v Yorkshire Pro40 @ Taunton Sunday 13 August

Scorecard

Another game where we give them first option with the bat.  The side does not include Andy Caddick but Neil Edwards keeps his place after a fighting performance in the debacle of a first innings at Derby.  McGrath (rumoured to be an option for us next year) opens with White while we open with Willoughby and Johnson.  The pitch isn't exactly spitting fire and the opening pair do quite well to keep them to 21 after 5 overs.

Simon Francis comes on after 9 and looks competitive while Peter Trego is offered the chance during the 12th after the Tykes pass 50 in the 10th.  The brakes have been put on but unfortunately McGrath takes a shine to Trigger and smacks him for 14 off his first from the OP.  Not surprisingly, Cameron replaces him wth Arul for the 14th but they like him as well and move the score quite rapidly to 91 at the start of the 15th.

To his credit, Peter changes ends and produces much more effective overs from the River.  Whitey is employing variation with his bowling attack tonight and it is reaping rewards as the Yorkshire batsmen are not allowed to settle. However, one batsmen is settling in too well as Anthony goes past 50 4 balls into the 15th off 50 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes.  The whole side move past 100 one over later and White passes his 50 almost immediately off 4 balls at 114.  It is ominous and we need a wicket! Arul changes ends and gets Craig White to sky one hugely which Neil Edwards clutches to his chest.

The skipper brings Carl back on to rough up Lehmann and Trigger shows his goalkeeper prowess in his next over as he parries first one then another straight hit ball.  Both very very sharp chances which he did very well to get to. By the 25th a 300 score is a possibility as the visitors pass 150 but we are working on them and CW is still trying to keep the batsmen guessing. The score continues to move forward but not at a huge pace.  Wed Durston is brought on for the 30th as McGrath passes 100 (excellent innings we'll have him Brian!) off the same number of balls with 2 sixes and 7 fours.

Charl returns for the 35th as Lehmann also reaches a 50 off 52 balls.  The run rate is about 6 and has basically stayed there for the whole Yorkshire innings. It nearly has the right result as well as McGrath belts one to the boundary which goes through Si Francis' hands and they go to 237.  This is a very big miss in the whole picture of the game but those around me are generous in their assessment that the dusky light may have meant that Frankie lost it in the crowd at the other end.  Whatever, the Yorkshire guys are throwing the bat and AG is the main culprit as he moves on to 142.  He finally goes to Johnson aftre being dropped again (much more difficult chance) but the last 48 off 38 balls could cost us dear (we all think it will) and pushes them to the top end of a possible score rather than the lower spectrum.  Lehmann goes off the last ball of the innings and we are facing 285 when we ought to have been facing something around 260.  

We don't go for the pinch hitter and it is strange to see Neil Edwards and Matt Wood walking out..they look just like Trescothick and Lathwell opeing in the mid 90's.  We need a good start.  Edwards is a big bloke and hits straight.  A Wood snick off the first ball gets us off to a good start but when he misses a Gillespie straight one we are 20 for 1 and we need a big last innings from the Victorian saviour of our batting season.  Cameron White would probably have rather started a little later but he comes out to do battle and we go past 50 before the 10 overs are up.  Edwards is the man belting the ball though to start with but CW starts to get into his stride and take a shine to Kruus first and then Thorneycroft.  Unfortunately he skies the first ball of the 15th and we are two down with 84 up and we need to rely on somene else today.  Have a good trip home skipper. Here's to your future whether it be here or elsewhere and thanks for the memories.

So it isn’t the Aussies today, so maybe it will be James Hildreth’s day? He is next in and is probably expecting to play second fiddle to the established man.  But Neil is slowing down so Hilda takes charge pushing us past 100 and reaching ‘Nelson’ at the start of the 20^th over.  He helps his partner to a strong 50 (57 balls 6 fours) before pushing on to bring up the 150 with a cheeky over the shoulder chip to the Colin Atkinson.  Unfortunately, just as he gets into his stride, he takes one too many and is stumped off a wide with 163 up midway through the 27^th.  We needed more really but have to be thankful with the fact that JH looked a better player while giving us what we got.

But he has left us short and another man is given the chance to show some fight as Wes Durston strides out to give battle.  The problem is that almost immediately, his established team-mate reverse chips one straight into Gillespie’s hands and he finds himself part of a partnership of new batsmen with Arul Suppiah.  Everything has to start again and we don’t have the balls to let these two get their eye in.  Wes pushes on and attacks but as we near 200, Arul misjudges one and is very upset about chipping an easy catch 197 for 5.

But we are still in it.  Peter Trego has been a fighting batsman and is in some form while Wes shows his intent with a bug 6 to move us to 217.  The problem is that there are too many runs needed and not enough balls to get them in.  It is under 10 overs and we have a requirement to smack over 90.  Although we have a couple of good overs, we can’t keep the boundary boards bouncing and we finally die needing 27 off the last 6 and managing only 11.

 A spirited fight.  Something unusual this year and a fight taken on by the younger middle order after the usual suspects were back sitting on the balcony.  Especially pleasing from Hildreth, Edwards and especially Durston. We gave them too many but we went down kicking and screaming and that has to be an improvement.  A loss by 16 runs, not the best performance you’ll ever see….but competitive and something to have some pride about.  Yorkshire are one of the only sides to come to Taunton this year and go away feeling that they have been in a scrap.

Onwards and Upwards.

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