v Leicestershire @ Taunton CC2 Friday 8 July 2005

Scorecard

This is the make or break competition for us this year now.  We may do even better in the 20/20 than the quarter finals but we have no C&G trophy and we will do well to improve our TSL position measurably.  The Championship is where we can make a difference and Rose, Garraway and Smith all seem to see this - same hymn sheet for the first time in a long while.

The side for the game has some surprises and good and bad news.  It is based roughly on the 20/20 winning side of the last few weeks.

Smith, Wood, Francis J, Parsons K, Hildreth, Blackwell, Gazzard, Durston, Francis S, Langeveldt, Caddick

Firstly there is the announcement that Ian Blackwell is to be the VC from now on.  This suggests, as we mentioned last week, that Rob Turner is not in favour because he is fit for this game and is working with the seconds instead.  Keith Parsons makes his 2005 Championship debut...about 6 games too late in some people's views  With his present form, Mike Burns must be expecting to spend the rest of this season with the second team.

Faith has been placed in the keeping of Carl Gazzard in the longer format.  This is a gamble because he is not as technically gifted as Turner but he is a forward looking option and we hope he is being nurtured to improve at the same time as being given the chance to impress.

The presence of Wes Durston in the side suggests that the pitch has a bit of spin in it and shows that the county now feel they can have faith in the first team abilities of their slow bowling allrounders.  It puts questions over the fitness of and/or the faith in the ability of Aaron Laraman who has been absent for the past month.  Speculation is rife but there is no factual information about at the moment.

No sign of Richard Johnson either, although there we have a sugggestion that he will be fit and available for selcetion in time for the next game - but that is a week away at least.  Caddick has a new opening partner for the moment in Charl Langeveldt and he looks like a good buy on the advice of his international, and now county captain.  Caddy needs a good performance here to shut the critics up and get his confidence up after a poor 20/20 showing.

Day 1

They win the toss and elect to bat and we push them all day.  Some good partnerships but nothing nearing 3 figures and good solid, tight bowling from the front men with very credible support from Ian Blackwell, Keith Parsons and Wes Durston.  Simon Francis is used but sparingly and must look to his rates and wicket-taking if he is to remain in this side once others become fit enough to be considered.

By the end of the day we have 9 of their wickets and Langeveldt has had a very good day with 3 for 67 off 23.  He is reminiscent of Johnson.  He has the same complexion and looks slower than he really is.  He was at the batsmen all day and deserved his figures.  Caddick just returned to bowling machine mode.  He produced a superb spell in the morning which was unlucky not to give him another 2 wickets, we lost count of the number of times he passed the bat.  He completed the day with 3 for 83 off a massive 30 overs but was bowling as well at the end as he had been at the start.

With just over 300 on the board and the last two in, we expect to be facing and pushing early on Day 2.  Can the batsmen continue the much improved form they exhibited in the shorter games?

Day 2

Was all about Graeme Smith.  After Langeveldt  disposed of the last Leicestershire resistance early on for a final score of 330, Smith and Wood carried on where they had left off in the 20/20 competition.  Wood did not open, John Francis took that role but didn't stay long, falling to Willoughby after only 7 balls.  Wood then helped his captain put on 203 for the second wicket before he went for an excellent 74. 

Smith was scoring aat a phenomenal rate for a four day game and continued to do it all day. Hildreth helped him to the 100 area.  Blackwell added 114 with him after Wes Durston failed to trouble the scorers.  Blacky went for 59 off 55 balls as part of his contribution.  The other batsmen just supported the South African as he passed 200, 250 and then 300 before he went at 311 to Henderson.  Short of Viv's record score but absolutely magnificent nevertheless.  311 off 255 balls with 27 fours and 11 sixes - some of them the best shots seen on this ground in a long, long time.

The other good thing about this score is that he had support all the way.  While he hit 311, we hit 566 before Leicestershire tried to climb the mountain that Graeme built early on Sunday morning.

Day 3

It was always going to be hard for the visitors.  Langeveldt and Caddick made it impossible at 38.  Charl took the first, Robinson LBW, with the last ball of his over and then Andy ripped the heart out of their front line with Maddy second ball and Rogers one ball later.  We don't think the hatrick ball carried but it was very very close and the Foxes were 38 for 3 chasing 236 to make us go in again!

Maunders and Ackerman held us up with a 100 plus stand but it was inevitable.  The front pace men were very dangerous and the Leicestershire batsmen were in trouble more than once.  Ian Blackwell was the main change bowler all day although Smith intelligently used Francis, Parsons, Durston and even Hildreth to keep the batsmen on their toes.  A little two over spell here, a change of end there, never quite sure what was coming next.

Langeveldt finally had Maunders caught by Wes Durston at 148 and with Blackwell in charge and Smith  off the pitch (hopefully talking to the South African Board about staying for another month and a half), the attrition went on.  He got Sadler 25 runs later and then Caddick broke the back of  the innings by having Ackerman caught by the excellent fielding of John Francis with the score on 189.  He should have gone 19 runs earlier when an audible 'snick' went through the keeper's gloves.  It didn't matter in the whole scheme of things but I personally worry and will continue to until Gazza shows more consistent form.  

Nixon was there and a threat and Otis Gibson arrived at the crease, no fool either.  Blackwell decided to bore him out and tie Nixon up.  At one end Blacky kept it as tight as a duck's bottom while at the other Caddick was going past Gibson's bat time and time again without him getting a sniff of a run.  To his credit, he stuck at the task and made 13 off 13 balls, almost unheard of!!  Eventually, it wasn't either of the bowlers mentioned who got him.  Astute captaincy again returned Simoon Francis at the River End and Otis gratefully tried to plant his first and managed to do it striaght into Gazzard's gloves.  Just bored him out!

Henderson went at 231 to another John Francis effort but they did manage to pass the 'bat again' total before we finished them off with Blackwell (dot.com) getting rid of Broad and Willoughby with a Caddick over in between.  253 all out and we need 17 to win with about 20 overs to get them.

Smith and Francis return to the crease and make no mistakes in clearing them in 36 balls.  10 wicket victory. 

Man of the Match - Graeme Smith by a metric mile.  

Commendable performances? 

Andy Caddick 49 overs, 17 maidens 6 for 129

Charl Langeveldt 43 overs 12 maidens 6 for 134 (almost the same figures in both innings) BUT 14 no balls!!

Ian Blackwell Second innings 20 overs 3 for 59

Excellent fielding from the whole side and some commendable "batting in a support role" cameos in the first innings.

But Smith stood out alone in this game.  As captain and as batsman supreme.  This was worth all the money we paid for him..This was awesome!!

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