Geddes delivers happy Radlett return for Middlesex as Corey Flintoff impresses on Kent debut

Having grown up in Rickmansworth and been a lifelong supporter of Watford Football Club, Radlett is not exactly unfamiliar territory, but I haven’t lived in this neck of the Hertfordshire woods for the best part of 50 years. However, for the 2^nd time in three days, I found myself in Radlett’s leafy surrounds as Middlesex took on Kent in the Metro One Day Cup.

My personal connection with Radlett was the many singing lessons I received here with a delightful teacher who had also taught George Micheal would you believe, a Radlett resident in his early teens.

After their heavy Sunday defeat here to Yorkshire, Middlesex had slumped to 5^th in the Group B table with a severely damaged net run rate, whilst Kent sit rock bottom, but will have been buoyed by their Sunday 22 run win in Beckenham against Lancashire.

Middlesex won the toss and perhaps with Sunday’s 5 for 3 against Yorkshire in mind, not to mention a distinct absence of blue skies above, elected to field, whereupon Roland-Jones from Pavillion End tormented the left handed Jadyn Denly, who’s uncle Joe had served both Kent and Middlesex with distinction. The younger Denly was finding Roland Jones almost impossible to hit as ball after ball passed his outside edge at varying heights off Radlett’s hybrid pitch.  After their own Sunday travails, Middlesex will have been concerned that Kent somehow reached 50 without loss.

A very promising bowling debut for Spanish born Sebastian Morgan

With the score on 52, however, Jayden Denley, after repeatedly testing Roland -Jones’ faith by playing and missing, finally woke up and had to go go after carelessly wafting Henry Brookes to Davies at backward point. His opening partner, 18 year old Ben Dawkins had found scoring runs much easier and looked odds on to reach his fifty, when Middlesex’s List A debutant, seventeen year old Sebastian Morgan got one to lift from the Pavillion End and Dawkins edged to Cracknell. A victory for Morgan as the young guns went for it. Nonetheless, at 78 for 2, Kent will have felt happy enough as Joey Evison and Chris Benjamin moved them smoothly to 121, before young Morgan once again said that when wickets are needed ‘I’m your man’ and pinned back Evison’s off stump. This one keeping lower than others.

As Middlesex strove for wickets, Kent displayed much greater resilience than their lowly position would suggest and seeing Roland-Jones pull up towards the end of his eighth over and then Henry Brookes drop the free flowing Benjamin at mid-off was not auguring well for the home side.  As the clouds parted and the sun shone, so to do did Chris Benjamin and his captain Harry Finch, both playing with freedom. Benjamin reached a fine fifty, but was then immediately caught behind down leg by another rising Brookes delivery and after a solitary sighter, young prospect Ekansh Singh was brilliantly held by a diving Robson at backward point. Brookes’ two wickets in three balls had pegged Kent back to 179 for 5 after 36 overs and evened the odds in a game that seemed to be increasingly favouring the away side. Not to be outdone by Brookes, young Morgan who had been given one more try, this time from the Salters Field End, accounted for Harry Finch as he lofted a straightforward catch to Hollman at mid-on.

Finch’s departure, however, saw the arrival of a notable Kent debutant youngster. Watched with pride by his father Andrew, Corey Flintoff came to the crease. Together with Jack Leaning, he proceeded to club 2 sixes and four for his 29*off just 20 balls. Like his younger brother Rocky, the apple Corey, has clearly not fallen far from the parental tree and alongside him the experienced Leaning set a fine example, his 63* from 48 balls taking Kent to a very competitive 279 for 6 after their 50 overs. The last 5 Middlesex overs had gone for 58, and had perhaps, tilted the game in favour of the visitors.

Echoes of Yorkshire give Middlesex early jitters

That looked even more the case when Joe Cracknell departed off the final ball of the first over in Middlesex’s reply, safely taken down leg by keeper Finch off left armer Michael Cohen. Cracknell’s 78 at Lords had helped Middlesex to a fine victory against Sussex, but since then his last four innings have netted just 5 runs. An all left arm attack continued with Netherlands international Fred Klaassen and he quickly claimed his first wicket when Josh De Caires mistimed a pull which lofted to Corey Flintoff at midwicket. One son of a former England captain, removing another and adding to young Corey’s happy Radlett debut.

With two down for 15 runs, Middlesex could be forgiven for having post Yorkshire jitters bugging them, but the experienced Robson and captain Ben Geddes, set about scoring vital runs and above the asking rate at that. One enormous six from Geddes over square had to be retrieved from deep amongst the panoply of trees sheltering the car park. Alas their partnership of 60 ended when Joey Evison had Robson caught behind and although Davis showed good intent with a towering 6, he was in for a good time rather than a long time and Corey Flintoff held his nerve commendably at long leg to add another catch to burnish his day out and provide a wicket for Ekansh Singh.

With Middlesex on 108 for 4, it was time to see if Corey Flintoff could deliver with the ball as excellently as he had with bat and in the field. Early signs were not so good as Geddes pulled his second ball square to bring up his fifty, but it was an otherwise tidy over. Ben Geddes and Luke Hollman were up for the fight though, with Geddes leading the way. Together they took Middlesex past 150, ever conscious of keeping just ahead of the required 5.22, then on past 200 with a combination of controlled aggression and smart running. That did require one large slice of fortune however, when Geddes pulled Klassen to deep midwicket, only for Corey Flintoff to spill a tough chance. A blemish on what had been a splendid debut for Flintoff Junior.

Geddes ton and Hollman 50 arrive together to steer Middlesex to the point of victory 

Kent had started to turn the screw though and it needed a tree thumping six from Hollman to release some pressure, before Geddes brought up a superb hundred off the bowling of Matt Parkinson, followed Hollman’s 50. Geddes’s hundred had come at just ahead of a run a ball, whilst Hollman’s 50 came off 77.

Together Geddes and Hollman were moving Middlesex to within sight of a victory and it was a fine lofted drive through midwicket by the left handed Geddes that saw their partnership past the 150 mark and another midwicket maximum took the home side past 250 in the 43^rd over.  There would be know shifting the triumphant pair in what had been a quite superb effort and they accelerated away to reach the finish line in just two further overs.

We will see plenty more of young Corey Flintoff and indeed Sebastian Morgan. But today’s headlines belong to Geddes and Hollman for a victorious, record breaking partnership that keeps Middlesex in touch with the key play off positions.