Tag: Orange Tip

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians (So Far)

A little look at the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings which has started today’s IPL match (Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians) and two photo galleries.

Today’s IPL match is between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. It is just approaching the halfway stage as I begin this blog post.

AN ATROCIOUS START

By the time I got back from my post lunch walk the match was underway. Sunrisers Hyderabad were 9-1 when I joined the coverage. That very soon become 9-2, and then two more wickets fell before the Power Play was done. The low water mark saw SRH 13-4 after 4.1 overs. When Aniket Verma was out after 8.3 overs the score was 35-5, and SRH felt impelled to use their ‘impact sub’ to bolster the batting, which meant that Mohammad Shami, presumably their intended ‘impact sub’ would be confined to the bench.

PHOTO GALLERY ONE

An important reminder: if you click on the first image in a photo gallery you can view the entire gallery as a slide show AND see the images at a larger size than they appear in the post. I have two galleries in this post. The first features largely pictures from Monday evening and from yesterday either side of work, with a couple from today, and the second is all today. This is the first…

THE REVIVAL

Abhinav Manohar, the chosen ‘impact sub’ teamed up with Heinrich Klaasen to get SRH back into it. Klaasen was out to the final ball of the 19th over by when the score had risen to 134. Manohar has just gone, his dismissal making it 142-7. A single accrued after that and then another wicket off the final ball of the innings. This means that SRH had a total of 143-8 to defend, modest by IPL standards, but a lot more than it looked like being at the halfway stage, and we have recently seen Punjab Kings successfully defend a mere 111, bowling their opponents that day, Kolkata Knight Riders, out for just 95. The sheer awfulness of the SRH start probably means that they are on a bit of a high due to their recovery, and mutatis mutandis MI.

GALLERY TWO

Here is my second gallery…

New Season Underway

A look at developments on day one of the new County Championship season, with particular reference to Essex v Surrey since that is the match I am following. Also a photo gallery which includes a Butterfly Special.

Today is the first day of the English cricket season. Just for once the weather is playing ball (although I am in Norfolk, where there is no FC cricket, the information from Chelmsford where the match I am following is taking place is that they have the same weather that we do, while no game anywhere has been disrupted), with the sun shining down from clear blue skies, and the temperature sufficiently warm that jumpers are not required.

ESSEX v SURREY

Essex won the toss against the winners of the last three championships and did what was obvious on a bright, warm, sunny day – chose to bat first. They had a makeshift opening pair, with former South Africa test opener Dean Elgar not available until later in the season. Charlie Allison, making his first class debut, was accompanied out to the middle by ‘tall Paul’ Walter (6’7″), not a regular opener but possessed of a good technique. Walter averaged 40 with the bat last season from the middle of the order. Walter batted fluently more or less from the get go, while Allison on his debut supported him well. It was Dan Lawrence who broke the stand, trapping Allison LBW for 25 with the score on 78. Tom Westley, now 36 years old, joined Walter, and immediately looked in command. He had reached 40, seemingly untroubled, when a combination of tight bowling , smart tactics and a poor choice of shot accounted for him. He attempted to whip a ball from Roach through the leg side and succeeded only in picking out Jamie Smith, stationed at short midwicket in anticipation of just such a shot being played. Jordan Cox came it at number four, and has looked pretty good so far, although he has just been beaten by a ball from Jordan Clark. Essex look well placed at 185-2, on a pitch that has blatantly been prepared with the intention of drawing the sting of Surrey’s powerful bowling unit – it is slow and flat.

ELSEWHERE

Yorkshire have received a tough welcome back to division one action, having been bowled out for 121 by Hampshire, who are currently 53-0 in reply. Worcestershire started reasonably well against Somerset, but fell away badly to be all out for 154 in the first innings. Kasey Aldridge, right arm fast medium and a useful lower order batter as well, took 5-36 for Somerset. Somerset have lost a wicket in reply but will be pleased with how things are going overall. The other matches are also going pretty well for the bowlers – the Chelmsford game is an anomaly.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Before presenting the full gallery I have a brief subsection for you.

BUTTERFLY SPECIAL

Today being so warm has been good for butterfly sightings (see the feature image at the top of this post). I have four in total to report. In chronological order there is a European Peacock from the carpark of the King’s Lynn branch of Morrisons:

Next is an Orange Tip from the greenery between Kettlewell Lane and the Gaywood River, a good location for sightings.

Third from the same location is one I am slightly unsure of – it is either a Green Veined White or a Large White.

Finally, from my lunchtime walk, we have a Large White near Bawsey Drain.

THE FULL GALLERY

My usual sign off…

The first ducklings of 2025 (at least in King’s Lynn).

County Championship Meets T20 (Possibly)

A look at goings on in the county championship, with the focus on Surrey v Somerset. Also a bumper photo gallery, including some interesting butterflies.

The second round of county championship matches is reaching its conclusion, and this post looks at what has been going on, with the focus principally on Surrey v Somerset.

A GREAT FIGHTBACK BY SOMERSET

Surrey led by 143 on first innings, and when Lewis Goldsworthy’s brave resistance ended yesterday the score was 162-6, a mere 19 runs ahead. However Lewis Gregory, supported first by the highly impressive youngster Kasey Aldridge and then by Craig Overton looked to have saved Somerset time ticked on (some bad weather which took the first hour out of the day’s play also helped Somerset). His dismissal for 80 was the first of three very quick wickets to end the innings, as Migael Pretorius played a truly awful shot, and Shoaib Bashir was pinned LBW. All three of these wickets went to Cam Steel, giving hjim five for the innings, nine for the match, 14 for the season and 51 in all first class cricket. That left Surrey needing 209 in 20 overs, however the start of the Surrey second innings has been delayed by more bad weather. Surrey clearly intend to have a go when the innings is allowed to start – Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence opening the batting.

ELSEWHERE

Between the weather and the tall scoring almost every other game is either confirmed as a draw or soon will be. However Essex still have a chance of outright victory in the Thames Estuary derby (Kent will be delighted to escape with a draw if they manage it). Gloucestershire and Yorkshire are also still duking it out, with the latter just about in with a chance of winning, although four wickets is a good many to take in not much time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

This heron took wing as I was preparing to photograph it, but I did manage tio capture it.
A closer crop of the flying heron.
This small blue butterfly was moving too fast for me to zoom in really closely.
This white butterfly with a black body has a very intricate veining pattern on its wings.
An orange tip
Viewed close up (next pic is even clser) the tips that give it its name segue from orange to brown at the extreme edge and there is the faintest hint of blue in the head area.
A large brood of ducklings.

While I was preparing this for publication Surrey scored 50 off the first five overs of their innings – the weather may stop them, but it doesn’t look like Somerset can.