Liddle delighted as Northants bowlers get up to speed against Middlesex

Bowling coach Chris Liddle praised the efforts of the Northants bowlers as they produced a strong display in the warm-up clash against Middlesex at the County Ground.
Jack White enjoyed his first bowl for Northants in the two-day friendly with MiddlesexJack White enjoyed his first bowl for Northants in the two-day friendly with Middlesex
Jack White enjoyed his first bowl for Northants in the two-day friendly with Middlesex

The second day of the two-day friendly saw the Londoners close on 307 for six from their 90 overs in response to the County's 355 for nine on day one, with a total of eight bowlers getting some overs in.

The wickets were evenly spread around the group, and there were first bowls in Northamptonshire colours for pace men Brandon Glover and Jack White, who both claimed a wicket apiece.

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Nathan Buck was the most successful of the attack as he claimed two for 43, there were also wickets for Blessing Muzarabani and Ben Sanderson, and it was a satisfying day all round for Liddle, who joined the club as the new bowling coach in January.

Brandon Glover runs in at the County Ground on WednesdayBrandon Glover runs in at the County Ground on Wednesday
Brandon Glover runs in at the County Ground on Wednesday

“It’s good to get some miles in the legs ahead of the first game and it’s really good to see lads put spells back to back,” said Liddle, who quit playing for Gloucestershire at the end of last season.

“We’ve picked up wickets, we’ve had tight spells where lads have bowled well together as a unit, so it’s been a really pleasing day.”

“The depth we’ve got at the moment is brilliant, we’ve got a great bowling squad here so it’s just about getting properly up to game speed which I think we are now."

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It was a big day for Glover and White, who have both had to be patient to get their chance to show what they can do, with the Covid-19 pandemic seeing the season, that was due to start in April, suspended until this weekend.

Nathan Buck makes sure his hands are sanitisedNathan Buck makes sure his hands are sanitised
Nathan Buck makes sure his hands are sanitised

“Brandon showed the class that he’s got today," said Liddle, who is also coaches Glover as part of the Netherlands T20 set-up.

"I don’t think Brandon’s played a red ball game properly for a couple of years really so it’ll be nice for him to get the feel of back to back overs and building a spell up.

"He bowled with real pace and we were looking to see if there was any drop off in pace or intensity in the way all the guys bowled, but they managed to keep their pace up and hit the wicket hard during the day which is a credit to all the work they’ve put in since they’ve come back to training.”

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And on White, who at the age of 27 is set to make his first-class debut in Saturday's Bob Willis Trophy clash against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, Liddle told nccc.co.uk: “I feel a bit for Jack, he’s managed to overcome a number of injuries and worked really hard to get back fit.

"To see him go out there and bowl the way he did, consistency wise and he just looked threatening from the start.

“It’s what we’ve seen from him in the nets so it’s nice to see him do it in a game, it’ll be great for him confidence wise.”

Northants took to the field without both Gareth Berg and Brett Hutton, and the fact they are still waiting in the wings is another big plus for Liddle.

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"We’ve got some players that haven’t played that we can bring back into the mix too," he said.

"So you bring them back into the selections issues when trying to pick a bowling line up and it’s brilliant, it’s exactly what you want.”

Liddle and the Northants coaching team now turn their attentions to Saturday's trip to Edgbaston.