A mixed bag of double-centurions and multiple wicket-takers this week. At the time of writing, England look as if they are heading for another Test victory thanks largely to Stuart Broad and Ian Bell, but the domestic fixtures have produced some stirring performances.
Anyone hitting 200 is always worthy of praise but when Marcus Trescothick does it we barely raise an eyebrow, just mutter once again how he'd walk into any international side if only... He set up another fighting victory for Somerset over Worcestershire with 203 while further west at Swansea, former Essex opener struck a career-best 222 for Northamptonshire in their draw against Glamorgan.
Andre Adams and Darren Pattinson claimed eighteen wickets between them in Nottinghamshire's low-scoring battle against title-chasing Lancashire. New Zealander Adams took ten scalps, but neither bowler took part in today's CB40 win over Glamorgan. Ravi Bopara's 178 for Essex was remarkable given that only one other man made a half-century in the Championship match against bottom club Leicestershire at Southend. However, while that game did bring us my Player of the Week, it's not the in-out England batsman.
The match ended in dramatic fashion. Following Bopara guiding Essex into a position of setting the visitors 315 to win on a tricky pitch, opening bowler David Masters bowled unchanged for 7.4 overs finish with fantastic figures of 8-10 as Leicester slumped to 34 all out. Having already scored 14 more than this total on his own in Essex's second innings, he takes the honours this week.
Masters could be described as the archetypal journeyman pro. However, if you have read my previous blogs you will know that I do not mean this as criticism. The 33 year-old has served Kent, Leicestershire and now Essex with distinction over the past twelve seasons. Not the quickest of openers, he has nonetheless taken 437 first-class wickets at only 27 apiece. His one-day record is less impressive but still pretty good, and he has a first-class century to his name. However, his haul at Southend took his season's total to 61 already, with only fellow unsung hero Tim Murtagh aggregating more than 50 wickets in either Championship division.
For all his consistent performances, David Masters will never get international recognition, especially with so many top-class English seamers on the scene. However, he can be proud of his career to date and Player of the Week accolade!
