v Essex @ Taunton CC2 26 April 2005

John Fuller of Southwest Cricket has done a preview...so enjoy it here.  Thanks John but I get to talk about our side...heh heh heh

The messageboards have been heaving with critics of our bowling attack this week and their seeming ability to remove all of the opposition before they post a total that bats us out of the game.  Wednesday gives them the opportunity to do something about that perception.

However, lets start with the area that really let us down in the Yorkshire games.  Our batting.

'Big Daddy' has returned! Congratulations to the family 'T'. Marcus Trescothick comes back to captain the side for his last Championship match (probably) and the official site seems to suggest that he will open with debutant (well at Taunton anyway) Sanath Jayasuriya.  Make him welcome everyone!

With Burns preferred at 3, John Francis, the positive from Headingley, moves in at 4 - meaning that Matt Wood will have to wait once again for his next opportunity.  James Hildreth and Ian Blackwell wait at 5 and 6 to consolidate and accelerate a good start and  Aaron Laraman seems to have recovered from the concussion that kept him away (and sorely needed he was) from the one day clash.  Simon Francis will also have to wait his turn.

Rob Turner takes the gloves and Johnson, Caddick and McLean have a home chance to shut some people up at 9, 10 and Jack.  It is also good to see Michael Parsons at 12th man, watch out for him guys!

Something for everyone...if only it all works this time.  We need it to, the pressure will grow as the nervous one's among us see another season starting as times before.  Essex are a considerable side and beating them would put lots of minds at rest...along with the odd whinge.

The weather forecast is not brilliant for those brave souls who are going to make it to the first day.  Think of days to come and enjoy what you see.

Day 1

Well the rain kept the players off the pitch for a great deal of the day.  Patchy showers came and went and the sunshine in between made it even more frustrating for the small crowd who came to see the first day of competitive cricket at Taunton this season.

Marcus Trescothick won another toss when the umpires finally allowed the sides to take the field at about 3:00 and he chose to bat this time.  Didn't seem to make a lot of difference to his form though because he still found himself wandering back to the dressing room before the opposition broke sweat for 4 (his one scoring shot of the 16 he faced).  First wicket to Tudor (I wonder how interested in him we were in the off season).  Banger hasn't exactly had the start to instill confidence in our Australian campaign - but they say a bad rehearsal means a good gig so no worries for the ECB!

Plenty for us though because our men with the wood can't seem to stick around!  Although Burnsy stuck around for about half an hour, he's also off after adding 22 (but only 8 himself).  He must start to worry because his single ton heroics weren't in the CC and Matt Wood  must be eager to get in and show a bit more 'stickyness'.  27 for 2 brings Sanath out to bat.  Well the mouthwatering prospect of Trescothick batting with the mighty man came to nothing.  They either spent enough time at the crease with each other to say 'hello' or they passed on the way to the shower!  It seems we are now trying to 'hide' the Sri Lankan down the order!  It might have a little more to do with John Francis being happiier opening and being the one with at least a modicum of form at the moment.

Anyway, Jayasuriya is at Taunton, and for a while it looks quite tasty.  Unfortunately, we don't seem to be able to stay around even if we set ourselves.  With 60 on the board and JF seemingly settled at 35, he goes LBW to Mr Gough.  Jayasuriya reaches just over 30 before he also seems to have decided that a 50 is old hat and at 90 we are 4 down...whoops sorry 5 down (Blackwell arrives and departs to Napier LBW second ball).

So, Day 2 will start with Hilda and Larry on 119 and Rob and the bowlers to come.  Another day of cricket at the home of collapse? Looks that way to me.

The weather for Thursday is horrendous according to the forcast.  Maybe if it rains all season.......?  Will our "ball boys" be able to get the same out of this pitch?  Is it poor shot selection?  Bad Luck?  Well we'd better find out quick.

Day 2

Well it wasn't as bad as predicted although it did delay the start.  But that didn't really help us because from 119 on the board we capitulated to 190 all out in moderately quick time. 

First to go was Hildreth without adding to the overnight score and that must have been a big blow to plans to get into the mid 200's and make the Essex men think hard.  Rob added 45 with Laraman but became another victim of the "get in but get out" brigade caught behind for 20 off Adams.  Then you're into the bowlers and although they've put a few on, when Laraman went 4 runs later at 168 it was just a case of smack it about and hope to get to 200.  Johnno and Caddy put another 22 on but when Johnno went it was all over next ball and an abject first innings score placed us in catch up mode for the rest of this game on our home soil.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason for this.  It was probably a poor toss decision to bat but even then there is enough potential talent in this side to re-balance a game.  We seem incapable of getting out of a mind-set once the events start to run against us and we don't seem able to stop the rot once it starts.  A good fighting performance from AL simply isn't enough if his team mates are not capable of supporting him in redressing the problem.

So out come Essex..and things seem to take on a familiar flavour as Caddick strikes early sending Will Jefferson back for 11 with only 18 on the board.  Unfortunately another name we haven't come across too often; Mr Cook decides to have a good game against Somerset and the next wicket falls at 199 after a 181 partnership between the aforementioned and Bopra.  The pitch has flattened it seems and we are in the wrong place.

The bowling was not drastic but the wickets were sparse.  Good tight stuff from Aaron, decent figures from Johnson and a coupe of wickets.  A report from the ground stated that McLean went for 18 off one over, so his figures are better because he must have then bowled 6 more for a mere 12.  Burnsy was brought into the attack but got a bit of stick and no overs bowled by SJ today, although Blacky contained quite well.  But the penetration is still worrying, although there were a number of LBW claims turned down.  They finished the day past us with only 3 down but not far enough out of sight yet.  224 for 3 (Johnson had Flower towards the end of the day)

Mark G reckons we can get them all out for 300 tomorrow.  That's the kind of talk it is good to hear but we are starting to need to see the words backed up by actions and the development of a strike force that can do that, 7 wickets in a session would be a real boost for the side and the supporting public.

Day 3

A bit of everything today and I get my first look at the side I'm going to agonise over for the next half a year, give or take.  Before I get there a feew things have happened.  Mark's prediction almost came true as the three main bowlers get one each by the time we get just over 300.  It is starting to look like fightback when Foster is dropped on 1 as the ball skids between a late diving Rob T and a later diving Mike Burns.  Another one that got away.  This one got away to the tune of 78 as he guides the last few to a nother one of those tail-end wags we are getting so used to.  42 with Middlebrook, then Caddick on a hat-trick with Napier first ball and then a massive 107 with Tudor before he goes and they declare on 427 for 8, take an early Tea and have at us!

Then it swings again as Marcus T, confirmed for two matches next week (Monday and Wednesday) and teh CC match in Stockton, pushes the score along to 57 with John Francis before inexplicably skying one for no good reason.  He's really not there yet you know!

More drama follows as our good plus 50 for 0 turns into a nightmare 4 for 65 as Burns goes for 8 (he must be looking over his shoulder at the shadow of Matt Wood now, fowlloed by first ball ducks for SJ LBW (when will his season actually start?), no problem and then James Hildreth to an awful shot which gives Adams his hat-trick and knocks the wind out of our sails!!

Blackwell comes out to help the solid and dependable Frank Junior who is watching this all fall apart from the other end.  They start to rebuild and have got us back on some kind of track at the close of play, a few strokes and some authority has returned.  Well that is until 4 balls from the end when IB snicks one and Adams gets his 4th and we go in at 128 for 5th with the prospect of trying to bat out another last day to save an innings defeat.

It looked good at times, Banger was going great guns and then threw it away.  The other three just got blown out of the match.  The bowlers seem to have looked better and there was something happening with the ball because the new ball was taken some 30 plus overs late.  Blackwell bowled tightly and they let SJ turn his arm today.  Caddick and Johnson did the "damage" though with over 60 overs between them and 6 wickets for 208 to show for it.  It's not good enough yet but at least the wood tumbled eventually.

We will have to do an awful lot not to lose this one and that is simply not acceptable at home.  The minimum on our wicket should be a draw.  This will be a lucky draw if we get it and that is probably the less likely option.  We faced another tail that wagged but it wasn't famous all-rounders this time and we failed to create a base on which to build a safe platform once again.  The evidence is building that allows the 'doom police' to say they were right. 

But we haven't lost at home yet!!

Day 4

I knew I'd be saying "but we have now" by the end of the day but it was worth the hoping for a while.  There wasn't really enough left this morning to be able to keep them out.  With Blackwell gone, it was down to Francis, Laraman and Turner to steer the innings and hope that the tailenders could provide support.  But for nearly 100 overs?

When Middlebrook got the staunch John Francis after half an hour and still a long way from 200 on the board, we were effectively dead.  Aaron didn't hang around but got us over the 150 and Rob was left with the bowlers again.

Now there has been a lot of stick given to Mr Turner this week.  We seem to have a saviour for our ailing wicket-keeping position in Carl Gazzard while this man fails to do his job!  Well that isn't quite the way it is and today he definitely did his job.  It is just that the ones before him didn't do theirs!  Rob has spent a coupe of years now (along with Ian Blackwell and Keith Parsons) pulling this sides backside out of the fire because they seem incapable of batting to a defendable total.  He rarely comes in in a position of strength and he rarely has anyone, rated as having any particular batting ability, to work with.  He has 'crisis managed' time after time.  Now Gazza's batting ability is paraded in front of him by his critics as a reason to replace him in all forms of cricket with a younger man.

Today he answered these criticisms with the only weapon at his disposal.  With a game lost and only three batsmen of dubious defensive quality to come, he fought for his wicket in a way that the rest of the batting line-up ought to watch over and over again.  With Johnson, it looks like he started slow because they added 29 and Johnno  put on 24 of them (off 22 balls).  With Caddick he added 63, the Cadman matching him score for score it seems.  He also restored some pride because it meant they had to bat again.  And at 243 for 9 he put on 70 runs with the number 11 Nixon McLean, who outscored him with 40 (including 2 sixes) to make them have to take it a little seriously.  He finished on 68 not out and put our total into the 300's.

So shut up about replacing him and let him get on with his job!

It wasn't enough, and although McLean took Cook before the finish, we lost by 9 wickets and stay in the doldrums. 

It will be an interesting Championship selection meeting next week as Durham are on a high and we are in deep depression.  But there's more games to come before then.  Leicestershire tomorrow will be no joy ride and we need to get the drop on them before we meet them again on Wednesday in the C&G.  Surrey on Monday is always a tense fixture.

Lots and lots of work to do to get this lot sorted out.  Tomorrow is another day!

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