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Your support makes all the difference.Something approaching normal service threatened to resume yesterday following Thursday's mutiny at May's Bounty, when 16 wickets fell in the day. But Kevin Shine's late burst of 3 for 1 in 16 balls swung the match violently in Somerset's favour after Hampshire's openers had appeared to put the hosts on top.
The pitch, slightly rough-looking, has assumed enigmatic proportions with the occasional one rearing off a length but no throat-balls or shooters for anyone to blame.
Somerset, resuming on 79 for 6, added 80 for the last four wickets in the morning, thanks mainly to a partnership of 57 between Piran Holloway and Andy Caddick. Holloway, who kept his head and his wicket intact amid the previous day's carnage, remained watchful to the last, while Caddick, with the confidence of Test success coursing through him, struck straight and true, including one massive six off Shaun Udal.
Caddick finally fell to John Stephenson for 38, defending his wicket with his front pad once too often for the liking of the umpire, Anthony Clarkson, and Kevan James wrapped up the innings three balls later by trapping his former Hampshire team mate Shine leg before for no score. James finished with 5 for 44, just rewards for some polish seam bowling, while Holloway was left undefeated on 73.
After lunch Jason Laney and Matthew Hayden set about the Somerset bowling with some purpose. Hayden, anxious to atone for his first ball duck on Thursday, opened his broad shoulders with a series of fine drives, while Laney matched the Australian stroke for stroke, including the second big six of the day, off Mushtaq Ahmed. But then Laney attempted to deposit a ball from Graham Rose to similarly distant parts and became the next batsman to be out lbw after his cross-batted swing had failed to connect.
Following an opening stand of 73, Hampshire then struggled as wickets fell. First James was caught behind pushing forward to Rose; then Hayden was surprised by one from Keith Parsons, in his first over, that pitched in the rough outside the left-hander's off-stump and bounced up disconcertingly. Hayden edged it to first slip but such was his bemusement that he waited for the umpire's finger to go up before walking off.
That was a blow to Hampshire, and another came shortly after tea when Robin Smith, who has looked in no sort of form, played forward to Mushtaq but was beaten and struck on the back pad - 131 for 4.
Stephenson and Will Kendall attempted to steady the ship, but then Shine took a hand. First he had Kendall caught at second slip, Stephenson followed caught behind and Udal edged the very next ball to Bowler to put Shine on a hat-trick. Dimitri Mascarenhas kept it out, but he did not last long and became the 12th batsman in the match to be given out lbw, this time to Rose.
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