Date-stamped : 03 Sep96 - 22:31 ==================================>Day 1 Rollins steps in to flex muscles By Peter Deeley at Taunton First day of four: Derbyshire 389-7 v Somerset IF THE rest of Derbyshire`s days in the run-up to the title go as swimmingly as this one, they can start planning the menu for the celebration dinner at the County Ground. Four batting points are already in the bag, Somerset are unlikely to have Andre van Troost in their attack second time round and the pitch at one end is showing sufficient signs of lift to gladden the hearts of the Derbyshire trio of pacemen. Precedent is also on their side. It is 66 years since Somerset last beat them on this ground and, equally important, the weather seems set fair. Derbyshire`s batting strength has derived from the ability of men to step into the breach when the leading lights have failed. Here, Kim Barnett went tamely, pulling a long hop, and Dean Jones - playing with bruised ribs - fell to a sharply rising delivery from van Troost, who then disappeared from the scene with groin trouble. It was only appropriate that Adrian Rollins, who answers to the dressing-room nickname of Charles Atlas because of his interest in weightlifting, should then assume the mantle of responsibility on his broad shoulders. He has an uncomplicated style, playing very straight, which earned his third century of the season in under three hours. Rollins and Dominic Cork remained undefeated in a fifth-wicket stand throughout the afternoon session which destroyed Somerset`s hopes of getting back on top. Rollins went into his shell, scoring only 25 runs in 31 overs after reaching his hundred, but he had given Derbyshire the platform they needed before he was out straight after tea pushing at a wide ball from Shane Lee. Cork, as positive with the bat as one would wish him to be for England, then hit Jeremy Batty into the river before he was caught behind off another rising ball from Lee, though his gestures to the umpire appeared to suggest he had not made contact. Then Phillip DeFreitas took the bludgeon to the tiring Somerset attack - and a wilting field conceding many unforced errors - and hit Batty for two successive sixes back over the bowler`s head. DeFreitas reached his half-century in 46 balls with another six off Jason Kerr, which brought up Derbyshire`s final batting points in the 96th over, and when he was well caught behind, giving the competent Rob Turner his fourth catch of the day, DeFreitas had scored 60 off only 54 balls. Andrew Harris, 23, the pace bowler being tipped for an England A tour place this winter, has been awarded his county cap by Derbyshire. He has taken 40 first-class wickets this season at an average of 24.5. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph ==================================>Day 2 Lathwell makes Derbyshire toil By Peter Deeley at Taunton Second day of four: Somerset (238-4) trail Derbyshire (524) by 286 runs MARK Lathwell reminded Derbyshire yesterday that, just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, so there are few sinecure days on the way to a championship title. After the manner in which the visitors gorged themselves on the first day, this was one of comparative famine as Somerset`s batsmen briskly responded to Derbyshire`s 524, their highest-ever score against the West Country side. They now need another 137 runs to save the follow on. Lathwell was at his most decisive, his powerful bottom-hand play crunching the vast majority of his 20 boundaries in 109 scored in under three hours. Surprisingly it was his first championship century for over a year but the innings brought up his fifth consecutive thousand-run summer. Marcus Trescothick and Lathwell attacked the Derbyshire pace attack from the outset, putting on 76 before the left-hander chased a leg-side delivery from Dominic Cork and Karl Krikken took an excellent catch. Then Lathwell and Peter Bowler added another 118 in 29 overs and it began to look as if Derbyshire would go pointless through the day. Eventually Lathwell attempted to flay yet another boundary off Devon Malcolm and chopped the ball on to his stumps. Considering the amount of bounce the Somerset attack had extracted at the pavilion end, Derbyshire failed to take full advantage until late in the day when Andrew Harris turned in the day`s best spell, conceding only 17 runs in eight overs, making the batsmen play and miss and eventually trapping Bowler leg before. It was a somewhat curious decision by umpire Tony Clarkson. Bowler had pushed forward to Harris`s previous delivery and got away with what looked a very strong appeal. To the next ball Bowler again pushed his pad down the pitch, Harris this time did not go up - but the finger did and the batsman walked disconsolately away. In the final moments Glen Roberts, Derbyshire`s debutant, completed a memorable personal day, luring Simon Ecclestone to drive his left-arm spin, thus complementing the half-century he scored in the morning session. Then, the low order Derbyshire batsmen had put the torch to Somerset`s moderate attack, the last three wickets adding another 135 with Krikken, a veritable jack-in-the-box, hitting 13 boundaries in his 89. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph ==================================>Day 3 Derbyshire frustrated Lee`s show of power By Peter Deeley at Taunton Third day of four: Derbyshire (524 & 221-2) lead Somerset (464) by 281 runs IT WOULD be an irony not lost upon Australian minds if a New South Walian was to be instrumental in robbing two Victorians of the chance to share in an English championship triumph. Shane Lee`s fourth century for Somerset stopped Derbyshire in their tracks yesterday. It will take all the motivational skills of their captain, Dean Jones, and the quiet wisdom of coach Les Stillman for the Midlands side to craft the victory they need to keep pace with their rivals at the top of the table. Kim Barnett`s 49th hundred for his county in a long and honourable career means that some time today the visitors will declare, but they must be mindful of the fact that three points from a draw is better than no more loaf at all, so there could be a element of caution in Jones`s timing. Barnett was dropped in the deep - Andrew Caddick suffering for the second time - as soon as he reached his hundred but has so far added 142 with Jones for the third wicket. Derbyshire`s hopes of taking the quick route to success were blighted by an innings of great competence and no little power from Lee. He first saved the follow-on threat immediately after lunch and remained to deny them what could be a crucial fourth bowling point. In the field, Lee is looking fatigued, with 35 wickets at 45 runs apiece, towards the end of his summer in England but he has now scored over 1,100 runs and here gave only one chance, a hook off Devon Malcolm which was put down at deep fine leg. Dominic Cork was out of the attack with a hamstring twinge, balancing Somerset`s loss through injury of Andre van Troost, and once again Andrew Harris outshone his seniors in the fast bowling department, making most inroads on an increasingly benign pitch. He eventually had Lee caught slashing to wide third man and finished the Derbyshire innings with wickets in successive balls. Lee, however, marshalled the tail-end resistance to great effect, hitting 16 boundaries and a six in his three-hour stay. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph ==================================>Day 4 Derbyshire frustrated By Peter Deeley at Taunton Somerset (464 & 296-8) drew with Derbys (524 & 322-6 dec) DERBYSHIRE slipped to third place in the championship table, six points behind leaders Leicestershire, when they were frustrated by the Somerset fast bowler Jason Kerr`s highest championship score - after he had been allowed to bat on despite having his stumps shattered first ball. Phillip DeFreitas got through Kerr`s defence only to find the batsman indicating that he was not ready to take strike. No dead ball was signalled but Kerr, who gave one chance later on, went on to score an undefeated 68. In the end, the blandness of the pitch helped thwart Derbyshire, whose captain, Dean Jones, was reluctant to use his spinners at the end and instead relied almost exclusively on pace. Dominic Cork took four wickets - including one in the final over - shrugging off both hamstring problems and the attentions of the assembled paperazzi with their long lens, who were interested only in his marital problems. In the first hour, Derbyshire added 101 before declaring and setting Somerset a target of 383 in 78 overs. Andrew Caddick claimed three wickets and saw two more slip away through fielders` hands. Caddick is said to be unsettled but he has another two years of his contract to run. Money seems to be at the root of the problem and the bowler says he would be happy to stay with Somerset if he could renegotiate satisfactory terms. Marcus Trescothick was bowled as early as the second over when he offered no stroke to a delivery from DeFreitas and the demise of Mark Lathwell, taken at second slip by Chris Adams off DeFreitas after he had hit 10 fours in his half-century, prompted Somerset`s captain, Peter Bowler, to give up all ideas of a run chase. Bowler knows Derbyshire from the inside having spent seven seasons there and a certain edge seems to exist between him and his former colleagues. Here, he frustrated their intentions for three hours as Cork took three wickets in the space of 28 balls. He bowled Richard Harden with one that nipped back and got through Simon Ecclestone, who was leg before in the crease. Shane Lee took a century off Derbyshire in the first innings but Tim O`Gorman soon picked up a low catch in the gully. In the final session, it took two remarkable pieces of wicketkeeping by Karl Krikken to keep spirits up. He stood up to DeFreitas and when Bowler`s rear foot went up for a fraction of a second, Krikken swooped to bring off a wonderful leg-side stumping. Kerr and Rob Turner kept Derbyshire at bay in a seventh-wicket stand of 75 occupying 14 overs. Finally, Devon Malcolm induced Turner, who was one short of his fifty, to flick at a ball down leg and Krikken took a one-handed catch at full stretch. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)