v Hampshire CC2 @ Taunton August 18 2004

Mr Caddick returns to first team cricket as Punter jets off into the wild blue yonder and Buzz takes over the number 3 slot for his last spell at Taunton (it seems).  We welcome Warnies Army with a need for full points (with bonus) and an August that seems determined to pretend to be somewhere on the sub-continent in monsoon season!  It doesn't look hopeful but you gotta do the best you can and we seem to be better at having a go at that now than we were earlier in the campaign.

Matt Wood is also welcomed back to regular frontline service as Messrs Dutch and Parsons take the seconds to Stratford and belt a few themselves - KP hitting a ton plus and KD weighing in with 63 on a run filled second day there.

After a rain soaked Day 1 at home which didn't see play until 4:00, one can see why Hampshire won the toss and decided to get runs up first.  Bit of a mistake because Johnno looked dangerous from the start and that isn't good when Caddick is the one taking wickets at the other end!  He had Brown at 31 - it seems that absence has made him a little sharper.  It also wore off on Mr Johnson who took Adams before the end of play leaving Crawley and Katich to struggle through to the close making 114 off 40 overs with all the Somerset lads making runs hard to come by.  Especially (and I mention this because I've been the first to comment when he's gone for lots) Simon Francis who was very tidy throughout his spells on this first day.

Day 2

Dangerous partnerships starting the second day of a rain affected game are not pretty.  Creepy and Katich are no different.  So when Johnno got Crawley with only two added, the day looked positively brimming with possiblities.  They lost wickets regularly after Katich went to Andy C after adding another 51 and the same bowler was the architect of the demise of Pothas (5), Kenway (37) and Mascarenhas (1) to restrict Hampshire to 196 with only 3 to go.  A fightback by Prittipaul and the Blonde bloke added 75 but Johnson accounted for the first and Aaron Laraman got into his stride and ended the innings with Warne and Taylor.

Hampshire posted 301 - another 8th wicket stand putting this score into the 'respectable' category. But the bowlers put their backs into it.  Johnson 26/9/61/3, Caddick 29/4/97/5, Laraman 17/3/67/2 and Francis 20/5/62/0. We gambled without spin and in the early part of this game it seems to have paid off...we'll have to see what Warnie makes of it later...if the rain ever stops.

The batsmen need to score big and quick but John Francis going for 4 with the score on 10 was not part of the plan.  Peter Bowler and Jamie Cox were there at the end with 20 on the board and Friday has to be a big day for them and those that follow if we are to keep those slivers of CC2 hope alive.  It is a big ask and the Man from Oz is not there to inspire...they'll just have to do it on their own won't they?

Day 3

No cricket until 4:30 after a stop start, will they won't they day.  20 on the board and some very unhappy people on the pitch.  A lot of comment coming from the Hampshire captain at slip and lots of snorts and giggles from the rest of his happy band.  Then Mr Bowler strides down the wicket and has a word or two with the blonde bombshell which Merv Kitchen has to finally sort out.

It seems that Mr Warne tried to get up Caddy's nose yesterday with derisory comments about his bowling ability.  This from a man who once reported the Taunton crowd to the umpires for comments made about his weight at the time when Australia played us here during and Ashes tour.  Peter took offence and suggested that he wouldn't have been making these comments had his captain Punter been present and that his own sporting career was not without it's unfortunate incidents. He also seems to have offered to "clean his clock" or do something to his lights after the game if he wanted him to.

This has caused poor relations between the teams which have been simmering since our visit earlier in the year to the Rosebowl.  All kinds of niggly things have been going on and although it isn't in the spirit of the game, it has made tomorrow quite interesting.

When cricket was finally announced, Warne seems to have refused Burnsy's offer of an early declaration for a competitive total ((around 350) tomorrow to make a game of it.  Burns then seems to have said "OK then we'll play for the bonus points and you lot can field for a day and a bit".  Warney is desperate for a victory and would have had to rethink but we then came out and moved the score on to 50 off 25 and a bit overs...not exactly steaming along!  So George declared with 13 overs to go and put them in.  With the light as it was he had to open the bowling himself from the OP and James Hildreth opened his Championship bowling account at the River End with a wicket off his first ball - a hugely wide long hop! Woody and Frank J were first change!

They moved along until we thought they had enough for the night at which point George tossed the ball to Andy C and the umpires immediately offered the light to the Hampshire batsmen who were not happy but had to accept it!  What total will he give us tomorrow?  He's gonna have to do something and our boys would love to ram whatever total he likes down his arrogant Antipodean throat.  He has 316, he'd like something near to 400 before he let's us loose.  Good game this long format cricket!  Lots and lots of incident and real fun to watch...come along and see it, you might be really surprised!

Day 4

So, what score would they give us?  Well the bad feeling of Friday seems to have been sorted out because true to the deal, they batted to 99 and then declared leaving us 351 to win in about 85/90 overs.  Gettable if we were careful and the weather held.  The weather held and we were so careful for so long!

Peter Bowler so didn't want to be out to Warne and put on a solid 48 with John Francis before he got bowled by Mascarenhas.  We breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed back Jamie Cox but Warne got him for a mere 20 and it looked wobbly.  That is until 'No Nerves' Hildreth came out and played the spinner with as little respect as was sensible and kick started Franky Junior into a mammoth stabalising innings that saw the score move from 93 for 2 to 155 for 3 and put us in control.  Warne was not bamboozling anyone as long as you took it steady and both young men did just that.  When Hilda went Mike Burns took over the reins and was treated with a great deal of respect by the Hampshire attack.  When the slow men were on, they crowded the bat for John and then immediately headed for the boundaries whenever Burnsy took the strike.  He is a perfect batsman for this kind of innings.  He can play the waiting game but he'll dispatch anything loose without hesitation so he flicks between the one day and the four day mentality.  He was up for it today.

In their 145 run stand that should have won us this one, both men dispatched Warne to pavilions, struck immense boundaries and stood up solid when the Hampshire bowlers went all out for attack.  A standing ovation met John Francis' excellent 100 off an awful lot of balls.  This guy is coming to the party more and more.  Warne finally got him at 110 with Somerset on 300 for 4 needing 51 for victory at less than a run a ball.  In came Richard Johnson on the back of his excellent century last week, playing the Blackwell role.  A fair idea at the time but in hindsight, the wrong call.  He went for it from the off and hit a couple of lusty blows that brought up doubles on throws from the boundary.  But the Aussie is a canny cricketer and after fiddling with the field (mostly to fox Johnno) he bowled him with the first ball he faced from him.

OK.  The "get 'em quick and get it over with" strategy hadn't worked and Matt Wood came in to settle the ship and just accumulate the runs needed?  Well no he didn't.  He started like a hare out of the gate and tried to run the legs off the field and get the total as quickly as possible.  It seems he failed to let his captain in on the idea though as he ran him out going for a quick second while Burns had hardly left his crease. 300 for 4 became 306 for 5 and then 316 for 6.  We were suddenly chasing a game we had in the bag and we'd let Warne in where he is supreme.  We now panicked.  New batsmen at the crease in one day mode looking at the scoreboard and seeing a race that wasn't really there.  All they had to do was stroke it about and take the singles, hit the bad ball and we were home.  The promotion of Johnno seemed to have muddled up that thinking and Laraman came out to win the game ASAP.

So, Warne had him at 324 and we were in trouble.  Rob Turner came in late..he probably should have been the guy to support Burns rather than sending in the big hitter at 7.  Well Warne had him LBW at 337 and Hampshire smelled blood.  Caddick and Francis S both joined Woody in the "headless chicken" dance and managed to contrive 2 run outs to give the game to the men near the top of the table and throw away any Championship promotion hopes we had.

An undeserving captain who played a nasty game got a victory he didn't deserve through his own supreme ability and our lack of sense.  Hampshire did not win this one, we gave it to them.  Yes we did get close to a big total but we failed to learn a lesson I personally thought we had a long time ago.  All credit to the front end for an excellent, paced and impressive attempt...lots there to be happy about but we didn't press home once again and lots of points went begging!!

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