v Derbyshire TSL2 @ Taunton Sunday 25 September 2005

Scorecard

No scorecard at the moment for this game I'm afraid - forgot to set it up before I left. Lovely sunshine for the end of September and a fairly decent crowd to boot. Derbyshire won the toss and decided to field and Matt Wood and John Francis start off this last gasp of the season. Just before that though there are two other little ceremonies. Firstly the presentation of a bench at the Stragglers in memory of the great and hilarious Pat Wickens - we're going to fit it with a sound box so he can isult the regulars as they pass! Secondly goodbye to Alan Whitehead and Big Merv who have chosen Taunton as their last venue as first class umpires. Winter well gentlemen!

OK important things. The side varies little from the one for the CC game - not surprising really because this is all we seem to have fit. Wood, Francis J, Suppiah, Hildreth, Parsons K, Blackwell, Durston, Gazzard, Andrew, Francis S and Woodman. Mike Parsons takes the 12th man role. Simn Francis gets a chance to end the year on a high but we'll have to wait and see if he takes it. It's a slim pace attack once again but there's not a lot you can do when you're resources are stretched.

A good start, and mosty of it coming from John F who has found a rich seam of form in the last few days of the 2005 campaign 19 after 5 turns into over 50 after 10 and 66 by the start of the 12th with JF on 41 and the Derbyshire blokes having a bit of a rough time in the first 15. More to come later for those not here

John Francis goes to 50 off 44 with 2 sixes and 7 fours...it's a nice start to the day.

John is then dropped on 51 as we move towards 100, just missing it before the 15 over change. Two balls later we go into 3 figures but that is also the prompt for Matt Wood to leave with 39. It also prompts a change in the order as Ian Blackwell takes the field with murder in mind..probably

At 130 we lose John Francis, caught behind (although he didn't seem to think so), James Hildreth joins his captain but the scoring rate has dropped off significantly and we only pass 132 after 20 overs. The 150 arrives exactly at halfway - 300 on? Well if we get there then JH won't have made too huge a contribution as he goes for a biggy and is caught in front of the shop with 156 up. Out comes KP and Ian Bdecides to take the reins, passing 50 in 44 balls (1 six and 5 fours) and bringing up the 200 with a massive six over the OP. The 300 looks doubtful but while IB is there, anything is possible

With 10 overs to go we have 213 but two set men at the crease and they start to accelerate as sixeds start to pepper the ground boundaries and stands. 218 with 9 to go, huge 6 to the CA, 229 at 8, six into the OP from KP 239 at 38 overs. Unfortunately,Blackie is caught trying for another for 75 (passing 3000 TSL runs in the process) at 239 but Wes Durston comes out to play a wonderful lilttle cameo of an innings taking 20 in boundaries and quickly run 2's before he goes at 41.1 overs.

269 for 3 with Gazzard joining KP and the 'old boy' (Darren Veness and KP seems to be trying to give the title of the oldest person in the changing room to each other - that's after Caddick of course!) going past 50 at 274(52 balls, 1 six and 2 fours). When Carl is bowled at 286 with only a smattering of balls to go, then the 300 looks unlikely. Arul is next in, but fails to get a bat to ball because Keith decides that we need a nice round number and smashes the next few balls for the required 14 in boundaries, taking himself to 75 not out and Somerset to the psychological 300 mark. It's a big score, now we need to defend it against the Phantoms with their batting tails up after last week's willow wafting. We shall see!

A nice event during the interval when all the youth sides of the club were presented with their county shirts and Player of the Season awards, followed by a lap of honour for an overall good season. Then they formed a guard of honour for the two umpires who were also presented with something or other for their services to the county - maybe we need them to do a liittle more before they hang up their wite coats (or whatever it is they wear these days).

Simon Francis takes the first over and Rob Woodman takes the second. 6 off the first but 12 off the second.   However, as someone in the Press Box commented, Stubbings fails to treat Frank Senior with enough contempt and doesn't smack one back hard enough so he gets caught by Andrew with the score on 18.  Nevertheless, they hit 66 off 10 - it's still not good enough but actually behind our rate at the same time.  Rob W goes for 33 off 5 and so we see spin on by the 13th over and the rate starts to be dragged back to something managable.  Arul is on at the River End and Ian Blackwell takes over at the Old Pavilion (OP) end.  ALmost immediately it has an effect as France is stumped off IB's first ball of the 17th, one run before they reach 100 and Adnan takes another 50 off us!!

Travis Friend arrives but only gets 10 before Blackie persuades him to sky one to Woodman.  The rate has been pulled back and they only manage 110 by the 20th.  Botha doesn't last long as he pushes the ball to Blackwell, runs halfway up the wicket, realises that Adnan isn't coming, sees his stumps split by the keeper, throws his bat down, picks it up and wanders off chuntering to himself and gesticulating to his partner who is gesticulating back.  Don't think they'll be sharing a car back up the M5!! Derbyshire are in self-destruct mode as Suppiah has Sutton the captain first ball, caught behind 113 for 5!

Adnan and Welch are now at the wicket - but not for long as Gazzard teams up with his captain again and sends Adnan back into the arms of Botha with only 2 more runs added - stumped.  It's all over but they just don't know it yet.  The spinners are causing havoc and Blackwell starts to play games with them.  Welch tries a fight back from a position that is untenable and it becomes a little boring as he manages it.  But it doesn't last as he sixes IB once and then tries again but doesn't get it right and Andrew pouches the catch.  The 150 arrives with 15 overs left - a big ask with only 3 wickets reamining.  Then, Blackwell has a conversation with Wes Durston about bowling to a specific field, next ball he bowls, Lungley puts the ball straight into Durston's hands and gives the captain 5 for 26, his career best one day figures at 158 for 8.  It also puts this game beyond doubt even though we have to wait another 7 runs for Arul to get Shiekh and then for Walker and Needham to sort out a way of both being at the same end while Mr Suppiah receives the ball at the other end.  All out for 165 and a 135 run victory.  Excellent from the slows and some solid batting.

A winning one day season?  Well we didn't qualify for promotion but we aren't the leagues whipping boys any more.  We finish 6th and only 6 points from the third place.  It is going to be more difficult next year but we know we can win now.  With some pacemen we may even have a better chance!!

The season is over and the analysis of the season will start I have no doubt.  For now, winter well and count the days down - it seems there are 195 days until the start of the next one!!  Start the count!!

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