v Sussex (CC1) @ Taunton Wednesday 14 May 2008

Scorecard

The weather plays another part in Somerset's attempts to make a play for a significant impact on their return to the County Championship big league.  After being foiled in a competitive game at Old Trafford and losing out to the elements in their game against Hampshire at home, they are once more facing the need to bowl a side out before the heaven's open and put a stop to festivities!

Being put in by Sussex, we have to assume because the visitors hoped for the type of assistance Hampshire and especially their seamer Tomlinson found from an early damp Taunton wicket, Somerset amassed a huge 557 for 8 declared.  James Hildreth once more made us all wonder about the honours this young man may bring to the county with a brilliant 158 - the cornerstone. 

Despite being run out for 99 in a bizarre fashion,

Neil Edward's enforced absence because of family issues seems to have done him no cricketing harm and it was good to see him back in the big scores.  Marcus Trescothick weighed in with 76 along with middle size scores from the captain (44), de Bruyn (62) and Trego (41).

 Big Ton for JH

It was a big ask in between the rain showers but no-one expected much of a game with a very poor forecast for the second half of the game.  It proved to be patchy but there was more play than expected and Somerset made the most of their time on the field.

Removing Nash before there was a run on the board was a good start and though Yardy and Hopkinson looked more stable the bowlers stayed on task. A brace of wickets to Ben Phillips around the 100 mark, especially that of the very dangerous Goodwin for 0, brought some hope. In conjunction with Jones the attack took out 2 more middle order batsmen between 100 and 120; Hopkinson (112 Jones)and Prior (118 Phillips).

Although Adams, Wright and Martin-Jenkins tried to hold the seams together, the Somerset seamers kept finding gaps and the weather kept upsetting the rhythm.  Willoughby removed Wright and Trego capped off a good allround first innings performance by wrapping up 3 wickets of the tail.

No Heroics from Martin-Jenkins this time around

Lewry went for one but nearly went for less!! 

203 all out and following on but we'd lost over a day to the conditions and the forecast for the remaining 4 sessions was gloomy even if it stayed dry.

Day 4

The morning stayed dry although very overcast with little wind to move the cloud on and the threat of rain almost all the way through play.  Sussex started on 36 for 1.  Andy Caddick was seen bowling off a few paces just before hostilities commenced (he returned at lunch and gradually moved the length of the run up back but he isn't exactly 'steaming in' yet.

Yardy is being watched as an opener, although a number of people around the place were asking how he ever gets runs!!  His stance is extraordinary.  However he is still there and he all but opened as Nash faced 3 balls less than his first innings total of 4 before being caught in front off Willoughby again without a run on the board.

Yardy holds Somerset up before finally going for 78

The second innings almost followed the first entirely from there as runs were picked up where there were no risks and bowlers bent their backs for an early breakthrough.  When it did come it was at the same score as in the first innings 100. But ominously this time it was Hopkinson who went as Yardy passed 50.  Goodwin did not go early again (can't expect it twice in the same game from this man) and at lunch with 129 up for 2 the Sharks were not in too much trouble.  Other than a few Blackwell balls that seemed to confuse Yardy in particular, no bowler looks the cert for a wicket.  At 2:00 with 56 overs of the game to go it is dry but not bright and the draw is the most likely end product of this encounter.

Progress may be slow but it is made when Yardy's resistance is finally ended by Steffan Jones at one end and Marcus Trescothick at second slip.  155 for 3 brings the partnership to the wicket Somerset have to break quickly.  Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams.  But Goodwin goes to 50 off 99 balls (but with only 4 fours) and seems quite willing to accelerate the scoring rather than just plonk the ball around.  Accordingly in the 66th over sees the side from the south coast pass 200 off the bowling of Zander from the River and the bat of the said Mr Goodwin. 

And so to Tea with no more wickets and very few chances of one - a couple of slashes into fielderless parts of the ground and not a lot else.  By the break Sussex are 245 for 3 with Goodwin heading for a century and Adams nearly halfway there.  Ian Blackwell starts the last attempt at the Old Pavilion partnering Zander de Bruyn bowling from the River end but most of the crowd have given up the ghost and these final 30 overs are being played to about 300 spectators.

Ben Phillips takes the new ball in the 81st over at 258 to try and get rid of one of these two.  Goodwin must be under pressure needing 2 for his century but a misfield takes that pressure off as we gift him a second and he goes to the three figure mark off 169 balls with 10 boundaries.  One of the characteristics of this season in comparison with recent ones is that the outfiled is no longer lightening fast.  It seems that this is because the captain has asked for the grass to be kept longer than usual in order to protect the ball.  The spectator side of the ground has a huge boundary anyway but few balls are reaching it.  A final throw of the dice by Langer is to throw the ball to Charl for a last hurrah from the River.  Few people expect anything to happen and this game will fizzle out about 5:00 as Hampshire did last week in totally different conditions.

The problem at the moment is that we do not have enough variation without the change of pace of Turner and the extra bounce produced by Caddick.  Once good players are in we cannot surprise them enough unless the ball moves and the moment the swing has gone we need other skills that are presently not in the Somerset arsenal and won't be until the squad is fully fit again.

Inspired umpiring! Willey offers the light, everyone accepts it and at 4:45 the whole thing is finished, handshakes all around and 12 points to 7.  Could have been better, could have beed worse.

Tomorrow at 12 noon then - Worcestershire and some sun of heaven's sake!!

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