v Northants 20/20 @ Northampton Thursday 29 June

v Glamorgan 20/20 @ Sofia Gardens Cardiff Friday 30 June

scorecard

Away we go and the Northants game is a really strange one as we tie a game stopping them getting the two they need off the last ball and both reaching the score of 151.  I wasn't there and didn't hear the game but here's "Bobstan's" view of the action;

I'm just back from Northampton.
Just a few observations:
I can't stand these boring one-sided games - except against Glos, obviously.
Northants fans were convinced Somerset would not be able to defend 151.
I wasn't so sure, mainly due to the pitch, which had bounce for both the quicks and the spinners.

Two sumptuous drives from Cam, worth the admission.
Typical KP innings - what will we do without him?

Their spinners were just that much better than ours.
Monty must have been spending most of his time on fielding practice. He was a revelation, with no misfields and many really good stops and returns.

I don't understand why, with 2 and a bit overs to go you send in a grafting-type batsman, JF. He did his best, scoring singles with reverse sweeps, but surely it would have been worth sending in Johnno.

We fielded very well for the first 12 overs or so, but then by cleverness or luck the Northants batsmen kept finding our less mobile fielders.

Before the game our players had a football match. Luckily no-one got themselves injured. I was a little concerned at the thought of RJ playing, but luckily he opted out, or was opted out! Ditto Charl. Those two certainly bowled very well.

A few spectators tried to get a Mexican Wave going, and at one time as many as fifteen people joined in.

It was a quick match, with six spinners bowling. For Glamorgan we surely need one more quick. Is Andrew injured - Caddick that is, not Gareth?

Rather a quiet match for a T20 until the crowd woke up with two overs to go.

Thank you sir.  A point is always better than none.

So off to Cardiff and this is how "Steve the Leggie" saw it....Thanks Steve

It was a lovely evening in Sophia Gardens and it was just about a full house.

Wood did not look very convincing in this innings. You could tell that the pitch was very slow. Two of his fours were 'Chinese cuts' and eventually he mistimed a pull to mid-wicket where McCullum took a simple catch.
Langer seemed to be looking good, but he seemed to be playing far too square, whereas at Taunton he was playing really straight. The square boundaries at Cardiff are very long, so the shots were rarely going to the boundary causing us not to make use of the fielding restrictions.
Early in White's innings he was looking to sweep the spinners but none of shots connected! He did get going though and in one over hit Robert Croft twice into the cold waters of the River Taff.
He tried one shot too many, attempting to launch Cosker, and got stumped by Mark Wallace.
Like Wood, Parsons didn’t seem to adapt to the pace of the pitch and couldn’t get going. He tried the big shot, but an easy stumping was missed by Wallace, and the very next ball, he tried the same thing, but Wallace took the offer this time.
Hilders came in and played a nice cameo, and dispatched a Wharf beamer into the pavilion. The pick of the bowlers for me were the two openers, Franklin and Davis who didn’t allow us to get off to a flier.
We thought 185 wasn’t a bad score with the slow pitch and slowish outfield.

As a complete contrast to our innings, Glamorgan got off to a flier. They looked to play a lot straighter over the bowlers’ head with Johnson and Willoughby just bowling length balls. I recall them being about 50-odd off just four overs. Eventually, Powell played one shot to many and was caught behind trying to run the ball down to third-man. The arrival of McCullum didn’t signal a respite for Willoughby, as his over went for about 20-odd. Parsons came onto try and salvage the situation, and did a great job just allowing singles here and there.
Arul Suppiah from the River Taff End got into the Glamorgan wickets straight away as Richard Grant played all around a turning delivery and was out for a fantastic 50. Suppiah bowled superbly and I don’t think he conceded a boundary. After hitting Parsons for four, McCullum looked to clip him onto the leg-side boundary, but found Suppiah at deep square leg. Game on! Next ball, Parsons pulled up midway through his run up. He looked to have pulled a muscle in the thigh area, forcing him to go off, with John Francis replacing him on the field. Durston bowled the rest of the over and was immediately effective as Gareth Andrew took a great catch in front of a noisy Welsh crowd, diving to his right.
We got the feeling that Glamorgan were panicking, but they only needed to be knocking around singles. In the next over, Nicky Peng slapped a Suppiah delivery straight to mid-wicket where Parsons took the catch off the second attempt. Gareth Andrew replaced Suppiah, and knocked dangerman James Franklin’s off stump out of the ground. The Glamorgan required rate was now up at around 9 an over. Wharf came and went as he chipped up a Durston delivery to Cameron White at mid wicket. In this over, Croft gave a very tough chance to White at short extra-cover. Willoughby replaced Durston, and got hit around by Wallace and Croft even though Wallace was dropped by Johnson at short fine-leg as the ball seemed to go straight through his hands and went for four. Andrew nearly had Croft caught at long-off, but the ball carried the fielder over the boundary and went for 6. Johnson replaced Willoughby for the penultimate over. 14 were needed off the last two. Johnson bowled a pretty good over with the wicket of Wallace, caught by Francis at long-off. 7 were needed off the last over, with Gareth Andrew bowling it
19.1 – 2 runs
19.2– dot ball, as Andrew beats the bat of Cosker
19.3 – Croft run out going for the two and Wood cleverly threw to the keeper’s end. One run.
19.4 – 2 runs to Cosker
19.5 – Scrambled single. Scores level.
19.6 – The field comes in, but third man and fine leg stay back. Short ball from Andrew as Cosker hooks… and is dropped by Johnson at fine leg. What a plan that was from the bowler and captain. Surely Johnson must’ve been expecting it.

Comments in hindsight (what a great thing it is!):
- We were guilty of playing far to square, which is what happened at the same match, last year.
- Maybe Suppiah could’ve bowled another over.
- Maybe White could have put Suppiah down at fine leg. But to bowl a short ball was a great plan.
- Why do they play football before a match, there could've been a couple of nasty injuries yesterday. I know its good for team morale, but its even worse for moral if a key player gets injured.
- Doc Hennessy – was it you I met waiting for the coach at the county ground?
- Legend37 – were you the one with the Watchet lads?
- Somebody at the start of the game thought I was Arul Suppiah!

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