By Grockle
August 3 2003

'George' Burns showed what it means to him to lead Somerset today as Ian Blackwell performed to give us our first victory points in NCL2. We beat Durham with overs to spare and it wasn't because they underperformed! Well done boys - the backbone is there then!

v DURHAM  NCL2 @ Chester le Street 3 August 2003

I haven't been able to bring myself to write a decent match report for the past couple of weeks because I just drift into a negative cloud of despair and recrimination.  But we seem to be making progress and so here is the real thing (if you can call it that).  A victory in the NCL (is it really our first?) and a decently crafted one at that.  We didn't have to rely on the other side giving it away and we did it with some grit and determination.

We went into this one off the back of a truly dreadful run in the Championship although reports suggest that we were expecting to win at Old Trafford in the NCL before the rain came down and the total in the 180's in 20 overs was not seen as anywhere near enough by the spectators.  So maybe we were looking to move forward from here with some confidence anyway.  The managerial meeting of the past 14 days would have been laying heavily on the minds of the more established players and injuries still provided a smattering of younger professionals in our line-up.  Kevin Shine reportedly expected Richard Johnson to play in this game but he was not present - let's hope that was confidence rather than a re-occurrence of injury and we see him on Tuesday at Taunton.

Rob Turner was not available so Carl Gazzard took on the double role of opener and keeper, James Hildreth came in for another character building session with the 'big boys' and Wes Durston and Gareth Andrew took the places of Aarron Laraman and Johnno.   Jonesy opened the bowling with Nixon, who now plays one day games it seems after not being used in the early season in this role.

And a fiery start it was too with Durham winning the toss and deciding to bat, then losing Vince Wells for 0 with 5 on the board to Jones.  He has got some fire in his belly again and he seems to have re-acquired his confidence and his line and length.   Peng and Love put the home side back in the frame before Jonah bowled Peng and Gareth A bowled Muchall with 58 on the board.  Then Andrew had Love caught by Keith Parsons with only another 10 added and it looked a little different to the usual NCL performance by the men in maroon.

Pratt and Lewis looked to stabilise a collapse and move the score on more sedately.   They had reached three figures when Keith Dutch comprehensively bowled Nicky Peng for 32 and Blackwell - who had really put the brakes on - sent his partner Lewis back to the dressing room just 7 runs later courtesy of Durston's hands.  107 for 6 with loads of time and the tail to go...we then let it slip from our grasp a little.   Bridge and Mustard added 36 (Bridge bowled Dutch caught Burns)and Mustard and Akthar added 27 (Mustard bowled McLean for an excellent 41) but Jonah and Andrew mopped up and Durham were facing the defence of a score of 187.

Now all we had to do is cope with Akhtar's 9 overs and keep our heads.  We are talking about 4 an over.  A good start and no middle order house of cards and we were home free.  Cox and Gazzard come out and it looks OK - steady and sensible...until Shoaib bowls Gazzard - don't think he saw it!  The man seems to be in the zone again!   Especially when he does the same to Dutch second ball - is it time for Somerset supporters to pack up and go home?  No, KP comes out at 4 and sets up shop with Buzz.   He guides us to 50, although he loses Cox at 48 - lbw (and not at all pleased by it).  Keith then guides us to 100 - before he sees his stumps wasted by Akhtar!   100 for 4 - ahead of the run rate and more wickets in hand - unusual or what?  

Enter Ian Blackwell.  He hasn't done it this season.  I can't remember the innings that held a reply together.  He's promised and he's contributed to fightbacks but not as the main protagonist.  It seems only fair that he should change that on the same day that Fllintoff is trying the same thing for a doomed England in the second Test. So  Blackwell is in with his captain - who has such a badly bruised and damaged hand that he keeps removing it from the bat whenever a ball hits too hard.  They move the score on in bits and bobs and as they get closer to the target you can feel the confidence increasing.  At the same time, every supporter is praying that they don't get carried away because there's an awful lot of green cricketer to follow them!

Burns plays a different game and keep Blackie on the straight and narrow, never swinging just accumulating and it goes on until 'George's brave resistance is finished by the return of Durham's only weapon against defeat - Mr Akhtar who gets Burns for a hard fought and very valuable 28.  But by this time Blackwell is set and ready to work at it.  Even though Akhtar proves too much for Hildreth, who is bowled second ball, we are too close and Durston has done this already this season and the two men see us home with 6 overs to spare.

We all know we should win a game like this, but how many of you were not sure until Blackie hit the final run?  Who would have put money on the guys to win and been certain of his bet?  Maybe this is the road back to those kind of wins and maybe we have started to understand the map a little better.  Steffan Jones talked about complacency and Peter Anderson talked about pride and responsibility.  When we stop having the former and start to work on the latter we'll see a side to be proud of.

Man of the Match - Ian Blackwell