Lancs or Champs? Down to the Wire

v Lancashire CC1 @ Taunton Wednesday 24 September 2008

Scorecard

Down to the wire we go then people.  The 2008 Championship will be decided in the next four days based on events in a number of places but, in our case on the events that take place on the pitch at Taunton.

Only one end result will work for us.  We must beat Lancashire to have any chance of overtaking Nottinghamshire and we must beat them well for that to be enough.  At the same time, Notts must lose, or make do with a mediocre draw.

So who is going to do the business for us then?  Langer has Marcus Trescothick back to fitness and that could be crucial.  The rest is pretty easy to predict;

Langer, Trescothick, Suppiah, de Bruyn, Hildreth, Blackwell, Trego, Kieswetter, Thomas/Jones, Caddick, Willoughby

The official site suggests that Steff Jones is ready to return and that would be at the expense of Alfonso Thomas if anyone.  I can't see us not putting Arul Suppiah in the top five but it might happen.

The weather suggests 4 decent days.  We'd better make them count because they are all that is left of the season and the end product could make for a satisfying or frustrating winter of 2008.

Good Luck boys.  Make your own and leave the rest to fate.

Day 1

My first prediction is wrong!!  Arul misses out and we go in with an extra seamer as Steffan Jones returns to the side.  The morning however starts with our batsmen and it doesn't start particularly well as both Marcus Trescothick (caught Law bowled Newby) and Justin Langer (caught behind off Chapple) go cheaply before we get far past 20.  Presently it is 30 for 2 off 11 overs on a bright but cloudy day which promises more sunshine later.  Not the start we wanted but it is down to de Bruyn and Hildreth to put us back on the front foot. But it goes from bad to very bad as the middle order crumbles and our Championship hopes start to disappear with the bonus points we don't get from our mediocre score of 202 of which Pete Trego provided 81 including a 50 partnership with Andrew Caddick.  The rewst fell by the wayside to a series of injudicious shots to the wrong balls.

By the end of the day Lancs have a quarter of our score BUT hope springs eternal as we have four Lancashire men back in the hutch courtesy of Caddick and Willoughby.

Day 2

The decision not to bowl Mr Caddick or Mr Willoughby at the start of play on the second day until the 12th over makes supporters and commentators alike question the mind of our illustrious captain.  The visitor tail wags and they pass us before we dismiss them for 248 with the ignored main seamer taking 4 for 79.  He wasn't best pleased to say the least.

However this is still a game for the taking and we need a good second stand in order to have a go at them on the fourth day.  Wafting is prohibited - shame no-one told our opening pair who amass a mighty 25 between them before both going to daft stuff. We finish the day on 66 for 2 and a good third day could put us in the driving seat for this game and if things go our way elsewhere..... 

Day 3

But it goes on.  Players get in but then don't push on.  33 to de Bruyn 22 to Hildreth. Only Ian Blackwell gets over the 50 boundary but then goes at 55.  No-one stands tall and scores of 20 here and there get us to 227 as I arrive at just after 3:15 to an early tea with us all out only 181 runs ahead of Lancs with a day to go.  We don't seem to be in a commanding position to get the 20 plus points we need but this game is not yet over.

Unfortunately it doesn't take more than an hour for it to be done.  We don't make early inroads.  We don't make any inroads at all and the opposition move towards the winning score without loss.  At one time they probably considered invoking the extra 30 minutes and going for it but they went into the doldrums for a time and it was just out of their reach.  We'll come back tomorrow to put it to bed but there is no doubt where these points are going and the only question is whether we'll finish second (£40,000 in the bank) or...in the words of Anne Robinson "leave with nothing" in third/fourth/fifth.

Day 4

The day finally starts with a guard of honour for Alan Jones after 24 years on the first class umpire list (he's going to finish in the Indian league and probably make more in an hour than he's made in two decades!!) and county caps for Zander de  Bruyn and Alfonso Thomas before the penultimate session of the season starts (don't expect to be here after lunch - but we are) with Charl opening from the River on a wicket almost in touching distance of the new Trescothick stand.  It's still misty but don't get your hopes up.  The club are not providing lunchtime refreshments for the sides or the officials either (it seems - wrongly) so they don't expect this to last too long.  Lancashire need 60 off 79 overs with Caddick starting from the OP with a boundary ball first up.

Five overs in, the announcement that Durham have trounced Kent and sent them into the second division.  they'll take the trophy unless Notts clear the 400+ that Hampshire have left them to get in 70-ish overs.  Now that WOULD be a last day of a game. 

Meanwhile here Horton goes to 50 off 99 balls with 10 fours (mostly off ARC it seemed).  It's not until 151 that we 'break through' with a second slip catch to Trescothick off the bowling of Caddick and the back of Horton for 58. 

162 for 2 as a very upset Chilton decides to hook Caddick, decides against it mid shot and flips the ball to a fielder for 97...not a happy chappy and we are on a roll with an attacking field of 3 slips and a gully!!

Lunch with 7 needed to win - do me a favour!! There seems to be something in terms of fodder for the players...at least they've gone off to see anyway why not go for lunch half an hour later when we didn't start until an hour after the scheduled time?

Back at 1:05 with Law and Brown facing Willoughby and Caddick (possibly) and a whole bunch of close fielders just in case on of these two takes the first ever double hat-trick to make a game of this!! A possible flying catch from Zander in the gully does not materialise however and the winning boundary is dispatched from ball four by Stuart Law and off we all go at 1:08.

Thanks made to Phil Frost and his team for their work in a weather affected season are received by the supporters with applause and it all wanders to a conclusion of the 'damp squib' variety.  Players wander into each others dressing rooms, the sun finally breaks through and a small handful of supporters gather at the bottom of the dressing room steps for heaven knows what.

Goodbye 2008.  Not sure what to make of you yet.  At the end of 2006 we would have killed near and dear relatives to be wher we are now but now we are here I can't help feeling that this has not been a great season given the hype and the hopes in early April.  Maybe that is because we aren't what we thought we were and maybe we expected too much from a club that possibly tried to run before they'd got into their stride.

The post mortem will be interesting.  Big signings will be significant by their absence and there may still be a bit of sorting out to do before we are sure who will be in Somerset colours next season.  Good luck to John Francis and Andy Sutton if rumours are confirmed (as expected) and if we don't tallk to some of you before the start of next Spring...winter well.

We'll be here abouts during the off season so keep in touch.  And we welcome you all to assemble here in April 2009 for the next instalment in the "Somerset seek a Championship" saga.