v Hampshire CC1 @ Taunton 7 May 2008

Scorecard

Hampshire are on their third keeper this morning with Pothas and his replacement both injured.  We've allowed them to use their second team keeper - very magnanimous of us.  Let's hope that's the last thing we allow them on Day 3.  We need 500 on the board or a load of weather instead!!

So we've had....

Day 1 Morning the Tomlinson Spell from Hell

(Thanks to "Empics" and Mike for the photos)

 The man who found his 'Golden Arm"

He found himself taking wickets at will as he powered through Somerset's great and good and reduced us to 126 all out!

Ian was just one of many  

and ohhh how they enjoyed it all.  He had a really good day

Day 1 Afternoon - A bit of Somerset Hope

Then.....Kev adds Kapow

  Then he gets started

Day 2/3 Somerset come out fighting

These two get their big bats out and start the comeback

 MT smacks a ton

But Justin smacks 150 plus

While Zander follows through to a possible third one...

326 ahead....1 DAY to go!!

Saturday

The question of when the declaration will come continues for the first hour of the morning as Zander de Bruyn moves towards what seems like the inevitable ton but at 633 he misses one in front and falls short by 2 runs.  400 ahead and no call.  Craig Kieswetter comes to join Peter Trego who is looking for his first hundred of the season.  It looks like they've been told to move it along and he's certainly up for it as he moves to 84 and takes his side past 650.  Langer calls them in at 654 with 421 needed to win and 82 overs to win it in.

Going to be an interesting afternoon.

But it starts in the morning BEFORE lunch as Brown and Adams face the might of the Somerset bowling fraternity.  They proceed to smack 11 off the first three from Willoughby and Phillips and mumbles about generous declarations and worrying signs start to reverberate about the place.  So Langer does a bit of re-jigging bringing Trego on at the River and moving Charl to the OP.  Hampshire manage to add another 10 in the next 7 overs and finally go under 400 to win in the 11th.  Presently with 10 minutes to go of the morning spell we have Blackwell turning his arm over at the  River end, 25 off the grand total and four men around Brown's bat.  Ian's giving it some air and saying "Ahh go on Bruno Have a go".

Surprise surprise, Michael Munday is coming on at the OP as well  so Mr Adams is being given the same opportunity. MM gets some turn and he has Adams flailing both sides of the wicket.  We now have  a silly mid-on, keeper, first slip and leg slip within inches of the Hampshire man.  They are not having a happy time out there.

31 for 0 at lunch.  67 overs for the last two sessions.  The wicket is taking spin and Hampshire may be at least one batsman down.  They aren't going for it so we have to win it rather than waiting for them to throw it away.  The question is whether this afternoon will be mind numbing boredom or glorious bedlam. Too early to tell but we could do with a nice early breakthrough about 2:00.

Session 2

Langer opens up after lunch with Willoughby and Trego but we all expect the spinners to be on in the near future because they will win this one if anyone does. At the end of the 20th with Charl going past the bat the conversation turns to whether the declaration was too defensive and whether the spinners should already be on...On comes Ian Blackwell at the River for the 21st over.  The Hampshire batsmen have no interest at all in going for the total.  They will happily leave anything seaming outside off and there isn't enough in the air or on the ground for the fast bowlers to get 10 wickets in 63 overs.  However, the situation is perfectly set up for a lesson in spin bowling, it's warm and there are enough runs available to tempt the batsman.  But for the moment Charl is asking questions although the early breakthrough is looking unlikely as the visitors move towards 50.

As Adams takes them past that milestone we miss our first chance at Hampshire 'blood' as Craig K misses a stumping oportunity off Blackwell.  But there is still hope as his spin parter Mike Munday takes over from the South African lefty at the OP end for the 26th.  This could be a long long spell for both the slow men. The alternative is an early bath at about 5:00.  I have to say I expect the early end as the most likely result given the present postion.  The bowlers are both giving it loads of air but the visitors are chancing their arm with absolutely nothing and playing most deliveries in a confident manner.

The situation 'wanders' on towards 3:00.  The run rate must be miniscule, the chances are as rare as hen's teeth, Adams got one wrong and there was a very difficult close chance to Neil Edwards which would have been a miracle catch.  We have 43 overs left and 93 on the total section of the scoreboard.  Zander de Bruyn has replaced MM at the OP ( a statement in itself) and it's all drifiting 'drawards'. No wickets down, no prospect of wickets falling.

And then one falls. Just before tea, as they are moving towards 100 we finally get through as Adams goes to Munday who has twirled away for quite a while now.  It's 99 for 1 and Crawley strides out to do battle.  100 arrives not long after. Brown gets his 50 - commendable with an injury - off 156 balls!! Tea and another debate about the declaration.  Sorry, in these conditions a draw is what we should be happy with - and what we would have taken with gratitude at 6:00 on Day 1 I think.

Justin turns to his 'secret' weapon after tea (the secret of it passes a number of supporters by as well as the opposition) as he throws the Old Pavilion ball to his 'Changmeister' Mr James Hildreth.  I have to tell you though at 4:15 and in the 56th over that the plan hasn't worked.  Brown is on 71, Crawley has 8, Hampshire have 142 for 1, we have 27 overs to get them out, they have 27 overs to get another 280 and no-one has a cat in hells chance of seeing a win at Taunton today.

Brown reaches his hundred before the close of play off 231 balls.  Good knock to see his county home and especially with a dislocated finger (at least I think that was the injury that stopped him keeping yesterday).  Hampshire should pass 200.  They are presently 196 off 66 overs with about 10 minutes to go.

But there are still a couple of surprises as Justin bowls himself in the 68th and then invites Neil Edwards to turn his arm over for the last over of the game.  Neil is quite pacey really and the ball comes from a great height.  He therefore must have been "unpleased" to say the least when Kieswetter capped of a pretty unremarkable game behind the stumps by dropping the batsman off the penultimate ball.  Craig didn't have a great game with the gloves and although it didn't actaully make any greatl difference in the end, sharper keeping has to be part of his game because it certainly won't always be the case.

So 7 points and on to the car park tomorrow for a one day game against the Bristolians.  News is that we will field this side with two changes.  Neil Edwards and Mike Munday will step down and Alfonso Thomas and Steffan Jones will step up.  Let us know how it's going if you're there.  I'll be following along with the Somerset Sound listeners because this is a match you can guarantee they'll report on for the whole game.....unless Forest Green Rovers haven't finished their season or there's a really interesting kick about in a park somewhere to take their attention away.

Night one and all from the County Ground.

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