v Kent C&G Trophy @ Canterbury April 23 2006

Scorecard

Our future in one competition will be decided today as we start the C&G.  It's a bit of a baptism of fire because there is no time to sort out things, we hit the ground running and we do not want to hit the ground hard.  Brian Rose has been reported as saying "...there will be one or two changes to the side." and the official site is reporting that Keith Parsons will start this game and Gareth Andrew is in contention.

So how does that change the makeup?  After a poor showing in his four day run out. It is to be hoped that the ECB have given us leave to keep Marcus Trescothick in the side for tomorrow.  We should assume so - it is usual for C&G games. The others who are certain would have to be;

Matt Wood (captain), James Hildreth, Cameron White (already), Carl Gazzard, Charl Willoughby, Parsons and Trego. 

That is 6 and covers numbers 1 and 2 (although whether we'll use Gazzard in the pinch hitting role with MT available is doubtful. So you would expect it to be

1.Trescothick 2. Wood 3.?? 4. Hildreth 5. White 6. Parsons 7.Trego 8.Gazzard 9. Johnson 10.?? 11. Willoughby

The question is whether John Francis is preferred to a more 'allround' front end batsman (Wes Durston, Arul Suppiah - if fit) at number 3.  If the latter option is preferred the we might see Gazza opening and Banger coming in at 3.  If the former then we are more solid but lacking a second spinner. I think Durston will appear which would mean Parsons probably moving up the batting order.  But it may depend on what the weather and the wicket promise tomorrow morning.  Spin is not usually a hugely important priority in April.

At number 10 there is a suggestion that Gareth Andrew will come in for either Andy Caddick or Richard Johnson.  IF Johnno made it through the Bristol game unscathed then he will probably play.  He has batting and a better one day pedigree for me personally.

We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the final line-up but one thing is for certain, whoever plays will be expected to do a hell of a lot better than a couple of days ago or our chances for one piece of silverware will be finished by 7 Sunday night.  Good Luck boys. 

The Game

KP is in for John Francis but they haven't dropped one of the two old guys.  They've decided to drop Peter Trego from the championship side and play both Caddick and Johnson.  The good thing about this is that it suggests that the relative fitness of the two important players is more reliable than we have been prediciting - gotta be good if they are going to play them regularly in all forms.  The strange thing is that Trigger Trego was supposedly signed for the one day campaigns...intersting.  A place for Gareth Andrew as well which will be seen as a good move by some supporters who believe he is a better option in the one day format than possibly AC.

So, we go in with;

Trescothick, Wood, White, Hildreth, Parsons, Durston, Gazzard, Andrew, Johnson, Caddick, Willoughby

So we bat first, overcast and Marcus and Matthew in for us.  Middle of the bat from the first ball according to the radio and the Somerset front pair sete the platform with 177 for the first wicket in 31 overs.  Woody went for an excellent supporting 72 (great to see his season off and running) but the majestic Trescothick murders the mediocre Kent attack with a fluent range of driving through all parts of the ground and finishes his day's work with an imperious 158 off 130 balls with 2 sixes and 20 fours.  The only other guy who didn't get a look in was the unfortunate Durston who was run out without facing a ball.  White and Hildreth look like an interesting partnership as they both get into the 30's and Keith Parsons gets a 15 at the end as we finish with 338 for 5.  To give you an idea of what kind of punishment the England man gave the Kentish men, Mark Saggers went for 78 and Banger went from 100 to 150 in 27 balls - this is what we want, and probably what Marcus wants as well.  The higest ever score in a one dayer between us and Kent isn't a bad start to his limmited over campaign of 2006.

It's damp and the covers are on with a bit if rain in the air.  But it has stopped in time and they come out to face Charl Willoughby who is opening the bowling because there seems to be some swing about.  Dexter and Stevens opening for Kent needing 6.78 per over.  A few wides for the lefty first up, looking for the swing but he does get a decent shout for LBW at the end of his first although it's too high.  At the other end it's Caddick looking to bowl a longer length than he does at Taunton perhaps. 

The first few are a bit 'iffy' as his first goes for 10 with 2 wides - unusual for AC.  Charl Willoughby is more than holding up his end though as the ball is doing a bit.  However it is Caddick who gets the first as Stevens smacks one to the boundary and then walks across his stumps as Caddy gets him on the backfoot and he goes LBW for 14 at 25.  However, there doesn't seem to be any outswing for the big man and we are relying on the lefthander to keep the batsman guessing.  The radio is talking about Willoughby being a more valuable asset than Langeveldt was last year and we have him for 2 years. He proves his worth in the 7th by bowling Van Jaarsveld, playing on for 1.  We were questioning his ability to adapt to the wickets, but again, away from him he's got his line and length just right.  How will he bowl at Taunton I wonder - he looked OK against Cornwall but Gloucestershire will be a different matter on Mayday.

Caddick has now decided that the swing isn't gonna be there and is pitching the ball up.  Lo and behold! Dexter dies at 51, trying to give a man with far too much experience the charge, he is bowled for 20.  Then the very dangerous Walker is dispatched first ball the same way.  The next over will start with a hat-trick chance.  But before then, Robert Key offers a regulation chance for a three wicket in three ball haul on the first ball of CW's new over.  Carl G fluffs it - a little niggle starts in my head about this wicket-keeping issue - hope it's just a glitch.  It makes little difference in relation to Key's contribution to the game because Willoughby gets him three balls later.  Good job it wasn't Caddick's third wicket ball I suppose!  As it is, the Cadmeister's third wicket ball is nothing special.

Changes take place as the South African finishes with 10 overs and an excellent 22 for 2.  Caddick is rested after 7 with 3 for 36.  The runs are about right, the wickets are useful but probably flatter him.  Johnson is on with Andrew and then KP but the wickets dry up while the runs don't start to flow.  The game moves into an inevitable stroll as Denby and Tredwell keep the score ticking, but nothing like fast enough, and protect their wickets.  The rain brings blessed relief at 93 and it looks like there will be no more play and we will win by 112 on the Duckworth/Lewis.

A fair 5 overs from Johnno for 13.  1 over for 1 from KP and 18 off Andrew's 3 and a bit.

Great batting from Banger. One interesting comment is that the commentators felt that Woody was being shepherded on by Marcus.  There was the question about whether John Francis had yet to get a handle on the one day format and concerns that if MT wasn't there to push it we may have been some 50 to 70 runs behind the score we made due to a lack of understanding about when to push on from our openers of last season.  It may inflluence the picking of the first two in future one dayers to take advantage of the 15 over front end.

Kent may be happy to take the D/L result because it will help their run rate - no doubt that the real result would have been a much heavier defeat in terms of runs.  We get the win so who cares!!

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