Welcome Back Charl

We are fielding in glorious sunshine with no Caddick or Turner in the opening line-up. So, Peter Trego and Charl Willoughby open against Montgomerie and Prior. We are a bit short in the seam department with a side including Trescothick, Langer, Blackwell, White, Hildreth, Parsons, Keiswetter, Willoughby. Jones, Trego and Durston. The policy of resting Caddick in the one dayers seems to be operating and Mark Turner hasn't started a second game after missing out in the win a Leicester in the week.

With 4 overs gone, we are keeping the Sussex 'pinch hitters down to 6 runs with Charl bowling particularly well and we need him to because the Sussex openers start to open the shoulders after 4 and when Prior belts a poor Trego delivery into the Old Pavilion. At 28 Prior skies one and 'Mr Reliable' James Hildreth spills it to groans. Luck is with us though because Charl gets him with the very next ball as he snicks to Keiswetter. We all think that we may witness the first query of an umpires decision but Prior waits around and then walks it's 28 for 1 and we keep them quiet as Sussex move to 33 after 20% of their innings

Rayner goes at 37 to introduce Chris Adams into the game and we welcome Steffan Jones into the attack with the 14th over from the OP. Unfortunately our outfielding is not as sharp as last week as Charl Willoughby misfields and gve them 4. The 50 arrives with the first ball of the 15th but they are snicking a few

A couple of errors because of crazy scoreboard statements. Turner is playing! the board announced him as a change with Wes Durston when actually he was playing anyway and wasn't a change! The second one was that Steff came on at the OP.

Anyway the world turns and the game goes on. With the last ball of the wicket we are introduced to the wonderful new technological breakthrough in one day cricket. After years of trying to speed up the game we now try and slow it down! Adams comes up the wicket and Trigger has him plumb. The umpire doesn't even hesitate and Adams starts to move off, then decides to question the decision. It's an LBW decision, what exactly is he questioning? Did he hit it? Well there was no noise. Did it pitch outside? Well not according to the official 22 yards away. So, we wait for about 3 minutes - long enough for the slow handclap to start - and then....wonder of wonders! - the third umpire upholds the official in the middle's decision and the Sussex captain is on his way. Crazy but still 57 for 3. Out comes Murray Goodwin and we need to quickly get into the major partnership of the opposition's innings.

Pete Trego finishes an excellent spell with a garbage ball and adds 4 to excellent figures (10/0/42/2) - he's a hard man to drop now! They reach 76 in the 20th and prompt Langer to introduce Turner into the fray. He goes for 8 off his first 3 balls but then settles into a rhythm. However, Montgomerie reaches a steady 50 off 84 at 97 but they only pass 100 in the 25th at 4 an over. These two will have to start to push it along in about 5 overs if Sussex are to post a defendable score so the captain puts spipn on at the River as Ian Blackwell is asked to turn his arm over . A second change takes place as Parsons replaces Turner at the OP for the 29th. Ian holds them back and by the end of the 30th the score is 128 suggesting they may be pushed to pass 256.

But Murray and Mr Montgomerie have other ideas and start to push the score along at 6-ish. White is introduced as an alternative to Parsons in the 33rd and Sussex pass 150 by the end of it. That doesn't work as they both take a shine to Cameron and they've gone past 260 by the 35th. Justin tries Hildreth at the River and he keeps the batsmen in check but this partnership is past 130 and Montgomerie is close to 100 while Goodwin is getting near the half ton. 300 is on unless the Aussie breaks this and despite excellent close fielding on the Brewhouse side (particularly from Pete Trego).

Langer turns to Charl to take a wicket in the 39th. Instead Goodwin passes 50 (off 56) and his partner getes a real team hundred (off 132 - second 50 off 49) off the next ball. They don't seem worried by the South African. It's Ian Blackwell at the other end who is keeping them in check and causing problems for his skipper who wasn't expecting to keep a spinner on and has to decide whether to risk Turner or hope Charl will do soemthing. He opts for Charl who is then massacred for 19 and there's another conference before the 44th.

Ian stays on and does a great job and Steffan comes on to bowl length balls at the OP. This he does with great effect until he receives a straight 6 to the OP from his last ball. Just gotta keep frustrating them when we can but they are on for 300. Blackie keeps them in check but they pass 250 before Goodwin gets bored of trying to take more than one off Jonah and smacks him straight to White. Success! A little late but all credit to the Somerset lads for keeping at it.

In comes Naved which makes Montgomerie think he has to take over. He goes long and dies to an excellent catch in front of the River stand from Trigger falling backwards - tops off a great performance fielding on the boundary 263 for 5 and we now need to keep them under 300. Hopkinson joins Naved who takes it on himself to push the score along by smacking Jonah for 2 consequtive sixes into the Ridley. But Jones does his job and keep putting it at the batsman's feet. The last over is given to Mark Turner - who has only bowled 4 and probably would have been used more if we could have broken the big partnership earlier. Still the pressure is on the boy who sees his first ball dispatched to the boundary. But Mark keeps to the task and goes for a mere 6 in a duel with Naved. 287? We would have taken that half way through the last 10 overs and although we ought to have broken the Sussex men earlier, we have to back our batsmen to see that as a total we can get.

Now it's Langer and Banger v Mushy and Kirtley!

Kirtley and Naved face Langer and Trescothick and the Somerset pair win hands down! After a bit of sparring for the first over the batsmen start to smack the ball about. Langer thwacks a four off a no ball then puts the free hit into the "shop" and we proceeed to take 34 off 4. Naved tries to bounce Banger. He's 5 foot nothing and Marcus is over 6 foot and Sussex collect the ball from the Stragglers boundary. The fifth ball of the over goes into the River as he tries it again. Liddle replaces Kirtley and gets the same treatment as his first two balls find the rope. After 6 we are 62 and they were 19!

Martin-Jenkins comes on at the OP and Langer calls a quick single which Sussex turn into 5 for us with a wild throw. It's all going a bit pear shaped for the visitors. By the start of the 10th, D/L says we need 37 as we pass 91 and Banger tops off a devastating 60 balls by going to 50 off the lst using 27 balls in the process and hitting 3 sixes and 5 fours.

What do you do if you're Adams? Do the only thing you can, turn to Mushy. On he comes for the 11th and Langer puts his first to the boundary by the scoreboard. Unfortunately he then tries to do the same on the other side and miscues the next ball straight up. We've passed 100 but we've lost the skipper for 46. Naved changes end and Cameron White comes in, the whole thing calms down and we move into a quieter phase.

As the excitement changes, it has to provided some other way and we have the second Sussex query as Mushy questions an LBW decision on Marcus in the 13th. We all wait while the theme from 'Jaws' plays for about two minutes and the third umpire's decision? Not out agiain. What a waste of time!!

The game then moves into another phase when Marcus sweeps on the legside and gives Mushtaq his second as he is caught in the semi-deep at 114 for 58. The game is back in the real world rather than the fantasy realm where we win in 28 overs and mirror Surrey destroying Gloucestershire this afternoon. 114 for 2 at 15 and White and Hildreth operating at a different pace.

It is a different ball game now thogh and when Hildreth picks the wrong shot and goes for not a lot at 122 we are looking for that day when White and Blackwell takes a game by the scruff. Today needs to be the day now as we still need 5-ish an over at 123 for 3 at the start of the 19th.

20 overs sees the home side at 156 and playing Mushtaq cautiously. It's probably the best tactic because the rate does not require us to go after him. As he bowls the over to Ian Blackwell, Cameron White seems to be offering him advice on what to do!! However, Adams is not going to bowl him out and brings Kirtley back at the OP in the 23rd. The members are starting to moan about lots of things, the PA, the beer, the tea, the coffee, the price of pasties and now the cricket!. But the runs keep coming and 150 goes past at the start of the 26th. Spin is on at both ends as Rayner comes on at the River and Mush finishes off at the Old Pavilion. Ian and Cameron are taking it carefully and that is all they need to do with a rate of less than 6.  The boundaries aren't exactly coming in droves but the singles are mounting up and Ahmed is nearly finished.

We go under 100 needed with 17.4 overs to go. It's not exciting but it doesn't need to be as we pass 200. Cameron passes 50 off 68 balls and we see the back of Mush with 41 runs for 2 wickets. That's fine. Now we can work it around and put this game to bed can't we? Well not according to CW who decides to open his shoulders and clear the boundary fielder....only he doesn't and all the hard work of over 10 overs has gone and at 204 in comes Keith Parsons and at 205 out goes Ian Blackwell caught behind. What was the point of the softly softly for the last 15 overs?

Keith is joined by Peter Trego and Sussex celebrate Martin-Jenkin's 2 wickets in 1 over. It's still on but we have to start from scratch again. Trego snicks one as we go behind the D/L for the first time. It isn't looking good at all. Keiswetter is in so we still have hope and he settles down to the job. However, he 'snicks' one and although it is referred he is judged to be out and it is getting beyond us.

Steff is in needing 47 off 7 but when KP is bowled in the 44th then you have to say it has gone. Mark Turner works to get Jonah on strike and Jones the bat keeps the rate going down. However, when Naved is brought in he yorks Turner ball one and then yorks Willoughby ball 2. Over all out for 249 and a team meeting behind closed doors during the Awards presentation by SKY.

Not good enough. You have to rely on your main batsmen and you have to learn that a game isn't over until you've scored more than they have. Langer isn't happy, Rose isn't happy and we have recorded our first defeat of the season. Not a lot more to say really.

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