Tuesday 17th July: the journey down to Somerset is largely a smooth affair, making use of the direct Cross Country link from Wolverhampton to Taunton via Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bristol - the journey should take about two and a half hours but ended up closer to three because of changing the train crew at New Street. Touching down in Taunton, we get our bearings and make tracks for our guest accommodation (the excellent Lowden's House on Wellington Road). Once settled in we head out to explore the town a little more, taking a closer look at the train station (partly remisicent of Worcester Shrub Hill) and finding a library almost buried beneath a multistorey car park. We do a circuit of the County Ground to work out the entrances and seating positions in readiness for the game, and we also acquaint ourselves with some of Taunton's pubs. The Coal Orchard offers gammon as an art-deco Wetherspoon's, the Racehorse is a St. Austell Brewery house on East Reach, and the Castle Green Inn is the Somerset CAMRA 2012 Pub of the Year.
- Sir Viv Richards Gates -
Wednesday 18th July: after picking up a few supplies, we make our way to the ground to commence the cricketing action. Entering via the Viv Richards gates, the ticket costs £17 although we can purchase advance tickets of £12 for the remaining days. Sadly it was a rather frustrating day punctuated by irritating bursts of damp weather. Play is initially delayed until 11:45, then when we are underway for about 10 overs until a brief shower intervenes. A very short resumption is long enough for Ian Westwood to get out, with the rain setting in again immediately after the fall of the wicket. Lunch is taken at 27/1 and further rain makes it clear that play isn't going to start again anytime quickly. We head out of the ground for a while, taking the chance to try out the Plough, a traditional little inn we'd spotted where the pub dog is quite a character. We also track down part of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal for a few photos of Firepool Lock. Back at the cricket and things initially look more promising, the covers momentarily being rolled away with the umpires intending to restart play at 16:30. The weather had other ideas though as yet another heavy squall rolls in off the hills and that was that, play abandoned for the day. Not quite the start we had hoped for then, but we can still enjoy an evening around Taunton, sampling the Perkin Warbeck (another Wetherspoon's) and revisiting the Castle Green Inn so that Stephen can get in a round that was significantly more expensive than the one I'd bought there the night before - strange that? There was also time to squeeze in a look around the First bus garage and the Wordsworth Drive ground, home to Taunton Town FC (otherwise known as the Peacocks) - a couple of excellent finds there.
- Firepool Lock and Bridge -
Thursday 19th July: Thankfully the forecast looks much more promising for the rest of the week so we make use of some morning sunshine with a little stroll around Galmington, a residential area close to Musgrove Park Hospital. We then return to the ground with renewed vigour, claiming our seats in the Sir Ian Botham Stand watching from behind the bowler's arm at the River End. It is a day to sit back and enjoy watching the Bears bat as we progress to 387 for 7 by the close. Notable innings came from Varun Chopra (an imperious 93), Captain Jim (battling hard for 132 not out, mixing pure graft with some entertaining strokeplay) and Chris Woakes (an elegant attacking century working well in partnership with Jim). Feeling confident that Warwickshire have taken command of the game, we spend the evening eating chips and watching test match highlights before Stephen again gets stung for a pricey round in the Castle Green Inn.
- Sir Ian Botham Stand -
Friday 20th July: Fortified by a hearty Lowden's breakfast and some Open Golf action from Lytham, we head once more to the ground in anticipation of further Bears progress. As it turned out, they only just squeaked to 400 before being bowled out, at least securing the final batting bonus point in the process. It was then over to our bowlers to inflict some damage, regular incisions being made and it looked like we might make Somerset follow on. Jeetan Patel bowled an inspired extended spell from the River End, taking 7 for 75 but Somerset just about crept past the 250 mark in order to make us bat again. Second time around we looked more fragile, reaching close on an unconvincing 66 for 3 albeit the lead was over 200 so Warwickshire were still in the box seat. Our evening entertainment this time around involved spotting fish in the River Tone (possible chub sightings according to Mr B), eating gammon in the Perkin Warbeck and returning to the Plough to find a concealed doorway hidden in a bookcase that provides secret access to the gents toilets.
- Vivary Park -
Saturday 21st July: With the weather set fair the main question has to be can the Bears win? We are admittedly hopeful as we approach the ground, but a demoralising collapse sees us skittled for only 124 leaving Somerset needing 271 to win. Stephen and I have now been joined by the likes of Ken - having been spotting Kenalikes all week it threw us momentarily when the real thing arrived! - plus Dougie and Mark for moral support and we still feel relatively confident at lunch, Somerset having lost early wickets in pursuit of their target. Hildreth makes that three down shortly after the resumption, 15 for 3 and its all systems go - but then we hit a brick wall in the form of an impressive partnership from Craig Kieswetter and Nick Compton. Kieswetter was particularly destructive, launching a flurry of sixes as Jeetan Patel went wicketless. All of a sudden it was Somerset who were cruising to victory, only for a nosebleed to set in once Kieswetter had departed for a swashbuckling 152. Keith Barker became our dangerman taking four quick wickets and bringing last man Gemaal Hussain to the crease - 1 wicket left, two runs to be scored, a nailbiter of a denouement. Sadly for the Bears at least, Hussain held out to give Peter Trego chance to dispatch the winning runs. Defeat then for Warwickshire when it could have been oh so different, but what a finish and what an entertaining match. Stephen was surprisingly upbeat considering the result, and he even kept smiling when the Castle Green Inn completed a hat-trick of charging him considerably more for the rounds he bought (not that I was complaining of course).
Sunday 22nd July: all that remains is the homeward journey, bidding farewell to Taunton with a lingering look at the railway station before catching our 1200 hours train direct to Wolverhampton. The result might not have been what we wanted, but the match at Taunton, along with our experiences of the town in general, will definitely live long in the memory.
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