All posts by h716a5.icu

Australian cricket’s future could be transformed at a board meeting in Melbourne tomorrow, where Cricket Australia’s directors are expected to launch a review of the failed Ashes campaign while also making radical changes to the domestic scene

Brydon Coverdale07-Feb-2011Australian cricket’s future could be transformed at a board meeting in Melbourne tomorrow, where Cricket Australia’s directors are expected to launch a review of the failed Ashes campaign while also making radical changes to the domestic scene. The board is set to decide on the eight new teams that will take part in next summer’s expanded Big Bash League, a tournament that won’t include the traditional state sides.But the more weighty issue is the review, which will look at the wider picture of Australian cricket in the wake of the Ashes disaster, which included three innings losses to England. The review is likely to be headed by someone independent from Cricket Australia, with all aspects of the organisation and the Australian cricket scene set to be examined.”The view is that it shouldn’t just be looking at the players that played the Test series, it should be looking at everything that contributes to the performance,” Cricket Australia’s spokesman Peter Young told ESPNcricinfo. “So, that’s right across Australian cricket, right across all the states, from the point where emerging talent is identified through the nurturing of that talent, the eventual selection of that talent and the management of that talent while it is part of the elite process.”The feeling is that’s not something you can do in 24 hours or two weeks, it’s going to take time. The objective is to understand what we need to understand to ensure we’re in a winning position when we next play the Ashes and when we host the 2015 World Cup.”But while Australia’s long-term future in the traditional format is up for discussion, the more immediate decisions will surround the shortest version of the game. The so-called Big Bash League will kick off next season, with city-based teams in all the state capitals, while two new expansion sides will also be included in New South Wales and Victoria.Three Victorian venues have put up bids to host the two Victorian teams – Geelong’s Skilled Stadium, Etihad Stadium (Docklands) and the MCG – and there are four bids from New South Wales, at the SCG, ANZ Stadium, Kogarah Oval and the Sydney Showgrounds. It’s less than a year until the competition will begin, and the board is set to decide on which teams will contest the inaugural tournament.”The concept is that as this league grows it will be more like an AFL or NRL competition and less like a competition representing states,” Young said. “The recommendation tomorrow will be on the initial eight teams. There is a possibility that we will move to a greater number than eight in the near future, but the launching pad for the Big Bash League will be eight teams.”However, what won’t be decided this week is how the players will be allocated to the new sides. Cricket Australia is keen to see all the teams begin on an even footing, which means that players’ existing state affiliations will have to be ignored, and the merits of a national draft will be weighed up against the possibility of free agency, which is favoured by the Australian Cricketers’ Association.”There have been some observations about, say, a Perth player doesn’t want to end up playing for Brisbane because it’s a long way from home,” Young said. “There’s also been an observation that all the players will be travelling for that short period of the competition, and it doesn’t matter where they live. We don’t yet have a recommendation on that and the board won’t be making that decision tomorrow.”

Celtic have not found it difficult to find the back of the net this season having scored 78 goals in 33 SPFL games under Ange Postecoglou.

Despite this impressive feat, one figure at the Parkhead club that hasn’t been particularly prominent in an attacking sense is striker Albian Ajeti.

With 17 appearances to his name across all competitions, the 25-year-old has only been able to score three goals.

As well as his lack of regular goals, his performances in the league when he has been able to get on the pitch have been rather underwhelming.

The centre-forward is currently listed as the second-lowest rated Celtic player currently in Postecoglou’s squad that has started more than one league game according to WhoScored.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Hoops may be looking to add some more attacking depth to their side, which could also push the misfiring Ajeti out of the club at the same time.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Ghana Web, Celtic are pushing for a summer transfer move to sign Bayern Munich youngster Christopher Scott.

With a total of 106 youth appearances to his name for Bayern and his previous club Bayer Leverkusen, the 19-year-old has scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in the process.

This shows what a capable attacking figure he is and what he could potentially offer the Hoops if they sign him this summer.

The teenager has also made two senior appearances for the Bundesliga champions this season which came during the back end of last season.

Labelled as an “very aggressive accurate passer” by Bhoys Analytics, Scott is set to have his current contract at the German club run out in the summer.

With that in mind, if the Hoops can secure his signature on a free transfer and then give him regular minutes on the pitch, this could be a great bit of business from the Parkhead club.

Also, with Frank McAvennie claiming how “unbelievable” it is for the club to still be paying Ajeti his £18k-per-week wages, getting him out of Celtic Park and replacing him with a young attacking talent such as Scott could give the Hoops fans a lot to shout about.

In other news: “Understand that…”: Journalist drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Celtic

There may be some awkward silences over breakfast and dinner at Boyd Rankin’s house over the next few days

George Dobell at Edgbaston 20-Jul-2010
ScorecardStuart Broad removed Jonathan Trott but came in for some punishment from Neil Carter•PA PhotosThere may be some awkward silences over breakfast and dinner at Boyd Rankin’s house over the next few days. It’s not that the tall Irishman is a poor conversationalist – far from it – but the fact that he denied his house guest a well-deserved century that could make the atmosphere a little tense.For Neil Carter is staying with Rankin this week. And, after Rankin dozily ran himself out to leave Carter stranded on 99, both men were left crouching at either end of the pitch with their heads in their hands.Carter (123 balls, ten fours and five sixes) richly deserved a century. By thwarting an attack containing four international bowlers, he earned Warwickshire a lifeline in a match they can’t afford to lose if they are to have any chance of avoiding relegation. They have already lost seven games out of ten and know that a team has never survived the drop with so many defeats.Very well he played, too. Where once he was littlemore than a happy slogger, he has now developed into a consistent cricketer who knows when to attack and defend. This was his fourth half-century of the championship season and leaves him top of Warwickshire’s batting averages. In a squad that includes Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, that’s a fine effort.It took a moment of madness to deny Carter. Backing-up in an over enthusiastic manner, Rankin was left well short of his ground after turning like an oil-tanker and failing to beat Graeme Swann’s direct hit. It’s not hard to understand Carter’s disappointment. He has scored only one first-class century and that was back in 2002. These opportunities don’t come along very often.Still, he could take consolation in a job well done. His efforts had helped Warwickshire to their highest first innings score since April and the relative riches of three batting bonus points. They had managed only three in their previous six matches. He had also helped Warwickshire’s last two wickets add 113 crucial runs. On a pitch that is likely to remain helpful to bowlers, the hosts’ final total is probably not far short of par.It was not just Carter’s stroke play that impressed. It was the way he farmed the strike. Time and again, he nudged the ball into gaps off the final ball of the over to ensure that Rankin faced only 12 deliveries in their tenth-wicket stand of 46. Indeed, Carter rubbed salt into Nottinghamshire’s wounds by stealing a single off the final ball of an over off which he had already plundered three sixes.Entertaining though Carter’s innings was, there was something unsettling about it from an England supporters’ perspective. This Nottinghamshire attack contains three centrally contracted England bowlers, all of whom featured in the World Twenty20 success in the Caribbean just two months ago. To see them thrashed to all parts of Edgbaston by a tail-end batsman was not encouraging for any English supporter with an eye to the Ashes.Stuart Broad sustained the fiercest mauling. At one stage Carter punished him for three sixes in an over (a pull, a wonderful cover drive and an upper cut), hitting the England fast bowler out of the attack. Whatever advice any of his teammates offered, it is highly unlikely it included the phrase ”Perhaps you could try the short ball a bit more, Stuart?’Carter also hit Ryan Sidebottom for two sixes (a back foot straight drive and a sliced drive over point) while Swann, playing his first Championship match in over a year, suffered the indignity of being slog-swept for two sixes by Imran Tahir, a man with few pretensions as a batsman. In all the trio, playing a championship game together for the first time since May 2008, conceded 248 in 65 overs.They were also out-bowled by a 35-year-old who New Zealand deemed worthy of just one Test cap. Andre Adams was easily the pick of the bowlers, maintaining a tight line and gaining enough movement to trouble batsmen all day. Indeed, by the time that Adams bowled Chris Woakes off the inside edge to leave Warwickshire on 157 for 7, it appeared the visitors had taken a firm grip upon the game.Until that point, Nottinghamshire had bowled pretty well. Sidebottom, who swung the ball all day, dismissed Botha with a beauty that moved away, before Trott was unable to capitalise on a let off in the slips on 13 and edged another fine delivery that bounced and left him. Ian Westwood drove loosely and edged to slip while Jim Troughton was drawn into a prod at one that spun away and took the edge – a classic off-spinner’s dismissal of a left-hander. Darren Maddy undid his promising to start when he pulled a short ball directly down the throat of long-leg. It was the third time this season he had fallen to such a sucker punch. Clarke edged a good one that left him and Tim Ambrose edged a footless drive.So, had Carter been taken early, Warwickshire may have failed to gain even a single batting point. As it was Nottinghamshire put him down to successive deliveries. If Chris Read did well to lay a hand on the first chance, a gloved pull that flew down the leg side, Alex Hales should have done much better with the next: a regulation outside edge to third slip. Sidebottom was the unfortunate bowler on both occasions. Warwickshire would have been 179 for eight had the first chance been taken. Carter was on just 16.Carter is out of contract at Edgbaston at the end of this season but, in his words, it would be a “massive surprise” if he were to leave. He’s been a key member of Warwickshire’s limited-overs team for years but this season is well on the way to record championship hauls with bat and ball. Aged 35, he is playing the best cricket of his career and it’s no surprise that he is beginning to attract the attention of some IPL teams.”That’s probably the best innings of my career,” Carter admitted afterwards. “It’s the most balls I’ve faced in an innings and while I’ve scored a century before, I’ve usually just gone out and blazed some shots. This time I felt I batted properly. I even played out a maiden at one point. And to do it against an attack of that class is very pleasing.”Boyd just said ‘sorry.’ What else could he do? If anything he was trying too hard. I’d still settle for 99 ten times out of ten when I go out to bat and I can only be satisfied with an innings that has put us back in the game.”

Having postponed talks on a new deal until next month, Anthony McGrath is putting up a strong case to continue a county career already spanning 17 years.

Myles Hodgson at Headingley16-Aug-2012
ScorecardAnthony McGrath reminded the Yorkshire management of his ability•PA PhotosAs a negotiating tactic to try and secure another contract, scoring a century to guide Yorkshire to maximum batting points against one of their main promotion rivals is probably as good as any. Having postponed talks on a new deal until next month, Anthony McGrath is putting up a strong case to continue a county career already spanning 17 years.Expected to be the player most under threat by the emergence of Joe Root at the start of the summer, McGrath has responded to the challenge impressively. He scored his first century in a year earlier this summer against Hampshire and has now followed that with 104 against Derbyshire, the Division Two leaders, to put Yorkshire in command of a rain-affected match.His innings, which included 10 fours and a six, helped secure maximum batting points with three balls of their allocated 110 overs remaining with McGrath bringing up the landmark in conjunction with his century by on-driving Tim Groenewald. It laid the platform for Yorkshire to either declare immediately to give themselves more time to bowl at Derbyshire, or advance quickly towards a major first innings total.In the event they did neither, losing five wickets for nine runs in the next 15 balls to a succession of ill-conceived shots and were dismissed for 420. They only recovered their momentum when Tim Bresnan, who raced up the M1 to join the match after being overlooked by England for the final Test, won an lbw decision against Wayne Madsen with the final delivery of the day.”The bonus points system always keeps it interesting at the end,” McGrath admitted. “Derbyshire probably did us a bit of a favour by sticking people on the fence, which made it a bit easier. Three, four or five runs were available every over from 98 overs, so we were confident of getting there. We wanted to bowl at them, but we also wanted to try and get as many as possible.”Yorkshire’s equation was complicated by the 26-point lead Derbyshire had secured at the top of Division Two, ensuring they have little to gain in engineering a finish should more time be lost in the match. It put the onus on quick run-scoring when Yorkshire resumed on 127 for 2 having lost the final two sessions of the opening day to rain.Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance provided that impetus, scoring at nearly four an over throughout the morning session during a 116-run partnership. Lyth fell seven short of his century and Ballance followed shortly after lunch for an eye-catching 79, both perishing to loose shots attempting to push the scoreboard along.Restricted to only two runs an over for the first half hour after lunch, McGrath teamed up with Andrew Hodd, making his debut as a loan signing from Sussex and also hoping to secure a new contract at the end of the summer. They were both frustrated by Derbyshire’s initial accuracy, but needing 24 off the final four overs of allocated bonus point overs, they accelerated to reach their objective during a 131-run stand.They fell in quick succession with Wes Durston, Derbyshire’s off-spinner, exploiting Yorkshire’s desire for rapid runs to finish with career-best figures of 5 for 34, although Hodd must also have gone a long way towards securing a permanent contract by scoring 58 precious runs on debut.”It’s probably different to what he’s used to down in Sussex because the wickets are different up here, especially this one because there’s more grass on this pitch than there has been for a long time,” McGrath explained. “If you bowl straight with pace it’s difficult to score. He found it tough during that period, but got through that and played really well and was integral towards us getting full batting points.”Having given themselves only 11 overs to bowl at Derbyshire, Yorkshire looked likely to be frustrated until Bresnan struck with the final ball, but it will take fair weather and an exceptional performance on an easy-paced wicket to contrive the victory they require to close the gap on the leaders.

Sunderland have been handed a huge boost ahead of the League One run-in, with an injury update emerging from the Academy of Light.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Cambridge United clash (via The Northern Echo), Alex Neil revealed that Aidan McGeady – who has been sidelined since November of last year due to a knee ligament injury – has now returned to full training with the first-team squad.

Regarding the recovery of the 36-year-old, the Black Cats manager said: “He trained with us yesterday so that is a big step forward.

“He hasn’t been with the group for quite a while now but yesterday was his first training session so, obviously, it’s only the beginning. He was on the grass yesterday with us and he looked fine.”

Neil will be buzzing

With Sunderland still very much being in with a shout of securing a play-off place this season, there is no doubt that McGeady’s return to full training will have left Neil buzzing.

Indeed, while it would appear unlikely that the 36-year-old will make a return to action over the club’s final three League One fixtures, having him on the training pitch will certainly add an element of experience to the sessions – something that will subsequently have a positive influence on the Black Cats’ push for a top-six spot.

McGeady is out of contract this summer, however, while the winger has made it clear he wants to continue to play football in a recent interview, there has been no progress or confirmation of his current deal at the Stadium of Light being extended as of yet.

The winger told the Scottish Daily Mail (via Daily Record): “I know I am 36 and have not got that many years left but I still think with the way that I play, I can do so for a few years.”

Sunderland are currently in seventh following a draw with Plymouth Argyle on Monday night, but the Mackems do have a game in hand on their fifth and sixth place competitors – something which means the clash with Cambridge United tomorrow will have huge consequences in the play-off race.

AND in other news: Neil must now boldly axe “fatigued” £2.7k-p/w Sunderland star, he needs a break

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a comfortable season so far, with the appointment of Patrick Vieira and his summer signings making an impact in the right direction for the club, and in his second transfer window at Selhurst Park, the manager could be set to make another astute signing.

What’s the word?

Journalist Tom Barclay, has weighed in on the potential signing of Eddie Nketiah by Palace during the January transfer window, giving his perspective on the likelihood of the player joining the Eagles

Speaking to Give Me Sport, he said: “I think they’re still very much keen on him but it might be quite a tricky signing for them.”

The £17k-p/w striker has been linked with a move to Selhurst Park since the transfer window opened last weekend, but there are other clubs interested, with both Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen rumoured to be competing for the 22-year-old.

Fans will be buzzing

Vieira has changed the age profile of the Palace squad in his short time, with the club adding a number of young players during his time at the helm. Conor Gallagher (21) and Odsonne Edouard (23) are perfect examples of signings who have had a positive impact on the team this season.

Adding another young player into the mix to integrate into the side should surely put the club in good stead to build a team at Selhurst Park with a promising long-term future.

Some Eagles fans have already taken to social media to give their thoughts on the potential signing of Nketiah and how his prospective addition would be good for the team given the current competition in attack. With Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew both 30 or older, and Jean-Philippe Mateta on the verge of leaving south London, centre-forward is a position where Vieira should indeed be looking to strengthen.

The Arsenal youngster has not had a chance to make a big impact on their Premier League campaign, with only three top-flight appearances this season. However, he has made the most of his game-time in the Carabao Cup, with five goals in just three matches helping Mikel Arteta’s side to reach the semi-finals.

Vieira will be hoping to give Nketiah a reason to join Palace by getting the better of Milwall tomorrow in the FA Cup and offering an attractive prospect for the youngster to become an integral part of a potential cup run at Selhurst Park.

Given the 22-year-old’s form in domestic cup fare already this term, the prospect of replicating that for the Eagles could have the Palace faithful buzzing with excitement.

In other news: Vieira could make his first big Palace mistake with this transfer target

Michael Hussey will walk on to the MCG on Wednesday under immense pressure ahead of the Ashes, but his captain Ricky Ponting believes Hussey will come good before the first Test

Brydon Coverdale02-Nov-2010Michael Hussey will walk on to the MCG on Wednesday under immense pressure ahead of the Ashes, but his captain Ricky Ponting believes Hussey will come good before the first Test. Hussey has joined the ODI squad fresh from a disappointing Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia in Adelaide, where he followed a first-innings golden duck with 3 in the second innings.One domestic outing would not usually have any bearing on an established player’s place in the side, but Hussey’s Test form has been scratchy for some time. His career average hovers around 50 but in the past two years he has averaged only 34.18, and at 35 years of age the time to justify his position is rapidly running out.Adding to the selectors’ dilemma in the lead-up to the Gabba Test is the strong form of Usman Khawaja, who toured England with the Test squad this year and started the Sheffield Shield season with a double-century. While Hussey was struggling in Adelaide, his South Australian opponent Callum Ferguson posted 129, and the form of the much younger batsmen won’t make life any easier for Hussey.”He’s a bit disappointed with it,” Ponting said of Hussey’s Sheffield Shield performance. “I’ve had a good chat with him today. He’s very clear in his own mind about what he needs to do and he feels he’s on the right track and his preparation has been good for every game that he’s played. Class players like him generally find a way to get it done, and I’m sure that over the next few one-day games against Sri Lanka you’ll see him score some runs.”But the selectors must decide whether the ODI arena is the best place for Hussey in the build-up to the Ashes. Western Australia play a first-class game against the touring England side in Perth starting on Friday and it could be the perfect opportunity for Hussey to find some touch against the red ball and his Ashes opponents.Australia’s full-time selector, Greg Chappell, said there had been discussions about releasing Hussey to take part in that game, but the batsman wanted to stay with the one-day side. On Tuesday, Ponting had not looked closely at the state schedule but conceded the idea of getting more first-class cricket in to Hussey would have been spoken about.”There’s probably a debate around that,” Ponting said. “At the end of the day, all the players want to be playing as many games for Australia as they possibly can. It’s important then that you maximise your training time and the time you get in the middle to make sure your game is where it needs to be. I’m sure that’s what Mike’s thinking is this week.”All the Australian players will have at least one more opportunity to play Sheffield Shield cricket before the battle for the urn begins in Brisbane on November 25, but England will have three first-class warm-up games during the same period. The majority of Australia’s Test players are preparing to face Sri Lanka in a one-day series, but Ponting was not concerned about his men having a lack of first-class action ahead of the first Test.”The fact that Johnson and Hussey came home early from India to play that Shield game last week, we’re doing what we can to get as much first-class cricket in to our players before the first Test match come around,” he said. “The international programme is what we’ve got – there’s not much we can do about it. We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got all our guys in the best physical and technical shape that we can have them in come the start of the Ashes series.”

Speaking live on his Twitch stream, as shared by The Daily Express, reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared another update on Tottenham Hotspur target Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs in talks…

As reported by multiple reliable sources, Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have been in talks to sign the Wolves winger, whom Antonio Conte intends to use as a right-wing back.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Italian wants to strengthen out wide and sees Traore as a player who could seriously bolster his three-at-the-back formation, coming amid claims that he wants an upgrade on summer signing Emerson Royal (The Athletic).

As the final week of the transfer window looms, an agreement still hasn’t been announced with negotiations taking time.

Journalist Matt Law of The Telegraph claimed recently that Spurs are eyeing a loan with an obligation to buy for the player as Romano now shares Traore’s stance on a switch to north London.

The Latest: Traore wants to join Spurs…

According to the Italian on his Twitch, as relayed by The Express, the 25-year-old is apparently eager to join Conte at Spurs and sees the opportunity as one he can’t refuse.

Talks are expected to continue between the Molineux outfit and Tottenham as the Lilywhites head coach sets sights on his first signing at N17.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as ‘undefendable’ and ‘unplayable’ in past seasons by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, a huge admirer, pundits across the Premier League believe Traore could indeed be a good fit for Spurs.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, for instance, called the Spain international a ‘perfect fit’ for Tottenham and if they can agree a loan it would be some stellar business.

Still fairly young in his mid-20s, Traore’s price tag has dropped massively in recent seasons, which could partly be due to his contract situation at Wolves.

Romano, writing for Calciomercato in October 2020, claimed that the Midlands outfit once valued their man at a sky high €100 million (£83.1m).

Spurs would be foolish not to strike and seal a deal before January 31.

In other news: Conte green-lights move for £220k-p/w ‘jewel’ as he lays out transfer demand for Spurs chiefs, find out more here.

Northamptonshire’s promotion hopes were hit by rain which ruined a potentially intriguing final day of the match at Chesterfield. Derbyshire started the fourth morning needing another 322 for victory but a violent electrical storm halted play after only 3

12-Aug-2010
ScorecardNorthamptonshire’s promotion hopes were hit by rain which ruined a potentially intriguing final day of the match at Chesterfield. Derbyshire started the fourth morning needing another 322 for victory but a violent electrical storm halted play after only 35 minutes.Torrential rain left mini-lakes across the Queen’s Park outfield and it was three hours before the match could resume. Sterling work by the groundstaff allowed the umpires to take the players back out at 2.30pm but after 25 minutes, another downpour sent the players back to the pavilion for the last time.Umpires Jeff Evans and Richard Illingworth were left with no alternative but to call the game off shortly before 3.30pm with Derbyshire 76 for 0, leaving the home side to take nine points and Northants six.It was a soggy anticlimax to what promised to be an exciting day’s cricket, with both teams fancying their chances of forcing a win. Northants needed the points to stay in touch with the top two in Division Two while bottom-of-the-table Derbyshire were chasing a first victory since late April.It was a tough task for the home side but Derbyshire could take heart from the previous Championship match at Queen’s Park when, despite losing to Surrey by 42 runs, they scored 365 in the fourth innings.Although Northants have five bowlers out injured, there was enough in the pitch to suggest they could take 10 wickets in the day, although they had made their task harder by dropping Chris Rogers the previous evening. The Australian opener was likely to be a key figure in a successful run chase and he and Wayne Madsen had reduced the target by 22 in nine overs without any real alarms when the first storm broke over the tree-ringed ground.The lengthy hold-up meant 36 overs were lost and that almost certainly scuppered Derbyshire’s chances and left Northants needing to break through quickly. The bowlers were encouraged by the sight of one ball from Andrew Hall shooting through low while another from the Northants skipper lifted sharply at Madsen and lobbed to gully, where James Middlebrook spilled the catch running back.In the end, it had no impact on the visitors’ chances because, minutes later, dark clouds rolled back in and condemned the contest to a watery end.

Marcus Trescothick hit the fastest half-century in the history of English domestic Twenty20 cricket as Somerset beat Hampshire by six wickets at Taunton

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Marcus Trescothick hit the fastest half-century in the history of English domestic Twenty20 cricket as Somerset beat Hampshire by six wickets at Taunton. The former England opener reached his fifty from just 13 balls, with five sixes and five fours, on his way to making 78 off 27 deliveries as his side successfully chased down Hampshire’s total of 216 for 5 with two overs to spare. Peter Trego made an unbeaten 72.Hampshire took first use of the batsman-friendly wicket after winning the toss. Neil McKenzie (73) and Sean Ervine (53) capitalised on the conditions as a 7,000-plus crowd revelled in hot sunshine and a run feast.But Trescothick stole the show, finishing with seven sixes and seven fours. There was a collective groan from spectators when he was tamely caught and bowled by Danny Briggs in only the ninth over.From then on, Trego, promoted to open on his return from England Lions duty, saw Somerset to their target, despite Briggs removing Kieron Pollard for a duck in the same over as Trescothick fell. Abdul Razzaq went for 64 off his four overs as James Hildreth (29) and Jos Buttler (18 not out) joined in the big-hitting action. Trego faced 44 balls and hit eight fours and three sixes.Earlier, after the loss of Michael Carberry who was brilliantly run out by Trescothick’s direct hit from cover, Hampshire batted aggressively with James Vince scoring 22 off just nine balls. Jimmy Adams hit four boundaries in his 21 and when they fell in quick succession to make it 57 for three only five overs had been bowled.It was 62 for 3 at the end of the power-play overs and Ervine and McKenzie added 112 in 11 overs to build on the impressive start. Ervine reached his half-century with two sixes in an over from Trego, but was out next ball attempting another.McKenzie hit only one six, straight off Somerset’s best bowler Murali Kartik, but added 10 fours before being pinned lbw by a full length ball from Alfonso Thomas. Somerset’s win strengthened their position in the top four of the South Division and they look a solid bet to reach the quarter-finals.