The Simulated Durham Game

By Grockle
January 29 2006

I've had this one in the bag for a while. In a simulated season with not a lot going for it..this would have been a game!! A good start, a tense middle and an awesome finish. But it's a small chink of light in a very dark sky I'm afraid.

V Durham @ Chester le Street CC2 6 May 2005 (Simulated)

With no victories at all in the 3 long games already played and already into May, Somerset travel up North to take on Durham.  Smith wins the toss and elects to bat with what should be classed as a strong batting line-up and a very strong pace attack.  It hasn't been performing that way with middle and late order batting collapses and a distinct inability to bowl out tails in CC matches.

Having said that, Smith and Trescothick get off to a flyer as they take advantage of the pitch and the weather to put on 177 for the first wicket and record Smith's first ton. Breese breaks the partnership, courtesy of Collingwood's hands and Banger doesn't get to his hundred but goes for 76.  Sanath comes in next to help make more hay but becomes Breese's second victim without adding to the score and a good start has a bit of a wobble on.  The wobble continues as Harmison starts to get into his stride and sends the South African packing at 216 courtesy of those Collingwood hands again for an excellent 105.  John Francis and James Hildreth are tasked with re-settling the batting line-up but with Frank becoming another Harmison/Collingwood wicket at 219 and Hilda only adding 4 before he goes to Davies at 223, our brilliant start has become a bit of a nightmare with 4 wickets going down for 46 runs.

Ian Blackwell and Aaron Laraman find themselves in familiar territory, trying to make a meaningful total from another collapse after a good start.  20 runs are all they can manage as a partnership before Larry leaves his captain C&B Hamilton and although Rob Turner helps Blackie over the 300 mark with a stand of 60, at 313 Harmison moves up a gear and clean bowls Blackwell and has Caddick caught before we've moved to 320.  Johnno and Turner put up a fight but Harmi castles them both leaving Nixon undefeated and Somerset one run over 350.  Harmison 6 for 69 and we don't push home another advantage to get on top of a game in the first innings.

So, Durham feel they have a chance to take a lead postion in the game and look for the same type of start as we had.  Caddick has other ideas and clean bowls the dangerous Hussey for 9 at 15 and although Lewis and Berkenstein steady the line, Ian Blackwell keeps the wickets going as he gets Berkensein at 81.

However, Lewis is made of sterner stuff and with Coetzer, starts to set up a winning partnership which adds 140 for the third wicket before the wily spin of our Sri Lankan splits it and allows Caddick to show the selectors that there is more than one pace man in England. After Mclean gets rid of the dangerman Lewis for 128 at 279, the Cadmeister rips through the Durham soft underbelly bowling Collingwood and having Muchall caught at 283 and allowing Breese to survive a ball before C&B'ing him.  Hamilton is caught behind with only 1 added and Mustard manages to make 7 before flipping one to Banger. 

Davies and Harmison hold out overnight to nearly reach 300 but Caddick is not to be denied and takes 7 for 50 as Durham are dismissed for 299 and we have an unexpected first innings lead of 52!!  "Our middle order collapse was not as good as yours" are the cries and in the first hour of the third day, the game really starts in earnest.

Smith and Trescothick pass 100 once again without a wicket falling but Harmison seems to have been galvanised by the performance of his older rival and has Smith for 69 at 119 (another cleanup) and Marcus at 130 as he has just passed his 50 then it's rabbit time!  SJ is skittled for 6 and the Durham pace man hits Hildreth on the hand and sends him back for treatment (looks bad).  172 and we have four back in the pavilion.  Ian B is still not finding his form and 173 is not our lucky number.  Blackwell and Laraman cleaned up at that score, Turner the same at 181 Johnson gets one before Harmi gets an LBW and then cleans up Caddick just before Hamilton does the same to Mclean for 3.  Meanwhile, John Francis has been holding down the other end and trying to make the score look respectable and give the bowlers something to fiight with on the last day.  His 67 not out is the only good thing on a scorecard that shows 3 no scores, 2 singles a 3 and a 6.  Harmison has taken 7 for 60 in 19 overs and we have collapsed to 220 all out leaving Durham needing 273 for victory and a whole day, minus 45 minutes to do it.  Defeat from the jaws of victory once more?

Day 4 - Hildreth off the pitch and Somerset looking down the barrell of another away defeat in a season going nowhere in May!!  When McLean dismissed Hussey once again for single figures (6), we at least thought we had a chance.  But Lewis and Benkenstein were determined to make their mark once again and 6 for 1 went over 100 before Blackwell, with the help of sub Simon Francis broke the partnership by removing Benkenstein one short of his 50. 11 for 2.

Coetzer did not repeat his first innings heroics because Laraman had him caught behind for 11 at 130 and Caddick provided a big lift when he removed the dangerous Lewis for 90 at 175.  Less than a hundred needed just this side of Tea and 6 wickets in hand.  Collingwood and Muchall brought up the 200 just before the interval but Caddick had the England allrounder just after with only 206 on the board.  Was it possible?  Well not if Breese had anything to do with it.  He always has a good session against us and has won a number of games that we should have sorted.  Was he going to do it again?  Thhe two bowlers brought up the 250 and it looked lost but the old pace guys weren't dead yet as first Mclean got Muchall to flip one to Laraman and then the first ball of Johnson's next over showed what he's there at the death for. Breese clean bowled 252 for 7.

On came the press with only 21 needed and four overs to go.  No runs from the rest of the over and Caddick on for the last gasp attempt to rescue this.  Hamilton and Mustard and then no Hamilton as Caddy cleans his clock without scoring 252 for 8 and still 21 needed. The next over is a disaster as Johnno loses the plot in the excitement.  3 overs left and his first is missed by Turner and trundles away for 4 byes.  17 needed from 17 balls!  Mustard and Davies are in and Mustard takes a 4 off the third!  13 from 15 and nothing from ball 4 or 5.  Then an abberation as Johnson inexplicably bowls 4 wides down the legside that luckily the better of the two batsmen gets nothing on. 9 runs from 12 balls and we look very corpselike!

Caddick takes his last throw of the dice in this game against Davies and roughs the Durham man up well with his first, tries it again with his second but the tailender squirts a single to bring the more experienced Mustard on strike 8 from 10 are required for a great home victory and we need 2 wickets to take it away from them.  Mustard is not phased as he receives another bouncer from the Cadman because he swats the next ball away to the long leg boundary and they take 2 and it is 6 runs from 7 balls.  Caddick has one ball to do something and he gives Mr Mustard the opportunity to put it to the boundary in the same place, the only difference is that this ball is not as rapid a delivery and Mustard takes the bait, doesn't connect with the ball properly, skies it and it falls into the grateful hands of Marcus Trescothick.  6 balls left and 6 runs needed with the last pair in!  Davies has 1 and Harmison is in on strike.  Johnson has to come back from a poor last over and he hasn't many balls to make his mark.  First ball, dot as Harmi swipes and misses.  If he hits it could all be over with one shot, he tries it next ball but the swipe is a poor connection which heads for no man's land and has John Francis belting after a ball he has half stopped already.  Harmison makes the first and turns hoping to keep the strike and protect Davies.  Davies has not turned as quick and as the Durham fast bowler hares back for safety, Davies finds himself struggling as Francis pounces on the ball, picks up one handed and fires an Exocet at the stumps at the bowlers end.  There to help it on is Mr Caddick and the stumps fly as Davies is found wanting a yard short!!!

Four balls left and Durham are all out for 268.  We have won by 4 runs in the last over of a four day game we almost threw away. Harmison's 13 wickets in the game weren't enough (although they did win him the MoM award) and Caddick's 11 kept us fighting.  Lewis racked up 218 runs in his two innings Smith only put on 174, but he had the support of Trescothick with over 120 and our collapses weren't as bad (just!) as the Durham boys.

Hard fought and hard won - but won nevertheless.  Wish I'd been there to see it!!