v Kent @ Bath TSL2 12 June 2005

Scorecard

Bath Festival Website

There seemed to be an air of inevitability about the events described here when the announcer gave us the team news and told us that Somerset had won the toss and elected to field.  No Caddick (though he was there), no Johnson, Burns at 12th man.  Questions about the first two were rampant.  Were they both injured yet again or had their display on the final day when they couldn't hold a Worcestershire batting line-up (admittedly with their tails up) convinced Smith to go with other options? 

Bath was darkish and overcast with a definite wind across the pitch so Smiffy may have decided to take the chance of the ball doing something but I personally can only think that we have old guard injuries again because the bowling line-up he was left with has not proved itself effective in other one day games up until now and Kent presently have a batting line-up on fire.

And so they proved as Key and Hall took 10 off the opener Simon Francis and then 11 off his partner Aaron Laraman.  It set the tone for the day really.  They looked in little trouble and we looked in loads of it.  Key mis-read his man by chipping back to Frank Senior and belting down the pitch for a run, only to see Mr Hall run out as Frank swooped and threw down the stumps with the score on 29.  Excellent fielding but it didn't actually take away from the bowling in the long run.

The next man in, Van Jaarsfeld absolutely loved it.  We were 45 in deficit by the end of the 7th when the first change brought Gareth Andrew on to bowl.  He has had a torrid time in the past few weeks and we expected this lot to give it to him.  He faced this challenge manfully and produced a good spell in the situation with a first over maiden when we were under considerable pressure.  He has the character but can he find the ability to maintain it over long periods?

They had been pulled back to under 6 an over by the tenth (56) but as the 50 came up with a six into the rugby club car park we knew we were in for a long afternoon.  Smithwas varying his bowlers and had used 7 by the half way stage.  Some did better than others, Sanath went for 14 of his first! Kent had reached their first 100 in 17 and we were looking at a 300 plus target for our batsmen.

Blackwell, Laraman and Jayasuriya got excessive 'tap' but others held the line.  Smith himself put the breaks on in the middle phase with Keith Parsons who was woefully underbowled in the situation. He went for 26 off his 5...good in the circumstances believe me!  Kent looked in no ttrouble at all against anyone we put in front of them.  Key and van J achieved the 100 partnership in the 22nd and Key went to a personal 50 off 61 balls soon after.  We didn't get another wicket until the England man took on our South African, opened his shoulders and dropped one down Blackwell's throat at 166.  Andrew was brought back on at the sports centre end and went for 16 (which shows how well he held up in his first spell). We are looking 200 down the barrell with 15 overs to go with van Jaarsfeld passing 100 in 97 balls with 3 sixes and 12 fours.  It's 220 with less than 10 overs to go when we get the man, LBW to Frank S for 114.

That brings in their big hitter!  Kemp, the man mountain, arrives to  give us more pain although it is actually Walker, at the other end, who puts the final knife in during the run chase.  When he skies one for Turner to take, he has scored 56 off 39 and moved the score close to 300 (278).  Stevens gives Franky  a pasting, with 16 off the first three balls of the 44th which brings 22 and pushes the opposition beyond the 300 mark.

And Sanath bowls the last?  There seems to be a lot of faith from Smith in the ability and advice of the little Sri Lankan.  He consults him a lot in the field and seems to favour his slow bowling ability over others in the side.  In this instance it is rewarded as he takes the wicket of Stevens, bowling him around his legs.  He also keeps the score down well with only one boundary and Kent post us a score of 320 to win!!

The Reply

Now this score was not beyond us.  We have produced such a score this year.  Kent were without Saggers and that had to be in our favour.  They opened with Cook and we saw Smith and Jayasuriya stride out and start positively.  Smiffy opens with a 1st ball four before his partner exhibits the 'schoolboy swipe' worthy of any Year 10 followed by an LBW - the luck of SJ continues!  1 for 5 doesn't look good!  John Francis appears, eager to get over the Championship game (not his best) and the two men start to consolidate a base for a big score.  Not expansive hitting but solid and although Smith doesn't stay, going for 27, they do put on a 50 partnership and it is 57 for 2 after 10 overs, which keeps us in the hunt.  Keith Parsons joins JF and they have pushed the score to just under 100 by the 15th.

John goes past 50 in 45 balls (9 fours) as we cross the 100 mark but he is bowled by Ferley at 112 for 56.  But, another 50 run partnership for the wicket and although we are about 60 runs short of the necessary at half way, we still look in the game with Ian Blackwell as the main weapon in our arsenal.

At 149, after IB has placed the ball over the tents and into the crocquet club area, Kent's captain Mr Fulton decides he doesn't like the replacement and dispatches a number of his guys to hunt for the original because he is a little worried that Ian may run amok.  He has the right to be worried, Blacky is warming to his task a little too eagerly as the 150 arrives in the 24th.

We then get a spell which takes this game away from us.  Kent are obviously worried.  KP is the perfect foil for a Blackwell onslaught.  We are sitting in the cold of a June afternoon hoping that it is going to come off when we watch it taken away by a piece of Kent brilliance and two/three pieces of Somerset daftness!

The brilliance?  Keith Parsons hammers one to the scoreboard boundary, high and handsome and Hall sprints around and takes a wonderful diving catch at full stretch, in mid air to save the six and see the back of Keith.

The daftness? First Matt Wood and then James Hildreth arrive at the crease with the simple task of getting Blackwell on strike, nothing more. Take the single and give Ian the bowling.  Let him do the hard work you just work it around boys.  Matt watches him six it into the car park again and then take 4, 6, 2 and a single off the next over.  He has the game for the taking.  So, what should his partner do?  Well not try the same and put the ball straight into the hands of the boundary fielder!  177 for 5.  Hilda watches Ian go to 50 off 36 balls with 3 sixes and 5 fours before he skies one which lands just safe between three fielders.  However, not to be outdone, or to learn by his mistakes, JH tries again and this time he doesn't miss the fielder and is dismissed by the hands of Hall for a measly 3!!  Gross negligence I am afraid, a wicket thrown away and a chase to victory put in dire jeopardy by a complete lack of thought.

Rob Turner is sent out to re-establish sanity and get us back on track.  We have 187 and although the ask is still high, it is gettable while Blackwell is at the crease.  But the big man is too eager to get the strike and win the game.  The ball is pushed out,  a very clear call of "NO" is heard from the wicket-keeper....by everyone but Mr Blackwell who races down the pitch, turns and doesn't race back in time.  At 190 it is effectively all over.  Blacky has gone for 57 and Lazza has joined Noddy to finish the game off or die trying.

They die trying.  A commendable attempt ends on a 54 run partnership when Rob T misjudges one from Khan and is bowled for a run a ball 24. Andrew comes in at number 10 which doesn't give faith in his 'allrounder' tag really.  We don't get much time to assess it however as AL decides he has to go for it and dies on his sword to the hands of that man Hall again. Once Frank S recieves a first ball LBW the pain stops and it is all over - we fall 74 runs short. 

The Festival ends with cold and defeat in both games.  No more than we deserved in both cases.  We couldn't hold our nerve in the four dayer and couldn't keep the batsmen quiet in this one.  You can't give them 320 and expect to win with more than an outside chance.  The scary thing is that we may assess ourselves as being unlucky in this game...we weren't we were weak.

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