Well Played

v Durham TSL2 @ Taunton Sunday 21 August 2005

Scorecard

The other site! - "Down by the Riverside"

In a week when some of the questions have been answered about next year's squad and benefit arrangements, we entertain the Dynamos who have been riding high all season.  This game ought to be seen as the start of the development of our squad towards 2006 success.  We have little chance of promotion this year unless many sides above us falter and we win everything but we can test ourselves against the more successful and see how we measure up.

Our side is really starting to pick itself now.  Matt Wood, Carl Gazzard, Ian Blackwell, Arul Suppiah, Andy Caddick, Charl Langeveldt, Keith Parsons will all play and will probably be supplemented by Wes Durston, Simon Francis, John Francis, James Hildreth plus A.N.Other.  The choice will be between Rob Woodman and Mike Munday probably.  13 people and 11 places.  Will Garaway chance both his youngsters and not play Simon Francis who is still struggling?  Willl he rest Andy Caddick to keep him fit for the Championship (unlikely given the problems we have).  Will he increase the bowlers and leave out the other Francis who is also finding big runs hard to come by?  We will see in the morning.

Hussey, Collingwood and crew will all be up for this and looking to regain the lead of the division from Sussex on the back of a victory against 'Lowly Somerset'.  They've got a new Aussie called Brad Willaims and seem to think that Mr Breese is having a good season.  We'll have to see if we can spoil their party but the bowling will have to improve drastically and the batting will have to return to last Sunday's highs if we are to have any chance here.  Big scores from the opposition should be expected, they bat an awfully long way down and we have a beautiful pitch for players to smash it about on.  We have to overtake them with the willow and expect our bowlers to keep them in check.  If we can't we could get murdered but we are capable of giving as good as we get - we need better than that.

It would be a tremendous step in the right direction to give this one a real go.  We can win but it really depends on the performance of the men with the 'pill' against a batting attack brimming with confidence and men who can destroy a weak attack.  Lots of fun at Taunton then - see you all there.

Caddick is being rested and Woodman comes in for his TSL debut.  The team is as suggested without the Somerset Kiwi. 

M J Wood, J D Francis, K A Parsons, A V Suppiah, J C Hildreth, I D Blackwell, (capt), W J Durston, C M Gazzard, (wkt), C K Langeveldt, S R G Francis and R J Woodman (not necessarily in that order).

They won the toss and have decided to set a total so Hamilton and Hussey are their starting line-up and ours consists of Langeveldt and Woodman. It's tight to start with Charl going for a mere 4 off his first 3 and Rob following suit with 4 off his first couple.  That's the way it would be nice to see it continue.  I'm going to miss about half the Durham innings so comments will be updated at the break from the viesws of others - here hoping that I'm reporting on a tight and aggressive bowling effort before our batsmen take to the field with a realistic target to chase.

It's unusual to watch a game where one of the sides doesn't turn up for the first half but Durham have done that today. It doesn't mean that they might still win the game but the Somerset bowlers gave them little to be happy about in the first half of their innings.

Robert Woodman, our new left arm first team bowler produced an excellent spell of 7 overs for a mere 19 to keep Gavin Hamilton in 'under-drive' and Mike Hussey unusually quiet as the 'Dynamos' took 15 overs to pass 50.

Keith Parsons was spraying it about a bit and probably was left on for an over too long but Blackwell and Durston also bowled with control to force the visitors to push it a bit. Causing the dangerous Hussey and Collingwood to give their wickets cheaply while Hamilton only scored off singles for nearly 50 balls and not many of them either! Berkenstein managed a 50 and they passed 200 by the 43rd over - not before Woodman finished a really good spell of 9/2/38/1. The left hand combination seems to work and we may have found another bowler.

With Simon Francis having the luxury of not having to bowl until the second half of the innings, he produced a much tighter spell and got Breese caught Hildreth in the 43rd with the score on 207 for 6. The importance of that first spell from Woodman can't be under-emphasised. Because he kept the front end in check and because the slows split the partnerships in the middle, Francis was not under pressure at the end of the innings and could exert his own pressure on batsmen who had to score fast to reach a total that would be defendable on this pitch. The general opinion is that 220 isn't it!

With Charl Langeveldt pushing the batsman at the OP and the boundaries still being hard to come by he bowls Thorp with his last ball for 33 for 2 - really good effort. He really is becoming what we need. Last over, Frank Senior bowling 216 for 7 and the first two balls are dots - this is the Francis we need to see on a regular basis. They finish on 22 courtesy of a flukey four and we have produced the bowling performance required.  Wickets went to Wes D (2 for 32 off 5), Keith Parsons (uncharacteristic 1 for 38 off 6 - bit off line today) and the guys alredy mentioned above.

Matt Wood and John Francis open against Breese and the new Aussie Williams.

Is this the same wicket we played on last week? Slow isn't the word for it and although we are ahead of the rate (and the Duckworth) at 10 overs, it is heavy going. Frank and Woody (especially) don't seem to be in a lot of trouble but the score has reached 36 by the start of the 11th. At the same point Durham were at 31.  Durham really aren't here today, their fielding is slack, their whole approach is sluggish and unconvincing.  Some superb fielding by people like Collingwood is mixed in with far more schoolboy errors in the field that keep gifting us runs they really can't afford to gift. 

Wood looks particularly strong and brings up the team's 50 with the second four of the 12th over. He then goes to his own 50 off 47 balls at 71 without loss in the 14th - the rate is starting to rise but John Francis is then ajudged LBW a long way down the wicket just as he seemed to be starting to get bat on ball. In comes Arul and out he goes almost immediately to a much better LBW shout which puts Breese (of blessed memory from the Championship of 2004) on a hat-trick at 85 for 2.

James Hildreth faces the third and sees it off, he then goes on to help his VC takes us past 100 with some really good shots - so good that Tractor is having real problems working out which Somerset batsman is which - nothing to do with the apple juice. At the start of the 25th we have 125 on the board and are well ahead of the D/L. The two Sabres look in control and there is some excellent running between the wickets as they 'milk' their way towards the target. We need 90 off 20. Unfortunatly, Hilda is bowled for 32 and that brings in KP.

It's about this time that Durham seem to remember they travelled all this way with a game to win.  They have to travel all the way to Scarborough tonight so it seems a bit pointless to make a trip down here and not at least have a go.  Their bowling tightens considerably and their fielding goes up a number of notches.  About this time we lose our talisman as Matt Wood falls LBW to Killeen for 76. It's 140 for 4, no worries but Ian Blackwell has to come in and accumulate with Keith.  But he doesn't, he snicks one and we are 143 for 5.  The Durham 'press' is on and we have a few less wickets to play with as Wed Durston comes to the crease to face a Dynamo attack that seems to have woken up to the possibiloity of winning this game.  There are still errors though and a fumble at the wicket saves WD almost immediately from being run out.  Wes replies with the first boundary in a while to take us past 150.

Meanwhile the apple juice is taking its toll in the River Corner and the 'Richard Head's with more alcohol than sense in their heads start to appear out of the woodwork.  First we have some idiot in a Purple hat who wanders onto the pitch - for what reason I couldn't tell you - has a wander about, looks for a fag, has a wander off and is almost back in his seat before the 'security' arrives to get hold of him and sort the situation out.  As someone said; "....they're brilliant at looking in some pensioners bag for his/her supply of illicit cans of lager but nowhere to be seen when the game is stopped by prats".  Couldn't have put it better.

166 for 5 at 33 and we keep taking the single and the two while Durham fight to get more wickets.  Now we have two 'Richards' from the scoreboard side - novel approach this, both stark naked - they run on, they run about, they run off, a red shirted security guard and a guy in a white shirt follow them at no real pace and take longer to leave the field of play than the idiot streakers who started the whole thing.  Not an impressive display as the supporters make perfectly clear!  Keith and Wes keep their mind on the job and push us past 200 in the 41st over.  Then they cut loose.  Parsons takes it to 17 runs needed of 24 with a four to the scoreboard and two boundaries in the next over leave us with 5 to get off the last three.  If only Durham had fielded in the first 20 overs like they have in the last 20 we would have been in considerable trouble.  As it is now, all they can do is move in and save the singles.  Keith just puts it over the top of them twice in consecutive balls and wins us the game with 16 balls to go.

Four points, and excellent debut from Woodman and some promising signs from Langeveldt.  The usual 'job done' approach from the mighty Parsey and some pride restored for our one day ability.  Strange, slow wicket.  Some strange support from people in fancy dress we've never seen before (it was suggested they were bought in by Sky to provide 'atmosphere') probably attracted by the TV cameras and the lack of football on the telly.  AAhh well our effective security cordon must have really made them think before they consider coming down to the floodlit game!!

We're fifth and only 4 points behind Warwickshire in fourth (but they do have 3 games in hand).  Sussex lost and we're only 8 points behind them.  Wer have to win everything and expect others to lose.  The floodlight match against Warwickshire now becomes an 8 pointer on the 5th of September - our next home game and a must must must win match. 

Good performance from the bowlers, nervous but solid performance by the batsmen - Woody looks awesome every match he plays now - long may it continue.  Well played Rob Woodman - a few more like that please.

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