Taylor again in fine form

Date: Friday 28 August 2009

Day Three Report: Essex 517-9dec (Maunders 150, Foster 103*, Westley 71, Masters 67, Naik 2-71, Henderson 2-101, White 2-101, Harris 2-109) lead Leicestershire 344 (Taylor 112, Boyce 70, Nixon 40, Kaneria 8-116) and 42-2 by 131 runs.

Another James Taylor masterclass provided the backbone of some spirited Leicestershire batting on day three of the Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford.

However, even the teenager’s very best efforts could not prevent the follow-on from being enforced, and County ended the day on 42-2 in their second innings – still 131 behind their opponents.

Taylor’s unbeaten 112 meant County finished their first dig on 344, just 24 short of the follow-on target. That statistic was even more frustrating given James Benning was not able to complete his innings after suffering a blow to the cheekbone.

The all-rounder had to retire hurt after making a rapid unbeaten 36 which included eight fours during a super 69-run stand for the eighth wicket with Taylor.

It was a severe case of unfortunate timing and despite the youngster battling on with strong support from the lower order, Leics had to bat again.

Openers Paul Nixon and Matthew Boyce fell in the second innings, which means the team still have it all to do in order to gain reward from the match. There will need to be excellent batting on the final day – particularly against Danish Kaneria.

The leg-spinner took a brilliant 8-116 to ensure County followed on, and also claimed the final wicket of the day by having Boyce caught close to the wicket.

The fact Taylor negotiated him throughout the day shows how well the youngster played. The diminutive batsman keeps supplying the goods and now has 971 Championship runs to his credit this term, still having seven potential innings up his sleeve.

He is also just six runs short of registering 1,000 runs across all first-class fixtures given he made 23 in the combined games against Loughborough UCCE and West Indies.

The way he negated the threat of Danish was a joy to behold. The spinner was certainly Essex’s star man and put himself in a position to claim a ten-for at one stage by claiming the first six Leicestershire wickets to fall.

Benning’s retirement would have put paid to those hopes anyway but Ryan ten Doeschate ensured that definitely would not happen by claiming the seventh County wicket to fall.

It was always going to be a difficult day for Leicestershire, who resumed 424 runs behind. Early hopes were with Boyce, who played so well yesterday in making it through to stumps unbeaten on 47.

Although Boyce continued to play well en route to seventy, it was certainly Essex’s morning as a tally of 71-3 was added to the overnight position of 93-2.

Danish started the day as he left off last evening, claiming two wickets within the first hour of play in blustery conditions in Chelmsford. Although Boyce moved to 50 from 124 balls with eight fours, he lost two partners shortly after reaching the milestone.

Nightwatchman Jigar Naik had made ten when he nicked the leg-spinner to give Tim Phillips a second catch of the innings at second slip.

Josh Cobb then stroked an early boundary but fell without further addition, brilliantly caught and bowled by Danish. After the first hour, his figures stood at an already impressive 21-9-42-4.

Boyce continued on his way, striking Chris Wright through backward point before clipping the seamer off his legs for two boundaries in the 54th over. Taylor then offered Boyce useful support and the pair shared a determined stand spanning 18.1 overs as the session progressed.

Unfortunately County lost their third wicket of the day before lunch as Boyce became Danish’s fifth victim. The ball turned sharply and clipped leg stump - possibly off the inside edge - and it ended a battling and valuable 183-ball knock from the opener.

However, despite his good work, County were still more than 200 runs away from their follow-on target. It was going to need some outstanding batting to deny Essex their goal.

Taylor was certainly up for the fight. He and Tom New got through to lunch without further blemish on 164-5; with the former unbeaten on 23 and the ‘keeper eight not out.

Danish took 3-30 in 17 overs in the session to go into lunch with figures of 5-61 from 31 overs with twelve maidens. He was well backed by slow left armer Phillips, who had not only taken two catches, but also offered valuable support by conceding just six runs from nine overs at that point.

County needed long innings from their batsmen to draw time out of the game, but the afternoon session did not get off to a good start. Danish continued his wicket-taking after the break, having New caught at short-leg by John Maunders for 14.

However, Taylor looked in it for the long haul and again played with maturity and guts. He received good support from all of the middle and lower order; sharing stands of 69, 30, 45 and 22 with Benning, Wayne White, Claude Henderson and AJ Harris respectively.

The partnership with Benning was by far the most entertaining period of the day, and the all-rounder, who is not backward in coming forward, had struck batted superbly before having to cruelly leave the field when in full flow.

The batsman added an injection of momentum in his typically-aggressive manner before having to leave the field an hour into the session. Indeed, Benning and Taylor lit up the afternoon session, with the pair scoring nine boundaries in the space of two-and-a-half overs at one point.

The duo’s efforts helped to register the first two batting points of the innings as well as frustrate the home side’s attempts to bowl the side out cheaply.

Benning took the usually highly-economical Masters for four fours in the 88th over, including a fine cut through backward point and a powerful pull through mid-wicket.

By this stage, Taylor was nearing his half-century after some careful accumulation, and three consecutive boundaries took him up to and beyond the landmark.

The first of those fours was a beauty through mid-wicket which bought up the 50-stand, while the second bought up his half-century from 132 balls. It was his seventh boundary.

An eighth duly followed with a flowing cover drive, while Benning also cut two fours in Masters’ next over.

The seamer was clearly not enjoying disappearing to the ropes, and produced a short ball in response that whacked Benning on the helmet. The ball looked to have got underneath the lid and caused damage, which meant he had to leave the field.

Thankfully he climbed up the pavilion steps okay despite walking off the field groggily, and it was a horrible blow in all senses for the all-rounder.

Not only was Benning clearly in discomfort, from a cricketing perspective it also had implications; ending the knock and stand that had Essex on the ropes during the middle passage of play.

White picked up the mantle and he and Taylor continued the good work of the previous partnership by completing the day’s first task – seeing Danish off.

After bowling for three hours consecutively from the River End, James Foster gave his key man a rest as ten Doeschate entered into the attack.

It was not to end the wicket tally though. White, who made a gritty eleven, fell to the Dutchman when nicking behind to Foster for eleven. Claude Henderson was also nearly dismissed early on by ten Doeschate, but Alastair Cook shelled the opportunity when the batter had two.

Henderson made the most of the reprieve by hitting the returning Danish – whose barely had time for a breather - for four through mid-wicket. Taylor was still going impressively, and by tea was just fifteen runs short of the magical three-figures.

Henderson was on eleven with the score 300-7, so County had three batting points and needed another 68 to avoid the follow-on at the break.

Taylor, who by his own admission has been disappointed to be out for three times between scores of 88 and 94 – even in the home game against Essex where he scored more than 40 of his tally as part of a last-wicket partnership with Harry Gurney - was determined not to miss out this time.

He simply flew from 85 to 101 in the first over after the break, taking ten Doeschate for four boundaries.

The first two were flowing drives, while two powerful pulls took him beyond the century from 186 balls. There were fifteen fours in the knock at that point.

Unfortunately he lost another partner to the equally brilliant Danish, as the leggie trapped Henderson leg-before for 14. There was still no sign of Benning returning, so AJ Harris came to the wicket.

The batter survived a huge shout for a run out when on just one, but survived to add 22 for the last wicket. He was also trapped leg-before by Danish when on seven though, and with Benning unable to bat again, County had to start their second innings.

The team lost two wickets before stumps. Firstly, Wright had Nixon caught behind in the fourth over to get the home side on the board again and fellow opener Boyce fell just three minutes before the close as Danish struck again.

Danish had the batsman caught at silly point off bat and pad by Matt Walker off his final ball of the day - but there was still just enough time for another over to be sent down.

Boeta Dippenaar saw Phillips out, although there was a scare when a nick went over Cook at slip. He and Naik – employed as a watchman for the second night running – will resume in the morning, where lots of work awaits County on the wearing surface.