1st Game of

So near...
By Grockle
October 9 2005

Something for the one's who can't sleep because of the lack of cricket. A simulation of some of the highlights of the season. Here's the first - a CC2 game at Old Trafford. I need your input for the final day of a nail-biter!!

Simulated Season Match 1 CC2

v Lancashire @ Old Trafford (Sometime in April)

We went into this one with the following side;

Smith (capt), Trescothick, Wood, Jayasuriya, Hildreth, Blackwell, Laraman, Turner, Johnson, Caddick and Mclean.  Smith won the toss, saw something in the pitch and chose to bowl.  We had them at 105 for 3 by lunch with Laraman taking 2 and 250 for 7 by Tea with the slows (Blackwell 3 and SJ 1) doing the damage. All out just before the end of Day 1 for 316 and we went into Day 2  with 16 without loss.

Day 2 didn't go so well however as we succumbed to the Mighty Muralitharan!  26 from Smith and 7 from Wood was not as much as hoped for as we reached lunch with 116 to our names.  SJ went for 21 and Banger failed to reach his first ton of the season by 1 run leaving us at 184 for 4 - both wickets to Anderson.  He continued as Blackwell and Laraman  fell very cheaply for 2 and zero and despite 29 from James H we were 213 for 9 at Tea and 232 all out after a last wicket blast from Caddy and Nixon.  84 behind and victims of Jimmy - 4 for 65 and Mulari - 5 for 53.

We needed early wickets so in steamed Andy Caddick. Chilton duly obliged for 10 and Sutcliffe followed for 3 but Law put up more of a fight with 25 before McLean skittled him.  At the end of Day 2 Lancashire stood 201 ahead with 7 second innings wickets remaining at 117 for 3.  Flintoff and Hodge needed removing early.

That wasn't as easy and Freddie made 43 before SJ had him LBW.  However we did releive Lancashire of both North (2 caught off Ian Blackwell) and Loye (17 caught off Caddick) before lunch.  They stood at 211 for 6. Brad Hodge reached 100 and expired at the same time courtesy of Laraman and while Hegg was caught off Andy C and Murali and Anderson went relatively cheaply, Dominic Cork nursed the score over 300 to 204.  Caddick finished with 5 for 80 but we faced 388 to win with 4 sessions to face.

After Tea things looked promising until two stumpings off the bowling of Murali made the situation a little dicey!  Smith for 30 at 63 for 1 and Wood following his captain for 11 at 84 in the same way off the same bowler.  So we finish the Third Day with 102 on the scoreboard and Marcus T on 45 not out with Sanath just arrived with 10 to his name.

NOW...How do you want me to play the last day?  We need 287 for victory and we have 8 wickets in hand, two strokeplayers at the crease - neither used to defensive play and strokeplayers to come.

DO I GO FOR IT?

DO I SEE HOW THE FIRST SESSION PANS OUT AND THEN GO FOR IT OR DROP ANCHOR?

DO I DROP ANCHOR AND BAT FOR THE DRAW?

Well.....the advice was to take it easy and bat out the day and the runs would come.  With Banger going to 50 off the third over of the morning it looked llike good advice. 56 runs were added before the first scare and both men looked in prime form.  Unfortunately a man called Muralitharan was on the other side and kept cropping up all day.  Marcus T went for an excellent 71 at 168 and we had reached 210 for 3 at Lunch with 73 to Sanath and 17 to Hildreth.  However SJ was out staight after lunch without adding to his score (211 for 4) to that Murali bloke and when he also had Blackwell caught for 13 and Aaron pouched down the leg side for 7 we had slumped to 245 for 6 and were effectively out of it.

James Hildreth bravely held the side together and went to 50 but when Cork bowled Turner at 282 and then JH at 294, the game was over.  Johnson and Caddick held out until Tea and took us over the 300 mark but with victory tantalisingly close, Johnson was caught off Flintoff for 17 and Nixon lasted 5 balls before being adjudged (harshly in my opinion) LBW for 0.  Somerset all out for 317 - 71 runs short.  4 points

Marcus Trescothick was ajudged Man of the Match for his 170 runs in the game.  One could say that Murali's figures of 5 for 57 and 6 for 114 actually won the game but we'll take what we can get.  First game loss. but more to come!!