v Sussex FPT QF @ Taunton Saturday 23 May 2009

Scorecard

Commentary

A quarter final at God's own ground.  Nice thing in a season that was predicted to bring doom and gloom in many sectors of our game post the optimism of 2008.  We face Sussex.  It should be a crickt watcher's dream.  However, at the moment (and granted it is not 'kick off' - no irony in that by the way - time yet) they will be playing in front of a crowd reminiscent of a summer Championship first day.  With a family of 4 ticket at something well over £50 and no membership concessions at a televised match it's not surprising.

Somerset won the toss and have decided to bat.  They've kept to the side we've seen most of the time - the Banks version.

Trescothick, Kieswetter, Langer, Hildreth, de Bruyn, Trego, Suppiah, Banks, Phillips, Thomas, Willoughby

Max Waller is 12th man.

For Sussex, Kirtley is in for Collymore.  Martin-Jenkins plays (he likes us I seem to remember), Yardy and Goodwin are also in.  The Trescothick stand is 60% full.  The Somerset stand has about 30% in it and although the CA has a significant membership contingent in it, the green seats are less than 50% full.

Anyway we're off and running....and 1 down after one ball!  A lazy chip off a Kirtley loosener goes straight into Martin Jenkins' gut and Marcus Trescothick is on his way back.  It doesn't look a lot more hopeful after Kirtley's wicket maiden start.  Arafat has Kieswetter dropped at first slip by the aforesaid Kirtley off the first ball he faces!  One of those reaction attempts that the fielder punches in the air rather than holding on to. Hildreth's first scoring shot is a little better as he punches it for four.  We need you back in the runs James my boy!!  Just when we hope things are settled, James comes half forward to one and is rapped on the back pad directly in front. Arafat has his first and we are 2 down for 20 in the 7th. 

What follows is seems to be Justin's little quirk for this season.  Last season it was brining on the just departed batsman as a bowler to break difficult partneships, this season it is using Ben Phillips as some kind of big run making sort of "semi" pinch-hitter at number 4.  He did it at Edinburgh in a game where it was possible to try these things out.  now he does it here with his front end in some degree of trouble....answers as to why on a postcard to the usual address.  He manages 9 before he basically misses a full straight one and loses his leg stump bail and we go into the 11th over at 40 for 3 with a predicted score one short of 200.  Don't plan your semi-final weekend yet my friends.

The team 50 arrives in the 14th but the 4 an over scoring rate continues as Yardy keeps varying his bowlers and we don't seem to be getting a handle on this.  We've only reached 76 by the 20th and the 199 SKY prediction looks pretty good as we only move past three figures dead on the end of the 25th.  At this point Turner is sent out with new gloves etc and what seems like an order from the skipper to get a move on. The two men put 18 runs on the score in the next 8 balls and Craig goes to 50 at 120 off 66 balls with a measly 3 fours (very unusual for him).

They do put the peddle down because we pass 150 before the end of the 30th with Zander passing his half ton off 63 with 5 fours and 1 six.  It's 153 at 30 and something nearer 250 looks more likely.  Still don't think that will be enough though I'm personally afraid.  pologies if ZdB's score is wrong.  There was 10 minutes of scoreboard mayhem where the electronic one, the main one and SKY all had Zander at different scores in the same total.

The final powerplay starts with the 38th with Aarafat back on at the OP and Somerset on 179 for 3.

Then suddenly we are witness to the Kieswetter show for 15 minutes as he lets loose with some boundary hitting.  He brings his 100 up in the 39th and we pass 200 at the same time as he hits 3 fours off 4 balls of Martin-Jenkins.  He then smashes a mammoth six from the River end onto the balcony of the cowshed destroying the waste water pipe in the process.  Unfortunately when he tries something similar the next ball he skies it and is caught behind by the wicketkeeper who runs to Gully to take the catch and does well as another fielder comes running in to take the same catch and smacks into him.  Craig departs for 106 off 112 balls with 11 fours and 1 six.  which means his second 56 came off 46 balls with 7 fours and 1 six.

Peter Trego joins Zander for the last flurry (hopefully) and is on 12 by the time I get this down on the wordprocessor with a 6 into the green seats as his third ball faced!!  221 for 4 halfway through the 42nd.  It looks a lot better now and if these two can stay together?  Well who knows. It's 230 by the end of the over with 16 coming off it. 

But Trigger doesn't stay much longer as he follows his keeper back to the pavilion after letting the red mist just get the better of him at 246 - but he did put on 40 with ZdB in his short stay.  We then see another strange bit of captaincy as Justin sends out Omari in the 44th with a side that ought to be looking for the 300.  It's not a problem though because the West Indian(?) simply lobs his first to mid wicket and disconsolently wanders back for 0, passing his skipper sprinting out to take up the cause.

Zander smacks us past 250 with a huge six past the large TV at the OP end and Hamilton-Brown nearly gets him with the next ball as he tries the same thing again.  But he can only pat the ball down but nearly runs the South African out with the return.  This is followed by Chris Nash bowling the boss and 300 looks too far away.  256 and Arul is in to help finish it all?

Not over yet though as Arafat produces a deceptive slow delivery which de Bruyn spoons back and then wanders off very disappointed on 96 C&B by the Sussex man.  Unfortunate.  He deserved the 100 for the excellent anchor role he has played.  

In comes Thomas and we move into the 270's.  This isn't Suppiah's kind of game but the slog is definitely on and they are hitting anything anywhere as Arafat bowls the last over searching for the inswinging yorker.  Arul goes for him however and takes at least one boundary off him.  Alfonso faces the last and survives.  We make 285.  Better than expected after 10 overs.  Less than we thought we might get at 40.  

Sussex open with Joyce and Gatting against Charl (OP) and Peter Trego (River) and we start well in the sense that we get an early wicket - Gatting's nephew - with only 1 on the board as Charl gets some early luck that has been missing in his early spells up to now.  Gatting wafts and Kieswetter takes the catch.  Nash replaces him and with Willoughby being bowled through at one end Justin looks to vary the bowlers at the other end.  Peter is off after 2 and Ben Phillips replaces him but Nash and Joyce maintain their composure and a partnership develops that starts to be worrying after the first 10 overs.  The opposition keep moving along but they don't get away and the Somerset front attack keep at their jobs with the fielding unit doing its job and stopping the long twos and the boundaries well.

Around the 10 over mark, Omari Banks comes on at the River end to change the delivery and Thomas comes on at the OP after 7 from the left hander.  That breaks the partnership as Alfonso gets one past Nash and celebrates bowling him at 75 for a very good 41.  In comes Murray Goodwin, the man we need to see the back of as soon as possible.

Langer continues to vary the River end delivery using Zander, Omari, Arul and Peter T to bowl in two over sections. At halfway Sussex are in the 120's but Joyce is over 50 and Goodwin has made 22 and it is difficult to remember how he has got there.  The next 10 will decide this game IMHO!  

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