v Sussex TS2 @ Hove 6 June 2004

"D-Day". The 6th of June seems to stand for "Defeat Day" for Somerset who were looking to build on their fighting loss in Wales.  But it's just too fragile and the further we go into this season the more it seems that what we have is a squad of players that are incapable of fulfilling the promise they have.  We had this one won at 35 overs and lost it by 6 runs with the last two being left to score 8 to win off the last 6 balls.  They managed 1 - not their fault.  It should have been put to bed much much earlier!!

A glorious day in Hove and a good chance of a great game.  It ended with more disappointment even though the game was well contested.  The disappointment comes from grasping a victory and then throwing it away.

Sussex got the call and decided to bat.  Our side was struggling because of injury to Richard Johnson (out until after Bath) and Nixon McLean (probably the same).  Keith Dutch came in as a second spin option and Keith Parsons and Carl Gazzard did their usual of taking the one day places of Peter Bowler and Neil Edwards.  There was no sign of the necessary Laraman or the second Francis brother although Simon Francis joins the attack with Michael Parsons making his first start of the summer.  We needed a good start to instill some confidence into the squad.  We gambled on Parsons M opening the attack with Andy Caddick.  It came as well, Parsons had Prior for 0 in his first over, caught by Keith Dutch. 

Ward and Goodwin put on 98 before Keith Parsons was brought on to break the batsmen up.  Before that his younger namesake gave a good account of himself, bowling 7 overs for 28 and 1 wicket.  But, Simon Francis, struggling for form, was kept on far too long whhen we ought to have seen the spin of Blackwell perhaps.  Bowling a player back into contention is a risky gamble and it didn't really work with Franky today.

By the time, Parsons and the spinners had a chance to put the brakes on, Gooodwin and Ward were set and even when Ward went, Adams carried on with a batsman in form to put on another 68.  By the time Murray himself went, they were 174 for 4 on a pitch where anything over 220 was going to be a struggle.  Thank God Mushtaq isn't here yet!

The home side passed 200 and looked at a score in excess of 240 but Caddick had other ideas and stopped the run chase with 3 wickets in his last over to break Sussex's momentum.  They finished on 230 and we had to think we were in with a chance of a good victory against good opposition.

Akram and Martin-Jenkins opened for the Sharks and Gazzard and Burns looked like they were going to handle it well.  Akram was bowling off a very short run up and keeping the pressure on the Somerset openers.  Too much pressure for Gazza who tried to play across an MJ delivery and was out leg before.  It wasn't a problem though because Cox joined his captain and the two experienced men started to put down a base for a Sabres win.  140 runs later Kirtley broke through by bowling Burns but 148 was a great platform to drive to the total - less than 90 to go with 8 wickets in hand. Hildreth was his "run a ball" self but not for long enough.  He went 20 runs later...still on though with Parsons K replacing him.

Unfortunately Cox miscalculated a Davis delivery and we were starting to get the jitters.  From 148 for 2 we were now 176 for 4 and there was scoreboard pressure to add to the pressure of doing well.  Blackwell joined KP and we must still have felt it was on.  When RMJ had him caught (Blacky wasn't impressed) by Ambrose without scoring after 2 balls, the Sussex fans started to believe this was going to run away from the opposition!

The "two Keiths" have been here before, again and again but Dutch only added 6 and when KP was bowled by Wright after hitting a big six...it was deja vu.  The game got away from us and although Turner and Caddick had a try, Kirtley bowled a very good last over, which Caddy couldn;t get a bat on.  8 runs to win, 7 to draw and we managed 1.  Loss by 6 runs and another nail in the Somerset coffin of confidence.  Who would be "George Burns"?  What the hell do you do to get a team up from these types of losses?  May/June is becoming a nightmare.

So let's all get out to Bath and show them we will support their fightback however long it takes and however hard it is!!

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