By Grockle
April 25 2003

What IS going on at Taunton? Another county on the ropes and another let off courtesy of our batsmen. At 90 for 0 you have all your money on us. At 171 all out we give the opposition the game back. Now we're 167 behind and chasing another game! Hope the season starts soon and I wake up!

v DURHAM CC2 @ Taunton 24 April 2003

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR

Down comes the rain and we lose half the second day to it.  Grey and overcast at 11:00 causes a postponement until 2:00 and different bowling conditions to Day 1.  It doesn't seem to change our situation when it comes to batting though.

James Bryant and Rob Turner took to the field to recoup some of the lost advantage of yesterday when we threw away the chance of a sizeable lead with another insipid   batting performance after the openers had given us 91 runs without the loss of a wicket.  Mr Turner had faced only two balls but had shown his stability during the Gloucestershire game and Mr Bryant is the 'Great White Hope' of Somerset's re-vamped batting line-up so we expect good things.

What we get is Srinath in 'nasty' mood and a ball that's doing a bit.  Bryant adds one run in 12 balls before his stumps are splattered all over the place and we are 130 for 6 and still 55 runs behind. Enter Keith Dutch, not asked to show any prowess with the ball on Day 1 but itching for a chance to prove his skills and provide reasons for remaining in the first team when Blackwell is fit again.  He is an awkward man with a bat in his hands and can be the devil's own problem for a bowler.  But not really for Harmison, who takes full advantage of the conditions and restricts and then removes Dutch for 4, bowling him with the score on 151.

After that it's more down to hope than expectation.  In his next over Harmison has Laraman caught by one of the many Pratts in the Durham line-up for 1.  A strange decision as the ball quite obviously came off of Aaron's helmet with his bat and gloves nowhere in the vicinity.  It probably is divine judgement for the Law decision yesterday but at least then we could understand the umpires thinking - don't think he was at all with this one! 

After the farce comes the fate. Even though Johnson manages to put 16 on with Turner in 9 minutes, Rob manages to run him out at 169.  McLean is another clean bowled victim 2 runs later without bothering the scorer and 91 for 0 has become 171 all out of which Trescothick made 60.  The only consolation is that the top five did make the majority of the runs. However, on a batting wicket, at home against one of the weaker sides in the second division, we have failed to pass their total and served them up a 14 run first innings lead when we were halfway to their total without the loss of a wicket.  How is a performance like that going to get us out of the second string and into the top flight?

Back on the shoulders of the bowlers again then for the second time in a week.   Johnson duly obliges by making the early breakthrough with Gough going for 4 and Pratt G LBW for 21 and there is light at 36 for 2.  But it's all a bit flat.   There are long spells of low scoring but no danger.  The wickets are tending to come in braces with an hour between them and Lewis is looking like he is going to be a pain again!  Wells manages to work the score past 50 with him before the next brace with Francis having Wells caught behind and McLean dealing Peng the same fate.   Durham are 66 for 4 and there are 20 overs left.  Another listless spell sees Lewis and Law working towards a sizeable score and the close with a 46 runs partnership but Francis adds another twist bowling Lewis just after he has celebrated his second 50 and everyone has started to go home because nothing is really happening.  112 for 5 and a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

Nope.  The game drags to a close with Law and another Pratt (Pratt A) moving the score on to 153.  The bowlers have been unlucky at times, playing and missing seems to be second nature to every batsman who has inhabited the crease today.  We seem to have snicked more though and our bowlers must be pretty frustrated by the way this game has gone so far.  Durham lead by 167 runs with 5 wickets left.  If we get a full day tomorrow then we must remove the tail (which didn't impress on Wednesday I have to say) before lunch and for little over 30.  I would not bet on our ability to win this game if Durham put over 200 on the board.  We may have two days but we simply haven't got the batsman who we can rely on to do the business!

Excellent bowling figures from Simon Francis with 11 overs 2 for 28 and Burnsy's 6 overs for 13 to get the over rate up were very good.  He's still got a bit of pace when used in short spells.  Laraman only put in two overs with Johnson taking the top number of 15 because he looked the most dangerous.  Dutchy got a bowl at last and posed a few questions in his 5 over spell but it's not a spinners pitch yet.  Don't know what it is really, some of the batting has been so inept it is hard to descern what the pitch has to offer!

One week into a new season and I have heard very little positive comment when we are not in the field.  The side have made a rod for their own backs with the supporting public and need to produce some real good performances to combat the frustration you can almost taste around the County Ground.  This is not what we want but there is only one way to cure it and that is on the field of play.