A star is bowled!
v Hampshire (FPT) @ The Rosebowl Friday 2 May 2008
Mascarenhas in India, no buses from the Rosebowl, no public parking because of waterlogged fields around the international cricket venue outside Southampton, no Caddick and Kevin Pietersen set to play. What else could be going on?
After talking about the difficulty of selection in the week, Brian Rose has managed to put together a 14 man squad for this game. In come the newbies from SA Zander de Bruyn and Alfonso Thomas they join;
Trescothick, Francis, Langer, Hildreth, Blackwell, Kieswetter, Durston, Trego, Phillips, Jones, Willoughby and Banks
No Munday so if it stays dry we may see Omari Banks for the first time - I think that might be doubtful. That may also be the same for Wes Durston and it would be no surprise if John Francis loses out to de Bruyn
So I'd expect the eleven to take the field to be;
Trescothick with Kieswetter, Langer, Hildreth, de Bruyn, Blackwell,Trego, Phillips, Jones, Thomas, Willoughby.
But that seems to give us a big tail and if that's the case then Durston may find his way back in at the expense of Jones? Will we gamble on the top 6 firing and go for a seam attack or add another batting spinner? 2:30 tomorrow will let us know the truth!!
If anyone is going to be there and wants to tell all the rest of us about it then send Grockles the text and we'll make you a star. After all, you're gong to have loads of time while trying to get to civilisation from the stadium anyway!!
The Game
Well a few surprises!! Justin Langer went down with a migraine just before the game and so we are led by Marcus with Zander de Bruyn playing along with John Francis. No place for Thomas yet and Durston did play, but more as a batsman than a bowler with Willoughby, Jones, Phillips and Trego offering the seam options, alongside the new boy from SA.
Wed woon the toss and decided to field. Again surprising because many believed that batting was the thing to do on a friendly pitch with late weather under lights a distinct possibility. Faith in our bowling capacity? Well it was something to understand the decision by anyway.
Lumb and Carberry opened for them again but this time it was Lumb who stood his ground as Carberry was first to go to Phillips

Blackie stops a Lumb boundary!!
Lumb worked with new man Crawley and put on 55 before he followed his partner at 92 to usher Kevin Pietersen to the crease. Interest from the photographers seems to have gone through the roof at this point.
55 and Out Mr Lumb
There's the good and the bad of our Kev of course.
A Pietersen 50!!
And big shots 

and big shots

and even the technical stuff occasionally!
And then there's the things we all like to see when he plays against us!!

KP nearly doesn't make it

and then he doesn't again as.....

Zander castles the great man!!
So we say goodbye to the great star after a 99 partnership with Crawley and the start of another with Ervine.
213 for 4 is pushed to 286 by the close thanks to another 50+ from the aforementioned and Benham.
The radio commentators thought this was a near to winning total. Then again they also thought we had SEVEN Kolpaks (must have been talking to Kentish Townie about the state of Somerset cricket!!)
No more photos I'm afraid. It seems they all popped off to the pub after Kevin had to leave the middle. So I have no pictorial record of the worry that developed after Ervine bowled the skipper with only 4 on the total. But Kieswetter and de Bruyn soon sorted that out and Ervine took some real hammer going for 88 off his 10. They put on 65 with the keeper making most of the running before he finally died at 46 c&b'd by Lamb.
Enter the Mighty Hildreth and the game was over and done!! James went off at one hell of a rate and 50 appeared off well over a run a ball. Zander continued to his first half ton and together they put on 159 before Zander went up the wicket for the first time and dropped one down the throat of Lumb. By then it was pretty much over. Bond had already retired and the Hawks were cobbling together a bowling attack on a batting wicket (and not doing a particularly good job of it). Pietersen looked rusty, Ervine has getting tap and only Lamb was doiing something.
Blackwell smacked 21 off 14 but got a bit carried away and went, caught on the boundary. Frank tried a reverse sweep before he was really in and the home side had a little 'frisson' of hope before Wes calmed things down and helped Hilda put this one away and complete the double over Hampshire.
Brilliant. Willoughby and Trego deserved a word for tight spells on an unfavourable wicket and the other seam bowlers shared the wickets while Blackie put in 7 for 38.
But this was the Hildreth show. 112 off 131 with 12 fours and 2 sixes. The majority of his runs came in the first 50 balls before he put the brakes on to make sure we won.
On to Taunton on Sunday and a date with the Welsh. You'll be amazed at how far the stand has gone since last time we were there.
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Quote:SP
Presumably because Banger, with his experience, considerable cricket knowledge, and JL and BR in close attendance, with the pitch there in front of him, knowing Hants' line-up and the weather conditions visible, decided it was the right thing to do!

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Quote:geordie moonraker
De Bruyn arrived in style...tell me is he pronounced 2 syllables as in Bear ?


