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T 20 final day

This was my first T20 blast final which, though enjoyable, did not go to plan or form.

Imagine a football format where say Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal contest the semis. The police would not like fans sticking around once their team was out but this is precisely what happened here. Lancashire Lightning lost to Worcester Rapids and their fans involvement ended by 2.00 pm though many of them stayed on for the next two matches.

Sussex Sharks were favourites because of their bowling attack but in a day which did not follow form we batted superbly to post a total of 202 in the semi-final victory over Somerset but bowled expensively in the final to defend a moderate total of 158.

So Worcestershire, a young unfancied side well-marshalled and led by Moeen Ali with a mean bowler in 19 year old Pat Brown (15 off 4 overs)  emerged as unlikely victors.

When I came into Edgbaston rock concert style speakers were blaring “Who let the dogs out?” and rock anthems interrupted noisily throughout the day, sometimes in mid-over with fans chanting, standing and waving their arms. The standard shot – you cannot term it a stroke – is a baseball style slog across the line.

Our Luke Wright who has notched up 7000 T20 runs is particularly effective at this and made the highest score ever in a final. You do see some fine fielding and catching. The pattern and direction of a game can change in one over.

The public like it and it’s here to stay.  Many wear fancy dress, most don’t understand the intricacies of cricket nor its etiquette (I lost count of the number of people returning with beer during an over) and in the case of our Phil Salt, the laws, when whilst in the crease he was run out as his feet were in the air.

I don’t know which is worse: to be in a ground singing “Sweet Caroline” or to be at home and hear David “Bumble’ Lloyd leading the singing on Sky.

It was very much a family meet-up-with-old-friends in the Raglan Stand. Batter Luke Wells was leading the singing , Phil Beer did selfies and I spotted the club chairman, President and Chief Executive amongst the fans again something you would not see at football .

It’s never fun to be a losing finalist for fan or player.

Sussex CCC, third in the second division of the Champiosnship, play Warwickshire – who are first – on Tuesday so there is no time to feel sorry for ourselves.

We made our way into a cold Birmingham night after more than 12 hours, paid an extortionate amount of £20 for a taxi, but back in the hotel over a bottle of Malbec and sirloin steak the mood became philosophical as we discussed how fortunate we were to grow up with the music of the sixties and doubted which pop idol would be remembered in 50 years time.

 

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About Ivan Conway

Ivan Conway will be reporting on Sussex sport. He is a member of the 1901 club at Brighton HAFC, Sussex County Cricket Club and an enthusiastic horse race goer. After selling his freight forwarding and conference business he settled in Hove. His other interests are bird watching, brass rubbing and bridge. More Posts