County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire 19^th, 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd 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 20^th April – A bitter wind blows

On 25^th and 26^th 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.

The day had begun with hope for Somerset. In the third over, a stunning ball from Craig Overton had zipped inside Haseeb Hameed’s defensive push and knocked his middle stump askew. Nottinghamshire were 48 for 2, still 213 behind with Hameed gone for 20. They were under intense pressure, the crowd was buzzing and Somerset were pressing hard. So tight was Somerset’s hold, it was 14 overs after Hameed walked off before Nottinghamshire reached the boundary again, and only 26 runs were scored in those overs. Migael Pretorius, in his second match after getting off the plane from South Africa, was finding his feet and beating the bat to wincing gasps. He found the inside edge of Clarke’s bat too in another heart stopping moment. The expected wicket though did not come. Instead, as Clarke and Young dug deep, the runs began, if only steadily, to mount, but all too easily it seemed to a Somerset supporter. A push through cover or midwicket here, an open-faced steer to backward point there while any ball of the necessary length and favouring leg stump was turned behind square. Along the way, the fifty partnership came from a neatly controlled off drive.

Then Nottinghamshire began to find the boundary. When Clarke leaned into successive and identical on drives off Josh Davey they scythed like meteors across the grass to the Caddick Pavilion. Someone picked up on growing Somerset anxiety with, “We could do with a wicket.” Shoaib Bashir was now bowling from the River End, the traditional spinner’s end at Taunton, but an inside edge from Young apart, he showed no sign of taking that elusive wicket. He did though keep Nottinghamshire to two an over until, as lunch approached, there was an ominous indication of what might follow when he was driven firmly through the off side for four twice in an over by Clarke. Ominous too was Lewis Gregory calling on Lewis Goldsworthy and Tom Lammonby to bowl the final three overs before lunch from the other end. Nottinghamshire eased to the interval on 140 for 2, Clarke having reached his fifty in the penultimate over when he drove Bashir quietly through the on side for a single. It had been a morning in which Somerset had bowled consistently well despite the mounting evidence of a Taunton last-two-days flat top of the old type. In response, and doubtless conscious of their large first innings deficit, Nottinghamshire had played carefully within themselves to reduce their deficit to 121.

In terms of weather, it had been a bittersweet morning. Bitter in my seat in the top of the north facing Trescothick Pavilion, warm in the Hildreth and Ondaatje Stands or the Colin Atkinson Pavilion whenever the sun broke through the gradually thinning white cotton wool clouds. In terms of the crowd, it was well down on those of a few years ago and, to my eye, clearly down on 2023 Championship crowds. By my rough count, there were about 750 in the ground. Bitterly cold though my April seat was, and those around it, an old workmate joined me for the morning session and two more latterly met acquaintances joined me for the lunch interval. We talked about current cricket matters specific to Somerset, but mainly about the bitter wind that is blowing through the future of county cricket in a buffeted domestic cricket world. The conversation held us to our seats, but the wind blowing from the Quantocks was every bit as chill as the one blowing through cricket.

My afternoon began on the terrace at the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. It gives a slightly different perspective on the cricket, you stand for one thing and, because it has no roof, the sun does visit. As I stood there, limbs numbed by the fridge-like shade of the morning began to show signs of tingling life again. Someone joined me for a couple of overs and commented on the joys of looking at the sunlit Quantocks despite the northerly wind they were visiting upon us. They did provide an occasional relief from watching the bitter cricketing wind of Nottinghamshire systematically piling up runs in the middle. It was difficult not to concentrate on the cricket most of the time though because Pretorius was bowling a particularly good spell, again beating the bat several times. But, as I watched, worryingly from a Somerset perspective, Nottinghamshire began to find the boundary more often despite the efforts of the Somerset bowlers who continued to maintained their discipline against the mounting pressure.

It was particularly noticeable that Bashir, Somerset’s run-block at The Oval, was conceding more runs having been the bowler who had most held Nottinghamshire in check before lunch. Noticeable too because the batters proceeded to pass milestones with some rapidity. Each milestone caused the announcer to remind Somerset supporters of Nottinghamshire’s inexorable progress. “The one hundred partnership for Joe Clarke and Will Young,” brought a desperate gasp because it came from an edge from Clarke off Pretorius which James Rew got both hands to and dropped, the ball running far enough off his gloves for the single. “That is one hundred and fifty for Nottinghamshire,” came when Clarke drove Bashir softly through extra cover for two. “Fifty for Will Young from 135 balls,” came from a neat turn to the deep square leg boundary off Bashir and reminded of Young’s air of permanence at the wicket. Boundaries came increasingly rapidly too, mainly from Clarke and mainly off Bashir, one being lofted over long on and into the covers store for six.

I spent nine overs on the terrace. By the time I returned to my seat and that bitter north-easterly wind, Nottinghamshire had added 40 runs and immediately proceeded to add another nine in the over after I sat down, Bashir being struck for two more boundaries, one swept behind square to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion scoreboard and one lofted over straight midwicket to the Ondaatje boundary.  Nottinghamshire’s deficit had now shrunk from its original 261 to 72, still only two wickets down. At the start of the day, there had been talk of the match being over by its end. There was none now.

The Somerset bowler who had shown most threat, was Pretorius. He had beaten the bat several times to gasps, had that catch dropped by Rew and been denied one or two loud leg before wicket appeals. Now Clarke struck him for three boundaries in an over. The first seemed designed to demonstrate the dominance of the Nottinghamshire batting. Pretorius bowled short and straight. Clarke pointed the bat straight down the wicket and played the perfect ramp shot back over his own head and Rew’s to the boundary in front of the Trescothick Pavilion sight screen. He followed that with two sharp cuts, one through the covers and one through backward point, each bringing four. The 14 runs which came from the over brought two more announcements, “That is Nottinghamshire’s 200,” and, “The 150 partnership,” reducing Somerset’s lead to 56 in the process. With Nottinghamshire still only two wickets down, Somerset’s advantage was fast slipping away.

Now, Clarke went to his century, cutting Gregory, who had replaced Pretorius, through backward point for four. A straight drive for four, also off Gregory, prompted a request for the ball to be changed to which the umpires acceded. With the changed ball, Gregory did force an edge from Young, but it flew, frustratingly for Somerset, through second slip when, in the modern fashion when batters are making progress, there was only a first and a fourth slip. Then, Overton beat Young to gasps to add to Somersrt’s frustration as the Nottinghamshire score continued its perpetual rise.

A further nine overs spent on the Trescothick Pavilion terrace brought a further 40 runs and had taken Nottinghamshire four runs into the lead by the time I sat down again, still with Clarke and Young marching on. While I was on the terrace, Somerset tried to exert some control with Bashir, this time at the Trescothick Pavilion End. A six back over his head into the sight screen, the flow of runs was now so persistent I didn’t notice from which batter, soon put that plan into perspective. A glance at the scoreboard revealed that Bashir’s steady two runs an over had extended beyond three, although the batters reined themselves in as tea approached. My second sojourn on the terrace looking at the Quantocks left me with the impression that a wicket was as far away as the Mendips. By then, I doubt if anyone would have bet against the Gunns’ record being passed had they known about it. Somerset’s use of Tom Lammonby in the run up to tea, with still ten overs to the new ball, suggested Gregory may have been of a similar opinion, at least until his bowlers could get their hands on that new ball.

Nottinghamshire began the evening session 20 ahead. By then I had not completed my customary anticlockwise teatime circumnavigation of the ground, too many people to talk to, too little time to talk to them in. It made no difference to what was happening in the middle. With people to talk to the cricket became the background to conversation rather than the centre of attention. Out of that background sounded one huge, extended leg before wicket appeal and an impression of bowlers gaining some control over the batters. A glance at the scoreboard when I regained my seat confirmed my impression. Nottinghamshire had added just 23 runs in 12 overs, but crucially wicket had come there none. “The Nottinghamshire 300,” announcement had passed me by too. “By this time tomorrow, we shall be hanging on,” from another Somerset supporter didn’t.

And then, back in my seat, perhaps I should stay out of it, acceleration from Nottinghamshire, “One hundred for Will Young,” the next announcement. Somerset’s fielding was a sharp as ever, and the shouts of encouragement from the field, from Matt Renshaw and Lammonby in particular, continued unabated. But the ball began to fly, straight drives for four, one for each batter off Josh Davey. An off drive for four for Clarke off Bashir, four for Young, lofted over square leg off Bashir followed immediately by a straight six into the Trescothick Pavilion sightscreen below me. That was 29 runs in four overs, Nottinghamshire on 365 for 2, over a hundred into the lead with no sign of any let up. “The 300 partnership,” announcement had come and gone along the way too.

When Goldsworthy was tried with his slow left arm spin, a lofted straight drive for four from Clarke into the River End sightscreen was followed by an inconspicuous single turned to the fielder at backward square leg. Inconspicuous except that it brought the announcement, “Two hundred in 284 balls for Joe Clarke.” The steady stream of Nottinghamshire runs which had flowed through the day had become a torrent. Then, as the end of the day approached, the batters seemed to take breath. There were no boundaries in the final eight overs, just a steady trickle of ones and twos as 28 more runs took Nottinghamshire to 418 for 2, the overthrow of the Gunns’ record and a lead of 157 with Clarke on 209 and Young on 156.

It had been an astonishing day of batting. That the wicket was made for it, that it provided not a gram of assistance to the Somerset bowlers despite their never flagging and producing their best efforts throughout the day, should not detract from the efforts of the Nottinghamshire batters. Every one of those runs had to be scored. That required no small amount of skill, a modicum of luck to be sure, but also immense, unbroken amounts of concentration. From a spectator viewpoint though, it brought memories of the Taunton featherbeds of the first decade of the current millennium on which falling wickets in the latter part of a match were as rare as Championship matches are in high summer today. Initially, it was enjoyable if your own side was batting, but recollections of those days suggest that, after a while, even that interest pales and dies.

Close. Nottinghamshire 193 and 418 for 2. Somerset 454. Nottinghamshire lead by 157 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.