v Kent LVCC1 @ Taunton Wednesday 16 July 2008

Scorecard

It was 2002 when we last faced Kent in the Championship at Taunton.  Jamie Cox was captain and some bloke called Wood and some bloke called Blackwell starred for us.  Different side, different game today but important in the general scheme of things

We go in "seam heavy" without Caddick once again but Langer has compensated by picking nearly everyone else who bowls;

Trescothick, Langer, de Bruyn, Hildreth, Trego, Blackwell, Kieswetter, Phillips, Jones, Thomas and Willoughby 

are the men on the field today but the bowlers will have to wait after Kent in explicably put us in!

Marcus and Justin say thanks very much and prompt Kent to change their bowlers 5 times in the first 12 overs as they smash their way to the first hundred in about that amount of balls.  Trescothick reaches 58 off 78 before he goes to Saggers wth the score on 109.  His skipper is a little less certain but hits his half ton off less balls (57) before he pops back to the dressing room at 113 courtesy of Joseph.

de Bruyn is at number 3 at the expense of Neil Edwards who has been benched for this game and after his ton at Chester-le-Street he is expected to set up at one end while Hildreth pushes the score on at the other.  Doesn't go to plan though because James continues his poor spell going cheaply to Saggers caught behind for a mere 4.

It's 136 at lunch with Peter Trego coming in further up the order than we have seen him before and in front of Blackwell.  They seem to be happy with their lot though as by the 34th over the pair have moved the score on to 170 with Trigger playing the 'shotmaker' role. This prompts the arrival of Tredwell at the OP end for the 38th as Kent revert to spin, nothing else seems to be worrying anyone.

Peter takes a shine to Mr Tredwell, depositing hi twice into the OP for 6 as he moves towards an aggressive 50 off 54 balls.  Zander is doing what he does very effecti vely at the other end sending Saggers and Joseph scurrying after perfectly timed shots to the graveyard for 4 and hitting beautifully clean drives straight back past the bowler. The 200 comes and goes as the two of them start to motor once again, large amounts of runs coming off every bowler with no-one standing out as a possible wicket taker.

Eventually, Trego hits one slightly in from the boundary and the fielder coming in just gets his hands under it...or doesn't in the opinion of the batsman.  Pete stands there for what seems like a hell of a long time before he walks as the unpire confirms that he thought the ball carried.  244 for 4 and a slighter Ian Blackwell strides out to take his place.  de Bruyn is in very good form and continues to accumulate while IB gets his eye in and they put 50 on before Zander tries to drop his hands to one from Saggers that rearsa a bit and he is caught behind for a very good 81 off 128 balls with 10 fours and a six.  he seems to have got this English domestic cricket sussed and he scored quickly as well.

By Tea we have 314 having started the session on 136.  They belted along a bit.  kent must be wondering whether the decision to field was actualy the best one they could have made...or just sheer lunacy!!  Craig Kieswetter and Blackwell will be out after Tea and hopefully the Kentish nightmare will continue.

It's a little darker and more overcast in the third session but it doesn't stop the Somerset men continuing to put the runs on.  At 369, Ian becomes another passing 50 off 69 balls with 6 fours and a six..it is looking a little more worrying for Key and the Kentmen because he is starting to put bat to ball with alarming regularity and some not too shabby power.  Meanwhile his wicketkeeper partner is playing the solid role but has moved to 33 despite that.

However, not for the first time, Ian's heart rules his head and when he is in a position to create carnage among the opposition he puts one straight up in the air and is caught between the infield and the boundary with 55 to his name and 381 on the total board.  Daft, daft, daft.  Just didn't think for that split second when you really needed him to and another promising innings doesn't develo into that major classy score you know he has in him.

Ben Phillips replaces Ian and it will now be interesting to see if Craig now takes up the leading role or allows the big hitting bowler to do it instead.  There are 21 overs to go and at least 425 should be facinf Kent by the end of play today. But daftness seems to be catching as Kieswetter flips a nothing ball to Key standing at mid-on for just that eventuality and wanders away as if he's been batting for hours and it was just inevitable.  Talk about giving your wicket away.  He goes for 35 at 389 for 7 and out comes Steffan Jones to do battle.

It's 5:12 when the crowd welcome the 400th run and the fifth batting point courtesy of Ben Phillips' bat.  14 overs to go and Van Jaarsfeld and Tredwell on to try and stem the score.  The Somerset boys seem quite happy to stun the spin and sit on their total altough occasionally Ben might have a bash at getting one past the infield - the rate is down to one an over.

As I type that of course both batsmen lay into Van Jaarsfeld and while Phillips deposits him to the OP boundary, Steff goes one better and puts him into the 'shop' car park without bouncing the ball.  That prompts Key to take the new ball and Mclaren returns at the River with 416 up to see what fast/medium pace can do.  Well the answer is that it will do for Jones as he snicks one to first slip and goes for 16 at 421.

At this rate we may get a look at the Kent openers for a coupl of overs.  Alfonso is no mean batsman but we could lose two wickets quickly as Joseph returns at the OP.  Phillips mistimes the first and up in the air it goes before landing in Joseph's rather large hands...out C&B for 22 at 421.  It's all gone a bit at the end.  We were on, at one time, for a 450+ score but we'll probably get about 425 (IF Charl can get off strike) - he nearly dies trying with the first ball he faces!!  Joseph is after him and he's keen to take him on.  The Kent man is bowling no balls and our man is stepping outside leg to try and smear them somewhere....could be a long over but it's got us to the 425 target.  We are all here saying "if only he could bowl one straight" while Joseph keeps slinging them outside off and Charl keeps half timing them or missing completely.

Meanwhile Thomas plays the conventional shots and the rain starts to come down.  He finally snicks a wide one to second slip and we are all out for 427 with 8 overs to go.  Will Kent face 6?  Well the weather may intervene but it looks that way.

A strange day where we have scored very quickly but not created the big winning lead.  Because we've only got just over 400 BUT in one day, we've not got them exactly where we would like them.  Kent have enough time to put this start right because the score isn't 600-ish and it hasn't taken a third of the match to get it.  The score is less than 500 and there's 75% of the match to play.  It owuld have been better to produce a longer innings with a score that probably let us have a go at them twice before having to bat again.  It's now down to the bowlers to get among them early to stop this being a drawn match where there isn't enough time for the last innings.  Kent gave away 36 runs from no balls in that innings Joseph contributed 12 of them.

The Kent Reply

Kay and Denly come out to face a minimum of 5 overs in damp and dark conditions... they must be really happy about this.  It's the opener's "no win" situation.  Charl opens at the OP and has Denley with his second shout for LBW - fourth ball.  The third was going down legside but the next was as plum as plum can be.  Saggers is the replacement and the first goes straight through him and over middle and leg.  He flips the next for 4 and we look to Steffan to do some of the same from the River end.

It's 10 for 1 after two thanks to some very sharp fielding from Trego close in and a few that Key doesn't have to play at from our Welshman.  Willough is spearning them across the Kent skipper but Key is well aware of where his stumps are and is leaving everything he doesn't need to get near to.  12 for 1 at the end of three.  Then we have an interesting over from Jonah.  A single to Key brings Saggers down, four go into the slip cordon and Jones bowls 2 well outside off stump and has a long discussion about where people should be.  He then comprehensively beats Saggers with the next, spears in an LBW possible which is just going down the leg and then produces a beautiful inswinger which cleans the nightwatchman up completely.

Then Charl produces a peach to worry the Kent captain before having him caught behind for 8 (on Craig's second attempt) two balls into the 5th. 

 Kent are 13 for 3 at the end of play - something to have a ponder about overnight then.  Now that is really really interesting.  Well done the boys with the ball!!

Day 2

If we get into them early will the effect cause a collapse?  Well we got into them early and the answer is not clear yet. Van Jaarsveld and Tredwell put up the defensive barriers from ball one and the scoring in the morning has not exactly been speedy but the got the score to 41 before that man Willoughby got into the action again and had VJ caught behind.  At the 25 over mark they were tootling along at 3 an over and Charl had gone off for something (he's back on now) so Phillips and Thomas were keeping them in check and it was Alfonso who got one to nip back in to Tredwell...which unfortunatly he missed.  Thump.....75 for 5 Tredwell gone for 23.

It's still 3 an over as we reach 30 overs....a good afternoon could put us well in charge.  Hopefully Cricinfo will be back in some type of touch by the end of the lunch break!  But before then there's still a bit of excitement as Walker misjudges a Thomas ball andfinds himself in front. Another one down at 90.  That's it up until lunch.  They go in for food in deep trouble after 35 overs.  105 for 6 on the second day after inserting the home team wasn't probably Robert Key's predicted position.  322 runs adrift still...we do need to make them pay this afternoon.

After lunch it all gets a bit bogged down.  Phillips opens from the OP and Jones has the ball at the River but the two newboys cope with the attack quite adequately.  Jonah has to get his line sorted - too many balls away from the stumps without a third slip to clean up and Ben is plugging away but getting nothing through. Then he has a chat with his captain and three balls later, Jones' defence is breached by the tall man, Kieswetter holds the ball and its 134 for 7.   

Just after that we should have been 143 for 8 when Kemp bottom ends one straight back to Phillips who doesn't hold on to it in his midriff.  But it doesn't make much difference because Arafat smashes one to gully while the big man is there and he plucks an absolutely screamer out of the air as if it is gently lobbed to him!!  145 for 8 and "Game On" once more.

When Kemp goes for a big drive and doesn't get it quite right, Mr Langer (just returned from a 'comfort break') is there to take a first slip catch and it's 159 for 9...Jonah is on a roll!!

But they reach 208 before McLaren snicks one to the skipper and we all wait to see if Justin will enforce the follow on.  No he won't, he tells Frosty which roller he wants immmediately and jogs off to prepare to face.   So....doesn't want to face spin on the last day?  probably he doesn't see much in the pitch today and therefore would like 500 on the board before he asks the visitors to take another turn.  Best not to give them the filip of a good second spell at the wicket.

So Marcus joins his boss in the middle with 43 overs of the day available.  The quest to get to 300 as soon as possible (within reason) begins. But MT isn't involved for too long because his skipper runs him out going for a 'quick' single and he's off to the dressing room for 8 at 20 for 1.  Zander is the replacement but he doesn't spend any more time than Marcus at the crease before he is caught by Van Jaarsfeld for 1 at 22.  James Hildreth comes out with his county needing a decent innings from a man in no form at all and every local in the ground is starting to question the skipper's decision to go in again.

The 50 goes up in the 18th and it's all very very slow.  It's not that light but at least it is dry.  Neither James or Justin are looking in command but they keep pushing the score along and we should be looking at a lead of over 300 for tomorrow morning....the question is  - for how many wickets?  We don't want to lose any more if possible.

But it isn't possible as James steers a huge wide one from McLaren off the middle of his bat straight to Tredwell (he really isn't in touch at all). It was a simple catching practice stroke to a man who was there to catch it.  Oh dear!  Trego is next in and at 71 for 3 Justin must be hoping that he curbs his natural desire to get on with it and lasts until the close of play tonight - we could do with these two still being there tomorrow morning.  If any more go down tonight we could compare our position at the start of Day 3 to Key's position at the start of today.  How many is a gettable target with 2 days to go?

The 300 ahead is achieved in the 28th over at 81 for 3. Saggers and McLaren are working manfully to make the Somerset men take chances but they aren't going to oblige (please God!) - at which statement Trego pulls mightily to the "organworks" boundary!!  Just after that he misjudges a slow ball from Saggers and nearly loses his life to a desperate dive from Denly in the middle as the ball is popped up invitingly.  Keep your keyboard quiet Grockle!!

The next phase of this game occurs in the 32nd over as the bowling of James Tredwell introduces spin to the proceedings for the first time this innings but we finally stagger into a three figure total courtesy of a mishooked four from Trego off the pace of Saggers at the other end.  But this game is far from over because Trego then pushes away from his body and snicks to the keeper.  102 for 4 and more twists and turns in this game than a Cornish backroad.   

Ian Blackwell to the crease, interesting times at the old ground! Not helped by a chip back to Tredwell the first time he faces him!  C&B 103 for 5 - that was just a joke I'm afraid and probably hasn't endeared him to his captain at all.  Now we need some kind of steady hand because we could panic and give Kent a horizon to aim for and a smell of a victory they should never have got near.

Craig Kieswetter comes out to complete the last 'batting' partnership and finds his first job is to congratulate his skipper on a 50 off 84 balls with 5 fours.  Thanks heavens there is some application to the job at hand somewhere on the pitch in a Somerset shirt.

With the last over to come, some 40 minutes after the closing time for this day we arte 123 for 5. Langer faces Walker before he faces a bit of time thinking about the day and whether he took the correct actions.  He nearly wasn't there to face at 11:00 as he sacks a long hop to the close fielder, who doesn't hold it.

We finish 348 ahead without losing any more.  100 - 150 tomorrow boys please. ....Ohhh and ten Kent wickets if it's not too much trouble.

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