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Search forLate stand is a frustration for Derbys as balance tilts towards hosts
Monday, June 30, 2008, 07:30
A century from Ryan ten Doeschate tilted the balance back towards Essex on the first day, just at a time when Derbyshire must have felt they had broken through the best that the home side could put in their way.
They ended Alastair Cook's seemingly unstoppable progress towards a hundred and had all six of Essex's top-order batsmen back in the pavilion with 189 on the scoreboard. After losing the toss on a batsman-friendly wicket, all was well in the Derbyshire camp.
But ten Doeschate, a South African all-rounder who plays international cricket for the Netherlands, showed that Essex were not finished.
In at number seven after Cook, on 95, swept Jake Needham to midwicket, where Jon Clare took a very good catch, ten Doeschate responded to the situation with aggression and was still there at the close on 118 not out in an Essex total of 365-7.
To add to Derbyshire's irritation as a promising position fell apart, they were convinced they had taken the right-hander's wicket twice in the same over before he reached three figures.
Graham Wagg was the luckless bowler, in the sixth over with the second new ball. He was fairly sure ten Doeschate had nicked a catch to Jamie Pipe but the appeal for lbw a couple of balls later appeared to leave even less margin for doubt.
Umpire Barrie Leadbeater gave neither.
Had Derbyshire broken through then, with almost an hour to play, they might have brought the Essex innings to an end but Alex Tudor grew in confidence with ten Doeschate at the other end and added an unbeaten 53.
The late unbroken stand of 126 took the shine off a good Derbyshire bowling performance, in which off-spinner Needham was the pick with a career-best 4-81.
But Charl Langeveldt, whose knee stood up to a fitness test, was the spark as he struck twice in the opening seven overs to remove Jason Gallian and Neil Dexter, on loan from Kent, to make the score 10-2.
That brought together England pair Cook and Ravi Bopara in a dangerous partnership but it was ended by the fifth ball of Clare's first over, as Bopara could not deal with extra bounce and Needham took an excellent catch at third slip, high and one-handed.
Cook was batting in a manner to suggest the true nature of the wicket was much kinder to batsmen and it was a surprise when he picked out the fielder to fall five runs short of a century.
That was a second victim for Needham in an extended spell of 20 overs from the River End, broken only by the tea interval. To say there is not so much turn on offer yet, it was an outstanding effort.
When James Middlebrook gave him his fourth wicket at 239-7, caught at slip by Rikki Clarke off the sixth ball after tea, Derbyshire were well on top.
But ten Doeschate has changed the outlook of this contest, reaching his 11th first-class hundred off 123 balls with 15 fours and a six.
His intervention means Derbyshire now have to bat very well to counter him and have ground to make up. Even though it does look a good batting wicket, they have not batted terribly well in first innings this season and the pressure will be on.
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cook's walk: Alastair Cook (above) shows his disappoint-ment after being caught for 95 while Derbyshire celebrate in the background. Rikki Clarke bowls to James Middlebrook (left). James Foster (right) top edges a sweep at Jake Needham and is caught at short leg.
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