 2nd innings 198 all out (Keeling-Wright 5/41)
It took just 18 balls and 15 minutes on the 3rd morning for Staffordshire to complete victory by an innings and 111 runs.
The day did begin poorly for Staffordshire; Loveday pushed Keeling-Wright’s first ball to Moulton at mid-off, his return throw to keeper Lincoln was wayward, and it ran away for four overthrows. He then pulled the last ball of the over powerfully behind square for the first boundary of the day off the bat. Patel picked up a full ball from Atkinson in the next over and smashed it over mid-wicket for a one-bounce four.
Keeling-Wright bowled Patel via an inside edge when he tried to force the ball through the offside for 27 in the 3rd over of the day as he completed his 2nd five-wicket haul of the match and took his total to 13 in the game. Loveday swung a short ball away off Atkinson in the next over for a one-bounce four before he was bowled having an ugly swipe at the next delivery as Staffordshire completed victory.
Staffordshire thoroughly deserved their big margin of victory in this game. They bowled superbly on the first day after Cambridgeshire strangely elected to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions. Their seamers ran in hard all game and extracted extra bounce and seam movement throughout both innings. They hit the wicket harder than Cambridgeshire’s bowlers did, in my opinion, and that’s what led to the extra movement.
Keeling-Wright was astonishing, with his match figures of 13/101 off 28 overs. He put on a masterclass in seam bowling. He moved the ball both ways off the seam at good pace, and the Cambridgeshire batters couldn’t handle him. My favourite wicket of his was when he dismissed the left-handed Dandy on the 2nd evening. With a ball angled in from around the wicket, it then left him and caught his outside edge. It looked very Stuart Broad-esque to me, the wide angle on the crease and the away movement off the seam. He threatened the stumps throughout and was a danger with both the new and old balls.
Evitts set up the huge first innings score with his sparkling 207 not out, but a word must be said for Moulton. His patient innings of 96 helped to build the huge 248-run partnership that put Staffordshire in such a commanding position after their 1st innings. He was struck by two nasty blows on the hand during his knock but continued stoutly. His solid defence and patience at the crease make him a very fine batsman. He was especially good on the first evening after the home side lost both openers in quick succession. He was happy to soak up dot balls and play out maidens as Staffordshire looked to get through to the close of play. He was again steady on the second morning, seeming happy to play second fiddle to Evitts as he went about upping the scoring rate before he fell just short of a well-deserved century after lunch.
Staffordshire will be thrilled with this bounce-back performance after their heavy loss to Buckinghamshire two weeks ago and return to action when they make the long trip up to Northumberland in a fortnight.
A final word must go to Checkley CC as they were fantastic hosts and the ground looked in superb condition. They produced a fine cricket wicket that offered something for both bowlers and batters. As always, you get fine value for your shots there, and the outfield was in superb condition considering the amount of warm weather we’ve had recently. So a huge hand must go to their ground staff.
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