By Grockle
March 29 2005

As the new first team coach picks his first side for his first rain affected game, there have been a few changes in the camp. Alterations in personnel and their availability, comments in the 'From the Pavilion' and Johnno's first match injury of 2005 have altered my preambling thoughts a bit.

Preamble....the second

OK.   I write my first words on the 2005 season and the club immediately change the boundaries. I've just got it all straight in my mind and in comes a Kolpak bombshell.  We aren't gonna have TWO internationals, we're gonna have THREE!!  Only one of them isn't going to be an 'international' but a sort of honorary Englishman because of the Windward Islands massive links to the 'mother country'.  Nixon is coming as a Kolpak!

Kolpak'd

Now this has good and bad aspects to it.  Because it frees up an international berth, Sanath Jayasuria can come later and stay longer!  We now have him for part of May and ALL of June.  can't be a bad thing (means I'll have to change my team page of course but hey I've got time on my hands).  That's the good news.  The effect that has on Michael Parsons, Neil Edwards, Simon Francis, Gareth Andrew, Aaron Laraman, Wes Durston and  Arul Suppiah may not be seen as good by those players.  Nixon's presence is not as big a factor, as the presence of a world class all rounder in the side who may very well take the fourth bowling place while Mr Mclean takes the third.  Simon F will be fighting with AL for a slot in the side as long as Caddick and Johnno stay fit (in the "Swarthy Greek's" case this is already not a problem!).  But I suppose we can always use SJ as well rather than 'instead of' and that would mean problems for Keith Parsons, if he had any hopes of coming into the side as the batsman with some seam variation.

Openers

Why Neil Edwards? I hear you say.  Well, if you read your "FTP" you'll see that Marcus Trescothick, available for the first three CC2 games of this season, is looking forward to opening with SJ and that doesn't leave a spot for young Mr Edwards.  One would expect John Francis to be preferred at number 3 and Mike Burns may find his place at 4 not as certain as Matt Wood will be looking for a top five spot.  One problem with all this is that I don't see how Banger can open with SJ when their paths don't seem to cross in April.  Does this mean that we may see Mr T later in the season?  It's less likely that SJ will not be picked to play against India and can come to Taunton instead!

Captains

The rumours that Rob Turner had been given the job of Big Fieldboss seem to have been premature as well.  According to "FTP", Mr Trescothick will be captaining the side during his brief sojourn at the start of the season so Noddy may get the short 'nod' (sorry) for the games at the end of April and into early May before Smiffy arrives and takes the helm.  He'll then, probably, have a little taste at the end of the season when everyone else has gone home or is resting for the winter tours.

The Garraway touch

So what's the little bloke with little hair put in front of us for our first meal of cricket in 2005?  Well it's belting it down here so we'll see very little I predict.  But the strongest side he has is;

Edwards, Wood, Burns, Francis J, Hildreth, Blackwell, Laraman, Turner, Andrew, Francis S, Caddick, Parsons M, Suppiah

With Nixon arriving on Wednesday (probably to replace Andrew) and Banger available for Lancashire (probably to replace Edwards) Then you are looking at our first team for the Championship until form starts to tell, injured players return (Johnson for Parsons  or Francis S) and internationals swoop into Lullsgate!