v Middlesex LVCC2 @ Taunton Wednesday 18 April 2007

Scorecard

The next couple of weeks are very important for Somerset cricket and one of the objectives of the selection committee is starkly brought into focus by the relative situation of the two counties tomorrow.  Middlesex come to us with four or five players missing from their first choice line-up because of World Cup commitments (and Shah probably ought to be there!).  We line up with the only first team possibles not available being Ben Phillips and Keith Parsons because of "niggles".

Justin Langer will captain his first Somerset game with his first choice side almost complete.  It will include Marcus Trescothick, Cameron White, Ian Blackwell, Andy Caddick, Steffan Jones and Charl Willoughby.  He can choose from home grown players who are making names for themselves in the shape of Neil Edwards, James Hildreth, Sam Spurway, Peter Trego and Mark Turner. 

It is a benefit and a burden to the Aussie because he has the resources at his disposal from the start and now has to show he can mould them into a force to be reckoned with.  We get to play our strongest for a while against some counties who are not putting out their best and we have to make them pay through the nose.  We must go into the second third of the season with points and pride in what we can do so that when we meet the full sides we beat them in the way we are supposed to and don't wax and wane because of a failing belief in ourselves.

I think Mark Turner will carry drinks tomorrow but I'm not worried if he doesn't.  Trigger will probably play because of worries over the length of the tail. If Turner impressed with his four wickets in the University match and gets onto the pitch then it is because the selectors believe we have the batting up front and the experience in the bowling to allow us to give him his head.  That too will be a good sign.

It's been a while since I personally didn't go into the first match of a new season just hoping we wouldn't fall over embarrasingly.  I expect to win this game.  I expect to show detractors who think our bowling 'fragile' and our batting 'not deep enough' the results at the end of May and ask them to eat their own words. 

This side is strong.

This side can beat the best in this division.

This side can destroy opposition that faces us when it is off it's game.

This side can win and win convincingly.

This side should not be afraid of anything the LVCC2 can put in front of it at home or away.

This side should throw the gauntlet down to every other county and say "Come with what you've got and take us on".

All you have to do Justin is get it into their heads and give them some early points and we may very well be away for the season of the decade!! 

Match comment to come and no humble pie expected to be eaten boys so don't turn me into a liar this early in the season!! 

Day 1

No Turner in the opening line-up as expected but good experience for the player and a vote of early confidence in his ability to boot.  Middlesex have chosen to bat after winning the toss and on a fresh and sunny day they are off the mark with 6 off Caddick's first over. 2007 is underway.  It keeps looking good through the first session as well.  Caddick's first spell is excellent and Willoughby is straight on the money - good sign for the season if ever there was one.  What is more it doesn't fall apart when the first change comes.  Steffan Jones has Hutton LBW in his second over wiith 39 on the board and Trego bowls 5 overs in succession without conceding a run to start his Championship season.  At lunch we already have Shah at the crease and they've managed a mere 2 an over.

The mid session of the day continues in largely the same format.  There's a lot of oohhing and ahhing as Somerset have little luck and the umpires keep their fingers firmly in their pockets.  Spin is introduced and both Blackwell and White get to bowl a few and it is IB who makes the breakthrough when he Compton caught behind.  However, although the rate hasn't moved up much they now have 170 on the board and the two real dangermen in Shah and Smith at the crease.  Shah also has his eye in and starts to show why he ought to be looking at a plane trip home fromthe World Cup rather than the prospect of his first season 100 against Somerset at Taunton.  We know if we get past these two there is a chance of a real breakthrough.  They know it too and are determined not to offer anything. There are still shouts and the bowling remains tight but the score continues to accumulate and the rate moves upwards, inching towards a mighty 3 and over.  Tea comes and goes, Langer turns to a fifth seamer in Hildreth but all that happens is that it cuts some of the reins on Shah and JH  goes for 9 off his three over stint.  The eventual wicket comes from Shah, who manages to run out Smith as he backs up with the score on 347 and what started as a real press to keep the batsmen down has turned into a solid batting performance, chances or no chances.  The pendulum has swung and Middlesex will go into tomorrow feeling that the pressure is on the home side to get quick early wickets or be looking down a 500+ first innings deficit.

The bowlers all stuck to their tasks well.  They had no rub of the green, possible catches fell agonisingly close, right up until the last over there seemed to be a feeling, especially from a certain Mr Jones that both the men in white coats had forgotten it was possible to be out LBW (or had forgotten the law and were going to look it up at the end of play so they would be ready for our innings).  But they didn't get the visitors out and they'll have to rethink the plan for tomorrow.

They have however developed new fielding techniques.  Peter Trego has perfected and excellent 'groin stop' to save fours.  Rather than use the one knee method of ensuring your body is behind the ball, he has decided that as the top of his trousers contains a 'boxed' area he might as well use that!!  Didn't seem to work completely but he had taken the precaution of sending Tractor scuttling off to get some iced water just beforehand so help was 'on hand' when he miscalculated and nearly split his difference!!

Excellent batting from Owais Shah, 160 solid dependable runs.  We have to get among them tomorrow morning..simple as that.

Day 2 into 3 Oh Ye of little faith!

Yes accepted. We didn't get them out cheaply! 600 for 4 declared was not part of the plan. It was, however, something of a par score around the country looking at the first innings scores at the close of play but there has been no indications with this side that justified the singular lack of faith that we could match it shown on the forum the moment they passed 400!

As predicted, Marcus Trescothick with Neil Edwards but the younger man couldn't reproduce his double hundred and became Middlesex victim number 1 when he was caught by Richards off Silverwood for 9. Justin was therefore in early and had a job to do. He started to do it and when MT went for 70, he was set and ready to move. In came the perfect foil in James Hildreth who loves batting with Aussies in full flow.

As I head towards Taunton from London just after lunch on Day 3, Somerset are 361 for 2 with the captain moving towards his 150 with 146 and his young partner having just passed a ton on 116. More from the game later.

And when I get there I watch another piece of Somerset history as we pass the 'Sex's measly total and move into a commanding lead of 83 with a whole day to go.  The man of the season so far?  Mr Justin Langer who motored past 200 before I got there (about 3:30), and then past 250 off 342 balls 3 short of the Middlesex first innings total before clocking up his second triple century for the same side (only man in history) while passing the best score against Middlesex by a Somerset player which has stood since the 1940's AND he's also scored CONSECUTIVE Championship triples for us in ONLY 3 Championship matches for the county.

It's an OK record I suppose.  Add to that a first centry for James Hildreth, another one for Cameron White in his first visit to the crease and it's been a bit of a day!  No-one looked in any real difficulty.  Blackie hit his wicket away trying to clear the boundary and White  lost his giving the charge and losing his stumps to the wicket-keeper.  The Middlesex bowlers kept at it all day but it must be soul destroying when it's like this...nothing passes the bat, nothing moves or bounces, everything is predictable and for once the Somerset boys put them all away.

But Langer was magnificent...let's hope it stays that way.

Tomorrow?  Belt it about for 90 minutes and get them in trying to get over 200.  It will peter into a big scoring draw but we have the chance to win it...they haven't got a hope.  It seems the game was offered and politely turned down...very few will give us a target on this ground in this form I'm afraid.  Maximum batting points and the draw will probably be the first game's result but we've had worse starts!

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