Carlisle City boss Jim Nichols: My lads will be focused on the match rather than the occasion
Prost International sponsors Carlisle City manager James Nichols
Northern League Division 1 side Carlisle City head to West Auckland this Saturday to do something they have not done in 42 years; play in the FA Cup.
The Cumbrian side won Division 2 on a dramatic final day last May, with the players huddled round cell phones waiting for confirmation of Heaton Stannington’s result. The Stan drew and City were promoted as Division 2 Champions despite trailing by 17 points at one stage.
The good news is that Stan were also promoted and also qualified for the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round where they were rewarded with a home draw against Pickering Town. The winners will be at home to Northallerton or North Ferriby.
City however must travel and more-so travel to one of the Northern League’s most interesting clubs, West Auckland Town. They won one of the world’s first international footballing competitions, the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, not once but twice in 1909 and 1911.
Lipton was a football visionary who foresaw the attraction of international football competition. He invited the FAs of England, Italy, Germany and Switzerland to send a side to an inaugural competition.
The latter three agreed but the English FA refused to send a club. The Italians set a Turin XI drawn from clubs such as Torino and Juventus, Germany sent Stuttgarter Sportfreunde and the Swiss FA nominated Winterthur.
Here the story gets cloudier.
Deprived of an official participant from the FA, Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side made up of coal miners. The reason is still unknown although local folklore in West Auckland itself was that the FA intended to send Woolwich Arsenal, forerunners of Arsenal FC but before they moved to their current North London home, but West Auckland were invited instead as they shared the same initials.
The Durham club won the tournament and defended it two years later, beating Juventus 6-1 in doing so. As successive winners, they retained the trophy.
The West Auckland side with the 1909 Sir Thomas Lipton trophy
By Unknown – Here, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=102308607
Tyne Tees Television produced a film starring the late Dennis Waterman about the side.
Titled The World Cup: A Captain’s Tale, it also starred Nigel Hawthorne (Yes Minister’s Sir Humphrey Appleby) and Tim Healy (Auf Wiedersehn Pet).
Now called West Auckland Town, they are a staple of the top half of Division 1, finishing 6th last season.
The club is acquainted with Wembley Stadium. In 2011/12 and 2013/14, they twice reached the FA Vase final, held at Wembley Stadium. In 2012 they lost 2–0 to Dunston UTS and two years later, were runners-up again losing 1–0 to Sholing.
2014 FA Vase Final – Sholing 1 : 0 West Auckland Town
However, as of kick off, they find themselves looking up at Carlisle City in the Division 1 table, trailing by three points.
The Durham club started off with a decent draw at promoted side Heaton Stannington but lost 1-4 at home to Guisborough Town in midweek.
City also started with a draw at home to Sunderland RCA in their first match in the upper division. They then recorded their first win at Thornaby to move to 6th place with four points.
James Nichols is the City manager. He told us:
“Obviously we are delighted with the unbeaten start in the league but the FA Cup has generated an incredible thrill around the dressing room and club.
“It’s our first game in 42 years in the world’s most storied cup tournament.
“It’s a real achievement to get the club back in to this competition after so many years away.
“Although West Auckland are in our division, we have never played them before so there’s still that newness and uniqueness about visiting their ground.
“We are looking forward to it immensely but come Saturday, I hope my lads will be focused on the match rather than the occasion.”
The match kicks off at 3pm at West Auckland’s Wanted Stadium, on the Darlington Road. The X21 runs from Newcastle and the 84 and 85 from Bishop Auckland. If your eyes need testing and you accidentally find yourself at Barnard Castle, the 6 runs from there.
The winners will have the reward of a home tie against Goole or Consett on August 20.
416 clubs are playing in this Extra Preliminary Round, with the losers collecting £375 and the winners £1125. The 208 winners will be joined by 64 new clubs in the Preliminary Round.
Four further qualifying rounds follow before the First Round Proper where the League clubs enter on November 5.
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Sussex 523 & 181-9
Middlesex 485
Match Drawn
Sussex started the day 38 ahead, but any hopes of setting their hosts a chase of their own choosing were dashed by a morning of wickets. After Sussex slumped to 96-7, the Londoners were in sight of a chasable total if they snapped up the last three wickets quickly.
Enter Greek internatioanl Ari Karvelas making his debut. The 28-year-old batted superbly, striking the ball freely while another debutant 17-year-old Archie Lenham defended his stumps tigerishly. Son of Neil Lenham, the dimuntive and wiry spinner kept out 81 balls before Toby Roland-Jones finally bowled him.
The 107 minutes he left and blocked put the game beyond Middleses especially as Karvelas continued to extend the lead with his superb 57 off 97 balls. Steve Finn kep out another 68 balls. By the time Karvelas went and nine woickets were down, the Middx target was well out of reach in the overs left.
Tom Helm was comfortably the best of the bowlers again taking 4-37 off 18 overs. At present, he seems to be the onlyMiddlesex seamer hitting peak form. Umesh Yadav’s 1-112 in the game posts further questions about the value of the signing. Is it really worth either the loss of Ethan Bamber or foregoing the inclusio of Thilan Walallawita, arguably more of a specialist spinner than Luke Hollman.
Karvelas did not just bat superbly, he took 2-72 in a Middlesex score of 485 and after Brad Currie, was the most regularly dangerous Sussex bowler.
The good news for the home side was the 64 made by their own debutant Pieter Malan on Day 3, especially as replays shwed he made no contact when being given out caught behind off Karvelas bowling.
Both sides took 14 points and with other results either going or about to go favourably, Middlesex emerge from the week with their promotion hopes unscathed.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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]]>Middlesex 485
Middlesex finished Day 3 just 38 runs behind Sussex after a memorable day at Lords. The balance of power may even set this game up for an exciting but unlikely finish tomorrow.
The day will long be remembered by many of the key actors, none more so that Sussex debutant Brad Currie who had a dream start.
Resuming on 103-0, the home side’s day started off disastrously.
Currie produced an electric spell from the Nursery End to take four Middlesex wickets in the first hour of the day. The home side dipped from that 103 and were left shellshocked just 34 runs later at 137-4, after the Poole-born Scotland paceman sent back openers Mark Stoneman (47) and Sam Robson (62) who had built that 100 partnership; followed by Steve Eskinazi (11) and Max Holden (2).
Holding figures of 0-16 overnight, the Scot bowled eight overs taking 4-18 in a blistering and unplayable morning spell. At the other end of the day as the close loomed and the skies gloomed, he trapped Toby-Roland Jones LBW for 85 and bowled Umesh Yadav to complete a 6-for on his debut, finishing with 27-7-6-93.
His elder brother Scott is on Hampshire’s books and has played for England U-19s, but Brad later confirmed he wanted to play for Scotland.
Brad Currie was delighted when he spoke to journalists after his 6-93 at Lords
His spectacular opening spell put Middlesex under intense pressure but they fought back.
Debutant Pieter Malan and the side’s most consistent batter John Simpson dug in to add 130 for the 5th wicket. Just as the game looked on the cusp of petering out into a tame draw, Greece international Ari Karvelas struck and had Malan caught behind for 64.
It was a dubious call and replays showed there was no contact. Malan tried to hide his frustration but he had no choice but to leave and the Greek’s first Lords wicket was in the books.
Another of Middlesex’s few batting successes in recent weeks, leg spinner Luke Hollman, joined Simpson and saw them through to tea. He went for 12 soon thereafter though and Sussex had sight of the tail.
However wicketkeeper Simpson is not top of Middlesex’s batting averages for no reason. He made a fantastic 105, his best of the season, to eke his side past the 374 needed to save the follow on. At that point, the entire character of the game changed and Middlesex went on the offensive.
After Simpson’s dismissal, the game could have drifted but Toby Roland-Jones had a 50 to complete. He struck two fine boundaries and closed in on his own season best of 64. Tom Helm chipped in with two 6s as runs came easily and the 400 was surpassed.
Roland-Jones clubbed a massive six to reach 68, and overtake his previosus season best, finally exiting on 85 to Currie.
There was just time for Yadav to add two more sixes and Karvelas to dismiss Roland-Jones to end the innings on 485.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Sussex pushed on, initially slowly, from their overnight total to set a Lord’s club record
Sussex 523
Middlesex 103-0
Sussex beat their previous record score at Lord’s by one run after a fantastic double century by Cheteshwar Pujara.
The previous record of 522 came in 2005. On that day, Middlesex were bowled out for just 128 in return, eventually losing by an innings and 232.
After eclipsing the county’s record, the Gujarati was last out for 231 when he was caught on the boundary off Tom Helm, who took 5-109. This was only the youngster’s fourth 5-wicket haul. Teenager Danial Ibrahim scored an impressive 36 as Middlesex toiled to get any help from the wicket.
Pujara’s 231 was achieved with 21 fours and three sixes.
He has now reached 997 runs and scored three double centuries for the season. The 34-year-old Indian test cricketer was not out 115 overnight and went one run better today adding another 116 although obviously got out one more time than on Tuesday.
The personal record he smashed was much older.
The last Sussex batsman to score a double century at Lords was none other than Colonel His Highness Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, GCSI, GBE.
Ranjitsinhji scored it in 1897 playing for Sussex against the MCC. Pujara is actually the first Sussex player to score 200 at Lords against Middlesex. A few players, including Kepler Wessels, have done it at Hove.
The Colonel’s day in 1897 didn’t finish all that well. Sussex still lost that match! Ironically, despite his royal breeding, Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, suffered much racism under the Raj and adopted the nickname ‘Smith‘.
Despite his record being beaten today, his legacy however is everlasting. India’s domestic Ranji Trophy is named after him.
Ranjitsinhji, here pictured in 1908, was the last Sussex batsman to score a double hundred at Lords. Despite that, his Sussex side lost that 1897 fixture.
With Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman opening, the Sussex bowlers were well fired up, especially former Middlesex captain Steven Finn. Behind him were the young but inexperienced Archie Lenham, Ibrahim and the Greek international Ari Karvelas.
The Middlesex pair started well.
They saw off 11 overs before another highlight of the day, the first ball delivered by 17-year-old Ibrahim.
On a day of records, Ari Karvelas came so close to his maiden wicket. Oli Carter dropped Robson offering an easy chance on 15. Had any Greek international ever taken a wicket at Lord’s? It felt like that sort of day here.
Stoneman and Robson played superbly and saw it through to the end with four byes off the last ball taking them to triple figures.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Lords and the Sussex batsmen basked in the London sunshine
Sussex 328-4
Middlesex
Tom Alsop and Cheteshwar Pujara dominated the day at Lords as they scored divergent but superb centuries. Alsop was dismissed late on for 135 but Pujara was still unbeaten overnight with 115*, as they made Middlesex look foolish for an early decision.
On the hottest day in record, Middlesex won the toss and shocked many by electing to field.
Those in the know said the pitch was grassy and would help the seamers. This looked to be untrue from almost the start. Ali Orr fell LBW to Tim Murtagh for 7 with the score on 18. but that early loss of was far from a portent of things to come.
Tom Alsop made a slow but smooth 50 and Tom Clark looked useful for his 33 until Sam Robson made a brilliant catch to dismiss him, caught off a shot that probably deserved better than a dismissal.
That only brought Pujara to the crease and he found the going easy against all the seamers Tom Helm, Umesh Yadav, Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh. Luke Hollman was also given an outing from the Nursery End to tempt a mistake out of Alsop or Pujara with his leg spin.
He didn’t.
“What did you do on Londons’s hottest ever day Grandad?”
“Why lad, I made a century at Lords!”
In a lucrative middle session, Sussex added 143-1 to their lunctime score of 68-1, which set Alsop and Pujara up for a real third session push. Tom Alsop reached a wonderful ton (221 balls 295 minutes) and continued to garner singles, which were mostly walked in what was becoming an embarassment for the home side. Eventually Pujara joined him as a centurion reqiuring just 144 balls and 192 minutes.
Two very late wickets however put a small gloss on the Middlesex day.
Alsop finally succumbed on 135, caught by wicketkeeper Simpson off Helm, who then nabbed nightwatchman Lenham, caught by Sam Robson at slip. Helm finished with 3-63, comfortably the best figures of any bowler.
Umesh Yadav finished with 0-42, bringing his season numbers since his late arrival to 2-112 off 41 overs, prompting further discussion about wisdom of the signing.
But it wasn’t all gloom and doom for 34-year-old Indians. Pujara’s current season average is now 125.86 and there were few indications that he is not about to bolster that on Day 2.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
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Ed Pollock watches his colleagues finish off a victory he was instrumental in achieving
Middlesex 188 & 240
Worcestershire 191 & 238-3
Worcester (19 points) beat Middlesex (3) by 7 wickets
Worcestershire and especially Ed Pollock brought a one sided day to clinch victory after two days of close, tense and even cricket. Chasing 238, they knocked off the once seemingly tough target with wickets to spare.
Pollock’s 67 ball 100 was not just the centre piece of the innings, but of the whole game.
Resuming overnight on 180-6, Middlesex added a further 60, but from an unusual source.
New signing Umesh Yadav made 44 of them occasionally by means of boundaries that seemed not to go quite where he intended. He did however throw in some excellent cricket strokes. Either way, the runs were invaluable in a low scoring game.
He was unbeaten on 44 and Luke Hollman made it to 46 before the excellent teenage spinner Josh Baker had him dismissed. He finished with 3-62 with Dillon Pennington 3-54.
Set a target of 238, most had Middlesex down as favourites.
Middlesex captain Tim Murtagh was in a downbeat mood after the loss
Then the ‘Ed Pollock show’ began. He swept nine 4’s and seven 6’s on his way to a 67 ball ton. Taylor Cornall had scored just two runs by the time their partnership reached 60.
Libby’s 31 in the opening partnership of 85 cannot be discounted, but it was Pollock who dominated the Middlesex attack. He struck the ball cleanly and having made just 8 in the first innings, began aggressively from the get-go.
Roland-Jones, Murtagh, Yadav and Helm had no answer as they were frankly outclassed. Even the introduction of leg spinner Luke Hollman made no difference.
Pollock continued striking boundaries until he finally went to a catch behind for 113 off Yadav, with just 71 needed. Cornall and Jack Haynes continued at a slower pace.
Brett D’Oliveira and Cornall saw the visitors home comfortably just after 4pm for a win that had looked unlikely until Pollock took the crease.
Worcester move to 127 points while Middlesex move to 138, but the promotion race is wide open.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
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Luke Hollman made runs in both innings in a low scoring game
Middlesex 188 & 180-6
Worcester 191
This Second Division match remains finely poised after a day where the bowlers dominated just a little less than the first day. 288 runs were scored for the loss of 15 wickets on day one. Day two saw 271 scored for the loss of 11.
By close of play, Middlesex led by 177 with four wickets left, leaving watching spectators still no clue as to the likely destination of the points.
With Worcester resuming at 100-5, two early wickets helped the home side remain narrowly in the ascendancy but Ed Barnard proved a thorn in their flesh. Already topping Worcester’s batting averages for the season, he passed 50 and stayed calm as others around left for the small pavilion.
He remained unbeaten on 69 but ran out of partners with his side just three runs ahead. Toby Roland-Jones had not really been the pick of the bowlers but cleaned up the tail to finish with 4-60 off 14.5 overs.
The visitors’ minuscule lead was eradicated when Mark Stoneman edged a four in the first over of Middlesex’s second innings.
Stoneman and Sam Robson put on 52 for the opening wicket, a feat out of kilter with the rest of the game. Then two fell quickly; Stoneman for 27 and Davies for a second ball duck, both to Dillon Pennington.
With one session to go, Middlesex stood at 110-4, a lead of 107. Rob White was on 28 and seemed to be the home side’s best chance of building a lead that was defendable.
White and wicketkeeper Simpson then went in the same Pennington over and suddenly Middlesex were 139-6 and slightly behind in a game that had been topsy-turvy since the first hour.
Then Hollman, who top scored in the first innings with 62, starred again with the bat. His 37* guided Middlesex to 180-6 before the rain stopped play early.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
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]]>Worcester 100-5
Middlesex won the test and elected to bat.
The home side’s decision to bat first fell flat as Worcestershire enjoyed a marvelous first session. The home side lost their first six wickets for 68, before recovering to lose just one more garnering their next 68.
Robbie White and Sam Robson were both clean bowled without playing an attacking shot. Dillon Pennington had Mark Stoneman and Jack Davies caught although Joe Leach started the rot by clean bowling Robson for 3.
A farcical run-out symbolised the home side’s disarray. Max Holden and Jon Simpson collided and Holden watched in horror as he failed to make his ground, leaving for 12. Roland-Jones was caught at 10 to give Morris his first wicket.
Luke Hollman (interviewed below) was the only man to bring any dignity to the batting and he found a partner in number 9, Tim Helm who batted with incredible responsibility until Hollman was brilliantly bowled by 62 by Josh Baker.
Murtagh departed for 5 but long enough for Helm to get to 50*, but two short of his career best.
Five bowlers shared the wickets with Joe Leach’s 3-58 the pick of them.
Tim Murtagh scored two quick victims having Pollock caught behind by Simpson and trapping Jake Libby leg before. A tird wicket preceded a very slow scoring session as Worcester crawled from 43-3 after Haynes fell to Helm to 49-5.
Those two quick wickets changed the game back, D’Oliveira and Cornall going cheaply to Roland-Jones and Yadav.
Then it was Worcester’s turn to dig in. Gareth Roderick and Ed Barnard played the softer ball superbly to steer Worcester to 100-5 at the close.
With a gap of 88 and five wickets left, the game is still wide open.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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]]>Somerset 161-8 (19.4 overs)
Somerset beat Middlesex by two wickets
Middlesex run of eight defeats in nine became nine in ten after Somerset made slightly harder work of a win at Lords.
The West Country county took a firm grip of second place in the Southern group and move to a T20 record of 9-4, the mirror opposite of their hapless London hosts.
For most of the evening, this had all the hallmarks of another miserable home defeat for Middlesex. They slumped to 60-4 off ten overs as Somerset bowled, fielded and caught like the table topping side they are.
The demise began when Steve Eskinazi holed out a very poor shot to at Roelof van der Merwe at mid off to give Josh Davey his first wicket. Max Holden followed soon after for 7 as he was caught on the boundary. Wicketkeeper Simpson holed out again on the infield for 8.
Max Harris took two wickets on his Lords debut
Even despite a dropped catch and mistimed shots falling just short of fielders, Middlesex were struggling.
When Joe Cracknell went for 25, the batting effort seeemed pretty much over. Middlesex reached just 60-4 at half way. Jack Davies then dragged a poor and wide delivery from Ben Green onto his own stumps. This bizarrely was the start of a recovery.
Luke Hollman dug in and became the first batsman to 30. He eventually holed out to the boundary on 41. Chris Green 44* used the long handle to add a late surge and Middlesex managed 100-2 off the last ten overs compared to that dismal 60-4 off the first ten. Ben Green took 3-38 but Somerset bowled six wides in fact handing Middlesex an extra over.
But for those gifts, it’s unlikely Middlesex would have topped 140.
Still, 160 looked a comfortable target for Somerset.
They started as Middlesex had, by giving away their first wicket due to a poor shot and an in field catch when Will Smeed surrendered his wicket for 6 off Tom Helm. Tom Banton took command but had to look on as another infield catch saw Rilee Roussow dismissed for 5 by young Max Harris.
Wallalawita eventually bowled Banton with his first ball for 39 to give Middlesex momentary hope, but even at 72-3 Somerset had plenty overs left. Tom Lammonby was soon caught by John Simpson for 7 off Harris, yet another of the high catches in the infield.
This may have been due to a slower wicket than it perhaps looked resulting in the ball coming on to the bat late, something Middlesex batsmen realised a little too late.
Josh Davey hit the nine runs Somerset needed off the last over in just four balls
Despite this, Somerset reached the 100 landmark in 12 balls less than it took Middlesex, 77 deliveries versus 89.
That left just 61 to get off seven overs and one ball, a smaller run rate than they had already achieved.
But after Lammonby’s dismissal, the boundaries dried up and just 23 had been added in 22 balls when Tom Abell was bowled for 36 by Chris Green at 118-5.
Somerset had seemed to assume an inevitability about the outcome and had been slowly nurdling as the run rate began to rise again.
While the boundaries dried up, the wickets did not. Aussie paceman Jason Behrendorff picked up Lewis Gregory, Ben Green and eventually Craig Overton for a three ball 12.
Overton’s dismissal however was bittersweet.
He had clouted two 6s with his first two deliveries and been caught on the third. With nine still needed, Davey hit another maximum and dug out the final three in the next two balls.
Harris took two wickets on his Lords debut and can be very proud of the nerveless supporting role he offered to Chris Green at the close of the home innings.
Defeat for Kent at the Oval kept Middlesex off the bottom of the table. They will now visit Gloucestershire on Sunday to close out their 2022 Blast campaign.
Somerset may lambast themselves a little for taking their foot on the pedal and making this closer than it should have been.
Their next opponents are table topping Surrey and a win will guarantee them second place in the table. It should be an enthralling game but they will have to curtail the wides to beat one of London’s better T20 sides.
Annie Chave – Cricket Columnist
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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Essex 161-6 Middlesex 140-8
Essex won by 21 runs
Middelsex won the toss and elected to field.
Essex were defending just 161. They won by 21 runs and their victory was far more comfortable than that margin suggests
Although Cook’s triple wicket maiden was the decider at Lords, the gap between the sides in most aspects. notably catching and bowling containment, was apparent. Chasing 162 to win, Middlesex were 9-0 off two overs until the 24-year-old changed the trajectory of the match with a memorable six balls.
Cook dismissed Max Holden, Joe Cracknell and John Simpson, the last to a superb catch at third slip by Dan Lawrence, who was also the game’s top scorer.
Steve Eskinazi (43) and Jack Davies (41) put on 86 in 11.4 overs to steady the innings but did so too slowly and were unable to up the scoring necessary to meet the run rate as it increased.
As their side tried, five wickets were lost for just 13 runs and by the end, Middlesex were out of both batsmen and overs. It’s likely if you had extended either, they would still have fallen short.
Photo: Benj Gilbert
It was the North Londoners’ eighth defeat in the last nine games in this form of cricket and they fell woefully short of a very average target.
Batting first, Essex innings never really broke free of the leash in making that 161 although Dan Lawrence (51 off 35 balls) and Tom Westley (50 off 41 balls) made smooth 50s.
There was never sufficient crash, bang or wallop, and the 11 they took off the last three overs left the coastal county 15-20 runs short of what seemed like an average target on the wicket given the short Tavern Stand boundary.
The two Australians were the best of the bowling attack. Jason Behrendorff finsihed with 1-14 off his four overs and spinner Chris Green with 3-16 off three overs.
They restricted Essex to just 11 runs in their last three overs, a monumental achievement. But that 10 minutes if cricket was really the only period in which the home side could seriously have been said to be in control. Until Behrerndorff came in for a cameo once the match was effectively lost, Middlesex managed just eight 4s and two 6s, eight short of Essex boundary total.
The Aussie paceman’s three late 6s put a sheen on the scoreline that disguised the gap between the sides
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