Crawley rampant – Somerset v Kent – County Championship 2024 – 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May – Taunton – Third day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Kent v 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May. Taunton.

Tom Abell (hamstring) was unavailable.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach.

Kent. B.G. Compton, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), M.K. O’Riordan, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w), J.D.M. Evison, B. Swanepoel, G. Stewart, N.N. Gilchrist, G.A. Garrett.

Overnight. Somerset 554. Kent 108 for 5. Kent trail by 446 runs with five first innings wickets standing.

Third day 19th May – Crawley rampant

On the third afternoon of this match, Taunton matches of a decade and a half previously were evoked. Matches when the pitch would lose all semblance of life on the third day and dominant first innings positions would melt away in the face of second innings batters dispatching a ball devoid of all threat. On this day, a long afternoon of Kent batting mayhem brought unrelenting toil for the Somerset bowlers, and fielders found themselves chasing the ball to all parts of the Cooper Associates County Ground. As the Kent batters raised the ghosts of those earlier times, they punished the ball so unmercifully that it had to be replaced four times before its 80 overs were out.

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Momentum to Somerset – Somerset v Kent – County Championship 2024 – 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Kent v 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May. Taunton.

Tom Abell (hamstring) was unavailable.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach.

Kent. B.G. Compton, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), M.K. O’Riordan, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w), J.D.M. Evison, B. Swanepoel, G. Stewart, N.N. Gilchrist, G.A. Garrett.

Overnight. Somerset 440 for 7.

Second day 18th May – Momentum to Somerset

Somerset played their first innings in this match at warp speed. There were 440 runs on the board by the end of the first day and 99 more were added in the hour and a half possible before lunch on the second. Twenty of those runs came in the first two overs. Migael Pretorius found the boundary three times including with an on-driven four which brought up Somerset’s 450 and their fifth batting point to a comment of, “That was a lovely stroke.” He was though soon caught off a leaden-footed drive by Marcus O’Riordan off Grant Stewart for 19 from 13 balls, O’Riordan diving hard to his left from a wide second slip because there was no first, Kent stretched in defence. Somerset 460 for 8. Josh Davey continued Somerset’s charge with a drive off Stewart square to the Caddick Pavilion before the umpires took the players off to the sound of rain falling on the roof of the Trescothick Pavilion.

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Push and counter push – Somerset v Essex – County Championship 2024 – 3rd and 4th May – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Essex 3rd and 4th May. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius, J.H. Davey, J.T. Ball.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, D. Elgar, T. Westley (c), J.M. Cox, M.J.J. Critchley, N.R.M. Thain, H.G. Duke (w), S.R. Harmer, S. Snater, S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

First day 3rd May – Push and counter push

We were no nearer knowing where this match might end up at the end of the day than we had been at the beginning. Except that it would take something extraordinary, or a major incursion from the weather, for there not to be a victory for one side or the other. Essex ended the day 34 runs ahead with all their second innings wickets standing which, in the context of a day in which 20 wickets had fallen, gave them the edge. But, with the imponderables arising from a close match and a spicy pitch with a reputation for becoming easier as a match wore on, it was not enough of an edge for Essex supporters to relax as they left the ground.

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A titanic struggle – Somerset v Essex – County Championship 2024 – 3rd and 4th May – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Essex 3rd and 4th May. Taunton.

Jack Leach, (knee injury) and Tom Abell (hamstring) were unavailable.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius, J.H. Davey, J.T. Ball.

Essex. N.L.J. Browne, D. Elgar, T. Westley (c), J.M. Cox, M.J.J. Critchley, N.R.M. Thain, H.G. Duke (w), S.R. Harmer, S. Snater, S.J. Cook, J.A. Porter.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to field.

Overnight. Essex 156 and 6 for 0. Somerset 128. Essex lead by 34 runs with ten second innings wickets standing.

Final day 4th May – A titanic struggle

The second and final day of this match was a titanic struggle between two sides who charged relentlessly at each other just as they had on the first day. Essex edged the morning session, walking off for lunch with a lead of 123 with six wickets standing on a difficult pitch on which Somerset had been bowled out for 128 in their first innings. Then, in a stunning fightback after lunch, the Somerset bowlers took the final six Essex wickets for 43 runs to leave their side needing 167 to win. It would mean making the highest score of the match with little sign of the pitch easing. It would be a long second half of the day for supporters of both sides as the two teams fought, gruelling ball by gruelling ball, over those 167 runs.

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“You can walk a wicket” – Worcestershire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th, 29th and 29th April – Kidderminster – Third day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Worcestershire v Somerset 26th, 27th, 29th and 29th April. Kidderminster.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Tom Abell (hamstring) and Craig Overton (rested) were unavailable.

Worcestershire. J.D. Libby, G.H. Roderick (w), Kashif Ali, R.P. Jones, A.J. Hose, B.L. D’Oliveira, J.O. Holder, M.J. Waite, J. Leach, B.J. Gibbon, A.W. Finch.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 309 for 9 dec. Worcestershire 107 for 1. Worcestershire trail by 202 runs with nine first innings wickets standing.

Third day 28th April – “You can walk a wicket”

There was evidence everywhere of heavy overnight rain when I looked out of the window at half past eight. Everything was wet, rain was spattering heavily into puddles and people were scuttling across the courtyard on their way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. It was a scene which gave no confidence that play would start on time, and the rain didn’t relent for another hour and a half. No play before lunch I concluded. However, after the unexpectedly prompt start after rain on the second day, I kept a close eye on the Somerset CCC live blog, the most reliable and prompt source of information on playing conditions I have found at Somerset away matches. With half an hour’s notice, the blog conveyed the announcement that play would start at ten minutes past twelve. The ground was a mile and a half from my hotel, and I needed to buy lunch on the way. Kidderminster was a quick-drying ground I had been informed, but two hours after a night of heavy rain on already wet ground?

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A bitter wind blew – Worcestershire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th April – Kidderminster – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Worcestershire v Somerset 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th April. Kidderminster.

Jack Leach, (knee injury), Tom Abell (hamstring) and Craig Overton (rested) were unavailable.

Worcestershire. J.D. Libby, G.H. Roderick (w), Kashif Ali, R.P. Jones, A.J. Hose, B.L. D’Oliveira, J.O. Holder, M.J. Waite, J. Leach, B.J. Gibbon, A.W. Finch.

Somerset, M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, L.P. Goldsworthy, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, J.H. Davey, M. Pretorius, S. Bashir.

Overnight. Somerset 309 for 9 dec. Worcestershire 14 for 0. Worcestershire trail by 295 runs with ten first innings wickets standing.

Second day 27th April – A bitter wind blew

It was not a day to be in a hotel a mile and a half from the ground, virtually all of it a steep upward gradient. Flecks of rain on the bedroom window and wet ground outside joined forces with an indeterminate weather forecast for the morning to throw me into confusion about when to set off for the match. Ever the optimist (who isn’t where cricket and weather are concerned?), I ventured out, large Somerset umbrella in hand. The umbrella was a mixed blessing, for if Somerset supporters were to carry only one memory away from Kidderminster, it would be of the icy wind which cut into the face. The rain, a few spots, turned into a persistent drizzle as I walked. Combined with the wind, the drizzle made for a formidable opponent. Walking into it meant holding the umbrella horizontally in front of me as it was buffeted furiously from side to side obscuring first one oncoming pedestrian then another. Turning a corner would transform it into a sail, dragging me headlong, point first, towards another unfortunate pedestrian while threatening to blow inside out.

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Anticipation fulfilled – Somerset v Kent – County Championship 2024 – 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Kent v 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th May. Taunton.

Tom Abell (hamstring) was unavailable.

Somerset. M.T. Renshaw, S.R. Dickson, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M. Pretorius, J.H. Davey, M.J. Leach.

Kent. B.G. Compton, Z. Crawley, D.J. Bell-Drummond (c), M.K. O’Riordan, J.L. Denly, H.Z. Finch (w), J.D.M. Evison, B. Swanepoel, G. Stewart, N.N. Gilchrist, G.A. Garrett.

Toss. Kent elected to field

First day 17th May – Anticipation fulfilled

It was a glorious day to watch cricket and, if you were a Somerset supporter, a glorious day of cricket. After an April, The Oval apart, trapped in the grip of a cling-on winter, the sun shone much of the day with no hint of rain when cloud put in an appearance. The temperature was as near perfect as it could be for cricket, there was no wind and shirt sleeves were the order of the day, even at the top of the north face of the Trescothick Pavilion. The bells of St James’ church rang out from behind Gimblett’s Hill before the start and continued as the match got underway. Earlier the annual church service had been held on the Hill. The Quantocks looked even more relaxed than usual, and the crowd flowed into the ground until the number present pushed hard at 2,000. In such a throng, the four closed blocks of the Somerset Stand looked as starkly out of place as a great white whale stranded on a Brighton beach crowded with sun worshippers. The pitch was set well towards the Caddick Pavilion, almost in line with the gap between the Lord Ian Botham Stand and the Colin Atkinson Pavilion. The empty blocks of the Somerset Stand apart, it was an idyllic scene which fed the anticipation of a buzzing first-day crowd.

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An arm wrestle – Somerset v Durham – County Championship 2024 – 29th, 30th and 31st August, and 1st September – Taunton

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Durham 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September. Taunton.

This was the third match in 2024 in which the Kookaburra ball was used.

Somerset. A.R.I. Umeed, L.P. Goldsworthy, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M.J. Leach.

Durham. A.Z. Lees, B.S. McKinney, S.G. Borthwick (c), O.G. Robinson (w), A.J. Turner, B.F.W. de Leede, B.A. Carse, B.A. Raine, G.S. Drissell, C.F. Parkinson, D.M. Hogg.

Overnight. Somerset 395 for 6.

Second day 30th August – An arm wrestle      

Justin Langer used to say that every match in the County Championship was an arm wrestle. The second day of this match, particularly the Durham innings, was just that. There was push and counter push. Half an hour after tea, Durham’s arm was leaning back, almost to the horizontal, but an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 102 from Brydon Carse and Ben Raine kept their hopes alive. Before that, they had lost their first six wickets for 170 to some accurate, pressurising bowling from the Somerset spinners. At that point, Somerset’s lead was 325 with hopes among Somerset supporters of seeing Durham bat again before the close. By the close, Somerset’s lead had shrunk to 223. Durham, although still six wickets down, were also still a long way behind, but avoiding the follow-on, 74 runs away, was now a reasonable hope.

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“No! I’m not sure about this” – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2024 – 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September – Taunton.

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September. Taunton.

This was the last of four Championship matches in 2024 to use the Kookaburra ball.

Brett Randell from New Zealand had just joined Somerset on a three match contract.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, R.S. Patel, B.B.A. Geddes, B.T. Foakes (w), Shakib Al Hasan, T.K. Curran, J. Clark, C.T. Steel, K.A.J Roach, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 317. Surrey 169 for 3. Surrey trail by 148 runs with seven first innings wickets standing.

Third day – “No! I’m not sure about this”

“No! I’m not sure about this. I’m not sure about this at all.” It was a comment from a Somerset supporter sitting behind me in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion. It was replicated by several others in front of me. It was an uneasy moment. Tom Banton had injured his ankle in the football warm-up before the start, gone to hospital and returned to the ground during the lunch interval on crutches with his foot in a protective boot. Now, accompanied by Tom Abell as runner, he was hobbling and hopping out to bat in considerable discomfort. It was uncannily reminiscent of that day eight years before when James Hildreth had scored a century on a broken ankle. I was there that day, sitting in the then Trescothick Stand, now the James Hildreth Stand. Both used their bat as a walking stick. If anything, Banton looked in more discomfort than Hildreth had done on that occasion, although there was no information to the effect that Banton’s ankle was broken. Hildreth had played his innings when Somerset had needed it to stay in the race for the Championship. Now Banton found himself in the same position. Somerset were perilously placed with him as their last wicket and a lead, for which ‘slender’ would be overstating its extent, of 149.

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“Awesome for an 18-year-old” – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2024 – 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September – Taunton – Second day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September. Taunton.

This was the last of four Championship matches in 2024 to use the Kookaburra ball.

Brett Randell from New Zealand had just joined Somerset on a three-match contract.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, R.S. Patel, B.B.A. Geddes, B.T. Foakes (w), Shakib Al Hasan, T.K. Curran, J. Clark, C.T. Steel, K.A.J Roach, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 317.

Second day – “Awesome for an eighteen-year-old“

The recurring sight of the day, if you were seated at the top of the Trescothick Pavilion, was of Archie Vaughan’s right foot being kicked back towards you before propelling him into his short, hopping run to the wicket. Then, of the ball looping unerringly towards the batter, pitching tantalisingly in front of him and, too often for the batter’s comfort, fizzing past the edge of the bat into James Rew’s gloves. The science involved in spin bowling doubtless played a key role in what was unfolding before us, but it was the spinner’s art which impressed itself indelibly on the eye. In a day of 70 overs, Vaughan bowled 25, conceded only 45 runs and took three wickets. He is 18 years old. This, on top of the 44 runs he had scored opening Somerset’s innings on the first day. He richly deserved the applause he repeatedly received at the end of an over, and again when he returned to field on the boundary. It was a day and a performance to lodge in the memory bank of every Somerset supporter who witnessed it, and of some Surrey ones too if some of the comments I overheard were typical.

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A Winter’s Tale of a day – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2024 – 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September – Taunton – First day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September. Taunton.

This was the last of four Championship matches in 2024 to use the Kookaburra ball.

Brett Randell from New Zealand had just joined Somerset on a three match contract.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, R.S. Patel, B.B.A. Geddes, B.T. Foakes (w), Shakib Al Hasan, T.K. Curran, J. Clark, C.T. Steel, K.A.J Roach, D.J. Worrall.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day – A Winter’s Tale of a day

Four blocks of the Somerset Stand were closed, and the crowd must, by my eye, have climbed towards 2,500 by lunchtime. The effect was for the remaining stands to appear as packed as stands ever are at a Championship match. The weather matched the crowd, at least as far as the sun was concerned. Some early cloud had virtually cleared by midday and the sun shone brightly. It was a summer day perfect for cricket, if you were behind glass. If you were in the open, the wind blew with all the force of autumn and with a chill that took away most of the sun’s warmth. In the top of the Trescothick Pavilion, facing unforgivingly north, a mountaineer’s bivouac might not have been out of place and anoraks were de rigeur.

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Wilting under pressure – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Taunton.

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Taunton.

Tom Banton was unavailable due to an ankle injury.

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. T.E. Albert, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), T.J. Prest, L.A. Dawson, F.S. Organ, B.C. Brown (w), J.K. Fuller, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 136. Hampshire 62 for 5. Hampshire trail by 74 runs with five first innings wickets standing.

Second day 27th September – Wilting under pressure

The day began with the covers on and, for the first time I could recall since the drainage had been improved in the previous winter, a pool of water just beyond the covers at the River End. It was barely enough to fill a bath, but there had been a huge amount of rain overnight and the umpires decreed an early lunch and a start at five minutes to one,15 minutes before the afternoon session had originally been scheduled to start. Twenty overs were lost from the day.

When play eventually began, it seemed as if it would follow the same grinding pattern of the first day. After seven overs, there had been three maidens, 14 runs, 12 of them from Felix Organ and two from a Lewis Gregory no ball, one boundary, one beaten bat, two plays and misses, a thick edge for two, and a single boundary. Then Jack Leach found the edge of Organ’s defensive push, the ball flew low to Aldridge at second slip and Aldridge took the catch with apparent ease. It was about par for the course after the first day. Hampshire 76 for 6. Organ 12. Deficit 60. The match still in balance.

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A match intriguingly poised – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Taunton.

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire 26th, 27th and 28th September. Taunton.

Tom Banton was unavailable due to an ankle injury.

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. T.E. Albert, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), T.J. Prest, L.A. Dawson, F.S. Organ, B.C. Brown (w), J.K. Fuller, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 26th September – A match intriguingly poised  

The defeat at Old Trafford and the consequent demise of Somerset’s Championship hopes had their effect on the crowd numbers for this match. A chill wind, if not as cold as some in 2024, and an indeterminate forecast probably had their impact too. I like to sit at the end of a row and made sure I arrived in the top of the Trescothick Pavilion at least half an hour before the start for the Surrey match. It proved to be a necessary precaution. When I arrived at the same time for the first day of this match, I was the only second person to reach the upper level. By the start, there were 20 of us up there and perhaps 500 in the rest of the ground, a third or less of a first-day crowd when something still hangs on a match and the weather is more clement.

With a 10.30 start so late in September, the announcement that Somerset had won the toss and would bat surprised many. The pitch though looked brown. Perhaps turn was expected, or at least hoped for, later in the match. Somerset’s team selection may have reflected that. There were three spinners in the side and only one experienced pace bowler, the captain, Lewis Gregory. Hampshire meanwhile had the destructive opening partnership of Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas complemented by the experienced left arm spin of Liam Dawson. At half past ten on a cold September morning that, for the moment at least, seemed to give Hampshire the edge.

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Hat trick … – Somerset v Hampshire – County Championship 2024 – 26th, 27th and 28th September – Taunton

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Hampshire 26th, 27th and 28th September. Old Trafford.

Tom Banton was unavailable due to an ankle injury.

Somerset. A.M. Vaughan, T.A. Lammonby, A.R.I. Umeed, T.B. Abell, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), M.J. Leach, A.R.J. Ogborne, S. Bashir.

Hampshire. T.E. Albert, F.S. Middleton, N.R.T. Gubbins, J.M. Vince (c), T.J. Prest, L.A. Dawson, F.S. Organ, B.C. Brown (w), J.K. Fuller, K.J. Abbott, Mohammad Abbas.

Overnight. Somerset 136 and 60 for 4. Hampshire 196. Scores level with Somerset having six second innings wickets standing.

Final day 28th September – Hat trick …

Out! Hat trick! Third ball of the Hampshire second innings. Hampshire 0 for 3. James Vince gone. That is how quickly the mind works when the ball is travelling from the edge of the bat towards second slip. Lewis Gregory, bowling, lifted his arm, one finger pointing to the sky in triumph. It was the third edge in those first three balls. All flew towards the wicketkeeper and slip cordon. Gregory’s fighting 59 had just given Somerset an unexpected lead of 120 and a ghost of a chance of winning this game. Now, that third ball, speeding from the bat edge, low towards Kasey Aldridge’s ankles supercharged the hope. The entire crowd, in unison, jerked forward in their seats.

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A match like no other – Taunton – Somerset v Surrey – County Championship 2024 – 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September – Taunton – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Surrey. 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th September. Taunton.

This was the last of four Championship matches in 2024 to use the Kookaburra ball.

Brett Randell from New Zealand had just joined Somerset on a three match contract.

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

Surrey. R.J. Burns (c), D.P. Sibley, R.S. Patel, B.B.A. Geddes, B.T. Foakes (w), Shakib Al Hasan, T.K. Curran, J. Clark, C.T. Steel, K.A.J Roach, D.J. Worrall.

Overnight. Somerset 317 and 194 for 9. Surrey 321. Somerset lead by 190 runs with one first innings wicket standing.

Final day – A match like no other

It was a day of hope. It was a day of despair. It was a day of drift. It was a day of frustration. It was a day of relief. It was a day of resignation. And it was a day of utter exhilaration. And anything else in between that you care to mention, in equal and opposite proportions depending on which side you were supporting and when in the day you were supporting them. It had been a match like no other and this was a day like no other. Essex at Taunton in 2019 had come close but this outmatched it. It lasted seven hours. It might have been seven days. In all its hundred years, the Colin Atkinson Pavilion clock can never have moved so slowly, or so quickly, depending on who consulted it and when. By the end of the day, the Cooper Associates County Ground was awash with emotion drained from players and supporters of Somerset and Surrey alike. If you were a Somerset supporter, there was strength left only to stand and applaud and talk, and what things there were to talk of. If you were a Surrey supporter, there was the prospect only of a long, numbed journey home, and the consolation that Surrey still led the table, just.

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‘Next year. Next year …’ – Lancashire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th September – Old Trafford – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Lancashire v Somerset 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th September. Old Trafford.

Tom Banton was unavailable due to an ankle injury.

Lancashire. K.K. Jennings (c), H.P.N. Singh, J.J. Bohannon, R. Flintoff, M.F. Hurst (w), L.W.P. Wells, G.J. Bell, G.P. Balderson, T.E. Bailey, A. Phillip, W.S.A. Williams.

Somerset. A.R.I. Umeed, A.M. Vaughan, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Kohler-Cadmore, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, B.G. Randell, M.J. Leach. 

Overnight. Lancashire 140 and 398. Somerset 146 and 204 for 6. Somerset need another 189 runs to win with four second innings wickets standing.

Final day 20th September – Championship challenge over

In the end, it was over quickly. Lewis Gregory was gone almost before he arrived, and certainly before I arrived. It is a two-mile walk from my hotel to the ground and I still had a vicious cold. A few extra minutes in bed and a slightly slower walking pace found me halfway around the ground to where I had been sitting at the Statham End for most of the match when Gregory‘s innings ended. Whilst behind the player and media centre, directly opposite the Pavilion, where the players’ dressing rooms are, I heard what I thought was an appeal. It was in fact a cheer. “Lewis Gregory bowled by Luke Wells,” said the announcement and, with Gregory bowled through the gate, defeated by the googly, any remaining Somerset hopes of winning this match had, realistically, been ended.

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“What a day that was!” – Somerset v Durham – County Championship 2024 – 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September – Taunton – First day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Durham 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September. Taunton.

This was the third match of 2024 in which the Kookaburra ball was used.

Jake Ball replaced Migael Pretorius under ECB concussion regulations after Somerset’s first innings.

Somerset. A.R.I. Umeed, L.P. Goldsworthy, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M.J. Leach.

Durham. A.Z. Lees, B.S. McKinney, S.G. Borthwick (c), O.G. Robinson (w), A.J. Turner, B.F.W. de Leede, B.A. Carse, B.A. Raine, G.S. Drissell, C.F. Parkinson, D.M. Hogg.

Toss. Somerset. Elected to bat.

First day 29th August – “What a day that was!”

You would think that starting a circumnavigation of a small ground like Taunton forty minutes before the match is due to start would give you ample time to get back to your seat in time for the first ball. Not when you have been coming to the ground to watch Somerset since 1958 it doesn’t. I met seven people I knew, and talking cricket to seven people consumes more than forty minutes. The last conversation was still going on behind the covers store when the first ball was bowled. Ben Raine bowled it from the River End, Andy Umeed came forward to defend and edged the ball towards the right shin of Ashton Turner at second slip. Turner reached down, knocked the ball up a few inches and caught it. As Umeed walked off, the Colin Atkinson Pavilion clock showed the time as four minutes to eleven. Someone checked their phone which claimed it was 10.59. Out before the start.

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Leach supreme – Somerset v Durham – County Championship 2024 – 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September – Taunton – Final day

'farmer white'

County Championship 2024. Division 1. Somerset v Durham 29th, 30th and 31st August and 1st September. Taunton.

Somerset. A.R.I. Umeed, L.P. Goldsworthy, T.A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), A.M. Vaughan, K.L. Aldridge, L. Gregory (c), C. Overton, M.J. Leach.

Durham. A.Z. Lees, B.S. McKinney, S.G. Borthwick (c), O.G. Robinson (w), A.J. Turner, B.F.W. de Leede, B.A. Carse, B.A. Raine, G.S. Drissell, C.F. Parkinson, D.M. Hogg.

Overnight. Somerset 492 and 263 for 5 dec. Durham 336 and 15 for 3. Durham need 405 runs to win with seven second innings wickets standing.

Final day 1st September – Leach supreme

“Did you see that ripper from Archie Vaughan to get Borthwick last night?” was the first question I was asked as I passed the Caddick Pavilion on my pre-match circumnavigation. “Yes,” my reply. “Several times.” Oh, the joy of the Somerset live stream highlights. It was a masterpiece of a ball from the student member of the team, angled in before straightening perfectly off the pitch, passing the edge of the bat and rattling the off stump.

It was one of those circumnavigations which take time to complete. Anticipation was everywhere and when anticipation rules, people want to talk. To talk about that ball, about Vaughan’s debut, about Jack Leach’s rejuvenation, about Abell’s innings, about Somerset’s dominance of the match, about Gregory’s masterstroke of a declaration, about Surrey looking like they might struggle to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, about Essex, climbing the table behind Somerset, looking like they would overwhelm Worcestershire at Chelmsford, and, with anxious eyes turned upwards, the sky. The forecast hinted at patches of rain in the morning clearing by mid-afternoon. The sky was as worrying as the forecast. High cloud, more off-white than grey, and smooth, covering the entire sky. Smooth cloud, in my experience, is liable to produce rain. Too long a rain delay would embolden Durham. It would be a morning of eyes on the middle and eyes on the sky.

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Frustration – Warwickshire v Somerset – County Championship 2024 – 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th August – Edgbaston – Final day

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County Championship 2024. Division 1. Warwickshire v Somerset 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th August. Edgbaston.

Lewis Gregory was unavailable due to a groin injury. Craig Overton captained the Somerset side.

Warwickshire. R.M. Yates, A.L. Davies (c), W.M.H. Rhodes, H. Shaikh, J.G. Bethell, E.G. Barnard, D.R. Mousley, M.G.K. Burgess (w), M.D. Rae, C. Rushworth, O.J. Hannon-Dalby.

Somerset. T. Kohler-Cadmore, A.R.I. Umeed, T. A. Lammonby, T.B. Abell, T. Banton, J.E.K. Rew (w), K.L. Aldridge, C. Overton (c), M. Pretorius, M.J. Leach, J.T. Ball. 

Overnight. Warwickshire 337 and 175  for 5. Somerset. Warwickshire lead by 273 runs with five second innings wickets standing.

Final day 25th August – Frustration

This was a day of hopes, dreams and frustration. In the end, consistent with Somerset’s long history of pursuing the County Championship, frustration won out. In truth, the County Championship had probably already been put out of Somerset’s, and everyone’s, reach by Surrey. Six wins in nine games coming into this round of matches, seven in ten going out of it, is hard to argue with. But hope is a persistent siren. It envelopes the soul and blinds the mind to rational thought. In short, throughout this match, Somerset supporters still hoped, even though Surrey led their team by 27 points at the start, and bowled Lancashire out twice in the space of 120 overs before the finish, barely breaking sweat in the process. “If we could win here, and beat Surrey at Taunton, and … and … and …” was a consistent refrain.

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