Durham Match Thread 2024

[Durhamfootman]

Somerset are still batting, but surely not for much longer. Lead is 399 and I think there are about 25 or 26 overs left in the day

Either they are supremely confident in their ability to bowl us out on a day 4 pitch, or they are decidedly uncertain that we won't knock their target off (we won't)

Either way, I'm happy for them to keep on batting for as long as they like

[captaincolly]

Somerset are still batting, but surely not for much longer. Lead is 399 and I think there are about 25 or 26 overs left in the day

Either they are supremely confident in their ability to bowl us out on a day 4 pitch, or they are decidedly uncertain that we won't knock their target off (we won't)

Either way, I'm happy for them to keep on batting for as long as they like

Off for bad light now.

[Durhamfootman]

Are they?

ooh..... ain't that a shame!

We haven't bowled Hogg, wisely I think. Bas has only just come on and Carse came on late. Raine has only bowled 4 overs (also wisely). Put all those things together and we definitely got the balance of our side completely wrong. Would Clark or Jones have made runs? We'll never know, but I'll bet one or both of them would have scored more than Hoggy's 0 off 6 balls. Hoggy will have only bowled 13 overs in this match and Bas has only bowled 11 overs, but we chose to only have 5 batters in the side for a tricky pitch, with very little in it for the seamers. Carse batted well, but I can think of no good reason why both he and Bas were in the side at the same time

maybe the bad light was the reason we suddenly started to bowl seam again. Force the umpires hand.

[Durhamfootman]

I guess we are going to need 420

[captaincolly]

Are they?

ooh..... ain't that a shame!

We haven't bowled Hogg, wisely I think. Bas has only just come on and Carse came on late. Raine has only bowled 4 overs (also wisely). Put all those things together and we definitely got the balance of our side completely wrong. Would Clark or Jones have made runs? We'll never know, but I'll bet one or both of them would have scored more than Hoggy's 0 off 6 balls. Hoggy will have only bowled 13 overs in this match and Bas has only bowled 11 overs, but we chose to only have 5 batters in the side for a tricky pitch, with very little in it for the seamers. Carse batted well, but I can think of no good reason why both he and Bas were in the side at the same time

maybe the bad light was the reason we suddenly started to bowl seam again. Force the umpires hand.

Agreed. Always seemed an odd selection - Lees said at the close of play yesterday that, before the match started, they knew they'd be facing lots of spin. Should have played the extra batter.

[captaincolly]

Oh dear! I assumed there'd be no more play but this disastrous mini session has surely doomed us.
How can you get run out 2nd ball of the innings?! Can't be backing up surely given the circumstances and yet they wouldn't be stupid enough to go for a risky single...or would they?

[Durhamfootman]

Oh blimey, I went out secure in the knowledge that there wouldn't be any more play today

FFS...... a run out.... a *modded* run out to spark a collapse when the only goal is to drop anchor and not do anything stupid. Sadly we have a shed load of university degrees in doing stupid things and a surprising dearth when it comes to degrees in dropping anchor

what a shambles that was. I nearly spilt my coffee all over myself when I looked at the scorecard

[Durhamfootman]

I'd complain that we even went out again, because seemingly it was much darker than when they off, with shadows all over the ground from the floodlights, but I'm not going to because when you run yourself out in the second over you probably get what you deserve

and revenge is probably a dish best served cold after the pitch Somerset had to play on up here. This pitch has seen the game go into the 4th day

[captaincolly]

Pitch black out there was Borthwick's description of the conditions. But, as you said, that can't excuse the ridiculous run out - and they actually were attempting a quick single...although maybe it was too dark to see the ball had gone straight to the fielder I don't know who was at fault but Alex Lees has been involved in some iffy running before.
We have been outplayed though so can be no excuses.

[Durhamfootman]

I've just seen the highlights and it was so much darker when they came back out compared to when they went off. I guess if you hold the light meter up to the floodlight you get a different reading compared to holding it in the shadows next to the players. I think the lights are supposed to assist but not replace the natural light...... pardon me if I laugh out loud. Those were really long shadows and the light there was, was really yellow. 7 players around the bat for Leach and Vaughan

No excuse for the run out which set the tone. It was just plain stupid, but there you go. I hope it rains all day

[Durhamfootman]

Old George and Parky doing a fine job, negotiating their way unbeaten to the first rain delay

Looking at the radar, it looks like there is a decent chance of pretty heavy rain from about 3pm onwards, so we need to dig in, dig in and dig in some more whenever there is play.

[Durhamfootman]

but can we dig in?

feels unlikely to me

[Durhamfootman]

play about to restart

umpires must have decided that we can bat perfectly well in wellies

[Durhamfootman]

and it really does look as though it will ssip down at 3pm, so maybe the umpires will delay the lunch break until then

[Durhamfootman]

2 in quick succession. Parky and then Robbo

Old George still going