County Championship 2025. Division 1. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. 29^th, 30^th June, 1st and 2^nd July. Taunton.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable for selection for personal reasons.

Somerset. T. Kohler-Cadmore, , S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, M.J. Henry, M.J. Leach.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, F.W. McCann, J.M. Clarke, J.A. Haynes, I.P Kishan (w), L.W. James, L.A. Patterson-White, B.A. Hutton, F. Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 275 for 6.

Second day – Battling on

The second day of this match saw Somerset continuing to battle for match position with the Championship leaders. They did not lose ground, but neither did they gain any, the day ending with Nottinghamshire still retaining the edge, but with Somerset still in contention. Somerset made quicker progress with the bat than they had on the first day, but when Nottinghamshire batted, the first hour of Ben Slater’s innings apart, the cricket was often attritional, a form of the game which, in supporters’ minds, is becoming associated with the use of the Kookaburra ball in English conditions. Crowd numbers were well down on the first day when free members’ tickets appeared to bring hundreds into the ground. By my eye, upwards of a thousand came on the second day, but these were added to by another thousand schoolchildren in the Priory Bridge Road and Ondaatje Stands. They were organised in class blocks and for as long as they were there, the ground sounded like a school playground on an eternal last day of term.

The children had little to cheer at the start as Kasey Aldridge edged the fifth ball of the second over, bowled from the Trescothick Pavilion End by Mohammad Abbas, low to Freddie McCann at second slip, the two slips standing slightly wider of the keeper than the norm. Somerset 286 for 7. Aldridge 7. “Aldridge is inconsistent with bat and ball,” the instant judgement from the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. A first-class batting average of 24, a bowling average of 38, but with four near match-changing five-wicket hauls might be quoted in aid of that judgement. With Aldridge’s departure, given the nature of the ball and a pitch showing less indication of assisting the bowlers, it felt like Somerset had ground to make up.

The wicket brought Craig Overton to the crease, captaining the side in place of Lewis Gregory. He rode his luck, edging Hutton wide of the slip fielders to the Hildreth Stand for four, and was dropped low down, a very difficult chance, by the long leg fielder off a pull off Abbas, two runs the result. A straight drive and a glance, both for four off Hutton though were the genuine article. With Banton in determined, accumulative mode, but persistent in the pursuit of ones and twos, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” occasionally hurrying the batters along, the pair began moving the score forward at four runs an over. Then, with Somerset making progress, an attempt at a glance from Banton off Hutton resulted in a loud appeal for a catch behind. Eyes immediately fell on the umpire until someone said, “He’s out. He’s walking.” Banton was indeed walking, towards the Caddick Pavilion, and more than one Somerset heart sank. Then someone said, “No he’s not, he’s gone for a drink,” the drinks carrier meeting him a few yards from the pitch.

Gradually, Overton’s push for runs alongside Banton’s steady accumulation raised Somerset’s score past 300, a score that had looked like it might be sufficient when Somerset were 179 for 5 just before tea on the first day. It looked less so now. When Nottinghamshire eventually broke through, Hutton going past Overton’s defensive bat and striking him on the pad, Somerset were 330 for 8. Overton 24. Somerset were still short of the 350 some now thought the minimum needed to be competitive. And yet, as Matt Henry joined Banton there was a buoyant atmosphere in the ground, perhaps powered by a thousand young voices, Somerset’s growing score and the prospect of Matt Henry adding quick runs, for he is not one to bide his time at the crease. His start though, a six launched off Liam Patterson-White’s slow left arm spin over the Hildreth Stand boundary, was soon followed by the departure of Banton. Banton, in a most unBantonesque innings, had been at the crease for a minute over four and a quarter hours as he ground out 84 runs. Those 84 runs had been at the core of four partnerships which had added 195 in 55 overs. He was finally out reverse sweeping Patterson-White through point where Abbas dived low to his right to take the catch at ground level. “Good innings,” someone said. “Good catch too,” someone added. As on the first day, for every Somerset advance there was a Nottinghamshire response. Somerset 340 for 9.

Now, Henry lived up to Somerset supporters’ hopes as he struck Hutton to the boundary twice in two balls, the first, through straight midwicket to the Ondaatje Stand, the second through extra cover to the Somerset Stand. “Shot!” the cry after the second. Patterson-White fared no better. He was pulled backward of square for four to the Somerset Stand. That had the crowd cheering for it took Somerset past 350. The next ball, with two straight fielders pushed back on the boundary, was bowled wide of off stump. Henry swung, reached, connected and the ball flew over straight long off and beyond the Lord Ian Botham Stand boundary for six. That brought more cheers and, as the ball was retrieved, a shout of, “Put ‘em back another fifty yards.” The next ball brought gasps as Henry tried to put it into the Hildreth Stand and was dropped in front of it, Henry adding insult to injury by running a single. That brought last man Jack Leach on strike, and he promptly scooped Patterson-White’s next ball wide of the slips to the Trescothick Pavilion for four. An unexpected stroke from a number eleven, it resulted in a mixture of laughter and cheers.

By now Nottinghamshire had six or seven fielders on the boundary for Henry. Next, they brought Farhan Ahmed’s off spin on at the Trescothick Pavilion End to replace Hutton. Henry promptly hit him over long on and into the Ondaatje Stand. “He’s cleared the long boundary,” someone said, his jaw dropping as the ball was retrieved. Another boundary each from Henry and Leach helped Somerset to 379 before a leading edge from Leach gave Ahmed his only wicket of the innings, a return catch. As Henry was applauded off, the question hanging in the air was, “Is 379 enough?”

The three overs before lunch brought little by way of clues. When Henry badly beat Ben Slater to a comment of, “Well bowled,” it brought hope. But two threes off Henry, both played with ease, questioned the hope. For the first, Haseem Hameed leaned neatly into an on drive, “Wristy,” someone said. The second was an ominously directed and controlled cover drive from Ben Slater. Nottinghamshire, untroubled, apart from the beaten bat, reached lunch on 15 for 0. Whether 379 was enough did not appear to be a question worrying the thousand or so school children as they were shepherded in class phalanxes around the outfield. It will have been an experience which would remain in their memories long after most of the detail of the match had disappeared.

The afternoon did little to ease the task facing Somerset. As with their bowling, the discipline in Nottinghamshire’s batting helped demonstrate why they were top of the Championship. Somerset’s bowling was as sharp as Nottinghamshire’s, “Well bowled!” was heard in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion more than once as a ball went past the bat. Against that, Nottinghamshire began at four runs an over, the openers driving Henry’s full bowling to the boundary three times as he stretched for movement. At the River End, Overton was conceding fewer runs but having a frustrating time. He beat Hameed several times and found the thick edge of his bat too, only to watch the ball fly past the slips to the Trescothick Pavilion for four. “We could have had a couple here,” someone commented, and in the end, Henry’s persistence paid off. He had Hameed caught behind as he stabbed defensively at the ball. Nottinghamshire 38 for 1. Hameed 24. Deficit 341.

But from there, the Nottinghamshire batters proved frustratingly, and impressively, difficult to remove. Overton continued to pass the bat, something Somerset were doing with less success than frequency. When Leach replaced Overton at the River End, there was more frustration for Somerset. Ben Slater was beaten, “There was a bit of turn there,” and then beaten again, but the wicket refused to come. Then, “Well bowled!” when Leach beat Slater for a third time. But, despite the beaten bats, the ball began to find the boundary. Slater cut and drove Leach to the Somerset Stand, and when he replaced Overton who had switched to the Trescothick Pavilion End, Aldridge was steered through backward point to the Priory Bridge Road Stand and driven through the covers, again by Slater, for successive boundaries. An over later, Aldridge conceded three more boundaries, the second off an edge from Slater which flew past the slips to bring up his fifty. Slater was dominating the Nottinghamshire innings, his fifty coming from 62 balls out of a total of 77 for 1, and the nature of his scoring was already adding to the doubts of those who wondered if Somerset’s 379 would be sufficient.

McCann now attacked Aldridge with two boundaries in an over, one a cover drive to the comment, “Full toss outside off,” made with a shake of the head. Aldridge had conceded 34 runs in four overs and Overton replaced him with Archie Vaughan’s off spin. “Come on Vaughany!” someone shouted, “Remember Surrey,” harking back to that astonishing match which had given Somerset a brief glimpse of the Championship in 2024. Almost immediately, ‘Vaughany’ did come on. A ball which hinted at turn found the edge of the left-handed McCann’s bat and was taken by Rew. Nottinghamshire 104 for 2. McCann 20. Deficit 275. And from there, with Leach and Vaughan getting a grip of the Nottinghamshire batting, just a single boundary came in the half hour to tea. Joe Clarke and Slater, now both batting with the intensely disciplined restraint which had marked much of Nottinghamshire’s play throughout the match, took the score to 124 for 2. Deficit 260. Leach had a tea time bowling analysis of 14-2-26-0, and Vaughan 6-0-15-1. Tight lines from both sides.

Because the outfield was reserved for schoolchildren at lunchtime, spectators were invited to ‘perambulate’, to use the Club’s new term, briefly at tea. There was still time to discuss the cricket, and the heat, for the sun had been uncomfortably hot all day, at least for those sat in it. As to the match, the word most used was ‘frustrating’ because of the number of times the bowlers, Overton and Leach in particular, had gone past the edge of the bat without reward. For the best part of an hour after tea, instead of rushing back to my seat, I dawdled my way around the ground while keeping half an eye on happenings in the middle. Sometimes keeping an eye on the cricket as a background can give as good an impression of the nature of the play as intense as watching from a seat. The impression, as I chatted and watched from the gap between the Lord Ian Botham Stand and the Hildreth Stand, in front of the Garner Gates, in front of the Brian Rose Gates, briefly from the narrow gap between Gimblett’s Hill and the Trescothick Pavilion and from behind the covers store, was of continuing frustrating as the ball repeatedly went past the edge of the bats, Slater’s in particular. Then, with Nottinghamshire grinding through what appeared to be a stalemate between bat and ball at two runs an over, came cheers of relief. Clarke had attempted to drive Leach and edged the ball straight to Overton at slip. Nottinghamshire 143 for 3. Clarke 18. Deficit 236. Perhaps 379 might be enough.

By the time I had completed my dawdle, Nottinghamshire had advanced to 155 for 3, having added 31 runs in 15 overs for the loss of that one wicket. The match was perhaps now in balance, but with the second day drawing towards its close the window for Somerset to force the victory they needed to close the gap with the Championship leaders was narrowing. It opened no wider in the final hour. Nottinghamshire maintained their grinding discipline while the Somerset bowlers kept the pressure on with some accurate bowling. The lack of assistance for the bowlers from the Kookaburra was coming to the fore now as the ball softened and the pitch showed no sign of deterioration, the ball passing the bat noticeably less often as the final hour progressed.

Within minutes of my sitting down, Slater pulled Overton through deep midwicket to the Somerset Stand for four and new batter, Jack Haynes, drove Leach straight to the Lord Ian Botham Stand for six. But those were the last signs that Nottinghamshire might push to increase the scoring rate. In the remaining 17 overs and five balls, there were three boundaries. For the rest, there were 37 runs, all but eight in singles. A comment from someone as they prepared to leave I suspect summed up the impression of most. “Nottinghamshire have been very disciplined,” he said. Even Slater’s early assault had been disciplined inasmuch as his shots had been controlled and his placement precise. In the end, they finished with the deficit reduced to 165 runs and a growing feeling that Somerset would not bowl them out within it.

Close. Somerset 379 (T. Banton 84, T.B. Abell 64, J.E.K. Rew 58, Mohammad Abbas 3-59, B.A. Hutton 3-94). Nottinghamshire 214 for 3. Nottinghamshire trail Somerset by 165 runs with seven first innings wickets standing.