Southern League - Week 1 - Voting Page

Hampshire vs. Middlesex - Toss Won by Hampshire

Surrey vs. Sussex - Toss won by Surrey

Essex vs. Somerset - Toss won by Essex

Hampshire v Middlesex: Hampshire bat first

Hampshire get off to a bright start with both Finn and Pathan going for runs off their first few overs, however Finn gets Adams for 25 with the last ball of the third over leaving Hamps at 34-1. However Vettori and Watson (using a mixture of cutters and slower balls) manage to restrict Hamps to 51 after the powerplay. Vince promptly slogs Malan up second ball in frustration and is caught on the boundary. Akmal comes in but doesn’t like the climate and struggles before walking past one from Smith leaving Hamps 62-3 after 9. However Bopara comes in and he and Smith taking a liking to the part time bowling of Benkenstein and Malan, putting on a partnership lasting until the 15th over when Smith is trapped lbw by Vettori. Steve Smith replaces him and bats in his using unorthodox style but quickly finds the pace of the pitch and scores at around 2 runs a ball before being caught behind by the returning Watson, who also cleans up Bravo first ball, however Dimi smashes the hat trick ball for six. The final over is well bowled by Pathan, removing Bopara and only going for 7 runs

Final score 157-7

The Hampshire opening bowlers of Wood and Bravo struggle and go around the park with Watson in particular taking full advantage of some sloppy bowling, however Dimi comes in and pulls things back by removing McCullum, leaving Middlesex 64-1 after six overs. However once the spinners come in the scoring falls drastically. With Benkenstein in particular struggling to meet the rate before falling to Briggs, whilst Doshi manages to remove Malan and the key wicket of Watson, the latter with a brilliant catch by Bravo. Smith comes on the ball and doesn’t maintain the control, however he manages to get rid of Morgan, who misses a reverse sweep. After the spinners went for around a run a bowl it leaves Middlesex needing 35 of the last 4 overs. However Dexter is unable to meet the run rate and Pathan is run out trying to retain the strike, Dimi removes Berg who misses a wild slog. This leaves 18 needed of the last over, which despite Vettori ‘s best efforts ends up short

Result: Hampshire win by 7 runs

(That was a ridiculous amount of detail, no-one is getting that much )

Surrey v Sussex: Surrey bat first

Surrey get to a challenging total of 191-6, with Jason Roy scoring 62 off just 41, Angelo Matthews and Darren Stevens provide the fireworks with 47 coming off the last 4 overs before Stevens falls to McKay last ball of the innings. Surrey didn’t make the most of the powerplays with Steyn ripping out both Davies and Taylor taking 2-11 off his opening burst. However Roy and Hussey manage to re-build taking a liking to Gurney and Wright in particular, RHB struggles with Gurney recovering a bit of pride by removing him, however the end over give Surrey the momentum.

Sussex start off very strongly, with a score of 55-1 after their six, with Nash falling for 11 to Tremlett, however Kohli and Wright bat together until the 11th over when Wright falls to Tahir, however by then the score is on 102. Prior keeps Kohli company until the 16th over when Matthews entices an edge from the Sussex captain, leaving 39 needed off 4. Despite losing Prior and Shahzad in Rana’s 3rd over Sussex edge it with 5 balls to spare

Result: Sussex win by 5 wickets

Essex v Somerset: Somerset bat first

Somerset get to 172-4 in their effort despite losing Gayle in the third over to a brilliant Bollinger Yorker, with Hildreth quick to follow to Pattinson. Buttler is the star of the show for Somerset scoring an excellent 61 not out, Durston provides good support with a more even paced 55. With Morkel adding some ‘oomph’ at the death, launching Bollinger for two huge sixes. For Essex the main talking point is Afridi and Parry sharing just 4 overs, which combined turn out to be the most economical of the innings, however Mills and RTD both struggle, with RTD going for 47 off his allotted four.

Essex get off to a poor start with both Dawson and Nicol struggling and they manage just 38-2 off their powerplay overs. Chandimal nicks behind to an excellent seaming delivery by Gregory to leave Essex in trouble. Shah and RTD manage to steady things before RTD is run out going for an impossible second. Afridi comes in and just slogs, but successfully his cameo of 37 off just 16 keeping Essex in the game, however when Shah falls to Thomas’ 3rd over it leaves Essex needing 49 off their last four, Foster battles manfully however the tall fails to wag with Thomas clearing up Bollinger with the third ball of the last over to leave the score at 147.

Somerset win by 25 runs

Game 1.

Hampshire get off to a poor start with Finn taking a wicket in his first over. They up the rate against Pathan, but bringing Vettori on early is a superb move as he takes 3 wickets in his first 2 overs, leaving Hampshire 25-4 after 6 overs. Smith and Bopara lead the recovery but as they try hit out, Ravi falls to Vettori coming back in 15th leaving Hants 89-5. Smith falls in the next over, but some good slogging by Bravo and Dimi, especially against the expensive Pathan, leads Hampshire to 131.

Hampshire fail to make use of the new ball with both Bravo and Wood being hit for boundaries against the explosive opening pair of Watson and McCullum. Despite being 50-0 after the powerplay the introduction of Briggs proves crucial. Along with Doshi, the left arm spinners torment the Middlesex batsmen leaving them 94-5 after 13, Briggs taking 4-19. Pathan gets a couple of streaky boundaries off Smith and Doshi before hitting 3 big sixes off Smith's final over, leaving 4 to win from as many overs. Wood takes the wicket of Dexter before Berg edges a boundary to get the winning runs.

Middlesex win by 4 wickets
MOM: Vettori

Game 2

Surrey get off to a slow start after some very disciplined bowling by Nash, McKay and Steyn leave them 23-0 after 4 overs. Davies gets 3 boundaries in Guerney's first over and then tries to repeat the feat against Steyn, only to slice his first ball up in the air, caught by Yardy. Jason Roy comes in and is bowled by a perfect Steyn yorker while attempting to hit across the line. Hussey comes in, and defends, allowing Steyn to complete his maiden. 37-2 after 6. Yardy Wright and Guerney are expensive through the middle overs, despite Guerney getting Taylor out in his second over. RHB and Hussey lead a fine counter attacking recovery leaving Surrey 116-3 after 16 overs. An extraordinary death bowling effort by McKay and Steyn leaves Surrey 144-6 after 20 overs. Steyn finishes with 4-1-16-3.

In reply to what is a sub par score, Nash and Wright appear complacent both getting egdes for 4 in the first over and falling to Rana in the 2nd. Kohli and Prior come in and take singles in the gaps for their first few overs, seeing off Surrey's better bowlers, before attacking against Mathews, Ansari and Stevens, preferring to play conservatively against Tahir. After some big hitting by Kohli in RHB's only over, Sussex require only 20 runs to win in 5 overs which they manage to acquire with ease.

Sussex win by 8 wickets
MOM: Kohli

Game 3

Gayle plays a trademark innings despite his team mates falling around him. Bollinger takes out Hildreth and Buttler with Pattinson getting Durston. RTD and Mills prove expensive as Gayle reaches his 50 off just 32 balls as Somerset are 78-3 at the half way mark. Afridi comes on and bowls well, taking out Gayle but a superb slogging effort by Morkel, Southee and later Thomas get Somerset to 163-6.
In reply, Dawson falls early, to Shaun Tait, but the Nicol and Shah hit quick fire cameo’s to put essex well ahead of the required rate. They reach 67-1 at the end of the powerplay, including after 20 off Morkel’s 2nd over. Dockrell takes the wicket of Nicol and Tait takes out Chandimal. Shah falls to Gregary before Afridi and RTD see Essex home with a couple of overs to spare.

Essex win by 6 wickets
MOM: Shah

whooo i got a vote lol

Guys, I just typed up in depth match reports for the first two games and then I clicked off the screen and lost them.

So I apoligise for the shortness of my votes, but I don't have time to do them again. Sorry again.

Middlesex Vs. Hampshire

Hampshire: 175-6, Akmal 85*, Adams 39
Middlesex: 176-7 off 19.4 overs, Morgan 66*, Watson 31, McCullum 28 Vettori 25*, Briggs 3-19, Dimi 2-37

Hampshire - Solid if unspectacular start, lose wickets after PP, Akmal loves conditions and plays a blinder.

Middlesex - Watson and McCullum target Wood and Bravo, Dimi brings them back into the game, Briggs applies pressure and it tells. Morgan come sin and drags them over the line by attacking Doshi and Smith.

Middlesex win by 3 wickets.

Surrey Vs. Sussex

Surrey: 165-6, Taylor 53, Hussey 62, Mathews 23*, Steyn 3-26
Sussex: 167-3 off 18.5 overs, Nash 61, Kohli 84, Rana 2-21

Surrey - Roy and Davies go early to Nash and Steyn. Taylor and Hussey, 100 partnership. Steyn and McKay pull it back. Cameo from Mathews but little support.

Sussex - Rana outfoxes Wright. Nash and Kohli construct the chase beautifully. Nash bowled, then Kohli run out in consecutive balls of the 18th over. Styris gets them over the line in penultimate over.

Sussex win by 7 wickets.


Essex Vs. Somerset

Somerset: 187-5, Gayle 87, Hildreth 26, Buttler 47*, Bollinger 3-25
Essex: 155-8, Shah 33, RTD 71, Afridi 29, Thomas 3-21, Tait 3-27

Somerset: Fireworks from Gayle, with support from Hildreth. Puzzling lack of use of Afridi/Parry allows Buttler to set himself for late charge.

Essex: Good start from Shah, and a vintage RTD knock puts them on top in the middle overs. Lack of batting depth costs Essex as they fall short.

Somerset win by 32 runs.

Hampshire vs Middlesex
Hampshire gets off to a flyer being 26-1 after the 3 overs after Adams falls early, In the 4th Vettori takes Smith out the equation taking them to 52-2, The innings continues to progress to and end score of 138-8

Vince 75* , Bopara 23*

Vettori 4-20,

Middlesex get off to a sloppy start with the openers falling in the 1st few overs but the middle order bring up the run rate just falling short of their target by 4 runs

Morgan 52*, Malan 44

Smith 5-18, Doshi 3-33

Hampshire win by 4 runs



Surrey vs. Sussex

Surrey win the toss opening on a very easy to bat surface with them bring up the 50 without loss after 7 overs, Wickets start to come thick and fast leaving them 145-5 with 4 overs to go Matthews comes in and smashes a quick 35 to bring their total to 182-7 after 20 overs

Taylor 42* Matthews 35

Steyn 3-23, Yardy 2-29

The Sussex innings also gets off the flyer with Wright scoring a very quick 75 before falling to Tremlett unfortunately before that a few others batsmen fell as well leaving them at 103-3 after 12 overs, The lower order starts to let the side down before eventually collapsing 19 runs short at 163 after their 20 overs

Wright 75

Tremlett 3-16


Surrey win by 19 runs


Essex vs. Somerset

Somerset open the batting after Essex choose to bowl, They quickly compile runs with the short boundaries leaving them 89-2 after 9 overs, They continue to pile on the runs as they eventually end on 178- 5

Gayle 55, Morkel 34

Afridi 2-26

Essex set off quickly in there reply losing 3 quick wickets leaving them at 75 -3 after 9 overs, Afridi starts to pick up the run rate before falling with Essex needing 12 from the last over only to fall 5 runs short after a solid final over from Afonso Thomas

Afridi 45 RTD 33

Thomas 2- 15

Somerset win by 5 runs

All the matches still open with 3 voters yet to call
Hampshire 2
Middlesex 2

Surrey 1
Sussex 3

Essex 1
Somerset 3

Hampshire vs Middlesex:

Finn nips out Adams and Vince early, but Smith anchors the side, while Umar Akmal and Ravi Bopara play around him. The Middlesex spinners, Vettori aside, are OK but not massively threatening and it's slightly surprising they chose to bowl Malan out IMO. Hampshire's late assault is halted by some good death bowling but they post a competitive 140.

In response, McCullum and Watson get them off to a flyer, loving the ball coming onto the bat from the seamers. However, Briggs and Doshi pull it back superbly, chipping in with wickets and keeping the runs down, and with five overs left the required rate is 9 an over. Morgan is still there though, and plays a little gem to guide his side home off the penultimate ball with three wickets to spare.

Middlesex win

Surrey vs Sussex:

Surrey, despite their injuries, have a very strong top 4, and they lay a very solid platform for their side, which is nicely finished off by some bruising hitting from Matthews and Stevens. Yardy keeps it tight for Sussex but Steyn is expensive (as can happen) and the rest struggle on an excellent pitch as Surrey post 165.

In response, Wright slogs a few before Tremlett bounces him out, and then Kohli and Prior settle down to a really good partnership which puts them in pole position. Kohli is particularly severe on Tahir who bowls too many loose deliveries. Matthews picks up a couple of wickets to stem the flow somewhat, but Kohli finds a willing ally in the hard hitting Mohammed Shahzad and Sussex get home with an over to spare.

Sussex win

Essex vs Somerset:

Gayle threatens briefly, but Pattinson nips him out and Hildreth too. Durston and Kieswetter rebuild slowly at first, then with increasing confidence, before Afridi eventually accounts for Kieswetter. The platform is perfect for Buttler who plays a gem of a knowk and Somerset post 172 off their 20 overs.

In reply, the openers fail but Shah and Chandimal are both in good form, peppering the small boundaries and keeping up with the rate. RTD then comes in and does his thing, guiding Essex ever closer, but Afridi plays a daft shot to a Thomas slower ball in the 16th over to set them back. In the end, they need 14 off the last over, but RTD loses the strike and it proves beyond the tail, they fall five runs short.

Somerset win

Match 1
Hampshire Royals vs Middlesex Panthers

Finn has a mixed bag opening up, removing Adams but also taking some punishment from Smith and Vince, who stay in until the end of the powerplay. Middlesex's spinners aren't threatening enough, with Smith and Vince milking them around, Vettori re-enters the attack at the 15th over and a frustrated Vince holes out, as does Umar Akmal off the next ball. Bopara goes fairly quickly as well, removed by Pathan, but the two Smiths and Bravo combine to take Hampshire to a good score of 150.

In reply, Watson and McCullum really go to town on the Hampshire attack, with Wood in particular taking some punishment. Doshi and Briggs do a good job of stemming the tide, with Watson and McCullum going. Benkenstein rebuilds with Malan, and despite some good death bowling that sees Benkenstein go, Morgan comes in to guide Middlesex home.

Middlesex Win

Match 2
Surrey vs Sussex

Davies goes early off the spin of Nash, driving to cover. This leaves Roy and Taylor to rebuild, they see off Steyn with Roy taking a particular liking to Gurney's bowling. Just as he looks to be hitting full flow, he is removed by Yardy chopping onto his stumps. This brings Mr Cricket to the crease and he plays a magnificent innings, As Gurney gains some revenge taking out Taylor and then Hamilton Brown. But with Hussey and the big hitting Mathews and Stevens, Surrey post a formidable scoreline of 172.

The sussex openers go well, with Wright only falling in the last over of the powerplay. Kohil comes to the crease and with Nash they milk the bowling of Ansari and Tahir fairly well. Tahir comes back, ripping out Nash and then Prior falls to a good catch on the boundary of Mathews. The big hitting Styris joins Kohli at the crease and the pair continue, leaving Sussex with 10 to win off Rana's last over, but he only concedes 8 giving Surrey the win.

Surrey Win

Match 3
Essex vs Somerset

Gayle and Kieswetter look to be going well after 3 overs, but Pattinson removes Gayle in the 4th over. The pace of Mills gets Hildreth, but apart from that he is wayward and Kieswetter takes advantage of this. RTD gets Durston with a slower ball, bringing Buttler to the crease. He plays a fantastic innings, thus when Afridi comes in he can milk the bowling for the two overs. Afridi does get Kieswetter. Some big hitting from Southee and Morkel sees Somerset to a big score.

Essex start off struggling, but Chandimal and RTD really get them going closer to their target. Unfortunately when he arrives to the crease, Afridi is on one of his off days, swinging and missing before finally missing a straight one off Southee in the 17th. RTD goes to Thomas off the first ball of the 20th, leaving Foster and the tail too much to do.

Somerset Win

Hampshire vs. Middlesex - Middlesex win by 3 wikcets.

Surrey vs. Sussex - Surrey by 15 runs

Essex vs. Somerset - Somerset by 5 wickets