Metrobank 2 Hampshire Away - not to the hymn sheet
By Grockle
July 28 2024
We go down to Southampton for the second game of the 50 over with illness in the camp and another debut coming as Joe Heywood bets his chance due to the loss of George Thomas late in the preparation for the game. Josh Davey has still not recovered and will not be availab;e and in theory this is the last game without Riley Meredith as England have beaten The West Indies in the Third Test - we shall see. Lewis Goldswprthy has returned in fine fettle and we go into this one against Hampshire with neither side having lost yet.
Metrobank Cup Game 2 v Hampshire @ Southampton Sunday 28 July 2024
The side is pretty much the same only George Thomas is replaced at number 2 by his brother Josh and Joe Heywood is called into the bowling attack to make up the eleven. Everyone else is where they were;
Umeed, Thomas J, Goldsworthy, Rew, Vaughan, Dickson, Aldridge, Leach, Ogborne, Leonard, Heywood
Somerset won the toss and suprisingly took the option of batting first, hoping the loss of Abbas by the Hawks might have had some kind of effect and banking on the form of Andrew Umeed to give them a solid base for a decent score above 250
This looked like a decent shout as the opening pair put on 85 in 18 overs with Josh finally going to Kelly caiught Eckland for 41 from 57 balls. A more than decent substitution. The hope was then for the middle order to consollidate as the run rate of just over 4 really needed to styart to ramp up from there.
Unfortunately Goldsworthy did not stay around as Organ got among the Somerset bats having him caught behind for 3 from 11 at 94. Prest also made it difficult as he had Rew LBW for 13 at 121. Only the very solid Umeed was making Hampshire pay and it was down to Archie Vaughan to try and help him put a meaningful partnership together.
He stays with his partner to take the score past 150 but has only made single figures himself when Umeed absollutely connects with a ball from Gubbins only to see it puched by Kelly close in . An absolutely great catch at force. The talisman goes for 84 closely followed 3 runs later by the young man for 9 at 157 bowled by Prest. Dickson and Aldridge find themselves starting together with not enough runs and just under 15 overs to put the problem right.
Unfortunately neither of the last real batting players pulls up any trees wth score under 20. Abbott bowls the skipper for a run a ball 19 at 188 and Jack has Aldridge caught by Organ just after Somerset pass 200 for 18at 201.
Ogborne and Leach put up some resistance before Alfie is bowled by Wheal at 214 before Jack is bowled by for 20 at 220. with 3 overs to go. The last 2 are in with Leonard in the driving seat and he takes no prisoners as he smacks an aggressive 28 from 16 before falling to a Jack catch off Wheal 2 nalls short of the 50 overs with a total of 242.
An excellent fighting last wicket but it is still quite a few runs short of where Somerset would have liked to have finished. It will be a very good performance to defend that away from home.
The Reply
Middleton amd Gubbins look to get off to a good start but New gives his side the best one by getting the dangerous Gubbins caught behind for 4 with only that number of balls bowled and that number of runs on the board. A promising beginning defending a loiw rate per over. Somerset are going to need to get the Hampshire front end out cheaply or this could get away from them very quickly.
It gets more promising when Ogborne has Prest caught behind as well with only 20 runs scored and while Middleton and Brown try to establish a base we strike again as Brown is also caught behind off the bowling of Goldsworthy with only 61 up in the first 15 overs. All is going to plan it seems but Middleton and especially Albert have other ideas. Middleton goes to 50 as his side pass 100 and although he then becomes a victim of Leach courtesy of Ogborne's hands the base has been set and Albert's 96 from 87 balls works with first Eckland who is the last wicket caught Umeed off Ogborne at 143 for 5 and then Organ who partners him to the win with 46 from 56. The wickets dried up and it was obvious we had decided it was over when we turned to poor old Joe Heywood on debut and threw him the ball for the first time in the 41st over with about 40 odd rtuns needed and two bats established. he went for 20 off his single over and the game was over by the beginning of the 47th with neither of the bats getting to the next milestone but a victory nevertheless by 5 wickets.
We ran out of steam around halfway through the Hampshire innings. We had not got enough of a total to defend and no bowler really looked like getting the 5 wickets we required. They held Jack back in the hope he might make a difference but when they re-introduced him it was toolate and then the options had dried up. Finaly we lost with a bit of a whimper. On to the next up in Durham on Wednesday and a hope that we have more of a squad and expecially bowling resources available. No criticism of Joe Heywood who was the only player availale when George Thomas went down with the bug. They had no ne else and did not seem sure how to use the young guy or move the bowling attack about to make up for the hole. Hopefully, Davey, Hill or Meredith mY BE able to fill that gap mid week.
We also have to not rely on the phenomenal form of Andy Umeed because it will stop at some point anf the other front end bats have to stand up and be counted as well. But a win and a loss is better than some other starts we have had in this competition so onward and upward.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:08:03:07:40:02 by Grockle.
Hampshire have also kept their same 12-man squad, after their opening win over Northants, but report that the fitness of Pakistan Test bowler Mohammad Abbas, who left the field after bowling only two overs. is being `monitored.` Squad: Gubbins (c), Abbott, Brown, Jack, Middleton, Prest. Abbas, Albert, Eckland. Kelly, Organ, Wheal.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:27:16:51:59 by Grockle.
Umeed
George Thomas
Goldsworthy
Rew
Vaughan
Dickson
Aldridge
Davey
Leach
Ogbourne
Leonard
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:27:23:22:19 by Grockle.
Heywood in, GT left out.
No sign of Josh Davey. Not sure if he's injured or what the outlook is ?
Grizzers
We are going to need bowlers from this unit for the September run in presently so hopefully they'll get some overs in.
Some slightly curious bowling tactics perhaps, but Hants. batted very well.
Grizzers
But they were in the game for a lot of it. The batting line-up has to stay with Umeed though. They can't let him carry all the weight and he won't always succeed as much as we'd like it to happen.
Thought Josh Thomas did well being thrown in at the deep end to start the innings
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:07:28:21:40:04 by Grockle.