Day 2: Smith benefits from fatherly encouragement
By Peter Roebuck
EVERY time Hampshire take to the field a call to arms echoes across the ground. An ageing man shouts encouragement from some far-flung corner. Usually Robin Smith waves in acknowledgement. After all, it is his dad. Cricket has always been a family affair in the Smith household.
Smith snr regularly feeds the bowling machine for his younger son, drying each ball before sending it down. Sometimes he gives newspaper cuttings to him, invariably something mentioning sweat and tears. Not that Mr Smith only assists his offspring. He does as much for other Hampshire players. And he cheers them on from the sidelines. Far from being unmoved by this parental involvement, Robin seems to appreciate it. In a treacherous world, the ties of blood still bind.
Doubtless Mr Smith is roaring a little louder this year because his son is skipper. After a sticky start team and captain are improving. Robin is learning to live with the complexities he had always avoided. In short, he is maturing.
Cricket was a simple matter in his early years, a foot down the pitch and a savage drive or cut. Then came confusion and repetition and a veritable orchard of distractions, all of them cluttering the brain. Perhaps he consorted too much with ageing players, indubitably his game began to lose its identity.
Nor did Smith's confidence return at the start of this testing season. There was too much thumping in his head. But he has good men around and a good man inside. Now his team is playing to its mid-table capabilities and the runs are flowing from the captain's bat, not least in an important century after Hampshire had subsided to nought for three against Dorset and the wiles of the ageing and impossible Julian Shackleton on Wednesday. The worst is over.
Hampshire had sore need of Mr Smith's encouragement and Smith jnr's captaincy as this match belatedly began on a Taunton pitch prepared for the spinners.
Nixon McLean's opening over was the most dramatic event of a mostly routine morning. During its course one batsman was yorked, another struck a handsome off-drive and the visiting gloveman repeatedly flung himself about in a vain attempt to stop wild deliveries flying to the boundary. Two sets of six wides were recorded and at its end Somerset's score stood at 21 for one.
It was a hard act to follow. Although Richard Harden was soon undone by a bumper he could only parry to short leg, Hampshire could make no further inroads on a bland surface. McLean bowled fast and with little luck and later suffered as Keith Parsons was badly dropped behind the wicket.
Somerset prospered as Peter Bowler drove and glanced his way towards his highest score of the season and Mark Lathwell timed the ball impressively. Hampshire were handicapped by an ankle injury to Shaun Udal that prevented him bowling until the score had reached 165 for three.
Presently Lathwell was held as he pushed carelessly to square leg whereupon proceedings took a more routine course. Neither Bowler nor Parsons have enjoyed a productive season and this was too good an opportunity to miss. Parsons cut skilfully against the spin and his captain moved serenely along.
Only McLean caused much trouble and he was poorly supported. Pretty soon not even Smith snr's voice could be heard.
Day 3: Bowler leads a run feast
By David Green at Taunton
Third day of four: Hampshire (259-2) trail Somerset (378) by 119 runs
A COMBINATION of indifferent bowling and missed catches contributed to a day of free scoring at Taunton where Peter Bowler, with 104, and Giles White, 101, scored their first championship centuries of the season.
The pitch offered considerable slow turn but the spinners, Shaun Udal for Hampshire and Mushtaq Ahmed and Adrian Pierson for Somerset, failed to exploit it. When Somerset resumed in the morning at 245 for four, Bowler moved smartly to his century before being caught at point off a long hop from Alex Morris, who was making his debut. Morris also trapped Marcus Trescothick with a similar delivery.
Somerset's batsmen, while finding the boundary regularly, also discovered various ways to get out. Rob Turner misplaced a hook and Graham Rose and Mushtaq holed out at long-off, Demitri Mascarenhas profiting from their profligacy to take four for 55.
Hampshire scored almost as quickly as Somerset. John Stephenson hit 12 fours and a six in his 67 and dominated an opening stand of 119, Hampshire's best in the championship so far.
White, who had summer contracts with Somerset between 1991 and 1993, had hit 14 fours when he edged Mushtaq to slip. Collusion will be essential today if a positive result is to be achieved.
Day 4: Hampshire keep cool
By David Green at Taunton
Hampshire (350-5) drew with Somerset (378)
HEAVY rain during the morning delayed the start at Taunton until 3pm, condemning a match which already needed forfeits to reach a positive conclusion to a straightforward search for batting and bowling points.
When Hampshire eventually resumed their first innings Andrew Caddick produced a hostile spell from the River Tone end, dismissing Paul Whitaker with one that he fended to gully.
At the other end Adrian Pierson, bowling rather slower than he had earlier in the innings, was causing some problems on a surface which, though remaining easy-paced, offered some turn for the flighted ball.
Robin Smith, always more comfortable against seam than spin, prodded firmly forward to Pierson and gave a simple catch to Marcus Trescothick at short square leg. Dimitri Mascarenhas was caught by the same player as he heaved towards midwicket, but after that Hampshire progressed calmly towards their fourth batting point.