Room at the Top?

elcome back Willow
By Grockle
July 18 2010

The last game of the groups and we are at home discussing whether we will be playing the third or fourth side in the North. Kent face us looking to make us second in our own side of the tournament. We have already qualified and so the side may be different for us today. No Kartik seems certain and we welcome back Charl Willoughby to get his Championship radar tuned.

v Kent T20 @ Taunton Sunday 18 July 2010

Scorecard

Commentary

Kent have won the toss and Somerset will chase once again. The team has not been announced and as the programme version mentions someone called CL White and NRD Compton without a reference to Kieswetter we await some changes.

It is close but once again we have a big crowd here with half an hour to go. The side is;

Trescothick, Kieswetter, de Bruyn, Pollard, Suppiah, Hildreth, Trego, Buttler, Willoughby, Thomas, Turner.

Denley and Hockley open for the visitors and Alf is starting from the Old Pavilion (rumours are that they wanted him to rest for this but he said 'no'). It's a lively bouncey one outside off which Denley has a flash at but no contact made. Ball two goes right through the Kent man, as does the third! Denley is up the wicket to number 5 and the ball flies past him. Finally they get one off the last ball - storming over.

Charl opens from the River and he seems to be getting the same amount of bounce. The ball is flying off a length at the moment and the batsmen are swinging and top edging loads of balls. 7 after two overs but it certainly isn't easy out there.

Turner takes over 3 and three boundaries takes them to 19. Charl starts the wickets though with Hockley whipping one to Arul on the Somerset Stand boundary19 for 1. A wicket and one run for his over and he nearly had one batsmen playing on with the last ball. Mark continues and though he goes for 10 up to ball 4, he then gets Van Jaarsveldt snicking behind 30 for 2

Pollard starts the 6th with Kent still on 30. Saj Mahmoud is next in while denly bats the first one back to the big man and then suggests he may run. KP collects and suggests he ought to try it and then goes for 2 with a collection of variations. Mark gets a third on the back of his wicket from the last ball of the last one. He goes for 14. 46 for 2 after 7. Did Marcus need to bowl him? Can we afford him in the next level on the off chance of taking a wicket?

Trigger gets the nod for the 8th and strikes with the second ball as Buttler says goodbye to Mahmoud with a well planned running catch on the Somerset Stand boundary. 48 for 3 Becomes 50 at the end of the 8th. Zander takes over the bowling duties at the OP and goes for 5 with medium pace line and length. Pete continues at the River and a straight one sees the back of Jones caught directly in front at 61. In comes Stevens and one more is added before we reach the halfway stage.

Zander goes for 10 in the 11th and we then see our first spin of the game with Arul on for the 12th from the River. Kent add 7. The Boss now fiddles with Charl changing ends and nearly yorking Stevens ball 2. He replies with a six off the third. He's pushing for full deliveries and after a near beamer with the first he produces one that nearly takes CK's head off for his "fourth", a little bit of rustyness one might suggest. Kent move on to 91 as Denley hits a 50 at less than a run a ball - good applause for the backbone of the innings from an appreciative Somerset throng.

Trigger is brought back for number 14 and they end it one short of three figures after a final ball drive that nearly takes Pete's hand off as he considers trying for a reflex C&B. Pollard probably finishes his T20 group stage bowling from the OP with 8 off the 15th.

Thomas takes the next from the River and uncharacteristically goes for double figures wth 120 the total at the end of it. Denley and Stevens are making something of their partnership with a present partnership of 59 runs and counting. The 17th sees Stevens sky the first but it is dropped by Trego as it bounces over him. Nevertheless he tries it again next ball and this time it drops straight into Arul's hands 124 for 5 and the two Somerset men are once again at the top of the T20 bowling averages with equal numbers of victims (28 each). It's 127 after 17 and Alf has the chance to get ahead again with over number 18.

Ball one takes him to 29 as he comprehensively bowls Blake 128 for 6 and then nearly runs out a man with his last as Kent stagger to 132 with 2 to go. The 19th...and it's Pollard at 134 the ball is fired out to the electronic scoreboard and Denley takes on Buttler. He loses and is out by a mile as the ball is fired in. 136 for 7 and then they take Arul on and Treadwell is out by even more. 139 for 8 and the wheels seem to have come off the Kent train!

Thommo takes the last and has Bandara taking evasive action with ball 3. The ball is a little faster than he expected and he tries to pull it but it goes off his helmet instead. So Alf gives him another and he pulls that.....straight to Arul to bring up wicket number 30 for the VC. 141 for 9 is followed by wicket 31 with a full length ball that wastes the off stump. 142 to win and Pollard is clapped off the field in his last fielding performance (possibly). Great bowling from the pair again and a gettable total one has to think.

The Reply

Stevens is opening the bowling and after a sighter from the skipper he is hit over his head for a one bounce four, hit over the inner field to Cow Corner for a one bounce four and then guided down to the Botham for a third boundary in sucession. However it doesn't last and he clips one out to the Somerset Stand where he is caught by Blake for 12 and that is all our runs for the first over as Peter Trego replaces the Boss.

Mahmoud takes the second from the River to Mr Trego and is pulled for four off his first wide long hop. He takes him for another before the end of the over and it's 20 for 1 - all boundaries. Craig finally faces one with the start of the third and the game settles down and it all looks fine until Trigger plauys on trying to late cut Stevens from the last ball of the 5th. Hildreth arrives with Somerset 31 for 2.

Coles takes over at the River and after an over that seems to take an age the score moves on to 34. Craig is being much more circumspect about his contribution today - it suggests that someone has had a word with him. We've moved on to 39 after 7 and Stevens ends with 23 for 2 - well done him. Coles continues and we go to 44 before Cook takes the 9th and shows our keeper hasn't quite got his eye in when he swipes at his second and top edges a planned lofted drive to the Gimblett halfway to the Trecothick Stand before it boncws safe between two fielders. The two men seem to be aware that they need to push the score along now but there are sensible ways and daft ways to do that - wonder which they will choose?

Hilda takes the daft. A firm drive is straight to the fielder, he almost waits until the ball is in the fielder's hand before he calls CW through. Craig quite rightly stays where he is and James is run out trying to get back. 49 for 3 after 9 and Treadwell is on for them while de Bruyn is on for us. The 50 arrives with a ZdB reverse sweep but it doesn't last because before the end of the over he's sending one out to Cook to pouch on the Somerset Stand boundary. 56 for 4 and in comes Buttler. He'll have to reest though because Cook has Craig stumped for 15 the very next ball. 56 for 5 and in comes Pollard with a job to do before he flies to Trinidad tomorrow.

But it isn't going to be as Cook bowls him for 1 in the 11th and we are looking to finish on a loss at 58 for 6! Arul needs to do something if he can because there isn't a lot to come after him. he takes two off his first and we reach 60 at the end of the 11th. 82 off 48 balls doesn't look hopeful.

Bandana is on at the River and seems to be another spinner we can't get off the cut bit! Jos nearly gets run out ball 2 scampering out and then scampering (diving) back. It gets worse as Jos fires a ball up into the middle field and Blake takes the catch at 67 for 7. Alf joins Arul and we still need 75. It's 71 for 7, courtesy of a Suppiah straight drive at the end of the 13th.

Treadwell is back for the 14th but Thommo misreads his last ball and is bowled coming up the wicket. 75 for 8 and we are looking at our lowest total of 2010 as Mark Turner comes in with only Charl to follow. Cook is bowling a very thrifty 15th over which ends with MT seeing ot two balls and Somerset staggering to 76 for 8! 66 off 30!

It isn't going to happen as Turner is LBW to Treadwell halfway through the 16th. In comes Willow and he's on strike. 77 for 9 and the leftie is off the mark (and off the strike). Arul steals it for the 16th and we are looking at the Essex score. They will probably lose so we will still finish top! Cook has done for us with 3 for 13 in his four over spell.

Coles takes the 17th and is clipped out to the Somerset Stand for one from our number 11. Charl is caught behind and we are all out for 82 - 21 runs below our lowest T20 of this year

A loss by 59 runs with 3.1 overs left to bowl and it just lets us know it isn't a forgone conclusion that we will be at the Rose Bowl. No idea who we will be playing or when but this is not the performance we want on THAT weekend.