da winzada777： Old Trafford was well blessed in the entertainment stakes yesterday
Sean Beynon28-Jun-2000Old Trafford was well blessed in the entertainment stakes yesterday. Therewere bouncy castles, blaring music, fast food, fast cricket, fireworks, plusa strange stall which seemed to encourage small children to batter theirpeers with giant rubber mallets, and a huge purple smiling dinosaur mascotcalled Sugar. Nearly 12,000 people turned up, and were provided with all theaforementioned. And – almost as a sidebar – a truly inept battingperformance from the Lancashire Lightning.Many people, myself included, could not quite work out why the Lightningwere doing quite so badly in one day cricket. A lot of pundits, notsurprisingly myself included, believed that Lancashire would `sweep theboard’ this season. Lancashire were beaten yesterday, badly beaten.In a contest which stretches a hundred years, the “War of the Roses,”between the cricket teams of Lancashire and Yorkshire has become one ofsports finest rivalries. Yesterday was no different, as Old Trafford wastightly packed to view what promised to be an intriguing match. Even thougheight first teamers were missing, the two sides combined could boast eleveninternationals between them. It was the inexperienced, though, that firsttook the sword to Lancashire. Young opening partnership Matthew Wood andGary Fellows, 23 and 21 respectively, set about the Lightning bowlers withabandon after the Phoenix won the toss and batted on a decent wicket. Woodwas particularly harsh on anything which gave him the room or width to cut,whilst Fellows lept on half volleys frequently.Wood went, bowled round his legs by an excellent Chris Schofield, for 31,but there was no Light for Lancashire. Darren Lehmann joined Fellows, andthe two began to accumulate runs steadily. Lehmann played the shot of theday, easing Glen Chapple (84mph+) over mid-wicket for six. Fellows went for57, Lehmann 62, and it was left to Anthony McGrath, 32 at a run a ball,including some thumping drives, to ensure the Phoenix reached therespectability of 225.The Lightning were never really in the game. Opener Mark Chilton was bowledthrough the gate by a rampant Chris Silverwood, who got rid of Ganguly,caught at point, soon after. Paul Hutchinson joined in the fun, uprootingNeil Fairbrother’s middle stump. It was always going to be a long way backfrom 22-3.John Crawley and Graham Lloyd gave the Lightning some hope, accumulatingquickly, and keeping the run rate at a manageable 6.5. Lloyd fell leg beforeto Hamilton, Umpire Holder pausing five agonising seconds before decidingupon Lloyd’s fate.Then everything went dark.Yet again, the floodlights had failed. To be precise, one pylon was down,but this was not the first floodlit game to be effected this season. Theplayers were off the field for the best part of half an hour as someone puta penny or two in the generator.The Lightning didn’t really appear motivated for the task – a further 112from 8.3 overs – which messers Duckworth and Lewis had set them. Joe Scuderiand John Crawley found themselves at the same end, Scuderi falling on hisword so his in form skipper, already past 50, could continue. Watkinson,Schofield and Smethurst were all stumped, aimlessly trotting down thewicket. Everything became rather predictable. The Phoenix knew they had won,and the wheels came off the fielding machine. There was a ratherentertaining pitch invasion by a lone fan. Other than that, the game becamerather dull, as the Lightning batsmen managed to lose their wickets in allsorts of bizarre ways, as they subsided for 138, and a 69 run defeat. It waseasy to recognise why they have struggled so much this year.Even Sugar, whose smile had long since departed, could have done better.