Appointment with Essex
Big Day Big Job for Compo
By Grockle
September 11 2010
Welcome to the last HQ Somerset game of 2010. Essex face us in a semi a week before a possible Lords final. Then up to Durham to compete for the CC1 against Durham (but really against Notts). Exciting times in the South West. But it could all come to nothing. No Zander today - he's with the CL - so a big day for Nick Compton, Arul Suppiah and who ever bowls ZdB's 8 overs. Pray for the win!
v Essex CB40 semi @ Taunton Saturday 11 2010
Here we are then. Second semi-final of the season. Second Final? Well it isn't going to be easy. Essex are certainly no mugs and we will have to be the side that can beat anyone to get past them. One slip and it could all go wrong.
The crowd at midday is slightly surprisingly sparse. One week between qualifying and playing must have had an effect. The predicted attendance is about 5000 but it might be more because of the people buying on the gate. The published programme side is;
Trescothick, Suppiah, Compton, Kieswetter, Hildreth, Buttler, Trego, Phillips , Thomas, Kartik and Waller
One would expect that to be the side we see but you never know. In fact what do I know. We have won the toss and will bat and the selectors have decided to go with Mark Turner and not play the twin spin of Max Waller and Murali Kartik. It doesn't mean we won't have two spinners but we haven't seen Arul bowling for a while but he may be brought in to cover some of the Zander overs this afternoon.
We need to bat big and I wouldn't go with the batting order as published above or in the programme.
Umpires Willey and Cook lead the sides out past Stumpy. James Foster leads out Essex and they are followed by Marcus (at the run) and Craig (walking and swinging the arms). The game is most definitely on. Masters will bowl from the OP to the skipper in front of a much fuller crowd, though the Somerset Stand is still more green seats than punters.
The second ball is a little wide and brings the first scoring shot as Trescothick majestically drives through the covers to the Cowshed for four runs. The next loose one is punished as the Boss goes over the top to the Ondaatje boundary and it is 8 for 0 after 1.
Paladino gets into the side and opens from the River to CK. The keeper is off the mark from the second for two and his first boundary comes with the fourth. He sixes the last ball to the scoreboard and we are 21 after 2 overs
It goes swimmingly until the second ball of the third over when Craig goes high and is caught by Flower on the Somerset Stand boundary for 8 and we are 32 for 1. Paladino takes the wicket and Pete Trego is the next choice which will please him and probably the crowd.
After 5 Essex have put the brakes on and we've moved on to 37 with 28 to the Boss and 1 to the new man. It is still Masters and Paladino but we are looking at them a little less aggressively. But by the middle of the sixth Marcus is looking for scoring shots again and brings up the 50 with a Somerset Stand six to take himself to 44. By the end of the 7th we are back up to 60 for one loss.
This brings Wright on at the River end for the 8th and Ten Doeschate is on at the OP for the 9th and while we expect Marcus to move to 50, Trigger doubles his score and we move to 74. With the tenth over Essex moves to their fifth bowler - and possibly one of their most dangerous - Danish Kaneria is on. Nevertheless MT goes to 50 with a deft glance to the Ondaatje for 2 (35 balls 2 sixes and 6 fours). After 25% of the innings we are 78 runs to the good. 250 plus score?
A partnership of 50 comes up in pretty quick time without any real worries and the three figure mark starts to appear in the 12th as both batsmen begin to take an equal share of the scoring but we don't actually get there until the first ball of the 14th as a single is almost saved by an infielder but gets glanced into no man's land to allow the batsmen back for two. However progress is erratic with fruitful overs and sparse ones. We have 112 by the end of the 15th.
Essex get some reward for their persistence in the 16th as the third ball from Kaneria has Trego playing forward to a ball that simply pops up into the bowler's hands in the follow through. In comes Compo (alias Zander de Bruyn?) off the mark with a three straight away. He is immediately obvious in the aggressiveness of his running between the wicket. There is also an indication of his capability as he smashes one straight past the bowler so hard that he has to take evasive action to avoid the missile. Grant Flower returns at the River to take us to halfway and the field is generally out for the big hits while moving in to keep Somerset down to singles. Nevertheless the batsmen take the field on more than once to turn the singles into twos though boundaries as a little less numerous. By the 20th we have doubled our 10 over score and are looking at 280ish if progress continues. 141 for 2.
Immediately though the game is thrown into the balance once more as the skipper looks to late glance the first ball of the returning Wright from the Old Pavilion. Unfortunately he leaves it too late and is bowled not playing a shot!! 79 to his name, 141 to ours and James Hildreth at the wicket. 141 for 3.
There is a slight worry as the scoring rate has decreased and we've only taken 44 off the last 8. Marcus was belting the big runs and the others were 'nurdling' around him. Now he has gone there is a concern that getting out of the 'shell' is not the forte of these two players but they are quite good at sticking around for 10 overs. This is the batting aspect we miss with Zander. Once he has established himself he starts to hit out and push along himself. This role needs to be taken on by one of the two and I would like it to be Hildreth who is more capable of it. Nevertheless the 150 arrives at the end of the 23rd with Compo on 24 and Hilda on 4. We shall have to see and we still have Jos and Arul in the hutch plus the one day wonder that can be Kartik (and Phillips)!
It is Hildreth who puts the hammer down first. Some good running between the wickets is added to by boundaries from JH and we look to take something off every ball as we move past 25 overs. Either these two are going to take this to the end in a big way or they are going to provide a score that the not inconsiderable tail of the home side can develop into something big in the last 10. Kaneria is returned for the 28th to put a stop to this and he does keep us in check with only 4 coming from his over. Ten Deoschate is also returned at the OP for the same reason. The 50 parternship arrives from the second ball of this over and the next ball goes past Walker at extra cover along the ground from Nick. He was lucky to keep his ankles. It would have broken them had they got in the way! The 29th ends with the 200 arriving. 201 for 3 after 29.
206 after 30 and a platform for 300? You would hope so on a ground where the par score is so difficult to guage. we may have to lose on of these two to get there although Hildreth with a reverse sweep 'chip' to the Trescothick tends to suggest that he is on for it. Nick's stamina is being tested by the demands of moving at pace between the wickets almost every ball as they take 11 off the 31st.
Somerset now take the batting powerplay. Kaneria bowls, Hildreth steps to leg and plops the ball straight to Paladino 217 for 4 and a famous TMS commentator in the press box is heard to mumble 'bloody powerplays'!! Jos walks out. He is nearly stumped off the third ball.
Kaneria ends with 8/0/41/2 and we take 3 off our first powerplay over!! Masters returns at the OP with 220 to the home side and produces an over that goes for 8 and is only important otherwise in that it brings Nick a 59 ball 50 with 3 fours. Wright takes the 34th and has his second ball sixed by Buttler into the CA Pavilion. The Somerset batsmen does well to get bat on a very wide beamer for four before the end and is then up on his toes to finish the over with another. 245 for 4 after 334.
The third ball of the 35th says goodbye to the very good innings provided by Nick Compton as he is caught by Pettini off Masters at long on for a really good and solid anchor innings. This brings Arul Suppiah out and we see the 250 arrive with the end of the 35th and the 10 an over theme is even eclipsed with the 36th as we end it on 261 due to some very good running between the wickets rather than sparkling boundaries.
Over 37 starts with Ryan Ten Doeschate watching the ball bounce off the cowshed roof. But a full ball to the toes of the young man does for him as he comes up the wicket and is LBW for a very quick 36 off 18 balls. Ben Phillips is next in even though many would have liked to have seen Kartik come out next. 269 for 6 after 36.4. The 37th ends with 271 to our name.
Spin for the 38th from Flower and the Somerset men take on the field for 2 and win. Arul is pushing this and although the cover drive ends up hitting the boundary at the Ondaatje rather than the Botham, it still does it. It is then followed by a six to the CA to take us into the 280's. A single brings Ben on strike and he drives Flower back over his head to end the over with 288 and the strike force facing the next one. Good marshalling of the strike and excellent acceleration. Ten Deoschate bowls and Arul straight hits him but is dropped while the next goes for 6 onto the Cowshed. They take on the field again to push the score to 298 and he sixes him into the car park to bring up the 300 and take his individual score to 37 off 15 balls faced. 305 for 6 with an over to go and he farms the strike.
Wright gets the last. Arul will face. Ball 1 is semi hooked into the outfield for 1. Ball 2 simply pushed out for the single. Ball 3 is mishit. Wright picks up with Phillips well out of his ground at the non strikers. Wright misses the stumps and the batsmen run 2 off the misfield. Ball 4 is a wide bouncer that the batsman can't reach but it is not called a wide. Ball 5 is a yorker which is stopped and a quick single is run. Phillips connects with the last but it is well stopped on the Caddick pavilion boundary and they take 2 to take us to 312 for 6. Arul ends with 42 from 20 balls - he would have been the player to probably miss out had Zander been available. Excellent foundation work from the other man to benefit Nick Compton - the backbone of this innings. Great end of innings work by Buttler as well.
312 is defendable. 312 is gettable. All down to the bowlers now ladies and gentlemen. If Essex get this we will have been beaten by a better side I have to say. Well done for Part One though.
The Reply
"The Great Alfonso is like Alexander the Meerkat. Yorkers as simples"
reads the banner in the Botham stand but Alf fails to deliver the first ball after the break and it is called 'dead'. However the second has Pettini putting a leading edge into the hands of Mark Turner and Essex are 0 for 1 after one ball! This game is not yet done though as Ryan Ten Deoschate proves when after walking out to face the second he creams the third to the boundary as if he has never been away from here (he was injured while working his magic here for his side earlier in the season). Ben Phillips opens at the River and calm has returned by the end of that with the opposition on 10 for 1.
Ten Deoschate is on the attack again in the third and top edges the fourth ball which nearly makes its way to Trigger at midoff, just dropping in front of his diving hand. It was in the air a long time but the fielder had a lot of ground to make up. The next, as always, goes for four!!
During the fourth an interesting tussle starts between Cook (who can't hit the ball) and Thommo (who is threatening to hit the wicket). It ends with an excellent straight hit from the England man but you get the impression that the duel isn't over yet. That boundary takes Essex to 32 for 1 at the end of the 5th.
Well actually it is over because the second ball of the 6th, Cook drives ball and is dismissed by the Somerset captain with a one handed diving catch going to his right that he really really really enjoys. 33 for2. The next ball Hildreth swoops on Flower's push and directly hits the stumps with Ten Deoschate well out. The Essex man is questioning the postion of Ben Phillips who was watching the path of the ball and the batsman had to run slightly around but he wasn't impeded and has to go Essex are 34 for 3 on the fourth ball of the sixth.
Mark Turner is introduced at the OP for the 6th with 35 at the start off it. He goes for 8 with his first but he nearly has Flower plumb in front with his fifth ball. Wickets will do Marky boy.
The 50 is up for 3 with one ball of the 8th left and one ball later Essex have 51. The second bowling powerplay is taken with the 9th as Turner just fails to get a hand on a straight drive from Walker that is past him to the boundary because of that. Unlucky with ball one. There is a lot of things in the air from the batsmen but it is all into space and after the over they have moved on by 8 to 59.
Flower is lucky to top edge a ball in the 10th off Phillips which takes it over the keeper's gloves for 4. As usual, the next one also goes for 4!! Ain't it always the way? By the end of the 10th the opposition are very close to our 10 over score of 78 with 71 but they have lost two more wickets. Still in the balance but we had more of the game in the first 5 than we had in the last five.
Marcus re-introduces Alf for the 11th. It looks like they are going to use Mark in bits and possibly as shock value at the end of th innings should we get to the tail. A big LBW shout comes with the second ball but it is too high on the replay. They move to 76 by the end of it.
Now the game goes into an important phase as Kartik is introduced for the 12th. He goes for 1 and Flower plays him with very great respect. To partner him Peter T takes over at the OP and one would think that the Boss hopes that the 'press' will come from here and we'll try and squeeze the life out of the Essex reply with 16 overs of tight bowling. 77 for 3 at the start however becomes 85 at the end - not quite 4 an over but if MK holds up his end then it may still work. The Essex men are willing however to take the fielding on and will look for twos wherever possible. That puts paid to Flower with the second ball when he is possibly stumped, a very close decision, which goes our way. Flower hit the ball out to Jos Buttler at deep square leg and he fired the ball one bounce to his keeper who sweeps the bails and is given on the replay!! 88 for 4 halfway through the 13th - excellent fielding.
In comes the wickie and skipper Foster and takes a single off his first from the Indian master. Almost immediately at the non strikers end a ball is fired in. Kartik receives the ball with the batsman out but all he can do is re-direct the ball and he breaks the stumps but the ball misses them. It's close. Arul is introduced at the OP for the 14th at 88 for 4 as an alternative to the pace of Turner but he goes for 9 and Essex look for the three figures at 97 for 4. with Walker on 20 and Foster on 4.
The 100 comes up with the 5th ball of the 16th - they are still not getting Karty off the strip all that often and he ends his over with 101 to the visitors and goes for a miserly 4. It isn't going as well at the other end however as Arul's first ball of the 17th is sixed almost over the Ondaatje while his third is sixed to the electronic scoreboard. Walker likes our spinner. It seems Mark will have to bowl some as well.
There is a big discussion between the skipper, VC and the bowler and the next one is better. Walker is then dropped by Alf in front of the OP going for another one! He will not be happy and it is 118 for 4 at the end of the 17th. He then nearly pulls off a blinder off the first ball of the next getting his hand to a ball he really shouldn't have got anywhere near. Nevertheless they both go down.
Trigger is back on for the 19th with 127 to Essex. Foster is stil there though and with Walker is becoming a thorn in our side that we need to remove. Foster is close to being run out off the second ball but is well in - good throw though. Kartik offers his VC a third opportunity to send an Essex man on his way and this time he takes an excellent low boundary catch to send Walker on his way at 139. 5 down but up with our rate - this game is not yet over but we do have the upper hand at the halfway point. Essex have 140, we had 141.
The third ball of the 21st sees Wheater - the new batsman - taking a single on the fielding of a diving Trescothick. The Boss dives, picks up and throws at the stumps, only for Umpire Willey to run straight into the trajectory and deflect the ball away from a certain run out!! Everyone smiles and even the hard man of umpiring is looking a bit sheepish. The 21st leaves them short of 150 and MK nearly has Wheater caught and bowled fro the third ball of the 22nd - the ball falls just short of his outstretched hands. The 150 does finally gets there with the fifth ball and they remain at 150 for 5 for the start of the 23rd. There is still a game to win here.
Trigger goes for 11 off the 23rd and Essex call the batting powerplay for the 24th. They are scoring quickly and we could do with a breakthrough as three of our 6 bowlers are not holding the rate in check. Surprising that they have called it on a Kartik over but I suppose they want as much as they can to put the pressure on at the end of the innings and while two batsmen with some expertise are at the wicket. The first over of it started at 161 and ends at 173 so the plan seems to have worked.
It also brings Alf back at the OP end to look to get in among them while they try to hit out. They are running twos whenever possible but Wheater is nearly yorked by the fourth ball of the over and is lucky to get bat on it. The fifth is a beamer and no ball as it fires in. Alf apologises but there is lots of gesticulating and it isn't helped when the real fifth is fired in by Butller and nearly hits Umpire Willey. 183 at the end of the 25th and Phillips on at the River. By the end of the 26th they are 2 from 200 and the crowd are starting to turn against the home side as a boundary takes them to 202 off the first of Alf's next one It all looks a little different as Foster passes 50 andlooks in no trouble with a rate that is coming down and 14 overs to get an entirely gettable target of 109. We still have to find bowling and Turner will have to return unless the skipper has enough faith in Arul.
However, it may all change as Alf tempts the Essex keeper into a shot he didn't need to play which drops into the safe hands of Buttler in front of the cowshed. 208 for 6 but the visiting skipper with 58 off 38 has given his side a sniff of this victory and Wheater is settled with 32 to his name. Masters is the next man in. The last ball of the 27th goes for nothing and Murali returns at the River.
Someone in the box has just made the point that we are running out of bowlers as they are running out of batsmen. Wheater therefore tries to reverse sweep MK and is found to be LBW for 36. They seem to be running out of their resource a little quicker than we are. 214 for 7 with Paladino in and Kartik ending with 49 for 2. Now where do they get the rest from?
Mark bowls the 29th. The third goes out to the boundary. Buttler stops the ball, stays inside the boundary, turns and fires it in. Paladino is out by a mile and it is 216 for 8. There are some verbals from Craig and Paladino is very unhappy at whatever was said and gives him some back.
Wright is in and two balls later is out as Ben Phillips takes a very good diving catch coming in from the CA. 216 for 9 and Trigger is on at the River. He nearly yorks Kaneria first ball but they scamble a single. Masters wafts at the next and the ball bounces twice to Kieswetter. The third cleans him up and we are done and have won by 95 balls.
ON TO LORDS!!
A bad tempered affair at times. We need to sort our flaming bowling out. Alf took 2 for 47 off 6, Ben 1 for 48 off the same, Mark went for 18 with 1 wicket, Kartik was 2 for 40 off a full complement while Pete was disappointing with 35 off 4.3 and Arul went for 12+ an over off his 2 (25). We'd cleared quite a lot of their batting early and this was against poorish batsmen. That cannot happen against either of the sides we face AND WE HAVE NO OTHER BOWLERS unless the club are going to look to Lewis Gregory to take on a big responsibility in a Lords Final.
Batting can help us but with a decent back end a side could have done us today had we not been the fortunate possessors of some brilliant fielders - namely a Mr Hildreth and a Mr Buttler. We did the business but we still don't look like ironed on Champions.
Come on boys you've shown the bottle to keep at it.
NOW LET'S SORT IT OUT AND PUT IT AWAY!!
OH AND WINNING IN DURHAM WOULD BE REALLY NICE IF YOU'RE NOT TOO BUSY
I'm going to Blockbusters. To buy some beer and lie down in a dark room! Later my friends...rejoice for we are still alive and kicking :-)
As I've just said to Lol
Get yer tickets... I think we've pulled!!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:14:15:47:36 by Grockle.
Is Turner injured?
KB
KB
Ronnie "Michael Fish" Sabre.
Stuff that, our game, being a semi-final, should take priority and still be televised anyway. It is far more important than some mickey mouse 50 over game which is part of what will, no doubt, be an interminable series vs Pakistan. These 50 over games are played far, far too often and, hence, rendered all but meaningless in my view. And that's to say nothing of the constant questions about the probity of the games that will inevitably accompany every Pakistani goof in the series.
Weather forecast for Saturday looking a bit grim at the moment but that may all change.
If we're still in the hunt next wk, I may have to stay at home all next week and watch the game at home. Either that, or it's a trip all the way to Durham (!)
If the game is postponed to sunday I guess the cameras will move on and our game will be kept off the TV by the ODI at Leeds.
When, not if, they go off for bad light the entire crowd should heap derision on the ECB.
Which is still useless. Good luck getting back to the West or Yorksire after the trains have stopped. And with frostbitten fingers too no doubt. Night cricket in mid September!
Shambolic decision.
Let`s pray the weather allows a proper conclusion and Duckworth/Lewis disappears down a black hole as far as this weekend is concerned.
It would be gutting if the weather ruins the defining fortnight of the season, but this is Britain so one is never surprised unfortunately.
WCG
maybe early start on the sunday then ecb provide a plane or few choppers to get the lads up there after the game....?
(more chance of pitch inspectors docking Notts points for dodgy pitch i say!!)
Despite still being in with a mathematical chance of staying up at the start of play yesterday, they rested both leading wicket-taker David Master and main limited over batsman Ryan ten Doeschate from their current cc match.
Share a thought for Jerry the scorer who doesn't fly!! He is going to cover some miles next week whatever happens.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:09:11:16:20 by Loyal of Lhasa..
Some facts are:
Tickets are still on sale today.they can be ordered online with a print your own ticket facility.
Play starts at 12.45
Gates open at 10.45
Forecast is for grey cloud in the morning with sunny intervals in the afternoon.
WE WILL WIN
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:11:08:56:35 by Grockle.
I am very impressed that you are getting the train from Bangkok, Thailand Metro station - perhaps you could pick up Samaithai on the way.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Rain delay in the England game, so they're showing an old one- and guess what, it's one that Pakistan win!
Thank you, Tractor.
Who is going to tell SCCC's writers about the difference between "less" and "fewer"?
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
"The Cider Express"?
"The Somerset Flyer"?
How Great (Western) would that be?
(Only if we make the final of course.)
However, I am much more comfortable when we are defending a one-day total, rather than chasing, so I am not at all sure what I will be thinking tomorrow,as to what course of action we should take, should the coin land in Marcus's favour.
I suspect, though, that Marcus will insert if he gets the choice - that seems to be his preferred modus operandi, even on days where the weather is not forecast to steadily improve as the day wears on.
I believe that I am correct in saying that we have lost only two one-day games this season in which we batted first and we were hit by unusual and adverse events in these two losses?
One of those was a rain-ruined contest at Horsham where we had to bowl with a soaking wet ball, the other was the T20 Final in which Hants finished level, but having lost fewer wkts (and only after we were derailed by the Pollard injury.)
Conversely, I remember defeats, batting second, by convincing margins to Kent and Worcs, along with other defeats that were not very close at home to Surrey and Essex. I think we probably lost another T20 game, when chasing, too, but I cannot remember which one?
old boy!
Danish Kaneria, released from police bail without charge this week after being arrested for alleged spot-fixing against Durham last summer, also returns.
Squad: Foster (c), Cook, Pettini, Walker, ten Doeschate, Flower, Masters, Wright, Kaneria, Phillips, Wheater (ex Millfield), Palladino and Comber.
Quote:Wickham
Welcome on board the board, Tumbles.
I am very impressed that you are getting the train from Bangkok, Thailand Metro station - perhaps you could pick up Samaithai on the way.
Thank you.. I'm more worried about faling asleep on the way back and ending up in Glasgow
Tres
Kieswetter
tregs
hildy
jos
compo
arul
phillips
kartik
alfie
MT
Haven't we learned yet over nearly a decade that Mr Suppiah is wasted at anything above number 6?
I don't care who Essex put on the pitch tomorrow. Whoever they place in front of us we have to get past and we can beat any side in this competition if we play well.
And if we don't? Then good luck to the side that put us out in the Final because they will have done a decent job.
The only thing is. If we lose I WANT US TO BE BEATEN not to have under-performed.
Winning would be a better option though :-)
If we turn up though there is only one winner.
Have a feeling Tregs will get the number 3 spot after last week, where Nick and Arul bat then may will depend on the match situation.
Interesting to read Mr Rose is not keen on chasing in a semi final, have to say i agree, i'm always more happy when we get a score on the board to defend.
If we can get a few wickets then up front i dont think its possible to survive against Kartik if you try and get after him, if it's a battle between him and a batter trying to score there's only one winner.....
Lets hope we see something special tomorrow.
I agree entirely with Bristol Rob's post of 16.07
As far as today is concerned, with me it is no longer doom and gloom, but just gloom! because rain still seems to be around!
Quote:Met Office weather forecast, 11/09/2010
Headline:
Rain clearing eastwards this morning, mainly fine and dry later.
Today:
Cloudy with rain across much of the Southwest at first, but soon becoming drier and brighter from the west. A fine afternoon to follow, with one or two showers in northern parts, but most places staying dry with sunny periods. Maximum temperature 21 °C.
Tonight:
A dry night with largely clear skies over much of the southwest, although parts of Cornwall and Devon may be cloudier with the odd shower. Feeling fresher than last night. Minimum temperature 10 °C.
Sunday:
A fine and dry day across Southwest England, with just a low chance of isolated light showers. Most places seeing plenty of sunshine, but breezy at times in the west. Maximum temperature 20 °C.
Updated: 0854 on Sat 11 Sep 2010
Please make yourselves known to each other because this is a special time and we have been working towards this week for something like 17 years. If you are not sure who is who then make your way to Gimblett Hill at HQ and say hello to Tractor (he's easy to find because he's near the electronic scoreboard with an identifying T-shirt on) or Mike (the one with the grey hair and the camera). They know others and can point them out.
I'm running the match online in the pressbox but I'll be about the place. Old one day shirt with the website address on the front and name on the back - I may have a sad green cammo waistcoat over it. Green presspass, cup of coffee, white lucky basketball boots (10$ from TK Max in Washington), Baseball cap (wrong way around usually - sad homage to past youth).
Win or Lose....Grockles.com remains :-) Have a good week however you watch it and we'll meet back here on the 19th and talk of many things of one day matches, championships, of cabbages and kings.
Off to Taunton :=)
and the only one I did make was to the 20-20 at the Oval - our worst performance of the season? Perhaps there's a lesson there...
Give them plenty of cheers from me!
Now come on Somerset!
For that reason alone I'd tell you if I knew.
But I don't.
I'm not sure if we can win the CC if Grockle insists on wearing his cap the wrong way round; it hasn't done much for Lleyton Hewitt's career.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
So if the remote possibility that we don't win the County Championship were to come to pass we should know whose fault it would have been.
I need ss to tell me what tense of the verb that is, or indeed whether it is the correct form of the verb in that convoluted sentence. It really matters. It doesn't? Oh, right.
Report to your own office and award yourself a house point.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:11:11:54:41 by Loyal of Lhasa..
So you'll all simply have to put up with it I'm afraid.
Better bat big!!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:11:12:20:35 by Grockle.
Grizzzly
Great ending by Arul, especially considering he is probably only playing because Zander is away.
Grizzzly
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Grizzzly
A ball or two before then, Cook got a leading edge and the Master (at short-extra) took a wonderful right-handed catch at full stretch.
Grizzzly
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
See us home with the please !
Grizzzly
Remarkable finish from Arul too!
It was those two and Kartik that made the key difference today, in my mind.
Got a little bit worried when Arul got clobbered and Tregs bowled a few loose ones, and then when Foster got his mad up.
Batting was pretty much without exception brilliant.
Hildreth I thought was particularly impressive, playing a slightly more dominant role than he usually does, managed to find boundaries and ran them ragged.
Jos, did what we now expect, what a fantastic timer of the ball.
Arul showed he can more than make up for Zander's loss, incredible hitting. Charged down the track and cut in one of the shots of the day, and followed it with a flat six hit so hard it curved through the air.
In the field we were brilliant bar 10 overs when things got a little hectic, Jos was superb with his run outs (especially the latter, even though it was less important).
The bowling looked a bit thin with no ZdeB to come on when others were collared. And we seemed a bit ragged in the field during the middle of the Essex innings.
But cometh the hour, cometh several men. The three run-outs each came from brilliant throws: I am not sure how JB - off balance and on the boundary - managed to get so much power into the throw which accounted for the last of the run-outs.
Did anyone hear any announcements for the jackpot numbers?
What a week coming up.
Roll on Monday
Great to see Compo gets some big match runs. This club deserves something out of this season but whatever happens the lads have given myself and my family some good times in 2010, for that I thank them and wish them all the best over the next week, a week which is the biggest in the club's history.
I just felt I had to be there.
Quote:Botham
Did anyone hear any announcements for the jackpot numbers?
Yes, Somerset won both first prizes and will claim them at Chester le Street and Lord's later this week.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
But Jos Buttler must have run him mighty close for m.o.m. In addition to his 36 off 18 balls at exactly the right moment, the running picks up and throws from the boundary to run out first Flower and then Palladino were both lightening fast and deadly accurate. And he looked the coolest customer on the park making the vital catch in the deep just as James Foster looked as if he might be capable of seeing Essex home.
Here`s a thought for the future. If Craig K wins a permanent call-up by England - and it remains a sizeable `if` - then I believe we should recruit another wicket-keeper and leave Jos on the loose in the field. He could be one of the greats there, as well as with the bat.
At the very least, Andy Flower must be intrigued by Jos.
I'd have him in the England T20 team right away.
Tres was all class again, The Emperor played well as did BoBo. Compo played the sort of innings we can expect from him which, in the absence of Zander, was the right one for the time of the innings.
Jos and Arul played superbly at the end and the total did look formidable.
Afetr a stunning opening with a good catch from Mark and an absolute stunner from Tres wwe followed with 2 even better runouts from Jos and The Emperor we lost our way for while when Fozzie and Wheater started to find the boundary rather too easily. Alfie dropped a catch on the boundary (can't remember him ever doing that before!) before an assured catch from Jos saw off Foster. And, for me, the final nail was an amazing leap and stop followed by a strong throw off-balance by Jos which saws Craig whip the bails off with Masters yards out!
It was a great win by a potentially great side and was further added to by chats with Rob, Mike, Grockle and Little Little Lewis plus the fine company of Bagpuss.
To go to Durham - that is the question!? To go to Lords - that is a given!
Quote:Botham
A yoyo performance, with some terrific highs and some lows, but a pretty decent day and hugely enjoyable. Nice cake at tea-time and easy to get away afterwards.
Did anyone hear any announcements for the jackpot numbers?
Yoyo??
You may need to check out that cake recipe, Both!!!
(ok pedants, four words, but you get the point)
We so deserve something from the efforts of this (and last season) we are without doubt the best all round team in the country, 2 trophies this week would be nothing more than we deserve.
Cracking debut season from Tresco, let's give JL some credit too, foundations were laid under him and we are now seeing the results.
One big push now this week and we can all have a truely great winter...
It looked like panic set in with the fielding for a while but then recovered at the right time. a good game and result.
Two more wins chaps, that's all we need this coming week.
Easy really.................?!
Grizzzly
Here we go.
I think Phillips is very happy with Trescothick for taking a good catch to dismiss A Cook.
Arul Suppiah about to make contact with the ball hitting a six.
Some people around me were surprised that he could play like that, I wasn’t I have seen him do it before; he doesn’t get many chances to do so.
C Wright was caught by Phillips bowled by Turner they seem delighted.
D Masters bowled by Trego, it was a team game.
G Flower receiving a fast bouncer from Turner.
Jos Buttler hitting one of his sixes.
The celebrations after Turner caught M Pettini off Thomas’s bowling.
And the final photo showing the Somerset team leaving the field after winning the match.
Dutta's Deliberations
But I've no idea where he got it from because unless he was on the roof or somewhere else in the ground he wasn't reporting on the game.
.
I won't comment too much now on yesterdays game as most of it has been said.It think it was good of me to travek all the way down from Saltford to save a seat for MikeBOS who lives 100 yards from the ground.Ha HA.Highlights of the game for me were Nick's innings and Arul's knock,Marcus's catch,and the run out from deeo by Jos.One of the days he'll make a good cricketer.A very well run game from the clubs point of view with a large but comfortable crowd.The only thing I'd rant about is why do people have to walk in front of Gimbletts Hill during the over.Obviously they know nothing of cricket etiquette.
Zander who the heck is Zander???????????????
Grizzzly
Love the pic of Flower too - "you put your left leg in, your left leg out...."
What I found out this year it is not so easy to take good photos this time of the year in late afternoon, there is so much shadow because of the low sun and the players faces do not show so well.
The photographer’s life is not a happy one.
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com]There was a lot of noise on the Gimblett Hill with people being so excited I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing, Tractor was getting cheered very time he jogged by and when he returned carrying four pints of something for his mates (not himself) he got an even bigger cheer, he was loving it.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
It's also rather sad to see Godleman playing in that match; he looked a potential England prospect when he first played for Middlesex, including during a good century he scored at Taunton.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Just for you LoL, I wouldn't do this for everybody.
I took this in 1985 it was one of those specials they lay on some times, it was between Bridgwater and Taunton.
Look at that polished brass.
Those were the days my friends (Mary Hopkins).
We thought they'd never end.
Another photo.
Bobstan I owe you an apologue you are correct, it was a double-header you are more observant than I am.
I don’t know the number of the other train.
I've never taken a train number in my life, Bobstan, and I'm not an engineer, but the sheer beauty of a well-honed steam engine takes some beating.
It is an abolute cracker. (Several photos of steam engines too on the WSR website including Tornado).
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
[www.wsr.org.uk]
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter