ALL CLEAR - SAX'S BLOG
23 August 2013
A nail biting finale last Sunday kept the crowd on the edge of their seats right up until the 39.5 over where James Fuller hit Michael Hogan for 4 to ensure a vital win for the Gloucester’s. Glamorgan won the toss and elected to bat posting 247-7 off their allotted 40 overs with Gareth Rees top scoring for the Taffs with 83 of 110 balls. Michael Klinger and Hamish Marshall got us off to a great start, Hamish falling in the 15th over on the score of exactly 100. As the innings progressed we seemed to be in full control of the run chase, but 5 wickets in the final 6 overs sent the changing room into panic before all left relieved as the bowlers got us out of trouble and over the line as we won with a ball to spare. Captain fantastic top scored again with 87; this wasn’t quite enough to take him over the 2000 run mark but it did leave him only 44 runs short by the time the dust had settled.
It was a thriller of a match to mark the first opening of The Bristol Pavilion. The cricket club had opened the doors for everyone to have a look around and to witness the new facility. The Grace Room, traditionally the members facility, was open for Grace Dining, The Premier Lounge housed the Executive Club and 2 of the boxes were hired out for Hospitality. All feedback was very complimentary and all left in good spirit with a smile on their face having witnessed a fantastic game played out in front of them.
On Monday I made my way to London for a follow-up consultation regarding my shoulder. I had taken my girlfriend to Cardiff on Sunday evening and had stayed the night as the train to London wasn’t until 10am. I left at 8am leaving 2 hours to catch the 10:01am. The drive back to Parkway Station ran very smoothly but then as I came off the Severn Bridge I ran straight into stand-still traffic. A fire on the M4 and 2 lanes closed due to an accident outside of Aztec West sent me into a frenzy and I genuinely thought that I would never make the train. The gods must have been with me, it was about time a bit of luck came my way, and with little time to spare, the traffic started to move and I made the 10:01am with about 3 minutes to spare. Fortunately the physio Steve Griffin was there to meet me with a coffee in hand. The consultation went very well and I have now been given the all clear to start back fully in the gym which is extremely good news.
Tuesday saw the England Lions play Bangladesh A here at The Bristol County Ground. The Pavilion was open once again and we had around 140 hospitality guests to cater for. All were shown up to the impressive Premier Lounge and it was very nice to see an extremely positive reaction from all as they were taken to their tables. The England Lions got off to a very sluggish start but quick fire hundreds from Gary Balance and Luke Wright saw the Lions set a mammoth 354 for victory. Tight bowling from the England bowlers prevented Bangladesh from getting anywhere near the required target as they were bowled out for a miserable 151.
The 1st XI started against Kent on Wednesday with Liam Norwell and David Payne both claiming 2 wicket as they returned to first class action. Kent won the toss and elected to bat first. After 20 overs Kent had been reduced to 46-3 but runs from Rob Key (53), Ben Harmison (106) and Darren Stevens (98 not out at close of play) meant that Kent ended the day on 334-6. My new bike also arrived on Wednesday (after 3 weeks of waiting for delivery) so I spent the majority of the evening putting it together. I took it out for its maiden voyage at about 9pm, a quick spin around the block as it was getting dark, and I am relieved to tell you all stayed in one piece…me included!!
Rain delayed the start of play at Kent yesterday with a ball not being bowled until 2:20pm. Kent kept piling on the runs and when they were eventually bowled out they had amassed a total of 474. We then started extremely well with the bat; Michael Klinger and Chris Dent both still there at the end of play with the score on 80-0. It was also the chief executive’s leaving dinner yesterday evening. The commercial office, past and present, all gathered at a local restaurant for a bite to eat and a couple of well-earned beverages. It was nice to be able spend some time together outside the formalities of HQ.
A contrived game unfolded this morning down at Canterbury with us declaring overnight on 80, Kent declaring their innings on 4 and then us taking the field to bat again needing 399 for victory. It looks a strange bit of cricket from the outside but both sides need the 16 points available for a win in order to help push for end of season honours. I’m finalising a few things before the clock strikes 5pm and have been making sure I have everything I am in charge of completed and ready for Monday. It’s the official opening of the Bristol Pavilion, it’s Somerset, it’s a must win game!!
Sax
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