What the Faith Hill was that all about?

Manof the Match
By Grockle
August 1 2002

What went on at Taunton today could not have been scripted for a film. Unless it was for "Somerset...Return from the Dead". Winning a game by six runs when Kent needed a mere 13 from 3 with 4 wickets in hand was out of the top draw!!

v KENT @ TAUNTON C&G SEMI 1 AUGUST 2002

The Reply.

Where the hell do you start to explain what happened in the next three and a half hours and give it adequate worth in a season of disappointments?   Well let's go from the beginning and see where we end up..

Fleming and Key came out to have a go at the massive target set by Somerset.  It was gettable, people in the crowd were unsure that we had enough, some were talking about 30 runs short etc.  It relied on Johnson and Bulbeck to get us off to a good start.  Johnson opened from the Old Pavilion while Bully took the River station.  And it didn't start well.  Johnno went for 10 off his first - and needing 6.9 an over that did not bode well.  They were 19 for 3 at the end of the 3rd and had 34 on the board after 30 balls.  It didn't mean that the ball wasn't passing the bat but there were too many four balls being given, most of them coming at the start of the over, taking pressure off the batsman and putting it on the bowler.  6.8 was the run rate in the first 10 and Cox decided it was time for an early change.   Jones replaced Johnson but nothing could stop the old one day campaigner Fleming from reaching 50 one ball short of the 12th over off 40 balls with 7 fours and a six.   When Keith Parsons came on for Bulbeck at the start of the 13th, Kent needed 250 to win and they had brought up their first one hundred off only 80 balls.  They were way ahead of the D/L score and it looked like being a long long afternoon.

Breakthrough #1...

But perish the thought that KP would not have a say in a one day cup game.  He immediately bowls Key with the score on 100 for 42 and Hockley arrives at the crease.  12 runs later and Fleming is on his way back to the dressing room for an excellent fighting 63 off only 48 balls.  In comes danger man Symonds, who confidently straight drives his first ball for four off Parsons.  However, Hockley isn't so lucky and Kent go to 122 for 3 when Parsy has him LBW for 7.  The radio men decide that that is it.  Kent are ahead of the run rate but they are losing too many wickets.  To stem the tide, Fleming sends in his last real batting card - Fulton with 15.5 overs gone.

Fightback #!...

The runs required comes down to 200 by the beginning of the 19th.   They need just 200 off 184 balls, it is quite possible with these two at the crease.  Anndrew Symonds is doing a Blackwell and looks in no trouble at all.   Although Fulton is playing the minor role, it is his bat that brings up the 150 with an uppercut shot over Rob Turner to the boundary directly behind him in front of the Botham stand.  Mike Burns comes on for Parsons at the 21st while Jonah is taken off after 1 for 38 off 6 and Johnson returns early - Cox needs a wicket.  His second ball goes for six into the shop and at 169 for 3 with only 22 overs bowled it is looking very very shaky.  A third ball six into the pavilion brings a sea change in the Somerset thinking and we turn to spin...probably a little later than we would have liked but Blackwell comes on at the Old Pavilion to try and keep Symonds in check...just before he goes to his 50 off 38 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes.  Johnson now changes ends to try and get that elusive wicket and we go into phase 3.

Breakthrough #2...

There are three over sections of this game where it changes from one side to the other.  The first was when Parsons came on at the River end and we took 3 wickets in three overs.  The second is when these two bowlers tighten the screws on the Kentishmen.  Johnson looks so much better from the other end and with 188 on the board at the half way point we need something to go right.  First Johnno scrambles Fulton's genitalia with a rather rapid one at just the right height and goes for 2 off his first over.  Then Blackwell goes around the wicket to Symonds and he tries to flick him to leg - straight into the grateful hands of Jamie Cox.  190 for 4.   In comes Walker and we tie him and Fulton down with 3 really tight overs.  The 200 does not arrive until the 28th.

Fightback #2...

Cox now makes, an error.  With Walker not really in yet, he takes off Johnson and replaces him with Keith Dutch.  This is the wrong move.  A seamer probably should have returned to this end and Kent take 11 off the spinner's first over includiing a big six into the River stand.  Just when we have them on the ropes again, we give them a lifeline.  They need 130 off 120 balls...we can't give them anything!!  Dutchy is still on when they need a mere 100 off 92 and the commentators are starting to expect a Kent victory....and to be honest so are we!!  The 250 arrives at 35.5 and when Walker hits another huge 6 into the Stragglers, the ask is down to 85 off 13.

Breakthrough #3...

Parsons comes back at the River end in the 37th and tempts Fulton into putting a skier into the hands of Matt Wood - he's been belting around that third of the boundary all day, he hates high catches and he pouches this one like he's done it all his life!!  260 for 5. Nixon is the next man in - very dangerous in this position.   Our chances decrease as Johnson retires from the fray with what looks like a recurrance of the hamstring problem and Simon Francis comes on to field (significant later!!).  Parsons does it again 2 runs later when Walker smacks one to mid-wicket and Blackwell pulls off a great diving catch - we're back in the hunt again at 262 for 6. 82 off 12 still puts them in the driving seat but if only we can keep Nixon and Ealham in check we can do this.

Fightback #3...

These two have no intention of losing this game and they run twos and hit boundaries at every opportunity.  82 off 12 becomes 71 off 11 and 57 off 9.   We can do almost nothing to stop the move towards a Kent victory.  It's 50 off 8 with Blackwell going for 14 off one over - and Coxy has lost one of his planned death bowlers so he keeps him on to bowl out.  That could be a bad and decisive decision.   The 300 comes up halfway through the 42nd and they need 6 an over by the start of the 7th.  I text home with the bad news that we are not going to Lords this year as Jones returns at the River end and we put all our Final eggs in a Welsh basket!!

Breakthrough #4, #5, #6 and #7!!!

Jonah goes for two off his first and looks like he can hold that end until the finish.  Parsons changes ends and is expected to bowl out at the Old Pavilion.  This changes when he concedes 8 off his last two balls and they need 30 off 5.  Jonah then puts in a bad one as well and Kent need 17 off 4.  The Channel 4 stumpmen are out changing the camera and the announcement about the prizegiving at the end of the game is made.  Some idiot in the Stragglers starts complaining about cheating (HUH?) and telling our bowlers that they are bowling for their contracts etc...It is amazing how drink can turn sensible people into idiots isn't it?

Buzz turns to Matt Bulbeck at the Old Pavilion end and Matt responds with a 4 run over.  13 needed off 3.  Tense or what?  Now we have to go into ball by ball mode;

47th over Jones = 1) 2 runs 2)1 - although the wicket is thrown down, the batsman is in 3)1 run 4)Dutch runs Nixon out and it is 336 for 7 - is this a lifeline? Golding strides out. 5)1 run - the field stays out offering the batsman the single but 6) is a dot ball so it makes no odds.  But there is no pressure put on the batsmen by the field compressing in at the end of overs.  We are dead, buried, they've put up the stone and the flowers have died on the grave!!  They need 8 off 2

48th over Bulbeck = 1) dot ball 2)1 run 3) dot ball 4) Francis runs out Golding with a fantastic piece of fielding.  He throws the stumps down while falling backwards and finishes up actually lying on his back as the ball hits the stumps.   The place is in uproar and Kent are 339 for 8.  Out comes Masters and Matt Bulbeck needs to bowl the best two balls of his life.  This is the time for this bowler to join the Big Boys. 5) 1 run Masters on strike 6) the altars are out, grown men are on their knees - "please bowl him" "please bowl him".  Matt doesn't disappoint us.  The wickets shatter and although the umpires go to the TV to ensure that the ball did not rebound off the wicket-keeper's pads Masters is out bowled Bulbeck and the left armer has come of age in style.339 for 9.

Last over. Last pair at the wicket.  Rabid fans at the boundaries everywhere.  Mark Ealham - the only one who can win it for them on strike and Steffan Jones to bowl the most important 6 balls of 2002.  He bowls the first ball, Ealham goes for glory and Dutch leaps forward to take the catch that wins us one of the most amazing games in the history of Somerset cricket.  Dutchy just stands there - like Bath last year and that other amazing catch. No-one cares about announcements or anything.  A wierd howl goes up from everywhere - the pitch is invaded and the players are swamped.  We've snatched a victory by 6 runs - the Wyverns have crawled out of the grave they'd dug for themselves and booked another trip to Lords.  Damn it was fine.

Did we deserve it?  I'm not sure I give a toss!  It was a shame for anyone to lose it.  If we'd lost I would have accepted that we had been beaten by a better side.  I wouldn't want to be a Kent supporter going home because they had it won and threw it away - with God's help I think.  We need a much better bowling effort in the Final if we are not to be embarrassed, we were lucky today but it didn't half feel good at a few minutes past 6 with lots of enebriated Somerset fans jigging around and screaming just for the hell of it.

Man of the Match?  Ian Blackwell - couldn't have been anyone else.  KP did his bit and kept us in it.  Matt Bulbeck showed big match temprament when we needed it.  Burnsy and Peter B gave us a decent start and Dutchy helped us finish in style.  Coxy was cool and the two spinner decisions didn't matter in the end...maybe he got it right and we don't understand. Whatever you think, we've used up all our nine lives but we won it without the stars again and we're gonna need them for the final. 

What a day....What a bloody day!!  See you all on August 31 - bring your pacemakers if this season is anything to go by!!