Somerset
Don't tell the Punters!! Vitality T20 QF v Derbyshire
By Grockle
July 9 2022
Derbyshire's first visit here as a T20 unit and a gorgeous day for it. The ground is nearly full which is an achievement given 4 days to do this. At least the Midlanders have been able to travel here with a weekend fixture. Can't believe that England have a T20 International on today - what were the ECB thinking?
We will bat as Derbyshire won the toss and have put us in. That is supposed to be a good omen. Banton and Smeed walk out to flames and fireworks and Led Zep's 'Kashmir'
Derbyshire open with Scrimshaw (the Welsh wildcard draft pick and England Lion). His first ball is a no ball and he does OK while both bats get off the mark. The visitors turn to spin with Watts from the MT in the second and Tom goes to town taking him for two boundaries and 10 runs. They use Aitchison for their third but one would imagine the Derbyshire players have not come across our batsmen and Smeed starts to open his shoulders to his favourite corner hitting a six to the MT next ball. By the end of the 3rd we are 29 up and when they go to Matt McKiernan for the fourth we go to 48 by the end of it.
Scrimshaw puts the brakes on for the fifth and keeps us from the 50 until after Will Smeed top edges to be caught and bowled by Aitchison. Rilee comes in and takes a single to bring up the 50 and we finish the powerplay with 55 on the board.
Alex Hughes enters the attack for the 8th with Somerset on 65. Russouw is taking it easy to start with (he's holed out in the last couple so he's getting his eye in a little). He's letting Banton take the lead but the Derby attack seems to be getting the pace of the pitch a little after a shaky start.
Russouw starts to motor and against Reece he gets a no ball for height and smacks it into the River stand for four before facing the free hit. He then starts to move with a six to the Somerset Stand and we are just under the 100 (99) after 10.
Watts brings the slow stuff back for the eleventh and RR takes us to 100 from the first ball. Bants hits a six to the CA to go to 49 and then takes the single to go to a 33 ball 50 with 4 fours and 3 sixes.... he's coming into something He's learning his trade - good to see - hope he stays.
McKiernan takes the 12th at 110 for 1and Rilee says 'Thanks' and heads towards 50 with another 14. He moves to 49 during Scrimshaw's 3rd and he gets there off the 5th ball 50 off 24 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes... he started slow!! It's 138 for 1 at the end of the 12th.
Banton takes on the bowling at the start of the 13th. Hitting 2 consecutive sixes off the first 2 deliveries... he tries it again with the third and doesn't get all of it. He departs for 73 caught Reece off Hughes but at least he started pushing it when it needed it and when he was at 61. He is coming on. In comes Tom Abell as we pass 150 with 6 overs to go.
Now we are starting to see the 'Russouw Show' the Derbyshire bowlers have litle idea where to bowl to him as he moves to 69 in boundaries as McKiernan tries to rein him in. This results in a no ball and Russouw nearly clears the Caddyshack with the free hit as we go to 179 with 2 balls of the 15th left. He has taken 30 off the over with a ball to go and that goes for 6 as well 5 sixes a four and the no ball!! 155 goes to 191. He becomes the highest run maker for Somerset in T20 season - what a buy he was!!
Tom puts the next one to the boundary just to remind people he is there.!! The 200 arrives in the 16th But Russouw goes to a standing ovation on 93 on 207.
Gregory replaces him - not sure he'd have been my choice but let's see. He doesn't trouble them for long going in his first over and they send in Tom Lammonby who provides 18 from his first 4 balls - he hasn't had a base like this with time to score for a season and puts the next one into the River stand to go to 24 off 5 balls!!
Highest score is on if we work this with 2 overs to go. Tom Abell hits the second of the 19th to the boundary and nurdles the next for four to the MT to go into the 240s. Lammonby goes down on one knee to hit one out of the screws to take us to 250!! We finish the 19th with 251. They need 10 to pass the highesat score of the Bears from this year. First ball and they are going for it!! Huge swing and a miss. Lammers goes for 31 off his 9 with an excellent second ball from Hughes. In comes Ben Green.
Four balls. Ball 1 goes over the SKY Pod into the car park. Ball 2 goes straighter but into the MT!! Ball 3 is a dot ball. Ball 4 a scrambled 2. 265 for 5 Holy cow!! The highest T20 score in UK history returns to Taunton.
COve opens from the River against Carne and Reece with Harry Carne facing the first. They are up for this and take 8 from the start before the batter waves at ball number 5 and is out caught behind. Madsen replaces him. Davey takes the first from the MT. Reece is taking nothing as he straight hits Josh over his head. Then there is a decent call which is given not out. Somerset review... it's missing - first time we have had a DRS review... never mind. 14 for 1 after 2. 21 after 3 and Siddle takes the 4th.
Derbyshire are taking this on and it's good to see Reece going for the shots to get to the boundary. Unfortunately he tries to pull one with a pivot and plops it into the outstretched hands of Rilee Russouw who doesn't drop them. 26 for 2 and Reece goes for 13. In comes the skipper Leus du Plooy. Peter softens him up and then has him caught behind. 26 for 3. He is replaced by Cartwright. It seems that Mattie McKiernan's bowling figures are the most expensive in T20 history according to one stats source though it hasn't been confirmed by any second one yet.
Craig is bowling a third - suggesting they aren't expecting this to go the distance and he has Cartwright flashing and missing ball 1 of the 5th. Derbyshire are 36 for 3 after 25% 160 is on!!
It must be dispiriting for bats when they are scoring at about 8 an over and the required run rate is rising because they effectively need to score at least 12 an over to have any chance. At 42 Cartwright tries to get one over the Caddyshack boundary and finds the hands of George Bartlett (on as 12th man) off the bowling of Siddle. 42 for 4. Guest joins Madsen as Gregory takes over at the River end. He sends one down that takes the top bail off and Guest is on his way back 43 for 5 without a run. Alex Hughes is next in batting in what has to have become a losing cause.
The crowd are most definitely up for this now. 'Hey Jude' get rapterous response and then they just carry on. This performance is not going to do the club any harm at all. It is probably good that the final is going to be when they are in the zone from this one. It keeps on going as Lewis gets Masden caught on the 'Trade Nation' boundary by Roelof just after Derbyshire pass 50. 54 for 6.
Ben Green gets into the act getting Hughes for 12 into the hands of Lammonby. Watts comes out at 65 for 7... they need 200 in 10.2. Greener helps them along by getting Watts caught behind first ball. The hatrick ball comes to nothing and Derbyshire go under 200. They need 199 from 60 balls at the halfway mark.
On comes Roelof and Aitchison is run out going for a second for 2. 71 for 9 after 11. He then misses the last wicket as he drops McKIernan who skies a swirling one. But he snicks the next one and George takes the final one in front of the Somerset. 74 all out!! Though they are reviewing the catch for foot on the rope. It's decided it's good (it probably was a boundary) and the game is over Somerset win by 191 runs.
An absolutely storming performance
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:11:10:16:43 by Grockle.
Personally, I think they should use RR up front as an opener, so giving us an RHB/LHB combination but they could have done that at any point and haven't done, so I doubt that's on the cards, either.
So, barring late injuries (Abell's "knock," whatever that was?) then not only will there not be any big changes but not any minor ones either, I would imagine.
If there is any change at all? Well then Greener is possibly the most vulnerable if they suddenly decided they wanted the second spin option (Goldsworthy) or a more experienced bowler (Brooks). It would qualify as a massive surprise if anybody other than Goldsworthy or Brooks were to be picked as a change, I'd suggest.
I 100% think that, despite Cove's presumed presence next Saturday, they should try an over of Lammonby in the powerplay, rather than an over of Gregory.
I also think we should probably be bowling VDM out more often? I mean he's gone for less than 8 rpo, yet has had only 36 overs over 14 games... that's an average of only 15 balls per match i.e two and a half overs!!
Our bowling usage numbers indicate that only Brooks (when picked) always gets bowled for his full allocation (16/16 so far). Davey (35 of 40) and Siddle (31 of 36) have been extensively used.
Other numbers?
Cove: 13 of 20
VDM: 36 of 56
Greener 44 of 56
Gregory: 30 of 56
Lammonby: 16 of 56
Goldsworthy: 15 of 32
Somerset or Derbyshire vs Warwickshire or Hampshire ????
If so:
Pencil in:
Somerset or Derbyshire vs Hampshire..
You beat everyone? You are champions... that's the way it works every year
Though the ECB probably would be willing to change that if it made them money
Hants, I would guess took as good form as anyone into their QF (remembering that they lost their first 3 games, but still qualified).
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:08:12:08:22 by AGod.
Derbyshire will be without opening batsman and T20 captain Shan Masood, who has been called into the Pakistan team for the Test against Sri Lanka. They name a squad of 15, now captained by South African batter Leus du Plooy:
Reece, Came, du Plooy, Madsen, Guest, McKiernan, Dal, Hughes, Cartwright, Thomson, Kerr, Aitchison, Connors, Watt, Scrimshaw.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:08:23:48:16 by cricketjerry-mouse.
The Somerset side are as expected Ben Green stays in so no change for Lewis Goldsworthy - which seemed to be a possible change.
We are batting after losing the toss
Maybe, if thereâs a loan signing coming tomorrow we should hope itâs him ahead of a permanent move!?
At least Banton has been looking pretty good.
Tom looks better and RR has come out with a little more respect for the bowling.
Scrimshaw is in the Lions squad and already picked up as Welsh thingy's 'wildcard draft' pick
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Tom Banton has also passed 2000 T20 runs
Lewis didn't trouble them for long.
However.. The ease with which new players came in and absolutely massacred the bowling does make one wonder if this is one of the better tracks weâve ever produced?
With the bounce that Scrimshaw took advantage of? Iâd Bowl Cove through the power play from one end ⊠as early wickets *should* end the game as any kind of contest, if we can get them.
108 off 18 balls - that's 108 in sixes
That's 196 in boundaries off 40 balls,
meaning that only 69 was scored off the other 80 balls
That's simply not good enough! I blame Graves and Harrison.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Thank You.
We need RR to take a bit of time to play himself in next week (as he did tonight).
Uganda Womenâs 304-run win against Mali will take some beating.
We probably have peaked Hants.... it's what we do. But Finalists in some significant style anyway. At least we deserve to be there this year!!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:09:23:01:51 by Grockle.
This is what happens when all of Somerset's players gel in the same game.
I'm not sure if the result would have been different if Somerset had bowled first, but after the Surrey game, what were Derby thinking putting Somerset into bat? Madness....
Strangely enough, we could have done even better with the bat in the first few overs, when we were held back by some excellent bowling by Scrimshaw, who looked miles better than anything else they could offer.
Rossouw's innings was simply immense, but Tom Banton also deserves a lot of credit and was back to pretty well his best form. Special mention also to Tom Lammonby, who really drove the nail in the heart of the Derbys. bowlers towards the end of the innings.
We blew them away with bat & ball. Can't ask for more than that.
Got to feel for Derby. Haven't played us in a T20 for twenty years, record score & defeat conceded and the worst ever T20 bowling figures for their spinner. That's got to make it a very long coach journey home.
So hope we can continue this form next weekend.
Meantime, RR was having a great time interacting with everyone in the Somerset stand, who were singing his name loudly & proudly. Methinks he may well return next season. Hope so.
Grizzers
I could still hear the Somerset Stand singing 'Hey Jude', without benefit of a PA boost, as I walked past the 'Ring of Bells' ten minutes after end of the match.
Unforgettable. Somerset Gold.
Farmer
For reasons too complex to go into here, I followed it all on BBC text, from whose coverage two questions arise:
- who was George Bartlett subbing on for?
- the text constantly referred to Benny Green - weâve always referred to him as Ben, and Iâve never seen or heard him called Benny before. So, which should it be?
These things matter, you know.
If we could take this form forward.... BUT it will have focused the minds of Yorkshire, Lancashire and especially Hampshire so we need to be aware of that.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:10:10:24:33 by Grockle.
Somerset are the only one of the four semi-finalists who aren't from a county hosting Test cricket - ha ha ha to the bastions of the ECB, who can, as far as I'm concerned, 'swivel'!
Somerset are also the only one without a nickname, having ditched the Sabres moniker (surely the 'Wyverns' would have made more sense, even if it lacked alliteration?). Instead they are proudly Somerset CCC. Which is how it should be.
I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to many things, but I do like the CCC, and long may it continue.
However the fact that internationals have been allocated to this week with players being pulled from their counties and SKY pushing them and yhe fact that there is almost nothing on this or the score in the Birmingham game earlier in the competition just shows how morally bankrupt our managing body is an how little even they believe that their premier aim is to increase participation in the game as a whole.
Its difficult to be a cynic "scrympwasp" (welcome by the way) in the face of pretty damning evidence.
It will be the same next week unless Yorkshire win it when the full ECB press corps will be out in force hoping to wash their "mate's" pretty tarnished reputation clean on the back of it. But maybe I'm also being too cynical.
Hopefully we'll win it, there'll be no publicity the day after like our RLODC win in 2019 and I'll be as happy as Larry!!
The crowd response to him was also excellent. They know how hard this has been for him. I feel I'm watching the learning curve Jos Buttler chose not to take and I only hope he stays to keep it going
Tom Lammonby probably should have come in before Lewis but when he did he just erupted. That 30 off 5 was much more important than it seemed at 209. It broke Derbyshire's back and put any hope of getting the total beyond them.
And Ben Green just did T20 Ben Green. Takes wickets when you need em, hits sixes when you need em!!
Personal content moderated after poster request for review
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:10:16:29:14 by Grockle.
We rarely see the nationals any more. Dave Hopps of Cricinfo comes down and occasionally George Dobell will be at the game but have to assume the nationals, if they bother, pick up from whatever stringers are still about, the blogs independents like us and the livestreams.
It used to be the case that we had at least one national journalist at a CC game for at least a day or so but either they are using regional people now or don't bother more than a small summary these days. Haven't seen the likes of Ivo Tennant down here for years... couldn't keep him away at one time. The nationals who still exist cover multiple games and even multiple sports now.
We did an online report on the game as there was no livestream It's linked to this thread and went up as the events took place.
Though I realised I missed the Banton drop early on when looking at the Vitality highlights this morning. Wasn't particularly impressed with the Trade Nation highlight package I have to admit which missed quite a few bits out.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:10:16:46:29 by Grockle.
It is sad to see on Twitter that some Derbyshire members are complaining that they should get refunds of their ticket payments. Not true supporters was the first response from others. Miserable gits was the second.
Derbyshire had qualified for that game they deserved to be there. They came to what must have been a strange venue for them and played a side they had little experience of. They got us on the GOOD day. They could have easliy got us on a bad one and we could have gone to Derby in another scenario and have been exactly where they were.
You take the rough with the smooth and you move on.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:10:16:43:50 by Grockle.
There were also a couple of news media people working in the SKY area upstairs while the main press block were in the Ondaatje which happens when the 'mainstream' media boys are there... though the commentators now use the Pod which is ground level and was based where Anthony and the BBC have been working from this season between the Ondaatje and the MT
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:11:10:18:49 by Grockle.
It's always inflated.
Pretty much anyone fit & with a pro contact will be in it I'd guess.
The normal 14 (if Craig released & Josh are fit.....)
Plus probably Leach & Max, maybe even Rew & Kasey, we won't leave any possible option out.
Lancashire haven't sold all their ticket allocation yet. I haven't checked if it's only open to members though.
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