Somerset have a batting line-up that should scare many counties rigid.  Other sites on SN were lauding their top 6 but we should have been the side to compare to almost to number 11!

We found ourselves in the envious position of having the best English registered opening batsman by a mile for the whole of a season with no international commitments.  It is hard to fully explain how important Marcus Trescothick is to a county side pushing for the Championship.  In a system where English international quality batsmen don't get to play in county matches unless there is something wrong with them, having the England Number 1 available to play week in week out is such an advantage.  There is no question that Banger is the best English batsman and would walk into the Test side as soon as he made his availability known.  He's made his decision and we really can't complain at all because we benefit every day from that. 1258 runs this season.  The mainstay of a side who were looking for the Championship and our Player of the Year by a metric mile with the bat. 

But one player does not a batting order make.  Enter Neil Edwards, 25 but seems to have been around for a decade.  No longer the number two batsman in a partnership, Neil with a first class average of 35 and a highest score of 212 is our other opener and can take the lead stroke making role now.  We suffered from his absence at the end of the season because of out of cricket issues and we need him back!!  He only got 8 matches, he would have played a lot more had his head been in the right place and who knows what that may have meant at the end of the season.

Edwards absence mucked up the order in the second half of the season and although Justin seemed quite at home at number 2 we had a few problems further down.  So who could fit into the Number 3 spot?  We needed solid expertise and James Hildreth was not having a season to remember in any sense of the word. Therefore a simple contraction of the batsmen would not work.  There were options in the seconds but we had already covered the position although many supporters questioned that decision.

Zander de Bruyn was not a name we had expected to see on our team sheets.  Many didn't see why he had been kolpaked in the first place but he became the solid mainstay of many games and Justin's 'turn to' man for the middle of the season.  He did his job and we're grateful to him for that.  Only 3 short of 1000 first class runs was a real reward for sterling service as the 'anchor' of a batting line-up that struggled once its mainstay Trescothick had departed.  More of a Peter Bowler figure, we needed him and he stood and fought for the county with the highlight being an excellent 120.  Should we have used Arul Suppiah instead? Well whether Arul should have played more than 3 first class games is a different issue,.  Zander did what was required of him nearly every time he took the filed and we couldn't ask him for more than that.

So what of James Hildreth? His season was a real question mark.  Perceptions are that it wasn't a great one.  But he stands only one place below Zander with over 950 runs to his name.  It wasn't the amount of runs that was questionable, it was the way in which the runs were made, hesitant and muddled.  A 158 in the middle of it was a sunny day in a pretty miserable season.  He got his runs in a way memorable for a lack of self-confidence.  He wasn't a reliable asset and we suffered sometimes in terms of selection because we needed to rely on him and we couldn't.  that needs to change next season for the county and for the considerable career we all expect this young man to have.   We kept faith and he did improve but he played more games than any other frontline batsman - should we have sent him to the seconds for a period?  Well we need to reap the benefits next year.

Ian Blackwell now there is a name to conjure with in this season of the wierd and wonderful.  no great innings come to mind.  No real 'wham bam' innings that come to mind except for a majestic 158 when in disgrace as a one day player.  But he became one of three batsmen with 1000+ runs and passed his captain as the season came to an end.  With an average only decimals behind Marcus he had a decent season...and we didn't see the best of him often enough.  he wasn't used in the Pro40 - a travesty in my personal eyes irrespective of what was going on off the pitch.  There are issues and they need sorting but Ian also needs to show us a little more devastation and add those big hundreds to the fair scores he produced this season.  While that is going on, Mr Langer needs to put aside the issues he has and use this asset the way it should be used!

Quandry Number 2 - Peter Trego. In this discussion; Trego the batsman.  Under utilised at a time when he was our most devastating frontline middle order man.  Injured at the height of his season and losing the confidence of his captain when he seemed to be back to his best.  No hundreds, 7 fifties though, usually in quick time.  He probably should have been used further up the order at the start of the campaign but wasn't - possibly under used because his bowling prowess was erratic perhaps.

This top six were marshalled by the Mighty Langer producing over 1000 runs himself.  His season was majestic to abject in almost equal parts.  Daft shots joined excellent batting prowess in the same week sometimes.  His insistence on using Zander for any problem while ignoring the form of Trego, Blackwell and Kieswetter at vital times made supporters question his sanity never mind his prowess as a strategist.  But he kept us in the hunt and our squad may not have even been in the race without his hand on the helm.  It's just so erratic at times.

Trescothick, Edwards, Langer, Hidreth, Blackwell, Trego a top six that should do the job with Zander de Bruyn and Arul Suppiah available to cover or put the pressure on. 

And what of the rest?

Well we just keep on going.  Craig Kieswetter is a real batting talent who may very well appear in the top five once his youthful enthusiasm is mellowed by a little experience.  He was certainly ready to move up the one day order well before it was decided to use him number 5 and we suffered for it on a couple of occasions.

With him as the backup our order looks even better but we also have bowlers who will provide when necessary.  Besides the fact that Arul has been known to come in at number 8! If we don't use him we have Wes Durston offering an extra bat and slow ball capability. He averaged 57 in his 5 first class matches and offers extra weight in both the one day and the 20/20 versions of the game that we could well use more effectively.  When Wes was asked to go to the plate then Wes went to the plate and helped us more than once out of embarrasment.

He isn't the only bowler who can contribute either.  Steffan Jones, Ben Phillips and Alfonso Thomas all averaged around 20 and Caddick was in the high teens.  60 from the last 3 helped more than once.

So why aren't we Champions?  Too many poor innings in important games creating draws when wins were needed.  A lack of confidence in the ability of certain players made us play safe when we ought to have gone for it.  Hilda, Blackie and  Trigger were not relied on - partly through consistency but also through playing safe rather than giving them their heads.  Zander was a great servant but didn't provide the impetus we needed at times and shot selection let us down at more than one vital point in more than one vital game in more than one format.  So we got 12 instead of 20 and the title slipped away to a side that took its chances and made its own luck.

We have a great batting line-up with 450 runs per innings in its locker for longer games and 250+ in one day games.  We could post a world record 20/20 score - we've done it once and we have the players to do it again - even without Cameron White .  We have players that can post 50 ball centuries more than once.

We just didn't do it enough.  we left the bowlers short on first innings too often in the CC and posted getable scores when we batted first in shorter format games.  We allowed too many sides the chance to get past us because we didn't post the runs when given the chance.  We need to change that in 2009.

Here endeth the second part.....

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