The Lancs Report

By Bagpuss
April 16 2005

It might have been mostly Ian Blackwell's match up to now but Bagpuss gets the prize for reporting for us on it! Eye witness testimony to the first couple of days of the game from someone there is always better than my interpretation of circumstances I am sure you'll agree!

LANCS v SOMERSET - DAY 1

Overnight and early morning rain has delayed the start of the opening match of the season and the umpires thoughtfully wait for my arrival at midday before allowing play to start ten minutes later. Somerset have won the toss and decide to have a bowl under the overcast Manchester skies. And a mention of how nice it was to see the team take the field with not a dodgy mullet or the results of a bad day with a bottle of bleach in sight - many thanks to Carl Gazzard, though as the match wears on I suspect the team would have preferred a little more rooftop insulation.

There are just 15 overs before lunch with nothing mush from either side. Caddick bowls six overs from the Stretford end before being replaced by Johnson, Nixon bowls unchanged for seven overs from the Brian Statham end (which you may know as the Warwick Road end). At lunch the home side are 36-0 with Sutcliffe on 15 and Horton 19.

After lunch Caddick replaces McLean at the BS end and immediately looks more threatening. A big shout for lbw 2nd ball is turned down but there is no question with the next ball which is edged to Turner. Horton out and its 36-1. Loye arrives and looks in good nick, the pair move on to pass the 50 mark and their 50 partnership is reached in the 26th over. Nixon replaces Caddick and gets Sutcliffe, another edge to Turner. 99-2. Laraman replaces Johnson at the other end and the 100 is posted in the 29th over. Loye is still looking good and its a bit of a surprise for the home supporters when he tries to leave one and gets an edge. A good wicket for Laraman, another catch for Turner and Loye has gone for 53.

Lancashire's new captain Chilton joins Lancashire's newly English vice captain Law. Caddick returns from the BS end and gets Law to edge, this time the ball goes to slip where Trescothick takes a good catch. 149-4 and the Somerset tails ure definitely up. Kyle Hogg arrives and leaves shortly after - another edge to Trescothick this time from the spin of Blackwell. 164-5 and only one is added before tea.

The momentum continues after tea when Hegg shoulders arms to the so far wicketless Johnson only to see his off stump go flying. 170-6 and the home side are staring at a bonus-pointless first innings total. But Dominic Cork is always up for a bit of a scrap and sticks with Chilton as Lancashire pass the 200 mark. It is Chilton who goes in the 68th over, edging Blackwell for Turner's 4th catch of the innings (hands up all you wishing you'd picked Noddy in your fantasy team now!). 212-7

Caddick comes back from the Stretford end in the 73rd over, prompting the umpires to offer the light two overs later. Seemed to me lighter than it had been at the start of play, but Cork and Mahmoud didn't need asking twice. At 6.20pm with the official close of play just 10 minutes away you'd have thought that was it for the day, but the sun sneaks out from behind its cloud and the umpires wave the teams back out at 6.40 for the ramaining 4 overs. Caddick is fired up but the batters survive to close at 235-7 off 78 overs. Cork and Mahmood not out overnight on 28 and 12 respectively. It has been a good team effort from the bowlers, two each for Caddick and Blackwell and one apiece for the others. Its difficult to tell what the ball is doing from the midwicket pavillion at Old Trafford, but the fact that all bar one wicket fell to edged catches is pretty good evidence.


DAY 2

Despite a worse forecast play gets underway only half an hour late. I arrive to find there has been minor carnage - Cork and Mahmood have been blasting and put on 94 for the 8th wicket before the new ball clears them up - Cork caught by Caddick off his own bowling for 65, Mahmood another Caddick victim caught by Francis J for 57 then Anderson the last to fall, a smart catch taken by Burns off Johnno.

Lancashire have stretched their innings to 323 all out. Caddick the most successful of the bowlers with 4-78 and he will have noted the presence at the ground of England bowling coach Troy Cooley. Should also mention the extras total of 9 - 8 leg byes and a single wide bowled by Blackwell on the second morning, when he was also warned by the umpire for negative bowling. Seems a bit of a cheek to me - after all Ashley Giles has built a very successful career around exactly the same thing, and it was just the one over. Umpires heh. Still, a good show by the others with not a wide or a no ball between them.

Openers Wood and Trescothick survive the five overs bowled by Anderson and Cork before lunch, moving the score on to just 3. After lunch these bowlers continue with Anderson in particular causing alll sorts of problems. But is is Cork who reaps the benifits getting Wood lbw for 10 in the 14th over. 14-1. Trescothick becomes his second victim two overs later when he edges to Chilton for 11, then next over Anderson gets his reward with the wicket of Francis caught by Hegg for just 1. 17th over and its 23-3, last season all over again?

Cork and Anderson are replaced by Mahmoud and Hogg and the pressure eases ever so slightly. The scoring rate edges upwards towards 2 an over and Burns is playing a few shots now, but Hildreth seems a bit unsettled and is the next to go, lobbing the ball up and Anderson just about managing to judge it and dive forwards to take the catch. 53-4 and Blackwell joins Burns. He and Burns are beginning to look a little more comfortable and survive through till tea - but only just in the case of Blackwell who is dropped by Law when on 21 (you'd never see an Aussie drop a catch like that...).

A Blackwell boundary brings up the 100 and the 50 partnership off the last ball before tea - 103-4 off 43 overs with Burns on 31 and Blackwell 29.

After tea Blackewll overtakes Burns and reaches his 50 off 57 balls - one 6 and six 4s. Meanwhile Burns falls to the spin of Keedy, Stuart Law making no mistake this time. 133-5. Laraman is unlucky when he takes a big step forwards to Keedy and his front foot slips, leaving him off balance and out of his ground to be stumped by Hegg for 6. 152-6. Blackwell is joined by Turner who plays well and almost survives to the close of play until he is caught by Sutcliffe off Mahmood for 21.

190-7 becomes 193-7 off at the early close with Blackwell on 74 and Johnson yet to score. Definitely Lancashire's day, their bowlers had done well in what were good conditions and Anderson in particular will be pleased with this first innings of the season.