Author: 'farmer white'

Advantage Somerset – Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – July 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd – Taunton – Second day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Overnight. Somerset 262 for 5.

Second day 20th July – Advantage Somerset

This was a day when the unexpected became the norm. Cloud and rain hugged the Quantocks for much of the day, but only half an hour’s play was lost. The normally deep-voiced, melodic English accent of the public address announcements was briefly replaced by a lilting Australian twang, subsequently discovered to be the result of a raid on the microphone by Matt Renshaw. Kasey Aldridge, batting high at number eight, found the boundary with a reverse sweep, “They can all do it now,” the comment, and Jack Leach connected with a switch-hit which deposited the ball into the Ondaatje Stand. They can’t all do that. Somerset’s final session wobble of the first day was overcome too as, after an initial stumble, they began to build a substantial score on the second morning. This was a match beginning to hold the attention.

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Abell takes the heat for Somerset – Somerset v Yorkshire – County Championship 2022 – 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Yorkshire. 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd July. Taunton.

Craig Overton was unavailable for selection due to being on international duty. Josh Davey was unavailable due to a hamstring injury and Sonny Baker due to an ongoing back injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, M.J. Leach, J.A. Brooks, M. de Lange.

Yorkshire. A. Lyth (c), T. Kohler-Cadmore, G.C.H. Hill, H.C. Brook, J.A. Tattersall (w), D.M. Bess, J.A. Thompson, M.L. Revis, J.W. Shutt, M.J. Waite, S.T. Gabriel.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 19th July – Abell takes the heat for Somerset

This was a day to sit in the shade, even in the morning when the sun was restricted in its effect by a hazy covering of cloud. When the sun was in its full glory, the temperature topped out in the furnace somewhere beyond 30 degrees Celsius. Not as high as the 40 degrees in parts of eastern and northern England which broke all records. Hot enough though for spectators to fill the top of the Trescothick Pavilion, protected as it is from the sun by one of those wing roofs which look as if they are held up by good intentions and little else, and fill the bottom section too no doubt, protected as it is by the top one. I cannot vouch for that, for once I had secured my seat in the top section I did not venture out. The mere threat of the heat was enough to keep me out of it. A fair number sought refuge in the shade of the Lord Ian Botham Stand, but otherwise, what looked like a school party in the Temporary Stand apart, few braved the full heat of the open stands on which the sun beat down without pity or mercy, the first part of the afternoon apart when a random shower soaked the ground and stole 20 overs from the day.   

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Somerset live to fight another day – County Championship 2022 – Somerset v Gloucestershire – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September 2022 – Final day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 343 and 246 for 5. Somerset 248. Gloucestershire lead by 341 runs with five second wickets standing.

Final day – Somerset survive to fight another day

My day began with a weather forecast littered with heavy showers, a torrential shower, a wait on the Somerset website to see if there would be a start on time, and then, when it was announced there would be, a rush for a bus which took 25 minutes to arrive. I arrived at the Brian Rose Gates 20 minutes late, just in time to reach the old Legends Square to see players and crowd looking high towards the heavens. Not for rain but trying to track a ball from Jack Brooks which David Payne had just pulled towards the Somerset Stand. Too late to pick up the flight, I looked along the flats just in time to see the ball ricocheting between one of the lower-level balconies and the back of the Somerset Stand before falling onto the concourse below.  

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Bemusement and the Gloucestershire Caravan – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 343. Somerset 209 for 8. Somerset trail by 134 with two first innings wickets standing.

Third day – Bemusement and the Gloucestershire caravan

This was a day of cricket which left every Somerset supporter I spoke to bemused but relieved. It was a day which moved at the pace of a desert caravan occasionally enlivened by an inexplicable burst of activity. With a first innings lead of 95, a poor forecast for the final day, and needing to win the match, Gloucestershire lost few wickets, but batted at barely two and a half runs an over. At one point, as if the caravan was passing through deep sand, they batted an hour for 19 runs. It had all the feel of a side which needed to win, batting determinedly for a draw.

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Somerset hold on – just – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton – Second Day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Overnight. Gloucestershire 320 for 6.

Second day – Somerset hold on – just

It was a day to sit in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. Rain. Overnight and in the morning. The bane of the cricket watcher’s life, and if the forecast is to be believed, of this match. It took 45 minutes off the start of the second day, although only four overs were deducted because of the promise of an extra half hour at the end of the day. It is September though, and there is always a good chance that cloud, or even the early setting sun, will rob the match of at least some of its extra time. By the start, the sun was shining brightly despite swathes of rough white cloud which, as so often in such conditions, rarely seemed to hinder it. It was a sky to lift the spirit after the rain, although a glance at the unforgiving scoreboard was liable to deflate them again. Gloucestershire were in the ascendancy. Most in the ground on the second morning would have expected them to comfortably pass 350 from their overnight position, although the wicket of Marcus Harris late on the previous evening, conjured from a typically unexpected lifter from Jack Brooks, had removed Gloucestershire’s main threat.  

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W.G. has the edge – Somerset v Gloucestershire – County Championship 2022 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th September – Taunton – First Day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Gloucestershire. 5th, 6th, 7th  and 8th September. Taunton.

Craig Overton and Jack Leach were unavailable for selection for this match due to being on international duty. James Hildreth had retired from professional cricket. Matthew Renshaw and Peter Siddle were no longer available as overseas players and were replaced by Imam-ul-Haq and Sajid Khan. Tom Abell, with the long Championship interregnum since the game against Essex, was fit again.

Somerset. Iman-ul-Haq, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Gloucestershire. B.G. Charlesworth, M.S. Harris, O.J. Price, M.A.H. Hammond, J.R. Bracey (w), G.L. van Buuren (c), J.M.R. Taylor, T.J. Price, J. Shaw, D.A. Payne, A.S. Dale. 

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

First day – W.G. has the edge

“I think that was the right decision,” someone who has played a lot of cricket said to me as the result of the toss was announced. As always, Somerset inserting the opposition left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The situation, however, was not straightforward. “Given the forecast,” repeated showers of varying degrees of severity across the four days, “I suppose inserting them gives us the best chance of taking early control of the match,” my reply. In addition to the chequered forecast, the sky was overcast and there was a tinge of green in the pitch. But I reminded myself: inserting the opposition takes the pressure off their batters and transfers it to our bowlers. “I am always uneasy when we insert the opposition,” I continued the discussion, my predisposition to the W.G. Grace view of the toss pressing on my mind, “because inserting the opposition seems to backfire rather more often than it works, even where it seems justified.” I don’t know if the statistics support that view, but my anecdotal memory does. Guildford 2018 and Headingley 2019 being two crushing, and Somerset season-defining, examples that scar the memory.

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Cheers of Relief – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – September 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th – Edgbaston – Final Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from his injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 219 and 277 for 4. Warwickshire 196. Somerset led by 300 runs with six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 15th September – Cheers of relief

Over three days of hard-fought cricket, Somerset had finally gained the ascendancy on the second half of the third day. As the players walked out on the fourth morning in bright sunshine and under large clumps of white cloud, the only question at issue was: when would Somerset’s declaration come? With good weather in prospect and the pitch showing little by way of demons, most expectations were of a draw. That would send Somerset into the penultimate round of matches eight points ahead of Warwickshire with, crucially, one win more. “Take the 12 points,” had been the general consensus among Somerset supporters on the third afternoon as conditions eased and Somerset built their advantage, although it had been difficult to suppress that whiff of anticipation.

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A Whiff of Anticipation – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September – Edgbaston

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from his injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 219 and 13 for 2. Warwickshire 196. Somerset led by 36 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.

Third day 14th September – A whiff of anticipation

This was another day of two and a half runs an over cricket, slower than that at the start, quicker as the afternoon wore on. And yet, the cricket was totally absorbing. In cricket, Championship cricket in particular, context is all, and this match was played in the context of both teams being at serious risk of relegation to the Second Division. Neither could afford a defeat, and a victory would considerably ease the pressures on the winner. As the players took the field for the third day, a positive result, one way or the other seemed inevitable if the weather held, and that is precisely what the forecast promised.

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On the Edge of a Knife – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – September 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th – Edgbaston

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Imam-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 182 for 8.

Second day 13th September – On the edge of a knife

The second day of this match ended with the two teams balanced precariously on the edge of a knife. Twenty-two wickets fell in the less than the five sessions of play which the weather permitted on the first two days. Six sessions remain, with the weather forecasters promising no further interruptions apart from those overs at the end of the day which are often the victims of bad light at this time of year. The weather interruptions to date have probably benefitted Warwickshire as they tended to return their pace bowlers fresh to the attack after enforced breaks. Set against that, the forecasters promise the best overhead batting conditions of the match for the third day during which Somerset will have to construct a lead sufficient for their bowlers to test the resilience of the Warwickshire batters on the final day.

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Somerset’s Most Important Victory – Somerset v Northamptonshire – County Championship 2022 – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Taunton – Final Day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Overnight. Somerset 389 and 277 for 1. Northamptonshire 265. Somerset lead by 401 runs with nine second innings wickets standing.

Final day 23rd September – Somerset’s most important victory

Sometimes a single incident shapes the day. The final day of this match was shaped by just such an incident. Northamptonshire had been set, what was effectively, a nominal 462 to beat Somerset. More realistically they had been left five and a half hours to bat if they were to draw the match. After five overs Northamptonshire were 14 for 0 with little evidence of trouble for the opening batters. There was every reason to expect a draw. The pitch appeared to hold few demons and Northamptonshire had constructed the success of their season on their ability to draw one match after another. The animated buzz in the crowd with which the Northamptonshire innings had begun was settling into the customary quiet chat of a Championship crowd enjoying the company of other spectators as much as the cricket.

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A Perfect Afternoon – Somerset v Northamptonshire – County Championship 2022 – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Third Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Overnight. Somerset 389. Northamptonshire 184 for 6. Northamptonshire trail by 205 runs.

Third day. 22nd September – A perfect afternoon

“Yes!” the cry from the Hildreth Stand among an explosion of cheers for the fall of Saif Zaib’s wicket. It was the first ball of the day, and those still finding their seats had missed it. I had watched the field take its place, a meandering, undirected exercise which nevertheless ends up with the fielders where they should be. It says something of the concentration of first-class cricketers that they can amble onto the outfield at the start of play at not much above my circumnavigation speed while chatting amiably to one another and within a minute take a blinding catch.

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Matches on the Move – Somerset v Northamptonshire – County Championship 2022 – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Second Day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Overnight. Somerset 271 for 4.

Second day. 21st September – Matches on the move

This was a day in which the eye was on the smartphone, or the ear on the conversations of those with their eyes on smartphones, as well as on the cricket, for the tensions of the relegation zone bubbled through the day. All three matches were on the move. Kent gained the upper hand against Hampshire, Warwickshire’s match with Gloucestershire edged towards the other West Country side, but not decisively, and Somerset pulled ahead of Northamptonshire. By the end of the day Somerset had built on the position they had worked so hard to establish the day before. There was no attempt to accelerate towards a fourth batting point, just steady accumulation towards as large a total as could be mustered, presumably prioritising the drive towards a winning position over the extra bonus point. Some wanted an assault on the extra bonus point, but someone said, “Better 380 all out with three bonus points than 340 all out trying for four.”

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Abell Shapes the Day – County Championship 2022 – Somerset v Northamptonshire – 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September – Taunton

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Northamptonshire. 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd September 2022. Taunton.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection for this match.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan.

Northamptonshire. W.A. Young (c), E.N. Gay, L.A. Proctor, J.J. Cobb, R.I. Keogh, R.S. Vasconcelos (w), S.A. Zaib, T.A.I. Taylor, L.B. Williams, B.W. Sanderson, C. White.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 20th September – Abell shapes the day

Somerset entered this match, the penultimate of the season, locked in a relegation tussle with Kent, who they play at Canterbury in the final match, and Warwickshire, both eight points beneath them in the table. Yorkshire are nine points above Somerset and 17 above Kent and Warwickshire, and probably safe since all three of those counties would have to pass them for them to be relegated. Gloucestershire, 41 points below Kent and Warwickshire, are already effectively relegated. But, with eight points for a draw and 16 for a win, the situation around the second relegation spot is devilishly tight.

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Cricketing Annihilation – Kent v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Canterbury – Final Day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Kent v Somerset. 26th, 27st and 28th September 2022. Canterbury.

Jack Leach and Imam-ul-Haq were unavailable for this match.

Kent. T.S. Muyeye, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond, J.L. Denly, J.A. Leaning (c), O.G. Robinson (w), J.D.M. Evison, Hamidullah Qadri, C. McKerr, N.N. Gilchrist, M.R. Quinn.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), B.G.F. Green, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 202. Kent 405 for 7. Kent lead by 203 runs with three first innings wickets standing.

Final day 28th September – Cricketing Annihilation

Kent, their First Division status secure, cavorted through the third, and in the event, final day of this match as if it were a victory parade. It was a performance to which Somerset had no answer. Perhaps their energies had been spent in the Herculean defeat of Northamptonshire the week before which had confirmed their own First Division status. On the first two days of this match, they had been swept aside with, Goldsworthy’s first day resistance and Aldridge’s second day wickets apart, barely a whimper. Overton’s efforts with the ball may have been more than they appeared because, with the third morning barely underway, he limped off the field mid-over for the second time in the match. He had too, kept Kent to three and a half runs an over, less than any other Somerset bowler. Brooks, Green and Abell had all conceded five to the buoyant, irrepressible march of the Kent batters.

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Swamped – Kent v Somerset – County Championship 26th, 27th and 28th September – Canterbury – Second day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Kent v Somerset. 26th, 27st and 28th September 2022. Canterbury.

Jack Leach and Imam-ul-Haq were unavailable for this match.

Kent. T.S. Muyeye, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond, J.L. Denly, J.A. Leaning (c), O.G. Robinson (w), J.D.M. Evison, Hamidullah Qadri, C. McKerr, N.N. Gilchrist, M.R. Quinn.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), B.G.F. Green, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Overnight. Somerset 195 for 9.

Second day 27th September – Swamped

Kent, perhaps driven by the importance of bonus points in their drive to remain in the First Division by staying ahead of Warwickshire, hurtled across the second day like a speedboat crossing a lake with only the occasional ripple to impede its progress. The Somerset bowling, for the most part, was swept aside by Kent’s bow wave and left trailing in its wake. Kent’s pursuit of batting points was only rarely ruffled. In short, it was a rout. By lunch, 30 overs into their innings, Kent were 149 for 0. On one occasion three fours were struck in three balls during a segment of play in which 31 runs came in three overs. By the 21st over, Somerset were using their sixth bowler. In the first hour of the innings Kent scored at a run a minute. The musings of the previous day that a score in excess of 180 might give Somerset a chance had been pushed aside like a floating twig in the path of Kent’s boat.

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Goldsworthy stands against the tide – Kent v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Canterbury

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Kent v Somerset. 26th, 27st and 28th September 2022. Canterbury.

Jack Leach and Imam-ul-Haq were unavailable for this match.

Kent. T.S. Muyeye, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond, J.L. Denly, J.A. Leaning (c), O.G. Robinson (w), J.D.M. Evison, Hamidullah Qadri, C. McKerr, N.N. Gilchrist, M.R. Quinn.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), B.G.F. Green, C. Overton, K.L. Aldridge, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 26th September – Goldsworthy stands against the tide

My day began as it ended. With a Somerset wicket tumbling. Overnight rain and a heavy morning shower delayed the 10.30 start until midday. Forty minutes before the players walked out, I discovered I had forgotten to take the pills which regulate my heartbeat. Watching Somerset with an unregulated heart seemed less than wise. A quick calculation involving my best walking speed and the distance to the hotel revealed I might just make it there and back before the umpires called ‘Play’. I didn’t quite make it. As I returned through the gate, peering towards the middle, I heard a snick and saw Jack Leaning falling smartly to his left at second slip. The ball, which had flown from the edge of Tom Lammonby’s bat, disappeared into Leaning’s hands, Matt Quinn the bowler from Canterbury’s Nackington Road End. Five hours later, with ominous clouds designed for inclusion in a biblical epic producing eerily Transylvanian light, Nathan Gilchrist, once of Somerset, ran in from the Pavilion End. He sent a thunderbolt scything into Sajid Khan’s pads. It was his second wicket in two balls and my regulated heart had suffered a day of almost constant pummelling from the Kent bowlers.

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Gregory and Khan raise the spirits – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September – Edgbaston

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th September 2022. Edgbaston.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died on 8th September. Before the start of the first day a one minute silence was held in her honour.

Jack Leach was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to being on international duty and Craig Overton had not fully recovered from his injury.

Warwickshire. D.P. Sibley, A.L. Davies, R.M. Yates, W.M.H. Rhodes (c), S.R. Hain, Y. Yadav, M.G.K. Burgess (w), D.R. Briggs, H.J.H. Brookes, M. Siraj, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, Iman-ul-Haq, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L. P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, J.H. Davey, Sajid Khan, J.A. Brooks.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 12th September – Gregory and Khan raise the spirits

The day began with the players, coaches and officials lined up facing the Pavilion. The two or three hundred people in the crowd, there were no more to my eye, joining them as respects were paid to the late Queen Elizabeth II. A short statement was read before a perfectly observed minute’s silence was held. The silence, a passing lorry apart, was palpable. Every minute’s silence I have witnessed being observed by a Championship crowd, even ones more than ten times the size of this one, is the same. Not a person moves. Not a syllable is spoken. This morning, for that minute, peace and intensely quiet contemplation reigned.

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The drum beats on – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th July – Third day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th July. Chelmsford.

Josh Davey, Sonny Baker and Ned Leonard were unavailable due to injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, P.M. Siddle, M.J. Leach.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), D.W. Lawrence, P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, A.M. Rossington (w), S.R. Harmer, A.P. Beard, S. Snater, J.A. Porter.

Overnight. Essex 505 for 8 dec. Somerset 99 for 1. Somerset trail by 406 runs.

Third day 27th July – The drum beats on

On the third day, the rhythm of the drum to which this match was played beat more slowly still. There was no approaching declaration to drive the score along as had happened towards the end of the Essex innings on the second day. Somerset merely responded to Essex’s 505 with a relentless, grinding beat of their own. Essex had scored 281 for the loss of three wickets on the first day. On the third, facing the threat of Harmer, Somerset scored 20 runs less for the loss of two wickets, only one of them, the slightly more adventurous Bartlett, to Harmer. It might have been a long watch for the neutral observer. For the Somerset supporter, needing evidence that the top order batting was able to continue the form it had begun to develop over the last two matches, it was at least a day, if a gruelling one, of affirmation and slowly burgeoning hope that a corner might be being turned.

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Batting to the beat of a funereal drum – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 25th, 26th, 27th and 29th July – Chelmsford – Second day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Essex v Somerset. 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th July. Chelmsford.

Josh Davey, Sonny Baker and Ned Leonard were unavailable due to injury.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell (c), G.A. Bartlett, L.P. Goldsworthy, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory, K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton, P.M. Siddle, M.J. Leach.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, Sir A.N. Cook, T. Westley (c), D.W. Lawrence, P.I. Walter, M.J.J. Critchley, A.M. Rossington (w), S.R. Harmer, A.P. Beard, S. Snater, J.A. Porter.

Overnight. Essex 281 for 3.

Second day 26th July – Batting to the beat of a funereal drum

This was a day on which the sun barely shone, the Somerset bowlers stuck firmly to their task and the Essex batters painstakingly built a score designed to give Simon Harmer the strongest of bases from which to entangle the Somerset batters. That at least appeared to be the Essex script and the Somerset fear, at least among its supporters. Essex’s efforts to apply that strategy, and Somerset’s to resist it, were the story of the day. By the end of it Essex had laid a long, hard road for Somerset to travel, but Somerset had taken the first steps along that road with an assuredness that has gradually asserted itself in their last two matches.

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Century on a Broken Ankle – James Hildreth – Somerset Steel

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Century on a Broken Ankle – James Hildreth – Somerset Steel

James Hildreth has retired from professional cricket. His career will one day, no doubt, make a classic cricket book. But now, as Somerset supporters everywhere are remembering one of the last great single-team domestic careers here, as a special tribute, are one person’s personal memories of the greatest moment of his Somerset career. A personal appreciation of more of James Hildreth’s great innings for Somerset appears in the preceding post to this one. This is an extract from that article. There is a link to the full article below.

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