Cricket: Caddick capitalises on batsmen's folly

Derbyshire 290 and 139 Somerset 181 and 93-5

IF LEMMINGS played cricket, they would bat like this. On a decent wicket, admittedly in the face of some spirited seam bowling, the batsmen of both sides had played like holiday-makers on the beach. If you manage to stay in for a while, you must then do something very silly. Derbyshire may have half a mind already on their NatWest final against Lancashire, but they cannot be kidding themselves that this is practice for the stern, lengthy discipline of 60-over cricket - yesterday they lasted one ball beyond 34 overs.

But no-one present at Taunton will forget this game in a hurry. So far, and there is plenty of time left for more cheap thrills, it has been a case of batsmen behaving badly. In response to this, the Somerset attack would rightly suggest that they deserve some praise for bowling the home side back into the match, leaving it nicely poised. But the day's first act belonged to the opposition.

Somerset, precarious at 96 for 5 on Wednesday night in answer to Derby's biff-bang 290, developed a series of little stands that led nowhere. Kevin Dean's six wickets were just reward for sustained left-arm accuracy.

At lunch, Derby were 45 without either loss or discomfort. In the hour after the interval they contrived to lose six wickets for 48. Four of these fell to the swing bowling of Matthew Bulbeck, also left arm and Somerset's find of the year, before Andy Caddick took over. As he so often has this season Caddick looked a class above everyone else, hustling 5 for 49.

The batting of another promising youngster, Ben Spendlove, symbolised the day. He sped to 27 with successive cuts off Caddick, one clipped, one squirted. Next ball he looped back the tamest of catches to the bowler. Twenty balls is too short even to be considered a cameo, but it is that sort of game.

In poor light Somerset set off after 249 to win, but with the exception of Marcus Trescothick could show no greater adhesion second time round, and 20 wickets had fallen on a very strange day.