Banger and Blacky batter Hampshire
Long Handling!
By Grockle
June 19 2002
Marcus Trescothick and Ian Blackwell take Hampshire apart even though the visitors post a reasonable total. A really impressive performance in a form of the game that has not been great for us up to now this year...is this a change of fortune?
v HAMPSHIRE @ TAUNTON C&G 19 JUNE 2002
June sun and a batting track...
This is about the first day or real summer cricket we've had with a warm dry day offering lots of runs on a batting track.
That's probably why we were sent out into the field when Hampshire won the toss. Cox's finger injury had not healed so Matt Wood was broiught in to partner Marcus Trescothick and we wwent in with only three main seamers in Bulbeck, Johnson and Jones. Matt Bulbeck and Richard Johnson opened against Johnson and Kenway. The pitch looked like it had a big score in it but I doubt they expected to be given 31 runs off the first three Bulbeck overs. Matt's involvement with the ball ended in the sixth after too many loose deliveries gave Kenway a great start and frustrated our Johnson at the other end who was looking sharp and dangerous. Nevertheless, they reached 50 in the 9th in front of a sparse-ish crowd for a cup game. Jones came on early at the River End with 7 overs gone and the game almost started again. Kenway became the first man to go at 54 when he was caught by Dutch off Johnson.
Wood injured?...
Stopping a four in the field, Matt Wood did something to a leg and had to leave the pitch - making way for Piran Holloway's second appearance in a first class game. Meanwhile, Parsons replaced Jones at the River end so that he could replace Johnson at the Old pavilion end in the next over. It's 74 for 1 in the 14th and the 100 comes up with little problem for the batsmen at the start of the 20th - 5 an over. Burns at the Old Pavilion and Dutch at the River take over the bowling in the next two and it's 'George' who gets the next one when Johnson (theirs) on 52 goes for a big hit and is taken near the boundary by Johnson (ours)) 122 for 2.
Captain A and Captain B...
This brings the old Hampshire captain Robin Smith to the crease to meet his sure replacement John Crawley and they get on with it, moving the score to 148 by the 30th (296 prediction) and keeping up the rough 5 an over. The 150 came up in the 31st and Blackwell started the slow attack at the River end in the 33rd. Hampshire looked comfortable at 162 for 2 and motored along until Smith decided to go for a suicidal two against the arm of Johnson and comprehensively ran himself out with the score on193 in the 38th...just when the run chase was supposed to start. What a shame! Giles White saw the visitors to 200 before he decided to put one over the boundary near the scoreboard and found Bowler on the edge. 204 for 4 in the 42nd with Dutch doing sterling service at the Old Pavilion end.
Musical Bowlers...
Marcus now started to shift his bowlers around all over the place. He took Dutch off after a very good 7 - no idea why and brought Burns back in the 42nd against Mascarenhas. Johnno then replaced him after 2 overs with the score at 221. He bowled Dimitri with the score on 238 and he was replaced by Pothas who saw John Crawley to a determined 100 and Hampshire to 240 for 5. Jonah took up station at the River end to finish the innings at that end and he and Johnson kept the boundaries scarce and kept the opposition on their toes. They finished at 262. Still 5 an over but they couldn't accelerate away during the final 10 and the 300 they looked like getting never materialised. It's more overcast now but you have to say that a score of just over 250 on a batting wicket is extrememly gettable...we'll probably struggle to 100!
Eating words...
Banger and Pete Bowler v Mullally (how the hell has he stayed in the top ten international one day bowlers when he hasn't played for England for over a year?) and Masceranhas. Well Banger won the first round. He seems to have decided that it was a batting wicket and was going to go for it. Mullally was removed from the attack after 8 overs because we were 48 for 0. It didn't stop much, the 50 came up in the 9th and Johnson replacing Dimitri in the same over didn't slow Somerset down at all. Marcus T went to 50 off 43 balls with 10 boundaries at 89 (13.5 overs). We had put 130 on the scoreboard before Hampshire broke through. Peter Bowler popped up a catch for Johnson off Mascarenhas and Matt Wood came in to experience a masterclass from his opener captain. He quite happily took to the required method of batting and while Robin Smith fiddled his field, Marcus happily pierced it and Woody bashed the ball about with abandon!
Halfway there...
By the 25th we were over halfway to the total required 138 for 1. Smith used Kendall and Tremlett as changes in the 27th and 28th but Trescothick still took his score to 100 off 88 balls with 14 fours). It's 166 for 1 with 20 overs to go...what the hell is happening? Matt got carried away at 176 and semi-smashed another catch to Johnson in almost the same place as Bowler put it. 176 for 2 and it ought to be ours without problems. We got some though. Firstly Banger smashes one towards the CA Pavilion and is dropped in the deep by a running hampshire fielder. Secondly, just after the 200 up in the 36th, Burnsy taps one away, starts to run, is sent back, dithers and is run out - no need for it but it is 202 for 3. Enter Ian Blackwell, a little early, wonder what he's come in for?
Blackwell onslaught...
There is little finesse in the last phasae of this game. We need 61 and it is down to Blackwell to get them after Trescothick is finally cuaght behind for a magnificent 133 off 115 balls with 18 boundaries. 211 for 4. With 10 overs to go we need 43, we could dib and dob. Then again we could smash the living daylights out of the ball like Blackwell does in the 42nd with a massive 6 over the Old Pavilion. By the end of the 44th the score is 251 and they bring on top international bowler, Mullally to stop the rot and take some wickets. Blackwell deposites him over the boundary in front of the OP and then commences to try and do the same to every ball of the six he bowls ( including the yorker next ball). He does manage a 4 off the 5th but he has to leave the winning runs to Mr Parsons who pierces the field and hits the boundary off the first ball of the 45th.
265 off 45 overs with little problem thanks to the base provided by Trescothick and Bowler and the end provided by Blackwell. This is without Caddick, Cox and Bulbeck in full form. Bring on Worcetershire I say!! Man of the Match - Captain Trescothick and "Tractor" got a five-fer by predicting the whole result right!!