County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 12^th, 13^th, 14^th and 15^th June. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury while Jack Leach was on Test duty with England and Matt Renshaw on international duty with Australia.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, B.F.G. Green, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, L.P. Goldsworthy, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton/M. de Lange*, J.H. Davey/K.L. Aldridge*, P.M. Siddle.

*J.H. Davey was replaced by K.L. Aldridge on the first day and C. Overton by M. de Lange on the second under the ECB Concussion Protocol

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, B.B.A. Geddes, J.L. Smith (w), W.G. Jacks, C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 180. Surry 382 for 8. Surrey lead by 202 runs with two second innings wickets standing.

Third day 14^th June – “Come on Somerset!”

At the end of the second day few I spoke to expected this match to reach the end of the third. But the match is still in progress, even if Surrey are expected to win early in the afternoon of the final day. That is some measure of Somerset’s improving performance with the bat in their second innings, although there were still areas where they, as school reports used to say, “Could do better.” I, at least, had done better than my second day performance, arriving at the Brian Rose Gates four rather than 20 minutes late. “You have missed two wickets,” said the man leaving the ground as I approached. “What?” my bemused response. “Well,” he said, “Surrey are all out and the players have left the field.” And so they had, and not a run added to Surrey’s overnight total. In the first over of the day, Lewis Gregory had dismissed Gus Atkinson and Dan Worrall, both caught behind. Shades of Trent Bridge 2018 when I arrived late and missed a hat trick by Craig Overton. I really must learn.

Hashim Amla had not emerged from the Pavilion, presumably not recovered from his illness of the previous day. Somerset though were left with a deficit larger than their first innings total, hardly a thought to lift spirits despite the two wickets. In the sky above, lozenges of high white cloud populated a bright blue sky from which a hot sun beat down. There was periodic relief if a cloud drifted across the sun. In short, it was a perfect day to watch cricket from my seat, square of the wicket again, high in the Somerset Stand.

Somerset’s start was encouraging enough. Ben Green leaned into an on drive off Worrall and the new ball glinted in the sun as it crossed the grass on its way to the midwicket boundary just to my left. An over later, Tom Lammonby, standing tall, pulled Jordan Clark powerfully to the same boundary, but a defensive edge from Green off Worrall flew through the air, if too wide for the slips, and ran for four taking Somerset to 16 for 0 in the third over. A repeat of the stroke off the next ball sent the ball wide of Ryan Patel at second slip, but this time a sharp dive resulted and Somerset supporters were in familiar territory with their team on 16 for 1.

Lammonby was not inspiring confidence either. He had played and missed several times, and the ball had run off a thick edge too often for comfort. Two fours in an over from Worrall had flown just wide of the three slips. They were steers rather than thick edges, but risky nonetheless. A pull, played down and through midwicket to the Priory Bridge Road boundary, was more secure and brought applause. But then, on 20 from 23 balls, Lammonby was out pulling at Gus Atkinson’s first ball. It looped high off the edge and was caught by Worrall running from slip towards deep gully. Lammonby’s innings had not impressed supporters. “Too undisciplined,” one said, and Lammonby walked off to virtual silence with Somerset on 37 for 2 in the 11^th over, still 165 runs behind with nearly two days to play. Defeat seemed inevitable and it could be sensed in the silence.

Tom Banton joined Tom Abell. He attempted to drive two of his first three balls and missed both. Despair was the overriding feeling among Somerset supporters as the top order batting seemed on the point of imploding again. When Clark tucked Abell up as he attempted to pull, the ball popped up and stayed in the air for an agonising length of time but fell safely. The silence was now so powerful it could be felt, and an isolated conversation reverberated along the stand like an unwelcome visitor. Banton did find the boundary off Atkinson, but only just evaded the diving fourth slip in the process. Eventually he turned a ball into the onside, brought up Somerset’s fifty and a smattering of reluctant applause rippled through the small crowd.

And then, an over from Jamie Overton to Tom Abell began to shift the mood. The first ball, Abell leaned into and drove towards the Ondaatje boundary for two. To the next he played the same stroke but with more power. Four. An off drive towards Legends Square brought two more and another on drive another four. Twelve from the over brought some enthusiasm in the applause and more than isolated conversation. Overton’s next over was quicker and Abell edged over the keeper’s head to the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary to a shout of, “Catch!” But when Surrey turned to Jacks’ off spin, Banton drove him firmly through the off side to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion. The crowd were silent no longer, the stroke being met with cheers. An on drive off Atkinson from Abell reached the Ondaatje boundary and at the end of the 18^th over Somerset had reached 81 for 2 at four and a half runs an over. Whether that was spirited or foolhardy, it began to raise the crowd. But breath has to be taken, and from there Abell and Banton, mainly with pushed singles, eased Somerset to lunch on 93 for 2 with Abell on 35 and Banton on 21.

For the crowd, the despond which had held sway after the fall of Lammonby was dissipating and there were even signs of a buzz of anticipation. But Surrey’s lead was still 109 and that was picked up by several Surrey supporters I passed on my circumnavigation. Discussing the match, their main question was, “When will Surrey win?” It was asked in a matter-of-fact way. None asked ‘if’ Surrey would win. Somerset supporters were still critical of Lammonby’s innings. “Ill-disciplined in the circumstances,” one commented as I dallied for a chat. Supporters can be harsh judges when a match goes against their team. Others thought there was too much looseness generally outside the off stump and wondered if the Academy was producing enough discipline in the batting. Of course, my circumnavigation and its discussions exceeded the confines of the lunch break and included Banton’s wicket. Attempting to glance Overton he found a thin edge and was caught by Smith behind the stumps. “That is what I mean by lack of discipline,” the comment, “There was no need to play that stroke.”  

I had no sooner left the criticisms behind and regained my seat than more evidence emerged. Lewis Goldsworthy top-edged his second ball, a pull off Clark, into the Colin Atkinson Pavilion for six. Then Abell, on 45, pulled Overton towards Gimblett’s Hill and was run out going for a second run. It was a perfect throw from Atkinson and once it had left his hand. It never looked like Abell would get home. The celebrations from the Surrey team were ecstatic, an indication of the price opposition teams place on Abell’s wicket. The applause for Abell as he reached the boundary was muted. Run outs, particularly of a batter making progress, always depress and the run out and Banton’s strangle seemed more than people could bear after the pair had shown signs of retrieving Somerset’s poor start.

No sooner had Davies arrived at the wicket than he edged Overton towards but short of second slip. More silence the result. “This innings is disintegrating,” someone said. When Davies pushed to cover and took a single, someone shouted, “Come on Somerset!” It was more a shout of despair than encouragement and it was followed by yet more silence. When Overton’s over ended with Somerset on 120 for 4, 82 behind, the continuing silence while the field changed ends was deafening. So deafening, someone said, “It’s the silence that kills.”

And then, from that low point, something shifted, on the field and in the stands. Davies, as if the match to date had not happened, played Clark through backward point with all the finesse for which his stroke play is renowned. There was something about the quality and the certainty of the stroke which hit home. The ball ran to the Priory Bridge Road boundary and out of the silence came a shout of, “Shot!” and that sparked a smattering, if no more than a smattering, of applause. Then, Goldsworthy clipped Worrall over square leg. He only just cleared the fielder, but it was enough. The fielder gave chase, and the ball just outran him to the Somerset Stand boundary. That was enough too. Applause followed as the ball cleared the fielder, cheers erupted as the ball outran the fielder, and someone capped it all with a cry of, “Hooray!” when the ball crossed the rope.

As if in response, Davies and Goldsworthy, now looking positive rather than embattled, and playing into the gaps, ran a succession of twos before Davies, with his trademark steer backward of point found the Colin Atkinson boundary off successive balls. A single turned behind square brought up Somerset’s 150 which generated more applause. The more pessimistic watchers noted the deficit was still 52, but the feel of the innings was changing by the over. The sun may have helped too, for it lit the ground, although the heat drove some to the Somerset Stand as the shade moved down the rows of seats. Surrey came near to another breakthrough too when Goldsworthy attempted to hook Atkinson, top edged the ball, again just out of Smith’s reach behind the stumps from where it ran to the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary. A top edge it may have been, but the crowd applauded those runs too.

The heat then forced a formal drinks break, less common these days than once they were with drinks being supplied to individual players between overs almost at will. The break took some of the heat out of the Somerset batting, but applause broke out when a leg bye brought up the fifty partnership. There were shouts too of, “Come on Somerset!” and, “Well done lads.” Now, Goldsworthy pushed the Somerset score forward again. In the course of an over, he steered Atkinson to the River Stand boundary, “Hooray!” someone shouted, cut him between gully and backward point for four more and then drove him square to the Somerset Stand, the cheers becoming louder with each stroke. Louder again when Davies square drove Overton to the Somerset Stand and Goldsworthy glanced him to the Trescothick Pavilion.

Such was the progress Somerset were making it came as a surprise when Will Jacks trapped Davies leg before wicket for 29 as he attempted to sweep. He and Goldsworthy had added 80 in 83 minutes. Somerset were still 11 behind, but spirits had been lifted and Lewis Gregory was greeted as he walked out to bat with, “C’mon Lewis.” The applause and cheers kept coming too. Applause when Goldsworthy hooked Clark fine to the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary to bring up his fifty. More applause and cheers when Gregory hit Jacks back over his head to the Lord Ian Botham Stand for four and took Somerset into the lead, a situation which at the start of the day had seemed by no means certain.

Somerset still had a very long way to go, but supporters could now at least dream of setting Surrey something of a challenge in their second innings, although I doubt anyone was thinking there was a realistic possibility of victory, or even of saving the game. In the middle, Goldsworthy and Gregory played with intent. The three remaining overs until tea brought 17 runs, mostly in singles and twos as the pair hunted for runs. In the over before tea, with the shadows sharp and at right angles to the pitch, Goldsworthy stepped away to cut Jacks beautifully, backward of point to the Ondaatje boundary, to more cheers and loud applause. The interval came with Somerset on 222 for 5, only 20 runs ahead, but with Goldsworthy on 63 and Gregory finding his range on 12, the Taunton crowd’s voice was at a pitch rarely heard thus far in this season of more disappointment than hope.

The tea interval brought an odd feeling. Somerset were in a virtually hopeless situation, but they were keeping going, challenging the Surrey bowlers, stretching their fielders and scoring at nearly four runs an over. The crowd was buzzing as I surveyed the scene from my seat in the Somerset Stand, buoyed by Somerset’s afternoon performance. When the players returned, I was still there, with no thought of a circumnavigation, soaking up the atmosphere, for in spite of the small crowd, the ground was buzzing, driven by Somerset’s afternoon performance.

The evening session began well enough for Somerset with Goldsworthy and Gregory playing themselves back in before Goldsworthy reached for a cut off Jacks and was caught behind for 67. He walked off to extended applause, for although his fall reinforced the jeopardy Somerset were in, his partnership with Davies had changed the complexion of the day. Somerset had attacked before their partnership, but without the sense of certainty and control which he and Davies had brought.

From a Somerset perspective, the evening session was Gregory’s. Somerset lost three wickets and scored 97 runs. Roelof van der Merwe held an end for Gregory, making two in 22 minutes before he fell leg before wicket to Atkinson. Kasey Aldridge batted three quarters of an hour for 15 before also falling leg before wicket, in his case to Jamie Overton. But of the of the 85 runs scored after the fall of Goldsworthy, Gregory’s contribution was 51. His innings was measured, if punctuated with the occasional rasping boundary.

More often, he pushed or steered for the gaps and took singles and the occasional two. Defending against the spin of Jacks he was either well forward or well back. When playing like that he is an uncommonly good player of spin and can demonstrate the patience needed to wait for the ball to hit or coax. He found gently pushing or turning Jacks into the on side particularly fruitful. One such soft on drive brought him two runs and his fifty to extended applause, for the crowd was now willing Somerset on. When Aldridge clipped Clark off his legs to the Colin Atkinson boundary someone said, “Bad ball, nicely put away.” When, Gregory drove Worrall square towards the Caddick Pavilion for a single, it brought up Somerset’s 300. The crowd broke out into loud extended applause, and someone shouted, “Keep going Somerset.”

When Gregory attacked, his strokes were incisive. In one over from Atkinson he drove through the on side to the Ondaatje Stand for four and pulled over deep square leg to the Priory Bridge Road boundary for six. Jacks was swept confidently to Legends Square and Clark driven powerfully along the ground through mid-on to where the Ondaatje Stand meets the covers store to a comment of, “Oh, that’s a lovely shot.”

When Overton returned, bowling fast and following through along the length of the pitch as he did in his Somerset days, Aldridge was leg before wicket and Somerset were eight down with a lead of 101. Peter Siddle though caught the mood of the crowd when he clipped his first ball from Overton fine to the Trescothick Pavilion to cheers. When Gregory hooked Worrall to the Caddick Pavilion boundary for four someone shouted, “Shot!” And when Siddle survived the final ball of the day from Overton someone shouted, “Hooray!”

The players were applauded off with Somerset 117 runs ahead with two wickets remaining. The home crowd’s slender hopes for enough runs to test Surrey much beyond lunchtime on the final day rested on Gregory’s shoulders. Slender hope it may have been, but such had been the spirit of Somerset’s fightback after the body blow delivered by that throw from Atkinson which ran out Abell, that most left with a lighter step than that with which they had arrived.

Close. Somerset 180 and 319 for 8). Surrey 382 (R.J. Burns 113, W.G. Jacks 88, J. Clark 63*). Somerset lead by 117 runs with two second innings wickets standing.