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

As to the cricket, despite the loss of half the morning session, Somerset still contrived to lose four wickets before lunch. Sean Dickson was the first to go, playing a hurried defensive stroke to a ball from Jordan Clark which threatened his off stump and then cut away a shade. Dom Sibley, at first slip, took the catch thigh-high. Dickson had already been dropped at third slip earlier in the over by Will Jacks, had edged into his pads, and his only runs, a four off Clark, cut through point, had come from a stroke which he had failed to keep down. It had been a shaky start for Somerset and brought back thoughts of the Surrey supporter who, on the previous day, had declared the pitch to be ‘juicy’. Somerset 12 for 1. Deficit 186.

Tom Lammonby was the next to go, this time caught by Jacks at third slip trying to cut Clark off a full, wide ball. Jacks took the catch at ground level, six inches in front of his ankles. Lammonby’s only scoring stroke had been a straight drive off Dan Worrall, as elegantly played a straight drive as could be. Somerset 17 for 2. Deficit 181. Third to go was George Bartlett, to a ball from Clark, angled in towards off stump or just outside. Bartlett shaped as if to play, then hurriedly raised his bat before the ball cut in a shade and hit him on the pads. Somerset 23 for 3. Bartlett two. Deficit 175.

An over later, Tom Kohler-Cadmore drove Worrall through the off side to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion for four. To the next ball, he opened the face and attempted to drive square, failed to keep the ball down and was caught by Jamie Overton diving forward from backward point. Kohler-Cadmore had already suffered an inside edge for which he had collected a single and departed for five from seven balls. Somerset 28 for 4. Deficit 170. Tom Abell, who had come to the wicket when Dickson was out, after suffering some early thick edges, one of which ran to the covers store, now began to counterattack, beginning by confidently turning Clark to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion boundary. When Tom Lawes replaced Clark at the Trescothick Pavilion End with his medium pace, Abell turned him to the Priory Bridge Road Stand at long leg, drove him through midwicket to the Ondaatje Stand for four more and through the covers towards the Somerset Stand for three. It felt like Abell was at least trying to break Surrey’s stranglehold. Lunch came with Somerset on 46 for 4, with Abell on 27, and James Rew yet to score, but the deficit still stood at 152.

As I left the house, I was followed by a parting comment from the other occupant. She is not a cricket person, but she can read a scorecard. “Hurry, you might catch the last wicket,” her comment to speed me on my way. Although, as anyone who is condemned to use them will know, buses are not renowned for their ability to speed anyone on their way. Regular bus users will also know that emergency roadworks are designed specifically to aid buses in delaying their arrival at their destination. Readers of these reports will know too that, in the days before I owned a smartphone, delayed journeys to the ground caused me the special purgatory of not knowing the Somerset score. Now that I have a smartphone I have to endure the other form of Somerset purgatory. Knowing the score.

I don’t know how many times I checked my phone during the nine overs I missed. I do know that Somerset did not lose a wicket while I was on that bus. Not that that helps with the purgatory. Every time I clicked on the link to the score it was as if my heart had stopped beating and all the bats of hell were fluttering in my stomach for fear of more wickets. But every time I looked, Abell and Rew were still there gradually grinding out runs, but above all, not getting out. In those nine overs, they added just 21. As I walked through the Brian Rose Gates, Rew cut Gus Atkinson backward of point to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion for four. Another cut from Rew, for a single, as I reached my seat in the Trescothick Pavilion registered the fifty partnership with Abell. Some stability at last.

As Somerset clawed their way forward, a drive for four from Abell struck crisply off his toes to the gap between the Caddick Pavilion and the Ondaatje boundary brought applause. A push to cover from Rew off Worrall for a single brought the announcement that Rew had scored a thousand first-class runs in the season. At the age of 19, with three matches still to be played, it was some achievement. It was marked by extended applause from the Somerset crowd. There was though comment that only one Surrey player had applauded. The chatter was beginning to return as Somerset gradually brought the deficit down, now to 107.

And then, just as it seemed Somerset might be turning a corner, in their innings if not yet in the match, Abell was struck on the pad by Clark, Abell almost falling forward into the ball. As with so many leg before wicket dismissals, the ball seemed to take the batter by surprise and result in a rushed attempt to play. The umpire was much more measured, raising his finger in a slow, deliberate movement, which for all its calm, delivered the decision with a bleak air of finality. Somerset 92 for 5. Abell 46. Deficit 106. The wicket brought a hush to the top of the Trescothick Pavilion and by the end of the over the entire ground was engulfed in an audible silence.

Somerset’s batting seemed similarly affected, with only 13 runs coming in the next nine overs. Despite the caution shown by Rew and Kasey Aldridge, several leg before wicket appeals penetrated the hush, several strokes were defeated and Aldridge was dropped at second slip off Worrall, the single which resulted bringing little consolation. Only an on drive, straight of mid-on to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion boundary from Rew broke the spell which the Surrey bowlers had cast over Somerset. A spell which became even more oppressive when Aldridge was caught at second slip off the returning Lawes. Somerset 107 for 6. Aldridge six. Deficit 91. The crowd was now even more subdued, if that were possible, a mood not helped when Green edged his second ball and Ben Foakes, behind the stumps, just failed to reach it, Ben Green running through for another single.

As tea approached, Rew changed tack and attempted something of a counterattack but with mixed results. A badly miscued pull off Lawes fell limply just short of gully, but the next ball was pulled over long leg to the Ondaatje Stand for six. He attempted to hook the first ball of a new spell from Overton and top edged the ball over the keeper’s head to the Lord Ian Botham Stand for four and followed it with a cover drive for two. The flurry of runs took Somerset’s deficit below 100, but that and the shaky nature of the assault just served to emphasise the hopelessness of Somerset’s situation. A situation made worse when Green attempted to drive Overton through the off side and was caught by Foakes. Somerset 130 for 7. Green 6. Deficit 68.

The wicket brought Craig Overton to the wicket. He raised the mood momentarily, and brought laughter around the ground, when he raised his arm to his brother while he was in full stride and sent him back to his mark. Rew did reach fifty, but even that came from a single from an edge off the spin of Jacks which just evaded the slip fielder. Despite their dominance, Surrey still placed three fielders on the boundary for Rew, but a score of 139 for 7 at tea, a deficit still of 59, told all that needed to be told about the state of the match.

My teatime circumnavigation overran by three overs. It was enough to take two wickets. Rew’s resistance and occasional retaliation were ended by an Atkinson short ball. Rew hooked, top-edged and the ball was caught at fine leg by Lawes in front of the Hildreth Stand. Somerset 145 for 8. Rew 55 in just over two and a half hours. Deficit 53. Matt Henry badly misjudged a leg stump yorker from Atkinson, walked across his stumps and tried to clip it behind square. The ball connected instead with his pads and Somerset had suffered their third leg before wicket dismissal of the innings. Somerset 149 for 9. Henry four. Deficit 49. He had lasted two balls, the first, short, had rushed his pull shot, struck the bat high up and flown to the fine leg boundary.

By the time I reached my seat, Craig Overton’s intentions were clear, and Surrey understood what they were only too well. He found himself batting to a long stop, presumably for the top edge, a deep fine leg, a long leg, a deep midwicket and a straight long on. His response was to hook the first ball I saw after I regained my seat at the top of the Trescothick Stand, from Atkinson, into the Priory Bridge Road Stand, the boundary fielders watching helplessly as it sailed high over their heads. A pull and a cover drive, both for two off successive balls followed to the comment from one hard-to-please supporter, “Why didn’t ’er do this in the first innings?” At the other end, Shoaib Bashir was beaten twice in two balls by Worrall but survived. When he next faced, he pushed Worrall past the four slips for four with an angled bat. When Worrall added a fifth slip, Bashir repeated the stroke, this time past the fifth slip for two more and then settled into solid defence while Overton continued his assault from the other end.

There was a curious atmosphere. Normally such batting in such a hopeless situation would bring laughter from the crowd as the game was assumed to be, to all intents and purposes, over. Here though, there was a tense quiet, and Overton began to be more selective in his play. A square cut off Clarke reached the Somerset Stand boundary, but the only other scoring stroke from the over was a single off the fourth ball for Overton to retain the strike. Surrey offered Bashir the single off the two remaining balls and the batters declined both with Somerset’s deficit down to seven.

Overton pushed brother Jamie through the covers for four in his next over but was unable to find a single to retain the strike as Jamie used a combination of accuracy and pace to good effect. When the ball ran loose off Bashir’s pads early in the next over, from Atkinson, Craig Overton broke the tense silence with a shout of, “Come, on, run, run, run,” to regain the strike. He then drove Atkinson over mid-on and into the covers store for six. That brought up the fifty partnership for the tenth wicket and took Somerset into the lead to huge cheers and long applause. With Surrey intent on all-out attack, Jamie bowled fast and short at Craig. It had been clear in this match to date that Jamie had gained significant control in his bowling without losing much, if any, pace, since his move to Surrey. He applied it here. A short ball to Craig was fended off towards gully, but Craig managed to gather a single to bring up his fifty from 56 balls. As to the remaining two balls of the over, Bashir was hit on the back trying to avoid a short ball and stepped away from the next, fuller, delivery but still got bat to it.

Craig responded with the crowd now buzzing at the prospect. The tension had dissipated too as the realisation sank in that, with cricket of this sort, and neither side was giving the other an inch, the end could not long be delayed. Atkinson hit Overton in the groin, but he recovered to pull the next ball over deep square leg into, by my count, the 15^th row of the Priory Bridge Road Stand. Not satisfied with that, Overton pulled the next ball over the stand and into the car park behind. “I’m glad I’m not parked in there!” the comment. With four fielders now tight back to the leg side boundary, Atkinson bowled full, only for Overton to strike a ferocious drive straight back past him to the Trescothick Pavilion boundary before an attempted pull resulted in a top edge over the keeper which was fielded by the long stop with the single declined. A steer from a full ball ended the over by avoiding the field, and the single, and reaching the Garner Gates boundary at backward point for four.

Twenty runs had come from that over and left the ground frothing with excitement which turned into tension as Bashir shaped up to face Overton. The first ball was full. Bashir jabbed down on it and dug it out. The second was short, he ducked away and was hit in the back for the second time. The third was full. Bashir stepped away and steered the ball to point. The fourth was full again. Again, Bashir stepped away. This time he missed, and the ball missed the stumps by the gasp which reverberated around the ground. The fifth ball was full again as the Somerset crowd held its breath. Again, Bashir stepped away. Again, he reached for the ball. Again he missed, but this time he was bowled. Somerset 226 all out. Bashir seven. Overton 70 not out. Somerset lead 28. The tenth wicket partnership of 77 had lasted an hour and had seen Craig Overton at his batting best and Jamie Overton bowling with all the old vigour and pace but with a new-found control. It had been an hour to savour. As battered emotions tried to reassemble themselves after the ferocious tumult that had engulfed the ground in that hour, the atmosphere resembled the sea swishing around after a tumultuous wave has crashed against a sea wall before falling back into the incoming tide.

The remainder was inevitable. Surrey scored the 29 runs they needed in 31 minutes with Somerset resting their front-line pace attack and relying on Lammonby, Green and Bashir to serve up the necessary overs. It at least gave the crowd time to regain their equilibrium and to end with some laughter as Surrey studiously took the best part of three overs to score the last four runs, and, to cap it all, to win with a wide. Those with more serious thoughts at the end reflected on the gulf between Surrey, pushing for a second successive Championship, and Somerset, who had had to fight hard to reach their mid-table position.

Result. Somerset 170 (T. Kohler-Cadmore 59) and 226 (C. Overton 70*, J.E.K. Rew 55, T.B. Abell 46). Surrey 368 (T.W.M. Latham 99, W.G. Jacks 99, J. Overton 42, M.J. Henry 6-80, B.G. F. Green 3-39) and 29 for 0. Surrey won by ten wickets. Surrey 22 points. Somerset 3 points.