Sanath Jayasuriya, Matt Wood, Mike Burns, John Francis, James Hildreth, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Aaron Laraman, Rob Turner, Richard Johnson, Andrew Caddick and Gareth Andrew.  That is the squad for the match tomorrow.  Will Garaway go with the extra batsman/bowler or the extra bowler/batsman?

Surely Matt Wood has to play.  If he doesn't come in when Marcus Trescothick goes then we are effectively saying to him "fiind another club Matt because there is no room here for you".  That means that either Gareth Andrew or Mike Burns misses out.  I can see faith sustaining SJ's position as an opener and probably Burns will stay as his partner (why not give Carl Gazzard a go after his ton during the week one asks?  If he makes double figures then he will have performed at the same level as 'George' at the moment).  But all sense says this is the time to give Matt the other opening spot, it seems he has been classified as a specialist opener to partner the strokeplayer.

John Francis seems cemented in at 3 with Keith Parsons at 4, Hildreth and Blackwell at 5 and 6.  Aaron Laraman must be preferred at 7 and Rob Turner will keep at 8.  This leaves Johnson, Caddick and Andrew at 9, 10, 11.  Can we go in with any less?  Surely we can't prefer Mike B as a bowler?

The only question then seems to be will Wood or Burns open?  It has to be Wood doesn't it?  Against shaky opposition, although unpredicatable, with a shaky opening partner who may not last long.  We have to see if this bloke is the other opener now we seem to have assumed that Frank Junior  is better coming in first change.  Don't get me wrong, this is not a vendetta against the benefit boy, but he is woefully out of touch and we need someone to shore up the front end to let Sanath forget about it and get one with what he's supposedly here for.

It has to be Wood.  Well we'll see won't we?

The Game

Well we saw.  The side stayed with Burns and Jayasuriya opening and Andrew came in for Francis....so Wood missed out again and really should now consider seriously his future at Taunton after being passed over again in a match that he could have surely been tried in.  With Smith arriving in the next few days and the selectors furiously keeping faith with their ex-captain, it is hard to see where Wood will get a game until SJ leaves for sunnier climes.

Rob Turner captains, wins the toss and elects to bat.  The openers start slow taking 28 off the first 66 balls before returning to the dressing room at 29 and 30, leaving Keith Parsons and John Francis to up the pace.  Unfortunately, it isn't KP's day and he follows them back, one run short of the first 50 for 8.  Aaron Laraman takes over with us in regular straits at 50 up with 3 wickets down in Bonnie Scotland.

But it gets better from there. Frank J and Larry put on 76 before JF is caught off Haq for a sedate 24, Laraman is scoring at a run a ball however and is joined by Ian Blackwell in all sorts of a hurry.  Suddenly the score starts to motor at considerable speed.  Larry only adds another 21 before he falls victim to Haq with a much needed half a ton to his name (51) but then the Scottish wheels come off as Hildreth comes to the crease and the two Somerset batsmen put on 104 in 35 minutes with the mighty IB scoring at 2 runs a ball with the odd little shot over the boundary (7 fours and 6 sixes!!).  He dies on his sword to the late Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat for an extraordinary 86 off 40 balls leaving JH to clean up with 36 off 29 and a bit of help from the captain (4) and Johnno (4).  We looked slow and ponderous at the start and blasted over the finishing line with a score of 264 for 7. Enough?  I think so.

The Scots start with a very solid base of 53 before we get among them as Andrew takes first blood.  A run out of the second opener Lockhart at 74, followed by SJ getting in on the act with Watson's wicket at 82 makes their job coonsiderably harder.  Blackwell gets Beurkes five runs over a hundred but then the middle order drop anchor and begin to stick a little.  Wright and Smith put on 76 to get them back into the hunt before Laraman becomes the fourth wicket taker at 179 but Arafat and Smith keep the mill turning and it starts to look possible.

Fortunately, after a mediocre start, Caddick finds his elusive rhythm and removes both Arafat and Smith at 236, effectively breaking the back of the Saltires reply. Johnson mops up the final over with 2 wickets for 3 in 7 minutes and they fall only 16 runs short...but fall they do and we take another 4 points to go top of the division.

It seems that a good run in the one day stuff is almost always at the expense of the four day campaign and vice versa.  I'd love to see us do well in both but at the moment, we'll take anything we can get our hands on!!

Nine days rest to get our long game in some form of shape and back to Taunton for Lancashire on the 20th.  Let's hope for something a little better at home then!  Good day.  Brilliant Blackwell, excellent Laraman and solid supporting Hildreth.  Strong figures from Johnson, decisive action from Caddick and a workman-like showing from the bowlers as a unit, all taking wickets. 

It's good but it ain't the Championship guys!  It won't get us noticed when the regional plans are drawn up!