TAUNTON GETS WETTER, KIESWETTER GETS BETTER

Date: 9th September 2010

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

At Taunton: Day Two of Four: Somerset, 350 for eight are 91 runs ahead of Lancashire, 259, with two first-innings wickets in hand

A day of fascinating fluctuations ended with the certainty of abandonment this evening as one of the heavy showers which had hitherto avoided the County Ground finally rolled in at 4.30 and ruled out any prospect of further cricket. It little mattered that the groundstaff were mopping up in bright sunshine 40 minutes later: by then, play had been called off and Lancashire's bowlers had retired to the dressing room, one or two of them needing to lick their wounds. The Red Rose attack's suffering may not be over though. Ben Phillips and Murali Kartik will resume their ninth-wicket partnership tomorrow morning, intent on adding to the 74 runs it has already yielded. If they can turn an already healthy advantage into a match-winning lead, they may set up a win which could help Somerset to their first ever title; by contrast, Lancashire's hopes of recording the first of the two wins they need to sustain their faint hopes are receding in the face of a series of attacking innings by Marcus Trescothick's batsmen.

The best knock was played by Craig Kieswetter. Despite his elevation into the national team for limited-overs games - or maybe because of it - the Somerset batsman wicketkeeper has underperformed for the county this season, but his 80-ball 84 was full of daring and precocious shots. His two leg side fours off Luke Procter and his six over wide long on off Gary Keedy were marvellous examples of his ability to make bowlers look powerless. In company with Peter Trego, the 22-year-old added 111 in less than 21 overs, before Lancashire hopes were revived by Gary Keedy, who took three wickets in four balls.

First to go was Trego, lbw prodding forward; then Jos Buttler departed, lbw playing back; finally and crucially, Kieswetter, a man who can play all the shots in the book, opted to try and write a new volume by working the ball through third man and was caught behind by Gareth Cross. It was a sad end to an innings which had glimmered with brief brilliance and it left Somerset on 271 for eight and with a lead of just 12. Kartik and Phillips's partnership strengthened the home side's position enormously, though, and it was no wonder that Chilton described his side as being "behind the eight-ball" at the end of the day.

Lancashire's best bowler was, once again, Gary Keedy. Playing in only his sixth first-class game of the season, the Lancashire slow left-armer has now taken 30 wickets and his figures of 5-81 on the second day did him no less than justice. Simon Kerrigan, however, had another harsh lesson at county cricket's coalface, although his figures of 0-82 off 16 overs were a trifle harsh. So it was good to see the Lancashire players making a clear effort to encourage their spinner after he had conceded sixes to both Kartik and Phillips in the second over after tea. Taunton's short straight boundaries can be a tough environment in which to learn your trade. Kerrigan has still had a good season.

In the morning session, Somerset added 79 runs for the loss of three wickets. Arul Suppiah was beaten by Smith's extra bounce in the third over of the day and Thomas had his stumps shattered by Mahmood when the night watchman went too far to the offside in his eagerness to execute a variation on the leg glance. Ten minutes before the interval, James Hildreth was lbw to Keedy for 26 when attempting to sweep and Procter claimed his first championship scalp when Nick Compton was leg before twenty minutes after the break. That left Somerset on 160 for five and it also brought the free-hitting figures of Trego to the wicket. This has been a tough day for the Red Rose; it is rare for Lancashire supporters to welcome the rain.