Match Report and Scorecard ........
Lord's Bicentenary Match
Lord's Cricket Ground, Sunday 22 June 2014
Hertfordshire 199-8
MCC 199-3
MCC win by seven wickets
"This is our 200th birthday party and you are all very welcome to it." The public address announcer at Lord's set the tone for a special day at the home of cricket on Sunday, and Hertfordshire's cricketers enjoyed every second of their chance to be part of the great occasion.
"It was such a special day and a truly great experience. You couldn't ask for anything better," said the Herts captain, Nesan Jeyaratnam, the North Mymms batsman. "We a very fortunate to be playing at a time when an occasion like this comes along."
There were two outstanding performances for Hertfordshire, in a beautifully composed half-century from Welwyn Garden City all-rounder Jamie Southgate and a wonderful opening spell by Harpenden's Will Jones. He went wicketless in his eight overs, which cost just 20 runs, but his swing and control deserved far, far better.
The highlight for a crowd estimated in the region of 10,000, swelled by many of Hetfordshire's young age-group sides, was a sublime innings from the great Brian Lara, who stroked a half-century in 32 balls and looked as if he had never been away.
The match was a recreation of the first game ever to be played at Lord's, on June 22 1814, when MCC beat Herts by an innings and 27 runs, bowling them out for 79 and 55, with the Rev Lord Frederick Beauclerk taking five wickets in the first innings.
Everything was done to mirror that first day at Lord's, including a special service at St Johns's Wood Church before the game, which both sides attended in their whites, as they did 200 years previously.
"Walking back from there it started to sink in what a special day it was," Jeyaratnam said. "Coming into the ground, seeing all the people there, it made it seem like a Test match and made you feel a bit of a celebrity to be honest.
"Then doing our warm up on the outfield in front of the crowd on the grass was wonderful."
MCC were keener on fielding than batting first, and so when Jeyaratnam called correctly Herts decided to bat first, which meant little time to prepare after the team photographs and presentations in front of the pavilion before Jeyaratnam and Eddie Ballard, of Bishops Stortford, made the famous walk through the packed Long Room out to bat.
"I was so, so nervous, just hoping to God that I didn't get a first baller," Jeyaratnam said. "And still even after I got my first run. After I got my first boundary it was fine, and I could enjoy it then."
The bowling was familiar, even if the surroundings weren't, with Radlett fast bowler Chad Barrett sharing the new ball with Welwyn Garden City's Aaron Laraman.
Barrett, in particular, bowled well, with pace and swing, and had Ballard caught behind for just two. Jeyaratnam (19) and Kabir Toor (27) took the score up to 49, and but the bulk of the innings came from Southgate, who made 56 off 62 balls, with nine fours, and the Harpenden pair of Ben Frazer (37 off 38 balls) and Jones, who made 21 not out as Herts posted 198-8 in their 40 overs.
Jones' opening spell was the highlight of Herts' bowling, having former Notts player and MCC captain Jonathan Wileman, and Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell playing and missing regularly. But he could not make the breakthrough, and with the pair finding life easier at the other end, the stage was set for Lara after they put on a century opening stand.
He did not disappoint with a sumptuous array of strokes, from delicate sweeps to extravagant drives as he made 56 off 36 balls with eight fours and two sixes before playing round a delivery from Kabir Toor and walking off to a standing ovation.
"He is a great sportsman and a great showman. At one point, I moved the field after a shot off Simon White, and he still found the way through them to the boundary and then just looked at me with a little smile," Jeyaratnam said. "We had a chat and he was such a nice man."
After Lara was out, former South Africa and Durham batsman Dale Benkenstein applied the finishing touches to the game, which left everyone involved with a host of memories.
"You can never forget a day like that,"Jeyaratnam said. "They looked after us so, so well and it was a wonderful occasion.
"We would just like to thank each everyone who came along for their support. It was fantastic."
Hugh Bateson