Keith Graham: Saltires let Somerset off the hook
There were periods in this match during which it seemed that the Saltires might pull off a notable double and add the scalp of Somerset to that of the Kent Spitfires. For long periods both with bat and ball the Scots were the dominant force. In the end, they could not quite sustain a run rate and, in a final flurry, lost their cool and some of their self-belief.
It started well when once more Gavin Hamilton won the toss and invited the visitors to bat in conditions that would be reasonably bowler-friendly. Once again, however, the Saltires had to go into the field without their leading bowler, Craig Wright. Gordon Drummond, too, was deemed unfit - so the same team that had defeated the Spitfires took the field.
Shaun Weereratna, one of the early heroes against the men from the garden of England, found the left-hand, right-hand combination of Trescothick and Keiswetter difficult to cope with. He tended to drift towards leg against the right hander and bowl a little wide to the former England opener. Trescothick looked ominously imperious and Keiswetter - who, we learned, has a Scottish mother - showed up well in comparison with his better known partner.
After just three overs, Weereratna gave way to Jan Stander, a move that certainly paid off for Hammy, when Trescothick, scorer of a big hundred at Taunton, slashed uppishly to point where Richie Berrington took a fine catch. Even better was the departure of Somerset’s other Taunton centurian Hildreth, caught behind by Simon Smith first ball. Suppiah safely negotiated the hat-trick ball and survived a big appeal for lbw, also from Stander.
For a time, the visitors were almost becalmed but the when fifty finally came up for the visitors in the sixteenth over, Hammy now turned to spin with Ryan Watson entering the attack. But, with Suppiah and Keiswetter looking increasingly assured and Weereratna just not finding the right line, the visitors seemed to have survived the storm until, with 82 on the board, Keiswetter lofted Watson to deep mid-wicket where Neil McCallum took a fine running catch.
Watson struck again in his next over when, having been reverse swept to the boundary, De Bruyn attempted the same shot to the next ball, missed and was bowled. It is an 'orrible shot! Langer now at last came to the crease and immediately announced himself with a handsome extra cover drive for four to raise three figures. It turned out to be the Australian’s solitary boundary. Again Hammy shuffled his attack, introducing Cameron Borgas along with Majid Haq in an all-spin duo.
For the second time, Suppiah lofted Haq over the boundary,but the off-spinner soon had his revenge, luring the Malaysian born left-hander down the wicket, beating him and watching Simon Smith whip the bails off. The left hander had batted latterly with a real Asian flourish and turned out to be his side’s top scorer, two short of a half century.
Haq struck again immediately, clean bowling Trego, as the batsman tried to make room to force on the off-side, in a splendid double-wicket maiden. Langer survived a hard chance to Borgas at short fine leg and Haq completed an excellent spell with the admirable figures of 10-1-37-2. Both Borgas and Watson were to suffer at the hands of the West Indian Banks, who lofted both for big sixes as Watson curiously matched Haq’s figures precisely.
The return of Weereratna to the attack, however, saw the big Antiguan slice to Stander at short third man. Langer, having survived a very confident lbw shout, showed only glimpses of the form that made him such a success for the baggy green caps - by and large, utterly unable to assert himself. Finally, the left-hander lofted Stander into Watson’s safe hands at long on, having reached 39 from 73 balls with just that one sumptuous four through the covers to his name.
A brisk unbeaten 28 from Thomas gave the innings something of a final flourish, but a total of 220 for 8 seemed well within reach of a buoyant Saltires team. Nel perhaps deserved better than a return of 0 for 24 from his nine overs, but his figures came from two spells of some very straight bowling. Stander, with 3 for 45 was the Saltires’ most successful bowler in what was a very tidy bowling performance.
Fraser Watts nade his usual aggressive start, lofting Trego handsomely back over his head for 4 in the opener’s first over. Not to be outdone, Hammy slashed Turner to the third man boundary but could only stand and watch in admiration as Watts flayed the same bowler through the covers and then hoisted Trego to the mid-wicket boundary. The introduction of De Bruyn, however, brought Watts’s party to an end, the opener clean bowled as he tried to hoik to leg.
With Watson clearly growing in confidence, the fifty came up in the 13th over, but Hamilton’s joy was soon erased when Suppiah at point held a good catch off De Bruyn. Borgas seemed in the mood, quickly steering off-spinner Banks to the fine-leg boundary twice, and in between lofting him to the ropes at mid-wicket.
At 71 for 2 after fifteen overs, the Saltires were comfortably in the driving seat. Watson survived a chance to the keeper on 11 but, without adding to his score, drove uppishly and carelessly to Langer at extra cover to give Thomas his first wicket. The seamer didn’t have to wait long for further reward as McCallum edged to slip, where Trescothick took the catch.
Suddenly, the Saltires suddenly seemed to be sliding. But now Riche Berrington began to show why he is regarded as one of Scotland’s brighter prospects by joining Borgas in a very important stand. These two added 52 priceless runs and had almost got the Saltires back on course when Berrington gave Suppiah a simple return catch after reaching 23. Time and again, Borgas rolled out handsome shots without due reward, repeatedly hitting the ball straight to fielders. If only he could have played that fraction later and steered the ball into the gaps!
However, the South Australian reached a worthy fifty, lofting Banks down the ground, having occupied the crease for 82 balls and taken a six and five boundaries from the county attack. Hope flourished again as Stander clobbered Trego over the mid-wicket boundary for six to bring up the 150 but soon he was to depart, run out starting for a second run that was never there. Weereratna hit his first ball down the throat of bowler Thomas and the Saltires had slumped to 160 for 7.
Borgas tried in vain to keep the tempo going but quickly lost Haq, clean bowled by Thomas and, almost immediately, Simon Smith, yorked going for an expansive drive. The final curtain came down when Nel was bowled by Turner with the Saltires’ final score on a disappointing 183 all out. Borgas finished on a highly commendable 78 from 106 balls, with eight boundaries and a six. Thomas took the man-of the-match award with a return of 4 for 22.
It was so near, yet so far. There was a certainty that the Saltires competed here with a fully-fledged county side and a certainty that, had one or two things gone their way, another upset might have been on the cards. There was certainly much to admire about the way in which they went about the job. Hammy has, in a very short space of time, cultivated a new self-belief in the squad. They aren’t quite there, but they’re certainly getting nearer to properly fulfilling the potential we all know is there.
Add players like Blain, McLeod, Goudie and Wright to the mix and we won’t be far off. In fact, I very definitely fancy them against Ireland and Canada. But first comes the World Twenty20. Hopefully, sparks will fly!
