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

He played himself in with some care, but once he had settled, he hurtled forward in pursuit of Somerset’s first innings 351. The Somerset bowlers, committed to pitching full in search of movement, were driven mercilessly. Mid-off repeatedly found the ball racing by to one side or the other and invariably out of reach. This was no wild thrash. Vasconcelos’s placement was deliberate and precise and, while he was at the crease, Northamptonshire’s score rose exponentially under sunnier skies than Somerset had experienced on the first day.

He began early, driving Craig Overton’s first ball through the covers for four, then took his time for a while, perhaps gauging the measure of the pitch and the bowling. Overton in particular, bowling a slightly wide of off stump line, was repeatedly left. Henry was driven straight for four, but only when Aldridge came into the attack did Vasconcelos really begin to accelerate, carefully picking the balls to hit, he pulled him through midwicket for one four and drove him either side of the wicket for two more. Two-thirds of his runs came in boundaries, and in a purple patch leading up to lunch, Overton was uppercut quite deliberately over the slips and then driven effortlessly through the covers. It was a masterclass in attacking bowlers searching for wickets rather than attempting to constrain the batters.

The bowlers though kept their nerve. The harder Vasconcelos drove, the more surely was the ball pitched full. Although his innings raised the anxiety level of watching Somerset supporters the anxiety was tempered with hope, for a cricket team is required to occupy both ends of the wicket. As Vasconcelos hurtled forth at one end, the Somerset bowlers systematically derailed the batters at the other, and Northamptonshire’s total, although moving forward at a similar pace to Somerset’s on the first day, fell further and further behind in terms of wickets.

By lunch, in a virtually one-man show, Vasconcelos had scored 69 while no one else made any progress to speak of. Justin Broad succumbed for eight to a Henry delivery which, with accuracy typical of Henry’s bowling in this match, was homing in on off stump when it cut away. It took the edge and flew straight to Tom Abell at first slip. The left-handed Sam Whiteman, Northamptonshire’s last day rock at Taunton, batted for over an hour but lost his leg bail to a naggingly persistent Lewis Gregory off an inside edge when he tried to play a ball angled across him from over the wicket which would have hit a fourth stump. He had made nine in a 54-run partnership with Vasconcelos. Finally, Henry, bowling around the wicket to the left-handed Luke Proctor, had taken the edge with a ball which had cut away from just outside off stump and Abell had again taken the catch. Northamptonshire 97 for 4. Somerset lead 254.

Unsurprisingly, my lunchtime circumnavigation overran the interval. Too many people to talk to, and always too much to be said. The main topic of conversation was the follow-on. If Northamptonshire were dismissed soon enough, should it be enforced? Most favoured enforcement because of the still poor weather forecast for the final day. As I meandered on, It was a pleasant surprise to suddenly find myself being introduced to Roy Virgin, a regular top order batter in the Somerset sides of the 1960s which used to fill my imagination with dreams. He had moved to play for Northamptonshire at the end of his career. I moved on again, but ten overs of the afternoon session passed before I reached my seat. Northamptonshire made some progress during that meander, but in the end, not even Vasconcelos could resist the persistent inquisition from Henry, Overton and Gregory who finally went through his defence and found the stumps, derailing the driving force of the Northamptonshire innings in the process. Northamptonshire 117 for 5. Vasconcelos 78. Somerset lead 234. Runs still needed to avoid the follow-on 85.

I reached my seat with Northamptonshire on 132 for 5, 70 runs short of saving the follow-on, with Rob Keogh and Saif Zaib battling to get the innings back on track. Zaib had tried to pick up where Vasconcelos had left off, and scored 38 in 45 balls, if with hitting a little more eccentric than that of Vasconcelos. Twice, off Aldridge with a hook and a pull, he cleared the stands, a lesson, if one were needed of the importance of pitching full on that pitch. But, just as Henry and Gregory had dismantled the Northamptonshire top order around Vasconcelos, so Overton dismantled the tail around Zaib. He took four of the final five wickets to fall. As I sat down, Keogh drove Aldridge square for four, but an over later, he tried to defend against Overton and edged the ball to Aldridge at second slip. Northamptonshire 137 for 6. Keogh 21. The follow-on still 65 runs away.

There was tension in the air now, despite the paucity of the crowd and the overwhelming strength of Somerset’s position. Tension in a cricket match is at its sharpest when time presses heavily on the runs and wickets equation, and here, the Stygian weather forecast for the final day meant that crucial to Somerset’s prospects of maintaining their position was enforcement of the follow-on. That brought a pressure of its own, but Overton was equal to it, perhaps galvanised by it.

Ten runs had been added, reducing the gap to the follow-on figure to 55 when I heard myself saying aloud, “Come on Craig, we need another one.” He couldn’t have heard but his next ball went straight through Lewis McManus’s defence and uprooted his off stump. Northamptonshire 147 for 7. McManus four. The tension which had imposed a hush on the ground for the previous few overs exploded into a huge cheer from the Somerset contingent. When Aldridge pitched full on the line of Tom Taylor’s off stump, Taylor had to play. The ball took the edge and Rew barely had to move to take the catch. Northamptonshire 150 for 8. Taylor one. The tension now began to turn to anticipation in the Somerset mind. And then, an attempted flick of a drive, with no foot movement, from Sanderson saw the ball fly off the outside edge and straight into Rew’s gloves. Northamptonshire 159 for 9, still 43 short of saving the follow-on. Sanderson five.   

It was here that Zaif, who had survived the rout at the other end began his brief assault. He took Northamptonshire to within 22 of forcing Somerset to bat again. The target was just too far away. He tried to swat an Overton bouncer into the ground, but it moved away from him. The result, a top edge which looped high over midwicket and was caught by Bashir running hard back from short midwicket. It was a calmly taken catch, calmness already becoming a feature of Bashir’s cricket, with the ball always behind him and taken over his shoulder. Northamptonshire had reached 180. Only three players, Vasconcelos, Keogh and Zaif had reached double figures, and the announcement soon came that Northamptonshire would bat again, 171 runs behind Somerset. 

Northamptonshire were soon in difficulty in their second innings. Vasconcelos began as if his first innings had never come to an end and as if he was setting himself up to repeat it. He took two fours in the first three overs, one a perfectly directed steer between the slips and backward point off Henry. If Somerset supporters were concerned, they had reckoned without the ever-present threat to Northamptonshire posed by Henry. In the third over, bowling with four slips, he again angled a ball in on off stump. Vasconcelos, on the back foot, offered a defensive, straight bat, but failed to close the gap between bat and pad quickly enough and edged the ball off the inside edge. The increasingly impressive Rew moved smoothly to leg and took the catch as if he took such catches off every ball. Northamptonshire 12 for 1. Vasconcelos eight. Somerset lead 159.

Vasconcelos was replaced by Broad. He played a neat enough square drive for four off Henry but had already been badly beaten by Gregory to a shout of, “Come on Lewis!” In his next over, Gregory did come on. Pitching full on off stump, the ball cut in a shade, and beat a hurriedly descending bat to hit the pad squarely in front of middle stump. About the decision there was no doubt, or about where Somerset supporters were sitting in the ground as the cheer went up and hands came together in applause. Northamptonshire 25 for 2. Broad 4. Somerset lead 126.

Gay, opening the innings with Vasconcelos, was beaten twice by Gregory, once edging the ball between third slip and gully from where it ran for three. A punched on drive and a steer off the middle, backward of point, had also both run for three before Gay was the second to meet his second innings reckoning against Henry. He was struck in front of middle, attempting to defend, and was so palpably out that Henry’s appeal was almost cursory. The umpire immediately gave Gay out, raising his finger in a slow deliberate arc stretching out in front of him as if he was sending Gay aloft rather than back to the Pavilion. Northamptonshire 29 for 3. Gay 13. Somerset lead 122.

Somerset were making progress at such a rate and holding the attention so firmly that the tea interval arrived suddenly, as if out of nowhere. Procter and Zaib were at the wicket and had added 15 runs since the loss of Gay, Zaib straight driving Overton for four and Procter cutting Aldridge for four more, despite the presence of three slips and a gully waiting for an edge. Overton had tended to drift to leg, but with a leg slip in place that may have been a deliberate tactic. The only clouds on the Somerset horizon were the real ones gathering over the ground. All the weather concerns had focused on the final day, for which the forecast was still awful, and there was a third day before that, but any gathering of clouds when there is rain on the forecast horizon is a concern to the committed supporter.

Tea intervals are simply not long enough for a proper circumnavigation of a cricket ground, especially if there are a large number of Somerset supporters lying in wait for the unsuspecting circumnavigator. And so it was that I was a dozen overs late getting back to my seat. Most of that was taken up by the remainder of the Zaib-Proctor partnership. They made steady progress as the sky darkened. Among the run gathering, a straight drive from Zaib off Overton which just outran the fielder and a square cut off Aldridge from Proctor which came off the bat like a rifle shot stuck in the mind.

The dismissal of Zaib when it came was even more striking in its way. He attempted to steer Overton past the slips with a sharp flick rather than a measured placement of the bat and edged the ball towards Aldrige at second slip. Lammonby, at third slip, jumped across in an attempt to intercept the ball, almost collided with Aldridge, who was coming forward to catch it, and palmed it towards Rew who moved across to catch the rebound only to be met by the still oncoming Lammonby who grabbed the ball out of the air in front of his rising gloves. Zaib, watching the entire performance, simply shrugged his shoulders as if despairing of his luck and walked off. Northamptonshire 66 for 4. Zaib 19. Somerset lead 105.

The gradually darkening sky was more of a concern than it might otherwise have been because Northamptonshire are prevented by planning restrictions from using their floodlights for Championship matches. Keogh joined Proctor, who was assuming the role of lone champion of the Northamptonshire batting that Vasconcelos had held in the first innings. With now four wickets down, questions were increasingly being asked about the whereabouts of Sam Whiteman, Northamptonshire’s Australian overseas batter who had been key to their saving the Taunton match. As is usually the case, if a player does not appear in his usual place in the batting order, there was no announcement.

Keogh welcomed Shoaib Bashir, who had not been needed in Northamptonshire’s first innings and only bowled five overs in their second, to the attack with an off drive which outran the chasing fielder to the boundary. He attacked Henry too, clipping him to fine leg and driving him through the covers, both for four. This though was Henry’s day, and when Keogh attempted to drive him into the onside the ball struck his pad in front of leg stump and Henry was celebrating for the third time in the innings. Northamptonshire 104 for 5. Keogh 23. Somerset lead 67.

McManus’s stay was short and sweet. He was off the mark against Bashir with a lofted straight drive which cleared the Capel End sight screen. A clip off his legs off Henry added four more. But when he tried to defend against Overton, bowling as Henry had been throughout his spell, with four slips, the ball found the edge and Abell caught it, shin high at first slip. Northamptonshire 124 for 6. McManus 14. Somerset lead 47.

Tom Taylor walked to the wicket in ever-darkening gloom, confirming in the minds of most that Whiteman was unlikely to bat unless there was what would now be a near-miraculous turnaround in Northamptonshire’s fortunes. That meant Somerset probably only needed three more wickets. Although the light was by now marginal, Taylor seemed unaffected by it. He had scored six by the end of the over in which McManus was out and took three fours, a square cut, a lofted on drive and a cover drive, off Overton’s next over, all off the middle of the bat. Suddenly, the prospect of Somerset having to bat again was racing towards us.

As the wickets fell, Proctor had solidly held firm at the other end. He had seemed untroubled and even played Henry with apparent ease. A pull played low, and down, to fine leg off Overton had been particularly deftly played, but his contribution in terms of runs was considerably less than that of his partners. By the time McManus was out, he had contributed 34 of 95 scored while he had been at the wicket. He had though been very effective at rotating the strike to those scoring more quickly. When the clouds finally drove the players from the field, Taylor had faced 17 of the 23 balls bowled since the wicket of McManus and had scored 24 runs while Proctor had not faced more than two balls in succession while scoring three singles.

When play ended, Proctor and Taylor had reduced Northamptonshire’s deficit to 20. With four, probably only three, wickets remaining if Whiteman were unable to bat, Somerset supporters left the ground in buoyant mood. There had been some movement off the pitch for the Somerset pace bowlers, Henry and Overton in particular, and so Somerset would not want the Proctor-Taylor stand to continue for too long on the third day. But no other Northamptonshire pair had long withstood the Somerset attack, and Northamptonshire would be heavily dependent on two bowlers, White and Sanderson, to take wickets if Somerset batted again. It seemed, to Somerset minds, and from discussions I had overheard, to Northamptonshire ones too, that the only dark cloud on Somerset’s horizon was the prospect of those hanging above us in the sky returning a day ahead of their forecast return on the final day.

Close. Somerset 351. Northamptonshire 180 (R.S. Vasconcelos 78, C. Overton 4-50, M.J. Henry 3-36) and 151 for 6. Northamptonshire trail by 20 runs with four second innings wickets standing.