George done good Hants 3

Strike bowler
By Grockle
May 24 2003

All out for 129 - no not us! Hampshire fall to bits and the bowlers have a spree. Including that strike bowler - Mike Burns who puts the home side on the back foot with three second innings wickets! Day 4 - CC victory? Gotta be!

v HAMPSHIRE CC2 @ the Rosebowl May 24 2003

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR

It's no fun trying to put a comment on a game that looks really good but is only being seen on paper.  Thanks to Will for his comments on Day 2 - I hope we'll get some more today or tomorrow to fill the gaps in my reports.  Day 3 - could we beat them with a day to go?  Could we beat them by and innings and make at least one 'messageboarder' some money?

Hants started 36 away from the follow on with three wickets left and our bowlers were not going to let them off the hook!  Has anyone got the feeling that Nixon and Frankie have a few things to say to Hampshire?  Both came from here and both have gone back with a bang.  I wonder what the Southampton faithful will have made of Simon's figures of 17.5/11/24/3?  It's not the bowler who left  - I bet they wish that he hadn't come back!  At 125 Udal saw his stumps fly courtesy of ex-Hants overseas man McLean.  Tremlett didn't stay long after, courtesy of Francis and Peter Bowler's hands 125 for 9 and Simon finished it off 7 minutes and 4 balls later with Bruce giving a catch to the Somerset captain.  129 all out - innings defeat on the cards!

Great figures from the attack (and how many expected it?)  Nixon - 15/7/31/4 - great again from a man who the critics did not expect much from.  He's doing it away and at home and I'm pretty happy with him!  Who is going to oust Gareth Andrew?   After 2 excellent one day games, he makes a four day debut and finishes with 9/1/30/3 - Aarron L will have a fight on his hands and probably is hoping that his injury gets sorted REALLY quickly before this guy gets settled!  Burnsy bowled 4 for 11 and Blacky played the holding action with 10 solid overs.

Hampshire were asked to bat again - wonder why.  Once again we are all hoping that the rain stays away long enough for us to get another match under the belt. 179 behind and our boys in the zone - at least you have to hope so!  It looks like we are when Francis puts paid to Crawley's innings - not great for a guy hoping to show the selectors that he should have been elsewhere playing for England.  2 runs in 2 innings - not the average he would have hoped for!  Hampshire 10 for 1.  Burnsy puts himself on early - surprising us all.  Do we have injury niggles on the field?  Who cares.  Katich nicks one to Turner quarter of an hour later and they are 18 for 2.   In comes Robin Smith - he's not had great performances against us in the last few seasons but he does still LOOK like a quality act.  You've got to watch him.   Kenway is also looking like he might finally put an innings together so the press goes on to keep them in check and force the error.

The error doesn't come for 89 runs as Smith gets himself a half century and helps Kenway cement his position as the anchor of the second innings although Andrew did drop him on 31 - nearly c&bing him.  they pass the hundred before the old campaigner is fooled by the youngster - Andrew bowls Smith - quite a scalp. 107 for 3 brings Will Kendall in, one short of a half century in the first bat, he is someone we need to see the back of.  It takes a while!  He helps Kenway put on another 64 to move Hants to 8 from the Somerset score before he goes to McLean courtesy of Dutch.  Pothas takes them past our total but Burnsy comes back to get him LBW for 13 at 188 and although Mascarenhas takes his side past 200, Burnsy goes from strength to strength as the wicket taker by tempting him to flip one to Dutch at 202.

Udal and the solid Kenway take them to the close.  They are effectively 60 for 6 with not a lot to come.  We will have to bat again and we don't want them to get too many - it's another variable day.  We don't want another race against the weather!   No injury worries by the look of the bowling figures.  The 3 top men all bowled high teens.  Burnsy must have just fancied it and with 23/4/63/3, you can't really argue with his judgement.  Blackwell and Dutch contributed 15 between them but the captain was the pick.

Day 4, win on the cards?  Gotta be - we can't let sides get away from positions like this!