Somerset NCL 2 Outlaws come up short

New Pinch man!
By Grockle
May 18 2003

Carl Gazzard takes up a new role as one day pinch-hitter and with Somerset super fielder Francis takes the game from Notts. Good result but how much did we take the game and how much did the Outlaws give it to us?

v NOTTINGHAMSHIRE NCL2@ Taunton 18 May 2003

SCORECARD

In between the showers, we take on the Outlaws, looking for our first win of 2003.  Yesterday's game gave us a leg up in the Championship because we got a result while loads of others didn't but we need a break in the NCL and the weather is highly unlikely to give it us this Sunday.  It's wet and windy but we've had full days in worse.

The side is interesting.  No first strike bowlers, both Johnson and McLean are out - Johnno had a niggle yesterday and they seem to be mothballing Nixon in the one dayers.  There are rumours that Marcus T is playing in Alec Stewarts Benefit match in London so we have a new opening batsman in second team wicket-keeper Carl Gazzard!  Dutch is in for Laraman who is also worryingly unavailable and Gareth Andrew gets another start after his very promising first game against the Dynamos.   Lets hope the batting is of the consistent variety and that the bowling attack has a few more teeth then it did on it's last outing at home.  Jones is back in and Keith Parsons continues his specialist role (which was significantly absent in the Scottish debacle).

Notts won the toss and decided to put us in and Cox joined Gazzard as one and two. Facing Elworthy and Smith, there are questions about where Holloway is, or why the pinch hitter isn't Blackwell.  Carl Gazzard has not been a significant figure with the bat in the past.  He showed a very cautious forward defensive against the West Indies A side last season but he hasn't been piling the runs on for the seconds as far as I know.  But, he looks confident and certainly doesn't seem phased as he peppers the River End corner boundary during the first four overs to move the score on to 25 off 4.  He's wearing the white hat that Holloway usually wears and seems to have fostered the same kind of batting ability as Piran in his one day 1999 season.  Cox looks his old self after a couple of good innings in the Championship and the straight drive back past the bowler has returned to his repertoire.

50 up off 7 produces a bowling change at the River End.   Shrek - the Cornish phenomenon of last season comes on but the rate continues and we hit 70 off 10 with both batsmen putting bat to ball.  30 off the next 2 puts us into 3 figures and brings on the spin of McGill.  Will he shut the young man down?   Not really, Gazzard hits him for six off his third ball and goes to his maiden 50 at 106.  That's 50 off 36 with 1 six and 8 fours.  As a pinch hitter he wasn't a bad choice really!  Buzz follows him 3 runs later off 44 balls with 8 boundaries and then proceeds to take the Aussie spinner apart with 4 fours off the 14th over and the score continues to race along. Gazzard finally goes at 131 for an excellent 58 to Mr Shrek and out comes Keith Dutch (a strange choice but he does nurdle and annoy bowlers and Cox is in fine form).

The 150 arrives in the 18th and then the rain arrives in the 21st with the score at 175 for 1 with Cox moving into the 70's and Dutch amassing 26.  20 minutes lost, game reduced to 40 overs and Notts needing 9 more than we score.  Out they come again and Dutchy goes to McGill first ball - 175 for 2.  This brings out James Bryant, who still needs to prove himself to the fans and proceeds to do his reputation some good by adding 50 in just over 5 overs with Coxey before the rain sends them in again with the score on 225.  In between Mr Cox arrives at three figures with a six into the Old Pavilion.  Excellent innings - the Cox man has returned. The rain returns and we have another 20 minute spell before they return again for a 35 over game with the Outlaws needing 22 more than us to win.  Looking good.

At 237 Jamie Cox's innings ends as he is stumped by Reed for a superb 110 - 237 for 3off 28.5 which brings in Blackwell. 250 up the 30th and Notts seem to be looking at a score around the 300 mark as Blackwell sends one flying into the cemetery.  It's 263 by the 32nd and we need to put them into the 300's by getting as close as possible but Smith stops the Blackwell train, bowling him at 282 so Burns comes in for the last over.  Bryant puts ball one to the Stragglers boundary and goes to a very good 50 off 38 balls, Smith then generously drops him off ball two.  A series of singles and we finish on 293 for 4.  Good score - too good for Notts?  Well their first five can get them but after Elworthy they peter off but with Gallian, Reed, Pietersen (of blessed memory), Shafayet and Afzaal we'll have to bowl well and take wickets.

So its Reed and Bicknell versus Francis and Andrew.  Jonah will come on first change and the rest will bit and bob as the need arises.  Don't expect to see too much spin unless the rate gets slow or something happens in terms of wickets in their first few overs.  Burns will have to marshall his attack well because there is no real strike force.  It goes that way for the first 5 - they are going to go for them and when Francis has Bicknell LBW at 40 we all feel better.   That increases when Reed flips the next ball from Andrew to Gazzard.  40 for 2 is very promising.

That's where it ends though.  Afzaal (a slimmer and fitter looking Afzaal) and Gallian set out their stall and look to build. With a target of 88 off 10 it doesn't look too hard and their speed of accumulation brings the first change at 9 overs with Steffan Jones coming on at the Old Pavilion.  But Jonah still hasn't got it right and although he only goes for 9 it doesn't look dangerous.  Burnsy brings himself on at the River End but Afzaal moves to 50 at 132 and Gallian isn't far behind him. A 32 ball fifty isn't what we want and we don't want 135 at 15 overs but no-one seems to be capable of stopping the onslaught.

At 16.4 overs, Afzaal smacks one to the River Stand boundary only to be dropped by Francis (it becomes ironic a little later) - hard chance dropping to the rope.  The 150 comes up on ball later and Blackwell is brought on to try and stop the rot at the end of the over.  He doesn't and is deposited into the cemetery instead.   It all looks a bit too easy as the Notts captain reaches his 50 at 177 just before the 20th off 36 balls.  burns finally turns to Keith Parsons from the Old Pavilion with 14 to go.

The move that changes the game doesn't actually come until the 22nd over and we are all expecting Notts to get this one.  Gallian smashes yet another ball to the River Stand boundary and Francis leaps sideways at full stretch and plucks the ball out of the air one handed.  We are back in it and Notts have 114 to get but are 201 for 3.  It's so good a catch that Burns gives him the ball  and he's so high that he gets Pietersen (of blessed memory) LBW with his fifth delivery.   In comes Shafayet - England U19 captain and hoping to become the best batsman in the world - and he pops back after Bryant runs him out for not a lot.  221 for 5, in comes Gareth Clough and helps Afzaal to his 100 (off 68 balls with 3 sixes and 10 fours) but Dutch catches him with 5 more on the board 227 for 6.

We are now told that the cut off for the last over to start is 7:07 and it's 6:37.   We've got 8 overs to bowl and it's a balancing act for Mike B - who to bowl and how quickly. Steve Elworthy doesn't really care, he's the last hope of the Outlaws but Parsons tempts him to belt one to Gareth Andrew and he gratefully catches it.  "33 for 7 and the game is semi-over. Greg Smith comes in and wallops his first ball straight to Cox, who drops him to take KP off a hatrick ball.  It wasn't hard but it doesn't matter that much because at the start of Gareth Andrew's over at the River End Simon Francis takes another blinder, diving forward to hold on to another full blown belt from a Notts batsman 241 for 8 brings Stuart McGill in to the fray.  It's 6:52 and we have 5 more overs to bowl.

Up comes the 250 and Steffan Jones comes on at the River End to try and get the last two.  It's 6:58 and we have 3 overs to get through in 9 minutes!  Gareth Andrew moves to the Old Pavilion end and tempts McGill.  This time he deposits the ball into Cox's hands and he holds on.  It's 257 for 9.  They are too far behind to get them but we are going to be fined and docked for a slow over rate.  The umpires need a system of time-keeping.  With all these wickets falling, there should be an addition of time for the changeover of batsmen, like there is for time wasting etc in football.

Jonah bowls over number 33 at 7:03 and at 7:06, with the last ball of that over he gets Shrek to send Francis his third catch in front of the River Stand and we are home.   First victory in the NCL - 50 runs ahead, 1 minute to go, no fine, no problem!

It was good.  It was cold.  The rain held off and we won the game on merit BUT.  We have to have more 'strike' in our bowling to scare anyone.  We won this one because we batted big and Notts batted daft! They lost the plot after the loss of Gallian and made silly and elementary mistakes.  Cox, Gazzard and Bryant gave us the platform (no idea how many we would have got if the game had been 45 overs!) and we needed it because we don't look like we can bowl a side out if they need about 250.  Burns and co bowled manfully but Francis and Andrew can't do it on their own - they don't take that many wickets.  Burns and Parsons are for variation if someone gets bogged down and Jones isn't in the arena at the moment.  Blackwell and Dutch may add a slow option, but only if the pitch helps.  We need McLean to rough them up and we need Johnson to dig them out or we will not win close matches.  It is good to see the batsmen getting it together but we need both sides of the game to fire at the same time to beat sides like Surrey (they're here a week on Wednesday in case you've forgotten).   At the moment we have doubts over;

Johnson - 'niggle'

McLean - hamstring?

Laraman - ??

Bulbeck - back

Caddick - injury -out for the Zimbabwean tour

Need 'em ready to go!!

Man of the Match  - Simon Francis for changing the game just when we needed it to change with an act of brilliance