BICKNELL REACHES LATEST LANDMARK BUT SURREY RUE MISSES by Marcus Hook
Somerset 335-9 v Surrey.

On what should have been an occasion for all of Surrey to celebrate, with Martin Bicknell claiming his one-thousandth wicket in the County Championship, it was Somerset and Peter Trego who ended the opening day of the Bath Festival much the happier. It was thanks, however, in no small part, to the visitors spurning a total of seven chances. Trego, who can now call himself an all-rounder with justification, blasted an unbeaten 103 off 123 balls to record his second championship century in five matches, but, so far, he has been granted lives on twelve and 94.

Confronted with a damp-looking and greenish pitch, Mark Butcher won the toss and elected to field. The Brown Caps dispensed with Nayan Doshi's left-arm spin. The hosts went one step further by opting to go into the contest with an all-seam attack, other than having occasional twirler Arul Suppiah to call upon.

It was not long before Butcher's decision was vindicated. After an hour's play, the Cidermen were 38 for four, with Martin Bicknell and Mohammad Akram sharing the wickets. Pushing forward, Suppiah was judged leg before to Bicknell and Matthew Wood, aiming an extravagant drive at the veteran seamer, was caught behind to give Jonathan Batty his 400th first-class dismissal. Wesley Durston and Cameron White were then accounted for by catches in the slips off Akram.

To the great relief of the home supporters James Hildreth and Keith Parsons came to Somerset's rescue with a partnership of 97, spread over an hour and a half, for the fifth wicket. Hildreth was dropped on two, but the complexion of the game changed when Bicknell and Akram were replaced with figures of two for 24 and two for 28 respectively. James Benning's first three overs went for twenty runs. Apart from when Parsons was dropped on 39, Neil Saker and Rikki Clarke looked ineffectual in the lead up to lunch.

Resuming on 133 for four, the home side lost Hildreth to the bowling of Akram off an edged drive. Then Parsons, who had reached an excellent half-century off 76 balls, was caught behind trying to withdraw the bat. That saw Carl Gazzard joining forces with Peter Trego and the home side wriggle free again. The seventh wicket pair put on 67 in fifteen overs before Gazzard, who was dropped on nought, was eventually caught in the slips off Clarke.

Richard Johnson, on 22, and Andrew Caddick, 16, were also given second chances. Bicknell, who finished with five for 86 from 26 overs and was the pick of the visitors' attack, came back to nip both out. Caddick, skying the ball to wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty, provided the 37-year-old all-rounder with his 1,000th championship wicket and his 44th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. The only received tangible support Bicknell received was in the shape of Akram, whose figures were somewhat spoilt when his five overs in the final session disappeared for twenty-one.

Somerset's last man, Charl Willoughby, was swinging lustily without connecting when the batsmen accepted the offer of bad light at 5.30pm. No further play was possible. Trego has so far hit three sixes and 12 fours.

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