Somerset
Blast Number 10 Derby Day - The Return
By Grockle et al
July 7 2024
Gregory and Overton return for this one after the washout in Chelmsford on Friday. Will they both play? Who can say. Alfie Ogborne misses out after being named versus Essex and it's a question about who will play from Davey, Ball and Leach in a pretty much predictable line-up. It rained early this morning but there are no covers on the pitch and everything suggests a start on time with whote cloud over the grouns and players doing warmups.
BLAST Number 10 v Gloucestershire @Taunton Sunday 7 July 2024
After the fun of the respective CC games midweek the local sides meet each other in the second white ball derby of the season. The wet conditions of the last couple of days seem to have moved on and it is dry in Taunton with no covers on the ground and the players all making 2:30 start preparation.
The side will be mostly predictable from 1 - 6. The line-up is from;
Smeed, Banton,TKC, Abell, Lammonby, Dickson, Gregory, Green, RvdM, Overton, Davey, Meredith, Leach
The only other question is if we go with 2 spinners including Jack Leach or go with both Davey and Ball.
This is a SKY game so there is no livestream. We'll keep updating the frontpage as the game goes on for those without another access point.
No Craig it seems he is 'ill'. Gloucs have won the toss and will bowl. No Jack. Marchant and Cameron Bancroft are back in Taunton for Glos
Tom Banton will face Payne from the Pavilion end in frnt of a nearly full crowd as is expected during a derby fixture - in fact it's two in a row for Somerset at least given that the Essex game was washed out. Glos did get a bash in on Friday against Kent but weren't succesfful in it. Bants is off the mark with a single while Smeed cuts through the covers to start his afternoon with a forceful boundary. First over goes for 5 as Shaw starts the second from the River and is met by a lofted four from Banton to the Somerset Stand. A hard flash at the end of the over moves the score to 13 at the end of the second.
Smeedy opens his shoulders with one into the Trade Nation stand at the start of Payne's second and then does his normal by smacking one straight to cover 2 balls later. He looks up into the sky and we all sigh knowingly. 19 for 1 Smeed caught Webster Payne for 10.
Taylor takes over at the River but TKC treats him with little respect as he takes 10 from him to move the score to 31. Shaw changes ends and TKC seems to have his eye in as he hits him for a straight six to the MT. He then clears the Trade Nation Stand with his next. But at 43 he can't resist it and goes to a very good catch from Taylor for 22 off 11... but it is a pretty normal trend unfortunately. Six, Six, dot wicket!!
Abell arrives and we hope for sensibility as we pass 50 with a sublime four to the Gimblett from the new boy. Taylor then drops Banton trying to go over the infield to the CA boundary and the Powerplay ends with Somerset at 53 for 2.
Beau Webster is introduced at the MT End and Tom Abell drives at a ball going away and is caught behind for 9 at 53 for 3. In comes Dickson he's up the wicket and off the mark with a flukey shot and we finish with 54 after the 7th. MdL is introduced at the River and a swirly attempt at a six by Tom B drops early and the fielder is fooled and doesn't dive forward early enough. However the rate has slowed considerably to 57 for 3 after 8
Dickson brings out the ramp to add a four to the CA and Banton joins him with a six to the Brewhouse end of the Somerset. Unfortunately the ball is following Taylor and he drops TB again the next ball. 70 for 3 after 9. Price is on with spin at halfway. Banton sixes him into the Hldreth ball 3 this is followed by a straight four 2 balls later - but he breaks his bat and has to change it. He uses it to send another boundary to the Hildreth along the ground. Halfway on 87 for 3.
Marchant changes ends and Dickson finds Taylor once again but the Glos man holds on this time. 88 for 4 and Sean goes for 8 which introduces Lewis to the middle. He opens up with a four down to the Hildreth again. 94 for 4 and Webster back at the River. The 100 arrives but not until the start of the next over from Taylor after Bants changes his bat again.
It's been a bit of a 'stop start' innings in terms of scoring so far and we are in an 'accumulation' phase at the moment as both bats nurdle against some good boundary coverage. 105 after 12 and the rate will have to move up if we want to set a competitive target. MdL moves to the River again for the 14th and gets the skipper with his first ball caught by Hammond in the deep for 9 off 10 balls. In comes Ben Green
Payne returns for the 15th with the need for an increase in the speed of the Somerset scoring rate at 108 for 5. But the opposition are patrolling the boundarys well and the singles are not turning into twos so the rate is slow at the moment. Banton's 50 comes off 33 balls 4 fours and 2 sixes at 112. 54 off the 15th is not enough.
Webster takes up the job with the 16th and 10 an over from here will only just get the home side past 150 and that may not be enough on here. 119 at the end of it is not enough. Matt Taylor takes up the duties and Green deposits him into the carpark for the first boundary since the 11th over. Bants jons in with a six into the Trade Nation as we move into the 130s. 133 for 5.
MdL will bowl out at the River. His first goes into the Somerset Stand and takes Banton to 65. 140 is up. His third is a straight four from the bat of Banton. 148 with 2 to go. Payne takes the penultimate one and we go past 150 with the second delivery. Green brings up the 50 partnership off 32 balls with a six into the Trade Nation car park. It's come in boundaries with lots of space in between them. A four along the ground takes us to 162 with 6 balls to go and the assessment we are probably 15 to 20 runs short as Josh Shaw takes the last and our pair will be throwing the bat.
Green sixes the first full toss. It was a no ball as well (SKY are here so they check). He puts the free hit to the boundary for a one bounce four. Another no ball full toss is dropped in front of the Botham and Price comes on to finish the over. The next one goes to the CA boundary and then a six into the Somerset Stand brings Ben Green's highest T20 score (previous was 43 not out) - took 27 off that over and there is a ball to go. RvdM takes a single and we finish with a much better 194 for 6. 32 off the over!! Glos gave us more than we really deserved. 75 came off the last 4 overs
The Reply
Josh Davey opens with two wides from the MT and Hammond is off the mark from the frist legal delivery. Another wide follows and then Bancroft also gets off the mark. 10 off the over when it finally finishes. Meredith will open at the River and he comes in with wheels. 14 after 2
Lewis replaces Josh and he has Bancroft removed courtesy of RvdM to become Somerset's leading T20 wicket taker overtaking Max Waller at 139. Bracey arrives as Josh changes ends and Riley does the same for the next over. After 5 the visitors are at 42 for 1 with 3 boundaries off the Aussies over. 19 off the over and Hammond is on 23 with Bracey racing to 14.
Ball starts his afternoon work at the River and gives away 2 boundaries with his first two balls and the 50 arrives. They end the Powerplay at 55 for 1 in comparison to Somerset's 53 for 2.
Roelof looks to start the 'Press' in the 7th from the MT. Green makes up the other part of the 'Press' pair and he now starts from the River. Not sure that score of 72 for 1 after 8 is what we hoped for. Roelof tempts Hammond into the hands of Tom Abell at 78 for 2 for 42. In comes Webster. Bracey dispatches a full toss to the Gimblett boundary after the new man takes a single and the over ends on 86.
Gregory takes the 10th and gets Bracey to sky the ball into the hands of Josh Davey without adding to the score but for 31 himself. He is replaced by Jack Taylor and we go into the second half of this innings 89 for 3.
On comes Jake Ball at the MT followed by Ben Green who brings up the Glos 100 and ends the 12th with the score on 106 for 3. Lewis does the 13th and goes the distance more than once and its 120 after his 6.
RvdM changes ends coming in from the River this time. He can't maintain the tight line of the first half but holds them to 8. Ball continues at the MT and he goes for tons!! A boundary from 150 with 5 left. Glos need 48.
They are still belting it to all parts but Taylor skies one that Gregory holds onto and it is 151 for 4 with 4 and a half to go. Charlesworth is the next man in and Glos finish the over at 155. 40 needed off 24 as Ben Green takes the 17th from the MT with memories of last time he bowled against Glos in this kind of situation. 164 with 3 to go. 31 off 3
Gregorybowls and Bants takes a flying one handed catch to send Webster back and bring Price in. 164 for 5. The end of the over does not help with consecutive boundaries to move the score to 170. Ball takes the 19th (would not have been my choice) and they move towards 180. 182 with one to go. They need 13. Meredith has only bowled 2 as the last over goes to Ben Green.
A six from Price puts it beyond doubt really with 6 needed off 3 and then 5 off 2. Charlesworth puts it into the Caddyshack area and the visitors win by 5 wickets with a ball to spare. Meredith missing from the end and 16 extras were the difference and our innings has to start too many times because of daft hitting in our top 3. Not great but we get what we deserve to be honest.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:10:12:54:30 by Grockle.
We come off a rained off game and the Warks victory chasing a huge total. They come down after saving a game on the last ball after Glamorgan chased down an even bigger total.
All set up for a humdinger I reckon.
Gregory (c), Smeed, Banton, Kohler-Cadmore, Abell, Dickson, Green, Overton, van der Merwe, Davey, Meredith, Ball and Leach.
Glo`shire, who batted for only 5.5 overs in a D/L defeat by Kent at Cheltenham yesterday, have named a 15-man squad: Jack Taylor (c), Bancroft, Shaw, van Buuren, Payne, Bracey, Webster, Mark Taylor, Singh Dale, Middleton, Charlesworth, Price, Goodman, Hammond and de Lange.
Shame
They were unfortunate, of course, that Riley Meredith was not available to bowl at the end of the chase because of a back spasm, but surely he should have been first up when Glo`shire batted.
Not saying they are right or wrong but management decisions we have made.
Craig has been rested in April May red balls.
Riley Jake & Craig have been rested ad hoc for T20.
We chose to sign 2 overseas for red in April May.
Yet we have "chosen" to only have 1 for T20.
We said Migael had been extended after Durham match to include "the option" of T20, yet he hasn't even made a squad.
Grockle suggests he has now gone so we have/are "chosing" to complete T20 campaign with only 1 overseas.
(Kent have had 5 already I understand in the blast!)
On the plus side all our seamers appear fit, but is that success if we don't qualify in the blast π€
Craig was ill today I'm told, but we "chose" to rest Craig & Jake at Bristol, and lost!
Who knows what effect a different approach would have had.
But I suggest we can't say we have picked our strongest possible 11 for every/any game this year.
It's all being done with a season look at things across all formats, is that right? wrong?
Last year we had a settled side, a clear plan in the bowling, the power play, kept winning, momentum built.
This year we have done it very differently, and are right in the mix still sadly just to get a top 4, with a home 1/4 probably needing us to win 4 from 4.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:07:20:02:28 by wsm fan.
Jake and Lewis seem OK & Greeny & Kasey get the odd run out. Alfie & Sonny get named but I think there's only been one run out by SB. Ned isn't around the firsts at the moment. JT Langridge seems to have disappeared off the radar.
I'm not sure where our Quarter final & beyond bowling attack comes from or how effective it will be. Not sure the franchise will manage Craig so well. Not sure how much August bowling Ben, Sonny or Jake will get. Meredith is back to Oz IF he makes it to the end of the Blast 'regionals' & Migael doesn't seem to feature according to comments on Sunday at the ground.
September might be 'interesting' if Craig is crocked in any way though some of the younger guys will get some Metro50 exposure... if that is a good thing. Wonder what the signing strategy is pre & post... if there is one πππΌ
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:08:22:37:59 by Grockle.
My gran used to say "if you've nothing good to say why say anything" Suppose as you've asked me I could return the moan... seems to fit both of us really well sometimes ππ
Anyway I asked a question (didn't know & have absolutely no incentive to find out I'm afraid) and a really helpful and obsessively positive poster answered. So the forum worked wonderfully didn't it? π€ͺπ€ͺπ€―π€―
And we're back in the room...
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:10:18:31:43 by Grockle.
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