Barrow Wheels Somerset Bound

Dasher Denning gives us a Somerset view on a cracking day's play at Lords as the each team took turns to get on top. There are also observations from the Lower Warner Stand which make great reading. Wonderful report

I was concerned to say the least. Somerset – second bottom with one win all season in the County Championship - travelled to London without Buttler (England duty), Trego (hand injury), Dibble (migraines), Leach (not sure) and Steve Kirby (“I’ve tweaked a muscle in my arse” was his description of the injury he sustained in Bristol on Bank Holiday Monday). Middlesex – third in the Championship with five wins – welcomed back Chris Rogers, dashing the hopes of those Somerset supporters who’d been hoping that he’d still be in a Walkabout drowning his sorrows and trying to stop his mate punching small children in fake beards.

 In spite of all this, I decided to stay positive. I’ve always been told that cricket games aren’t played on paper (apart from that one where you rolled the pencils when you were a kid), Somerset had won the toss and elected to bat and the injuries provided opportunities for some of the youngsters who I’d been suggesting should replace some of the underperforming regulars for a while. And so the game got under way on a wicket that wasn’t so much towards the Mound Stand as virtually in it.

Session 1

 Middlesex’s seam attack has got Angus Fraser and bowling coach Richard Johnson written all over it – medium to medium/fast, constantly on the spot line and length, really effective. That was the case for most of the day but the opening spell from O’Murtagh and Harris was particularly tight. Lots of balls passing the bat, balls squirting down to Third Man, it was tough for the openers. Compton was almost caught at slip on 13 in the ninth over (not sure if it carried) and Somerset’s problems seemed to be escalating when Trescothick went a bit lame running a third in the tenth over courtesy of his troublesome ankle. There seemed a real danger at one point that he’d have to retire hurt with singles not being taken but as he started to get through the pain barrier and start scoring again, the Somerset openers started to go up a gear. Tres brought up the 50 in the 18^th over and then hit a six which had me momentarily fearing for my life in the Tavern Stand. That upturn in tempo (or probably the kicking in of the Veuve Clicquot) seemed to bring about a bit of restlessness from the Executive Box above us, with the Middlesex captain being told in no uncertain terms by one of the Chino Brigade to “get us a wicket Chris”. Unfortunately, Nick Compton must have been listening as he proceeded to splat an innocuous looking ball from Dexter in his first over straight to Robson at gully. 79-1.

Hard hats for spectators

That brought in Somerset youngster Chris Jones for a crucial fifteen minute period before lunch. To be fair, he could have been out three times in the first over he faced from Rayner (who I continue to be amazed has never been reported over his action) but he looked comfortable after that. With Trescothick reaching his fifty in the 27^th over, Somerset went to lunch on a healthy 101-1 off thirty overs. Certainly healthier than the last time I saw Somerset win the toss and elect to bat. That day – at Horsham- they were bowled out by 12.40pm.

 So, in summary, the sort of session that I love about County Championship cricket. Something for the bowlers, some nice batting and some middle aged blokes behind me quietly putting the world to rights on everything from Syria (“they’re all killing each other with weapons we sold them”) to the edition that morning of The Big Match Revisited (“that Liam Brady was a player”). Perambulation time.

Away supporters mode of transport

Session 2

I decided to perambulate around Regent’s Park at lunchtime. Not knowing the quickest way there and back I missed about ten minutes of the afternoon session and found myself having to stand on one leg in The Tavern Stand gangway as we were 111-1. Despite getting some funny looks from the steward I thought I’d got away with it when Tres hit a lovely cover drive for four, but no sooner had I taken my seat he missed a straight one from O’Murtagh and was LBW. Deciding that maybe The Tavern Stand wasn’t as lucky as it had been in the morning session, I decamped to The Lower Warner Stand, where I was glad I’d brought my binoculars so I could actually see the game on the far wicket.

 Some things I observed while sat in The Lower Warner Stand during the middle session:

• The MCC Members on the Library Verandah spend a lot of time on their phones and not actually watching any cricket
• Somerset First Team Coach Andy Hurry and PC Chawla were getting on like a house on fire on the visitors’ balcony
• Some Middlesex fans next to me had obviously had a very good lunch in The Warner restaurant as they spent five minutes trying to work out which fielder was Ravi Patel. I know the wicket was a long way away, but even so, a cursory glance of the other ten names on the scorecard would tell you that that shouldn’t have been a difficult task.
• Chris Jones looked a good young prospect for Somerset, reaching 58 - his highest Championship score – before getting out to Dexter.
• From where I was sat Dexter seemed to be doing little more than bowling a decent line and length at a distinctly medium pace but was continually troubling the batsmen and taking wickets. I couldn’t tell whether he was swinging it from my “vantage point”.
• When Somerset are bad in the County Championship this season they’re very bad. All day they seemed to have a policy of being aggressive towards the Middlesex spinners early in their spells, and this had worked successfully up until ten minutes before tea when Kieswetter had a temporary brain malfunction, charged up the pitch to Patel, got nowhere near it and was promptly bowled. 206-5 became 206-6 when Meschede was stumped down the leg side for nought and they very nearly went to tea on 206-7 when Barrow was nearly caught/dropped and then survived a big LBW shout off Rayner.
• 64 overs had been bowled by tea, details of which should probably be sent to Messrs Clarke and Cook.
• Six wickets fell in the afternoon session, five after I moved to the Warner Stand. Perhaps I should have stayed in the Tavern.

Library dwellers

Session 3

The mid-afternoon collapse that had seen Somerset go from 138-2 to 206-6 continued straight after tea, Lewis Gregory offering catching practice to forward short leg Robson, who finally managed to cling onto one after two failures in two balls, the first of which led a disgruntled Oliie Rayner to shout “oh come on!” very loudly at the Anglo-Australian. Somerset had slumped to 211-7 and when the Middlesex wicketkeeper shouted to Ravi Patel that “they haven’t got a clue” it was hard to disagree.

 But then something changed. I personally think Chawla arriving at the crease without a helmet was the turning point. It certainly pleased the old boy next to me in the Upper Warner Stand (I’d moved again you see), who declared to his mate that “I do like a batsman without a helmet” (one for the Viz editors). Anyway, Chawla had clearly had enough of offering Robson catching practice and crashed Rayner over mid off for four and then sent another ball from that over into the second tier of the Pavilion. A statement of intent if ever I’ve seen one.

 That changed things. With Barrow – another good prospect – looking increasingly assured, the pair began to launch what I initially thought was a mini fightback to get us another batting point but which then kept going. First it became a fifty partnership, then we started looking as if we might be able to get to 300. The big concern for the Somerset fans was the imminent arrival of the new ball, and Chawla seemed to be aware of this as well, going after Patel in the 80^th over. A four almost cut umpire Gould in half and then he hit another brutal six into the Pavilion that must have turned certain MCC Members’ Chinos a darker shade of brown.

The new ball did slow the run rate and caused some problems – Barrow skied one but the fielder did an impression of Bambi on ice – but the pair kept going. Barrow brought up his fifty with a lovely pull shot and then in a nice bit of symmetry Chawla’s 50 also brought up the century partnership. The wheels were showing signs of coming off for Middlesex. Harris chirping at Chawla at the end of an over and the infamous Lord’s tannoy announcer - who’d been remarkably good all day – starting to slip back into his bad old habits. “The bowler at the Pavilion End is, erm, Harris” and then ten minutes later he told the crowd that O’Murtagh was bowling when it was Dexter.

Middlesex eventually broke the partnership just before close, Barrow going LBW to Berg for 65, but Chawla and Thomas managed to stay there until the end. Thomas even notched a couple of boundaries, each of which led to a potentially cidered up Somerset supporter in the Upper Edrich launching into a chorus of “Alfonsooooooooooooo”.

And so it ended 332-8. A superb day’s county championship cricket, one in which Somerset looked on their knees and maybe even relegated at one point but then launched an excellent fightback. Looking forward to Day Two!