v Surrey @ Taunton Saturday 12 June 2010

Scorecard

Commentary

I've been remiss in reporting away fixtures in the last couple of weeks so I'm glad to be watching a game at home.  Thanks for all those who mailed in comments.  I'm hoping to put them together into summaries on the games played away in the next couple of days

Anyway.  Sky are here the place is filling up with half an hour to go before the start and there are suggestions that this will be a well attended start (Thanks to Mike for the photos of preparations which I've merged in below this story).  Lots of hard hats obvious around the place on the scoreboard side of the ground.

The side as published is;

Trescothick, Kieswetter, de Bruyn, Pollard, Hildreth, Buttler, Trego, Phillips, Kartik, Thomas and Turner

Can't see more than one change in that line-up after last night's extraordinary victory defending the lowest total in T20 history.

Somerset have won the toss and have decided to field on a good pitch and a warm day.  There don't seem to be any changes to the listed side.  Stumpy is giving out flags and Tremlett is the only change coming into the Surrey line-up for Afzaal.

A new start to the T20 this year as the two teams both come out and line up. shake hands and then take the field.  Hamilton-Browne and Davis open for Surrey looking like employees of ASDA in dayglow green (they look like clones of the umpires).  Mark Turner is opening from the OP and the Surrey captain cover drives him straight to the boundary.

Our T20 kit is BLACK with maroon armpits - great for this type of weather. 7 off the first and Ben Phillips to open from the River. 

The ground isn't full.  Plenty are in but there are green seats available in the Somerset Stand and in front of the Ondaatje while the Gimblett Hill is quite sparse.  Even the Long Room top tier has spaces.  There's about 6,500 in according to the office.

Ben bangs one in short and Hamilton Browne obliges by smacking one up in the air and into Zander's more than capable hands.  18 for 1 after 2.

Alfonso is on for the third to Batty who seems very keen to hook our man but can't quite manage it.  Then he does and the fourth ball is caught by Zander with no increase in the opposition's total.  Daft cricket!!

Marky boy arrives and is almost LBW from the last ball of the over. 19 for 2 after 3 and Trego replaces Phillips at the River end.  He produces a decent over until the last ball which is an offstump long hop dispatched to the Cowshed boundary.  25 for 2

Marcus keeps ringing the changes as Ben  takes the next over from the Old Pavilion.  Davies goes big towards the Somerset Stand but not big enough as Jos Buttler sweeps around and takes the catch in front of the rope.  26 for 3 and Symonds joins Ramps for the partnership we need to clear out in double quick time!

After 5 they have 29 runs. Turner has changed ends for over number 6 and nearly gives a four with his first ball as Symonds flashes.  But we are a decent fielding unit now and Thomas swoops in on the ball and save 3 and the young man goes on to produce a decent over keeping them down to only 35 at the end.  Pollard takes the 7th (to the tune of 'Hi Ho'!!)and bowls to the only man he'll be used to from the IPL.  He has a loping run to the crease and a whiplash delivery - he's deceptively nippy.  His first at HQ goes for 4. 

Mark is the first bowler to get two overs consecutively and he pays back his captain's faith by getting Symonds to stick one in the air which is watched and then caught by Buttler - 47 for 4 and out comes Khan.

Pollard continues from the OP and they are finding him difficult to get away as very sharp fielding and accurate bowling keeps them down to taking singles most balls.  it is interesting that the Surrey batsmen seem unwilling to take any of our outfielders on as they attack a ball.  the 50 comes up off the 5th ball of the 9th. 

For the 10th we turn to spin with Kartik bowling to Ramps.  Halfway and it is 59 for 4.  Peter T is on at the OP end and he goes for 8.  Khan is getting our slow man away a little better and takes his side into the 70's as the press debate the merits of "Rubicon" flavours which the sponsors have filled the fridge with (Guava, Passion Fruit and Mango) - not sure myself but the brand does bring a bit of colour to the whole place.  Zander becomes the 7th bowler used for the 13th at 78 for 4 but Ramps opens his shoulders and comes the closest to hitting a maximum with a one bounce four to the Cowshed.  he manages it next ball with a pull to the scoreboard stand to take Surrey to 90 and adds a third boundary off the very next ball followed by a viscious drive for six to the electronic scoreboard to bring up 100! Big over for the visitors.

As Ben Phillips comes on to bowl the 14th I've had a count of the flats and there is evidence of habitation in 5 of this side's "boxes" with a select bunch of four people sitting on the balcony of the penthouses watching the game in luxury.  109 after 14 and Turner is to be bowled out at the OP as Ramps looks for a half ton. He gets it off 34 balls (with 6 fours and 2 sixes) off the last ball of the 15th and takes them to 122 in the process.

Alf from the River as the Surrey men look to push the score on and after a couple of streaky twos our man comes up with the goods and skittles Ramps for 55 with a skiddy one that mashes his stumps.  131 for 5.  Chris Schofield to the crease and Kieron bowling at the OP.  He nearly gets Schofield as the two batsmen go for an idiotic run but he misses all three after collecting the ball on his follow through.  He survives and it is 137 after 17.

Vigourous fielding on the boundaries keeps the score in check as both batsmen look to go on the ground through the infield.  Kieron is as deceptively fast as a fielder as he is as a bowler - he covers the ground with a hell of a stride and saves at least one boundary when the infielder's dive doesn't cut the ball off.  Neverthelsss Khan goes to go off 39 balls with a straight drive off Thomas to end the 18th.

Pollard finishes the OP stint and Khan looks to deposit both his first two deliveries but fails to worry the scorers.  he then has to bat one away from his face for the third as KP gives him a short one.  He finally gets one away and brings up the 150.  KP finishes with 18 off his 4 - conditions at Taunton not a problem.

The last over and a ball that doesn't get up gives them one to start it from Alf.  He bounces Schofield with the second and although he tries to hook....he doesn't.  The third is pulled from off to leg and somehow goes for 4!  Ball four sees Khan going for two but a quick return from Hildreth sees him struggling and the third umpire sends him on his way.  159 for 6. Spriegel gets a single and Schofield faces the last ball which spears in and takes his leg stump out of the ground.  Alf 3 for 27....too good!!  We need 161

The Reply

Tremlett opens for Surrrey and Marcus is off the mark to an edged drive past second slip for a streaky four.  A good first Surrey over goes for 4 runs with Siomerset needing 8.05 per over.  Nel opens from the River and Craig is off the mark with a single.  Unfortunately Banger flips the next one to Younis Khan and it's 5 for 1. The boss's poor season continues, James Hildreth is next in and off the mark with his first ball.  8 for 1 after 2.

In the third, after producing a beautiful cover drive to the Gimblett, Craig mishits a pull and so doesn't give it the legs to get over the sub on the Caddyshack boundary and it is 13 for 2 after 3. In comes ZdB.  Spriegel is on with the first spin for over number 4 and produces a tight  six balls for 3.  Dernbach takes over at the OP as Hamilton-Browne tries the 'Trescothick method' of mixing and matching his bowlers.

And then the sodding internet dies as the game ends and the whole of my report for the last 17 overs disappears into the ether!!!!!!

By now you already know that we lost this game by 21 runs after showing that our batting line-up is not producing the goods in this fomat unless your name happens to be James Hildreth or Kieron Pollard.  While these two tried to keep us in a game, tight fielding from the Surrey eleven and poor support from the rest of the Somerset men meant that despite a 30 ball 40 odd from our West Indian (including a huge six over the OP into the back row of the car park).

Marcus said you can't always be the best on the day...it would be good if we were at our best in at least one of them!!  The slow ball won the game and they produced more of them during crucial points in this game.  We need Marcus, Craig and Peter to come to more of the parties and show that we aren't a 'one trick pony' relying on the power of Mr Pollard to get us out of holes of our own making.

We should have covered this total even though boundaries were hard to come by. 

Kieron Pollard? He's a BIG bloke but deceptive with the ball in terms of pace and deceptive in the field in terms of ground covered.  Ramps took the Man of the Match award and Surrey took the points.  Disappointed personally but a nice day to watch the game I suppose.

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon
• Tweet

Related Articles:

• Middlesex at Lords
• A fortnight of Bears!

Somerset Poll