It’s arguably the most important four weeks of the season coming up for us.
Having slipped up against Middlesex this week it has left us in the mix to gain promotion to division one next year. Winning this week would have basically guaranteed promotion.
It frustrating as the coach and captain requested a flat pitch which should turn to bring our spinners into the game.
I have mentioned previously that I think spin may win us a game or two during the run in as our batsman score heavily on good pitches.
Still it should not be used as an excuse as the wicket is the same for both teams and we didn’t bat well enough again first or second innings and weren’t quite at the races with the ball which we have been all season. Even I managed to slog some runs somehow so it couldn’t have been that bad a pitch!
Winning in Cardiff this week would have also given us some good momentum going in to our next game after winning comprehensively against Worcester in Colwyn Bay last week. That was a pitch that suited us better.
It was good for batting with Ben Wright and Tom Maynard batting beautifully and giving a glimpse of what is to come in the future. With runs on the board it allows our spinners to come into the game on the third and forth day. This would have been ideal in Cardiff this week and probably would have been good enough to defeat Middlesex.
While in Colwyn Bay I had one of my first experiences of fishing. We were staying at a luxury 5-star hotel which backed on the coast Degannwy Quay coastline. With Robert Croft being the keen fisherman he brought his rod with him.
So I decided to watch and learn to see if I could pick up a tip or two. Crofty managed to catch a sardine and asked me to gut it for him and so he could use it for bait.
After two minutes I was leaning over the side of the hotel and feeding the fish the fillet steak I had eaten earlier!!
With promotion still in our sights we are off to Hove next week for a top-of-the- table clash with Sussex.
It’s going to be a tough game but hopefully the wicket may play into our hands. Hove is normally a slow flat pitch which turns a little.
That suits us perfectly and I’m hoping we can get a big first innings score on the board which we haven’t done for a while. This game may decide our fate this year with a win taking us back to the top of the table.
First though we have a one day game on Sky Television on the Wednesday. After some disappointing performances on Sky this year it’s important we put on a good performance for the cameras.
We may be without our captain Jamie Dalrymple for the game as he suffered a small fracture in this thumb in Cardiff this week. He got a nasty delivery from the West Indian left arm fast bowler Pedro Collins.
On the flip side it’s nice to see my old mate Mark Wallace captaining the side. It’s a great honour to captain Glamorgan which in theory is your country in our case.
I’ve decided to assign myself as vice-captain which Mark is happy with and we enjoyed working together this week.
Hopefully we can plot the downfall of Sussex this week and bring home maximum points and a huge leap towards division one.
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