Marchant de Lange delivers a birthday treat for Somerset president Brian Rose

SAM DALLING AT TAUNTON: Brian Rose captained Somerset to their maiden trophy, served as the county's director of cricket and is now president. In honour of Rose's 71st birthday, Marchant de Lange played his best few hours in Somerset colours

Happy birthday Brian Charles Rose. Somerset’s president turned 71 today, and fittingly it was marked with another fine day in the Taunton sunshine. Particularly pleasing for Rose will have been Marchant de Lange, a brute of a quick who earned a pair of Test caps for the Proteas a decade ago, enjoying his best few hours in Somerset colours.  

Rose has helped shaped Somerset’s history on numerous occasions. First at captain, he led the club to its' maiden silverware – a Gillette Cup and John Player League double in 1979 - also famously courting controversy by declaring an over into a Benson & Hedges clash. It backfired. "Rose did not infringe the laws, he exploited them," wrote John Arlott in The Guardian.

Rose had taken over from Brian Close, despite the fact he was, according to Vic Marks, "not the obvious heir apparent." But Rose’s "brave decisions to back the younger blokes” paid off. It helped that said younger blokes were Marks, Lord Ian Botham and Sir Vivian Richards mind. 

Sheer volume of runs earned him nine Test caps, including 243 runs at 48.6 against a formidable West Indies attack. By the time his stellar career drew to a close he had racked up more than 18,000 runs for Somerset. He is, quite rightly, a hall of famer.  

Rose's second coming so to speak came with Somerset at a low ebb.  Languishing in domestic cricket's second-tier when he was appointed director of cricket mid-way through the 2005 season, the T20 cup was secured that year, although they finished bottom-but-one of the County Championship. A year later they grabbed the wooden spoon.  

But sure as hot air, Somerset rose from the gutter, Rose instrumental over the following half-dozen years. Justin Langer too was a catalyst, Rose calling out-of-the blue and enticing him to the west country. Nick Compton left London and all its trimmings for Taunton a few years later, and so prolific was he that he earned Test honours. Both cite Rose as critical. And Pete Trego, another of Weston-Super-Mare's favourite sons, agreed to return home over a pint in the local.  

The only real negative of Rose’s tenure was the failure to secure a trophy, Somerset famously finished second in all three competitions in 2010, losing additional finals and 2011. It hurt no-one more than Rose himself.  

Anyway, I digress: the reason Rose would have enjoyed de Lange's 2 for 46 off 22 overs of express pace? Well because he took a particular fancy to South African quicks hovering on international cricket's periphery.

Brian ran a landscape gardening company, BCR Services, with son Jamie Joseph, and he was working the day after Alfonso Thomas’ low key arrival. As a student I laboured for them and recall enquiring inquisitively about Thomas while queuing for timber at the local merchant one morning.  A man who saved words only for when absolute necessary, Rose nodded: "good bowler." Thomas remains, for the time being at least, Somerset’s leading T20 wicket-taker with 137.  

Charl Willoughby was another Rose signging. A gazelle-esque left-arm seamer who claimed 6 for 16 against Somerset for Leicestershire in the C&G Trophy. Rose took notice, and leant on Graeme Smith’s influence to secure his man. Willoughby left with 458 Somerset wickets. Other notable South African’s included Vernon Philander for a brief spell in 2012, and Charl Langeveldt who was part of the 2005 T20 triumph.  

T20 Blast 2021 team guide: Somerset

Wearer of 4XL shirts, de Lange is easily mistakable for a second-row rugby player. He is as hostile on the field as he is soft and tender off it, but has enjoyed a mixed start since signing from Glamorgan in the winter.

Such is the strength of Somerset's attack, de Lange has not been a regular pick. Despite his overseas status, this is just his fifth outing of the season and he has arguably had more success with bat than ball. Every chance he would have carried drinks again here had Craig Overton not been bubbling.

But in a tournament peppered with 75mph bimblers – fine performers many of them – de Lange offers a point of difference. According to the Somerset speed-gun, he regularly tickled 90mph even into his fifth spell before close. The last ball of the day whistled past the bat, de Lange on his haunches.  

Scuttling back to the dressing room with a pair of coffees in hand, bowling coach Steve Kirby stopped to purr. De Lange is one of the squads most popular members and a lot of hard has gone on behind the scenes in recent weeks. Today it showed.  

His two wickets both came in the 14th over. The first was angled across left-hander Tom Alsop, Tom Abell taking a smart catch diving forward at slip. Balls later Cameron Steel, who played a little with the Somerset 2nd XI as a youth, miscued a back-foot stroke. Re-adjusting dextrously in his follow-through, de Lange snaffled a return grab. Looks can be deceiving: he is more agile than his size suggests, and gets around the field well.  

^{Brian Rose and Tom Abell in 2019 (L); Rose during his playing career (R)}

A note too for Abell, who might just be the most underrated bowler on the circuit. Before this season he had to be cajoled into turning his arm over, but after a winter of encouragement from head coach Jason Kerr, Abell now turns to himself more frequently. Today he claimed a pair of crucial wickets, Liam Dawson edging a perfect outswinger to James Hildreth at first slip. The Somerset skipper completed a Dick van Dyke-esque heel clip celebration, and the 1,900 members present let out a guttural roar.  

Abell returned later to remove Sam Northeast - who had batted beautifully for 67 - a short-ball climbing more quickly than anticipated and Steven Davies settling himself underneath a skier. It was a relief to the locals: Northeast has history on this ground.  

James Vince too made a typically aesthetically pleasant 29, a cover drive (what else) off Lewis Gregory, cricketing pornography. Contrary to modern favour, Vince has no discernible trigger movement, instead electing to stand perfectly still. Having made contact with ball, he wandered nonchalantly off in square-leg's general direction to rehearse a shot that has already been honed to perfection. A player totally in touch with his game, it was a surprise when he miscued a back-foot waft off Josh Davey that substitute fielder Kasey Alridge took above his head at point. Had it been Lewis Goldsworthy, the man Aldridge replaced, the ball would have been safe by several feet. Vince in a nutshell.  

Late in the day Lewis McManus compiled an excellent unbeaten 91. It was a case of riding out an early de Lange going-over, including a nasty blow on the hand, and making runs with the sun setting. His seventh-wicket partnership with Keith Barker was worth 87 before broken by Davey with the new ball. "Come on Davvers" Tractor had cried, clutching a can of chilled Thatchers on the edge of the alcohol-free zone. Barker was held by Gregory at second slip, much to the relief of Steve Davies who had shelled one a ball before.  

Evenly poised overnight then. Who wants to utter "crucial first hour?" McManus will be looking to complete only a second first-class century and a first since 2016. 

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