Any chance of this?
v Northants 20/20 @ Taunton Wednesday 11 June 2008
Somerset Sound are 'Ball by Balling' this one - link on the left hand side.
"Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend come inside come inside"
The side as advertised in a very early programme is as follows;
Trescothick, Keiswetter, Langer, Hildreth, Blackwell, de Bruyn, Phillips, Thomas, Jones, Trego, Willoughby
Charl will not play according to the official website so expect to either see Wes Durston or Omari Banks (perhaps?). The site is also promoting the return of Mark Turner so who will make way for him? Anyway I'll update when I get more info...assuming the Wi-Fi holds up. If not Phil Tottle will be on the radio from 5:30 - comisserations on the sad news Phil but welcome back.
Somerset won the toss and have chosen to bowl first. For those of you who have a huge interest in this type of thing.....the kit is the SAME for the 20/20 event. Durston is in for de Bruyn. Banks is in for Phillips and Turner is in for Willoughby. Not that much of a surprise and we finally see Omari play a "first class game" in anger.
O'Brian and White are opening for Northants and Thomas is taking the new ball from the OP end. His first two go past the bat but the third goes into the graveyard as White gets his measure. A slow ball nearly fools him at the end of the over as Alfonso goes for 12. Mark Turner is first on at the other end. He immediately generates loadsa pace and Nothants move to 19 after 2. Turner looks really good.
O'Brien smacks one to the boundary from "Fonzies" first ball of the third. Unfortunately it doesn't get there as Jones flies through the air and takes an excellent catch to send him on his way for 10. 19 for 1 but the Botham is still sparsely populated and the green scoreboard seats are only half covered with bottoms. There are tickets available for these matches I tell thee!! Thomas is bowling to a larger off field and he gets murdered in the rest of the over with two fours to the LEG boundary and a straight six over his head. Welcome to Twenty20 Alfonso! 36 in 3 and 17 off that one. Probably won't get another one.
Turner is varying his run up but full balls are going to the boards and White sends his second and third that way. But he gets himself back on track and they don't pass 50 yet. On comes Jones at the OP as Thomas is not allowed to add to his 29 off two.
But very little changes as half volleys are punished and slow balls get flying lessons. by the end of his first Northants are on 62 and Jonah may not get another one. It's all a but loose and batting fodder I'm afraid. Mark comes in off the short run and White swings the bat but the ball goes straight to Thomas in the deep and it's 63 for 2 with White clocking up a very rapid 45 (20 balls 6 fours and 3 sixes). At the end of the 6th four byes take the visitors to 72.
One run off the 7th from Jonah and Blackwell on for the 8th calms it down a bit. Only 77 by the 8th and on comes Banks at the OP. He nearly gets a wicket from his first (ful toss) as Sales tries to go over the top and only just gets it past Trescothick's fingertips (not all of them even) he finishes by going past Sales' bat and a fair 5 runs conceded. At the halfway mark, the ground is still not bursting at the seams and they have 87.
Part Two starts with Banks to Hall and a boundary off the first but we keep them below 100 (by one). However, a 'smack me hard' ball from Ian Blackwell gives Hall the chance to bring it up with a six into the new stand followed by a flurry of boundaries adn 113 at the end of the 12th - not great up until now. Omari continues the trend by bieng hammered over the OP with the first ball of the 13th. The third of the over is even worse (can it be?) one that plops halfway down the strip and pops up to be murdered.127 after 13 with 13 off the over.
Thomas changes ends for the 14th and Hall goes to a 30 ball 50 with 5 fours and 2 sixes. The opposition look in no bother at all and Langer may be rueing the decision to rest all three of his main seamers. Phillips was probably a bowler too far. However this is a better over from Al with only 7 off it. Steff is back on at the OP and puts in another good over. 141 at 15 - 200 on?
Justin is keeping them guessing as Blackwell replaces Thomas for 16. It works for a while but a six off the 3rd keeps the score ticking. BUT before they get to 150 Ian gets Hall for 54. He tried to swat it and is stumped. 148 for 3. But that just brings Klusener out although he doesn't do any real damage for the rest of the 16th.
Wes is on for the 17th and the 150 comes up off his first. It doesn't get better as he goes for 10 off the next 2. 16 off the next 3, 22 off the next 4....and a single off the last one. "Fed him to the Lions" is the decision here. Sales is happy! Wes is most certainly not! 173 off 17.
Turner returns at the OP and some level of sanity is re-applied 179 with 12 balls to go and the double hundred is still on as Jonah is bowled out. Sales takes them into the 190's with another six into the graveyard. Klusener tries the same thing and provides a steepling chance to Marcus who doesn't get under it and fails to keep the ball in his hands. They make us pay and move to 197 with 6 balls to go. It's left to the man who started to finish. Thomas from the River.
Ball 1 - single. Ball 2 - single. Ball 3 - single (20o up for Northants). Ball 4 - dot ball. Ball 5 - wicket to Jones on the midwicket boundary bye bye Klusener. Ball 6 - single - really good pressure over. 201 for 4.
The Reply
Justin joins Marcus to start the reply and MT hits the second ball for four to show his intent. After 2 overs we are 23 up and even though Banger should have been run out third ball they are looking like they mean business. Especially Trescothick who has blasted his way to 23 of 31 at the end of the third - on track at the moment. The light is failing but the runs keep coming as Marcus moves into the 30's and we move into the 40's. As the 50 drops below Banger's bat he sixes Louw and goes to 42 himself. He follows that with a second six in the fifth over. He goes to 50 with 4, 6, 6, 4. A 50 off 20 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes!! Justin has 5 and Marcus takes us to 66 with another 4 as we finish the 5th with a dot.
Langer tries to get in on the act by flatbatting a four over the infield. Nearly doesn' make it but gets his first boundary and goes into double figures in the 6th and finishes the over in style with a much classier boundary. They fight back by putting Klusener on at the OP and he keeps us in check until a classy shot from the skipper opens up the field. But a much better over for the visitors. The moment Trescothick gets back on strike he's flipping the South African for six into the new stand. 90 for 0 after 7.
Boje is the first spinner we see but Langer's response is all too familiar as it bounces into the boards off a reverse sweep. 99 at the end of the over and we are on track still!! Don't get your hopes up yet though. Brown comes on at the OP to try and stop the rot and the captan takes the single to bring up the 100 off his first.
Marcus mistimes one from Jason at 104 and is caught in the infield by Sales for 69 with the last bal of the 9th. Trego is next man in - seeing him earlier - let's see what he can do. 107 at 10 and it's calmed down considerably as the Northants spinners put the brakes on while Pete gets his eye in (hopefully). The light is getting much worse - we'd probably be off in any other game.
Trigger smacks a six to the Botham to take the score to 123 halfway through the 12th and that is how it stays at the end of the 12th. Langer gives Brown the charge at the start of the 13th and is bowled. If you charge JL hit the flaming thing!! In comes Blackwell at 123 for 2.
By the end of the 14th it is not as certain. They were ahead of us by 9. We have 132 but a full toss to Blackwell changes that slightly as he puts it into the Brewhouse car park. They are taking the singles but the boundaries are not coming as thick or as fast...except for Trego's six over the OP of course which takes us to 146. It's 147 at 15 and we need 55 off the last 5. Ahead of what the visitors had but there was a huge over against Durston in their score.
Very dark and it does for Blackwell who miscalculates one and is LBW at 148. In comes Hildreth. Boje bowls him first ball 148 for 4 and the game is moving away from us. Justin now sends in Durston!! (Why not Craig?).
148 for 4 at the end of the 16th. 54 off 4 Boje's over counted for 2 wickets for 1 run...not exactly a Durston one!! Hall bowls the 17th to Trego to start with. The light isn't going to change and they are finding the boundary very hard to find (or see even). Wes is playing forward defensive strokes and scuttling ones when we need fours and lots of twos. Wes does't stay long though as Trego hits one to long off and Wes is run out as Klusener whips the ball to Hall. Omari arrives ahead of Kieswetter (Why?) as we go past 150 needing a lot of runs with not a lot of balls. 50 off 3!! To say we have lost our way is a major under statement!!
Bookmark or share this story with:
Related Articles:



Quote:doc hennessy
Squad is announced : Trescothick, Langer, Hildreth, De Bruyn , Keiswetter,Durston, Thomas , Phillips, Jones, Turner, Banks, Trego (batsman only, if he plays). No Francis, Munday, Edwards or Gazzard.
Surely Wes must play, and I would have thought Arul might have had a chance too.
4-prong seamer attack...hmmm.





Quote:BristolRob
I hope your wife doesn't think you're second rate in any department.

