County Championship 2026. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. April 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th. Taunton.

Somerset captain Lewis Gregory was not available for selection due to a chest injury. Craig Overton replaced him as captain.

Somerset. J.F. Thomas, T. Kohler-Cadmore, T.A. Lammonby, J.E.K. Rew (w), T.B. Abell, L.P. Goldsworthy, C. Overton (c), M.J. Leach, M. Pretorius, A.R.J. Ogborne, J.T. Ball.

Nottinghamshire. H. Hameed (c), B.T. Slater, F.W. McCann, J.M. Clarke, J.A. Haynes, K. Verreynne (w), L.W. James, L.A. Patterson-White, R. Lord, O.P Stone, D.Y. Pennington.

Overnight. Somerset 292 for 6.

Second day – A tough battle for Somerset

Nottinghamshire turned this match around with a batting performance every bit as disciplined as Somerset’s had been on the first day. Somerset battled, but Joe Clarke and Jack Haynes added an unbroken 90 for the fourth wicket at the end of the day as the cloud and the light finally closed in and forced the players from the field. Those 90 runs tipped the balance. The Somerset pace attack persisted but, Craig Overton and Migael Pretorius apart, looked a little underpowered in comparison with the Nottinghamshire attack, and Jack Leach seemed unable to find any purchase in the wicket. Pretorius took the three Nottinghamshire wickets to fall through sheer persistence as conditions eased for the batters after the movement of the first day. Overton bowled with fire and threat and beat the bat time and again but without result. He also had the closest of leg before wicket shouts against Haseem Hameed with the second ball of the Nottinghamshire innings, a what might have been moment.

Before the Nottinghamshire could get underway, Somerset still had four wickets with which to extend their innings. Overton shone with the bat as he had the night before, continuing his determined attack. But unfortunately for Somerset, its long tail, with Jack Leach batting at an uncomfortably high eight, failed to wag. The length of the tail had been identified as a concern by a number of supporters on the first day and, in the end, Leach’s departure triggered the loss off the remaining wickets for just 28 more runs leaving Somerset three runs short of a third batting point.

Dillon Pennington had begun in bright conditions under a thin layer of high, white cloud, completing the previous day’s unfinished over from the Trescothick Pavilion End. Overton ended the over by driving the final ball straight of mid-off for four and Jack Leach took Somerset past 300 and to their second batting point with a cut off Ollie Stone which crossed the Gimblett’s Hill boundary. But Pennington and Stone were bowling quickly, and the Somerset tail faded in the face of their onslaught. Leach attempted to drive Pennington, but the ball went straight into the hands of Ben Slater at cover. “He had looked uncomfortable against the pace,” someone said. Somerset 309 for 7. Leach 11. Pretorius joined Overton and before the over was out had reached the boundary twice from successive balls. The first though was an inside edge that somehow missed the stumps, and the second flew wide of the three slips, Pretorius’s head swivelling round to locate the ball as it flew off the bat. But when, six overs later, he swung his bat in a ferocious attempted drive to a straight ball from Pennington, the ball went through the stroke and struck the stumps. Somerset 331 for 8. Pretorius 11. In his next over, Pennington struck again when Alfie Ogborne played on attempting to leave. Somerset 339 for 9. Ogborne 2.

Overton, meanwhile, had continued to attack, as he had throughout his innings. He pulled Robert Lord to the long leg boundary in front of the Somerset Stand, then cut the next ball square to the Caddick Pavilion for four more to loud applause mixed with the cheers that had accompanied him throughout his innings for his more striking strokes. “That were a cracking shot, that. Beautiful shot,” said one admiring Nottinghamshire voice as the cut raced to the boundary. Overton reached fifty from 71 balls with a pull through midwicket off Lord. He repeated the stroke in Lord’s next over, bisecting two boundary fielders set for it. But, with wickets having fallen so quickly at the other end, Somerset’s innings was reaching its term. Jake Ball managed to drive Lord off the back foot through cover for a very quickly run two. “Well done!” someone said. But in the next over, he stepped away from a shortish ball from Pennington and nudged it wide of Jack Haynes at third slip. Haynes took off as if spring loaded and took the catch. Somerset 347 all out. Ball 2. Overton was not out on 60 from 84 balls and looking like there were plenty more where those had come from. “Another bonus point missed,” someone mumbled, but generally Overton’s innings had kept Somerset spirits up.

By lunch, Nottinghamshire were 34 for 0. With a bit of luck, Somerset might have taken a wicket, but Nottinghamshire rode their luck, took their chances, and played positively. Horns had been locked. “Should have been given I think,” the view of the online watcher when that ball struck Hameed’s pad. Ogborne also beat Hameed twice in two balls, “Oh that’s nice,” the comment as applause for the second broke out. An edge from Ben Slater off Ball bounced wide of third slip and ran for four. Overton beat Hameed again, “Oh, that was a good ball,” someone said, the emphasis on the ‘was’. But Hameed and Slater batted on and in the process found the boundary six times in the ten overs remaining to lunch. As they progressed, the left-handed Slater cut Ogborne over backward point to the Priory Bridge Road boundary to the unforgiving comment, “Too wide. Too short.” When he drove Ogborne’s next ball through cover to the Caddick Pavilion it was, “Oh dear!” But Overton persisted. He ended the morning by beating Hameed with each of the last two balls of the session. “How many times has he beaten the bat?” the question after the first. “Well bowled!” after the second, but Nottinghamshire’s deficit was down to 313.

I was unable to complete my usual lunchtime circumnavigation due to the economy closure of four blocks of the Somerset Stand, and of the concourse behind it due to ongoing works. I therefore did a partial walk around the ground, from the Trescothick Pavilion to the Colin Atkinson Pavilion and back. People miss their habitual walk around a cricket ground at lunch time and several commented on it. As to the cricket, there was a view that the Somerset bowling, Overton and Pretorius apart, looked somewhat under powered in comparison with the Nottinghamshire bowling and the failure to give Hameed out off the second ball still rankled with one or two. Smartphone replays another 21^st century bane of umpire’s lives no doubt.

Despite the sun forcing its way through the high cloud, the air was cold even while standing in the sun as attested by the perpetual queue at the coffee and hot chocolate van in the St James’ Street car park throughout the lunch interval. The hot chocolate, I can report, with some experience of drinking hot chocolate, was of a very high order indeed. Having consumed my cup, I concluded that that van would cost me a pound or two more than I had planned through the summer. The sun was destined to be of limited duration and the later afternoon was played under increasing cloud which grew in intensity until the afternoon session ended early with rain falling.

On the field, the match was edging towards Nottinghamshire as they progressed at nearly four runs an over. Although Somerset took two wickets and might have had more through sheer persistence and residual movement, Nottinghamshire took every opportunity to attack. Again, Hameed escaped. Ball found the edge of his bat, but the ball bounced short of first slip. Either side of that ball, illustrating the perpetual to and fro between the sides, Hameed opened the face to steer Ball through backward point to the Garner Gates and then drove though the covers to the Somerset Stand. Twice. The first of those fours took Hameed and Slater to their fifty partnership. But, doggedly persisting, Pretorius eventually broke through, bowling Slater from around the wicket. “He looked a bit bemused,” someone said. “That came back. No wonder he looked bemused,” the answer. “Come on boys,” the encouragement from the stands. Nottinghamshire 59 for 1. Slater 30. Deficit 288.

And then, the clouds having begun to press down, the floodlights came on and Hameed was soon following Slater back to the Caddick Pavilion. He drove Pretorius into the covers but failed to keep the ball down. It barely reached more than a foot above the ground with which it was about to make contact a yard or so in front of Tom Lammonby. But Lammonby is an outstanding fielder, sometimes an astonishing one, and when he reached forward and down to scoop the ball up it was barely an inch or two above the surface. He was virtually full length when he took the catch and steadied himself by landing on his knees while clutching the ball with both hands to keep it well clear of the ground. Typically, Lammonby made a very difficult catch look easy, all in a day’s work, which for him I suppose it was. Somerset supporters know Lamonby’s value in the field and a huge cheer erupted followed by a rather understated, “Good catch.” Nottinghamshire 72 for 2. Hameed 33. Deficit 275. Pretorius 5-2-11-2 and the comment about Somerset’s underpowered bowling perhaps needing to be evaluated.

The wickets did not dent Nottinghamshire’s progress however as they continued to push. Freddie McCann and Joe Clarke took up where Hameed and Slater had left off. McCann began with another slice of Nottinghamshire luck as he edged Ball wide of third slip for four but followed the edge with the perfection of a back foot square drive which crossed the Priory Bridge Road boundary. The second wicket had introduced some tension into the air, and I wondered over to Gimblett’s Hill to watch a few overs from a different angle. The cricket looked the same as Somerset continued to beat the bat and Nottinghamshire continued to progress at nearly four runs an over. There was a groan when Clarke edged Ogborne close enough to third slip for the slip to make a concerted, if unavailing, effort to reach the ball with a spectacular dive. Overton was still powering in too. “Come on Craig O!” someone shouted. For Nottinghamshire, there was a beauty of a drive from Clarke off Ogborne which went through extra cover to the boundary in front of the Gimblett’s Hill scoreboard and when the rain finally came, sending the players to an early tea, Nottinghamshire were 114 for 2, the gap closed to 233.

The evening session belonged to Nottinghamshire. They added another hundred runs for the loss of just one more wicket bringing themselves to within 133 runs of Somerset’s total with seven wickets still in the bank. The County Champions were playing it as tough as you would expect County Champions to play. But Somerset were pushing hard too. It was a day of cricket worthy of the county Championship. I was still on Gimblett’s Hill when play resumed, chatting to people at a Championship match is a great consumer of time. As I chatted, Ogborne, and then Pretrius ran in from the Trescothick Pavilion End with Overton still pressing from the River End. The impression through the chatter was of the ball still passing the bat, particularly from Overton, but the edges remained elusive. And all the while, the Nottinghamshire score edged up. Until, finally, a breakthrough. McCann tried to steer Pretorius through backward point with a quick flip of the bat but edged straight to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, thigh high, at first slip. Kohler-Cadmore accepted the catch and Nottinghamshire were 128 for 3. McCann 31, the third wicket in succession to fall with the batter in the 30s, and Somerset still led by 210. With the score on 133 for 3, I returned to my seat in the upper reaches of the Trescothick Pavilion. By the time I reached it, the ball was nearly forty overs old. By the time I had my eye on the cricket again, it had virtually stopped going past the bat. Not my fault for giving up my spot of Gimblett’s Hill I tried to convince myself, the cricket supporter’s mind always worrying that moving when their team is making progress will scupper their efforts. Everyone knows those thoughts are irrational, but everyone has them just the same.

Whatever the cause, Nottinghamshire seemed to be having a less challenging time with the bat and the runs kept coming. Not as quickly as previously, but the score kept rising, uncomfortably so for a Somerset supporter. Clarke and Jack Haynes just batted steadily, seemingly without risk. As the session wore on an ominous feeing began to grow that Somerset did not have enough runs. Haynes struck with a back foot drive through backward point to the Ondaatje boundary where the stand meets the Caddick Pavilion. “Shot!” someone said. Clarke followed with a drive past mid-off to Gimblett’s Hill and Nottinghamshire’s 150 was passed then passed with a straight drive for four to the River End, Clarke the batter, Ogborne the bowler. The momentum had shifted to Nottinghamshire, but as the light began to close in again, they eased back, scoring mainly in singles, and only one or two of those an over. When bad light forced the players from the field, Nottinghamshire had reached 171 for 3, nearly halfway to Somerset’s total.

The end of the day many thought, and many picked up their bags and left. But the cloud lifted, and once again it thinned enough for the players to return. The resumption profited Somerset nothing. The stands were now virtually empty, the noise of the supporters largely gone, wickets came their none, and Nottinghamshire’s score continued to edge up. Clarke steered Ball through backward point for the single which brought him fifty from 99 balls. Three fours came in an over from Ball, one of those from Clarke. The third, a sharp, open-faced drive from Haynes flashed well wide of the second of two slips to the Hildreth Stand bringing up Nottinghamshire’s 200 and bringing forth a shout of, “Come on Notts!” A drive through the covers to the Somerset Stand off the back foot, also from Haynes, this time off Overton, registered his fifty from 76 balls and reduced Somerset’s lead to 139.

But the sky was dark now, the shadows from the lights were becoming noticeably pronounced and the day was wearing into the early April evening. Six overs later, the umpires finally gave best to the light and took the players off for good. During those six overs, Nottinghamshire added another ten runs and the only boundary, from Clarke off Leach to whom Somerset had turned at the River End, brought the comment, “Oh dear, we are going to have to buy a wicket here.” But none were for sale, and Nottinghamshire saw out the bad light with careful defence and a final few singles, keeping their seven wickets intact for the morning. In the penultimate over, Overton did find enough to beat the bat again, twice, and to find the edge, but the ball flew low and landed short of second slip. “How many times do we have to beat the bat today?” someone asked in sheer frustration. It was Nottinghamshire’s day though as they walked off on 218 for 3 and on the cusp, if they could conjure some good batting in the morning, of taking control of a match which Somerset had headed at the end of the first day.

Close. Somerset 347 (T.B. Abell 108, J.E.K. Rew 64, C. Overton 60*, D.Y. Pennington 5-65). Nottinghamshire 218 for 3. Nottinghamshire trail by 129 runs with seven first innings wickets standing.

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