So the first game of the season has been played, and sadly Middlesex have lost. While in the end Somerset only needed to chase 72, in reality the game was much closer, and Middlesex will feel very disappointed to have only picked up 3 points, but at the same time, fairly pleased in the knowledge that they can compete at the highest level.
The game was always going to be a struggle after losing the toss and being inserted on a miserable day in Taunton. With visibility poor and low overcast skies, the stage was set for Vernon Philander, who certainly did not disappoint. His opening spell with the new ball on Thursday afternoon was as good a spell as will be bowled anywhere in the world this year, whether domestic or international, and was simply stunning. His third ball was just too good for poor old Sam Robson, who did well to get a faint edge through to the keeper, and he consistently troubled both Rogers and new-boy Denly. However, the fight shown by those two was incredibly pleasing, and they really battled hard as both Philander, and the equally as impressive Kirby stormed in for over an hour. We all know just how good Rogers is, but it was great to see the new signing Denly show his class in his first Middlesex innings, with a 73 which deserved to be a lot more. If he carries on like that, we really have got a gem of a player on our hands.
After reaching stumps on a rain reduced first day at 118/4, a mini-collapse ensued leaving us at 150/7, and not much chance of making a decent score, with 250ish seeming par. Cometh the hour, cometh the Lambeth Lara, and Tim Murtagh's incredibly timely 45 was unlucky to be ended after a "yes, no, maybe, sorry" exchange with Toby Roland-Jones that saw Murts on his backside in the middle of the pitch. While we missed out on the second batting point at 246 all out, it was a really good rally from the tail-end, with Rayner, Murts and TRJ all chipping in, and showing good fight. It was the sort of situation that not that long ago would have seen us fold to 155 all out, so those extra runs in a low-scoring game were very handy indeed.
Disappointingly, while Somerset started brilliantly with the new ball, Middlesex were godawful and completely wasted it, allowing Somerset to get off to a flier. While there was a quick flurry of wickets that saw the home county reduced to 103-3, the overall standard of bowling in the second evening was fairly average, and not good enough by half at this level. Gareth Berg was the pick of the bowlers, but ultimately he was the best of a bad bunch. However, the next morning, Middlesex really did start bowling well, and deserved to get Somerset out for less than the 350 that they eventually made, mostly thanks to a 150 partnership between Nick Compton (who got out for 99, lol) and Craig Kieswetter. Corey Collymore recovered from a rubbish start to end up with 3-66, and it all seemed fairly respectable.
However, the main difference between Division Two and Division One is the amount of chances that you're given. In Div 2, the intensity wasn't as high, and even if there was a drop or a missed run-out, another one wouldn't be far away, so it wouldn't hurt too much. Here, Middlesex had the chance to get Kieswetter out on 0 (dropped by the usually immaculate Ollie Rayner in the slips) and on 6 (where a terrible mix-up between Compton and Kieswetter saw both batsmen standing side by side at the same end, but a worse mix up by Middlesex meant they were able to get away with it), and were made to rue it as the pair racked up the match-winning partnership. Who knows what would have happened had Buttler come in with his side well behind and wobbling, just as Middlesex were seizing the initiative?
The batting in the second innings was incredibly disappointing after Rogers (who made 50) and Robson both got out after a solid partnership on the fourth morning, and the loss of 9-70 smacks of a side who threw it away when they should have been able to hold on for the draw. However, I think the concerns over the over-rate (Middlesex went into the fourth innings 3 overs behind and facing a 3 point penalty) may have had something to do with it, as thoughts were very muddled at the end as nobody knew whether to attack or defend. And to be fair, 19-year-old George Dockrell did bowl very well, taking 6-27 from 20 overs. The long and the short of it meant that our third innings score of 175 meant Somerset needed just 72 for victory, and despite a Gareth Berg induced wobble (the cidermen were 44-4 at one point), a quickfire 37 from Hildreth saw them over the line just before the clouds closed in and the points were shared.
It's always disappointing to lose a game, and more so when going into the fourth day we had a very real chance of saving the draw, but the fight shown by the team was very pleasing. We won't have to face a display of bowling all season better than Vernon Philander, and the fact that Denly, Rogers (twice) and Robson all stood up to him and kept him out shows that there's a fair bit of grit about our top order. And while the bowlers were on the wrong end of things on Friday afternoon, they came back strongly for the third day and bowled a hell of a lot better. That bouncebackability will really come in handy over the course of the season, and the strength of the team mentally shows some positive signs.
On a more negative note, the middle order didn't contribute much with the bat. With only six out and out batsmen (and that includes John Simpson at 6 who averages 33 in FC cricket), somebody really has to make runs, and that didn't happen this week. It will be interesting to see how they rejig things if / when Strauss or Morgan end up in the side. And the fielding wasn't quite up to Somerset's very high standards - when they needed to hit the stumps they would, but on the three run-out chances, we missed, and we dropped far too many catches. When chances are so hard to come by, we can ill afford to let them go.
All in all, a tough game, but we can learn a lot from it. Chris Rogers has got his one brainless dismissal out of the way this season, and hopefully the bowlers will have worked out what went wrong with the new ball - and judging by their performance the next day, they've already started to correct it. The next game is the old enemy from south of the river, and I'd guess that we'd name the same squad, but probably without Adam London. Ten out of the eleven will be the same, with the only potential change being Steven Crook in for Ollie Rayner if Gus and Dexy think that the pitch won't spin, but I'd keep it as it is. Surrey are on a high after beating Sussex, and with the brown trouser brigade likely to be relegation rivals (despite some so-called experts bizarrely tipping Rory's chav army for the title), beating them here is very important. Let's hope we see yet another trouncing of the boys from the Oval!
(PS - have written a round-up of the last week of county fixtures for All Out Cricket - go and have a look!)
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