VARSITY CRICKET 2013: LIVE

Good morning and welcome to TabSport’s LIVE coverage of the Varsity cricket match. We are bringing you over-by-over live text commentary of the fifty over one day match direct from Lords as the light blues seek to overcome the old enemy. Harry McNeill Adams is here to guide you through all the action. 

To get involved, tweet @TabSport or use the #VarsityCricket hashtag, email [email protected] or comment below.

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18.20

Finally, the Blues have two chances to get their revenge against Oxford. The first will be on Thursday June 20th at Fenner’s, starting at 3 p.m. I’m not live blogging that one, so to see the action you’ll need to come along down. £5 entry. Again, thanks for reading. Have a great evening and a spectacular Suicide Sunday!

18.18

That’s it from me then. I hope all of you (Mum, Dad, Granny) have enjoyed the coverage. I’ve certainly had a good time bringing it to you. In the end, Cambridge just didn’t score enough runs to challenge the Oxford batting line up. I suppose I should technically give some credit to Oxford’s bowlers, particularly to Frederick Johnson and the army of off spinners, for strangling Cambridge’s batsmen.

On the other hand, I could claim sour grapes and partisanship and blame Cambridge’s defeat on bad luck. There were a lot of inside edges in Oxford’s innings in particular. Still, to some extent you make your own luck, and there is a nagging, truthful voice in my head which tells me that Cambridge were outbatted and outfielded.

There were some excellent individual performances. Paul Best and particularly Tom Elliott batted extremely well, and all the bowlers bowled impressively, but ultimately they didn’t have enough runs to defend.

18.00 OXFORD WIN THE 2013 ONE DAY VARSITY MATCH BY 7 WICKETS

And they do it in the most anticlimactic way possible. After a mistimed hoick from Kennedy just eludes Sadler at mid-on, Hickey tries a slower ball. After considering for a moment, the umpire stretches out his arms and gives a wide. Cambridge have lost this one.

17.57 WICKET Williams Caught Wylie Bowled Pollock 1 OXFORD 87-3 (Kennedy 42, Winter 4)

Pollock returns in place of Sadler and is immediately hoisted into the Mound Stand. I fear this may be it. But no! After Kennedy takes a single, Cambridge produce their 2 best moments of the innings. First, Jasper Joyce pulls off a superb leg side take to stop a certain 4 leg byes. Then, Williams clips one to Square Leg where Wylie takes an absolutely magnificent catch, diving full length to his right. The glimmer reappears? And then goes away again as new man Matt Winter clips his first ball, a leg side full toss, for 4. 2 runs to win.

17.53 WICKET Agarwal Caught Sadler Bowled Hickey 16 OXFORD 76-2 (Kennedy 35, Williams 1)

Here comes Matt Hickey! Man, that guy! You can never keep him out of the action! As it turns out, you can’t actually. Bowling left arm round the wicket, his first ball is hit hard in the air to mid on, where Sadler takes an excellent juggling catch. A glimmer of hope for Cambridge? In comes Ben Williams. A good over in the end which concedes just 3. Oxford need 13 runs off 5 overs. 8 wickets in hand.

17.47 OXFORD 73-1 (Kennedy 34, Agarwal 16)

When the chips are down, great leaders grab the bull by the horns, step up to the plate and put themselves on to bowl. Ghastly mixed metaphor aside, here is Paddy Sadler. It’s a nice over as he shows his variations with some quick balls and three slower ones, none of which the Oxford batsmen can get away. The only minus point is a bouncer which is so high that it flirts with the stratosphere before landing safely in Joyce’s gloves. Still, he completes a very good spell (4-1-13-0).

17.40 OXFORD 68-1 (Kennedy 33, Agarwal 14) 

 

Sadler changes things up, bringing on Ben Wylie to replace Best at the Nursery End. His first is very well played by Agarwal, who cuts it for four. After a quick single, Kennedy cheekily whips out the reverse sweep. Unlike when most people play it, it goes for four. A single off the last ball completes an expensive over for Cambridge. 

17.37 OXFORD 57-1 (Kennedy 28, Agarwal 8)

Pollock tries another short one, but Kennedy is wise to it this time and upper cuts very fine for 4. Oxford then get yet another massive slice of luck. Agarwal shimmies down the track and inside edges yet another one past his stumps. In fairness, he then plays an absolutely glorious cover drive, which doesn’t quite go for 4 on account of being hit up a big hill and the wet outfield.

17.33 OXFORD 45-1 (Kennedy 23, Agarwal 1) 

Best continues, but the batsman seem a bit more comfortable just working him around. 5 off the over, including a well timed clip through mid-wicket which Hickey does well to get round to and prevent going for 4. 

17.31 WICKET!!!!!!! Jeffery Caught Elliott Bowled Pollock 15 OXFORD 40-1 (Kennedy 19, Agarwal 0) 

Pollock almost has the first wicket of the innings as Kennedy Chinese cuts it to fine leg for one to a a tangible note of frustration from the fielder. Kennedy then takes a speedy single to mid off. He might have been in trouble with a direct hit. But wait! Jeffery’s skied a pull shot! It’s in the air! IT’S OUT! ELLIOTT CATCHES IT. THE FIGHTBACK STARTS HERE!!!!!!!!! Totally unnecessary shot by the Oxford batsman. Oxford captain Agarwal comes to the crease now, and is greeted with a pair of very good short balls by Pollock, the second of which beats his attempted upper cut.

17.26 OXFORD 37-0 (Jeffery 14, Kennedy 17) 

Best continues and has an extremely good LBW shout turned down, for reasons that the press corps, the Cambridge side and, it would appear, the Oxford batsman, can’t quite get their heads round. Only 1 run comes from the first 5 balls of the over, before Kennedy spoils things a bit by slogging a four off the last one.

17.23 OXFORD 32-0 (Jeffery 13, Kennedy 13) 

Alasdair Pollock now from the Pavilion End. It’s exactly what Cambridge need as only one comes from the over, and that from a mistimed pull from Jeffery.

17.18 OXFORD 31-0 (Jeffrey 12, Kennedy 13) 

Sadler immediately rings the changes, bringing on Paul Best at the Nursery End. His length isn’t quite right, and he drags a couple down. The third ball of the over is stopped painfully by Tom Elliott at mid wicket, the ball cannoning into his kneecap. The second is pulled firmly behind square for 4. There’s also a wide and a single, which makes it a productive over for Oxford.

17.15

Oxford’s target has been reduced to 89 off 20 overs, which translates to 65 more off 14, a rate of just under 5 an over.

17.10

The players are coming out now. Fielding should be a lot easier in these conditions. It’s significantly warmer than it was a couple of hours ago. The sun’s out. Cambridge are still well in with a shout in this game. The pitch, given the moisture it’s absorbed, will not be the easiest to bat on, and in Sadler, Probert, Pollock, Hickey, Wylie, Best and Ansari they have the attack to make life extremely difficult for the Oxford batsmen. If I was a betting man, I’d stake it all on Cambridge in a display of University pride and solidarity.

17.05

The groundstaff have just attached a tractor to the hovercover and are pulling it off the pitch. Just a bit of touching up the white lines to and then we should be almost ready to go!

17.00 

Mercy me. It looks like we might even get some more play! Most of the square has just been uncovered and the umpires are striding out to do a pitch inspection. Watch this space…

16.55

In what is being termed as ‘super saturday’ by people like me with little to no imagination, it’s a bonanza day of live sport, with the Tab also bringing you coverage of the final day of May Bumps. You can of course follow both by opening separate tabs on your computer.

16.50

For those of you who understandably didn’t want to read to the end of that little scene, the point was that there’s a pitch inspection at 5 o’clock. Meanwhile, an excellent chocolate cake has appeared on the tea table. And the sun is out!

16.47

Given that precisely, utterly and totally nothing is happening, here’s a quick summary of  the game so far, told through the medium of an imagined Pinter dialogue between opposing captains Paddy Sadler and Sam Agarwal. Little else is happening.

The scene: The café from the Apprentice. Both characters are nursing sugary teas. 

Sam: I’ll have a bat then I said!

(pause)

Paddy: Don’t lose early wickets I said. Runs don’t matter for the first few I said.

(pause) 

Paddy: I didn’t mean quite that little.

(pause) 

Sam: Good spell Frederick Johnson (n.b. 7-2-10-2 were his final figures).

Paddy: Couldn’t get him away.

(pause. Sam sips his tea)

Sam: Do you know who I don’t like Paddy?

Paddy: Who don’t you like Sam?

Sam: Live bloggers Paddy. So I’m going to bowl 26 overs of off spin on the bounce to really test him out.

Paddy: Good on you. Good innings by Tom Elliott eh? 62 eh?

(pause. Waitress comes over. Paddy waves her away)

Paddy: It rained you know. It rained and rained and rained. Had to get the Duckworth Lewis going. 158 off 43 overs. 

(pause) 

Paddy: It kept raining, allowing for a brief interlude for the first 6 overs of the Oxford innings. 

Sam: I’ve heard there’s a pitch inspection at 5 o’clock.

(end)

16.27

Uh-oh. That doesn’t look too good. My predictions of alien invasion haven’t come true, but the umpires have met with the two captains on the outfield and have just walked off looking glum.

16.25

Plug o’clock. On Tuesday, Clare College cricket ground will play host to the Cuppers finals day. 4 teams; Pembroke, Caius, Churchill and one of Tit Hall and John’s will fight it out for the glory of being crowned the best team in Cambridge. In theory. The forecast is for ‘rain’. Today it was for ‘light rain showers’. The sky is currently so dark that for all I know we might be in the middle of an alien invasion from which I am sheltered in the Lord’s media centre.

16.15 RAIN

Rain. The few remaining spectators have taken cover under the covered bit of the Mound Stand. Irritatingly, only a couple of kilometres away the weather is absolutely lovely. Here, it’s unbelievably depressing.

15.46 OXFORD 25-0 (Jeffery 11, Kennedy 9) 

Better from Sadler and from Cambridge in the murk. 3 from the over, two of which come  off a nicely timed cover drive from Kennedy. And we’re off again! Given that I can’t really see anything, I presume it’s bad light, but it could just as easily be from the rain which is coming down quite steadily. The long term weather report, judging from the colour and density of the clouds in the distance, is not very promising. At all.

15.40 OXFORD 22-0 (Jeffery 10, Kennedy 7) 

Now we really don’t need that. Jeffery plays a nice looking but innocuous drive off Probert and mid off dives over the ball. Then there’s another misfield, this time at cover. Cambridge badly need to step up their fielding. It’s very very cold out there, which is making it extremely difficult for the fielders. 

15.36 OXFORD 14-0 (Jeffery 9, Kennedy 5) 

Frustration for Cambridge as Oxford pick up 4 leg byes. I’ve never liked leg byes. They’re a sort of grubby way to score runs. There’s also a bit of verbals between Sadler and Jeffery, who thinks he’s been obstructed while trying to take a single. Sadler follows up with a bouncer which sails safely over Kennedy’s head before Kennedy clips the final ball of the over delightfully for 4.

15.32 OXFORD 5-0 (Jeffery 4, Kennedy 1) 

Awwwww no! He’s dropped it. Kennedy has a go at a slightly short ball from Probert. It probably wasn’t quite there for the shot and he can’t keep it down. It flies to the fielder at cover, who can’t cling on. It was a very very difficult chance. A single off that one and off the last ball as well. 

15.28 OXFORD 3-0 (Jeffery 3, Kennedy 0)

Cambridge skipper Paddy Sadler will open the bowling from the Pavilion End. It’s another really good over, with Jeffery playing and missing twice. The fine men of Cambridge, looking swish in their light blue caps, have been good in the field so far. 

15.25 OXFORD 3-0 (Jeffery 3, Kennedy 0) 

Tidy first over from Probert, which concedes only 3, a two and a one through Square Leg. You  fear that ‘tidy’ might not quite cut it this afternoon for Cambridge. 

15.20 WE’RE BACK OUT

The decision has been taken to stop the Cambridge innings there. Oxford have been set a Duckworth/Lewis target of 158 off 43 overs. Tom Probert will open the bowling for Cambridge. Ben Jeffery and Gus Kennedy to open the batting for Oxford. I shall leave the excellent parsnip soup which Lord’s have kindly laid on to one side and get going again!

15.00

And now the sun is out in a way which indicates a degree of permanence.

14.55

Covers come off. This is good. 

 14.40

Actually scrap that brief display of optimism. It’s now looking really grizzly again. It’s not actually raining, but is literally definitely about to. 

14.30 A PUZZLE

Rearrange the following words in such a way as to accurately describe the state of play: Play; There; No; Is. Oh actually as I type that the sun’s just come out and the groundstaff are taking the covers off. Hurrah!

14.10 PLAY UPDATE

There is no play.

13.50 RAIN!!!!!!!!!!! CAMBRIDGE 153-8 (Pollock 3, Sadler 4) 

After what has felt like 358 million consecutive overs of off spin, Agarwal decides that it’s time for a pace bowler, so Marsden returns. Given that it’s a bit slippery out there, it’s not entirely surprising that he unleashes a couple of full tosses which Sadler and then Pollock clip for singles. He sprays one down the leg side, which the keeper fumbles, and the batsmen sprint through for a bye in addition to the wide that was called. Then disaster strikes as it starts raining again and this time the Umpires decide that it’s too heavy to keep playing. I suppose it’s understandable. Apparently there’s a comparatively minor game of cricket here in a few weeks time (the Ashes or some jazz like that). Still, there are only 3 overs of the innings left. 

13.42 CAMBRIDGE 148-8 off 46 overs (Pollock 2, Sadler 2) 

Things get a bit better for Cambridge. Sadler cloths a couple of shortish ones from Cato straight into the ring, before unleashing a long armed sweep which goes out to the man at deep mid wicket. Two more singles from the over take the total to 3. 

13.39 CAMBRIDGE 145-8 off 45 overs (Pollock 1, Sadler 0)

A maiden, which isn’t exactly what you want at this stage of the game. Still, not a huge amount that Pollock could do with it. The rain returns, but the umpires decide that there’s not much point going off at this stage. Good common sense thinking from them. I like to see that.

13.36 WICKET Elliot LBW b Cato 62 CAMBRIDGE 145-8 off 44 overs (Pollock 1, Sadler 0)

Real trouble now for Cambridge as Elliott goes. He tried to sweep a ball which was probably too full for the shot. He misses, is hit on the pad and the umpire really has no choice but to give him out. Out strides Paddy Sadler with his charges in more than a spot of bother.

13.32 WICKET Caught Kennedy Bowled Fox 10 CAMBRIDGE 141-7 Off 43 overs (Elliott 60, Pollock 0)

Ah nuts. Joyce goes, holing out to deep square leg off the returning Fox (an off spinner, in case you’d forgotten). He had to go for it, fair enough. Decent partnership that, 43 off 10 overs or so. A lot now rests on Elliott’s shoulders. In comes Robinson’s Alasdair Pollock. 

13.28 CAMBRIDGE 139-6 (Elliott 58, Joyce 10) 

Cato continues and it’s a better over for Cambridge, with 5 runs coming off it. Almost all of the spectators have now come out from undercover and put their umbrellas down. Which is unwise because a big dark cloud is hanging somewhere over St John’s Wood and looks  bound to pay us a wee visit. 

13.25 CAMBRIDGE 134-6 (Elliott 53, Joyce 10) 

Agarwal completes an excellent spell of bowling (10-1-37-1), conceding just 2 off his final over.

13.22 CAMBRIDGE 132-6 OFF 40 OVERS (Elliott 52, Joyce 9)

Well played sir! After a couple of stumping shouts, both of which were turned downed by the umpire, Elliott reaches his 50 with a dinky little dab down to third man for 2. He repeats the shot with the same result the next ball, making it 4 from the over. Cambridge now have ten overs to go, and need to go for it a bit here.

13.19 CAMBRIDGE 128-6 (Elliott 48, Joyce 9) 

Curious field setting from the Oxford skipper, who has 4 men on the leg side boundary for Elliott, who gratefully accepts and works a few singles. While inclined to defer to the Oxford skip’s judgement on account of his being a much better cricketer, it does seem odd. Elliott has tried to clear the infield a couple of times and I’d throw him a bit of bait. 5/6 an over from here wouldn’t be a bad result for Cambridge.

13.17 CAMBRIDGE 123-6 (Elliott, 45, Joyce 7) 

More tight bowling from Cato. Cambridge plod along with 3 singles. The assembled hacks in the press box reckon that 180 wouldn’t be a bad score on this pitch, given how slowly it’s been playing.

13.14 CAMBRIDGE 120-6 (Elliott 43, Joyce 6)

Careful Tom. Elliott is hit on the pad after swishing at one which wasn’t missing by a huge amount. Aside from that, a fairly uneventful over from which 2 runs come.

13.11 CAMBRIDGE 118-6 (Elliott 42, Joyce 5)

*$6££%%&%@%@ off spinners. 2 runs from a very fast (in the temporal rather than pace sense) over indeed.

13.10 CAMBRIDGE 116-6 (Elliott 41, Joyce 4) 

Elliott is crucial to Cambridge making a defendable total here. He goes about it in the right way though, cracking Agarwal for two fours through mid-wicket. Agarwal switches back to round the wicket, meaning the stewards have to move the big sightscreen which is attached to the wall of the pavilion.

13.07 CAMBRIDGE 107-6 (Elliott 32, Joyce 4)

In what will hopefully not prove portentous for this game, the Crusaders (Cambridge’s Second Team) lost their one day varsity by 50 runs yesterday at Fenner’s. At Lord’s meanwhile, a better over for Cambridge as they pick up 7 courtesy of a few singles and an edged 3 from Joyce.

13.04 CAMBRIDGE 100-6 (Elliott 28, Joyce 1) 

Hundred up! Hurrah! To celebrate the hundred up, or possibly the Queen’s birthday which has coincided with the match, the Red Arrows do a fly past, leaving trails of red and blue smoke. Cambridge pick up 3, including Joyce getting off the mark.

13.02 CAMBRIDGE 97-6 (Elliott 27, Joyce 0)

Which he survives comfortably enough.

13.00 WE’RE BACK

Thankfully the shower was a brief one, and we’re back on. Jasper Joyce to face his first ball.

12.56 RAIN!!!!!!!!!!! CAMBRIDGE 97-6 (31.3 overs) 

Just when it looked like Oxford were going to run through the batting line up, fate/God/scientifically determinable meteorological patterns intervene. In one sense, this is extremely annoying, although it should only be a shower.

In another sense, however, this might be a blessing for Cambridge. The break could break the focus of Oxford’s bowlers and give captain Paddy Sadler a chance to rally his troops. More importantly, the rain allows us to see the Lord’s hover cover in action and gives me a bit of respite from trying to keep up with those confounded off spinners. I hope you (and I hope there is a you) have enjoyed it so far. I’ll be back when something happens, or when I think of a funny joke or anecdote.

12.47 WICKET Wylie Caught Fox Bowled Cato 0 CAMBRIDGE 97-6

Elliott gets a single, which brings Wylie on strike. Aaaaand, Wylie gets out. Somewhat inadvisedly, he tries to sweep Cato against the spin. In a situation with which I am unfortunately intimately acquainted, all that happens is that he gets a top edge and is caught by the man on the 45.

12.43 WICKET Hickey Caught Kennedy Bowled Agarwal CAMBRIDGE 96-5

Oh no. Off Agarwal’s first ball of the over, Hickey has a massive massive swing and is caught on the point boundary by Gus Kennedy. This brings Ben Wylie, who has played a lot of age group cricket for Ireland, to the crease. Agarwal then drops uncharacteristically short and is cut very nicely through point by Elliott, before beating Wylie with an absolute pearler. 5 off the over.

12.41 CAMBRIDGE AFTER 30 OVERS ARE 91-5 (Elliott 20, Hickey 23)

Oxford change things up (sort of) by bringing on another off spinner, Sam Cato. Elliott decides that it’s time to take the initiative, and boshes a four through mid-wicket, using a lot of bottom hand.

12.38 CAMBRIDGE 87-4 (Elliott 16, Hickey 23)

This live blogging malarkey was a hell of a lot easier when the seamers were bowling. In sum: 1 run. Good lines blahblahblah.

12.36 CAMBRIDGE 86-4 (Elliott 15, Hickey 23)

Good cricket in the last 20 minutes from Cambridge. The batsmen trade singles, before Elliott works a couple off the back foot through mid wicket. Hickey then picks up 4 following a misfield on the boundary from an Oxford fielder who I don’t recognise and whose name didn’t flash up on the scoreboard. For the first time, one of the Oxford fielders shows a bit of irritation. We’ve got ’em on the ropes boys!

12.34 CAMBRIDGE 78-4 (Elliott, 12, Hickey 18) 

Unfortunately, the aforementioned ‘Fuzzy Logic at the Place Maximum’ proves to be a bit of a false dawn as Agarwal sends down a maiden to Elliott.

12.32 CAMBRIDGE 78-4 (Elliott, 12, Hickey 18)

Hickey decides that enough is enough, dancing down the pitch to lift a ‘Fuzzy Logic at the Place’ maximum, which is what I’ve decided sixes are going to be called in this game, into the stands at mid-wicket. As my journalistic colleague comments sagely and truthfully, he’s not a small man. That was a big old hit. The spectators wave their metaphorical ‘6’ signs enthusiastically. 

12.29 CAMBRIDGE 70-4 (Elliott 11, Hickey 11) 

Agarwal decides that Lord’s just isn’t ready for bowling round the wicket to a right hander and switches to over, but still gets worked for a single by Elliott and then Hickey.

12.26 CAMBRIDGE 68-4 (Elliott 10, Hickey 10)

Hickey rightly decides he’s had enough of this Oxonian upstart and absolutely wallops him through the covers for four, which are the only runs of the over as Fox keeps it tight again.

12.24 CAMBRIDGE 64-4 (Elliott 10, Hickey 6)

Oxford skipper Agarwal brings himself on to bowl some offies. Rather jazzily, he’s coming round the wicket to the right handed Elliott, a ploy which seems not to have worked as Elliott tucks him away nicely for four through square leg, accompanied by a futile chase down the famous Lord’s slope. Elliott nabs a single, before Hickey edges one through third man/backward point and thanks to good running Cambridge pick up 3 more. 8 from the over.

12.20 CAMBRIDGE 56-4 (Elliott, 5, Hickey 3)

Fox rather ungentlemanly keeps both line and length nice and tight. Elliott drives a few firmly straight to the fielders at cover and mid off, before picking up a single as the bowler misfields.

12.17 21 OVERS CAMBRIDGE 55-4 (Elliott 4, Hickey 3)

Williams, who seems a rather languid character, bowls a nice over. Just 2 from it from a nice check drive through the covers from Hickey.

12.15 CAMBRIDGE 53-4 (Elliott 4, Hickey 1)

Fox continues with his offies. He has a beautiful action. He drops one a bit short, which Hickey gratefully clunks for a single to deep point. Elliott is then very nearly bowled through the gate by one which turns a lot.

12.12 CAMBRIDGE 52-4 (Elliott 4, Hickey 0)

Williams continues and bowls a reasonably tight over, except for the fifth ball which is a mite too leg side and is clipped daintily through mid wicket for four. The press corps, which consists of me, and two guys from the other student papers which shall not be named, coos appreciatively.

12.10-CAMBRIDGE 48-4

So, that brings Matt Hickey to the crease. Hickey, whose CUCC profile describes him as ‘the biggest name in the club’, strides intimidatingly to the crease. Aside from captaining the Blues in a few games this year, Hickey is famous for having broken a window in the Fenners pavilion earlier this year, having hit a ginormous six to win the game. Flair. Anyway, he blocks the last few balls of the over with minimal fuss.

12.06 WICKET-Ansari Caught Chadwick Bowled Fox 7 CAMBRIDGE 48-4

Not another one. Just as Ansari was starting to look comfortable, he chips one straight to mid-wicket. The ball did stick in the pitch, but it wasn’t the greatest shot. Now is the time for the mighty men of Cambridge to show their mettle.

12.05 CAMBRIDGE 48-3

Elliott safely negotiates the last 3 balls, which include yet another wide.

12.01-WICKET-Best LBW bWilliams 32-CAMBRIDGE 47-3

Just as I was typing how good Best was looking, he gets out. Curses. Playing around a straight one from Williams, he is trapped in front. It brings Sidney Sussex’s Tom Elliott to the crease.

11.58-CAMBRIDGE 44-2 (Best 30, Ansari 6) 

That’s more like it. Oxford bring off Johnson for offspinner Freddie Fox. His second ball is a bit full and worked for three by Ansari through mid-wicket, before Paul Best unfurls a glorious cover drive which races away for four.

11.55–CAMBRIDGE 37-2

Another steady if unspectacular over for Cambridge, aided by an uncharacteristic misfield in the gully.

11.51-CAMBRIDGE 35-2

Another tight over from Johnson, who is bowling an absolutely superb spell here. Only one run off his legs to calm things down a bit after the dizzy heights of last over.

11.47-CAMBRIDGE 34-2

A change of bowling from Oxford as they bring on Williams. His first ball is short, slow and rubbish, and Best, who seems to have his eye in now, absolutely slaughters it for four. Williams, angered by this, then squares Best up, almost having him caught at second slip. Not quite as tight from Williams, as he then bowls a wide and allows Best to tuck consecutive balls on his legs for 2 each. Cambridge’s Manhattan graph, which had for a long time resembled a particularly desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland, is beginning to look a bit perkier.

11.44–CAMBRIDGE 24-2

Ansari and Best rotate the strike with a single each, with by a wide completing a steady if unspectacular over

11.40-CAMBRIDGE 21-2

Best decides that he’s had quite enough of having rasping cuts stopped by Gus Kennedy at point, so hammers one through cover for four instead. Oxford then look a bit aggrieved at not being awarded an LBW against Ansari, who was falling over a bit in the sort of way that umpires don’t like and often give. This side of the ground is now looking quite well populated, as are the boxes and pavilion.

11.35-CAMBRIDGE 15-2 AFTER 10 OVERS

Better from Cambridge as Ansari and Best swap leg-side singles. Review of first ten overs: a lot of dot balls. A lot of maidens. Couple of wickets and not a whole lot in the way of boundaries. The partisan side of me hates to admit it, but Oxford are on top here. 

11.32-WICKET-(Senaratne Caught Cato Bowled Johnson 1) CAMBRIDGE 13-2

Again, pressure tells for Oxford as Senaratne has a slosh outside off stump to one which wasn’t really there to drive and slices it to gully, where Cato takes quite an easy catch. In comes Akbar Ansari.

11.31-CAMBRIDGE 13-1

Marsden is bowling an annoyingly good spell here, aside from another wide. He cuts Paul Best in half with one, which runs off the inside edge and misses leg stump by about yea much. Still, it goes for 4, which we can’t complain about at the moment. 

11.27-CAMBRIDGE 8-1

There’s another scampered single off this over, which could have been a bit dodgy had the fielder hit. Luckily he didn’t and Paul Best survives.

11.24-CAMBRIDGE 7-1

How lovely. The sun has decided to make an appearance. It briefly pokes out of the clouds which cover London, before deciding that it would rather not. I mention this merely because there’s another maiden which includes good Oxford fielding, and I am wary of repeating myself.

11.20-CAMBRIDGE 7-1

Blimey Oxford are good in the field. Cambridge pick up another run from a wide, but a further pair of firmly hit cover drives are athletically cut off. Senaratne gets off the mark with a sharp single to cover. The fielder hits, but he’s well in.

11.16-CAMBRIDGE 5-1

Runs! Hurrah! Cambridge pick up their first of the day as Marsden, who has been flirting with the wide all day, is finally called by the Umpire. Old Father Time looks down disapprovingly. Probably. Some more astonishing fielding from former Cambridge wicketkeeper Gus Kennedy, today fielding at point, prevents yet another boundary with an athletic diving stop at point. Finally, however, Paul Best gets some runs off the bat as Marsden sends down a short and wide one, which he gratefully and clinically cuts to the boundary.

11.11-WICKET-CAMBRIDGE 0-1

The pressure pays off for Johnson as Alex Hearne tries to work a straight one through the mid-wickety/square leg region and is LBW. Cambridge are a slightly concerning 0-1 off four overs. Out strides Jesus’s Nipuna Senaratne.

11.08

Best has a bit of a waft at the first ball of Marsden’s second over to a chorus of ‘oohs’ from Oxford’s slip cordon. Marsden continues to plonk it on a length outside the off stump, before a short one gives Best the chance to free his arms. This time he connects, but the first runs of the day are prevented by a superb diving stop at point. Another maiden

11.04

Oxford’s Frederick Johnson to open up from the other end. He looks to be going for a fuller line than Marsden, although his second ball is a bit of a long hop and should probably have been put away for four by Alex Hearne. Good tight lines from Johnson and it’s another maiden, helped by a sharp piece of fielding in the gully off the last ball of the over.

11.00

The first over is bowled by Oxford’s Johny Marsden. He starts off by testing out Paul Best’s technique against the short ball, which appears to be solid enough. For the last 3 balls he goes a bit fuller, but Best is comfortable enough defending and letting the ball fly harmlessly past his off stump. A maiden.

10.58

Right! Here come the umpires and players.

10.55

If you want to see the scorecard at any point, cricinfo has one ongoing throughout the day. However, it currently has the number of players per side as: Cambridge University Six, Oxford University Eleven, which I can confirm is not accurate. Despite Cambridge’s clearly effortless superiority, cricket games are rarely won by 6 man teams.

10.50

The ground is filling up a bit. A few rows of quite cold looking spectators are huddled below me in the Edrich Stand. No sign of the Barmy Army.

10.45

Good news. We have teams.

Cambridge: Alex Hearne (John’s), Paul Best (Homerton), Nipuna Senaratne (Jesus), Akbar Ansari (Trinity Hall), Tom Elliott (Sidney Sussex), Matt Hickey (Trinity Hall), Ben Wylie (St Catharine’s), Jasper Joyce (Robinson, Wkt), Alasdair Pollock (Robinson), Paddy Sadler (Churchill, Capt), Tom Probert (Peterhouse)

Oxford: Jeffery, Kennedy, Agarwal, Williams, Winter, Chadwick, Westaway, Cato, Marsden, Fox, Johnson

Those of you who keenly follow the Blues might notice that Cambridge are missing the talismanic Zafar Ansari. Apparently Surrey County Cricket Club have been rude enough to call him up for their County Championship game against Sussex, in which he took the wicket of no less a batsman than England’s Matt Prior. Which is pretty good.

10.40

The pitch looks like many pitches do: a bit green, but mainly a sort of straw colour. In any case, there must be something in it to have persuaded Oxford’s Mr Agarwal to insert the Light Blues. Presumably he has a more sophisticated understanding of pitches than I, which is presumably why he is getting ready to captain his side at Lord’s and I am a mere spectator.

10.35

The captains have just performed the toss, and from the hand gestures being made by Blues Captain Paddy Sadler, it would appear that Cambridge have lost the toss and have been put into bat. 

10.30 

Good morning all and welcome to our exclusive live coverage of the One Day Varsity match from Lord’s. The Blues’ record this season has been a bit patchy, but the win percentage belies some strong performances and narrow defeats.

The ground is looking magnificent. There’s a reasonably gentle wind fluttering the light blue flag which flies over the Cambridge dressing room, while the dark blue of Oxford hangs in a more limp and sedate manner.