County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Durham 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September. Taunton.
Somerset. A.R.I. Umeed, L.P. Goldsworthy, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M.J. Leach.
Durham. A.Z. Lees, B.S. McKinney, S.G. Borthwick (c), O.G. Robinson (w), A.J. Turner, B.F.W. de Leede, B.A. Carse, B.A. Raine, G.S. Drissell, C.F. Parkinson, D.M. Hogg.
Overnight. Somerset 492 and 263 for 5 dec. Durham 336 and 15 for 3. Durham need 405 runs to win with seven second innings wickets standing.
Final day 1st September – Leach supreme
“Did you see that ripper from Archie Vaughan to get Borthwick last night?” was the first question I was asked as I passed the Caddick Pavilion on my pre-match circumnavigation. “Yes,” my reply. “Several times.” Oh, the joy of the Somerset live stream highlights. It was a masterpiece of a ball from the student member of the team, angled in before straightening perfectly off the pitch, passing the edge of the bat and rattling the off stump.
It was one of those circumnavigations which take time to complete. Anticipation was everywhere and when anticipation rules, people want to talk. To talk about that ball, about Vaughan’s debut, about Jack Leach’s rejuvenation, about Abell’s innings, about Somerset’s dominance of the match, about Gregory’s masterstroke of a declaration, about Surrey looking like they might struggle to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, about Essex, climbing the table behind Somerset, looking like they would overwhelm Worcestershire at Chelmsford, and, with anxious eyes turned upwards, the sky. The forecast hinted at patches of rain in the morning clearing by mid-afternoon. The sky was as worrying as the forecast. High cloud, more off-white than grey, and smooth, covering the entire sky. Smooth cloud, in my experience, is liable to produce rain. Too long a rain delay would embolden Durham. It would be a morning of eyes on the middle and eyes on the sky.
The cricket justified the anticipation. Leach and Vaughan were relentless. Leach bowled every over of the Durham innings bowled from the River End. Every time a batter looked towards the Lord Ian Botham Stand, there was Leach waiting to trot in with another Torquemadian inquisition of their technique. More often than not, at the other end, was Archie Vaughan permitting no respite as ball after ball forced a defensive prod or a cagily pushed single. Standing against them at the start for Durham were George Drissell and Callum Parkinson, both on nightwatch duty. Looked at in retrospect, they played the spinners as well as any of the batters to follow. Drissell began with a four, driven to the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary off a Leach loosener, but in the fourth over, Leach turned a ball comprehensively past his defensive bat. “Beauty!” said the man in front of me. Applause followed from the rest of the Trescothick Pavilion. By way of an encore, Leach repeated the performance two balls later and the applause and anticipation followed.
Then, as hope bit, someone said, “The umbrellas are up.” And in the sixth over, the umpires took the players off with Durham on 29 for 3. There were 90 overs still to be bowled less whatever number the rain extracted from the day. Durham were still 391 runs away from their target, but it was the number of overs and wickets which would determine the outcome, and the seven wickets with which they had begun the day still stood. Adding to the concern about the weather, the Brendons were no longer visible, and the end of the Quantocks was coated in rain or drizzle. “This rain is going to cost us the game,” said one pessimist. But, for the moment, the rain was more interested in teasing than in destruction and, with seven overs lost, the players were back. The cloud though was unchanged, that threatening forecast personified. From then on, from the back of the elevated section of the Trescothick Pavilion under the cover of the wing roof, the Hildreth Stand was under constant observation for signs of opening umbrellas.
Back on the field, Somerset tried a different tactic. From the Trescothick Pavilion End, Kasey Aldridge peppered the batters with a fusillade of short balls and bouncers. The purpose of the tactic was lost on those around me. It lasted two overs and cost 20 runs including four byes from a bouncer which the batter easily evaded and which easily evaded Rew behind the stumps. Experiment over, Vaughan returned and was greeted with a six driven to the covers store by Parkinson. “They are finding this a bit too easy, aren’t they?” said the person with me. Not for long. Vaughan, showing no sign of being perturbed, returned to his mark as if nothing had happened and quietly reinstated his grip on the batting.
“Beauty! Beauty!” said the man in front of me, repeating himself for emphasis, as Leach beat Drissell for the third time in an over. But the lack of a wicket was generating tension, for although the sky was brightening, there was even a fleeting patch of blue sky at one point, on the phones the doubtful forecast was unremitting. In ran Vaughan again, his heels kicking high behind him as he went. Parkinson attacked. The ball was pulled towards square leg. Lewis Goldsworthy took off to his right, crashed to the ground, rolled over and came up holding the ball. Durham 63 for 4. Parkinson 18 having held Somerset up for nearly an hour. The crowd was perhaps half that of the first two days, but the cheer which greeted the catch would have done the first-day crowd proud. It spoke of joy and relief in equal measure.
It was clear by now that if the heavy roller applied before the start of play had had any impact it was wearing off. The ball was turning, not excessively, but enough to keep the batters’ attention. The newly arrived Ollie Robinson began pushing singles while Leach bowled with two slips and a short leg. The second slip, Craig Overton, knelt as Marcus Trescothick did towards the end of his career, perhaps a sign that the ball lacked carry. It was Lewis Gregory though, standing at first slip who, reaching low and rolling to his left, caught Robinson pushing half forward to a ball from Leach which turned perfectly. Another huge cheer erupted, this time triumphant. Durham 70 for 5. Robinson 4. “Well done, Jack,” someone shouted while others just bellowed their cheers and cracked their hands together in applause.
Hope rose another notch when a ball from Leach beat Drissell and there was an appeal for caught behind. “That spat a bit, didn’t it?” I asked my colleague. “It did,” he replied. Drissell responded by late cutting the next ball to the covers store for four before Vaughan applied the grip again with a maiden bowled to the newly arrived Ashton Turner. Then, five times in succession, Drissell came forward to defend as Leach, now bowling to three slips, questioned and probed. The fifth ball turned just enough for Drissell to have no answer. He edged it low, but straight to Gregory at first slip. Durham 77 for 6. Drissell 33. Another enormous cheer. Somerset were closing in, but so again was the cloud. In cricket, the weather can be a powerful ally for a side facing defeat and a persistent torment for the supporters of a side pursuing victory.
With the cloud hovering, Turner and Bas de Leede pushed bat and pad down the pitch to smother any turn. For Somerset, Leach and Vaughan kept running in, changing flight and pace, searching for an opening. Five overs passed, only four runs came, but the ball had stopped passing the bat. Stalemate, at least for the moment. “Perhaps the kookaburra has gone soft,” someone suggested. “Surrey 81 for 4, 201 ahead. Essex 59 for 2, 125 to win,” said someone monitoring their phone. “I’m not sure Surrey can win from there, but Essex look like they will,” I said to my colleague. “We do need to look over our shoulders at Essex, they are only four points behind us at the moment.” And in front of us was the prospect of a Somerset win which would close some of the gap with Surrey and keep Somerset ahead of Essex, if only the weather would hold.
Then the stalemate began to break down. De Leede attempted to cut Leach and missed. “He had a poke at that,” said my colleague. With one slip, a short leg and forward and backward short legs in place, Vaughan bowled to Taylor. Taylor drove hard, edged and the ball flew at catchable height wide of Gregory, the only slip. Gregory dived, but the ball was beyond his reach and ran to the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary. The gasps around me were anguished, perhaps wondering if a second slip would have caught the ball, but there were already four around the bat and fielders cannot be everywhere. There was just one more boundary before lunch, driven through the off side to Gimblett’s Hill by de Leede off Vaughan. In total, the final 13 overs of the morning yielded 17 runs, but crucially, in terms of the outcome, no wickets. Durham 94 for 6 at lunch. Crucially too, Surrey were 81 for 4, 201 ahead, with the Nottinghamshire spinners among the wickets. Essex were 75 for 4 still needing another 105, still favourites, but no longer certainties. But above us, the cloud was showing no sign of retreating while the batters were showing signs of becoming glue-like. The match was not over yet.
I circumnavigated the ground again at lunchtime, the outfield too wet to accommodate spectators after the rain of the morning. It led to a discussion on Gimblett’s Hill. One of the occupants was celebrating the 75th anniversary of watching his first match at Taunton, a feat of endurance in the face of cricketing adversity which of itself deserves a Championship. The Championship is not called the Holy Grail at Taunton without good reason, 133 years of waiting and counting testify to that. As we looked at the sky and the forecast, another perpetual resident of the Hill and I agreed that the outcome of the match was not a foregone conclusion. Although only four wickets remained, they were mainly batters because of the use of the two night watchers.
Immediately after lunch, Overton replaced Vaughan for four overs but made no headway. There was no sign of movement, and the batters made no effort to attack him. From the first six overs, 14 runs came, two of those from a no ball. Twice Leach beat the bat, but to no avail. “Essex 79 for 5,” someone said. Then, with two slips and a silly mid-off in place, Leach curved a ball beautifully, a not overused word in the context of Leach’s bowling here, into Turner who came forward to defend and edged straight to Overton at second slip. Durham 108 for 7. Turner 18. If ever there was a perfect ball, we had just seen it. Leach was now bowling as well as he ever did, and the crowd responded with its cheers. Somerset were closing in, but so was the cloud. Eyes on the middle. Eyes on the sky. Overton bowled another over. Nothing. Leach bowled to the newly arrived Brydon Carse. An edge flew wide of Overton at slip. two runs. Then, “Was that a drop?” The ball was on the ground. Rew picked it up and flung it, as if irritated with himself, to a fielder. Twice more before the over was out, Leach beat Carse. Hope, but no result. Now Vaughan returned and bowled a maiden, still corralling Durham while the cloud corralled the ground.
Now Carse attacked Leach. A six was pulled into the sixth row of the Somerset Stand and a four was driven one bounce over the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary. Then, off the last ball of the over Leach struck back and beat Carse again. “Oh, well bowled,” from the man in front of me. Durham 120 for 7. Carse 12 from 12 balls, de Leede 12 from 63. De Leede drove Vaughan to Gimblett’s Hill. The runs were irrelevant, but six balls were kept out, he had survived another over. Durham hanging on. “The umbrellas are going up,” said someone sounding more calm than he probably felt. Leach bowled to Carse. A huge appeal for a bat pad catch. “That’s out!” shouted my colleague. “That must be out. There were two sounds.” The umpire saw it, or heard it, otherwise and Carse prepared to face the next ball. Two balls later, the players started walking towards the Pavilion. “Play has been suspended due to rain,” said the announcement. And then the rain became visible against the trees beyond the Priory Bridge Road car park and light rain could be heard falling on the roof above us. It looked horribly as if it might stay.
There was an anxious, seemingly interminable, wait, but when the players returned, only seven overs had been lost. Even so, only a minimum of 38 remained, although with Somerset having an over rate of plus 30 across the two innings there would be a few more than that. If the weather held. The rain had stopped but the sky was now unremittingly gloomy. Leach bowled the final ball of the over he had started before the rain. Two slips and a silly point stood waiting. Carse came forward to defend and edged the ball wide of and past Overton at second slip. But Overton flung himself after the ball and caught it with both hands. “That was a hell of a catch,” the comment. Durham 124 for 8. Carse 12. Cheers were ringing out again, but this time people were standing to applaud too and the applause seemed to last an eternity. It had indeed been an almighty catch, both in itself and in the context of the match and the weather.
The crowd was buzzing continuously now, the anticipation created by the wicket and the anxiety caused by the sky impossible to contain. De Leede played out a maiden from Vaughan. Then, a flash of light. The floodlights were coming on as the cloud reached lower. Leach bowled an over for one run. “Essex 126 for 7. They still need 54.” “Now 130 for 8,” someone added. And now, Vaughan bowled to de Leede. An appeal for bat pad. Not out. “They were quite confident about that one,” said my colleague. “It’s getting darker,” from someone else. Leach to Raine. Raine turned the ball into the on side, but straight into the hands of Tom Banton at short leg. More cheers erupted and slowly subsided into an animated buzz. Durham 126 for 9. Raine 2. Daniel Hogg to the wicket. Leach bowled. “Yes!” the unanimous shout from around me. “He’s been bowled!” my colleague added. Then, as if struck simultaneously by a bolt of electricity through their seats, everyone in the upper level of the Trescothick Pavilion was on their feet applauding, many applauding above their heads. “Brilliant!” someone said. On the field, hands were shaken and the players began to walk off, Bas de Leede still undefeated on 16 after 83 balls. With the applause still ringing in our ears, someone said, “It’s raining!“ “That was one ball short of a problem,” someone else said to me as I left my seat. And it may have been, for it was still raining when I reached home an hour later.
It had been a tremendous performance by Somerset, from Abell’s innings on the first day to Leach’s bowling throughout the remainder of the match. He had taken 12 wickets, seven in the second innings, six on the final day, three in the last four overs as the light and the rain closed in and had ended the match on a hat trick. When a Somerset bowler last took five wickets in an innings in three successive innings I know not, but there cannot have been many occasions on which the outcome was so important as in this match. Essex soon lost at Chelmsford and Surrey had to settle for a draw at Trent Bridge. After the Warwickshire match, I had thought Surrey’s 35-point lead too great for Somerset to overhaul and reported on the ever-hopeful refrain of supporters during the match, “If we could win here, and beat Surrey at Taunton, and … and … and …” Even after this match and Surrey’s draw, the climb to the top of the Championship was still perilously steep. Somerset had made up 11 points on Surrey, but Surrey were still 24 points ahead. They would have to be beaten in the next match, and outperformed in the final two matches of the season, the last of which would involve Somerset not tripping over the perennial hurdle of Hampshire. But, after this stunning performance against Durham, the pennant, if still an unlikely prize, was now, tantalisingly, just within reach.
Result. Somerset 492 (T.B. Abell 124, J.E.K. Rew 103, T. Banton 73, C.F. Parkinson 4-136) and 263 for 5 dec (T.B. Abell 56, T. Banton 46). Durham 336 (B.A. Carse 104*, B.A. Raine 62, A.Z. Lees 59, M.J. Leach 5-124) and 126 (M.J. Leach 7-50). Somerset won by 293 runs. Somerset 24 points. Durham 4 points.
Elsewhere in Division 1.
Chelmsford. Worcestershire 266 (J.A. Porter 5-52) and 321. Essex 404 (M.S. Pepper 112*) and 140. Worcestershire won by 43 runs. Worcestershire 20 points. Essex 7 points.
Edgbaston. Kent 156 and 243 (O.J. Hannon-Dalby 6-43). Warwickshire 420 (W.M.H. Rhodes 201). Warwickshire won by an innings and 21 runs. Warwickshire 23 points. Kent 2 points (deducted one point for slow over rate).
Old Trafford. Hampshire 389 (F.S. Middleton 109, L.A. Dawson 104). Lancashire 200 (L.A. Dawson 5-47) and 152 (L.A. Dawson 5-52). Hampshire won by an innings and 37 runs. Hampshire 22 points. Lancashire 3 points.
Trent Bridge. Surrey 525 (R.J. Burns 161, B. Sai Sudharsan 105, F. Ahmed 7-140) and 177 for 9 dec (L.A. Patterson-White 5-96). Nottinghamshire 405 (F.W. McCann 154, W.G. Jacks 7-129) and 121 for 0. Match drawn. Surrey 13 points. Nottinghamshire 12 points.
Division 1 Table.
P Pl W L D Ded* Pts
1. 11 7 1 3 0 193 Surrey
2. 11 4 1 6 0 169 Somerset
3. 11 4 1 6^ -2 156 Hampshire (+1)
4. 11 4 3 4 0 149 Essex (-1)
5. 11 3 3 5 0 134 Worcestershire (+1)
6. 11 1 3 7 0 132 Warwickshire (+1)
7. 11 3 3 5^ -1 130 Durham (-2)
8. 11 1 3 7 -1 116 Nottinghamshire
9. 11 2 5 4 0 106 Lancashire
10. 11 1 7 3 -1 71 Kent
* All points deductions are for slow over rates.
^ Includes one match abandoned without a ball being bowled. Awarded 8 points.
Figures in parentheses after the team name indicates movement in table since the last match.
'Farmer White' Somerset Cricket Writing 