ICC 2008 Succession Game Results

[Somerset]

2009 CC Game 1

Lancashire began their 2009 campaign by hosting Somerset in the county championship. With the likes of Cameron White, Ryan ten Doeschate and Alfonso Thomas acquired in the off season, the side’s batting depth had grown considerably, while Anderson, Mahmood and Flintoff maintained the strong bowling unit of 2008.

New captain Loye won the toss and elected to bat but it took less than eight overs for Horton to retire hurt, felled by a Willoughby bouncer. Besides the injured Horton, every player in the top six passed 30 but only Mitchell made a reasonable score. As a result, Lancashire could only manage a below par 325. Somerset made a great start, with Edwards and Trescothick adding 105 for the first wicket. Thomas dismissed his ex-teammate but that only allowed Hildreth the opportunity to score a magnificent 132. Every Somerset batsman besides Willoughby made double figures, allowing them to secure a 127 run first innings lead. Thomas was the pick of the bowlers with a six wicket bag on Lancashire debut.

Lancashire batted slowly at first, ensuring that defeat in their first match of the season would be avoided, and then increased the tempo considerably. Ten Doeschate was the key man to pace the innings, and his 172 was every bit as good as Hildreth’s ton. Du Plessis made 77, and Mitchell and Flintoff hit 50s to set Somerset the target of 326 in a little under two sessions. Perhaps Loye set a target to safe, as Somerset showed no urgency to go after it. Anderson and Flintoff grabbed a couple of wickets each but they were mere consolation as the match ended in a draw.

Match Drawn - Somerset 12 points, Lancashire 10 points

 

[Somerset]

2009 CT Game 1

Scotland played hosts for Lancashire’s first Challenge Trophy game of the season. Horton’s injury meant that Craig Spearman took his spot at the top of the order, but the remainder of the side was retained.

Scotland chose to bat first and made a decent start. They found themselves 1/92 but collapsed horrible and were all out for 187 with 22 balls left in the innings. Mahmood and Thomas were wayward early but the rest of the bowlers were excellent. Flintoff took three crucial wickets, while White finished with figures of 10-4-28-2 on one day debut for Lancashire. Ten Doeschate bowled five overs and picked up two wickets, as did Anderson.

With such a meagre total to chase, Lancashire went at it aggressively to gain a favourable net run rate. Loye and Spearman put on 115 for the first wicket before Loye was unfortunately run out for 54. Then, Cameron White was promoted to number three and played potentially the innings of the season. He smashed 50 from 19 deliveries, ending with 67 not out from just 26 balls. Incredibly, Spearman, who had been played very nicely indeed before Loye was run out, scored just six runs in the unbeaten six wicket partnership of 73. Lancashire eventually won with more than 23 overs remaining.

Win by 9 wickets - Lancashire 2 points, Scotland 0 points

 

[Somerset]

2009 CT Game 2

Lancashire played Derbyshire in the Challenge Trophy, and selected Chad Keegan over Sajid Mahmood, who had failed to pick up a wicket so far in either match.

After a thumping victory against Scotland, Lancashire made an aweful start as Praveen Kumar dismissed both Spearman and Loye early. Du Plessis made 30 and Flintoff an aggressive 46, but it was Ryan ten Doeschate who was the star of the innings. He made a brilliant 149 from 129 deliveries, and if another batsman had been able to support the Dutchman, Lancashire would’ve easily made in excess of 300. Instead, they were bowled out for only 275 and wasted 23 deliveries. Kumar finished with a five wicket bag.

Derbyshire made a flying start in reply. Stubbings scored 66 and Rikki Clarke made 41 but it was left to Strachan to really finish the job. His 66 not out came from only 57 deliveries. White took two wickets and, until his final over, did well to restrict the scoring. Keegan was belted for 55 in his six overs, and none of the other bowlers could tie the Derbyshire batsman down. They won comfortably in the end, with 17 deliveries to spare.

Loss by 5 wickets - Derbyshire 2 points, Lancashire 0 points

 

[Somerset]

2009 CT Game 3

After coming off the loss against Derbyshire, Scotland looked like the ideal opposition to get the campaign back on track. Horton had recovered from his injury and took Mitchell’s spot, whose defensive nature hinted that he may be more suited to the longer form of the game. That resulted in the batting line-up being shuffled. Mahmood took Keegan’s spot in the bowling department.

Scotland won the toss and elected to bat but made an extremely sluggish start and it seemed to set the tone for the entire innings. With the exception of Watts and Moran, no Scottish batsman passed 15. Cameron White cashed in and bagged five wickets, while Flintoff grabbed two, and Mahmood secured his first scalp of the season.

Loye was dismissed first ball by Malan but from there Lancashire completely dominated. Spearman (63 from 52 deliveries) was as dominant as in the first match against the Scots, and he was joined by the rampaging Horton, who smoked 72 from 56 balls. There was no need for White this time, as Lancashire cruised to victory inside 20 overs.

Win by 9 wickets - Lancashire 2 points, Scotland 0 points