Cricket/ Ireland v Somerset: Ireland lost by 128 runs to Somerset yesterday and face a battle to regroup ahead of today's match against Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy at the Rosebowl in Southampton.
They were dealt a further blow by the news that Andre Botha will be sidelined for up to three weeks after dislocating a finger.
The 341 total is the second-highest score conceded by Ireland in a 50-over game. The record is 349 for 7 scored by the same team on this ground in 1997. Kyle McCallan is the only Ireland player to have played in both games; the Belfast teacher opened the batting 10 years ago and didn't bowl.
Runs are something of a devalued currency here in Taunton. There have been 14 centuries scored in two county championship games this season, including two doubles and a triple. Last week Derbyshire scored over 800.
The first ball bowled by Ireland's new overseas pro Nanty Hayward was a leg-stump yorker to Justin Langer, who survived a very good lbw shout. The next time the little Australian batsman showed any hint of vulnerability was 140 balls later when he was bowled by Dave Langford Smith for 132. It was his highest one-day score for his adopted county, compiled by stealth with neat, nimble strokes both sides of the wicket.
From such a stable base, the other Somerset players were given licence to blast; an order they took to with relish.
In the shadow of the Ian Botham Stand, Marcus Trescothick looked in the mood to repeat the hundred he scored the last time he faced Ireland, in England colours at Stormont last summer. Flashing cover drives and short-arm pulls lit up the first half-hour. It was a reminder of what England have been missing.
Australian Cameron White peppered the stand at the Old Pavilion end with three sixes and four fours, before being caught by his namesake Andrew on the deep-midwicket boundary.
He went caught behind off Langford Smith by Gary Wilson, keeping wicket in place of Niall O'Brien, on duty for Northants.
Langford Smith and Hayward took three wickets each, but both came at a cost. Langford Smith went for 91 runs in his 10 overs and Hayward conceded 61.
Ian Blackwell is one of the hardest hitters of a ball in the county game, a fact to which Andre Botha can testify. Botha stuck out his right hand to a crunching straight drive off his own bowling and having clipped his forefinger the ball raced to the straight boundary.
Botha dislocated a finger on his bowling hand and suffered damaged tendons, which will keep him out of action for a sizeable portion of the campaign.
It also raises doubts as to his fitness for the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Kenya, which starts on May 22nd in Leicestershire. Ireland face an uphill task to remain competitive.
For a team to chase 341, an innings of substance is required from one of the top four. On this pitch, that means something well over 100.
It didn't start well, William Porterfield going first ball, caught behind. Jeremy Bray played well for his 27, punishing the square boundary with some characteristically robust square cuts. He went tamely, bowled playing early to a good-length ball from the South African left armer Willoughby.
Peter Gillespie bustled along for 32, supported by Andrew White and Kevin O'Brien.
Wickets fell too quickly for momentum to build. Gary Wilson's first 50 for Ireland came in 58 balls, including six sweetly timed boundaries.
McCallan played tidily before being run out by a direct hit, and by the time Trent Johnston went lbw for 3, the score was 102 for 6.
The late tallies of Wilson and Langford Smith's rescued some respectability. One of the latter's four sixes went over the stand at mid-wicket and on to the roof of the old printing works.
It was Somerset, however, who produced the last word.
Scoreboard: Ireland v Somerset
SOMERSET
J Langer b Langford-Smith 132
M Trescothick c Wilson b Langford-Smith 22
L White c White b Hayward 65
J Hildreth c Johnston b McCallan 41
C Kieswetter run out 2
D Blackwell c O'Brien b Hayward 29
K Parsons b Langford-Smith 16
P Trego c Johnston b Hayward 11
P Jones not out 2
A Caddick not out 1
Extras(b 5, lb 4, w11) 20
Total(for 8 wkts; 50 overs) 341
Did not bat:C Willoughby
Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-178, 3-263, 4-269, 5-307, 6-311, 7-327, 8-338.
Bowling: M Hayward 10-0-60-3; D Langford-Smith 10-0-91-3; A Botha 7-4-0-42; D Johnston 9.2-0-68-0; K O'Brien 3-0-20-0; W McCallan 10-0-51-1.
IRELAND
J Bray b Willoughby 27
W Porterfield c Kieswetter b Willoughby 0
K O'Brien lbw b Willoughby 6
P Gillespie c White b Jones 32
A White c Hildreth b Parsons 14
G Wilson c Caddick b Willoughby 51
D Johnston lbw b Parsons 3
W McCallan run out 34
D Langford-Smith c Trescothick b Willoughby 39
M Hayward not out 0
A Botha absent hurt
Extras(lb 5, w2) 7
Total(all out; 41 overs) 213
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-19, 3-41, 4-73, 5-98, 6-102, 7-159, 8-213, 9-213.
Bowling: C Willoughby 8-1-33-5; P Trego 9-1-53-0; S Jones 8-0-41-1; K Parsons 10-1-49-2; I Blackwell 6-0-32-0.
Somerset won by 128 runs.
