A bitter wind blows – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2024 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April – Taunton

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd April. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, W.A. Young, J.M. Clarke (w), M. Montgomery, J.A. Haynes, L.W. James, C.G. Harrison, B.A. Hutton, L.J. Fletcher, D. Paterson.

Overnight. Nottinghamshire 193 and 38 for 1. Somerset 454. Nottinghamshire trail by 223 runs.

Third day 20th April – A bitter wind blows

On 25th and 26th May 1903, William Gunn and his nephew, John Gunn, added 367 for Nottinghamshire’s third wicket against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. The nephew reached 294, the uncle 139, and Nottinghamshire declared on 739 for 7. The 367 for the third wicket beat the then Nottinghamshire record. It remained the record until the third evening of this match when Will Young (156 not out) and Joe Clarke (209 not out) passed it in the last over of the day. It deadened Somerset’s chances of victory. It would also, if pitches which produce this sort of cricket in the latter parts of a match return to Taunton, risk doing the same to interest in Championship cricket. At least, that was the view of a number to whom I spoke. That said, the two Nottinghamshire batters batted with prolonged discipline, skill and immense concentration to make the most of the conditions which they were offered. The same could also be said of the Somerset bowlers. With a modicum of luck, they might have taken a wicket or two, but against such disciplined batting on such a pitch, no more than one or two.

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“It ain’t gonna happen” – Surrey v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – Surrey v Somerset – 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April – The Oval.

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset 12th, 13th, 14th  and 15th April The Oval.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, O.J.D. Pope, D.W. Lawrence, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, K.A.J Roach.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 285 and 204 for 6. Surrey 428.  Surrey lead by 61 runs with four first innings wicket standing.

Final day. 15th April – “It ain’t gonna happen“

“It ain’t gonna happen,” were the words of the Somerset supporter with me at the end of the third day when I suggested that Somerset would have to bat at least until tea on the final day to have a chance of saving the match. It seemed a reasonable statement for him to make at the time. Somerset were six wickets down and only 61 runs ahead. Even on a flat pitch with the Kookaburra ball, the thought that Somerset’s last four wickets could bat for four hours or more on the final day was, as they say, for the birds. Perhaps it was. The pigeons which pick at the grass at the edges of the practice pitches in front of the Galadari Stand gave their wings a rest and stayed the entire final day as a slow-motion drama unfolded in front of them. As to spectators, most had voted with their feet. Leaving aside those sensibly hidden behind glass as winter had another swipe, by my count there were about two hundred in the ground, a far cry from the near four thousand of the first day. The match was, after all, essentially dead as a contest and if Somerset were to save it, it would be by dint of a substantial intervention by the weather. In the event, play began at ten minutes past twelve with 18 overs lost and the rain barely threatened again, but still, my Someret brain thought, it ain’t gonna happen.

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“Dawson again” – Hampshire v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th  September – Southampton.

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Hampshire v Somerset. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th  September. Southampton.

Jack Leach, (back), Josh Davey (family reasons), Sonny Baker (back), Craig Overton (back) and Kasey Aldridge (side) were all unavailable.

Hampshire. T.E. Albert, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), T.J. Prest, L.A. Dawson, B.C. Brown (w), J.K. Fuller, K.H.D. Barker, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), A.R.I. Umeed, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, B.G.F. Green, N. Wagner, J.A. Brooks, S. Bashir.

Toss. Hampshire. Elected to bat.

First day 3rd September – “Dawson again”

The AGEAS Bowl is not the most accessible of grounds if you use public transport to get to the cricket, especially if you travel from the far end of Somerset on a Sunday. I do wonder if any of the great Victorian railway engineers ever had to travel from Taunton to Hedge End, for that is the nearest railway station to the cricket. Even so, it is nearly two miles away. Hotels near the ground are expensive, especially if there is a cruise liner or two in the port, and especially so, as with most hotels, on a Saturday night. If you stay in Southampton where there is a greater choice of hotels, but buses and trains to the ground are less than ideal, and, if you use the train, you still end up nearly two miles away. All added up, a back-of-the-envelope cost-benefit analysis led to my deciding to travel from Taunton on the day of the match, stay in a hotel near the ground and miss the morning session (Sunday trains do not get out of bed early).

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Overton v Overton – An hour to savour – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th, and 27th July – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 25th, 26th, and 27th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey (rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, B.G.F. Green, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, T.W.M. Latham, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, T. E. Lawes, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worral.

Overnight. Somerset 170. Surrey 368. Surrey lead by 198 runs.

Final day 27th July – Overton v Overton – an hour to savour

This was one of those days when life gets in the way of cricket. A medical appointment falling during the first hour of play meant the best way to minimise the amount of cricket I would miss was to watch as much of the morning play as I could on the live stream and then catch the bus to the cricket in the lunch interval. The first part of the plan worked to perfection, aided by my appointment falling in the middle of an 18-over rain break which sent the players off four balls after the morning had started. The second part of the plan worked less well. My bus was late reaching my end of its route, delayed by some emergency roadworks and then, going back the other way to take me to the cricket, ran into them again. It cost me the first 40 minutes of the afternoon session.

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Advantage Surrey – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th and 27th July. Taunton.

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 25th, 26th and 27th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey (rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, B.G.F. Green, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, T.W.M. Latham, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), W.G. Jacks, J. Clark, J. Overton, T. E. Lawes, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worral.

Overnight. Somerset 170. Surrey 138 for 4. Surrey trail by 32 runs with six first innings wickets standing.

Second day 26th July – Advantage Surrey

When the rains came during the middle of the afternoon they stopped this match neatly at its halfway point, in theory at least. If though, Somerset are to take it to the end of the final day, they will have to bat much better, and for considerably longer, than they did in their first innings. It seems unlikely that Surrey’s five-man pace attack, which so clinically dissected the Somerset batting , will bowl any less well the second time around. In the three hours or so of play that was possible on the second day, Surrey’s batters added 230 runs, 198 of those after they passed Somerset’s first innings total. By a curious mathematical coincidence, those 198 runs equated to two 99s for Surrey, one from Tom Latham and one from Will Jacks. For Somerset, there was an excellent afternoon spell from Matt Henry and a quietly incisive one from Ben Green. On the other side of the ledger, Craig Overton conceded 106 runs at five an over without reply and Kasey Aldridge, after some discussion, left the field with a side strain.

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A clinical finish – Northamptonshire v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 19th, 20th and 21st July – Northampton – Final day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Northamptonshire v Somerset. 19th, 20th and 21st July. Northampton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey 9rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

Northamptonshire. R.S. Vasconcelos, E.N. Gay, J. Broad, S.M. Whiteman, L.A. Procter (c), R.I. Keogh, S.A Zaib, L.D. McManus (w), T.A.I. Taylor, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 351. Northamptonshire 180 and 151 for 6. Northamptonshire trail by 20 runs with four second innings wickets standing.

Final day 21st  July – A clinical finish

There were no surprises, just a continuation of all that had gone before. There was no miraculous Northamptonshire revival, just a clinical finishing of the match by Somerset. Flurries of Northamptonshire runs were interspersed with wickets which cut the flurries off in their prime. As on the second day, one Northamptonshire batter, this time Luke Proctor, battled virtually alone against the Somerset storm. Northamptonshire did avoid an innings defeat, the runs which took them into the lead coming off the edge of Proctor’s bat. As in their first innings though, when Somerset’s turn came, they scored with freedom to bring home the points which would take them, just, into the top half of the table. There was an extended visit too from the heavy cloud which had threatened the second afternoon, and which, if the forecast were to be believed, would wreck the final day. And finally, just as the match was ending, the threatened rain that had hung over the match since the start, began to fall.

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Relentless Henry drives Somerset on – Northamptonshire v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 19th, 20th and 21st July. Northampton – Second day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Northamptonshire v Somerset. 19th, 20th and 21st July. Northampton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey 9rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

Northamptonshire. R.S. Vasconcelos, E.N. Gay, J. Broad, S.M. Whiteman, L.A. Procter (c), R.I. Keogh, S.A Zaib, L.D. McManus (w), T.A.I. Taylor, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 351.

Second day 20th July – Relentless Henry drives Somerset on

“You could hear the snick from here.” It was the fifth ball of the Northamptonshire innings and it set the scene for the rest of the day. Matt Henry had opened the bowling from the Lynn Wilson End and angled the ball across and six inches outside the left-handed Emilio Gay’s off stump. Gay came down on the ball with an angled bat and edged it straight to James Rew. What followed was a succession of Northamptonshire batters going to and from their dressing room as Somerset took a steady stream of wickets through the day. A constant theme of the Somerset bowling was the relentlessness of Henry. His line, length and pace persistently challenged the batters. He bowled full so was likely to be driven, but woe betide any batter who erred in the attempt, or in the attempt to defend. Only Ricardo Vasconcelos, and to a degree Saif Zaib, stood against him and the rest of the Somerset attack in Northamptonshire’s first innings. Vasconcelos played with the same attacking intent that Somerset had demonstrated on the first day with similar results.

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Somerset remorseless – Northamptonshire v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 19th, 20th and 21st July – Northampton – First day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Northamptonshire v Somerset. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Northampton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Josh Davey (rib) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable.

Northamptonshire. R.S. Vasconcelos, E.N. Gay, J. Broad, S.M. Whiteman, L.A. Procter (c), R.I. Keogh, S.A Zaib, L.D. McManus (w), T.A.I. Taylor, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Toss. Northamptonshire. Elected to field.

First day 19th July – Somerset remorseless

It is a lesson never learned. At least not by me. The bus that is due to come every ten minutes always waits thirty if there is cricket at the other end of the journey. And so it was here. Northampton Bus Station was awash with buses but the stand for the buses to the cricket remained defiantly empty. “This is unusual,” said the Northamptonshire supporter waiting with me. It isn’t when I am in the queue I felt impelled to inform him. Eventually, two buses for the ground turned up, one due to leave in two minutes, one in five. It was then that we experienced another effect I seem to have on buses. The way in which drivers make their way to their bus and fiddle with the door, the seat, the controls, the mirrors and any other fitting that they can lay their hands on, and all at a pace which suggests they are in a neck and neck race with the hour hand of a clock. The modern world rushes on apace, but buses waiting to depart seem to be a throwback to an age when time stood still, especially if prospective passengers are in a hurry.

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Experience and application prevail – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2023 – 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire. 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Ned Leonard (concussion) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable. A number of players were also rested ahead of Vitality Blast T20 Finals Day. Dom Bess is on a short-term loan from Yorkshire.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, A.R.I. Umeed, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, D.M. Bess, J.A. Brooks, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. J.J. Weatherley, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), B.C. Brown (w), L.A. Dawson, J.K. Fuller, K.H.D. Barker, F.S. Organ, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 500. Hampshire 330 and 34 for 2. Hampshire trail by 136 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.

Final day 12th July – Experience and application prevail

Hampshire’s second innings followed the pattern of their first, and of Somerset’s only innings, lending credence to the Kookaburra ball’s reputation for losing its bite after about 30 overs. In all three innings, the fifth wicket had fallen by the 31st over, six in Hampshire’s first innings, and in all three cases with the score not having reached 90. In Somerset’s innings, the last five wickets added 420 runs, in Hampshire’s first innings the last two wickets had added 178 runs, and in Hampshire’s second innings the unbroken eighth wicket added 100 runs and lasted 47 overs.

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Somerset hold the advantage – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2023 – 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July – Taunton – Third day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire. 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Ned Leonard (concussion) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable. A number of players were also rested ahead of Vitality Blast T20 Finals Day. Dom Bess was on a short-term loan from Yorkshire.

This round of matches was one of two played in the 2023 County Championship as an experiment with a Kookaburra rather than a Dukes ball.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, A.R.I. Umeed, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, D.M. Bess, J.A. Brooks, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. J.J. Weatherley, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), B.C. Brown (w), L.A. Dawson, J.K. Fuller, K.H.D. Barker, F.S. Organ, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 500. Hampshire 58 for 2. Hampshire trail by 448 runs with eight first innings wickets standing.

Third day 12th July – Somerset hold the advantage

This was a day designed to test Somerset’s denuded and largely inexperienced attack. It was a test they came through with considerable credit. It was not a perfect day, there were some similarities between the Hampshire innings and the Somerset one, with Hampshire recovering strongly from a poor start, but overall, Somerset’s attack achieved more than Hampshire’s highly rated attack had on the first day. It left Somerset, at the end of the third day, in a position from where victory was not an impossible dream. The sky was brighter than on the second day, but not bright enough to prevent the floodlights being called upon for most of a day which I watched in the company of two people with a long history of playing club cricket.

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Somerset, Somerset, Somerset – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2023 – 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire. 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Ned Leonard (concussion) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable. A number of players were also rested ahead of Vitality Blast T20 Finals Day. Dom Bess is on a short-term loan from Yorkshire.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, A.R.I. Umeed, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, D.M. Bess, J.A. Brooks, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. J.J. Weatherley, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), B.C. Brown (w), L.A. Dawson, J.K. Fuller, K.H.D. Barker, F.S. Organ, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 196 for 5.

Second day 11th July – Somerset, Somerset, Somerset

“Somerset, Somerset, Somerset.” The schoolchildren were back, and Somerset gave them something to cheer. This was a day of unremitting Somerset success and growing Hampshire despair. Somerset’s usual Hampshire tormentors, Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas and Keith Barker were put to flight. Somerset began slowly, establishing themselves, before dominating the Hampshire attack, building an unassailable first innings score in the process. For the best part of an hour, Somerset scored mainly in singles, although two cover drives from James Rew flowed effortlessly to the boundary. Liam Dawson did cause some problems, and Somerset benefited from some luck, the first slice coming quickly. Rew edged Dawson low and straight to James Vince at slip, but the catch went down. The next ball kept low, defeated Rew and went through Ben Brown’s legs for four byes. One or two balls turned quite sharply and beat the batter too, but those moments of danger passed and Somerset took advantage, Rew keeping an end secure with Kasey Aldridge attacking.

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Rew and Aldridge turn the day – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2023 – 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire. 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th July. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (back), Roelof van der Merwe (hand), Ned Leonard (concussion) and Sonny Baker (back) were all unavailable. A number of players were also rested ahead of Vitality Blast T20 Finals Day. Dom Bess was on a short-term loan from Yorkshire.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, A.R.I. Umeed, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, D.M. Bess, J.A. Brooks, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. J.J. Weatherley, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), B.C. Brown (w), L.A. Dawson, J.K. Fuller, K.H.D. Barker, F.S. Organ, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 10th July – Rew and Aldridge turn the day

I made my normal entry to the ground through the Brian Rose Gates. No sooner had the, now ubiquitous, bag search been completed than I was asked my view on Somerset fielding a weakened team for this match, a seriously weakened team in terms of the pace attack. Craig Overton, Lewis Gregory and Matt Henry had all been rested ahead of T20 Finals Day which was due to take place two days after the end of the match. I was asked again as I walked along the front of Gimblett’s Hill and again several times through the day. Views varied. “The Championship is supposed to be the Club’s priority,” said one, “I don’t like it, but it’s understandable given we have the same three bowlers at the heart of our pace attack in both formats,” said another. “I think it’s the right thing to do. It’s important for the Club to win a trophy,” commented a third. I tended towards the view that winning a trophy was important because it might embed an aura of achievement and confidence throughout the Club which would have wider benefits, not least in the Championship.

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An astonishing victory – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th and 27th  June – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. 25th, 26th and 27th  June. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. B.T. Slater, H. Hameed, M. Montgomery, J.M. Clarke, L.W. James, S.J. Mullaney (c), T.J. Moores (w), M. Carter, B.A. Hutton, J.T. Ball, D. Paterson.

Overnight. Somerset 163 and 268 for 4. Nottinghamshire 186. Somerset lead by 245 runs with six first innings wickets standing.

Final day 27th June – An astonishing victory

From the upper level of the Trescothick Pavilion it seemed that Somerset came out to play cricket on the first day, and Nottinghamshire played it better. On the second day, Somerset were a different team with a sharpened focus. Led by Craig Overton and Matt Henry they came out to dominate and then overpower the opposition and did precisely that. It was a shock to the Nottinghamshire system from which they never recovered and after which, on the third day, they simply disintegrated. When you have teams from the same level of cricket, their skills are not too far apart, and mindset is what matters. With the right mindset, every skill a cricketer has is sharpened and hardened. Somerset’s mindset changed between Sunday and Monday, perhaps aided by Overton and Henry bowling as they did, and Nottinghamshire wilted in the face of it on Monday and Tuesday.

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A match turned on its head – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2023 – 25th, 26th and 27th June – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. 25th,26th and 27th June. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. B.T. Slater, H. Hameed, M. Montgomery, J.M. Clarke, L.W. James, S.J. Mullaney (c), T.J. Moores (w), M. Carter, B.A. Hutton, J.T. Ball, D. Paterson.

Overnight. Somerset 163. Nottinghamshire 145 for 4. Nottinghamshire trail by 18 runs with six first innings wickets standing.

Second day 26th June – A match turned on its head

Somerset began the second day already facing the possibility of defeat. They ended it in a position from which they might force victory. A morning of sustained, attacking Somerset bowling was followed by an afternoon and evening of sustained Somerset innings building. The cricket was accompanied by a good crowd, large by post-pandemic standards and larger than the first-day Sunday crowd. It was a crowd which engaged with the play, willed, and in the morning and at the end of the day cheered its side on. It was a day of virtually unremitting Somerset joy. By the end of the day, Nottinghamshire, rampant on the first day, looked ragged. That may change after a night’s rest but at the very least they now have a fight on their hands.

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All out before tea – Somerset v Nottinghamshire – County Championship 2023 – 25th,26th and 27th June – Taunton.

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County Championship 2023. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. 25th,26th, 27th and 28th June. Taunton.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, S.R. Dickson, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M.J. Henry, S. Bashir.

Nottinghamshire. B.T. Slater, H. Hameed, M. Montgomery, J.M. Clarke, L.W. James, S.J. Mullaney (c), T.J. Moores (w), M. Carter, B.A. Hutton, J.T. Ball, D. Paterson.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 25th June – All out before tea

As at Chelmsford two weeks before, this match began with a one-minute silence for the three people murdered in a terrorist act in Nottingham while the Chelmsford match was in progress. Two weeks on, the silence was as intense as the Essex one had been the day after the event. Two of the victims were students, one with connections to Somerset CCC and one with previous connections to Essex CCC.

It was another very hot start to a day of cricket, and the stands were drenched in sunshine. The crowd was concentrated in the Trescothick Pavilion and the Lord Ian Botham Stand, the only covered sections of seating in the ground. Despite the summer heat of the weeks before, unlike the desert-like appearance of Chelmsford, the Taunton outfield, apart from a patch in front of the Colin Atkinson Pavilion, seemed an oasis of green. There was a tinge of green in the pitch too which had made it an ‘interesting’ toss to win, and it soon became apparent that the ball was moving off the pitch. There was an upbeat atmosphere, perhaps lifted by the exceptional win over Gloucestershire in the T20 encounter on the Friday before when, after an astonishing innings from Will Smeed of 78 from 42 balls, Ben Green and Kasey Aldridge had virtually taken Somerset home with a sixth wicket partnership of 48 in five overs before Craig Overton had put the match beyond doubt.

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A day of inevitability – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June – Chelmsford

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County Championship 2023. Essex v Somerset. 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 462 and 170 for 7 dec. Somerset 167 and 172 for 4. Somerset need 294 more runs to win with six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 13th June – A day of inevitability

The day began with the crowd standing motionless and silent for one minute. The teams and support staff stood in formal lines in front of the Pavilion. The silence, which was total, was in remembrance of three people murdered in Nottingham in an act of terrorism the previous day. Two were students, one with connections to Somerset CCC and one with previous connections with Essex CCC. It had been a chilling incident and people were visibly moved. The team flags remained at half-mast throughout the day to honour those who had died.

The silence had come while I was in mid walk to my seat and I stood where I was when it was called, behind the Tom Pearce Stand. As I completed my walk, Tom Abell turned Simon Harmer, who had opened the bowling from the River End, behind square for four. It began a partnership with James Rew who had replaced Tom Kohler-Cadmore, after what became the final ball of the pervious day. Both Rew and Abell are capable of batting defensively for long periods and it looked as if they were trying to settle in for the long haul, although, if a ball was there to be hit, it went to the boundary.

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You never know – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June – Chelmsford – Third day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2023. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 462 and 15 for 1. Somerset 167. Essex lead by 310 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Third day 13th June – “You never know”

The third day of this match provided an example of how cricket supporters of opposing sides can both view the same proceedings with hope on one side and trepidation on the other when the state of the match suggests the feelings of each should be the reverse. Support for county cricket teams is so much a part of many supporters’ being that during matches rationality can give way to emotion as a match unfolds. I returned to the Felsted Stand, shade and the familiarity of three decades of sitting there to watch Essex play Somerset during my extended eastern exile overriding all other considerations. Familiarity of surroundings is another aspect of County Championship attendance. A high proportion of County Championship watchers can be found, day after day, sitting in the same seats they have for years, and with the same friends.

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Essex consolidate their advantage – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2023 – 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June – Chelmsford

'farmer white'

County Championship 2023. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 11th,12th, 14th and 15th June. Chelmsford.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, B.M.J. Allison, F.I.N. Khushi, S.R. Harmer, W.E.L. Buttleman (w), S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Somerset. S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, J.H. Davey, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Essex 360 for 4.

Second day 12th June – Essex consolidate their advantage

There was a spectacular start for Somerset, and it was a much more even day between the sides than the first, but those 360 first day runs hung over Somerset all day. As I made my way towards the Felsted Stand, Craig Overton ran in from the Hayes Close End to bowl the third ball of the morning to the nightwatch, Ben Allison. Allison, cramped by the ball, tried to push forward, but the ball uprooted the off stump. Is there a greater sight on a cricket ground than a stump being uprooted by a quick bowler with fire in his stride? Essex 361 for 5. Allison 4.

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William Edward ‘Bill’ Alley – Somerset CCC 1957-1968 – in the style of ‘Vanity Fair’ (published 1868-1914)

'farmer white'

William Edward ‘Bill’ Alley was an all rounder who played 350 first-class matches for Somerset between 1957 and 1968 (at the age of 49). He was a true legend of Somerset cricket. He was the last player to score over 3,000 first-class runs in a season (in 1961). The article below is written as it might have been in 1961 in the style of charicature articles written of London society individuals in the magazine ‘Vanity Fair’ which was published between 1868 and 1914 .

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‘Bertie’ Buse – Somerset CCC 1929-1953 – in the style of ‘Vanity Fair’ (published 1868-1914)

'farmer white'

HFT ‘Bertie’ Buse was an all rounder who played 304 first-class matches for Somerset between 1929 and 1953. He notoriously selected the Championship match against Lancashire at Bath for his benefit in 1953. The pitch took vicious spin from the start and the match was completed in a single day. John Arlott described his bowling run up as being like a butler bringing in the tea. The article below is written as it might have been in 1953 in the style of charicature articles written of London society individuals in the magazine ‘Vanity Fair’ which was published between 1868 and 1914 .

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