Derby NCL2 - Left to the 'Few' again

Almost - again!
By Grockles
May 4 2003

Down another 4 points thanks to some strange bowling decisions and yet another loss of 'top' batsmen cheaply. Almost out of the mire by Johnson and McLean but just too much to do. What would have happened had Caddick and McLean been bowled out?

Not a good start to the NCL campaign then. First we get it wrong at Taunton against Durham and now we revert to the bad old days of not performing with the bat to put ourselves on the back foot. Finally losing by 15 runs and saying goodbye to another 4 points we can ill afford.

The side? Blackwell back a game early from his split webbing problem. No Laraman or Bowler, so Keith Parsons returns for the one day game he seems to have been defined as a specialist in. Both spinners play and the internationals all get a game. Rumours abound that Duncan Fletcher is at the ground to look at Richard Johnson - we shall see!

It looked to be going our way at the start as well! Cork won the toss and decided to have a go first. Caddick had him caught by Blacky (welcomed back eagerly) off his second ball and then continued by seeing the back of Dumelow for 8 at 26. With McLean sending Gait back at 32 we seemed to have a tight hold on the game.

But they let Derbyshire get away and Chris Bassano put together a partnership with Selwood that moved the score from 32 to 120 before we saw another wicket - 88 runs at about a run a ball and a 50 for the excellent Bassano. To cut the rate down, Burns brought on the double spin of Blackwell and Dutch and it was Dutch who finally got the Somerset train running again by bowling Bassano for 57. Immediately Johnson struck to put the pressure on. Shahid Afridi gone first ball caught behind.

121 for 5. Hewson partnered Selwood for a time but Ian Blackwell linked with Cox to send him packing for 10 and we had them 6 wickets down for less than 150. They had only managed to move to 178 when Parsons bowled Lungley and with only 6 overs to go this looked good.

So, why when Caddick had gone for less than 30 and Mclean had only bowled half his overs, did Burns not bowl them out? Why did he persevere with Keith Parsons even though he went for 9 an over off his 4 (4/0/27/1)and why did we allow Derbyshire to take 60 off the last 6 and reach 220 without further loss? Complaceny? Faith? Whatever it was, our main bowler finished one over short with 2 for 27 and our West Indian strike man bowled only 6 taking 1 for 22.

Johnson didn't have a good day (1 for 44) by his standards and Blacky and Dutch were bowled out but taken for 80 (51 and 39) for a wicket apiece.

220 in these conditions? It's heavy but we should get it. We have two batsmen who have just put nearly 200 on in the championship game and others with a lot to prove. Marcus Trescothick has looked solid in the one day game and Cox needs to build on the excellent four day performance.

Not wonderful therefore when Banger is out first ball LBW! Burns opens with him and although he does amass a double figure score it is still not looking wonderful when he is caught by Afridi off dean with 34 on the board. 18 runs won't get him out of his slump!

Cox has reached 16 when he becomes number 3 at 41 and Bryant makes sure it is another 'large number of top men out before we hit 50' kind of day when he becomes Dean's second at 47. KP has expressed his dislike of being saddled with the 'one day specialist' tag - on the basis of today's performance don't worry about it Keith. It won't be there for long. He becomes victim number 5 at 53 for the massive score of 4.

Less than 20 overs gone, only 50 on the board and it is down to the middle and tail yet again! Rob Turner must really be getting peed off with having to come in and build a win with the batting 'also rans'. The fact that these guys do it or get close so often is a credit to them but what the hell is happening in the top 5? They faced 81 balls between them and amassed 40 runs for their wickets - how can we win games from that position on a regular basis?

Blackwell and Turner started to repair the damage and had put on 55 before Blacky got too ambitious and gave Lungley a catch off Dumelow for 40 off 35 balls, they passed the 100 mark but we were back in the mess immediately as Turner went next ball bowled by the catcher of Blacky.

108 for 7 and all over? No chance. Dutch and Johnson decided the game was not beyond them and started to pick up runs, Dutchy nurdling and Johnno smashing, pulling and driving. Derbyshire were not looking happy at 140 when one of those flukes of run chases happen. Dutchy was run out to a brilliant piece of fielding, taking a chancey run, the fielder taking a chancey throw and the fielder winning - don't know who it was though!

Game over at 140 for 8? Well I've been waiting for this scenario and I'm amazed it has happened so soon. Johnson in and seeing the ball, joined by Nixon McLean - who has been know to hit the ball! We need 80 but there's plenty of balls left so why the hell not? Make hay while the sun shines and get as close to the D/L score just in case the dark clouds over the Derby County Ground decide to drop their load!

Johnno carries on where he left off and the man from St Vincent doesn't look too slouchy up the other end. We only need about 6 an over and it could be on. As Johnno passes 50 off less than the same number of balls, it definitely looks on. As we go into the 190's needin a mere 30 at less than a run a ball - Derby are very worried. As Johnson lamely flips the ball to the sub off captain Cork for 53 off 47 - it looks all over!

193 for 9 but still not dead. Nixon is still there and Caddy has been know to win big for the Sabres. Nice idea but not to be. After resistance to 205 and a couple of dropped chances, including one where Corky went for glory when he ought to have left the ball for the man coming in from the boundary, the brave stand ends with Nixon being bowled by Welch.

We lose valiantly by 15 runs. We got closer than we ever should have. But we should never have been put in that position! If the bowlers with their eye in had bowled at the death in the home side's innings and if our top 5 put their game together, we would have had this one won.

We didn't, we lost and we go to Scotland without a one day victory this season. We need to come back with two!!