Dippenaar and Taylor stand out in battling draw

Date: Saturday 29 August 2009

Essex (11 points) 517-9dec (Maunders 150, Foster 103*, Westley 71, Masters 67) drew with Leicestershire (9 points) 344 (Taylor 112*, Boyce 70, Danish 8-116) and 258-6 (Dippenaar 115*, Taylor 62, Kaneria 4-87)

Leicestershire captain Boeta Dippenaar provided the anchor for his side’s draw with Essex on a day where James Taylor became the club’s youngest ever batsman to score 1,000 Championship runs in a season.

Dippenaar, who resumed unbeaten on 17 with the team still 131 runs behind their opponents, was unbeaten on 115 by stumps after a marathon innings of just over six hours. It ensured the side gained a battling draw by closing on 258-6 when hands were shaken.

Taylor was also outstanding in contributing another impressive knock of 62 as part of a 129-run stand for the fifth wicket with his captain.

The innings ensured the 19-year-old entered the record books, as Taylor became the first teenager in the club’s history to score 1,000 Championship runs. He beat Ian Butcher’s record of 22 years and two months set in 1984.

Dippenaar’s brilliant knock also ensured he passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season, and the skipper is also just 42 short of his Championship 1,000, so it was a proud day for Leicestershire all round.

The milestones did not stop there. As well as setting a brand new Championship record, Taylor also became the second youngest batter in the club’s history to achieve 1,000 first-class runs in a season; a record set by the prolific Les Berry in 1925.

Although Berry made 1,071 runs in that campaign aged 19 years and five months, he fell one run short of his Championship thousand.

Despite that, Berry set the record for the youngest Championship thousand three years later in 1928, and held it until Butcher became the youngest of three 22-year-olds to score 1,000 in the 1984 season.

The other two batsmen who achieved the feat that year were James Whitaker and Tim Boon, and the Senior Coach watched with great delight as Taylor went to the top of the list of County high-flyers.

After watching and writing about Taylor all season, I for one have run out of superlatives for the batsman. His innings here had all the qualities he has displayed thus far; including maturity, great concentration and the ability to hit away the bad ball when it was offered.

He also played Danish Kaneria – who ended with excellent match figures of 12-203 from 89.3 overs - superbly well. By the time the Pakistan leg-spinner claimed his wicket, a lot of the hard work had been done in saving the game.

Dippenaar and Jigar Naik started the hard work for the side on the final morning, with the off-spinner batting for a critical period of one hour and forty minutes to ensure the home side did not get off to a flyer today.

Naik also contributed 20 runs in a defiant stand of 54 in 28 overs with his captain before being enticed into a rare loose stroke off Tim Phillips. The slow left armer claimed the wicket as Danish held the catch at mid-off.

The partnership had provided great frustration for the hosts but their reaction was excellent. Essex remained patient, knowing one wicket often bought two on this surface - and that was again the case to re-raise their hopes of victory.

When Danish then struck in the next over by bowling Josh Cobb with a delivery that turned viciously, the hosts went from being disappointed to delighted with the first session as County were still 84 runs behind with just six wickets to play with.

Dippenaar and Taylor needed to play exceptionally well, and they did, although Essex did give Dippenaar a reprieve when Alastair Cook put down a chance off Phillips when he had 39 in his tally. It was to prove a costly mistake.

It was a rare blip in his excellent concentration. That ability to be watchful on a slow, turning surface was critical and Taylor provided an excellent ally with an innings that had similar traits.

Not only did they play well in defence, they also took the opportunity to attack when it was offered. That was also important given County needed to get themselves into a lead over the course of the day to really take the game away from the home side.

As soon as County had passed 173 in their second knock, every run was worth double in effect. Dippenaar and Taylor managed that, with the skipper moving past a 165-ball fifty with eight fours shortly into the afternoon session.

Taylor, meanwhile was passing his milestones with flying colours. Firstly, he had got the six runs needed to pass 1,000 first-class runs for the season, and his 29th run of the innings bought up the four-figure mark in the Championship.

He also bought up his fifth half-century of the season from 101 balls two hours into his knock, and he had struck seven fours at that point.

The duo also took their stand past one-hundred, and by that stage County were in the lead. By the time Taylor was trapped leg-before by Danish for 62, the team were in far safer waters than when he arrived at the wicket.

The youngster batted for two hours and 43 minutes in his second dig, meaning he had been dismissed just once in around eight hours of batting during this game.

Statistics like those have helped him to make the 1,000 Championship runs this season. His ability to graft at the cricket with marvellous powers of concentration is a joy to behold.

To get the runs in twenty innings at an average of 68.86 despite missing the opening game and having three matches to go is simply sensational.

Dippenaar’s batting has also been outstanding this season, and he was helped to the close by Tom New (10) and James Benning (21*).

New was also trapped leg-before to become Danish’s fourth wicket, but he and Benning both scored briskly to continue to take the game out of Essex’s reach.

Dippenaar, meanwhile, continued to bat sensibly and cut and drove well when the opportunity presented itself. The batsman made it through to his second hundred of the season in the final session – and what an effort it was.

It was made from 254 balls with thirteen fours and the knock had spanned five hours and seven minutes at that point.

It was a great effort from the skipper, who is closing in on his own Championship 1,000. Dippenaar now has 958 in the competition at an average of just under 46, and he will be eager to pass that milestone in the closing stages of the season.

Although personal milestones were passed today, it is always the team effort that counts first.

Dippenaar displayed great courage as leader of the pack, and with Taylor also saying the team’s objectives were more important than his own, this spirited bunch of players can be proud of their endeavours against the odds here.