Somerset
Sun, Sussex and Surgery
Home for the Quarters?
By Grockle
June 25 2010
Welcome to the next T20 v the Champs Sussex. Top news is that KP may be going home to represent T and T in the Windies version of T20 and therefore may not be here for the Quarters if we get that far! Cameron will be here if the ACB have no problems and allow it. Sorts the selection problems out though. Peter is still here and we'll need everyone today if we want to win this one!
v Sussex T20 @ Taunton Friday 25 June 2010
A mere 36 hours after shoulder surgery, here I am reporting live from the County Ground courtesy of First Bus services in West Somerset!! The news is of movements towards the end of this competition with our West Indian star probably popping home for a couple of weeks and our impending Aussie only being available if the ACB have no problems and give him the relevant certificate. Peter T is off soon so we need to make the most of everyone while they are here!
The team for tonight is;
Trescothick, Compton, de Bruyn, Pollard, Hildreth, Buttler, Trego, Phillips, Kartik, Thomas, Turner
So off we go. Ed and Matt are out for them and we open from the OP with Mark Turner and predictions of 16 off the first. It's 17 off the first 4 balls as Prior climbs into one and puts it on the Cowshed roof. Ball 5 is a no ball and we have a free hit after a long conversation with his captain. But it's a dot! However ball 6 goes the distance and it's 25 off the first and the initiative firmpy handed to Sussex who don't need any help!
Ben Phillips opens from the River and bowls Joyce with ball 5 to herald the arrival of Goodwin (they just keep on coming in this side). Murray tries to get a single from the first and nearly is run out! Only 5 from his over and Alf on to replace Turner for number 3.
However the 50 comes up halfway through the 4th over and we are up against it through our own choices. It may even get worse. Banger has a conversation with Kartik and Alfonso before the 5th as they work out how to keep Goodwin and Prior in check. The announcer then tells us all that Pollard is on to bowl as the VC stands there with the ball. he turns around to look at the scorers who simply shrug. He then makes to throw the ball to Kieron before he bowls poor ball which goes for 4 byes. However he gets it together again and Prior drops one straight into de Bruyn's hands and he goes at 57.
But that just brings Smith to the crease!! After 5 it's 62 and NOW KP comes on. Off goes Goodwin caught Kartik on the boundary and after 4 balls it is 65 for 3. Next ball it's Dwayne who goes caught behind and Pollard sprints to the Ondaaatje in celebration. 65 for 4. The hatrick ball is sorted by the batsman Hodd.
Zander is on for over number 7 and ball number 5 he has Hodd LBW for 1. 67 for 5. Ball number 6 atting fires the ball straight down Ben's throat and it is 67 for 6 at the end of the 7th. Kartik is on for the 8th and they push the score to 71 without losing any more. Zander then dispatches his own hatrick ball but is belted towards the Caddyshack boundary and things calm down a little. 51 for 1 to 74 for 6 and 25 of those runs coming in the first over - it all looks a little different now :-)
Nash and Arafat look to make a game of this as they pull up the 100 in the 12th. This prompts the return of Ben Phillips for the 13th from the OLD Pavilion end (the announcer seems to think we have a new one). It works as Arafat puts one into orbit and Thomas says thank you when it returns to earth with ice on it. 114 for 7.
This brings out Chad Keegan, the man with the 'Huron' hairstyle and some aggressive running between the wickets. 118 for 7 after 14. Now we have Kartik v Keegan and Chad doesn't like him at all and tries to get off strike as quickly as possible. A good over from our spinmiester takes them to 120.
However Ben gets over 15 wrong trying for the yorker length and they get after him a bit with a couple of big hits to balls that become full tosses. It's 136 with 5 to go and we see Pollard back at the River to try and mop this lot up. He does get Keegan with a wide long hop which the Aussie swats to Kartik in front of the Caddyshack. 140 for 8.
So everyone prepares, in comes KP and delivers....but he has no ball. No-one seems to know where it is and he finally realises that it is sitting on the pitch about 10 yards from the non striker stumps!! Everybody resets and we go to 142 after 16.
Alf is on for the 17th and Marcus shows real committment to stop a single off his first ball, snatching a ball out of the air one handed and forcing the batsman back into his crease! Finally Beer gets frustrated at not being able to get Thommo away and feathers a top edge pull to Buttler 144 for 9 and another excellent over from the VC.
Pollard carries on from the River as Alf gets a real welcome from the Cowshed. However the Sussex tail does get them to 150 with Nash cleverly 'flipping' a KP bouncer over the keeper for four.
151 for 9 with 12 balls to go. It takes 5 balls from Alf (including a well picked up six to the scoreboard) to dismiss Nash LBW and we need 160 to win.
Soooo much better than we expected after just 7 balls and all credit to the other bowlers for getting us back into this one. Now the batsmen have to do the second half of the job getting to a score that most people at the start of this game were suggesting was a par score for this evening.
A nice touch at the halfway point when Ken Palmer is inducted into the "Walk of Fame" around the back of the Somerset Stand. Roy Kerslake makes the presentation - well done Mr Palmer!
Part 2
Out come Marcus and Nick C to face Keegan from the OP. Nick doesn't seem to fancy it though and after two he is absolutely blown away and we are 2 for 1 after 2 balls! Next in.....wait for it...Peter Trego! Who gets off the mark quite impressively for a man with no form in this format of the game in 2010 with a well hit four.
We have 8 after the first while Arafat gets the nod at the River bowling to the boss who has yet to face. He takes a single off the first. They are still together when we pass Sussex's first innings score 2.4 overs in (and that is courtesy of 10 runs in two balls from the skipper). At the end of the third it is 27 for 1.
Kirtley bowls over number 4 and Trigger milks him for 8. Smith takes over number 5 and receives a long lecture from Goodwin and Prior before he bowls. It results in his first being smashed to Cow Corner by our captain. The second one flattens Trego as he straight drives the Sussex man almost THROUGH his partner. Peter takes evasive action and ends up flat on the floor. Ball four is guided to the Botham by Tresco but he is tucked up by an unexpected full toss for the next before putting the last ball of the over to the CA Pavilion and bringing up the Somerset 50. 51 for 1
Arafat stays at the River which seems to be to Peter's liking as he swats him to the Trescothick before straight driving him to the Botham and then cutting him to the Caddick After which he returns to the Trescothick and we move on to 67 after 6. Goodwin tries Kirtley from the OP and he stems the flow a little except for an immense cover drive fromthe skipper which splits the field asunder. He goes for 8. Nash takes over at the River and nearly gets Trigger to scoop one to Kirtley down the legside but it bounces just in front of the fielder. Nevertheless he does his job and an over that goes for only 3 has to be welcomed by the visitors.
Smith is back on at the OP and it is better the second time around as he gets his length sorted. After a full toss is murdered by Pete he tries his luck once too often and dies to a catch from Nash off Smith's last for an excellent 41. 84 for 2 and Hildreth arrives at the crease. Nash continues and Marcus works him around the ground for singles and the odd boundary to keep the score ticking over. He does however take a very risky single to finish the first half and is very lucky that the fielder did not hit. 92 for 2 after 10.
Trigger's wicket keeps Smith at the OP for number 11. The boss brings up his 50 (31 balls, 8 fours and 1 six) during the over and takes us to 99 with the single that reaches it. James then follows suit with a single that brings 3 figures before the end of the over.
Nash stays at the River and has more luck as Banger sweeps and is well caught by a diving Beer for 50 at 101. Zander is the next man in and gets off the mark by putting Keegan into Cow Corner. He brings up 'Nelson' with an off the toes flip to the scoreboard in the same over. At the end of the 13th we need 48 from 7.
Beer comes on at the River after Nash's very good spell and keeps the batsmen honest - 118 for 3. Arafat changes ends and has Hidreth walking up the wicket to him off his first though he doesn't put the ball away when he gets there and we simply take the single. The ussex man keeps the ball up to the batrsman and keeps the score down accordingly. However Zander gets the last ball away to take us to 126 with 5 to go and 34 needed for a very important victory.
Beer's first ball of the 16th is a long hop which ZdB destroys but after a word from his captain he is soon back into his stride keeping the ball up to the bat. Zander reverts to the reverse sweep and pierces the field to the Caddiyshack boundary - 138 at the end of the 16th and 22 off 4 is what we need. Kirtley looks for a breakthrough but we don't give it to him and a clever legside glance from ZdB adds the all important boundary to the total to take us to 146 and down to below a run a ball.
Nash looks to finish well himself but we are taking singles each ball and just waiting for a bad one. However it isn't going to come easily from Mr Nash and even when Hildreth gets one away there is some excellent fielding in the deep to keep the fours away. 150 still arrives at the end of the 18th (151). Arafat bowls a straight ball to Hilda who simply reverses his grip and swats it to the Somerset boundary as if he does it every day and after a couple of scrambled singles, a fine cut gives us the game with 8 balls to spare. 161 for 3 Hildreth finishes on 37 and Zander has 30.
We stuff 'em by 7 wickets!! Yay!! My shoulder feels so much better now!!
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:06:28:17:27:18 by Grockle.
This could be a very close match tonight. Let's hope the crowd act as a twelfth man and see us home!
Need to see significant input from everyone - not just our stars. We do seem to be steadily improving in this format tho'
His seven-match T20 stay ended with last night`s 53-run defeat of Glamorgan under the Hove floodlights.
Ed Joyce may return after missing several matches with an elbow injry, but there has been no place in the side recently for Monty Panesar. Probable squad:
Aga, Beer, Gatting, Goodwin (c), Hodd, Joyce, Keegan, Kirtley, Martin-Jenkins, Nash, Prior, Rayner, Smith.
I suspect we might need a Pollard batting spectacular to be able to vanquish them.
Where's the theory behind that as a strategy? 20 to Prior including two sixes!!
I do wish they wouldn't keep playing Turner, as he usually bowls in a wayward style and seems to get easily rattled. He'll probably now take 5 wickets, but I don't know what's worse, watching a computer screen or seeing it live!
He's just too loose to rely on and you can't bowl him later because he can't tie an end down. You can't take that gamble with the Sharks line up though because if they get their tails up we'll be chasing 250!
Is the wicket fiery or the batters careless?
Arafat and Nash seem to want to make a game of it though 100 up in the 12th.
Perhaps it was because Sussex didn`t bat their overs.
160 is surely very gettable on our wicket (?)
(Edited for typo)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:06:25:19:31:50 by Sloop John B.
Streeter: you've got it exactly right.
LoL
Sixty-six Seasons a Somerset Supporter
We are a major force in t20 now - normal service has been resumed!
We have just humiliated one of the best sides in this competition and that's alright by me. :-)
Bad news about KP re the Quarters, though.
Sorry to hear about the shoulder, hope it mends quickly.
Surprised that Pete was on hand tonight.
Does anyone know if Craig is liable to be available for a QF? Ie would it clash with an England ODI game?
I have read a few comments over the past couple of days about how pete's form has dipped etc and i have been a little dissapointed with these comments but i suppose each to their own.
I know that pete has worked ever so hard these past 3 weeks with the batting coaches at Somerset and i am glad it paid off tonight and i hope it continues for the rest of the season.
I will be at new road next sunday for the lions game so if anyone is going there let me know.
COACH
The way that Sussex's slow men managed to slow us down more than the quickies convinces me that we should be picking Waller every time before Turner.
I am sure Mark is a very likeable and enthusiastic team member. Unfortunately from what I have seen of him in all forms of the game, he will always be very expensive and I'm afraid that the speed he possesses doesn't compensate. Unless he cuts his run down by a third and gains some control, IMO he will not be worthy of another contract, and will go the way of K Francis of similar ilk.
Otherwise it was very satisfying to see everyone contributing.
OLDBOYBA!
I wondered if he specifically asked Tres to bat three, or if England asked SCCC to make sure Pete got a chance to bat? Just seemed a departure from what we'd done in the other games this season.
Of course, it's completely understandable that you don't want to read anything about folks not being 100% happy with Pete's form. It's good to hear that he's been working intensively with the batting coaches to get things right and even better that it all came good tonight.
I suspect Pete's England call-up will end any chance of that happening, though, as
a) We'll have one fewer seam option sans Pete which would become two fewer seam bowlers if Turner were to be replaced by Waller.
b) Pete's replacement will probably be Arul who would, himself, provide a second spin option.
A good crowd of over six thousand. There are always some spoilsports in the crowd that try to spoil it for others; they were escorted out of the ground.
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com] 
This is the largest dragonfly I have ever seen.
Can't ask for more than that to come home to !
Grizzzly
Points table. [www.cricinfo.com]
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com] 
You could almost image Neil Mallender thinking, I wonder if Keegan’s hair style will look good on me.
I don’t know about changing his hair style he should think about changing his batting style. C Keegan ct Kartik bld Pollard.
This shot wasn’t a lot better, D Smith guiding the ball off the face of the bat to Jos Buttler off Pollard’s bowling.
J Gatting getting what looks likes a top edge to be caught by Phillips off De Bruyn.
I hope N Compton is not reading this I don’t want to spoil his breakfast, he was cleaned bowled by Keegan.
Poor Nick,he seems to have been turned all shapes there.
It happens.
I love Kevin's hair.
Very Taxi Driver.
Lovely.
OLDBOYBA!
COACH
I didn't hurt it at all,it went straight out of the net.
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com] Did no-one mention to him that the Sex Pistols went out of fashion around 1979 ?
He looks rather like a skunk !
Grizzzly
Glad you like it,Mike.
I told you I'd show you mine if you showed me yours.
Lake Constance and the Alps now beckon.
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