v Durham LVCC1 @ Taunton 28 April 2009

Scorecard

Commentary

Justin Langer has a the batting problem every captain wants and a bowling nightmare he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy! On the one hand he has a Vice captain in form with a centurion for a partner and a triple centurion at four.  His allrounder is coming off a pasting of Kent.  His solid kolpak is batting well and supporting with the ball and his wicketkeeper has finally got an average after being out for the first time and scoring less than 100 for the first time!

Unfortunately at the other end of his line-up he has one of his first choice with the ball is at least a week away from playing.  His young pretender to the Caddick throne has a groin strain and his tight experienced change man is suffering from back spasms.

So we expect to see the following;

Trescothick, Suppiah (no place yet for Edwards despite a century against the students), Langer, Hildreth, de Bruyn, Kieswetter, Trego, Banks, Thomas, Willoughby and assuming  Phillips fails in his attempt to be fit we will see David Stiff make his Somerset debut.

It's a great chance for the young man and he has little to lose if he gets the chance.  Others might see their opportunities disappearing at the same time.  Andrew Caddick seems to be starting this season exactly like 2008 where a 'minor' injury turned into a two month sojourn from the middle followed by brief appearances in between relapses.  There is no recal for our Kent loan bowler Steffan Jones when you would have expected it to happen.

But we'll have to see won't we ladies and gentlemen?  More tomorrow evening along with the ball by ball commentary which will start tomorrow at 10:45.  The thread will be on during the evening session when I'm on so I'll be referring to your comments as long as it isn't some kind of Blackwell fan site!  Come on Stiffy!

Haway the lads

Day 1

You win the toss and you puty them in in order to make the most of the overcast conditions with the ball.  The idea is that you get into their middle order before lunch and skittle them out for under 300 (and under 200 if you're lucky) and be on top in the game before the end of the first day.  That was obviously Justin's plan.  His bowling resouterces were stretched but Charl Willoughby and Peter Trego were looking promising so all he needed was for David Stiff on debut and Alfonso Thomas  to keep the line and Zander de Bruyn to offer the optional change in pace while the slows turned tightly at one end and took the odd wicket if there was something in it.

Things don't always go to plan though.... Di Venuto hadn't read the script it seems and he and Stoneman put on 98 for the first was we squandered the opportunity with too many 'spray' balls (leg then off then leg....) and didn't tie them down.  Even when Willoughby, Stiff and Thomas got them to 119 for 3 (2 wickets Smith and Stoneman in quick succession at that score) it looked like a long day in the field.  Another game where batsmen could hold out against the tight men and wait for the change of bowler to move the score on again.  Coupled with poor fielding on our part - more than one catch going down and difficult chances just not going to hand muchel and Benkenstein started to accumulate runs allarmingly in little trouble except in the spells from the two main guys.

Stiff has some interesting deliveries and a really deceptive slow one but it's not going to be too much use if he can't get the ball inline more often and as the day went on he started to toil badly.  Zander de  Bruyn dropped Benkenstein early and we were to rue that as the game progressed.  Banks and especially Suppiah offered a slow ball alternative but on a pitch with little in it the only things they could really do was contain and hope the batsman made a mistake.  Which is exactly what happened in the case of Muchel who mistimed one and was snaffled up by Trescothick at 284.  Enter Ian Blackwell who strided out like a man on a mission to warm applause from the Somerset faithful and played a measured, if not attacking innings taking no chances and playing nothing loose (and there was a lot of it).  He supported his partner towards his three figures and passed 50 himself with few chances being offered.  Then a lapse of concenttration and a flip to a diving Hildreth and that was it.  Honours even really.  He got his fifty and then caused us no more problem with the bat.  Warm applause on the way back was the least he deserved.

After him we had a bit of a fight back as Peter Trego decided the Durham boys had had it too much his own way.  He put the ball in front of Ian and then produced an absolute 'pearler' of a fast ball to total 'nightwatchman' Mustard in the last over.  Durham shaved the first day but we would be back on par with them if we had a good first hour on the second.

Day 2

Onions is replaced by Mustard (jokes abound along with those about Stiff) and the Somerset hopefuls look for some early movement and sounds of wood being hit by leather (not the bats).  It doesn't really come though and although the overnight 372 for 6 becomes 382 for 7 when the aforesaid condiment is run out after helping to add 10. Benkenstein is making the most of our muck up in the field and helped by solid support from Thorp and Claydon the opposiiton push the score past 500. 

Lunch comes and goes and finally Thomas gets Benkenstein for an excellent 181 caught by Arul. 543 all out and a lot to do to get back on track in this game.  But there's time and the weather is better than we expected it to be.

Onions....and the Test squad

So we're discussing the inclusion of Onions in the test side and the non inclusion of Harmison as the Somerset innings starts.  It becomes not much of discussion as he bowls Trescothick, C&B's Suppiah, has Hildreth LBW and leaves his opening partner Harmison to have de Bruyn caught behind while Langer watches this massacre of his side. 

40 for 4 is not a position you want to be in when you are 500 behind with two days to go.  But it is a position where you can regain some stability with a wicket-keeper in batting form.  Well it isn't because Onions, Thorp and Harmison bowl on the Taunton 'road' and the next three wickets go for no score although the skipper is getting some scraps.  I arrive at the ground wth the home side at 65 for 7 and commentate on the loss of the rest of the batting line-up for another TWO runs!!  Somerset all out for 69 and asked to return to the crease  and start again a couple of overs into the evening session.  Good grief - there were a couple of dodgy decisions but our loose bowling and poor fielding gave us a mountain to climb and our batting against quality seamers didn't get us into the foothills.

Trescothick and Suppiah come out to start the second innings a massive 400 and a lot behind.  It's better second time though with Arul especially looking the part with some excellent stroke play.  Unfortunately he gets all around one that hits him in front and Umpire Kettleborough decides it is out after an absolute age and to the incredulity of the batsman.  Not sure myself it did look like he had hit it.

Hilreth comes out for that sticky session of 12 overs before the end of play and takes the fight to the bowlers with some exciting strokeplay.  We survive the 224 overs and go in ahead of our first total by 14 at 83 for 1 hoping for massive rain and no play for two days. 

Excellent bowling by Onions - well ahead of his England counterpart.  Woeful performance by some batsmen and no luck for others but even if all three of the men who were doubtful had been given in the batsman's favour there was little that could have been said about a score of that 'magnitude'. Locked doors and full and frank discussions after play I think.  No sign of the Somerset lads after the days play.....

Day 3 Rain

Lots of dark clouds and lots of heavy rain meant there was no play until the early afternoon when they managed to get on the pitch for a while at around about 2 o'clock.  The second wicket partners moved the score on to 153 before they were taken off again for rain at 3:10.  Marcus moved past 50 and on to 79 and James is looking at a possible 50 with 44 to his name.  Although there are dark clouds about the place it is likely that they will come out again before 3:30 and Tea will be taken at 4:30 but the rain and the light are not brilliant and it is likely to be a bit of an on/off session before the umpires call the an end to proceedings tonight.

Day 4

An early spell from Onions and Harmison kept the score down and we didn't get away to push towards some kind of score that would make a game of this,  Trescothick's 105 and Kieswetter's 106 were eclipsed by the captain's stolid but vital 122 and this game sputtered into a draw at about 5:30 in the afternoon,

What would have happened had there not been rain?  Well us winning would have been the least likely of the three possible options.  Our abject showing in the first innings and our lack of potency in the bowling department would have given the champions a real chance to pu this one away... but 12 to them and 6 to us.

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