Category: County Championship 2022

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

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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 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

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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 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

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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 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

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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.

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

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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

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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

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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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Essex ahead after a day of production line cricket – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th July – Chelmsford – First day

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

The author was unable to travel to this match due to illness. The match was therefore watched on the Essex CCC live stream, with the knowedge of Essex CCC, without which this report would have not been possible.

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.

Toss. Essex. Elected to bat.

First day 25th July – Essex ahead after a day of production line cricket

After two and a half years of avoiding COVID I contrived to develop a dose when Somerset were playing cricket! Mild fortunately, but the recommended isolation period meant travel to Chelmsford was impractical and so it was back to the live stream for the first time this year, the final day of the Yorkshire match apart. Few matches were live streamed when I began writing match reports in 2017, and the few that were, tended to be on such a narrow bandwidth the picture occupied a few square inches of the screen, came without commentary and from a fixed camera. What a transformation the intervening five years have brought. Full screen streaming, several moving cameras following the action, commentary, although I watch without, and action replays. A veritable feast of cricket-watching for the committed supporter who is unable to attend a match.

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Playing on the face of the moon – Essex v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th July – Chelmsford – Final 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 for selection due to injury.

The author was unable to travel to this match due to illness.The match was therefore watched in its entirity on the Essex CCC live stream without access to which this report would not have been possible.

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

*T. Banton replaced L.P. Goldsworthy under the ECB Concussion Protocol on the final day.

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 359 for 3. Somerset trail by 146 runs.

Final day 27th July – Playing on the face of the moon

The pitch on which this match was played could have done service on the face of the moon so little life was there to be found in it. Wickets fell, across the match, at the rate of four a day, and some of those when attempts were made, as Essex approached 500 and Somerset 600, to accelerate ahead of a declaration. Had the match been timeless, ten days might not have been sufficient to complete it. It took nearly 177 overs of the Somerset innings for six wickets to fall, and one of those fell to a run out with Gregory halfway up the pitch, suggesting he had fallen asleep when he set off, and another when Craig Overton tried to send a ball back to Taunton and was stumped by nearly as much as Gregory had been run out by.

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The Return of Jamie Overton – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – First Day

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County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury while Jack Leach was on Test duty with England and Matt Renshaw on international duty with Australia.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, B.F.G. Green, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, L.P. Goldsworthy, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton/M. de Lange, J.H. Davey/K.L. Aldridge*, P.M. Siddle.

*J.H. Davey was replaced by K.L. Aldridge on the first day and C. Overton by M. de Lange on the second under the ECB Concussion Protocol

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, B.B.A. Geddes, J.L. Smith (w), W.G. Jacks, C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worrall.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 12th June – The return of Jamie Overton

If anyone needed a reminder of what Somerset might have missed when Jamie Overton left for Surrey two seasons ago, they received one if they were at the Cooper Associates County Ground on the first day of this match, and many were. Perhaps not as many as might have been present on a good pre-pandemic day, but not far short, and for a post-pandemic crowd it suggested the old cricket-watching habits are returning. In a piece of controlled, precise, destructive fast bowling Overton ripped the heart out of Somerset’s middle and lower order. Three wickets, two opposing pace bowlers forced to retire hurt, if only temporarily in the case of brother Craig, and pace rarely seen in the modern County Championship, the sum of his contribution. He was not alone in breaking the back of the Somerset batting. With less pace but similar accuracy, Dan Worrall and Gus Atkinson formed the perfect backdrop against which Overton struck, each taking three wickets of their own. Somerset, largely courtesy of three of their own pace bowlers, two hobbled by Jamie Overton en route, scrabbled their way to 180 on a pitch which, with Surrey 56 for 1 at the close, looked to have had significantly more runs than that to offer.

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An almighty fightback – but just one point – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2022 – Division 1 – 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June – Taunton – Final day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th June. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury while Jack Leach was on Test duty with England and Matt Renshaw on international duty with Australia.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, B.F.G. Green, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, L.P. Goldsworthy, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, R.E. van der Merwe, C. Overton/M. de Lange, J.H. Davey/K.L. Aldridge*, P.M. Siddle.

*J.H. Davey was replaced by K.L. Aldridge on the first day and C. Overton by M. de Lange on the second under the ECB Concussion Protocol

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), R.S. Patel, H.M. Amla, B.B.A. Geddes, J.L. Smith (w), W.G. Jacks, C.T. Steel, J. Clark, J. Overton, A.A.P. Atkinson, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 180 and 319 for 8. Surrey 382. Somerset lead by 117 runs with two second innings wickets standing.

Final day 15th June – An almighty fightback – but just one point

The moment of the day was the sight of Jamie Smith’s off stump being sent cartwheeling by Kasey Aldridge and the delight from the bowler which followed. This was Aldridge’s second Championship match as a playing substitute and his third in all. He had finished the first two matches wicketless. He had finally taken his first first-class wicket in the first innings of this match, and another to break Surrey’s racing opening partnership in this innings. Now, the sight of that stump careering out of the ground set the Somerset blood coursing, for here was a young man making a mark. Cheers rent the air, for with three wickets in two overs Aldridge and Roelof van der Merwe had stopped a Surrey team hurtling towards a crushing victory in its tracks. “There may be only two or three hundred here,” someone said, “but what a noise they are making, what an atmosphere they are creating.” It was three quarters of an hour into the afternoon session, Surrey were 70 for 3 and the spark of Somerset hope had been kindled. Fifteen minutes earlier, With Surrey on 65 for 0, scored at five runs an over, a target of 193 had seemed only a few skips down the wicket away and the cheers were coming from the small enclave of Surrey supporters in the Lord Ian Botham Stand.

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A formidable base – Gloucestersire v Somerset – County Championship 2022 – 12th, 13th and 14th May – Bristol – First day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Gloucestershire v Somerset. 12th, 13th and 14th May. Bristol.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing injury.

Gloucestershire. M.S. Harris, G.F.B. Scott, J.R. Bracey (w), M.A.H. Hammond, G.L. van Buuren (c) R.F. Higgins, J.G. Bethell, Z.J. Chappell, Zafar Gohar, M.D. Taylor, B.T.J. Wheal.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, M.T. Renshaw, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, J.C. Hildreth, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, P.M. Siddle, M.J. Leach.

Toss. Gloucestershire. Elected to field.

First day 12th May – A formidable base

The large proportion of Somerset supporters present among a smallish crowd was obvious when I arrived two overs after the start. A two-hour bus ride, a walk through the centre of Bristol and another bus ride to reach the ground my excuse for a late arrival. For the record, the scoreboard, always the first thing a cricket supporter will look for on arrival, read Somerset 2 for 0. After a lengthy meander to identify a vantage point, and looking for a bit of height, I took a seat in the second row from the back of the Mark Alleyne Stand at the Ashley Down Road End with the sightscreen to my right.

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Hampshire with the edge – just – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2022 – May 19th, 20th and 21st – Taunton – Second day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2022. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire. 19th, 20th and 21st May. Taunton.

Sonny Baker was unavailable for selection by Somerset due to his continuing back injury.

Somerset. T.A. Lammonby, M.T. Renshaw, T.B. Abell (c), T. Banton, J.C. Hildreth, S.M. Davies (w), L. Gregory, C. Overton, J.H. Davey, J. Leach, P.M. Siddle.

Hampshire. F.S. Organ, I.G. Holland, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), L.A. Dawson, B.C. Brown (w), A.H.T. Donald, K.H.D. Barker, J.K. Fuller, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 211. Hampshire 29 for 0. Hampshire trail by 182 runs with ten second innings wickets standing.

Second day 20th May – Hampshire with the edge – just

The rain that fell for a few minutes towards the end of the afternoon session looked as if it was auditioning for a part in a blockbuster film about Noah. It could be seen from the top of the Trescothick Pavilion before it fell, first approaching from the west, blotting out the view of the Brendons beyond the Brian Rose Gates, before spreading like a primordial duvet along the Quantocks. When it began to fall on the ground, the players fled to the Caddick Pavilion while umbrellas blossomed like mushrooms in the stands. Cricket in England. Within minutes, the ferocity of the deluge became apparent to the occupants of the elevated section of the Trescothick Stand as it dropped what sounded like heaven’s entire supply of tin tacks on the roof.

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