Somerset Sabres recorded a much needed National League victory, their second of the season when they beat the Scottish Saltires at the County Ground in Taunton but it was a close run thing

SOMERSET15-Jun-2003Somerset Sabres recorded a much needed National League victory, their second of the season when they beat the Scottish Saltires at the County Ground in Taunton but it was a close run thing.After winning the toss the visitors made the most of the easy paced wicket at the County Ground. The Saltires onslaught was led by Rahul Dravid who started his innings slowly but as he grew in confidence scored his runs almost effortlessly.Dravid brought up his own fifty off 57 balls, and then went onto his century just 44 deliveries later, offering just one chance on the way when he was on 94, when his on drive was just too fierce for Keith Dutch’s fingertips at mid wicket.Once he had passed the century landmark he cut loose with an array of clean hitting that included one gigantic six into the first floor of the Ondaatje Pavilion.By the time that the innings closed the Salitres had moved onto296 for 4, a record total for the National Cricket League newboys, with Dravid unbeaten on 120, that contained eleven fours and three sixes.Earlier there had been valuable contributions from Ryan Watson who made 75 out of a record partnership of 117 against Somerset with Dravid and Jon Kent who contributed 48 to a fourth wicket century partnership with the Indian Test star.The Somerset chase started badly when Paul Hoffman sent Peter Bowler’s off stump flying with the first ball of the second over, Jamie Cox and Carl Gazzard set about rescuing the situation and put on 160 runs for the second wicket in aggressive fashion.Cox brought up the hundred and his own fifty in the fifteenth over with a sweetly timed drive and his young Cornish companion went to his in the next over with a lofted drive over mid wicket. Gazzard continued to plunder his runs and had scored 81 when he went for one shot too many as he hit Majid Haq to long on where Watson took the catch.Dutch saw up the two hundred, but was then run out as Watson touched a fiercely hit shot by Cox onto the stumps. Keith Parsons went down the wicket and was bowled by Haq and suddenly Somerset had slipped to 202 for 4.Worse was to follow for the Sabres when Cox was caught by Greig Williamson at wide mid off for 82. Blackwell scored a quickfire 28 but having dispatched Brinkley to square leg he gave a straightforward catch to Craig Wright at cover.When Steffan Jones, coming in at number ten, walked to the wicket the game had swung back in favour of the Saltires, but the Welshman who had played for his country against England the previous day proceeded to show that he is more than capable with the bat and brought his side back to within sight of victory.Simon Francis drove Brinkley for an unexpected boundary and then took a single off the last ball of the over. Needing two runs to win Francis glanced another boundary to give the Sabres victory with five balls left.There were scenes of jubilation round the ground amongst the crowd but Somerset coach Kevin Shine was a little more guarded about the outcome. He said: "The points are on the board but we are not particularly satisfied by our performance today. The Saltires had an outstanding innings from Rahul Dravid and they looked like posting an enormous total , but we managed to keep them below three hundred."He went on: "After getting ourselves into a winning position thanks to Jamie Cox and Carl Gazzard we handed the game back to them. Thankfully at the end of the innings Steffan Jones and Simon Francis who have not shown the greatest of form with the bat this season managed to get us home."He concluded: "We cant gloss this result over as a good win because we should have brought it home a lot easier than we did."