County Championship 2025. Division 1. Somerset v Durham. 22^nd and 23^rd July. Taunton.

Somerset. T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.H. Davey, T.A. Lammonby, J.E.K. Rew (w), T.B. Abell, T. Banton, A.M. Vaughan, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball.

Durham. A.Z. Lees (c), E.N. Gay, C.N. Ackermann, D.G. Bedingham, O.G. Robinson (w), G. Clark, B.A. Raine, G.S. Drissell, M.J. Potts, N. Wagner, C.F. Parkinson.

Overnight. Durham 145 and 5 for 2. Somerset 250. Durham trail by 100 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.

Final day – Helter-skelter cricket

This was a day of high, white cloud, sunny weather and cricket played at the same helter-skelter pace as that played on the first day. Somerset held the upper hand at the outset, and the day began with the prospect of a two-day victory which might move Somerset closer to Nottinghamshire and Surrey at the top of the table. But, in front of a crowd of around 1,200, Durham soon made their presence felt with a pummelling assault on the Somerset bowling. In a match in which 400 runs had been scored and 22 wickets had fallen on the first day, Durham were soon demolishing Somerset’s 105-run first innings lead at over six runs an over. Leading the charge were two left-handers, Emilio Gay, the Durham opener who had survived the three overs of the Durham innings on the evening before when two wickets had fallen, and Neil Wagner, sent in as a second night watcher when the first, Callum Parkinson, was leg before wicket to Jack Leach.

For nearly an hour, it mattered not who bowled, Gay and Wagner punished them. Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory were off after six overs, 22 runs having been taken from the last four, two boundaries coming from an over from Overton, one driven through mid-on to Gimblett’s Hill, the other through straight midwicket to the Somerset Stand. Gregory turned to Archie Vaughan’s off spin at the Trescothick Pavilion End and Jack Leach’s slow left arm at the River End. On Durham charged. Sixteen came from Vaughan’s first over, a thick inside edge to the Hildreth Stand from Gay’s defensive prod, and three more fours, all driven through the on side to the Somerset Stand. Each drive was consummately leaned into with the minimum of effort à la Tom Lammonby as Durham raced to 47 for 2 with people still arriving at their seats. Someone asked, “How many are they behind now?” Before anyone could answer, Leach had been swept by Wagner towards the Ondaatje boundary at long leg for two and lofted over mid-off and the Hildreth Stand boundary for six. When Gay drove Vaughan straight for six, “Another one!” was the resigned comment. When Wagner paddle swept Vaughan fine to the Hildreth Stand the score reached 74 for 2 it brought the comment, “They are only 31 behind now.”

But this match, although Somerset had always held the advantage, had never shifted in one direction for long, and rapidly though the Durham score was rising, the bowlers were beginning to trouble the batters. Perhaps the effect of the morning roller was wearing off. As Vaughan and Leach harried the batters, Wagner played and missed at the two balls following his paddle-sweep, was beaten by Leach, suffered a leg before wicket appeal and then retained the bowling with a single off an inside edge. His troubles were not a false dawn. Within the space of eight balls, he had been out leg before wicket attempting to sweep Vaughan, Gay had clipped Leach neatly and low into the hands of Overton at midwicket, and Ackermann had completed a pair when he came forward to a full ball from Leach and looped it, off the outside edge, short of Banton at mid-off. Banton, equal to the challenge, launched himself forward and swallowed up the catch. Durham had gone from 76 for 2 to 77 for 5, a lead of just 28. Wagner 33. Gay 42. Ackermann 0. Somerset, it seemed, were on the verge of victory.

But still the match refused to lie down. The newly arrived David Bedingham drove Vaughan off successive balls, once through extra cover to the Somerset Stand boundary to a cry of, “Shot,” and once through midwicket towards the long Ondaatje boundary for three. In response, Leach, still worrying away at the batters, forced an edge wide of second slip, “A bit more flight in that,” the comment, and then another edge, this time short of slip. But then, Leach persisting, the next ball swerved in from wide of the crease, straightened off the pitch, beat the bat and hit the pad square in front of the stumps. It was a peach of a delivery, and Leach’s instantaneous appeal was never in doubt of being upheld. Durham 92 for 6. Deficit 13. Bedingham 9. Leach 7-1-18-4.

The ground was buzzing. Somerset were within touching distance of 20 points. But still, Durham refused to lie down. This match of twists and turns, fits, starts and hiccoughs was about to produce another. This time in the form of an extended toe-to-toe tussle between the Durham batters and the Somerset bowlers, with both pressing for the advantage in a low-scoring match. Durham pushed hard, but the Somerset bowlers refused to relent. Ollie Robinson drove Leach through mid-on to the Hildreth Stand for four, but three times Leach comprehensively beat him, once to a dropped-jaw cry of, “Gosh!” Twice Leach beat Clark too. In six overs, Durham squeezed out 11 runs, to move into the lead by just six runs.

Now, Leach gained some significant turn, clearly visible from over second slip and 80 yards away, beating Robinson in the process. Overton kept the pressure on too when he replaced Vaughan, sending a ball whistling past the edge of Robinson’s bat. Robinson responded, lofting Leach through the on side for four and driving Overton through wide mid-on towards the covers store for three. There were gasps when Overton found the outside edge of a Clark drive only for the ball to evade the slip fielders and run to the Hildreth Stand for another four. Durham 123 for 6. Lead 18. Again, Robinson was beaten by Leach, this time to an appeal for caught behind before Leach just failed to dive far enough to take a return chance. When Clark was beaten by some bounce from Leach someone said, “We don’t want to be chasing too many on this. One-fifty max.” “More like 130,” the reply.

Then, with the lead edging up, still four wickets standing and the intensity of the play generating tension, Robinson drove at Vaughan. The ball turned from outside off and bowled him, perhaps helped on its way by an inside edge. Vaughan’s instantly ecstatic celebration reflected the release of tension and the cheers were tinged with relief for it was clear that even a 130 lead might be a challenge. Durham 132 for 7. Lead 27. Robinson 28. Raine to the wicket. Another drive. This time mistimed and through the air. Vaughan reached, got his hands to the ball, just, and dropped it. The fleeting instant of anticipation in the crowd as the ball flew towards Vaughan was palpable, but the disappointed gasps as it fell to earth told the real story. It would have been a stunning catch and might effectively have sealed the match there and then. Another if, but and maybe of cricket.

And then, as periodically seemed to happen in this match, the ball ceased to misbehave. Clark drove Leach in successive overs, once through extra cover to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion and once through the leg side to the Somerset Stand, both for four. But, beyond those two boundaries, the batters dug in and the bowlers’ efforts went unrewarded. In the six overs to lunch not a single bat was beaten, nor an edge found, and Durham reached lunch with their eighth wicket still intact. In the eight overs between the fall of Robinson and lunch, just 20 runs had been added. After the mayhem of the first hour, it felt like one of those quiet periods in a Shakespeare tragedy where the dramatist allows the audience some brief respite before the serious business resumes. At lunch Durham were 152 for 7, a lead 47 with Clark and Raine looking in little trouble.

In the first half dozen overs after lunch, Durham squeezed another ten runs, all in singles, but with little sign of penetration returning for the bowlers. It was attritional cricket, but with the bowlers keeping it tight and Durham edging forward there was no easing in the tension. “Something has to give,” someone might have said, but didn’t. But give it did. Clark drove Leach through deep midwicket to the Somerset Stand for four, and then, off the next ball, was subjected to a huge appeal. Leach had pitched on middle and off and turned the ball. Clark’s defensive stroke was momentarily hesitant and only half forward and the ball landed in Rew’s gloves. Leach ran up the pitch, arm raised to the heavens as the close fielders converged on him. There was another moment’s hesitation, this time from the crowd, as the umpire’s finger seemed to take an unconscionable amount of time to rise. Durham 166 for 8. Clark 32. Lead 61. Five wickets for Leach.

George Drissell to the crease. Another half dozen overs of intense, tight bowling and give-nothing batting. Another nine singles, a two, and a no ball, but a leg before wicket appeal apart, no indication of the pitch bursting back into life. Again, something gave. Leach pitched full to Drissell, who, in trying to clip the ball through the leg side, sent it straight back to Leach off a leading edge. “Caught and bowled,” said a relieved voice. Durham 178 for 9. Drissell 5. Lead 73. With last man Matthew Potts now at the wicket, Raine changed tack. He slog-swept Vaughan over the, short, Somerset Stand boundary. Two balls later, he lofted him straight over the gap between the Trescothick Pavilion and Gimblett’s Hill. The ball was lost, presumably having bounced into the churchyard, although from my seat, high in the Trescothick Pavilion, it was the slightly delayed cheer that confirmed the six. After Potts had played out an over from Leach, Raine again lofted Vaughan, bowling with five on the leg and straight boundaries, back over his head. This time the ball fell short and Banton took the catch. Durham 190. Raine 36. Potts 0 not out. Lead 85.

Eighty-six to win wasn’t 150, or even 130, but it was enough for Somerset to have one of their classic wobbles and no one looked overly relaxed as the players returned to the field. Durham, inevitably, began with Parkinson and Drissell bowling, curiously given the small target, to largely defensive fields. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, perhaps also inevitably, slog-swept Parkinson’s second ball to the Somerset Stand for six. An edge past slip brought a hint of reality and two more runs, while Davey lofted Drissell through a well-spread field to the covers store for four. “Might as well push the singles with the field so well spread,” the opinion from the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. And then the first wobble, also perhaps inevitable with Somerset. With three around the bat, Davey attempted to sweep Parkinson behind square and was leg before wicket. Somerset 13 for 1. Davey 4. Runs required 73. Then Kohler-Cadmore was caught at slip defending off Parkinson. Somerset 16 for 2. Kohler-Cadmore 10. Runs required 71. That did add a layer to the tension because Kohler-Cadmore would have been capable of making short work of those 71 runs.

Seventy-one became 67 when Rew paddle-swept his first ball for four. An over later, he was dropped at slip off Drissell, the fielder staying bent double for a long time before resuming his position. What difference might that have made? Another of those unknowable ifs, buts and maybes. When Rew attempted to slog sweep Drissell and was struck on the pad to an appeal, there was more stricture from the Trescothick Pavilion, “No need to play that stroke. Take singles.” Somerset were 23 for 2, 63 away from their target. The people behind me appeared not to be caught up in the tension. “We could get the next train,” one said. “One more over,” the other replied, introducing a slight note of caution. Two overs later, Tom Lammonby, with a reverse sweep off Drissell followed by two on drives, all for four, plus a single to keep the strike, seemed to justify their decision. Somerset 43 for 2. Halfway. Surely. Surely now. But nothing is sure in cricket. Lammonby, fresh from those three boundaries, came forward to defend against Parkinson. The ball, pitched a foot outside off, turned inside his defensive bat and hit the stumps. Somerset 43 for 3. Lammonby 22. Two overs later, Rew came down the wicket to Parkinson, drove furiously and miscued to Lees at midwicket. Somerset 48 for 4. Rew 9. Runs required 38. Tense again. Quiet. Eyes firmly fixed on the middle.

It was Banton, arriving at the fall of Rew, who took the game by the scruff of the neck and swept away the tension, literally. Abell, briefly, and then Vaughan, stayed with him as he systematically, and clearly premeditatedly, swept Somerset to victory with the crowd cheering on every aggressive stroke. It took him seven overs. He reverse-swept Parkinson to the deep backward point boundary where the Ondaatje Stand meets the covers store. Two overs later, it was an orthodox sweep to long leg and the Brian Rose Gates. “Hooray!” someone shouted through the cheers, picking up on the momentum Banton was creating. There was a hint of the tension returning when Tom Abell was bowled by Drissell hurriedly attempting to jab down on an unplayable, sharply turning ball which pitched a foot or more wide of off stump and bowled him. Somerset 62 for 5. Abell 6. Runs required 24. Banton though was undaunted. Another reverse sweep followed the wicket, this time for two off the first ball of a Parkinson over with a shout to the new batter, Archie Vaughan, of, “Run! Run!” That was followed by a push to point for one and another shout of, “Hooray!” as someone sensed that Banton had the measure of the chase, the anticipation rose, and the tension melted away.

A sweep for four to the Priory Bridge Road boundary off Drissell brought cheers, a shout of, “Shot,” and Durham had seven fielders on the boundary. Banton, with the match now irredeemably flowing in Somerset’s direction, reverse swept the next ball over the Somerset Stand boundary for six and quietly took a single to retain the strike. Somerset 78 for 5. Eight needed. Two more reverse sweeps and a sweep brought the scores level and Banton pulled Drissell for a one-bounce four to the Ondaatje boundary, added 20 points to Somerset’s Championship total, and brought the ground to its feet. The match was over in five sessions of utterly absorbing cricket. Durham had been outplayed but they had played their part and Somerset had had to be on their mettle throughout to prevail.

Result. Durham 145 (B.A. Raine 42, C. Overton 6-23) and 190 (E.N. Gay 42, M.J. Leach 6-63, A.M. Vaughan 4-85). Somerset 250 (T.A. Lammonby 89, T. Kohler-Cadmore 40, G.S. Drissell 5-59) and 89 for 5 (C.F. Parkinson 4-39). Somerset won by five wickets. Somerset 20 points. Durham 3 points.