PHILINFRANCE

Hmmm. England's batting order contains five men under 25, one averaging more than 34, four on a pair, and is missing its two best attackers. What they should have done is simply breeze their way to a total of 273 in 75 overs against a top team who have dominated them since day 1.

So, a (quite high points scoring) draw it is. Now comfortably top of the group, with just two games (Leics and Surrey) to come. Should Somerset beat Leics at Taunton and Hants win one/draw one of their remaining two games, we should go through top of the group.

You could be right: I’ll check and see what AGod has to say about it. I hope there is no problem with the light as, apparently, the faulty floodlight that caused play to stop early on Thursday is not due to be repaired until tomorrow!

I don’t know whether you watched the fight, but they were ringside and celebrated when he won. Nothing wrong with that, you and others may say/think, but imagine if he had taken a severe beating over several rounds before being knocked out.

Something slightly disturbing, distasteful even, seeing what I assume (by the look and size of him) his brother, wife/partner and young son sitting ringside.

Dubois has just won - KO in the 2nd round.

Well, he was injured, sort of, apparently.... From BBC: On the late argument on the touchline: "John Afoa got injured a couple of weeks ago at the Gloucester game and was due back next week. "On Thursday Kyle felt his hamstring tighten up and he failed a fitness test. We made a call to start John and then bring him off at half-time. "At the end we had the yellow card. I thought John had come off as an injury [replacement], but it was down as tactical. "The Leicester guys came in and started hammering us and accusing us of all sorts of things. John got annoyed with that, and said 'I'm going' and went and did it."

Indeed, and there was a match last season, I forget which, when (to my mind) he batted on too long when, if I remember correctly, rain was forecast the next day and we (clearly!) threw away a possible victory due to TA being over cautious. Of course, we won quite comfortably....

Of Course, but surely bringing on even just one of the attacking batsman I mentioned above, perhaps MdL, who, even were he to be out first ball, would have changed very little in the overall scheme of things, and might have given us twenty or so extra runs without jeopardising our position.

We scored just 12 runs in the 20 minutes (6 overs) after Goldsworthy was out. If we were/are looking to get a lead of 400 runs, with a maximum of 96 overs tomorrow and rain forecast both this evening and tomorrow (probably reducing that 96 overs), then, with 5 wickets still in hand, why didn't we get Tom Banton, LG, RvdM and/or MdL to have a 6 over thrash? I mean, I appreciate a draw is not a bad result, and a defeat would be quite a blow, but that approach is unbelievably cautious.

Hmmm. That would leave Hants chasing 400 in a maximum of 96 overs, although some rain is forecast for the morning - probably too much to tempt them.

That chap from VIZ, Felix Organ, is getting quite a few to turn out of KB's rough. What a shame we don't have Jack Leach to bowl in Hants' second innings.

Not at all pedantic. I made a similar comment myself just a few posts before yours.

Indeed.

Spin seems to be their problem today. Do any of our Glos fans know why Brathwaite isn't playing? Injured, or only a short term contract? I have just seen that Kraigg Brathwaite has left to prepare for West Indies Test Series against South Africa. Glos now 149/8, so unlikely to get a batting point and, moreover, likely to lose, thus limiting them to just the two bowling points. Somerset plus one of Hants/Surrey to qualify? If so, Somerset's points tally against both (assuming we don't lose this current match or the next one against Surrey) will be more favourable than it was/is against Glos.

Indeed, I think he might have a soft spot for Somerset ?. I am glad I’m not the only one who noticed KB’s red soaks.

Surprisingly, from 43/5, to 113/7, to our highest first innings score of the season, 360 - indeed, without checking, I suspect our highest score of the season. Certainly very entertaining - was anybody on here lucky enough to be present at Taunton today? Fingers crossed the light holds for a few overs this evening. Hey. I've just looked, and we are top of the league.

Or even 113/7 - we are currently 277/7, a stand of more than 150! A shame for RvdeM; a bit silly, reckless even, but I think he would have been very deserving of a century. Re. @TomF's AGod comment earlier, I don't think he has yet commented on this particular post, especially as we approach our third batting point. Well.. hope LG and VDM continue to ride their luck and hope, also, for a bit of carnage from MDL and maybe we manage to scrape up to 200?

Not that it is particularly important, but has anybody noticed Keith Barker's bright red socks?

One of the umpires has just checked the light metre on the stumps, whilst the other has waved to the pavilion. Are they coming back on - Yep. They are now walking on.. If so, then a quick thrash to get another bonus point and, if the weather is as bad as you say (although it looks fine on my screen) perhaps get stuck in to the Hants batting this evening - COVE would have been useful in this!

Would you now try channelling something else as one of the floodlight has failed and, with both RvdsM and LG in rampant mood, they have just gone off for bad light!

That might explain why Surrey picked two spinners.

A propos nothing much, I found this article by Vic Marks quite amusing. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/28/feeding-frenzy-the-central-role-of-meal-times-in-the-life-of-a-

Indeed. Apparently, he was the subject of the scurrilous safeguarding allegations to which @Rudolf Hucker referred earlier.