Bears have Somerset in their grip.

For only the third time I went to Edgabston yesterday, arriving at the ground just after 11:30 to be greeted by a shower of rain. To their credit the players did not leave the field and the rain soon stooped to be replaced by warm sunshine. In all innocence I took a seat in the R.S.Wyatt stand which in turn gave me access to the members' lounge when required. Like Yorkshire it would appear that Warwickshire have cut down on the number of stewards on duty on match days. The ground is readily available from New Street Station with a very frequent bus service passing close by: journey time about 15 minutes.
Warwickshire's first innings closed just before lunch with a lead over Somerset of 186 runs. Suppiah, who I have yet to see make a decent score, was out in the short period before the interval which was extended by ten minutes after another brief shower.The afternoon was an attritional affair with Warwickshire content to give Trescothick singles to keep him off strike and Compton struggling to find his touch. A discontented Villa supporter behind me, who spouted misinformation most of the day, complained that Compton's batting was as slow as his father's. This may have been correct, but probably not what he meant.
Such has been Compton's poor form of late that when he reached fifty just after tea,he had been at the crease for over two and a half hours and it was his best effort since a double hundred against Durham in early May.In the meantime Trescothick had been the victim of a fluke dismissal when a firmly struck legside shot stuck between Westwood's arm and midriff.Trescothick's 55 had come out of a total of 86, scored at under three an over.
At tea Somerset were 121 for 2, at close of play they were 191 for 9, a lead of just 5, with Compton still there on 81 after an innings of almost five hours duration. Steve Kirby had prolonged the game into the extra half hour by resisting for almost an hour, and at the very end of the day Willoughby, Warwickshire's tail end Charl, faced just one ball which means they will all have to come back for the last rites this morning. Not quite all actually, for Keiswetter, who suffered his first pair yesterday, and Woakes who dismissed him, have left to join up with England's 20/20 squad.As the game is not until Saturday the pair will have plenty of time to discuss the merit's of the lbw that brought the fall of Keiswetter's wicket.
Edgbaston's £32 million refurbishment appears close to its completion and will be officially handed to WCCC on July 1st. By the standards set by other test grounds in recent years the new Edgabaston is unprovocative. It will certainly not divide opinion in the manner of The Point or The Carnegie Pavilion!Perhaps it is because of this that there is enough money in the pot to fund the recruitment of Chanderpaul who it was announced yesterday will join The Bears in July for the last six championship matches of the season.
Just before catching my train back to York I took the opportunity to have a pint in a city centre pub where I entered into conversation with a Californian and his son,the latter a student at Birmingham City University.They were intrigued that a game which began on Monday could last until Thursday. I resisted telling them that in theory somebody turning up today might see only two deliveries, separated of course by ten minutes break between innings.