Vitality Ten out of Ten - Essex
By Grockle
June 26 2023
We return to Chelmsford of not so blessed memory after the four day game and we take the loanee 'Outlaw' Jack Brooks with us while we rest Mr Overton. Tom Lammonby and Kasey Aldridge also miss out with the injured and probably not returning Peter Siddle sidelined wiith a hand injury
v Essex @ Chelmsford Monday 19 June 2023
The side is the usual suspects with Dickson and Brooks taking their places for this one. Siddle will probably take no more part in any Somerset game in 2023 while Tom Lammonby is not included. Craig Overton is rested and we welcome back Jack Brooks to the seam 'fold'. So Banton, Smeed, TKC, Abell, Dickson, Gregory, Green, RvdM, Davey, Henry and Brooks is the Somerset line up
Somerset won the toss and have decided once again to chase the game so they will field first. Jack opens the bowling and immediately gets swing on the hybrid pitch that is the same one as Essex used for their Friday fixture. Kushi is off the mark with his first delivery and Lawrence hits the first boundary of this innings before Kishi smacks one high and is caught by Gregory with 6 on the board and the 'Ferret' has one in his first over.
Pepper is in early after he did some damage to us in the four day game. He faces Henry and goes second ball 7 for 2 and Das comes to the crease before we have had 12 balls. The first ball he faces goes for 4 and he pushes the score to 13 by the end of the second.
Brooks continues with the third and forces an edge off Lawrence who skies the ball once more to Gregory and Jack has 2 for 7 off 10 balls. In comes Walter who pushes the score to 16 off 3. One of the catches has caused problems however and Gregory has left the pitch with a hand issue it seems. TKC has taken over the captaincy role.
Matt Henry is in for the fourth and Das introduces himself with a huge 6 to their version of Cow Corner. This prompts Walter to take another six off the first ball of the third Brooks over, a misfield off the next does not produce any more but a straight four later on followed by another six mucks up Brooksy's figures as Essex move to 39 for 3
Josh Davey takes the next but Walter has put the brakes on the Essex slide and takes his side past 50 to 52 in the Powerplay. Ben Green is the next to be introduced for the 7th and though Das hits him for 2 fours off the start of his over he comes back well and gives away no more. Das also hits a four off the first ball of Davey's next and then repeates this with the next one.
The score is moving on. By the end of Gregory's next it is 84 for 3 and the captain turns to RvdM to try and stem the flow with the 10th. The halfway stage sees the home side with 93 to their name with the 100 arriving in Ben Green's 11th offering. Walter hits a six to bring up his 50 off not a lot (25 balls) but Ben gets him next ball caught by TKC at 109 for 4. In comes Critchley to face the 12th from RvdM
Gregory is the bowler as Das becomes the second Essex bat to reach 50 one over later with a six and then a four off a poor half volley to take Essex to 131. Roelof suprisingly misfields to Critchley and then nearly runs him out as he recovers before offering up a full toss to Das who gratefully smacks it over the rope. We need Das out and Henry obliges getting him first ball via an RvdM catch at 143 for 5 (a very good 72 off 39 balls). In comes Buttleman to join Sams who together push the score to 148 at the end of the 15th.
van der Merwe bowls Sams with the first ball of his next over but then comes a cropper trying to field off his own bowling. He seems to have dislocated a finger on his left hand but seemingly pops it back in and runs back to bowl the rest of his over! The physio comes out to give him a bit of treatment because he also seems to have done something to his other hand which requires some kind of taping. But RvdM decides he can't bowl with that so rips it off and finishes the over in obvious pain. Hard as nails is that man!! He then goes off as Essex pass 150 to 158 for 6.
Henry gets Buttleman courtesy of a catch at fine leg from Gregory who is wincing from another hand injury!! 159 for 7. In comes Harmer to help Critchley finish the innings. He drives one back which Green gets a hand onto and deflects it into the stumps at the non striker's end running out Simon at 176 for 8 and creating another finger incident!! Do we have any bowlers with hands left?
Snater is the next man in facing Davey in the penultimate over, he tries for a second run against the fielding of Tom Abell and comes off second best at 181 for 9 Cooke is in for the last over from Green. He goes for four off the first and forces an outside edge to TKC They are all out for 186.
The Reply
Banton and Smeed versus Cook and Sams. Over 1 is a wide firsst ball followed by Tom looking to 'ramp' third ball. He does hit the fourth for four however. 6 for 0. He then hits Sams for four and doesn't even move before Will is off on an 'up the wicket' slash to the first ball he faces!! He misses but gets back. 11 for 0 after 2
Snater comes on for the third and is treated to a Smeed swing out of the ground. The next ball goes to the short boundary for another six and WS is on 17 off 5!! He hits Snater for 3 consecutive sixes to different parts of the ground and we move to 35
Cook takes the next and is the victim of a Smeed uppercut over the slips and we move to 45.
Walter has the 5th looking for variations. He takes the pace off and Banton reverse sweeps him for 6 into the river to bring up the 50 off 26 balls. Smeed ends the over with a straight six to move Somerset to 60.
Essex bring back Sams in the hope of closing this onslaught down and after a squirted four Will goes at 64 for 36 off 15 balls caught by Walter on the boundary. TKC arrives along with 65 off the Powerplay overs.
Critchley is brought on for the 7th with the pressure very much on the home side to take wickets. The Somerset men really only need to manage the rate and play the game out. TomKC has other ideas however and puts two Critchley balls into the crowd in his first to move us to 86.
So Essex introduce Harmer to stem the tide. TKC hits his first for six but when it isn't necessary he tries again with the second and is caught by Lawrence with the score on 92. He goes for 28 off 10 but he really didn't need to do that.
Tom Abell is the next man in and he brings up the 100 while Bants hits another six out of the ground. Walter tries to hold him in during the 9th but the Somerset keeper is looking for big stuff with 32 off 21.
Critchley has a bit more luck in the 10th and almost has Banton after a huge slash and miss but the next is dispatched like a rocket to the boundary and we reach halfway at 120 for 2. This game is pretty much done to be honest. Nevertheless, Sams has Banton LBW for 42 off 29 at 121. Shame, he was going well. In comes Dickson to join a pretty rampant Abell who slog sweeps Harmer to let him know the game is still on. Sean also brings out a nice reverse to get in on the act and we go to 136 needing 51 off 48 balls.
Snater returns for the 13th and an Abell cut takes Somerset into the 140s before Dickson deposits the ball into the trees. He then repeats the feat to move us past 150. Snater has gone for 42 off his 2 overs!! Somerset need 32 off 42. There have been 14 sixes in this innings as Critchley takes the 14th over. It ends at 158 for 3. Sams returns to try and make something happen Abell greets him with the 15th six and Essex's evening gets worse as Das drops Dickson off the 5th ball of the over, a decent chance he really ought to have held on to. 167 for 3
Cook takes the 16th with little chance of halting the Somerset move to victory and we need 5 off 24 at the end of it. Critchley is in for the last rites and by the 3rd ball we have won by 7 wickets with Tom Abell finishing on 40 from 26 and Sean Dickson with 30 from 17.
A bit of revenge for the four day debacle and we move back to Taunton for Glamorgan on Wednesday in pretty decent white ball form. We may very well have injury problems however, as Gregory and RvdM both have hand problems while Green and Henry also were wincing when the game ended. We shall have to wait and see
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:29:21:51:35 by Grockle.
They add Jack Brooks to the squad on duty against Surrey at Taunton on Friday.
Essex took advantage of one of the shortest boundaries ever seen at Lord`s to amass a T20 Blast record 237-6 at cricket headquarters, in a 22-run defeat of Middlesex yesterday.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:22:11:51:31 by Grockle.
Kasey has been tried and is now not in the squad. No place it seems for Ned Leonard though they used him last year. We go back to the guy we've been loaning out in his last year with the club. Has he been showing form with Notts? Shame Lammers no longer bowls it seems.
Anyway it's
Banton, Smeed, TKC, Abell, Dickson, Gregory, Green, RvdM, Davey, Henry
and either Brooks or Bashir
Hope this isn’t a sign that Brooks will also be Siddle’s replacement in the CC…
I really can’t see a Kookaburra ball suiting Jack Brooks (which is what we will be playing with, Vs Notts).
[www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk]
Good job there aren't two versions because it'd be far too complex to work out which was which.
Holy 🐄 that is strange!!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:19:18:59:45 by Grockle.
“ The left-hand sleeve was deliberately made a striking yellow to represent some of the great left-handers who have represented the Club with such distinction in one-day competitions, such as Brian Rose (captained Somerset to five one-day trophies), Peter Denning (most appearances for SCCC in one-day cricket) and Marcus Trescothick (our leading one-day run scorer)”
How dare you be so flippant!
Sorry off 10 😱
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:19:19:12:44 by Grockle.
Perhaps I should switch off again , though, since things have gone markedly less well in the 3 or so overs since I switched on..
If that’s anything significant? Could be curtains for this T20 campaign of ours,,I’m afraid
What happened at the start of their innings? Did it seam around?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:06:19:22:06:39 by Grockle.
Two trips to Essex in such a short time must be 'trying' at the best of times, so full credit to all.
Grizzers
Not good news. Hope the situation isn't as bad as it sounds it might be.
Grizzers
Hope the two injuries mentioned aren’t too serious.
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