6:20pm Friday 18th September 2009
WORCESTERSHIRE go into the final day’s play against Somerset at Taunton with a great chance of recording their first LV County Championship Division One victory of the season.
The New Road side took 11 wickets on the third day as Somerset went from 184-3 to 280 all out and, following on 291 behind, closed on 203-4 to trail the visitors by 88.
Matt Mason finished Somerset’s first innings with 3-60 and Gareth Andrew 3-75 as only tail-enders Alfonso Thomas (38) and David Stiff, whose unbeaten 30 included a six and four fours, offered any resistance in a wretched batting effort liberally laced with loose shots.
Things got even better for Worcestershire in the opening over when Somerset batted again.
The country’s leading scorer, Marcus Trescothick, was caught at second slip, slashing at a ball from Mason, for only his second duck of a memorable Championship campaign, which has seen him make 1,817 runs at an average of 75.7.
Arul Suppiah top-scored for Somerset with 83, reaching his half-century off 65 balls, with a six and nine fours, before being brilliantly caught down the leg side by 17-year-old debutant wicketkeeper Ben Cox at full stretch off Andrew.
Australian Justin Langer made 64 in his final first-class innings, his half-century occupying 110 deliveries and featuring eight boundaries as he added 142 with Suppiah.
However, Langer is set to bow out of first-class cricket with 28,382 runs at an average of 50.23.
The 38-year-old former Australia opener has indicated this will be his last season as a player and his illustrious career could well end with a shock defeat.
Langer’s hopes of going out with an 87th first-class century ended when he fell to a sharp catch at backward point by Moeen Ali off Andrew.
The departing Somerset captain looked devastated, not least because the dismissal left his side 163-3 in their second innings and in deep trouble.
An exaggerated wave of the bat as he left the ground signalled the end of a career which started in the winter of 1991-92.
As well as the 86 tons, his 18 years in the game have featured 110 first-class half-centuries and seen him become the highest first-class run-scorer in the history of Australian cricket.
The downfall of Langer saw Worcestershire in with a great chance of victory.
They took a step closer when James Hildreth’s miserable end-of-season form continued as, on 18, he top-edged Richard Jones and presented a simple catch to Cox.
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