v Sussex TSL2 @ Taunton Sunday August 1 2004

The probable side to face the Sharks on Sunday will be Burns (with gloves), Dutch, Ponting, Hildreth, Francis J, Parsons K, Blackwell, Laraman, Johnson, McLean and Francis S. Andrew will miss out and the absence of Rob Turner (fit again) tends to fuel rumours of his departure at the end of this summer. Carl Gazzard is also fit again - keeping well in the mid-week game so there is a question about why Mike has decided to keep the gloves. It seems he is keen to play both Dutch and Parsons in the present one day line-up. Changes to this setup will be on the site tomorrow at about 1:30 along with updates during the day. Apologies for the layout however, I haven't yet sorted out how to get it right with a mobile uplink...but it's coming.

The side is as expected and that means that the position of Rob Turner will be clarified at the CC game against Glamorgan - if Gazzard plays say your fond farewells to Noddy in September.

Sussex won the toss and decided to bat Johnno and Frank Senior have gone for 23 off the first 5. The Sharks are looking to get on with it. Prior and, especially, Ward seem to like it here (shame he went for the money at Hove really!)

Last ball of the 7th sees Frank Junior bring off a diving catch to get Prior and it's 43 for 1.  Nixon is on for the 9th at the OP and they reach 50 just before the 10th. 53 at that point.

Ian Ward goes at 11.4 to a kind of long slip catch from KP..if only he hadn't taken the money, he could have played on this track all the time..ah well. In comes Adams - 76 for 2.

Frank has 2 wickets but isn't the tight, fast version today. 91 by 15. The 20th over is a bit of a revelation. Sharp fielding by JF runs out Adams and Dutch has Yardy caught behind two balls later and it's 120 for 4 with double spin as Blackie comes on at the OP.

It's a sad note though when the jackpot collection comes around and we have supporters buying tickets claiming they are contributing to Kevin Shine's leaving present and you hear well known members of the club replying "We hope"! So much for club unity and support for the team and the backroom boys.

At half way 250 is on and you've got to expect it to be nearer 300. Nicko changes ends to deliver the 29th and Sussex move on to 176 as Goodwin and Cottey pass the 50 partnership with 15 overs to go. The maths suggests 264 but unless we get a couple quite soon, Murray may have something significant to say about that.

KP is on at the River for the 32nd - Laraman hasn't bowled yet which is strange. Johnson is back for the 35th at the OP as they reach 200. Goodwin goes to 50 and it's looking ominous but KP takes a absolute flyer in the 36th and Murray is off with 219 up.

Tony Cottey gets his 50 and then holes out to Hildreth on the boundary. They are giving it some welly now and are past 235, so it's wickets or runs from here on in. Nixon on at 40 from the OP with 242 on the board. He bounces Wright out after a comical boundary involving Blackie sort of falling over the ball after catching it up. Martin-Jenkins arrives. 247 up. The 250 comes with the first ball of Dutch's 42nd River end over but they don't pass 260 until the 4th ball of Nixon's next. 280 is on but the 300 has gone.

An attempted reverse sweep becomes a reverse bowled in the 44th and in comes Mushy with 266 up. 274 at the end as Mr Ahmed is run out trying for a second. They have done well to keep them down to that...Now can they put them on?

Burns and Francis open against Kirtley (who goes for 6) and Luke Wright (who collects 5). But after that it's a bit slow as the Sussex guys find their length. At 4.5 Frank calls his captain through, he stops, starts, looks behind and zooms towards the pavilion as Mush runs him out. 20 for 1 after 5 and Ponting is in.

50 up in the 12th with Frank J on 26 and Ricky on 14. It's slow and deliberate and needs to go up a gear before long. Frank is making the plays while Ozman is dibbing and dobbing.

Then Martin-Jenkins finds out what Pongo can do as he hits him for 16 off 4 balls to all corners. On comes Ahmed at the River end. We reach 100 at 18 and see off Mushy's first spell but it's still over 6.5 per over.

Pongo goes to 50 (42 balls 10 fours). John F gets there a little later in the 23rd at 122, just after an excellent hundred partnership. Tex reckons it's not beyond us. But Ricky gives it the charge, snicks it and goes at 126 for 56.

Burns sends in Parsons and we move to 150 at 29, it's getting there but it's still slow and we need 7 an over and rising. Mush puts in 1 for 37.

With 15 to go we need 115 and Blackwell should be sitting with his pads on. Sussex are defending their boundaries very well and we cut it to two figures needed when Frank Junior goes for a very solid 79. 99 needed and in comes Blackwell.

With 10 overs to go it's 87 needed and the rate has been rising consistently. I'll post this, powers a bit low so you may have to watch teletext for the rest!!

The 36th gets the juices flowing as Blackwell and Parsons seem to realise that we need to push the score along.  We go from needing 79 to requiring 63 and the chase is on.  Two questions remain;  can they stay in and can they keep it up?  A Blackwell six tends to suggest they can as they add 25 runs in 9 balls and we need 47 off 7, pulling the run rate back in.

But it's too good to last and just after KP reaches 50 off 45 balls at 230 he goes LBW and isn't best pleased at the decision.  In comes Hildreth with 45 needed of 36 balls.  He goes bug almost immediately and departs for 1 caught on the River stand boundary.

Laraman joins Blackwell as he smacks another six into the Colin and it's 26 off 18 balls but Kirtley is on and Blackie is out trying the long handle again at 251.  In comes Johnno and it is still on as 24 off 16 becomes 16 off 12 with Wright back at the River end.  Aarron is caught going for it and Frank Senior arrives with 10 balls to go.  He immediately goes down the track, misses and is stumped first ball.

Last man in routine.  Out comes 'Farmer' McLean.  Johnson has a long talk to him and Nixon uncharacteristically takes a well judged single off the first ball to give Johnno the strike,  One over left, 11 runs needed to win, Kirtley bowling.  Ball one, single.  Ball Two, no ball and FREE HIT!  Nixon winds up and completely misses it.  He misses the next, and the next and it is 8 needed off 3.  Ball Four, single.  Johnson on strike needing 7 runs off 2 balls.  Ball Five, misses it and Ball Six is irrelevant unless it's a no ball - it isn't, he misses that as well and we lose by 6 runs.

When it gets to 10 and 11 - just swing the bat and get them or not - scientific method is not really an option.  We lost it because they defended the boundaries better in the middle and operated their 'press' better than ours.  Cottey took 5 for 46 - it doesn't seem to matter what colour shirt the guy wears, he always performs against us.

Ahh well, good game I suppose and we did compete to the end, we didn't lose in an embarrassing way and that's an improvement.

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon