Start and End
v Durham Pro40 @ Taunton Sunday 27 September 2009
The side is as you would expect but Mark Turner is in and as he has a stress fracture of the back he will probably be replaced by Ben Phillips. Other than that;
Trescothick, Kieswetter, Hildreth, de Bruyn, Langer, Trego, Suppiah, Thomas, Waller, Willoughby.
Sorry guys and gals Max Waller has been pushed to 12th man by Omari Banks (someone please explain this one to me)
The sun is out. The sky is blue and there's loadsa a crowds to spoil the view at 12:15. I'm on the commentary for the first half and hopefully there'll be comments. 214 days from now to the start of 2010 so enjoy today. It seems there probably won't be a fixture at Taunton until the end of April because of building work so suck it up and absorb the fun!! It seems Somerset have won the toss and are batting.
More later...... Talk to you online.
Our 'Poke'
Looks good to start with as we have 16 off the first over...unfortunately 13 of them come from Trescothick who is dubiously given out LBW by Willey off the last ball. Craig K looks good but Justin sends himself in at number three...good move? History says not.
And it looks like history is right as Kieswetter is the next to go and we are witness to the captain and Zander (don't send him in until Langer is out for heaven's sake) scratching about to make singles against good tight bowling from Plunkett, Gidman (especially Gidman) and Evans. It is blessed relief when the skipper goes for a measly 13 off far too many balls but ZdB has scored 1 off his first 12 and in comparison, Hildreth hits double figures off his first 5. Once again the first 15 overs of our innings have absolutely no urgency about them - admittedly against excellent wicket to wicket bowling.
It isn't really until Ben Harmison and Gareth Breese are put on that the Somerset men get the chance to open their shoulders a little. Hildreth is in the 30's when Zander finally realises that they need to push on and just as he starts to put himself about, James goes into his shell and the South African almost passes him.
The introduction of Scott Brthwick gives us hope for better and the first example of Zander coming up the wicket to smack the all over the outfield for four. Bondaries are few and far between. James has the same idea - but fails first ballagainst the young spinner...up the wicket, miss the ball and then turn around to see his bails on the floor. In comes Peter T with orders it seems. However they probably included the phrase, "get your eye in and...". Trigger missed that bit, comes up the wicket to Borthwick's first and skies the ball so high that Gidman has enough time to make a cup of tea before it plops into his hands. Idiotic!!
Arul walks out with us needing big runs quick and Zander surprisingly heading for a 50 off someting like 60 balls! He gets there and makes his score look respectable though it was turgid in the extreme for the first half. But Suppiah has other ideas and takes Borthwick on and hits him for 18 off the first over he faces. But just as we think that it's going on at a better rate, de Bruyn goes with about 5 overs to go. And in comes.....Omari Banks!!!! Why? With Ben Phillips coming off a career best for Somerset in the last game of 86 waiting...Why?
Suppiah makes us respectable with a truly excellent 50 off 29 balls and gets us past 240 with a poor final over from Harmison and a four to take him past the half ton off the last ball. Omari does his part with 10 but he simply doesn't look like a batsman who should be there for these kind of games.
We are at least 25 short at 242 - very poor pacing of this innings and we've opened this up for Durham to ush through us. A good bowling perfromance is essential and we only have something to bowl at because of the work of Mr Arul Suppiah.
The Reply
Starts off as a massacre as Mustard and Blackwell push the score on at 10 and 11 an over against very poor and very loose bowling from Charl and Alf. There is nothing good to say about the bowling. Willow is taken off at the OP end after only 2 and we see Omari on at the River before the 9th.... no difference however as he goes for over 12 off his first. Mustard is caught by Trego at 79 but he has 39 to his name and it's only the 8th over!!
Things in Worcestershire look really interesting as the "Pears" are taking the Sharks on while we are throwing this one away!
Ian Blackwell's return is cut short as he is skittled by a pearler from Charl (returning at the River end) at 94. His fans under the electronic scoreboard with their 'Welcome Home Blackie' banner give him a standing ovation and when Smith is caught by Thomas running around the Caddick Pavilion boundary at 106 we have ourselves a game on again.
The press is on and the Durham boys are finding it a little harder to get anything as the score from New Road keeps mounting in terms of Sussex wickets and Somerset put their backs to the weel and look to grind Durham out. Harmison goes for a second run and is run out comprehensively by Suppiah at 137 - about this time the main scoreboard packs up completely - announced by the tannoy system which gave up the ghost after about 5 minutes of our innings!!
At the halfway point this is a game again and it becomes much more of a game when Coetzer is bowled by Ben Phillips with 160 on the board and 22.4 overs gone. Durham still have this game in their hands but we are at least putting up something of a fight. Trego and Phillips are giving the Dynamos something to think about and in the 25th Zander is introduced to effect a change....hopefully.
But there is no change and although Worcestershire do their part of the deal and beat Sussex, with 4 overs to go at the home of cricket it doesn't look like the fairy tale is gonna come true. Durham on 224 with 3.4 to go look like they have weathered the storm. 19 runs off 3.5 overs seems good but at that moment Muchal smacks one straight into Tres's big hands and it's 224 for 6 - he goes for an excellent 61. Well done Zander de Bruyn. This brings Liam Plunkett to the wicket.
Great crowd and great atmosphere as ZdB finishes the over without conceding another run. 224 for 6 with 3 to go. Alf to bowl over 38 but it's to that man Breese!! He hits the first for four and scrambles a single off the second but Plunkett is beaten by the third!! The fourth is a clapped in full throated full ball which becomes a dot but Liam gets the fifth away and runs to the other end. Ball six is also clapped in but Breese gets it away and they run two. 232 for 6 with 12 balls to go.
11 off 12 with Ben Phillips on at the OP to bowl to Plunkett. Ball 1 is a dot. Ball 2 is a couple. Ball 3 is a huge belt to Wesley John Durston who takes the catch and Liam smacks his bat on his helmet. 234 for 7. In comes Gidman but Breese is on strike. Ball 4 starts and then stops because Gareth isn't ready. Then he's in and it's a dot as he tries to clip it to the leg side. Ball 5 he tries a reverse sweep and it is picked up by Omari and there's a single. Langer talks to his bowler....Ball 6 to Gidman produces a single and puts the ex-Gloucestershire man on strike.
Alf will bowl the last to singing and cheering from a partisan crowd.. They need 7 off 6!! Big organisation of the field and off we go. Four off a snick past the keeper. Not a chance but four runs. But it is followed by Alf taking out Gidman's off stump with the second ball. Bortwick in needing 3 off 4 240 for 8.
Ball 3 - dot ball! 3 off 3. Ball 4 Trigger loses it and they run 3 - game over. Pictures of Sussex celebrating in Worcester and we come second. Best we could have hped for really. Not the ending we wanted but the ending we probably deserved.
Second people prize money - Durham win by 2 wickets with 2 balls to spare. Thanks to Worcestershire fgor their efforts - we seem to think that becasew we beat them we get second even though we have the same number of wins.
Stroming end...but there'll be those who will find the black lining in the silver clouds.
No trophies but 2nd in this, 3rd in the Championship, Runners up in the T20 and quarter finalists in the 50 over? And all without Ian? I'd have taken that in April 2009....I'd have loved more but that will sustain me personally over the winter.
Winter well lvvies who now leave Grockle's shores for winter pursuits. For the resat of you - in the words of Ian Gillan of Deep Purple..."The Battle Rages on" and India beckons in a weeks time.
Till then my people...until then....
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Quote:could you buy Tractor a pint next season and we're all quits
Quote:Tractor
I chatted to one of the genuine Bobbies on the ground who said they'd been informed there were over 4000 in the ground. Correct! I reckon there must have been almost 7000.