Sunday,
April 8, 2007
Conrad
Sutcliffe writes
FORMER
England opener Marcus Trescothick lashed a whirlwind 256
as Somerset beat Devon by 216 runs at Taunton in their second
pre-season friendly.
Trescothick showed Devon's bowlers
no mercy at all, not that a 50-yard boundary on one side
of the ground helped, as Somerset piled up 502 for four
against the Minor Counties champions in 50 overs.
Ian Bishop, whose eight overs cost 47 runs and included
the wicket of former Devon team-mate Matt Wood, managed
seven successive dot balls to Trescothick – the longest
the ex-England opener went without scoring a run during
his stay at the crease.
Trescothick reached his first 50 off 32 balls, putting Neil
Hancock away for four behind square to get there, and reached
three figures 24 balls later with six over mid-wicket, also
off Hancock.
Hancock won't forget the treatment
meted out to him by Trescothick in that over as he was carted
for 26.
Twenty-four balls was all it took Trescothick to go from
100 to 150, which came up with a pulled four off Somerset's
dual-registered Devonian Arul Suppiah.
Soon it was Andy Procter's turn to suffer – his over cost
24 runs – as Trescothick eased from 150 to 200 in a mere
21 deliveries – the last one a six off the Devon spinner.
James Burke, the Exmouth all-rounder learning his trade
in the Somerset Academy, was next into the attack and was
smashed for 34 in an eight-ball first over. A second one
had to wait a while.
The dash from 200 to 250 took all off 21 balls, during which
time James Hildreth went from 21 to 23! Trescothick didn't
look like getting out whatever he did and his end, when
it came, was bizarre.
Left-armer Rob Woodman (pictured),
like Suppiah dual-registered, bowled a low full-toss at
Hildreth, who smashed it straight back. Woodman stuck out
a hand, the ball hit it and deflected on to the stumps with
Trescothick a good yard out of his ground.
When Trescothick was out he had faced 117 balls in total,
had hit 19 of them for six and 24 for four and, Bishop excepted,
not waited more than four balls for a run! The total was
319 for two with 19 overs to go – and Somerset had another
centurion on his way there.
Hildreth, who came in at 132 for one and was on 23 when
Trescothick got out, batted through to make an unbeaten
102 at better than run-a-ball rate.
The only other wickets to fall were those of Ian Blackwell's,
thrown away needlessly with a big heave off Burke towards
mid-wicket, and Kevin Parsons for 39.
Devon captain Bob Dawson wasn't too perturbed by the stick
handed out to his bowlers as Somerset have their priorities
and he has his.
“Trescothick is still one of the best batsmen in the world
and put him against our bowling on a ground with a short
boundary one side and these things can happen,” said Dawson.
“The boundary was only about 50 yards on one side and he
miss-hit a couple of sixes that would have been out any
other day.
“Banger (Trescothick) has done what he felt he had to do
and got something out of the game.
“For us the game was all about time out on grass to bowl
and bat and work on our game. We are preparing for Dorset
in the KO Cup in three weeks time and need time outside
to do it.”
Batting-wise Devon had something to show from the game,
although not always where they would have expected it in
a respectable total of 286 all out.
Richard Foan and Arul Suppiah both played instantly forgettable
strokes to Andy Caddick and went to catches in the cordon
for scores below 20.
Sandy Allen made a tidy 32 and put on 69 for the third wicket
with Hancock, whose run-a-ball 42 signalled he is in the
same form he ended last season in.
Devon stammered as David Court, Lye and Dawson, middle-poled
second ball by Jones, all went cheaply in a collapse from
128 for three to 152 for six that included Hancock as well.
Somerset probably fancied an early finish at that stage,
midway through the 22nd over, but Devon were having none
of it.
Woodman made 91, which will
have impressed his handlers at Somerset succession planning
for the eventual retirement of Parsons, and Trevor Anning
stroked 46 in a stand of 111 that kept Somerset out there.
Anning missed out on a deserved 50 when he brushed Peter
Trego to Parsons at short mid-wicket. Trego claimed Woodman
in the next over thanks to a great catch at deep mid-wicket
by Parsons.
Somerset 502-4
(M E Trescothick 256, J C Hildreth 102no, K A Parsons 39,
I D Blackwell 20), Devon 216
(N D Hancock 42, R J Woodman 91, T S Anning 46, A W P Allen
32; P D Trego 3-54, S P Jones 3-19). Somerset bt Devon by
216 runs.
