Lancs CC1 - Good Good Day
Start of day 2
By Grockle
April 24 2008
This is what seemed to be awaiting us today. Once that was bypassed were we up to this division? Bet your bottom we were!! So "Flintoff sank Somerset" did he....hmmm not from where I was reading he didn't. He did walk out to bat and then walk back in to get changed however.
Lancashire Day 2 - "Turner topples Lancashire"
(Pictures by Empics)
Old trafford at 11:00 this morning was not a place where all that much cricket was expected. The start was delayed but the weather improved and the game started before noon with Somerset needing wickets after not showing much penetration with the ball in the 20 overs they had at Lancashire at the end of Day 1.
He was on at one end
and he was on at the other 
But neither of them took the first scalp of the day after the home side had added a mere 6 runs to their overnight 60.
The man who broke through?
"Somerset's Mark Turner" who had Sutcliffe LBW at 66 and then removed the dangerous Mal Loye the same way at 84
One run later Charl got in on the act and sent Brad Hodge back caught behind off the second ball he faced. We were back in this game!! Stuart Law and Horton (who was certainly sticking to the task) pushed the score beyond 100, But at 122 Peter Trego decided it was time for his to prove his worth and we saw the end of Horton for an excellent 64, bowled through the gate.
So...out came the Mighty Andrew to face a ball from our Mighty Peter....and.....
2 balls, 2 wickets and Luke Sutton out of the pavilion to greet his old team-mates. His objective was to try and create a partnership with the other 'Lancastrian' Stuart Law. This worked for a while and the score moved on from 122 for 5 to 142 before we made another breakthrough. Michael Munday provided some very frugal bowling but it wasn't him who removed Mr Law. Once again, Mark Turner took on the mantle of 'premier bowler' and had Law caught behind.
The tail was exposed and we looked to capitalise on that. The other bowlers took up the challenge and Munday was next to get his first 2008 Championship wicket as he had Chapple LBW in front at 165. Then Phillips got his radar sorted and finished the day with a real flourish as he cleaned up the dangerous Sutton after a fighting 40. Luke had pushed the score over 200 but Phillips then sent Mahmood straight back to the hutch after facing one ball but failing to hit it or keep it off his stumps!!
No hat-trick unfortunately but a real comeback from the boys from the West. 3 were added before the end of play and we still have the remarkably dangerous Marshall at one end.
So...first order of business tomorrow? Get Anderson on strike and get this innings over with before they get the 17 that bring them level.
Turner returned figures of 17/4/53/3
Trego revitalised faith with 13/6/41/2
Phillips showed he is more than just a tight bowler with 15/5/31/2
Willow pulled one in with an economy rate of less than 3
Mike Munday added one with a rate of 2 per over and even Blackie got 5 overs in for a mere 5 runs!!
Are we ready for this level of game? Bet your bottom dollar we are. This is not our full side and we gave them a good seeing to today!! On to Day 3
Bet he's chuffed!!
Day 3
But we didn't get away with it because although we had shown the Lancastrians that we weren't some bunch of second division cannon fodder hitting above their weight, the rain beat us and stopped us beating them!! No play on Dayt 3 at all turned this game into an inevitable draw.
Day 4
Lancashire declared at the start of Saturday morning 17 runs behind us and invited us to bat again.
and we had the opportunity to have a bit of batting practice against a decent attack.
Marcus Trescothick got a few more. Unfortunately, Frank didn't and now will have to fight for his place at Worcestershire on Sunday with Zander de Bruyn available.
The skipper got a few (79). james Hildreth spent some time at the crease and Ian Blackwell hit his second 50+ of the game and that is really great to see. Trego didn't spark but Kieswetter got a decent 42 before we declared on 262 and the game came to a predictabole end in a draw.
8 points apiece was the best we could get but we have been to the front and will be marching on as a first division side. Lancashire were ungracious in this match but I think they may look at a trip to Taunton in a different light after this game. There ain't no points in the South West for free boys. Expect to fight for them when you head South.
Lancashire spit feathers
John
Champagne Charlies.
And bottlers too.
Always with an excuse for their latest failure to win x or y competition. 'It rained too much,' or some other crying. Never 'we weren't good enough.'
“Just imagine if we were playing well - they wouldn’t be able to live with us. If we can come back tomorrow and get anywhere near what we are capable of as a side, then Somerset won’t get anywhere near winning the game.”
With one wicket left, I don't think they should get very many.
I can't bear this attitude - 'they only did well because we played below par'. So condescending. I wonder how many teams this season will ensure that Lancs play below par. This game has actually made me far more confident about the season ahead.
I think that tell us something.
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com]"Lancashire's powerful batting line-up fell to the unheralded Somerset seamers who responded superbly to the absence of Andy Caddick."
Flintoff falls for a golden duck
Andrew Flintoff first-ball duck overshadows comeback
And I loved this quote:
"Watching Flintoff these days, after his fourth ankle operation, is like following the late Queen Mother. No report is complete without some reference to his health"
No doubt, if the reverse were true and they lost, we would hear all kinds of Lancastrian bleating about injuries and wah, wah, wah.
Quote:Horton
Just imagine if we were playing well
Unfortunately me old china, if it's the imagination your interested in, stick to fantasy cricket. The real thing doesn't happen in the imagination!
Nice and overcast for us to take Anderson, hopeully the sun will break through as the innings swap.
No doubt.. if the match ends up being washed out, then Lancs oh-so-loveable players will inform the media that "the weather robbed us of victory over Somerset."
BVI Grockle
Lancs weathercam
I see that the current moon phase is "Waning Gibbous", which may or may not have a bearing on our ability to win the tie.
Trego swinging the ball magnificently, just as Mr.Rose had hoped when he signed him so good for him!
Turner pacy and straight, looked as good as any of their 'big guns.'
Phillips got through well, not just economical it would seem.
Munday. Was the a toppie or a google? I only saw it on the small version but would suggest it went on. Nice to see JL (I think) was first over to congratulate him!
Willo reliable as the past two years - nuff said.
Some good catches behind the wicket too.
The fella 'presenting' seemed a little disappointed. Good! With the big man missing they probably thought it would be a walkover.
Not so from this Somerset side ...
VtF.
I'm really surprised that it's been swinging. It's not been humid and there's no river by the ground (that I know of?) so it's a been a real surprise for me, but a pleasant one.
If it keeps up, then we might hopefully be able to expect a greater number of wickets from Charl in their 2nd dig, too.
maybe its the Freddie-ites
maybe its man u fans
maybe its glory fans
maybe its them never winning then moaning
now horton can be added
Thought they were all Londoners!
The weather - assuming we start soon - has certainly favoured them, in that tomorrow is meant to be fine, so they won't have to start after the pitch has sweated for hours under the covers.
Then again, it is Manchester, so I wouldn't lay money on that (or on us getting much play today, either!)
I really think Lancs will declare.
That is always assuming that the 'provincials' don't try and keep the teams off the pitch because they know they will quite obviously lose the moment they take the pitch with the glorious Red Rose heroes!!
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com]These wretched Lancastrians are jolly lukcy that their abject weather has probably saved them from defeat.
The way I see it, they will declare on a not dissimilar basis to that on which JL declared at Lord's last year. Albeit, Lancs are obviously in the game and it was not obvious that 50-8 was in the game, but the logic would be 'no point scratching around in really difficult conditions; better to bowl.'
Nothing seems to be working for me at the moment.
Any updates?
Thanks to their awful weather, it would seem that we now have little or no chance of giving them the beating that they so heartily deserve. Curses.
Big day tomorrow then.
We'll win this with a little bit of luck.
My positivity has often been compared to psychosis.
It's a thin line between the two sometimes.
Have clubbed together some info on our new recruits now that Zander has had clearance:
Thomas/de Bruyn Factfiles
John
The boys got some good batting practice today.
First points on the board,plenty more to come.
Best we could have hoped for after Friday.
Lots of positives - unbeaten in Div 1.
Well done lads!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:04:26:18:58:49 by Frome Exile.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:04:26:20:44:13 by Grockle.
Anyway.. good to see JL, JH and CK all get their first-class seasons up and running today.
The link to my Photos on Photobucket - [s1152.photobucket.com]