Home game!

v Glamorgan FPTrophy (South) @ Taunton Sunday 22 April 2007

Scorecard

Keiswetter is going to start in the one dayer it seems and they've drafted in Turner, Parsons, Durston and Suppiah as well  - and as predicted .  Neil Edwards and Sam Spurway have been left out and the rrest of the squad is as the Middlesex game.  Will Craig 'pinch hit'?  I doubt it - why bother when you can open with Marcus and Justin?

Updates from the game as and when.  It starts at 10:45 so I'll try and get a first one on before 12:00.  A bit cloudy here - 15 miles towards Minehead but it doesn't feeel like rain.  Big crowd expected, especially after the pyrotechnics of last week.  I'll see you down there if you are and keep you posted if you're not.

And while you are waiting.  Did anyone see that amazing catch by Collingwood in the game yesterday??

Glamorgan won the toss and put us in. The side includes Keiswetter, Parsons and Trego but no Willoughby. We start at the run and when I arrive, MT and JL are just coming up to 50 off 5 and a half. Loking good, except that Justin then 'snicks' one (he doesn't walk and the umpire takes and age to give him) 50 for 1 with the skipper gone for 19.

They have Simin Jones bowling and we have Steffan Jones in our side so it's all a bit Welsh. Nevertheless, Marcus still thinks he's playing in an England line-up and tries to put one into orbit with absolutely no reason to. Croft pouches the catch and we have Hildreth in with White at 60. Normality has resumed by the 10th and we have 70.

More later.

At 15 overs the run rate has stalled a bit but we have reached 93 and with the help of White we pass 100 1 ball into the 16th. Hildreth and Cameron start to reset and pass the 50 partnership as we go past 110. It is spitting with rain but its not enough to bring them off and Alex Wharfe is having a go at tryinig to depress the rate. We're still making 6 an over at 20 but it's decreasing rather than increasing.

Cameron White passes 50 at 147 with a bit of sharp fielding versus a bit of sharp running follwed by Hildreth pulling a mighty 6 to Barnicotts to bring up the 150. Then the wheels come off. If the wicket doesn't give you something then wait for the batsmen to throw them away! Hildreth smacks the next ball to Elliott (remember him) at midwicket and leaves with 42 to welcome in Ian Blackwell.

Now this should be the stage for these two. 25 overs to go and White and Blackwell at the wicket with over 150 on the board. Well it should be but White is well caught by Wharfe at 166 and Parsons snicks at 167. Peter Trego looks ready for it but gives it away caught in the deep at 175. 147 for 2 turns into 175 for 6 and Keiswetter gets a real chance to be the one day keeper for the year!

Will we make 50 overs? Who knows.

Simon Jones finishes on 56 for 3 off his 10 - looks good for the summer but the visitors's fielding leaves a lot to be desired. Picture the scene of two fielders swooping in to cover the boundary and then leaving it for each other. 10 overs to go and Blackwell set with Keiswetter with 40 to his name. Why oh why then does he try and clear the CA boundary and get caught in the deep on 222? The objective was for him to take Craig through and put 100 on the score but instead Steffan Jones walks out 78 short of the necessary 300 to partner our debutant.

Keiswetter sets his store out with a 6 to the River stand and Steff put one into the 'shop' area in the next over...promising!

The boys take it past 250 in the 45th but Jonah is swinging at Wharfe and we are worried until he puts himover the sho again! Then he gets caught in the Brewhouse area...off a no ball! It's 266 at the end of the 46th...well it was until the umpires remember the no ball when the crowd remind them and Keiswetter strokes the last ball for 4. 470 up. CK goes to an excellent 46 ball 50 in the middle of the next - this guy is in if he can keep at all. Good shot selection, good footwork, impressive improvisation - looks good.

492 at the end of the 48th and Steffan is bowled with the first ball of the 49th But Caddick gets us past 300 with the young man and he pushes the ball to the boundary more than once to finish on 310 with Caddy run out off the last ball. Then he walks off to applause. Excellent innings. Now it depends on the bowling!

Caddick and Trego open against Elliott and Payne and we want to see the back of the Aussie as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Caddy starts with an over with wides in it and Elliott takes a liking to Trigger. To sounds of 'take him off' from the loyal Somerset faithful, Peter answers the only way he can by removing Elliott LBW with the score on 19. He then delivers Wharfe, courtesy of a stunning catch from the keeper with the score on 38 and then Payne with only one more scored before bowling a maiden and helping to restrict them to 39 off 10.

The 50 arrives at 12.1 before Jonah takes over at the River with 15 gone and 74 runs scored. The next over Mark Turner makes his debut and scares the living daylights out of the Dragons as he doesn't quite look as fast as he is, "short and explosive" is pretty good way of describing him. He certainly doesn't disgrace himself with 3 off his first.

Glamorgan go to 100 by the end of the 19th and are presently 112 with 23 down. Turner is certainy making them think and we haven't seen the slows yet. Although as I type this Ian Blackwell is coming on at the River.

At the halfway point and with 129 on the board, Glamorgan had it all to do but we have lost games from here before...and we've lost them to Glamorgan! Langer is rotating his bowlers and we used 7. Keith Parsons is the next one in the 27th and is witness to Hemp and Powell's 100 partnership during his first 6 balls. Powell looks dangerous as he sixes KP so the captain puts on a change bowler, James Hildreth and Hemp goes first ball caught behind! Hilda keeps doing this. 145 for 4.

 

Although the Welsh pass 150, the press is on with Ian Blackwell back on at the River and they struggle to reach 167 by the 34th.

Nevertheless, Croft is in and Powell is set. 127 off 15 is within their grasp so Justin brings the pace back with Steffan on at the River and an inspired bit of rotation at the Old Pavilion when he brings back Turner who completely foxes Powell with the pace after so much medium pace. The captain misjudges and flops the ball up. 191 for 5.

With his tail up, Mark welcomes Wallis with a real "hello" ball which the Glamorgan batsman does well not to glove it to Keiswetter.

Our close fielding was just too good today. James Hildreth is inspired on the Brewhouse boundary and that keeps the run rate rising and increases the pressure on the batsmen. This results in Wallis trying to scoop Trego over White but he doesn't and we have them at 232 for 6 needing 79 off 8.

Langer re-introduces Caddick at the OP and we enjoy the fast bowlers trade mark of a stump flying out of the ground first ball!! Goodbye Wright and we have removed both the set batsmen. Caddy finishes with 10 overs 1 maiden 454 for 1. Peter Trego then finishes a really good pereformance with 10 for 45 but with 4 wickets (and they wanted him off after 8 balls!)

Davies tries to push it on and loses his wicket also scooping it to White. Jones is aggressive and they have enough faith in Turner to let him finish his stint. Don't let the figures fool you. Except for a bit of inexperience trying to bounce Crofty and getting murdered four times in an over for it, he bowled very well. Pace and straightness is just what we want and he realy surprised more than one experienced county pro!

They try but the run rate just climbs and climbs and eventually they need 32 off 6 balls. Jonah isn't going to give that amount away and finally goes for only 7 and they finish on 287.

We win and we win well. No Willoughby but the replacements did well. I won't be surprised if Keiswetter is in the Leicester championship side. Peter Trego wants a place, Mark Turner is a real prospect. We were professional and we were a unit. The outfileding was markedly improved. The body language meant business and we were just too good for the Welsh. Satisfying as it is to say it, we still need to keep it coming.

Impressive start. We go on like this and we could win something!!

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