Metro Bank One-Day Cup 2023. Somerset v Glamorgan. Taunton. 20^th August.

A Run Out, a Surprise and the Team Fights On

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

There was another excellent atmosphere at Taunton, this time for Family Day as this match was themed. The ground was abuzz when I arrived just in time to be hurried past the end of Gimblett’s Hill by a steward as Timm van der Gugten walked to the top of his run to bowl the first ball. There was a loud appeal as I emerged from the other end of the walkway behind the Trescothick Pavilion, but Somerset survived, and I was soon in my seat on the upper level. The crowd, despite the Women’s Football World Cup Final taking place with England as participants, was not far short of earlier ones in this competition. The football was present on the screen in The Stragglers with enough people watching for a cheer to permeate the atmosphere at the top of the Trescothick Pavilion when England’s goalkeeper, Mary Earps, saved a penalty. It wasn’t enough. In the end, England lost 1-0.

And, in the end, Somerset lost the match by two wickets, but that was far from being the whole story. This was another match in which Somerset, nine players with The Hundred, played a team which had lost only two. But, after the rout at Bristol and the fears about the impact that might have had on the youngsters, this young team has learned quickly, and it has regained the will to fight shown in the early matches. They didn’t quite make it in this one, but they came oh, oh so close. The match uncovered a pleasant surprise in the Somerset side too and rammed home a lesson about the value, or cost, of run outs.

George Thomas has struggled with the bat in this competition, playing assertively but getting out almost immediately. Here, he prospered a little longer while Andy Umeed kept vigil at the other end. The ball came as sweetly and as violently off the bat as you could hope for from a 19-year-old. A six, off Ruaidhri Smith was sent into the old Legend’s Square with what seemed no more than a light flick off his heels. The ball was probably lost to posterity as it disappeared into the ground staff’s hut and defied all attempts to find it. A four driven through the covers, also off Smith, to the Temporary Stand, was struck with a similar feather-like touch and yet scorched its way across the grass. “I think we may see more of him in the future,” someone said, for lightness of touch leading to power in the stroke is a sign of class.

It didn’t last long enough for those watching, but 41 from 28 balls leading to a score of 60 for 1 in the ninth over was precisely the start Somerset needed after winning the toss. It was clear there was little in the pitch for the bowlers, and a score in excess of 300 would probably be needed to set Glamorgan a challenging target. With the loss of Thomas, Andy Umeed came into his own. He had marked time and secured an end while Thomas built Somerset’s score. Now, with Lewis Goldsworthy providing the glue for their partnership, and partnerships are the building blocks of large totals, he set Somerset up for a charge towards a score that would challenge Glamorgan. They added 113 for the second wicket, of which Goldsworthy made 36, but his role was as crucial to the success of the partnership as Umeed’s had been to the success of the opening partnership.

The hallmark of Umeed’s batting is his driving. As the second wicket partnership progressed, he left no doubt as to his intent, twice lofting Zain-ul-Hassan for six, once straight back over his head to the Lord Ian Botham Stand and once over long off and into the Colin Atkinson Pavilion seating. A back foot drive for four off Hassan to the Hildreth Stand was as smoothly struck as the laws of physics would allow. When Carlson’s off spinner drifted full to leg, it was swept to the Colin Atkinson boundary as delicately as a leaf from a path. When Carlson let slip a looping off side full toss, Umeed took a different approach and the ball was swatted as unceremoniously as a fly past the bowler’s outstretched hand to the Trescothick Pavilion for four. It was glorious stuff if you were a Somerset supporter, particularly given the Club’s recent history of poor top order performances.

The hundred partnership between Umeed and Goldsworthy came in 70 minutes from 123 balls with Umeed punching Andy Gorvin through the covers to the Temporary Stand for four more. It ended shortly afterwards when Goldsworthy leaned back into a pull and was caught off Hassan in front of the Somerset Stand by Eddie Byrom, once of Somerset. It left Somerset on 173 for 2 with 18 overs remaining and the prospect of perhaps reaching 330, although because of The Hundred extractions, counties tend to lack the middle order big hitters who used to lead the late charges in 50-over matches.

As James Rew walked to the wicket someone said, “Not a bad player to have coming in at 173 for 2.” He certainly began with intent, twice in successive balls he lofted Hassan over mid-on to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion for four. Umeed drove Ben Kellaway’s off break straight back over his head, the ball rising inexorably on its trajectory towards the Trescothick Pavilion before finally dropping out of sight below the barrier at the front of the top deck seating. The trajectory was too flat for it to be anything other than a six and Umeed and Rew were picking up Somerset’s pace nicely. They had added 20 runs in precisely 20 balls when disaster, at least in cricketing terms, struck.

Umeed drove softly towards mid-on and set off for a single, not particularly hurrying but with eyes focused on the ball and the fielder. Rew, at the non-striker’s end, head turned, was also focused on the ball and Umeed was nearly upon him before he spotted him and set off desperately for the other end. He never looked like making it and was comfortably run out. He bristled off stiff-legged in what looked like a sharp expression of ‘we are not amused’. From the top of the Trescothick Pavilion, it didn’t look to be an unduly risky run, and Somerset had begun stepping up the pace. Perhaps the call was lacking. Perhaps it was just one of those things. Run outs happen. But run outs often seem to have the capacity of breaking the flow of an innings in a way which other types of wickets do not.

At Gosforth, the run out of David Bedingham had upended the Durham innings just as he and Alex Lees were threatening to build a commanding total. Here, the run out of Rew upended Somerset’s acceleration towards a competitive total while it was at a crucial point and Somerset could ill-afford any deceleration. What had been 193 for 3 became 207 for four as Sean Dickson was bowled by the spin of Kellaway. 222 for 5 when Umeed tried to hit across the line and skyed Kellaway high into the off side. The ball stayed in the air a long time but was caught safely enough by Gorvin. When Josh Thomas was leg before wicket to Kellaway Somerset had 232 for 6 with barely seven overs remaining and 300 suddenly seemed a distant prospect.

Enter Danny Lamb to join George Bartlett. Somerset’s innings was by then, in the time left, beyond transformation, but Lamb and Bartlett, by their aggression, did post a total which at least gave some hope. Lamb cut, switch hit, scooped and bludgeoned the ball, although the scoop was more often successful than unsuccessful. He was finally leg before wicket attempting another scoop off van der Gugten, but his 41 from 27 balls took Somerset to 291 for 7 with four balls remaining. He received rich applause as he walked off and the comment from next to me of, “That was a pretty good 41.” When Lamb was not facing, Bartlett attacked. He relied upon timing as much as power, once driving van der Gugten off the back foot and through the covers with his typically light touch. The power though was there when needed and he unleashed it to loft van der Gugten over extra cover to the Temporary Stand for a one-bounce four. He ended with 36 from 28 balls with Somerset on 298 for seven. It was more than might have been expected after the fall of the sixth wicket, but less than the perhaps 330 plus which might have been hoped for before the run out. Those 30 additional runs were,potentially, to prove crucial.

When Jack Brooks forced Sam Northeast back and defeated his defensive prod to bowl him Glamorgan were 4 for 1. When Rew took a stunning catch off Colin Ingram, once of Somerset, diving full stretch and low to his left they were 13 for 2 before the end of the second over. Ingram had been beaten by Ned Leonard who seemed to have found his bowling rhythm at Gosforth. Twelve of the runs had come in boundaries as Glamorgan began at a gallop. The cheers for the wickets were immense, Jack Brooks setting off on his usual celebratory loop around the outfield as Northeast walked back to the Caddick Pavilion. “We have a chance,” someone said, and you could sense it in the response of the crowd. As the cheers died, the buzz of anticipation picked up.

But the Glamorgan top order is experienced, and they did not relent either. There was no attempt at retrenchment. Byrom and Kiran Carlson began as Northeast and Ingram had attempted to, on a charge. With two wickets already down there was risk in their tactics, but they played with controlled aggression, doubtless factoring the risk into their shot selection. By the end of the third over, Byrom had twice driven Brooks through the onside for four and the score was into the 20s. By the end of the fifth, Byrom had twice more driven Brooks through the onside, once forward of square and once just straight of mid-off, both for fo,ur. This was a different Byrom to the one who had left Somerset. Then he was mostly solid but unadventurous in red ball cricket and heavily dependent on the lap with the white ball. Now with the white ball he has opened up the off side and was playing with such authority that Somerset’s total was already looking vulnerable.

When Carlson drove and pulled Leonard for four and six in an over and struck the 17-year-old James Langridge for two fours and a dismissive uppercut six into the Somerset Stand, Glamorgan were into the 60s with still two overs of the initial ten-over powerplay remaining. Somerset’s 298 was looking decidedly vulnerable. “A wicket would make a difference,” someone said, but none looked like coming. In Langridge’s next over another three boundaries crossed the rope and he had conceded 28 runs from two overs as Somerset players came up to him at the top of  his run to speak to him and pat him on the back. Even so, the Cooper Associates County Ground must have seemed a desolate place to the young cricketer as he regained his fielding position in front of the Trescothick Pavilion.

With Glamorgan past a hundred before the end of the 12^th over, Somerset hope was beginning to seep away. Despite George Thomas bowling a tight spell, Glamorgan needed less than 200 runs in just under 38 overs and the required run rate, all but six at the start of the innings, had fallen to just above five. A glance at the scoreboard added to the anxiety. It revealed that Glamorgan were 30 ahead on Duckworth Lewis. By the time Lamb came into the attack and defeated an attempted guide through backward of point from Carlson to have him well caught, low down by Goldsworthy, Glamorgan had reached 155. They were over halfway to their target with still seven wickets in hand and three balls under 30 overs in which to score the runs.

Now, Billy Root came to the wicket and the runs continued to flow. He and Byrom added 94 in 14 overs, six and three-quarter runs an over with the Duckworth Lewis gap ever widening. Root guided Lamb either side of the stumps for four off successive balls. Byrom, clipping and pulling the returning Langridge to the Caddick Pavilion boundary, took successive boundaries too and Glamorgan passed 200 to come within a 100 of Somerset in the 29^th over. The buzz had gone from the crowd now and the cricket was watched with quiet contemplation. There seemed no way back for Somerset, although few left.

Glamorgan were now racing towards 250, still only three wickets down and with still nearly 20 overs remaining. It had been clear for some time that Somerset could not win unless they bowled Glamorgan out, and on a flat pitch with Glamorgan racing along as they were that prospect seemed but a fanciful will o’ the wisp. At that point, Somerset introduced Umeed into the attack from the Trescothick Pavilion End as their eighth bowler. When he was thrown the ball he had two first-class wickets to his name and had never bowled in List A cricket. “Umeed?” the only comment I heard when his name was announced. Perhaps it was just an attempt to try something different and leg break bowlers do sometimes spring surprises.

Umeed’s introduction upset the flow of the game nearly as much as Rew’s run out had done. No sooner had Byrom gone to his century with a fortuitous top edge over the keeper off Leonard than he charged Umeed, tried to hit him back over his head and was yorked. It brought a cheer for Umeed and applause for Byrom, warm applause, as he walked off, but it seemed at that stage to suggest no impact on the match. Even when, in the next over, Kellaway was bowled attempting to pull Leonard, chopping the ball onto his stumps in the process, it seemed only a hiatus in Glamorgan’s march forward, so many overs did they have in hand.

Now, Dickson re-introduced Lewis Goldsworthy into the attack. He had bowled a quietly economical spell earlier in the innings and bowled another now as Somerset tried to apply pressure following the two wickets. Almost immediately, Alex Horton cut him low into the hands of Bartlett at cover. The applause for wickets was now punctuated with cheers and the crowd was buzzing again. The Glamorgan supporters, becoming more vocal as their victory target got closer and concentrated in the Temporary Stand, punctuated their cheers with chants of, “Glammy, Glammy, Glamorgan,” rather than applause.

At 273 for 6, Glamorgan were only 26 runs short of victory, but momentum is important in cricket. It can carry a team along and it can carry a crowd along. It carried this crowd along. Hope, if still a faint hope, was back in the air and Dickson began to call key players together in discussion as he tried to increase the pressure on Glamorgan. And then Umeed ignited the crowd. Zain-ul-Hassan swept him in the air to the deep backward square leg boundary in front of the Somerset Stand. George Thomas held the catch. Two balls later, van der Gugten attempted to repeat the left-hander’s version of the stroke, missed and was palpably leg before wicket. You could feel the anticipation rising now, even before the umpire’s delayed finger rose and the cheers, now guttural, roared.

Glamorgan were 286 for 8, with still 13 needed and Somerset had just taken three wickets in the space of 13 runs. The crowd was buzzing and their team was fighting hard. People were hoping. Every dot ball was being applauded and the tension could be cut with a knife. But eventually, it dissipated as Glamorgan edged forward. Those 13 runs took five overs, but Root held firm with Gorvin who eventually took them over the line with a glance for four off Leonard. The man two rows in front of me turned, cast the wryest of smiles and pursed his lips at what might, just might, have been for Somerset after all had seemed lost.

Result. Somerset 298 for 7 (50 overs) A.R.I. Umeed 116 (136 balls), G.W. Thomas 41 (28), D.J. Lamb 41 (27), B.I. Kellaway 3-49 (econ 4.90). Glamorgan 301 for 8 (47.1 overs) E.J. Byrom 108 (103), K.S. Carlson 75 (57), W.T. Root 74* (69), A.R.I. Umeed 3-31 (3.88). Glamorgan won by two wickets. Glamorgan 2 points. Somerset 0 points.

World Cup Final. Spain 1 England 0.