The Bath Festival

v Surrey CC2 @ Bath 14 June 2006

Scorecard

To the Rugby Ground once more with its tents and quaint 'pavilion', the croquet pitch and the World Cup.  There's an opportunity to do some browsing at the second hand bookstalls and the container full of Somerset and assorted kit from SCS.  They were hugely busy on Sunday last and are taking what is left of their sales stuff with them to the Festival so if you want something  for a  fiver or a tenner then get there early.  They are usually close to the car park (closer each year it seems as they are moved further and further around the boundary!).  Richard has promised copies of the 'Sixty Summers' book which I have heard is excellent.  They also now have a full set of up-to-date player photos - gone are the days of walking in there to get a photo of Richard Harden or even Peter Robinson!!  Promised a plug and there you go!

Officials may be a little sparse on the Sunday as Sir Elton is at "home" but the first order of business is the welcome to Surrey which we hope will be hot and hostile on the pitch and the picture of courtesy off it.  We all want to see if we are going to take the lessons to heart and give one of the frontrunners a 'run for their money'.

The side will be chosen from the usual suspects with the main decision being whether Peter Trego gives way to Richard Johnson.  The possible inclusion of John Francis in the frontline was scuppered effectively by his LBW early against Sri Lanka so we expect the batters to replicate some of the good practice they illustrated there.  They will probably line up as follows;

Wood, Suppiah, Durston, Hildreth, White, Parsons,Gazzard, Johnson, Caddick, Willoughby, Cullen

I will be reporting from the Recreation Ground on Wednesday.  I'm not there Thursday but expect to see the four dayer out and be on call for the one dayer as well.  So if you're going to see the 'Big Mama' enjoy yourself and log on for the updates.  If you're not and you are about, say 'hello' if you see us.  We accept Cider donations and will talk the game to death if you're desperate.  Good Luck guys and as the Mighty Brian says - let's have the 'right' team turn up and give the Brownhats a real game...and a pasting please.

It's not going too well here as the Festival starts with overcast skies and a bit of wind. Surrey won the toss and have put us in. The wicket looks almost as green as some of our batsmen seem to be. It's a good first day crowd although it isn't what you would call warm - except out in the middle.

The PA system is on - there are lots of speakers - but you can only get a bit of what is being said in certain parts of the ground. The speaker by the bar in the Members area ISN'T on so that makes it more difficult. What's more, they've run out of scorecards and I didn't get here until 11:00 so I have no real idea what the changes are to the team. (I shall of course alter this part of the report later to make it look like I knew all along). However, Matt Wood opened with Arul. How come so long into the season we still have players who don't have shirts with their names on them? Either we display them or we don't, it isn't exactly the mark of a professional outfit when the Vice Captain isn't wearing his personalised shirt at the start of a game but just one with 'SITEC' on it.

It looks a bit ominous as the Surrey opening bowlers pass the bat a couple of times in their first overs. But that is coupled with some confident boundary shots by our boys so honours are even in the opening salvos. Unfortunately it isn't long before Suppiah gets an evil LBW decision (definitely high but others closer believe wide as well) and we lose our first for 17. It's not the start we were looking for.

With their tails up, the Surrey frontline start to use the conditions and have us in lots of trouble as they pass the bat often. Matt snicks one at 30 and we are two down, the men around the bat start to hover and increase in number and when Butcher catches Wes Durston with only 4 more added the hill to climb turns into a mountain. We need another big innings from the captain, he's done it before and he'll have to do it again...well he won't because he lasts for four runs and not many more balls. Caught by Ian Salisbury, Cameron White is already back in the pavilion before we have 50 on the board and it is up to James Hildreth and Keith Parsons to hold this thing together at 38 for 4. They've just passed 50 in the 17th, there are 5 men around the bat, no sun, a touch of wind (and it isn't the burgers) and a subdued atmosphere as another bullet from the Pavilion end goes past KP's bat. We have bowlng change at the Sports Centre end as James Benning comes on. Just another day in Somerset - Ho Hum.........More at lunchtime.

The initial strike force of Akram (Pavilion) and Bicknell (North Parade) are replaced in the next couple of overs. Saker is on at the Pavilion in the 19th but Keith is stroking Benning to the boundary pretty regularly and we are treated to the joy of a 50 partnership in the 25th over with James Hildreth on 20 and Parsons on 28. Saker isn't Akram and we show him that quite clearly when KP sixes him over the midwicket boundary into the car park. Benning isn't causing enough problem at the other end either and Rikki Clarke takes over at the North Parade at the start of the 26th. It's all looking a bit more like a cricket match and less like a rabbit round-up!

Surrey decide that this partnership is growing too quickly and in order to keep their grip on the game, Akram is re-introduced at the Pavilion end but it is't quite the same game and Parsons cuts him for four first up. There are lots of cover drives ad the odd cut going on, not a lot of singles or quick run twos. It either goes to the boundary or it isn't touched. In fact the one that Keith cuts that he shouldn't have touched flies to a fielder and is dropped!

As lunch approaches, the two Somerset batsmen seem to be pushing each other towards half centuries. Personally I'd rather see them pass this milestone before the break because it will not playing on their minds as they start the second session. Bicknell returns to make it harder just before the break and although they both look like they can get there, we finish on 133 with the older man on 47 and the younger on 42. There was a lot more clapping from members during the second hour this morning than the first. Now we need to hope that they can both buid on a good start and get us back into this game. The sun has't broken through yet so it will be a hard 30 minutes after lunch for the Somerset boys.

We hoped but Hildreth snicks one in the first over after lunch and he goes for 42 at 135. It was a better innings but we needed him to stay there until Tea at least and construct a real comeback. Now we have the allrounders and bowlers in the sights but there's a lot of short stuff to smack square so we may be OK. Peter Trego is next in against Bicknell who is the really dangerous bowler today. But Trigger is off with a boundary and may be a decent partner for KP who is stuck on 49. He finally gets there with a guided 4 to the Pavilion (76 balls 1 six and 9 fours).

The 150 arrives with a Trego snick that actually seems to go through Butcher at second slip, he dropped it or missed it or something but it went to the boards. A bit of luck followed by disaster! Keith leaves a ball but doesn't get his bat completely out of the way and it is 155 for 5 and the main bat is gone for 54. Good innings but we needed three figures and we are now in a position where two batsmen without form are on a green pitch. To compoud the situation Gazzard is dropped again by Butcher without scoring, it doesn't look good. It looks worse when Trego misreads one from Bicknell and gets a belt on the point of the elbow - it's 10 minutes before we start again and he looks a little delicate even then. The ball is moving a lot, the Surrey slip cordon seems to be too far back (another one is dropped at 168) and what our guys don't block they aren't knicking (Thank God).

Saker is back on at the Pavilion and the Surrey support isn't impressed. He has a huge run-up, bowls too short and doesn't do anything with it really. Benning is on at the North Parade and Peter T wants to go after him every ball. He opens his shoulder to get us past 200 but he isn't always there. However the boys have put on 50 in the 55th and Butcher finally turns to spin and introduces Salisbury at the North Parade and brings in the short fielders. His first is too short, the second too long the third is a huge LB appeal, he dots the fourth and Carl flips the fifth to the boundary before dispatching the last in a more orthodox way to the same place. Spin isn't gonna do it today Marky Boy!

Rikki Clarke returns at the Pavilion and Gazza snicks to Butcher - and he holds onto it!! A decent 32, not really in at any time but stayed and worked at it and put us a little nearer to being competitive. Out comes Richard Johnson a little early and a little bit of a gamble but it seems to come off as he and Trego take on the Surrey boys in dull light. The Surrey attack starts to fall apart a little and we go past 250 with a big six to bring up Mr T's 50 off 79 balls with that six and 8 more fours. His partner has moved on to 17 in usual fashion but he does need to run when he hits rather than waiting to see if it's gone for 4!  Another 50 partnership looks likely to arrive but this one will come in much quicker time. The light meters are out but the batsmen don't want to come off and it isn't a good time to do it because Surrey are in a bit of a mess. But they decide to go for some reason beyond me and most of the supporters in the members area.  They take an early Tea at 270 for 7!

We don't lose any time because the Tea interval allows the light to improve and we are back on at the correct time.  Richard J is also not losing any time and if it is near him he'll try to put it away. He tries to put Bicknell over the boundary and finds Ramps with safe hands and we are 287 for 8. In comes our other allrounder Mr Caddick to help Trigger get a well deserved hundred. Support he does and after a false alarm when the scoreboard gives him 97 and then decides it is actually 94, Peter goes to three figures off 123 balls with 2 sixes and 12 fours. He also shepherds us over the 300 mark. It wasn't always pretty but it was aggressive and positive and the ovation he gets is in appreciation of that as much as the craft he has displayed today.

Caddick now decides that he has done his job and skies one close to the keeper. The Surrey fielders agree to allow him to go for it because it's the second one he's offered and the fielder made such a hash of the first that they let the man with the big gloves get it. He keeps his nerve and we are 331 for 9. This is ironic because it also happens to be Bicknell's 1000th Championship wicket and he gets a decent level of applause for the achievement.

Charl Willoughby is not intending to stay around and comes out swinging at anything and everything. Bicknell expects to get 1001 but when he finally gets the radar right, the South African drops the bat on it and belts a single. The umpires look at the light and offer it, we say 'no thank you' and the swinging continues, but he can't get bat on ball. At the end of the next over they offer it again and off we go this time. Why? Don't ask me. It is dark but we are in the driving seat and they aren't dangerous. However, within 15 minutes, Frosty has the wicket covered and players are coming out in tracksuits to do shuttles and stuff. The crowd decide that there's nothing gonna happen even though it is lighter now and Frosty has taken the stumps away (and probably hidden them).

A good day in a strange way. We have the upper hand and are now a long way from 38 for 4. Our confidence and fighting spirit seemed to increase at the same rate that Surrey lost the plot. Their bowling was short and wide - Bicknell being the exception - their close fielding was poor, their slip fielding was awful! The weather will change and we will probably declare overnight or just go out and blast for a bit early on tomorrow. We need to use our experience to bowl it up to them and use the movement that has been evident today. We need to do early damage to their line-up or it's going to be a long hot day. But on today's performance we won Day 1....now we need to win Day 2 in order to take the whole thing on Day 3 or 4. Good day. Onward and Upward.

Day 2

Now, the usual scenario for a game like this in 2006 is that we bowl like drains, they bat like heroes and we have some huge mountain to climb at lunchtime on Day 3 when we abjectly capitulate and they win early on Day 4 by and innings or 10 wickets.  But this one seems a little different.

The weather predictably changes overnight and I awoke this morning to baking sunshine back in the West of God's own county.  So the wicket will dry and we will lose the advantages that Surrey made a bit of a mess of yesterday.  Peter Trego and Charl do go out, no overnithg declaration and the century makes adds 7 before being the last man out.  So very early on the second day we have at them.  Caddick seems a little out of sorts so the left arm of Mr Willoughby is required to do the initial "putting up of wind".  Charl seems to relish this task and we soon have Newman wafting one to Hildreth and first blood with only 41 added to the reply.  It gets better as Batty does almost the same thing to the same fielder off the same bowler and the total has only crept to 56.  Johnno has come on at the other end and is also a little wayward.  Nevertheless he still manages to fox Butcher at 65 and Dan Cullen, on for White who seems to have a problem with his finger after a fielding injury, catches the Surrey captain.  Hope is springing eternal in the breasts of the Somerset faithful.

Ramprakash and Brown start to make sure that hopes are dashed with a partnership of 106 for the 4th wicket.  Willoughby seems to be the only real effective member of our attack.  Johnson, Trego and Parsons are all receiving a bit of a belt and Caddick has yet to play his part as the strike bowler.  So...he does it at 171 for 3 by trapping Ali B in front of his stumps and although the 'England Allrounder' Clarke stays around a bit (until 221 in fact) Caddy keeps the pressure on by having him caught behind and then dispatching Benning first ball with the help of Parsons.

Ramps is running out of partners but Bicknell supports for another 44 runs before we have another two wickets in quick succession as Willoughby goes to 4 in the innings with the bowler and then spinner Salisbury, also first ball. Saker and Akram don't hang about as Trego cleans up the tail for one more run and we have them all out for 266.  My God we have a first innings lead!

So, it hasn't quite gone to the scenario expected but there is still chance for a sizeable collapse before the end of play for the day.  Wood and Suppiah start the second innings and we all expect the worst.  We are starting at 76 for 0 effectively and surprise turns into delight as the opening pair add another 40 to that before Arul becomes the first victim of the danger that is Saker (the guy with the huge run up). Wes also sticks around for about that many until he becomes Saker's second victim at 82 followed by a third in James Hildreth who becomes the third first baller of the day.  The collapse is later but surely it is coming now as the captain walks out with a bandaged hand (he's dislocated a finger).  But he bats like a dream and Matt Wood keeps him company with a half century as we move into a very good position after 40 overs of 148 for 3.  Halfway through the game and a lead of 224 with 7 second innings wickets remaining is not to be sniffed at!

An excellent performance today from our South African lefty.  When others were getting the long handle he returned figures of 4 for 52 off 16. Caddy finally got in on the act with 3 for 93 off his 23 - good to get but a little more expensive and Trego weighed in with 2 late ones to clean them up although he did go for 24 off his 5.5 in the proces (most of it off the first 3).  The batsmen are in the driving seat and need to take it a little slowly to start with tomorrow before applying the boot to the Surrey groin and smacking this game out of the reach of the leaders.   We must be confident of extending our lead tomorrow and then having about 4 sessions to get this lot out and the points in our bag rather than theirs.  They will have other ideas and would be confident of hitting a big score on here in the fourth.  Put it out of their reach gentlemen then make them pay!!!

Day 3

Brilliant sunshine greets our second day at the crease and the PA is fixed so I might get the names right today (don't get your hopes up). Captain and VC walk out confidently to face Bicknell and Clarke as the Surrey starting attack (no Akram - he's picked up an injury) and Cameron makes his intentions clear as he takes his team past 150 by hitting Bicknell's first delivery for four. It's a great day to be at a Festival with the temperature already moving up into the high 70's and the promise of a good day for the home side. First objective is White past 50 then the 200 and on from there. The first couple of overs suggest that the wicket has dried out even more and there aren't a lot of spinners in these two sides so it could be a long hot day for the seamers. The first target is reached off the third ball of Clarke's second over at 160 for 3 (51 balls and 9 fours) Saker's on at North Parade and I'll be back with more in about an hour or so.

And lunch arrives on a hot and steamy Recreation Ground with a very interesting postion in this game. Butcher introduced the first spin in the 47th at 173 and Ian Salisbury has been on and off ever since.  At first he was used at the Pavilion end but then transferred to the North Parade when White took a shine to nearly everyone else. Saker looked much more dangerous from the NP than he had on day one from the pavilion and he provokes the first of a couple of dubious LBW decisions when Matt swings across the line and almost gets hit in the box. But the umpire decides it would have hit middle about half way up and the VC is on his way for a good 69. In comes Keith Parsons.

Anway Saker looks good for a while but then the skipper gets his range and brings up the 200 with the third boundary of the 54th over and it's goodbye to Mr Saker for a while. Akram arrives at the other end - why didn't he open the bowling I wonder? There's a very strange incident with White who gets a grubber that hits him on the foot. Akram appeals, the umpire seems to put his finger up and the batsmen looks distraught and starts to move. Then suddenly they are all preparing for the next ball. No 'no ball' call is obvious and no change is made on the scoreboard but the Somerset man is still there and on we go.

We start to move towards a White century but at 232 Keith takes a big stride down the wicket, is hit on the leg and sent back to the changing room for 10. A bit of a blow but the Aussies isn't phased and moves past 3 figures with another 4 at 236. No idea what his second 50 came off but it didn't seen a lot. Excellent strokeplayer's ton and vital in the game. Salisbury is bowling sort of round arm lobs but we are losing our concentration at the non captain end and Pete Trego loses it totally as he lobs to Bicknell and support for the captain starts to waver at 244.

The 250 comes up in the 65th but the skipper's excellent innings also ends at that score as he is caught by Batty. Johnno comes and goes, skittled first ball by Akram but the hat-trick ball doesn't bother Caddick as it flies past outside off stump. The way Gazzard is being tied in knts by Salisbury, you would think the pitch was falling apart, there's lots of playing and misssing and not getting near it until the tall man gets down that end and simply sweeps him for 4. The runs dry up and it becomes a game of survival to lunch. Caddick doesn't survive as he is caught at 271. However, Gazza works out where the ball is and straight drives Akram for four to take us past a 350 lead. And that's lunch. We aren't going to survive much longer but there seems to be something in the pitch for the fast and the slows so and afternoon of fun and frolics is in store.

PS Blackie reckons he'll be back in 10 to 12 weeks...someone else can work that one out for us!

Out they come after lunch and someone has had a word with our keeper. "Watch the ball onto the bat". That is exactly what Carl does. Unfortunately, no one tells him what to do when the ball gets there and after a bit of a muddle followed by an attempt at a reverse sweep, he sweeps the fourth ball straight to a Surrey fielder and they are all on their way back in again!

353 to win as we finish on 276. Batty and the one beginning with N start for the visitors and they have their hands full with our pace openers as Caddick and especially Willoughby go past the bat. The lefty looks more likely to and eventually Mr N goes to our South African and they are 23 for 1. But that brings in the man we need to see the back of - Mark Ramprakash.

Surrey are full of players but this is the bloke they build their match winning innings around and we need him gone. So we rough him up but it is hard work out there and he is more than capable of survival. After 13 Richard Johnson is first change at the North Parade but Surrey push past 50 in the 15th. There are a lot of "ooos" and "arrrs" as the ball beats the bat but the boundaries also keep coming - short boundary ground is the Recreation.

Then the "Swarthy Greek" strikes! Batty is LBW for 27 breaking up a solid partnership with the total of 60 accumulated. Out comes Butcher to face 5 close fielders and a Somerset bowling attack with its tail up. However, Ramps is still pushing the score along and they have 73 by the 20th with the heat sapping the seamer's strength - Caddick has bowled through since the start of the innings. Not surprisingly, he is replaced as CW changes ends with Peter Trego getting a first spell at the North Parade. Ramprakash is pushing on and they pass 100 with the number of boundaries getting worrying, but the ball is still passing the bat.

Ramps and his captain reach a 50 partnership at 110 as Mark moves into the 40's (so he is getting the lion's share) and White needs to find a way around him. Charl offers a solution. Get rid of his partners. He tempts Butcher to punch one at 117 and it falls straight to Mattew Wood . The captain is out for 19 and we are back on track. But that brings out Ali Brown - don't this lot ever run out of match winners?.

As Tea approaches, our Aussie brings himself on, which means his finger must be OK because the second ball turns significantly and the third has Ramps slashing a boundary to go to 50. He had no idea where the ball went though! A good knock off 69 balls with 10 fours. Then a breakthrough!! The Lefty gets the dangerman caught behind and we have two new batsmen (Clarke and Brown) at the crease. But it's Tea and we have Surrey at 138 for 4...is this one in the bag? Not yet!

Well don't ask me what the hell went on in the final session. We came out from Tea with Surrey in trouble at 129 for 4 and I'm writing this as we go through the extra half hour called by Mark Butcher so that they can win the game! We need 5 wickets and they need 17 runs after a 189 partnership between Brown and Clarke murdered our bowling which concentrated far too much on letting Andy Caddick carry on when he was getting massacred. Peter Trego dropped Clarke on the mid wicket boundary.  It wasn't a difficult chance although it was into the sun but I don't personally thin it made any difference.  I've watched Charl Willoughby bowl almost nothing while Keith Parsons and Wes Durston have been almost totally ignored, Wes was finally brought on when it was far too late (his figures may well flatter on the scorecards because they were bashing on to finish the game at that point and tried to hit him out of Bath).   James Hildreth got a bowl though when we decided to give them the game! Benning has just been caught at 341....only four wickets to go and Bicknell is in. We are now just offering up ball fodder for Ali Brown in the hope that it all ends soon! I don't understand this at all!

With Ramps back in the hutch all we needed to do was tighten up and frustrate. The wicket has become benign over the three days, but not that benign and they were a long way behind. Instead we continued with strategies that were failing and bowled in areas that Ali seemed to love. Boundary after boundary came during the hour after Tea and by 5:30 this game was done and dusted with White looking for a way to get it over with. Sad really, we've had the best of lots of this game but we seem to have just thrown it away through not concentrating on the job at hand. Not impressed at all.

We lost this game in one session, although we put it in doubt this morning. They get 19 points, we get 6 and snatch a 4 wicket defeat from the jaws of the proverbial.  To say there are some urinated off fans here is an understatement.

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