V Essex CC2 @ Taunton May 10 2006

Scorecard

The first Championship game at home a third of the way through May is unusual and it becomes a vital one in establishing a winning mood in the Somerset camp after what someone described as a "rollercoaster" start to 2006 with a win/lose/win/lose kind of process.  Matt Wood will captain his the side as Ian Blackwell's spasms are still causing problems and Caddick may not be available because of an 'illness' that laid him low on Sunday.  Keith Parsons will make his first foray into the four dayers and Arul Suppiah has an opening spot on the back of a really impressive perfromance against Surrey. Charl Willoughby is the real doubt in the seam department with a 'slight' calf problem.

The side will be something along the lines of

Wood (captain), Suppiah, White, Hildreth, Durston, Parsons, Gazzard, Johnson, Trego, Caddick, Cullen

No John Francis who is putting in some willow work with the seconds in the hope of hitting some form.  Johnno will take the new ball with Caddy and Trego and KP will back them up.  Arul has been pushed up the order by the Francis move so we need a good solid start because the stroke boys come in at 3!  Keith Parsons will stabalise the middle order and the seam attack.  Essex are by no means easy opposition to be going in agaiinst with a newly organised team but this is what would have had to happen anyway and the inclusion of Suppiah has the potential to solve front end problems.  We have a huge spin option with four spinners in the side so it's hoped that the seamers put the ball on the money and give us the maximum bowling options for this game.  Should be a really interesting four days...if it goes that far!

Day 1

A beautiful morning for cricket, a toss won and a home side's decision to bat are the first items of the day.  Matt Wood arrives at the crease with the predicted Arul Suppiah because, although available as the second's game finished yesterday, John Francis has a rest.  Neil Edwards does not get a consideration for this game, which leaves the question; What is his future at Taunton? on a number of lips.  We shall have to see how the season pans out I suppose.  Anyway, we are off at 11:00 and intial indications are twofold.  Suppiah looks confident and the pacemen are going to have to work very harsd for anything on this pitch, after the initial dampness goes, the spinners are on at both ends by the 11th over!!

We do not lose a wicket in the first 20 overs, in fact we don't lose a wicket until after the 50 partnership (a step in the right direction).  At 69 and 87 minutes in, Arul departs caught behind for a fair score of 27.  However, by that time his captain has reached the 40's and we start to think that he may have turned the corner and be looking at a big score.  Cameron White joins him to help him further but it only lasts another 26 runs before Wood misjudges one from Adams and is bowled.  Unfortunately, he didn't get out of the 40's, most of the 26 were made by White and, according to eye witnesses he threw his wicket away trying to reach 50.  But 95 for 2 is not the worst start we've had this season.

White is joined by Hildreth and they push the score on past 100 and towards 150 but it's going to be one of those "got in and got out" days as White chooses an injudicious shot at 41 and returns to the dressing room courtesy of ten Doeschate (?) and Pettini (?).  There are some very strange names on the visiting side - they've got a Palladino as well!  140 for 3 doesn't turn into 190 for 8 because Keith Parsons has been drafted in to sort that out - and does just that.  He nurdles, he defends, he frustrates, he causes bowling changes but, most importantly, he sticks around.  He supports Hildreth to a much needed, confidence building 57 before the blood rushes to the young head and he takes a chance he didn't need to and is caught.  Panic could have then set in because 202 for 4 becomes 204 for 5 because Wes doesn't hang around (4 balls).  Parsons doesn't panic and rebuilds with Gazzard and when Carl is LBW for 27 at 244, Parsons doesn't panic and rebuilds with Trigger Trego.  We finish on 312 without losing another wicket, Parsons didn't panic on his way to 78.  He played balls on their merit, he respected every change of bowling and smacked anything that needed a good smacking.  Peter T followed suit and is still there on 32.  Hopefully more of the same tomorrow morning and something past 350 for the Essex boys to chase.

Essex marshalled their resources manfully.  Excellent fielding all day kept the score in check and probably knocked 50 runs off the total.  Irani chopped and changed his bowling regularly trying to keep the Somerset batsmen unsettled but we stuck to it and all played around a certain Keith Parsons.  Hope he gets his ton tomorrow...nothing like giving selectors worse headaches than they already have.  A good solid day.  No revelations in the batting departments but good knocks by more than one and a total that the wicket deserves rather than a massacre that spoils the grass.  Let's see how we go about the first session on Day 2 and then get our spin boys in amongst them and sort the men from the youngsters!!

Day 2

You know we keep on visiting this place. It seems to be on a yearly basis.  We debate, at the beginning of each season, whether there is a place for Keith Parsons in the lineup, one day or four day.  We decide he will struggle to get a look in.  A month in, we wonder why he is ever considered as anything but the first name on a teamsheet!  A fragile batting lineup has been looking for a 'tentpeg' player to establish an innings around.  We think of everyone who could be a possible and plump for Arul Suppiah.  All the time KP simply does the job we ask him to do and waits for the chance to fill the role.  We finally turn to him and....he fills it.  No historionics, no frills, no fuss - just solid and 'reliable' cricket suited to the situation he finds himself in.

Today he does it again.  312 overnight and the need to nurse the tail through to a score close to 400 perhaps before the lunch interval?  Nope.  Keep playing each ball on its merits, pass 100 and keep Trigger on the straight and narrow while he also passes that figure.  Then pass 150 before you finally succumb to Bopra for a patient, but no more important, score of 153 off 270 balls with 18 fours. A 202 run partnership with Trego brings us to 446, before he goes to Palladino (told you they had one) then Johnson and Caddick both fall cheaply LBW to the same bowler before KP finishes the innings off with Cullen (who looks about 14), adding 18 before Keith is the final man out at 471 having more than done his job.

Nearly 500 on a batting pitch is the minimum we need to be producing at Taunton.  It puts the onus on Essex to get on with the game because they have a first innings mountain to climb and if they don't do it we'll make the slope to defeat as slippery as possible.

At first it looks like we may very well do that as Caddick gets amongst them early.  He gets some movement and Grant Flower with only 20 up (LBW).  Somerset fans start to murmur as he then returns Pettini to the Essex balcony courtesy of a Parsons' catch with less than 50 to the opposition and then at 80 Bopra (he of the huge grunt) is LBW as well and we have them chasing 472 with three wickets down.

Unfortunately though that is where the movement and the excitement ends for the day as Irani and Flower Mark II drop anchor and add 202 by the end of the day.  Both pass 100 in the late afternoon and the only puncutation to the play is the odd straight six.  The seamers are getting nothing but the odd bit of 'tap'. The spinners are tried in rota (though once again Wes Durston is under utilised) and get almost less past the bat.  We seem to have an almost constant view of the ample buttocks of the much more solid Irani than of blessed memory as we waft between stalwart defence and the odd big hit.  The sun is out but it's doubtful that anything we can throw at these 2 will end in the same result.

282 for 3 at the end of the day and we can only pray for more thunder tonight to add some life to this pitch so that tomorrow we may get a second innings.  They are still just under 200 behind but nothing in the last two hours of play suggests anything but they will pass that score if things continue as they ended on Day 2. 

Day 3

It certianly isn't getting any harder to bat at the start of the third morning and we do not make those all important breakthroughs early.  By the time Andy Flower finally falls to Durston (who again only bowls 11 overs but takes a wicket almost as soon as he is brought on) for 161, the visitors have passed 350 and a draw is a definite unless the captains come to some agreement.

Lo and Behold, around lunchtime, Irani suddenly calls it a day at 400 for 4.  Big surprise, most of those present expected them to push to about 500 and a lead before sending us in again.  Then it dawns on people that this is a deal with a target score for Somerset.  Most of two sessions to go with us 71 ahead suggests that we have agreed to some total around the 350 mark or have agreed to clock up a score by the end of the day and declare overnight.

So will we come out blasting?  Not really a question that can be answered as both Matt Wood and Arul Suppiah arrive and depart LBW before they can indicate their tactics at all.  We are 11 for 2 in just over 10 minutes and the whole scenario needs a re-think by Cameron White and James Hildreth.  Essex are obviously hoping for a Somerset collapse but number 3 and 4 get down to the job and put on 120 before White's aggressive nature gets the best of him and he deposits Phillips in the hands of the wicket keeper Foster.  Parsons has orders it seems and the guys are running between the wickets to keep the opposition on it's toes.  It's like the middle of a one day innings, just before the last 15 overs.  Get a score, keep the counters ticking, don't let the bowlers settle.  JH passes 50 for the second time - good confidence builder of an innings - but goes once too often to the boundary trough and Phillips gets a second courtesy of Palladino. 

Enter the Durston in need of a decent score.  He looks far more at home this time around with a role to play and we see some really delicate and deft touches from Wes as he exploits the gaps while giving poor bowling the long handle.  Although he is a double figure score behind KP, he beats him to the half ton and looks good for lots more.  But the clock is ticking on and there is definitely a target to get by the end of the day.  Essex are slowing the over rate down considerably, lots of debate between Bopra and Irani about the colour of the grass and whether fielders should all run around as if they need to change positions.  Just before the end, Keith pushes a bit too hard and leaves with over 200 runs to his name for his two visits to the middle and Carl Gazzard is sent out to help Wes finish the day off.  With one over to go and 344 on the board, there seems to be some confusion about the deal.  It is 6:30, there is one over to bowl and Essex - well Foster and Irani at least - seem to think we should be walking in.  The batsmen stand and wait for the over to start and we have a lot of waving of hands by the wickie and a bit of bolshhy banter between Ronnie and elements of the crowd near the Old Pavilion - even Frosty has a word or two.  The over starts, it staggers to a halt as Foster has another chat with anyone who is listening (not many are) and it starts again.  Eventually, Woody seems to decide that it's all got a bit boring and we have enough and calls the boys in with 4 balls to go and 347 for Essex to win.

Is it enough?  I'm sure the weather report for Saturday had an effect on this deal but as I type this on Saturday morning, we've had no rain here although it looks very heavy.  If this provides conditions to alter the bowler's chances then it will work in our favour.  If it doesn't and the rain stays away then Essex have a chance.  All credit tot he captains for not playing out a boring day to a draw but is 347 enough?  Early wickets may kill it dead but they haven't come and at 53 for 1 at lunch it is still a game with a bit of life in it. 

And that life continued in fits and starts across the next session.  For most of the time the ball did little and four an over was about all the batsmen could get.  Around the ground there were ominous dark grey clouds suggesting rain and a semi-oppressive atmosphere.  Then the ball would do something for a while and the game would hot up and the crowd (what there was of it) would get aminated.  We'd all look at the number of wickets down and the score and think "This is on".  But the ball would stop doing things and the batsmen would return to accumulating the total required.

The first excitment started when Cullen removed Bopra and became really 'buzzy' when that man Caddick had the other Flower caught behind in a spell where he extracted prodigious bounce on a very flat pitch.  How does he do that?  109 for 3 and the win was on.  All we needed to do was get rid of the man scoring the runs - Pettini - and the Essex skipper Irani.  Come on Andrew it is down to you.  Glory be!!  With only 15 to his name Ronnie is given out LBW.  We all cheer and then look at each other.  It was too damn high. The Essex boss certainly thinks so and so does Roy Kerslake who was with us at the time.  Nevertheless, he's gone and the win is definitely on now!! 125 for 4.

Unfortunately, the game almost immediately returns to the flat pitch and the slow run rate.  No more wickets tumble and although Matt Wood tries all kinds of different people the Essex juggernaut continues to move towards the winning post with Pettini leading the way with dogged determination.  It takes Johnson swooping in from the boundary and whipping in a good return to Gazzard 99 runs later to remove the maiden centurion with the Italian surname at a score of 224.  He may even have been in!! Worse still, Foster then puts on 87 with the wierdly named South African (I think) before ten Doeschate is LBW to White. By then though it's too damn late and they are well under 4 an over with far too many to spare.  Johnson gets Middlebrook but Foster and Phillips see the visitors home by 3 wickets with 3 or 4 overs to spare.

Nice try boys.  Maybe, in retrospect we may have done better to disbelieve the weather reports and hold out for the bore draw.  As it was Matt gambled, things went against us and we came up slightly short.  BUT we made a game of it and we nearly turned it into a valuable victory.  If you don't speculate, how can you accumulate?  It wasn't our day or a correct weather forcast but there were times when it looked on and those who did come today had their money's worth.

Good game for James Hildreth and Peter Trego and especially for Keith Parsons.  Not a lot for the bowlers but they kept up the pressure and did not give up.  No one bowled particularly badly but there just wasn't enough in the ground for the ball.  Another loss at Taunton, we could have done without but the performance in a bog scoring game should be looked on with some optimism because there was more than one contribution and it didn't just come from someone called "Trescothick"  or "Blackwell".

Mark it down to experience, learn the lessons, turn the page.

Move on.

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