v Middlesex TSL2 @ Taunton 24 August (Floodlit 4:10 pm start)

So we're up for a hat-trick...hands up all those who are confident of getting it? Middlesex are not the force we met earlier in the year. Injuries and returns to the southern hemisphere have depleted them but there should still be some young blood to inspect for a career in Taunton in 2005 (only kidding guys!)

Ian Blackwell returns to the fray to replace Hildreth who's off fighting the mighty Banglas for his country at schoolboy level (bitter moi?) We also seem to have half fit bowlers in the mighty quartet. They only seem to be able to play half the games. Caddick and McLean (who went off on Sunday after bowling his last ball off three steps) are out and Johnson and Simon Francis are in after missing the Scots. Burnsy also seems to have been listening (or has had a few thoughts after his iffy performance with the gloves on Sunday) because Carl Gazzard is back in the squad. It also give Gareth Andrew the chance to show that his storming performance against the Saltires was not a one off! It'll be tough, but hasn't it been that way all season and we usually start thumping everyone about now when all the pressure of silverware and promotion is a distant memory!

See ya there - first section on the match report hopefully on at 4:45! Don't be late!

So we started late (4:30) and we were 53 for 3 when I finally get there. Not long after (13th over) Blackie is bowled. Wood and Cox are currently in rebuild mode at 68 for 4 with Melvin Betts in wicket-taking mode.

John Francis was first out with a fundamental mistake of not grounding his bat Burns was out caught at second slip and KP was bowled with the ball flipping off the bail without touching the stump!

At 15 overs it's 73 for 4 and not looking too good. We're playing in half light until the lights finally come on 18 overs in, which immediately prompts the sun to bathe the ground in glorious sunshine. It looks even worse when Jamie goes bowled for 42, 6 short of the team ton. Still 25 overs to go kiddies - what fun we are having putting on a show for the Sky audience once more! Dutch is at the crease as we don't pass the hundred before the end of the 20th! They finally get there one ball into the 22nd.

Goodbye Dutch with 25.3 gone, caught at midwicket for 17. Carl Gazzard walks out, but will he keep? 122 for 6. Just for all you watching at home, it's nothing like it looks on the telly, the sky is black, it's bleeding windy, cold and dull (there's nothing like the light there seems to be on there!) and with 15 to go we are 10 runs away from 150.

Middlesex are varying the bowling and it finally does for Gazz who chases one and is caught off Betts (but he does keep). Gareth Andrew is next at 147 for 7 suggesting that Laraman isn't playing. Another injury?  Something to ponder as we finally pass 150 towards the end of the 32nd. Gareth then snicks one behind at 152 and all our calculations about final totals seem a bit pointless, but then again Johnson IS next in.

For the speculators, we are at 156 with 54 balls (It's a 43 over game) to go so we should get to at least....200 possibly before we lose the last 2? I've always found that an excessive pessimistic prediction gets us a better score than expected. But the long handle doesn't work as Johnno holes out for 11 and Si Francis brings up the rear at 179 for 9. And Woody is run out for 44 and the 'Sex need 180 in 42. Excellent knock from Wood and not a lot else I'm afraid.  So much for my pessimism theory!

We were too defensive for too long although there was some good Middlesex bowling, especially Betts who took 3 for less than 30.  Lots of getting out without any real pressure...just a lacklustre batting performance I'm afraid, silly mistakes and poor shot selection.  The point about the light was pertinent though.  For about five overs, the light was nearly as bad as the end of the Sunday game, which seems ludicrous when the lights are there to be used.  Anyway, it isn't enough and we'll need an excellent bowling performance to defend it because they don't need a run a ball!

The reply? Ben Hutton plumb LBW ball 3 to Johnson. In comes Strauss, showing the stupidity of ECB policy. As much cricket as Banger but he can play because he isn't a contracted player. Wonder if he'll be playing in the ICC? He's plumb first ball but not according to the umpire. Frank Senior from the River asks questions as well. 5 for 1 after 2 and there's life in this pitch! 6 for 1 off 3 and a really unlucky c&b attempt by Johnno nearly had another out. They zoom to 13 off the first 5 and don't seem to like facing at either end.

It's 34 balls before the first aggressive boundary....followed by a mid-wicket six, doubling the score ,nearly, off two balls. Then Weekes starts to swing the bat taking the 'ask' below 150 and the Crusader score to 31. A real sea change in intent this..from bumbling about to aggressive strokeplay almost between balls!

Gareth takes over at the River for the 10th with 45 up, it's 48 by the end but they seem ominously set. He does make Strauss chance it though and a diving slip chance nearly has him. Frank changes ends to the OP for over 13. Strauss starts to open his shoulders in the 15th and our early tightness starts to disappear as we begin to leak runs (12 off the 15th from Si Francis). Early optimism is going and on come the slows with Dutch at the River. 86 for 1. Blackwell joins him at the OP, only 2 off the 16th.  100 in the 19th and Strauss gets 50 off 51.  We didn't press home our advantage and people are already packing up as Weekes joins his teammate with a 50 off 56 in a partnership that is heading for 120. 

At this point my battery ran out, my will to live ran out and Somerset's fight and belief that they had a chance in this game also ran out.  The fielders went back onto the boundary, allowing the singles that we could not afford, no pressure was put on the batsmen who were running riot and we had given the game away, simply playing out time. Only when Johnson came back did we see anything resembling worry in the faces of the Middlesex batsmen and he got Strauss just before the rain started...very little celebration, the huddle came together...well almost... and then it was back to waiting for the end.  Thank the heavens (literally) that the rain came and put us out of our misery like the mangey dog of one day cricket that we have become!!  They won on Duckworth/Lewis which does us too much justice (they were some 50 runs ahead of the total when rain stopped play)

There were positives from Sunday...I'd like to point out to all those who classiify Scotland as a 'bunch of club players' and nothing more... that they lost tonight to Worcestershire by a measly run!  But there were very few from this performance.  Why were three of our major bowlers absent?  McLean was dubious after he seemed to aggravate his hamstring on the weekend.  What was wrong with Laraman?  Caddick  was on the balcony.  Is he not fully fit yet then?  The lack of access to Trescothick for a home fixture when he has little one day form and will not play at home again must have irked Mr Anderson more than we can imagine.  Andy Strauss won this one for his county.  We were denied the ability to allow a player registered with us to try and do the same by the ECB.  It was good to see a keeper back to take the pressure off Burns, not that it did any good.  Francis Senior looked good until he changed ends, Johnson looked better than his 1 for 38 suggested and Keith Dutch did what we have come to expect with the ball in a losing cause. Wood held what innings we had together - why is this guy ignored when he gives us most of what we expect from him nearly every innings we allow him to play? 

Other than that it was woeful in almost every department and if they had come back out after the rain, then they would have been playing to an empty house because the general feeling was one of.."I've had enough of this"  and I have to agree! 

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon