County Championship 2024. Division 1. Surrey v Somerset 12^th, 13^th, 14^th  and 15^th April. The Oval.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, O.J.D. Pope, D.W. Lawrence, J.L. Smith, B.T. Foakes (w), C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, K.A.J Roach.

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, K.L. Aldridge, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 285. Surrey 358 for 6. Surrey lead by 73 runs with four first innings wicket standing.

Third day 14^th April – Surrey turn the screw

Entry to my seat was delayed, this time because I came across a London-based Somerset cricket-watching acquaintance on the concourse a quarter of an hour before the start, and a quarter of an hour is no time to catch up on a winter’s news. It had to be done on the concourse because we had each arranged to watch the game with other people in different parts of the ground. And so, each other’s news updated, we went our separate ways, to meet again when we next chance to find ourselves at the same match, as is the way of things with people who meet only at the cricket.

I reached the top of the stairs into the Galadari Stand as the second ball of the morning was being bowled by Craig Overton. Jordan Clark drove it straight back to the Vauxhall End under bright sun and hazy white cloud while the endless queue of planes made their way across the sky to Heathrow. The sun was warm, but tempered by a cool breeze which became increasingly chill and strong as the day wore on. By the end of the day, the unexpected spring of the first two days was being reminded that winter will go away when it suits it and not when it suits those who have to endure it.

After that boundary, the first five overs were as lazy as the aircraft overhead, only seven runs being added to Surrey’s overnight score. Then, a wicket from Kasey Aldridge. Bowling a yard faster than last year, his bowling was looking anything but lazy when Clark tried to glance and was caught down the leg side by James Rew. Surrey 365 for 7. Clark 13. Lead 80. Then more lazy overs, six runs coming from the next five, except when, briefly, they were enlivened by a meeting of the Overton brothers. Jamie came to the wicket and Craig sent his first ball fizzing past his ears. “That was to be expected,” the comment from amidst the smiles around me. Brothers.

Next, Shoaib Bashir brought his off-spin into the attack, replacing Overton and accompanying Aldridge as Somerset continued to hold Surrey in check with largely defensive fields and tight bowling. Aldridge’s only attacking fielders were a very wide slip and a backward point. It was enough. Cameron Steel tried to cut, connected with the top edge, Aldridge’s height and pace perhaps squeezing a scintilla of extra bounce out of the Kookaburra or the pitch. The ball was very well caught by Tom Lammonby jumping at backward point. Surrey 378 for 8. Steel 43. Lead 93. Somerset’s fingertips still clinging on.

With Surrey nearly 100 ahead and Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson at the wicket, the pace of scoring briefly quickened. Atkinson drove Aldridge through the covers and pulled Migael Pretorius through backward square leg, both for four. Overton, after a careful start mainly consisting of singles, lofted Bashir over long on for six, drove him straight to the Vauxhall End and cut him through backward point, both for four. Again, Somerset fought back. Atkinson was caught by Aldridge running back from square leg top-edging a pull off Craig Overton. Surrey 418 for 9. Atkinson 15. Lead 133. Jamie Overton hit back, pulling his brother for four, but when he tried to repeat the stroke against Aldridge he bottom-edged onto his stumps. Surrey 428 all out. Overton 35. Lead 143. Overton’s response to being bowled in such a manner was a wry shrug of the shoulders. It was Aldridge’s fifth wicket, Somerset’s other five bowlers each taking one. As they had throughout the second day, the Somerset bowlers had stuck to their task, restricting Surrey to 70 runs and taking four wickets in 20 minutes under a session.

That left Somerset three overs to survive to lunch before they began the task of whittling away Surrey’s lead and building one of their own large enough to keep Surrey at bay over the final five sessions of the match. In the light of their first innings collapse the second part of that task seemed an unlikely prospect. Even more unlikely after the second over. It was bowled to the surprise of most around me by Dan Lawrence, perhaps the customary over of spin before lunch being applied even at the start of the innings. If that was the ploy it worked. Sean Dickson attempted to flick his second ball to leg and was caught behind. Then, with the final ball of the morning, Jordan Clark went past the defensive edge of Matt Renshaw’s bat. “Well bowled!” said a Surrey supporter as the players turned towards the Pavilion. Somerset were 2 for 1. It had not been an auspicious start.

My lunchtime circumnavigation was progressing well when, nearly back at my seat, I spotted someone in the Galadari Stand with whom I had watched Somerset cricket since the days of Viv Richards. That delayed me for most of the first hour of the afternoon session. Half a century of cricket always takes a while to catch up on, even if it is caught up on each time we meet. So many memories. That he was with a couple of friends, equally ardent Somerset supporters, hardly sped up the process. Once again, the cricket and the view to the west towards Heathrow formed the perfect backdrop to our conversation. Somerset were in deep trouble though, not a situation with which any of us were unfamiliar, so a close eye had to be kept on proceedings in the middle. As the figures in white moved across the scene, Tom Lammonby played in his assertive mode while Renshaw continued with the more circumspect style of his third coming to Somerset. Clark and Kemar Roach were treated equally by Lammonby. Clark was cut square for four. An over later, Roach was driven square, beautifully, with the lightest possible touch. Timing in excelsis, as Archbishop Tenison might have said as the ball crossed his boundary.

Then Renshaw began to accelerate. Clark was clipped off the toes through straight midwicket to the Archbishop’s boundary and when Lawrence returned at the Vauxhall End, he was turned to fine leg for four more. As we moved through our memories, Somerset it seemed might just be beginning to build a base. But when Renshaw attempted to sweep Lawrence he was struck on the pads, set off for a single and then peeled off towards the Pavilion as the umpire raised his finger. Somerset 43 for 2. Renshaw 16. Deficit 100. That caused our small discussion group to look anxiously at one another while there was extensive applause from Surrey supporters. Renshaw’s wicket, it felt, had given the match a decisive push in Surrey’s direction. I bade my farewells and returned to my seat.

Somerset’s immediate response to having their backs pinned firmly to the wall can perhaps be gauged from the fact that only two boundaries and 30 runs came in the next dozen overs. Opportunities to push the ball into gaps were not missed, but neither were obvious risks taken. The Somerset fifty was brought up by Lammonby when he turned Gus Atkinson quietly to midwicket. Lewis Goldsworthy celebrated by driving the next ball straight for four, but that apart and a cut through backward point off Lawrence, also for four, it was pushes, steers and a neat little paddle sweep for two from Lammonby off Lawrence.

Then, breath taken, a brief flurry of boundaries. Lewis Goldsworthy pulled Cameron Steel over midwicket to the Galadari Stand for six and drove Jamie Overton straight and through the on side, both for four. He then drove Steel though the covers for a single, the ball curving neatly across the grass as it moved away from me. That brought up the fifty partnership with Lammonby but, even after Lammonby had followed up by driving the next ball through midwicket to the Archbishop Tenison boundary to bring up his own fifty, Somerset were still 46 runs behind.

Signs of progress it seemed. Until reality set in again. Lammonby came forward to defend against Steel, the ball straightened off the pitch and Lammonby was leg before wicket. Somerset 101 for 3. Lammonby 51. Deficit 42. As the umpire’s finger was raised, the suggestion of the Surrey supporter on the first day that the match would be over in three days began to rear its head. There was though a curious lead up to tea. That Somerset fell into intense defence was no surprise. That Tom Banton, replacing Lammonby, was as intent on defence as Goldsworthy, scoring just three of the nine runs which came in the eight overs to tea, showed a different Banton to the one Somerset supporters had become used to in previous seasons. Curious too was the fact that the Surrey fielders, with Surrey clearly on top, moved as if in slow motion, particularly between overs. It was as if, as the match tilted heavily Surrey’s way, a lazy Sunday afternoon had descended on The Oval, a gently warm sun adding to the impression.

“Mr Banton has been very restrained,” said one Surrey supporter shortly after tea, although he had just driven Clark through the on side for four. “Sorry, my mistake,” he added as Banton attacked again, cutting and missing against Steel. Two overs later, he attempted to cut Steel again. This time he did connect but the ball flew straight to Lawrence at backward point. Somerset 121 for 4. Banton 11. Deficit 22. It felt like an accelerating slide towards defeat, and a cold wind had picked up as if to emphasise the point.

James Rew joined Goldsworthy and soon drew a comment of, “Shot! Lovely shot,” when he drove Clark straight back to the Vauxhall End boundary. “Come on Surrey!” someone was soon responding. It was Rew though who came on, driving Clark off the back foot. The ball curved through the covers to the boundary on the Archbishop Tenison side of the ground as if it had been struck off a spinner. Goldsworthy was more restrained and went to his fifty with a single driven square off the back foot off Steel. With Lawrence back into the attack, Rew swept him to the boundary twice, but errors began to creep in. There was a leg before wicket appeal from Lawrence when Rew missed a sweep, another when he missed a reverse sweep off Steel and an off drive was almost caught at mid-off. Then, a ball later he came forward to defend against Lawrence and was caught at slip by Jamie Overton. Somerset 152 for 5. Rew 22. Lead 9. When, three overs later, Goldsworthy, who had been quietly accumulating singles in the partnership with Rew, tried to hook Atkinson he was caught behind. Somerset 162 for 6. Goldsworthy 58 in over two and a half hours. Lead 19. Surrey were gradually, but very effectively, tightening the screw.

 “Surrey! Surrey! Surrey!” the chant but, with only 12 overs left in the day plus the extra half hour if Surrey got close enough, prospects of a three-day defeat were fast shrinking. I doubt though any Somerset supporters expected to be still in their seats by lunch on the final day. As to those 12 overs, Somerset’s new captain, Lewis Gregory, was joined by Kasey Aldridge. Batting with purpose through those 12 overs they added 42 runs. They matched each other, scoring 20 runs each with the floodlights now on, although Aldridge had the edge in boundaries by three to two. A back foot cover drive to the Galadari Stand was the pick in terms of style, although a straight drive for three towards the Pavilion boundary by Gregory off Atkinson almost matched it.

There were occasional shouts of, “Surrey!” and a groan when Aldridge was dropped at slip off Lawrence by Overton. For their part, at three and a half runs an over, Gregory and Aldridge had at least given some sense of momentum, although not without risk. In the final over Steel beat the bat of Aldridge and then found the inside edge, but Aldridge survived. As the players walked off, Gregory and Aldridge had stretched Somerset’s lead to 61 with still those four wickets standing. It seemed that Somerset supporters might need their seats until at least lunch on the final day.

Close. Somerset 285 and 204 for 6. Surrey 428 (D.P. Sibley 100, R.J. Burns 75, B.T. Foakes 57, K.L. Aldridge 5-64). Somerset lead by 61 runs with four second innings wickets standing.