First Class, First Person (UK Domestic)

Wise sages say you should never wish your time away. But the 17 hours between close of play at Canterbury on September 26, and the start of the final day, could not go quick enough.

For that evening was the only point in the season where there was a feeling of expectancy about our Championship aspirations. Before that, it was more quiet confidence, but events had transpired around the country to leave us firm favourites as the dew settled on the night of the 26th. It was a feeling I was uneasy with. It had seemed that every county had chose to play down their hopes at various points, and no sooner had a county topped the table, the next match saw them deposed. I was wary of one more sting in the tail; something dramatic on the last day of a closely-fought, open Championship season: an unlikely Notts runs-chase, perhaps, or a brave resurrection from Kent’s lower-order.

After the euphoria of winning the Friends Provident Trophy it was important as a team that we didn’t think that was the end of our season.

There was still promotion in both the Championship and the Pro40 to play for and though we didn’t quite manage it in the longer form there was one further chance to celebrate in the 40-over game.

After arriving back into the changing room following another gruelling session in the field, I sat back in my all-too-familiar spot and peered down at the floor groping for the drink I had left there. To my horror, all I managed to grasp was a handful of Nashy’s fourth-day whites, an inside-out pair of sweaty underwear (just for good measure) and what looked like a half eaten banana! Not quite what I was looking for, but then in that brief moment, in my tired and defeatist state, I burst out laughing. I suppose I was laughing because I felt surprisingly privileged to have this man’s dirty kit entwined with mine. Where else on earth would I meet a guy like Nashy and where else in the world would something so banal make me smile?

Oh we do love the day-to-day proximity with one another, don’t we? Maybe it was this brief moment, this philosophical outlook that made me realise what a wonderful, yet strange place this cricket changing room is. Despite Nashy’s grass-stained kit and putrefying underwear invading what little privacy I had, I still wouldn’t swap the cricket changing room for anything. So why is it when players retire from cricket it is not their bat or ball they miss so much, but rather the changing room: the banter, camaraderie and the sense of belonging that is associated with it that makes the transition so tough?

I endured a couple of rough days in Birmingham before the Final, having earlier spent a few days in Norfolk on a little holiday with my girlfriend – although I should point out that’s no reflection on Norfolk…or my girlfriend!

The upside of the unfavourable weather over the first couple of days of our Championship match at Edgbaston meant I had some time to rest. I had a few concerned text messages about my virus so I had to let them know I wasn’t quite on my death bed!

Twenty20 Cup Finals Day turned out to be very disappointing as we didn’t get through our semi-final against Kent in a game we felt we were good enough to win. We missed out in a couple of overs during our run-chase and if you do that in a Twenty20 match needing ‘10s’ it can make life very hard work.

We didn’t have the best of starts with the ball at the outset and, although our spinners brought things back a little, Kent were able to post a decent total. Although we kept wickets in hand early on, the run-rate kept going up and the target proved beyond us.

Even in this crazy consumer-led and materialistic society we live in, the best things in life are the simple things; your friends, cups of coffee, conversations and the odd game of golf. They cost nothing and they are the most meaningful. Let me tell you though, Middlesex’s recent victory in the Twenty20 competition was about as meaningful as it gets for us at the home of cricket. Well, it is a funny game isn’t it? Not that we haven’t heard that one before, but after two drubbings in the County Championship and a bad loss in the Pro40 against Durham it looked like the excitement leading up to Twenty20 finals day might end sooner rather than later.

Well not this time. Middlesex’s formula that has been so successful in this year’s competition held its own when it really mattered most. So after a great turnaround it has been a fantastic week for Middlesex, there’s certainly some great talent in the ranks and the squad is showing real signs of strength and depth.

The drama of the dropped catch, the Dawid Malan overthrows and the anxiety over those final two balls put everyone’s adrenalin into overdrive. Anyway we are a week on, and questions of the Champions League and the trip to Antigua for the Stanford tournament are a hot topic and so they should be. Cricket has clearly taken a quite a turn. In the words of the Middlesex coach Toby Radford, “the experience was quite surreal”. This quick-fix cricket is bringing about exciting times and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea it is certainly a great time to be playing.

As much as I love the North East and playing for Durham, being situated miles from most other counties means endless hours on a coach. Though this year we have a new driver – the jovial Dave – compared with last year’s grumpy Ivor. Whether Ivor was his actual name, or just a convenient rhyme with ‘driver,’ I’m not quite sure. What I am sure of is that Dave has made journeys much more comfortable. Ivor’s penchant for testing the brakes every ten minutes was not conducive to peaceful journeys.

Mitch Claydon’s extensive selection of DVD’s have accompanied us on most trips, and while I’m disappointed that his Baywatch boxset hasn’t been opened yet, whatever has been put on is generally met with approval. The most popular choice seems to Mike Bassett – Football Manager; a true gem of a film. Quotes and snippets from the film are regularly recited in the dressing room, but there is one that is not so regularly used, but perhaps should be. It encompasses all that is important and evident in the last few weeks of our season.

My last blog was written just after a couple of defeats against Middlesex in the Twenty20 Cup had halted our early progress in the competition.

Three weeks on and ourselves and Middlesex are one victory away from meeting in the Twenty20 Cup Final so the potential for exacting the ultimate revenge is not an impossibility.

Everything has gone to plan for us in recent times and we are now on a roll. I’ve written before about how important momentum is so we just have to go with it while things are going our way. Everyone is confident in their own performances and we now feel we have the squad to maintain our level of competitiveness even when we are missing a player or two.

Results have not been going our way of late but we can take some comfort in the fact that we have reached the semi-final of the Friends Provident Trophy following our recent win at Grace Road.

According to the average eloquent football pundit, a week is a long time in football. Without doubt the same astute statement can be applied to cricket, and in our case it is not just one week, but the last two, that have felt like an eternity.

Durham supporters of a weak disposition would have been well advised to steer clear of any one of the last four games – two Championship games, one Friends Provident Trophy quarter-final and the first Twenty20 Cup match.