By Grockle
May 28 2003

Sun and 5000 plus are here to see if we can still mix it at the top. We have a full side with Steff getting in ahead of Frankie - is it his day? v SURREY @ Taunton May 28 2003

Steffan Jones gets the nod ahead of Simon Francis in this pivitol match in the 2003 season. Keith Parsons and Keith Dutch take up their posts as one day 'specials' in a side which has both strike bowlers and Marcus T back from Test duty.

The sun has decided to come out but although the place is busy, it isn't heaving and they are expecting 5000.

Surrey arrive fully stacked Saqlain, Mahmoud, Butcher, Thorpe, Ramprakash - but no Stewart. If that ain't enough, we could also mention, Bicknell, Brown, Hollioake and Ricky Clarke. Batty is keeping and then there,s Big Jimmy Ormond!

It's a big ask but we are capable and the new Ian Blackwell Stand is awaiting big hits by your predicted 'MoM'. Half an hour to the start, tell you more at the innings change. Somerset have won the toss and decided to bowl. Correct decision? We'll soon know.

Brown and Butcher v Johnno(Old Pavilion) and Nixon from the River End
Johnno's first goes for 4 - 2 wides. It's
8 for 1 at 3.4 overs when Brown is bowled by a rampant Nixon McLean. He's really steaming in!

At 10 overs we are restricting them and Burns feels confident enough to bring Jones on at the OP end. It's 34 for 1 and Butcher decides to take Jonah on. Up the wicket he comes, past his bat the ball goes and into the hands of Turner - the Welshman has landed and Butcher is gone.

So Thorpe is facing @ 34 for 2 and Burns puts himself on at the River for the 13th. Surrey go to 50 with his 3rd ball. But our close fielding is good and they have only added 18 when Keith Parsons gets his first go in the
18th. By the 20th they're on 77

Thorpe and Ramprakash have got the game back and look sharp as they post the 50 partnership at 20.3 overs. We need a wicket and Ramps obliges as he lobs 1 to Dutch for 32 in the 21st over. 86 for 3 and Ricky Clarke is next in.

Surrey reach 100 at 23.5 but our close fielding is much better, especially Bryant and Dutch who are diving everywhere . At halfway the opposition are 104. I think they'll get more than 208 somehow!!

Parsy gets Clarke caught behind for 10 and it's looking good at 106 for 4. This brings the captain out with a job of work to do. Jonah is back on for the 29th and suffers at the hands of Bryant who drops a difficult Hollioake catch

Thorpe reaches an ominous 50 at 155 in the 33rd (64 balls and 7 fours) and this brings the strike bowlers back. First Johnson at the Pavilion in the next over. Surrey are now looking at something over 260 and need reining back! McLean returns at the other end with 15 overs to go and one over later we get the breakthrough.

Johnson has Hollioake LBW for 33 and the new overseas player, Mahmoud the same way 2 balls later 169 for 6.

After this, it is succession of bowling changes to wrong foot Thorpe and new man Batty. Parsons at the River on 39 overs. They reach 184 by the end of it. Burns replaces him an over later but the 200 is up at 41.4. Parsons moves to the OP end for the 44th at 217 and Jonah moves to the River 226 at 45 overs.

No joy as the Surrey men accumulate. Nixon is in with 4 to go but it's 245 by the end of his and 268 at 49. With a quickfire 50 for Batty, followed by the 100 partnership and a 102 ball hundred for Thorpe, all in quick succession, Surrey finish on 281 for 6.

They got away at the end but we held them well and it's less than 300 and therefore less than a run a ball. Now we need a batting performance to match some really aggressive and incisive bowling. A side looking to win this should expect to get this!

So we start our reply and it’s Banger and Buzz versus Bicknell (Old Pavilion) and Ormond at the River End. Jamie hits a 4 off his first ball but plays across ball 5 and it’s 7 for 1. Not what we wanted and James Bryant is in too damn early.

Bicknell is bowling tight and with a maiden we reach 22 by the 5th over. We are behind and it gets worse when Bicknell turns the screw with Bryant bowled for 9 – it is 25 for 2 off 7 overs. In comes Burns and he doesnt look long for this world against Bicknell but he starts to establish some kind of partnership with Trescothick, who is unusually subdued with 41 coming off the first ten overs and Marcus on 12 for what seems like an age.

Mahmoud comes on at the River in the 11th over and the 50 comes up with a Trescothick 4 in the 13th. It’s too slow and it gets worse again when Trescothick is out caught Hollioake for 17 at 51 for 3. Keith Parsons arrives at a well known place in a Somerset innings but he prompts Burns into life and they start to accumulate runs. By the 24th they are off at quite a lick and Saqlain is on at the River to try and cut down the rate. Ricky Clarke takes over at the Old Pavilion for the 28th but it doesn’t stop KP's 50 at 28.2 overs with the score at 134 for 3(The 50 came off 55 balls and only 4 fours – this shows how Keith has pushed the score along).

Just when it looks like we have a partnership that may win us the game, Burnsy goes caught behind at 148 for 4 off Clarke which brings Ian Blackwell in with a job to do. He seems to be in the mood to get on with it and brings up the 150 at 32.3 overs. He makes his position clear with 2 consecutive sixes in the 36th and has moved the score on to 185 for 4 by the end of that over.

It is looking good when the 200 comes up in the 37th. Mushtaq changes ends to the Old Pavilion while Mahmoud tries to restrict at the River. Tractor's besides himself, kicking bins and swearing as we go into the last 10 overs at 217. With ‘double nelson’ comes the demise of Blackwell for 39 as he smashes a ball high and down Mark Butcher’s throat. His quick innings came off 30 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes but it’s too little and is over too soon. Keith Dutch is next in so we still have hope of getting there and they have reduced the run rate. Surrey are switching bowlers around and the crowd are getting more boisterous than they have been all day.

With 231 at the end of the 42 over, we are still on. One ball later we’ve lost Parsons, caught Thorpe bowled Mushtaq and we have a problem. Rob Turner is sent in to sort it and we need him to put take a little time to accllimatise and then get the score going. I’m not sure he’s the man to send in here but he’s been solid all season.

236 at 43 is 46 off 42
242 at 44 is 40 off 36

Adam Hollioake brings himself on at the Old Pavilion, Somerset supporters hopes rise and fall when he gets Dutch LBW and it’s 247 for 7

247 at 45 is 35 off 30

Richard Johnson arrives in confident mood to face Mahmoud at the River End, the 250 comes up at 45.3 overs.

252 at 46 is 29 off 24

Johnson swipes and misses, Hollioake hits and Johnno is bowled at 254. In comes Nixon with a lot to do and llittle time to do it. He has to swing because Turner is nurdling and trying little trick shots when we’d like him to attack the ball and drive for the boundary. Nixon starts off with 4.

260 at 47 is 22 off 18
262 at 48 is 20 off 12

Nixon swipes and is bowled at 262 with 11 balls to go. Steffan is last man in and we all know it’s really over. Too much wanted for the number 11 and Rob can’t put bat to ball effectively enough. But Steffan pushes a 4 to midwicket.

270 at 49 is 12 off 6 and we have reached the 6:30 cut off point. The umpires discuss as the last over starts at 6:32. No runs are docked, nothing happens – it’s strange to us as we remember Glamorgan last year. We also remember Yorkshire – the TV were here then as well and the rule was not invoked. God don’t you just love ECB consistency?

10 off 4 - 9 off 3 - 8 off 2 - 7 off 1 - Jones is stumped and we lose by 6 runs!

It was good but it wasn’t. We took them close but we couldn’t put it to bed. We didn’t lose it at the end, we lost it with our poor start. Bicknell bowled very well and we didn’t plunder Ormond and Clarke. We just didn’t get into overdrive and we allowed Thorpe and Batty to do exactly that in the last 10 overs.

Surrey pressed better and forced the pace better and our one day season is over. We won’t be going to Lords again this year. It will be interesting to see what the policy is for the next NCL game now that our priority in the one day format is no longer there.

Good but no cigar boys. Now let’s see this form in the NCL – we need to learn to put games to bed!