THE AXA has become the Sometimes On A Sunday League this season. There are all sorts of reasons for the oddness of the fixture list, among them a need for more weekend championship cricket, and with a World Cup next year it will get no more fathomable for a while.
If you do not experiment you never find out and at Uxbridge at least there was no lack of atmosphere or enjoyment as Essex, despite the absence of four of their established players, failed by only two runs to upset a Middlesex side who have lost only one limited-overs game this season.
This was hardly a dress rehearsal for the Benson and Hedges quarter-final at Lord's next Wednesday because Angus Fraser will be back for Middlesex and Ashley Cowan and Paul Grayson should be fit for Essex even if Paul Prichard and Peter Such are not.
Young blades did well for both sides yesterday, notably the talented but pent-up Stephen Peters, whose 54 cleanly struck runs off 57 balls ought to have set up an Essex win, and Ian Blanchett, the tall 22-year-old Middlesex fast-medium bowler whose seven-over spell for 25 runs at a crucial stage of the chase, and measured throw to run out Darren Robinson from long-on when five were needed off the last two balls, did most to settle the issue.
Middlesex, it seems, are acquiring the valuable knack of winning tight matches. Keith Dutch, still learning as an off-spinner; Neil Martin, with a promising spell in which he held a firm return drive by Nasser Hussain; and James Hewitt, who held a steepler from Danny Law just inside the long-off boundary, all played important parts too after Mark Ramprakash had alone managed an innings of any substance.
The Uxbridge pitch was not quite the usual true and even paradise and the white ball swung all day, half an excuse for the total of 34 wides. Darren Cousins bowled an excellent spell without a break after Essex had chosen to field and Mark Ilott was no less a handful at the start and end of the innings. Even Ramprakash had to scrap for his runs, which he did well before giving further evidence of his ability as a captain in the field. Robinson did his best to frustrate him, timing the ball sweetly after escaping slip chances in his first two overs, but good bowling and fielding after Peters had pulled Dutch to midwicket squeezed Middlesex home.
Those who have to worry about the Middlesex finances were quietly pleased with a crowd of 1,500 on a lovely day whereon the pink and white blossoms of the chestnuts and the vivid yellow of a laburnum made the coloured gear - less garish this year anyway - seem almost in tune with nature.
They once had 3,000 here for a Sunday League game against Essex when Graham Gooch was in his pomp, so it will be interesting to see how many come for the Worcestershire match on Bank Holiday Monday. If the weather holds for this and the intervening championship match, Middlesex hope for a profit after an outlay of £35,000 on facilities which cost them nothing at Lord's.