v Leicestershire LVCC2 @ Grace Road Wednesday 25 April 2007

Scorecard

It is vital that we make our mark away from home in the longer game.  As many have already said on the forum, home games are more likley to be high scoring draws than wins, at least in the first third of the season so our away form has to be good because that's where the points for a high Championship place will be gained.  A couple of questions have been answered by the squad announced on the official website overnight.

The squad of 13 is;

Trescothick, Edwards, Langer, White, Hildreth, Blackwell, Trego, Spurway, Jones, Caddick, Willoughby, Munday , Turner

If everyone is fit and Charl isn't simply travelling to 'bond' then the one space that seems to be up for grabs is between Trego, Turner and Munday.  It is a very interesting choice of players.  It's good to see Michael appearing in a Championship squad early and if they are taking him they must be at least considering playing him if the pitch suggests it will take spin later in the game.  Mark Turner  is there because of the problems he gave the Glamorgan batsmen on Sunday and we may as well utilise his shock value around the curcuit before the word gets about that we have a pace weapon and you ignore it at your peril!  Peter is there on merit after the four wickets on Sunday but may miss out if the selectors decide that the batting line-up is strong enough and we can afford to extend the tail and give one of the younger guys a go.

One would expect caution to win out in the end.  Marcus and Neil will open, Justin will be followed by Cameron, James and Ian but then there is a questions but I expect Peter to be included.  Sam takes the gloves for the time being but needs a good performance to keep out Keiswetter who will no doubt take the position against Sussex on Sunday and put more pressure on the young keeper (hopefully).  Steffan, Andy and Charl would be my expectation with Mark replacing CW if his absence on Sunday was injury related and the niggle is still there or Mike taking the place if there is a suggestion of a spinner having something on what someone described as a "seamer's pudding" on one of the forum threads.

The weather suggests no early appearance for Mr Munday so it will be pace versus experience for the one place that should be up for grabs.  I'd love to see Turner start but how can you drop Trigger when he's answered all his critics so well in the past two weeks.  What a position to be in...and Ben Phillips still to put into the mix!! Things are looking up.  Day 1 comment to follow.

Day 1

We won the toss and batted first and then promptly collapsed to 71 for 5 with only Trescothick standing firm as Masters took the first three for under 50 and Singh dispatched 2 more with the score on 71.  Peter Trego helped Banger steady the ship before our opener went at 165 for 77.  Mr Jones popped in to show us what he had learned in the batting schools of Northampton and Derby.  He needed to because Trigger made a half ton and then left the scene leaving the Welshman with the tail and only 182 on the board.  Spurway hung around to let Jonah settle but as soon as we passed 200 so the young keeper passed away without adding to the score himself.  It was ominous though that in that time Jones had added 18 at about a run a ball. 

200 up on the first day and our lauded batting line-up gone.  A score of 250 looked unlikely as Caddick came out with 8 gone.  Unfortunately, no-one had mentioned the perilous situation to Jonah who proceeded to score at about a run a ball while his Vice captain pummelled as much as he could and gave his partner the strike whenever possible.  About 2 hours later, Caddick went for four runs past 50 and Jones 4 runs over the ton including 13 fours and 3 sixes!  347 for 9 looked sooo much better.  The tail had truly wagged and we finished with 357 when Jonah went for a storming 114 leaving Willoughby on 4.  Excellent rear guard action but worrying that we had to do it.

The Foxes reached 58 by the end of the day but they had also lost Muanders Ackerman and Sadler to the left arm swing of Charl Willoughby in his first game.  Welcome back CW!!

Day 2

The heroics of the laast hour of Day 1 did not continue and although Willoughby got Masters before they reache 90, Robinson had set up camp and Leicestershire established a middle order revival.  A Hundred to Robinson and three plus 50 scores from the middle made our job much harder and it wasn't until Willoughby took his 5th (Amjad) at 378 that we got among them.  Pete Trego made his presence felt by removing the back end of New, Singh and Henderson for no more than 7 runs and they were all out for 385 with Trigger taking 4 for 72 to CW's 5 for 97 while Ian Blackwell took the other one.  No wickets for Jonesey to go with his batting heroics was a little worrying.  By the end of the day the openers had pulled us to only 10 runs in defecit without loss.  Halfway through and all square with everything to play for!   

Day 3

8 more added and it was goodbye Mr Trescothick. No second innings fireworks from the Keynsham man.  So we had to rely on the other two of the front three.  They hadn't done a lot in the first run out so they needed to put their names in the frame.  And they did.  By the time Langer (92) was dimissed by Singh, we had passed 200 and although Hildreth didn't stay long (9) Edwards had put his name to 79 when he went at 234.

The job wasn't over however so Cameron White looked to farm the strike from the second half of the order and although it didn't fire like it had in the first innings (Blackwell was highest score with 29), they did stay around while the Aussie went past 50 and when he went next to last for 69, we had 375 on the scoreboard.  Caddick went one run later and a score of 376 left the opposition a fairly possible 367 to win woth a day and a session to get it in.  This time the front end had fired but the base hadn't been built on by the middle order!

We needed early inroads into their line-up and Andrew seems to have deicded that he needed to show Charl a thing or two!  Caddick  had them 2 down for 35 with both openers back in the hutch and then langer turned to his spinners who both pouched a wicket before stumps.  Leicestershire finished the day at 56 for 4.

Day 4

Some hope in the Somerset ranks on the start of the last day.  The home side must have thought they had a chance but it was going to be a long haul.  They couldn't afford to lose any early wickets so when Trego removed Allenby with 71 up, they must have decided to set up shop and defend for the draw.  Nice idea but White removed Sadler without an increase to the score and the downward spiral was set.  Trigger  showed his ability to remove the tail once more with Amjad at 77, Masters at 116 and Singh clean bowled at 122.  White delivered the coup de gras to New at 150 and we had won with almost two sessions to go!!

No wickets for Jones who, on his own admittance, had only played because Turner wasn't deemed fully fit in the morning of Day 1.  But would we have been in the position to win it had he not played and batted so destructively in the first innings?  Charl is back and firing!  But the revelation is Pete Trego, who can clear the tail at the moment (a job we expected Jonah to do).  Good performances from all three of the front end of the batting but not at the same time.  The middle needs to put some metal in it's performances excluding the good allround performance of Cameron.

Next game?  Turner for Jones?  Debut for Keiswetter?  Both are on the cards.

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