Middlesex reign on Somerset parades

London Leprecahun reports on an action packed day in Taunton ranging from military parades, rubbish internet connections, nearly hattricks.  And some great cricket by Middlesex. And the sun shone.

As I was getting ready to leave London this morning, breakfast TV was broadcasting from Taunton ahead of a local regiment’s homecoming parade. The town looked pretty and the weather gorgeous. Let’s hope that 7am sunshine stays all day.

A trouble free and speedy train journey later I arrive in Taunton about the time play is due to start and it is still sunny.   During a slightly roundabout route to my hotel to drop of my bag I get an intermittent commentary on my phone – oh the joys of a certain network with Dutch colours but rubbish reception.  We seem to be closing in on the third point.  Sadly I lose the connection before Dex can reach his century and only get it back again when Murts is having some fun and I can work out that Dex did not get his hundred, and we just missed the fourth batting point.  Oh well.  However the commentators were talking up the last forty or so runs we got in terms of what it did to the follow on target.  Follow on I thought – they have Trescothick and Peterson, and Butler and Trego – and this is Taunton.  Follow on is not likely. 

Bag duly dropped and sunshine still bright I stroll to the ground. The town centre is looking very colourful – full of bunting and flags although the parade is long gone. Thanks to my intermittent phone I hear the start of the Somerset innings, which does not sound too good.  Our opening bowlers are struggling with the line and Trescothick is taking full advantage.  But just as it looks as if Somerset have got off to a flyer, we strike.  Murtagh finds a perfect length and line to trap Trescothick into a simple nick behind.  My heart sinks slightly as I realize Peterson is the next batsmen in, but lo and behold an identical ball gets him and for the third time in a month,  Murts is on a hattrick.  But, for the third time in a fortnight it’s no go.  Is that a hat trick of nonhatricks?

I would have been content with that as I get close to the ground as lunch approaches, but just as I get to the gate and am sorting out my ticket I see a stump hurtling out the ground and contented Middlesex players strolling off for lunch.  Once properly inside I see that it was James Harris who got in on the act to take his first Middlesex wicket.  All very satisfactory but no real sign of what was to come, thought the pitch did look unusually green for Taunton.

The Ian Botham stand at Taunton has a really good view behind the wicket and in the afternoon we got a great sight of some accurate, precise bowling from everyone, the ball moving about and some tentative stroke play from a Somerset middle order that looks on paper pretty strong.  The result – a collapse worthy of middlesexbattingcollapse.com with every wicket lbw, bowled or a slip/wicketkeeper catch.  And of course more wickets for Murts who bowled straight through after lunch to tear out the heart of Somerset batting with some wonderfully accurate, swing bowling which they just had no answer to.

spot the ball - Gregory didn't!

From about 100/6 discussion turned on the follow on prospects, and though Trego and Butler produced some resistance – not to mention Kirby who produced some immaculate defensive shots Somerset never really looked like getting close to the follow on target.  We were even in a position to be able to bowl Berg and Dexter to rest the main seam bowlers for the follow on, and they duly chipped in with wickets at good times.  As Trego and Kirby hung on for a while Tom Smith started to warm up but sadly never got to bowl as Dexter struck with two wickets in two overs to wrap things up.  And there was never any real doubt that we would bat again.

But I certainly felt that it was unlikely there would be another Somerset collapse; surely Trescothick and Peterson won’t both fail twice in a day; they have free scoring batsmen, and remembering how we responded when we followed on just two weeks ago, I was expecting we might have to settle for a couple of wickets tonight, a bit of attrition on Friday and maybe a run chase.

But mighty Murts had other ideas and in his first over got Suppiah plumb lbw.  This brought in the key partnership = surely, surely Trescothick and Peterson won’t both fail twice in a day. But there was a scratchy couple of overs, and then Peterson played all round a peach of a ball from Murts, Harris got once to bounce viciously on Trescothich to produce the only outfield catch of the day, and at 11-3 the spectre of Somerset doing to us what we did to Surrey was rapidly receding.  And at 35-5 the extra half an hour became a reality. 

Somerset supporters seemed resigned rather than angry at what was going on, there was serious talk of Division 2; the failure to beat Warwickshire now laying heavy on them.

But then a funny thing happened.  The ball got changed – why it should have gone out of shape who knows. But the new, new ball stopped swinging, Middlesex bowlers visibly tired, the sky became cloudless and Trego and Butler dug in. Trego reached a solid and brave fifty, Butler reigned himself in and Somerset restored a little pride. 

That's a lot of pavilions

As the evening drifted a little with both sides looking to get to the end of the day, there was even time to debate if Taunton is the only ground with four pavilions – do they really need that many? to check out who was watching from the smart new flats – thought they would have been very cold as they get no sunshine on the balconies and to admire the friendly dogs who are happily allowed into this ground. There was also a bit of dodging the gulls who were circling the ground waiting impatiently for it to get clear of people.

Nice view but a bit cold

And Tom Smith even got to bowl as we went into holding mode for the last few overs. And his loudest supporter was Ollie Rayner - subbing at the end of the day.

To be continued.  .  . .