By Peter Roebuck at Taunton
First day of four: Surrey (156-7) trail Somerset (176) by 20 runs
A HOSTILE, absorbing, enjoyable day's cricket ended with Somerset on top. They had fought back splendidly on a pitch grassy enough to graze upon, though it did not play as badly as the scores indicate.
At 65 for seven and with lunch still far away the locals were in trouble. They might have succumbed. Instead the tailenders rallied and the pacemen threw themselves into their work with such determination that the championship leaders were soon reeling.
Wickets tumbled throughout the day and no one seemed surprised. Somerset had been batting without confidence and Surrey's top men were busy elsewhere. Martin Bicknell was the chief tormentor, after the visitors had chosen to bowl first. Steaming in from the Crooked Stand end, he kept a steady length and moved the ball around enough to inconvenience every opponent.
No one could master him and wickets fell regularly. Peter Bowler departed as he pushed forwards, whereupon Marcus Trescothick's feet let him down and Mark Lathwell drove a return catch.
Nor was life dull at the other end. After Piran Holloway had edged a ball cutting across him, Keith Parsons and Robert Turner were unable to resist tempting outswingers. Hereabouts Surrey were all ablaze, taking every catch and congratulating themselves on assigning 12th man duties to Saqlain Mushtaq.
Somerset's Mushtaq is nursing a groin injury. Accordingly spectators found themselves watching 102 overs of unrelenting pace. Yet it was never dull because the sniff of wickets was in the air.
Surrey's domination did not last. Finding themselves in peril, Somerset's lower orders threw the bat and it worked. Encouraged by a spell from Alex Tudor that was fast and littered with illegitimate deliveries, and helped by Surrey's reluctance to recall Bicknell, they rattled the score along with a wide range of strokes. Eventually Andrew Caddick swung too lustily before Graham Rose was removed, leaving Somerset at 129 for nine.
Still they did not go quietly, Matt Bulbeck and Andre van Troost adding 47 in six overs. Bulbeck is a lithe 18-year-old Tauntonian who bats freely and later bowled some lively left-arm swingers. Van Troost kept third man on his toes.
Hitherto the cricket had been entertaining but flawed. Now a tighter aspect came over proceedings as Somerset's fast bowlers pinned down their opponents with bowling of sustained excellence on a pitch still helpful and gathering speed.
Immediately Jason Ratcliffe hooked recklessly to mid-off. Next Ian Ward and Nadeem Shahid fell to Trescothick's medium-pacers as the home captain used his bowlers skilfully. Then Bulbeck appeared and promptly broke through Mark Butcher's defence to end a determined and capable innings. Soon Bulbeck struck again, cutting the ball across James Knott and jumping for joy as his wicketkeeper held a diving catch.
Surrey had slipped to 96 for five. Then Ben Hollioake tried to revive his team with his mixture of apparent nonchalance and inner determination. Jon Batty lent a hand as Caddick and Rose flung themselves into their work. At last Hollioake was beaten, whereupon Caddick removed Tudor with a snorter. Nor did van Troost's appearance bring relief, as he bowled fast and straight.
Like Trescothick, the Dutchman was sent to Perth last winter to work on his bowling. The rewards were plain to see. Meanwhile, Surrey were left rueing their absentees and pondering upon their prospects.
Day 2: Holloway leads the Somerset revival
By Peter Roebuck at Taunton
Second day of four: Somerset (176 & 259-4) lead Surrey (241) by 194 runs
A STURDY and latterly rousing partnership between Piran Holloway and Robert Turner has restored local hopes of victory over the championship leaders.
After Somerset's top order had subsided on a pitch losing energy as it aged, the fifth-wicket pair added 187 in 232 minutes. Surrey lacked the penetration and resourcefulness to remove such committed batsmen.
As might be expected from a Cornishman, Holloway has a curious style. Perched on the back foot, he raises his bat towards second slip and takes a long look at each delivery, as if suspecting it might be a forgery. Here he clipped neatly off his pads, scored heavily square of the wicket and hooked whenever opportunity arose, which it did too often because his opponents thought they had detected a weakness hereabouts.
Turner was his redoubtable self, steadfast in defence and punching the ball through midwicket. He, too, watched the ball closely, for the world is full of trickery.
Throughout the afternoon this pair continued and Somerset had sore need of them, for heavy defeat had beckoned.
Until this pair joined forces the hosts had not had much of a day. They started by dropping three catches in 20 minutes, Jon Batty escaping at 25, 26 and 27. Home captain Peter Bowler could not chide his players since he himself offended twice, both sitters at slip. Andrew Caddick again bowled impressively and Graham Rose started well, removing Batty, but tired towards the end of an unduly long spell.
Thanks largely to Ian Salisbury's doughty resistance and a colourful contribution from Joey Benjamin, during which he broke his bat and did not bother much about defence, Surrey took a lead of 65.
Soon this lead seemed significant as Benjamin cut through some dubious batting, Bowler playing across his front pad, Marcus Trescothick losing his footwork and Mark Lathwell driving wildly.
Already Holloway had taken root, an organised batsman bent on survival. A swifter fieldsman than Jason Ratcliffe might have caught him on the boundary; otherwise he was as secure as a safety deposit box and found time to hook Alex Tudor for six. Tudor bowled a long spell from the new stand, hereafter to be called the Ian Botham Stand. Although he removed Keith Parsons with a yorker to end a promising innings, Tudor bowled too short, as did Ben Hollioake.
Turner now joined Holloway as Surrey continued to pound away, hardly bothering with spin though the pacemen bowled long spells and grew more ragged. Almost as soon as he appeared, Salisbury looked dangerous.
Turner moved determinedly past 50 and Holloway reached a deserved century after 289 minutes of defiant occupation. Gradually the tide turned and by stumps Somerset were strongly placed.
Day 3: Room on top for Surrey's fringe
By Paul Weaver at Taunton
Third day of four: Somerset v Surrey
SURREY's chances of winning what would be only their second championship since their famous run in the 1950s are sometimes discounted a little too easily by people who enjoy dismissing them as a travelling circus of cosmopolitan all-stars, a sort of modern equivalent to the International Cavaliers.
Rather like Manchester United, they attract either ardent supporters or spirited detractors. And there are rather more of the latter, who often perceive them to be too fashionable, too well-paid, too noisy and too brash.
Any runner that can set the pace from the gun and provide a sprint finish when the bell goes deserves to be taken seriously when potential championship winners are being assessed, however. Surrey are the early championship leaders and are well placed for a late charge when the fingers of their three quality spinners warm up and the pitches turn brown and twirly in July and August.
Even without Chris Lewis, who has returned to Leicestershire, they have 10 players on their staff who have played Test or one-day international cricket. They have England's outstanding two batsmen in Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe, the country's best leg spinner in Ian Salisbury and the world finalist off-spinner in Saqlain Mushtaq, who could benefit from the rough created by the new left-arm seamer, Michael Bell, who was with Warwickshire.
The captain, Adam Hollioake, is a natural leader of men and his brother, Ben, is among the most gifted young players in the land. Meanwhile, Alex Tudor, who has yet to play for England, is considered the country's outstanding fast-bowling prospect. Like Manchester United, again, this is the strongest squad in the country.
But United did not win the Premiership. And if Surrey are to finish above the likes of Warwickshire, Kent and Leicestershire this season, players like Jason Ratcliffe, Nadeem Shahid, Ian Ward and the more experienced Martin Bicknell and Joey Benjamin need to have prosperous seasons. This year the big names will be involved in six Tests and, potentially, as many one-day internationals. Surrey's reserve strengths will win it or blow it for them this season.
Captain Hollioake says: ``I have explained to the younger and less experienced players that their roles are so important this season.'' Keith Medlycott, the new cricket manager, says: ``This year the younger players will have to grab their chances when they come along.''
Surrey's dilemma has been underlined in their struggle to overpower a moderate Somerset side in this memorable, fluctuating match. They were already without Saqlain, Stewart, Thorpe, Hollioake senior and Alistair Brown and if he continues to bowl as he did yesterday they might lose Salisbury too. Stewart, the new England captain, is known to admire Salisbury, who was Surrey's outstanding bowler yesterday. His arm is lower but deliberately so and he is spinning the ball more. There are also fewer of those four-balls. He seems to have benefited from his sessions with the wrist-spin guru, Kerry Jenner. Salisbury opened the bowling yesterday, when Somerset resumed on 259 for four, a lead of 194, and reeled off 14 overs.
Piran Holloway and Robert Turner batted on for another 13 overs, extending their fifth-wicket stand to 214. This was a record against Surrey, beating the 121 added by Sammy Woods and Harry Martin at the Oval in 1904. Holloway was the first to fall yesterday, with the score on 286, when he was bowled by Salisbury as he went back to cut. His 123 came from 253 deliveries and he hit 14 fours and a six. Then, at 297, Turner was bowled round his legs by the leg-spinner.
Suddenly, Surrey sensed another opportunity. But this was blocked by Michael Burns and Graham Rose, who put on 91 for the seventh wicket. Salisbury bowled Burns for 40 and had Rose well caught at short mid wicket by Benjamin for 76.
At tea, Somerset were 464 for eight, with Andy Caddick and Matthew Bulbeck the not out batsmen, and Salisbury's figures were 46-9-93-4. Somerset resumed after the interval with quick runs and a possible declaration on their minds. Caddick took a wild swipe at his first delivery and soon perished, Bicknell taking the catch at fine-leg off Shahid.
Immediately, Bulbeck was badly dropped by Tudor at long-off, off Shahid, and Somerset added only two more runs before Andre van Troost was caught and bowled by Salisbury, who finished with figures of five for 98. Somerset were all out for 475 and Surrey were required to score 411 to win from a minimum of 123 overs to sustain the patient championship aspirations of their supporters.
Day 4: Bulbeck makes grand entrance
By Christopher Lyles at Taunton
Somerset (176 & 475) bt Surrey (241 & 245) by 165 runs
MATT BULBECK, an 18-year-old who has spent the last two years at the Somerset cricket academy, experienced quite a debut for Somerset. He scored 45 unbeaten runs down the order and more importantly took six deserved wickets with his left-arm medium-fast bowling.
Along with Andrew Caddick, who bowled impressively with little luck, Bulbeck hurried Somerset to their first championship victory of the season just before tea yesterday, in the process administering Surrey's first defeat.
Having raced to 92 for one on Saturday evening in pursuit of 411 on a pitch that was a different proposition to that of the first two days, the championship leaders needed to start well yesterday to have a chance of victory.
Instead, under heavy cloud cover, they lost two wickets to Bulbeck without addition to the overnight total, leaving their victory hopes severely dented after only 2.2 overs of the day's play. The left-handed Ian Ward unwisely chased a short wide one to be well caught by Rob Turner low down to his left then Bulbeck swung one back in to Nadeem Shahid to trap him leg before.
Shahid may not be a first-team regular, but he is no slouch with the bat and he came into the match with first-class scores this season of 58 and 90.
Bulbeck, who could not get into his club side two years ago, will undoubtedly have matches when events do not turn out quite so favourably as this one. But he deserved his success. He has a fluent run-up and action and bowls intelligently, generally bowling a full length and possessing an effective slower ball. He is one of two academy players who have graduated to the Somerset staff (the other being the England Under-19 tourist Joe Tucker) and Somerset look to have discovered a genuine talent.
Mark Butcher needed someone to stay with him if Surrey were to threaten the victory target, and for a while he found an ally in Ben Hollioake. They put on 48 in 22 overs before Marcus Trescothick nipped one back to trap Hollioake in front. Thereafter, Surrey meekly capitulated and Butcher, who carried his bat, was left stranded on 109. His was a chanceless display of controlled batting and his runs came from 246 balls and included 16 fours.
Caddick, who moved the ball off the seam both ways and constantly gained extra bounce, beat the bat on numerous occasions and had a vociferous leg-before appeal against Hollioake turned down. He also had Alex Tudor dropped by Piran Holloway off a top-edged hook.
He will bowl worse than this and take five or six wickets, and it was apt that he should finish the match by pegging back Joey Benjamin's off stump. Having stood at 65 for seven on the first morning, Somerset's victory represented a remarkable fightback.